Casket of Cassandra
By Jeri Jones
Originally a San Francisco Bay area based band,
Casket of Cassandra is a young, experienced metal-core
band with extensive stage and touring experience. Started in March 2009 they released their first EP, The Makings of a False Truth in March, 2010. Casket of Cassandra quickly gained local fame for their melodic sound
(with a chance of breakdowns) and high energy stage
presence. During this time they played with well known
acts such as Arsonists get all the girls, Jaime’s Elsewhere,
The Agonist, and Bohemoth.
The band’s lineup changed slightly after its inception, yet consisted of core members Amanda Maddera, frontwoman and vocalist, Riles Olacsi performing
rhythm guitar and backing vocals, and Chris Campagna on drums. Guitarist D.J. Montanelli and bassist Jake
Ramsey would complete the band during their first album release.
As of July 31, 2011 Casket of Cassandra has been
signed to Nemesis Media Inc. with whom they have
released one full length album, Embracing the Void,
which they released at the start of their summer 2012
tour with label mates Deprivation, as well as Prey for
Sleep (now Death will Tremble) and Short Fuse.
The band made the decision to relocate from their
homes in the San Francisco Bay area to the Austin, TX
major metropolitan area during the summer of 2013.
With the move came new members, guitarist Isaac Holliday and bassist Quinton Rivera who took over for D.J.
Montanelli and Jake Ramsey. The new combination of
California metal-core and Texas melodic thrash added new depth and soul to an already incredible sound,
while maintaining the same style and feel that fans had
already come to know and appreciate.
In 2014 the band release the album “Day Four”
gaining new attention from different Audiences the
band expanded their horizons and in 2015 signed with
The Sight Set North Agency and has gotten sponsorships from Ladies Of Metal and Metalove Banners.
The band is expecting a lot out of 2015 with a
Page 8
west coast tour in May
and some regional stuff
through out the year.
Let’s start off by introducing the band. Who
are the members and
what instruments do they
play?
Amanda Maddera –
Vocals
Riles Olacsi- Guitar/
Vocals
Isaac Holliday- Guitar
Quinton Rivera- Bass
Chris
CampagnaDrums
Let’s assume that the
readers have never heard
of your band. What do
you want them to get
from this interview?
We want readers to
pick up the page and read
about us and then say I
want to listen to them.
Without trying to sound
like a dating add… We
are a fun outgoing band
who loves to involve the crowd and our fans in everything we do. We honestly would love to see new faces at
our shows around the United States. We are expanding
our horizons and can’t wait to see what the future holds
for us and hope to make every fan apart of that future.
So how long have you guys been playing in this
band? Is this everyone’s first band they’ve played in or
have they played others we may of heard of?
The band starting in 2009 we are originally from
California but relocated to Austin TX in 2013. We have
all had other bands at some point before but nothing
that has taken us this far. Nothing that anyone would
have heard of or remembered! HAHA
Who in the band came up with your name? What,
if any, reason did you guys choose it? Does it have a
meaning behind it or does it stand for something?
The band was not a serious band when we first
started. We wanted anything that could shorten to
C.o.C. our fans took to It pretty well within the first year
people were coming to our show with home made shirts
that said C.o.C. Sucker and our security guards from
local shows made jokes about us making them shirts
that said C.o.C. Blockers. Well now when people ask us
we usually start out saying “Well… it’s a funny story…”
Makes it interesting to say the least to watch peoples
facial expressions.
Is there one person who writes all the songs or do you
guys write as a band?
We all take part in the writing process. Although
Riles is a machine and can write music all day long. We
all have taken part in our music.
Where do you guys usually gather songwriting
inspiration? What is you guy’s usual songwriting process?
I think song writing inspiration for everyone is different but what seems to be a common ground is our
experiences and things that we have seen happen in the
world. A lot of the lyrics are very emotional to what we
have all felt at some point.
If someone wanted to hear your musi