The chaps in Red Sun Rising are about to embark on an era of their career that many established/veteran bands eventually look back on fondly - their full-length debut, Polyester Zeal, will be released August 7th, via Razor & Tie. Comprised of Mike Protich (vocals/guitar), Ryan Williams (guitar), Tyler Valendza (guitar), Ricky Miller (bass/vocals), and Pat Gerasia (drums), Red Sun Rising contains unmistakable elements of '90s era rock in their sound - something that Protich confirmed during an interview with BraveWords correspondent Greg Prato.

BraveWords: Let's discuss the band's debut album, Polyester Zeal.

Mike Protich: "We recorded it out in Los Angeles, with producer Bob Marlette - he's done everyone from Black Sabbath, Seether, Shinedown, Filter, Rob Zombie. So we were really excited to work with him. It was cool when we were choosing Bob, we were actually going through a bunch of different producers, and when we talked to him, he said all the things we wanted to hear. He's like, 'You guys have everything you need to make a great record. I just need to show you how to use it.' So I think that was cool and that's why we chose him. But we went out there, and he had a studio in his home, out in Woodland Hills, so the vibe was really laid back. His family was there - we basically became part of his family for three months. So it didn't feel like we were going to work in a studio. It was a very relaxed, 'home' atmosphere. And we wrote most of the record just on acoustic guitars in his backyard. It was just that kind of vibe, which was really cool. So it was a great experience."

BraveWords: I found the album's title to be intriguing.

Mike Protich: "Yes, Polyester Zeal was actually a song that Ryan, our guitar player, and myself had written for one of our independent records in 2010. The song 'Polyester Zeal' didn't make the record, unfortunately. Polyester is something very cheap and obtainable, and then zeal is something that you strive for. So the juxtaposition of the two kind of explains the obtainable dream to make you happy."

BraveWords: What as the inspiration behind the song 'The Otherside'?

Mike Protich: "Lyrically, we purposely made it one word, because we wanted it to represent a place or an idea that a person gets to once they break the threshold of whatever it is holding them back in life. So it's overcoming some kind of addiction, or overcoming some kind of obstacle in your life - you find 'The Otherside.' That's kind of what it means in a nutshell."

BraveWords: And what do you recall about filming the song's video?

Mike Protich: "We didn't have a huge budget yet, because we're a new band, so we did a performance video. And a lot of people around the world don't even know what we look like, so we chose a performance video, so the majority of it is us just playing. And we did the 'covered in mud,' which is one of the lyrics - just to give some kind of visual aspect to the lyric, pretty much."

BraveWords: What are some of your favorite tracks on the album?

Mike Protich: "Definitely a track called 'My Muse' I think is really cool. It's got a really cool vibe to it. And 'Emotionless' is probably my favorite on the record. 'Emotionless' was actually written back in 2009/2010. It was an older song that we revamped. But it stems from a dream I had, which was a really creepy dream about I saw a woman sleeping, and in my dream, I knew it was someone that I loved, but I didn't know who it was. So when I started thinking about the dream, I was thinking in my head that she was just laying their motionless, and the word 'Emotionless' came out. So I started repeating that line, and it kind of built into 'motionless emotionless,' and we wrote the song around that. It was just one of those songs that came out of nowhere."

BraveWords: Who would you say are some of the band's top influences?

Mike Protich: "Definitely a lot of the '90s grunge era, like Alice In Chains, Soundgarden. But also, way back, the Beatles and Led Zeppelin were a huge influence, as well as more modern bands, like Tool and A Perfect Circle. We're kind of all over the map - we're trying to take a little bit from every era."

BraveWords: Something I can hear a little bit in the vocal harmonies is Alice In Chains.

Mike Protich: "Definitely on 'The Otherside.' Now, the rest of the record is not that heavily influenced by Alice In Chains. But that song in particular, yeah."

BraveWords: How has the tour been going so far with Pop Evil?

Mike Protich: "It's been great. A lot of their fans are becoming our fans. This is our second time out with them, so it's really cool coming off a second time - especially since we are an established band and we have some material to actually let people listen to."

BraveWords: Future plans?

Mike Protich: "We're releasing the record on August 7th, and we just plan to keep touring. That's the really the only thing that we see in the foreseeable future - to keep going, keep playing. We're definitely a live band."

BraveWords: And what can fans expect from seeing Red Sun Rising live?

Mike Protich: "A lot of energy, a lot of passion, and we just love playing. It sounds cliché, but we leave it all on the stage when we're done every night."