Eyes Set to Kill is a band that follow their name. The fierce and intimidating looks from vocalist Alexia Rodriguez are like she’s ready to take your soul. Alexia and male vocalist Cisko Miranda bring a co-op presence to the stage similar to that of Joe Perry and Steven Tyler. They play off of each other’s presence well. Through the loss of their former vocalist Brandon Anderson, Cisko Miranda does an amazing job at stepping in and grabbing the crowd’s balls and placing them in a vice; and the crowd loves it!
Alexia and bassist Anissa Rodriguez were recently nominated as one of *Revolver* magazine’s Hottest Chicks in Metal. The band has gone through a lot of hardships and they express it beautifully. Their latest album *Broken Frames* emphasizes the hard times of life through a heavy and melodic emotion. Band members Cisko, Anissa, Alexia and drummer Caleb Clifton were able to take some time off of their extremely busy schedule of Warped Tour to discuss life, inspirations and the future of females in the metal music industry.
Buzz: Welcome to Chicago! Ladies, I have to ask you what it felt like to be nominated as one of the hottest chicks in metal.
Alexia: It was really exciting and it was fun for all of us because we got to go to their Golden God awards and hang out.
Cisko: It was actually really cool because anyone in rock royalty was there; like Dave Grohl.
Buzz: That’s the hard part of the job right? [band laughs]
Anissa: Even the first Freddy Krueger was there.
Buzz: Robert Englund?
Anissa: Yeah.
Buzz: That guy is one of my heroes. [band laughs]
Cisko: Marilyn Manson, (and) Zombie was there. It was nuts! A dream come true!
Buzz: That’s cool that you guys were able to be in the same room with musicians that give you inspiration to play. What were the inspirations for your latest record, *Broken Frames*?
Alexia: For *Broken Frames* I just wrote a bunch of memories that were on my mind that I can’t forget; just stuff that I kind of regret. That was the concept. It started out with a relationship that I kind of regret and after I wrote the song “Broken Frames,” every song just started being about different things in my past that I want to forget but can’t. So I figured that I might as well write about it and hope people can relate to it.
Buzz: How did the lyrics push you as musicians, and how were you able to match the lyrics musically?
Alexia: We don’t usually write to match the music with the lyrics. Sometimes we write the lyrics first and then the music. If it’s going to be a sad song, there’s a song called “Ryan” that [Anissa] wrote on the piano. I first heard it and knew it was going to be a sad song, and it reminded me of a friend of mine who died. For certain songs, we can do that. We can match the themes with the music, but for the other songs, they’re mainly heavy and I just write what I am feeling.
Buzz: How did producer Andrew Wade push you guys to really match the music and emotion on this album, while pushing you to become better musicians?
Alexia: For me, he helped me by having sing an octave higher, which I didn’t know I could do. He pushed me to sing all of my melodies an octave higher,which allows the song to sound more emotional sounding and more fun to sing on stage.
Caleb: I went in there knowing that he was just going to be the man. He helped me by knowing that I need to be a smart drummer not just a drummer who is trying to make the fastest fills or crazy double bass the whole time. I pretty much just stuck to the roots. Just did some simple stuff.
Buzz: So he made you focus on making the mastering the simple stuff rather than make the fast stuff sloppy?
Caleb: Exactly.
Buzz: How about you Anissa?
Anissa: Sometimes I would rush making a bass line. He told to take my time and not rush it. I was able to go into the other room and take my time with figuring out a bass line and then it would always work out.
Cisko: I didn’t record the album.
Buzz: So what’s it like being on tour as the screamer and how has being the screamer of lyrics that have already been written, changed your persona as a musician?
Cisko: It’s actually helped me grow. Before this I was in a band and I did mostly singing. There was some screaming. I get to play them live, which is just as important as the lyrics being recorded. Mainly because kids go out to shows to see and hear what is on the album.
Buzz: Who were the musicians that you heard on an album that made you want to do this for a living?
Caleb: Travis Barker.
Anissa: I think for all of us Blink 182 was an influence to start a band. I would also say Thrice.
Alexia: I used to want to start a band of a Blink 182 female band. Me and my friend used to call each other Mark and Tom because we were nerdy like that. Our music is a lot different now, though. [band laughs]
Cisko: Vocal-wise for me, Schuylar from the band He is Legend has always been an inspiration. Brandon Boyd growing up has always been an inspiration.
Buzz: It’s cool to hear that you guys have a common thread of music. What do you think the future will look like for females in metal music?
Caleb: I don’t know. There are a lot of bands out there that have women in them that do metal, like Lacuna Coil. But, we’re kind of from a different realm of metal and hopefully we can bring something new to the table, and possibly bring a new item that the whole world would want to see. So far, all of our fans go up to us and tell us that we are different. I don’t think we are that different. We’re just doing screamo metal stuff. But it’s always cool to hear that, so, maybe we a little different. [band laughs]
Cisko: I was going to say that hopefully we contribute to the many bands that have females in them, and hopefully we have helped opened doors for them. Hopefully we have helped and don’t have people that look at us as a joke and view us as a band that brings more of variety to that genre of music.
Anissa: I was talking to a guy the other day and he was saying that it doesn’t matter if the girl is talented in the band, it only matters if she is hot and then she will make it big.
Buzz: Did you slug him?
Anissa: No, I didn’t. But I should have! [band laughs] I don’t know why he said that to me. I think the future will look at women and know they can play and that it’s not about their looks or how hot they are. I really think they will see that it’s about talent and not about their fashion or looks.
Buzz: I read a recent interview that states how you guys are always trying to become musicians. If you keep trying to improve and become better musicians, then at what point will you be satisfied with your musicianship and your music career?
Cisko: I think that once the music keeps growing then the people in the band will always be growing because that is what it’s all about. You’re growing. So no matter what you are thinking … everything else will grow with it. There is always going to be a growth.
Caleb: I will probably never think that I am good enough. Even if I am 10 times better in 10 years, I will still think I am not good enough.
*All photos by Carl Burke
