By Greg Pratt

It’s been four years since Vancouver’s heavy post-grungers ART OF DYING released their first album, the independently released self-titled disc dropping in early ’07 and helping the band get their name out there via rock-solid songwriting and wrestling licensing gigs. The ensuing buzz culminated in the band signing to Reprise subsidiary Intoxication Records, the label brainchild of Disturbed dudes David Draiman and Dan Donegan, for their new album, Vices And Virtues.

“It's amazing to have it out now,” says vocalist Jonny Hetherington on the new disc. “You know, you work so hard to write the songs and make the record and put the artwork together… It’s like there is no detail too small; you put everything under the microscope and it seems to take forever. And then, you hold it in your hand for the first time and slide it into a CD player… it’s just an amazing feeling of accomplishment.”

Add to the mix the fact that bassist Cale Gontier is the cousin of Three Days Grace vocalist Adam Gontier and that the disc was produced by Howard Benson (P.O.D., DAUGHTRY, PAPA ROACH), and you’ve got potential for plenty of hatin’, for plenty of people saying it’s all hype. Surprisingly, Hetherington says that hasn’t been the case.

“Actually, no, and I’m a little shocked that it hasn’t become more of a focus,” he says. “I guess people are just getting used to the fact that, ‘Oh yeah, those guys are signed to DISTURBED’s label, and, oh yeah, Cale is Adam Gontier’s cousin.’ I’m glad the music is what most people are talking about. It’s not like we got ‘discovered’ overnight or cut any corners getting to this point. We slugged it out in the trenches for years and have earned a reputation for that.”

Really, what Hetherington and his comrades use their connections for is not for name-dropping opportunities, but to tap into the knowledge that all those years of experience can bring. He says Art Of Dying leans on bands like THREE DAYS GRACE and Disturbed for guidance, and that’s helped the band avoid some bad situations.

“Signing to Dan and David's label feels so solid to us,” he says, “because not only do we have the support of Warner Brothers and Reprise, we also have their personal interest, and believe me, if there's two guys in this business that you want on your team, it's Dan and David.”

But don’t let all this talk of post-grunge radio-rock heavyweights give you the wrong impression; this album has more than its fair share of moments that throw back to a time of greater excess and greater melodies: the ‘80s, and the hard rock that existed therein.

“We’re influenced by most of the decades from the last century,” says Hetherington, with a chuckle. “Tavis [Stanley, guitars] and Greg [Bradley, guitars] both site JIMMY PAGE as a huge influence on their playing. We reference BEATLES songs a lot, as well. Aerosmith is probably the biggest influence on us all from the ‘80s, I mean, just amazing songs, from their darker bluesy stuff to their huge ballads. It’s going to be a total thrill opening for MÖTLEY CRÜE later next month at Rocklahoma. We’re really looking forward to that.”

But Hetherington’s fave decade, as evidenced in the grunge-y tones of Vice And Virtues, is obvious…

“The ‘90s were the biggest influence on me personally,” he says. “When I discovered PEARL JAM, ALICE IN CHAINS, SOUNDGARDEN, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and NIRVANA, my life was changed forever. Something so passionate and real came from those bands. We strive to keep our music that honest.”

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