Interview with Jeremy Bennett by Jen

Can you tell us what the difference is between the Oak Knoll site and the Metal Patrol site?
Oak Knoll Productions is the parent company - it's a start up label that does mostly demos for bands. Next week I'm pressing a professionally made cd for one of the bands I'm working with. I will get more involved with production as my projects get further along. So you will see me cut back on my band roster as I am more selective of the material I will support & produce. Oak Knoll is also an umbrella for my other efforts: web site production, ebay activity, as well as the main company name for the label, distribution, and promotion of extreme metal. Not to forget the used cd store online that is part of this metal montage: http://oakknoll.gemm.com
Metal Patrol is just the e-zine (web zine) portion of Oak Knoll. It's basically a knowledge base of reviews and discussion forum. The activity has been slow and since I have seen other e-zines with more contributions surpassing my site with their new content- i'm not sure how long metalpatrol will stay up for.
On the OK site, there is an internet radio station…is that a specific station from your area, or is that something you have done?
It's an internet radio station - with up to 300 megs of the latest extreme metal hand picked by me personally. 20% of the material is mostly Oak Knoll bands. This radio station is also subject to being refocused. I pay $25 month for other people to catch on to this great music. But it's out of my pocket.. which I might refocus toward more professional releases like the one mentioned above.
Where do you find your bands from?
MP3.com, the internet, doing research on google groups... reading e-zines. chatting on the metal chat rooms on yahoo. Any garage band with potential and in the style of music I like can contact me for my help. It's a hobby and religion for me :)
Tell us about some of your bands. How many are on the label? Who do you have currently?
Warblade- melodic death metal from NY - soon to have a full length album out - 1st or 2nd week of July. These guys are tight and play a european style of melodic death
Enormity- Finnish melodic death - great band - I am working on putting out a new demo with this band. These guys are right up there with Warblade but it's more difficult to work with them since they are in Finland, but I hope to press their 1st full length cd.
Aramathea- minimilistic raw black metal from California.- very much like old Burzum. We are working on a newly revamped version of their last demo - and perhaps something more professional pressed down the road. Skullkin - great old school style metal from TN, USA - I think they are working on a full cd soon- they've been partying and playing a lot of shows .. it's hard to nail these hard rockers down to catchup with them
GraveDiggers Jokebook- last i knew these guys were going to press a full length cd.. they are more heavy metal than anything- great artwork in the samples i saw for their full length. they have dropped off the face of the planet- i'm trying to track them down :)
How did you come up with the Metal Patrol idea?
From Scream.no (the web site). It's one of my fave e zines from the past. Also-one of my fave newsletters - chronicles of chaos has a ezine up - they have the staff to drive their web site - although I think i had the review archive idea first (using asp db access). Anyhow .. hails to them great ezine! (they even use .net - damn i wish i was on that train) I can't compete when I have little to no staff. They have some very dedicated reviewers and there staff are veterans. My site idea and concept preceded theirs. but I cannot match their dedicated writers.
Can anyone submit reviews, interviews, etc to the site?
Sure - just visit the site and hit submit review.. no need to sign up as a staff member.. unless you would like to join the very elite paper team of mine :) Who knows.. you might win a free cd!
How many contributors do you have to the site?
Have one or two now. most i had was 8 i think :)
What is some of the music do you listen to?
I get 100s cds a month.. somy playlist is always changing.. currently I have been playing amorphis- far from the sun, hatesphere- bloodred hatred, passenger, thyrane, extol...
What has been the reaction to your site? Mostly good?
Definitely mostly good (aside from a few hackers). I'am sorted thinking metal is not dead yet..
How long have you been in this metal scene?
Since i was 13 (32 now)... i listened to merciful fate, king diamond, celtic frost, megadeth, helloween...
What was the last concert you went to and how was it?
Opeth, tapping the vein , and some other band. not my dying bride.. argh i forgot.. some goth rock band that used to be a tad on the heavy side... help me out anyone ? (draconian times i all i recall for one of their cds)..
basically opeth rocked! although the sound board sucked. tapping was kinda bored female fronted goth metal. was at the palladium in worcester, ma last late winter
Anything else you would like to add or say or plug?
extreme metal bands contact me! fans of this music keep checking the site or chat me or email me .. i'll hook you up :) also try some warblade and enormity- i'm sure you'll agree they kick ass!
http://www.oak-knoll.com/