JASON HARDOUIN (BECOMING): "Subgenres Are A Mind Limiting Concept That Causes Division In My Opinion" [ ]

Bay Area Band That’s Different From the Rest

Becoming wants to change your preconceived notions of what Bay Area bands are supposed to look and sound like. Becoming doesn’t want to label themselves. Becoming wants their music to be their calling card and for the listener to decide what they are hearing. Becoming is sort of a mystery outside of the Bay Area. That’s about to change. Front man Jason Hardouin gives the low down on Becoming’s latest release and more.

Metal Express Radio: If I knew absolutely nothing about Becoming, how would you describe the band’s music to me?

Jason Hardouin: As “Spiritual Metal that will Awaken Your Mind and Soul”. Subgenres are a mind limiting concept that causes division in my opinion. We are definitely a metal band with many influences, but I refuse to classify us into any existing subgenres.

MER: Becoming recently released their 3rd album In the Name of God. Can you talk about the meaning behind the songs…

JH: I will answer this with excerpts from each song’s lyrics. Ultimately I intentionally write lyrics that can be interpreted in multiple ways and mean different things to different people.

“The Storm” – “Be Strong and Be Here Now, The Storm will always come, you must be strong to survive, be not the weak of mind”

“Through the Now” – “All you need is in you now, never stop or bow down”

“In The Name of God” – “Regardless of religious text the truth is that God exists, through consciousness your spirit lives beyond the written words of man”

“This” – “They never asked for this they never had a choice, you robbed them of their innocence when you stole their voice”

“Alienation” – “Someone’s telling lies, alienating minds, whispering in your ear, fostering your fears”

“Redemption” – “Just like the phoenix rises, the time will come”

“How We Livin’” – “I’m livid how we’re livin’, always taking never giving”

“Loyal” – “What does it mean to be loyal in a world that does not care?”

“Powerlines” – “Poisoning our minds through the Powerlines, society has been victimized/paralyzed”

“Wish” – “I wish a muthafucka would” (Be Grateful, Be Thankful)

“It’s Fine” – “Everyone is fucked but everything is fine”

“And So Then…” – You must listen to this one yourself and come to your own conclusions…haha… I created it as a sort of summary of the album’s overall messages comprised throughout all of the songs. In fact everyone should listen to every song on the album personally and then decide what each song means to them. Art is a reflection of the times and perceptions are always subject to interpretation…lol

MER: You wrote, produced, and engineered In the Name of God and brought in Zeuss for the final mastering. How did you get him involved?

JH: I have known Zeuss or many years, he also did our last album Sonic Revelations, when we finished writing In The Name of God I reached out to him to see if he was interested in doing this album and he said yes. Never underestimate the power of networking and maintaining healthy relationships in business.

MER: How did you get Melody Meyers involved for the album’s artwork? Did she come up with the design or did you provide an outline?

JH: Same scenario here as with Zeuss. I have known Melody for many years. I brought the concept to her and she knocked it out of the park for us as they say. Again, building and maintaining relationships was key in this situation.

MER: What inspired the band name?

JH: A quote I read at a Hard Rock Café in Scotland from Sathya Sai Baba, “Reality is lost in dreaming and dreaming is lost in Becoming.” Also a big fan of Pantera as everyone can already guess.

MER: It’s been 10 years since Becoming released their last album Sonic Revolution. What was up with the band between albums?

JH: Raising kids, working day jobs, and enjoying life to the fullest.

MER: Obviously touring is on hold due to Covid-19. Has Becoming been doing anything musically since the completion of the album?

JH: Working our day jobs, writing for the next album, promoting this album, and enjoying life without pressure or expectations of others. We do what we want, when we want, and do not have to answer to anyone as a fully independent artist that handles all our own business as a self-contained entity.

MER: Who was the coolest band you shared the stage with?

JH: Testament, Exodus, or Crowbar, hard to pick just one.

MER: Who were the biggest dicks?

JH: Cannibal Corpse or Deicide (Both were equally dickish)