Rhiis D. Lopez, frontman for Los Angeles-based extreme prog metal act ANA KEFR, is featured in a new interview at Heavy Metal Time Machine. An excerpt is available below.

Q: What were your influences?

Lopez: "As far as influences go, it's hard to pinpoint anything that makes sense. We don't write with an influence in mind, we aim for something that we want to hear and something that is outside of the box. Kyle (Coughran/guitars) grew up on OINGO BOINGO and THE CURE, he still listens to that along with a bunch of death and black metal, dub-step and hip-hop. My biggest influences are TOM WAITS, PINK FLOYD, MR. BUNGLE, and a handful of weird stuff that annoys most people when they hear it."

Q: Obviously I would assume that having spent so much time overseas helped to shape the band's philosophy. Do you consider your message to be the driving force behind Ana Kefr or is it simply a by-product and secondary to the music itself?

Lopez: "Living and traveling abroad definitely transformed the way I perceive the world, the way I approach and deal with it and you're right, it completely influenced and influences the band's outlook and ideas. As far as it being the driving force, it's hard to say. For me personally, the message and the music go hand-in-hand with equal individual importance. Obviously I love music, and I've always been into philosophy and religion, so it's important to me personally that the art I enjoy has a lot of thought and meaning behind it. If a band puts out an album with absolutely amazing music but lyrics that might as well have been written by a toddler, it spoils it for me. A mind great enough to make amazing music should either be smart enough to write great lyrics or aware of their shortcomings enough to find someone else to help them with it."

Click here for the complete interview.

As previously reported, Circle Pit's Chicago correspondent Stephanie Davison recently issued an exclusive studio report featuring Los Angeles-based extreme prog metallers ANA KEFR for the band#s forthcoming album, The Burial Tree. Check it out below: