Metal Kaoz recently conducted an interview with the legendary Victor Griffin (ex-PENTAGRAM, PLACE OF SKULLS) who talked about his new band, In-Graved. Also, Victor revealed that In-Graved are going to release their first album on March 15th on CD and iTunes, with a follow-up release on vinyl this summer.

An excerpt follows:

Metal Kaoz: You've just come off a very successful two-year run with Pentagram. What factors contributed to your decision that now was the right time to "step down"? Are you leaving things open-ended with Pentagram, or is it time to close that chapter for good?

Griffin: "After the Last Rites album came out and we finished up the support tours, I felt I’d done all I could there and any further input on my part would be redundant. As I told Bobby, the band is back on its feet now and there’s no reason you can’t keep the momentum going if you’re proactive. Greg Turley and I stay in touch a lot and I know he’s staying on top of it to the best of his ability."

Metal Kaoz: You've recently announced the formation of a new band In-Graved, but we'll touch on that in just a second. I'm sure many people are wondering, so I have to ask, what does the future hold for Place Of Skulls?

Griffin: "Not really sure right now. Maybe nothing. Over the years, there were a lot of lineup changes and some were the same guys quitting and rejoining a few times. After the last round and a lot of contemplation, I decided it was best to let it dissolve and start fresh."

Metal Kaoz: Ok, back to In-Graved. You've managed to assemble quite the lineup: yourself, Guy Pinhas (THE OBSESSED/GOATSNAKE), Pete Campbell (Place Of Skulls/60 WATT SHAMAN), and Jeff “Oly” Olson (TROUBLE/RETRO GRAVE). Fill us in from the very start- how did In-Graved come about?

Griffin: "Pete and I have stayed in touch since he filled in on a Place Of Skulls tour back in 2005. Then he joined us again on the last one a couple of years ago. I love playing with the guy. He’s got a great loose but tight groove and really inspires me musically to step out of the box, which is something I’ve been needing and working towards for the past several years. So about a year ago, I had a few new songs and various parts for other songs and we were talking about getting them recorded. So, we set up a session and with practically no rehearsal, which is a technique I’ve come to embrace, we worked out most of songs completely and partially the rest; [we] got in the studio and finished writing the rest as we went. We weren’t sure who to get on bass, so I sent out an email invitation to some of the best bass players I know to play on it as guests. I've also wanted to play with a keyboard player for a long time, and Pete was digging the idea too. So this was an opportunity to put something new together."

Metal Kaoz: Sounds as though this “fresh start” is going to lead to some amazing new music! I know you have a new album in the final stages of being mastered and released. Was this album created specifically with In-Graved in mind? Did everyone contribute to the album? Is there a definite release date?

Griffin: "When Pete and I went into the studio, we didn’t know what we were going to call it. I thought about the whole solo thing, but I've never been too comfortable with that approach. So I came up with the self-defined In-Graved name, meaning to die to your own selfish desires. As I was saying about the email invitation to the bass players, Greg Turley, Guy Pinhas, Ron Holzner, Dan Lively, and Marty Swaney all accepted. I wanted Lee Abney and Dennis Cornelius on it too, but they weren’t able to at the time. My wife Anne, who is also a great bass player, plays on one song too. I’ve been wanting to get her on a song for a long time. I wasn’t sure who to get on keys. Travis Wyrick from Lakeside Studios suggested a couple of studio players, but then someone suggested Mike Puleo from ORODRUIN. So I contacted him, and he was able to play on a few tracks and also contributed a few small parts to the songwriting where we needed to fill. Then Jeff “Oly” Olson sent me message after he heard I was looking for a keyboardist. We’ve been friends for a while but I didn’t even know he played keys. So he got his Hammond rig together and contributed some killer organ to the rest of the tracks. Now that the album’s all finished, Svart Records will be releasing it in the UK and Europe, and Veritas Vinyl, a small US label I’m excited to work with, will release it in the US and Canada. Both labels are working together for a March 15th release date on CD and iTunes, with a follow-up release on vinyl this summer."

You can read the entire interview here.