antiMusic: "Diggin' For Ghosts": This phrase is usually reserved for looking for past secrets or memories. What are you looking for in this song?

Tairrie: This song is our ode to the south with its otherworldly fuzz laced slow dirge which sets a very haunting mood for the album. It's one of the more atmospheric tracks that evoke a religiously inspired dichotomy of Atheist anger drenched in the whisper of Catholic guilt lyrically speaking. This is one of my personal favorites because it's got such a dark tone to it on every level. It's one of those songs that is better left unexplained and open to the listeners own imagination.

Mick: 'Diggin' for Ghosts' is a slow and low number that creeps its way towards the climax playing off dissonant chords, grinding drones and melodic lines. It's all about the gradual build. The vocals whisper, speak and growl throughout and ramp up to full on screams on the heaviest parts. It was instantly the intended opener for 'G&GS'.

antiMusic: "Long Dark Night": You're an insomniac as confirmed by your many late-night postings on Facebook, as the husband of somebody who faces the same affliction, I know of your difficulties. What else goes into this song besides lack of sleep?

Tairrie: 'Long Dark Night' is the song I'm looking most forward to playing live. It was actually inspired by a classic book I was reading one evening that seemed to be speaking directly to me. I felt as though it was describing what I was going through in my head in many ways within its pages. The book is based upon the 16th Century poem by the Spanish poet and Roman Catholic mystic St John of the Cross. It's called Dark Night of the Soul which is a metaphor used to describe a phase in a persons spiritual life marked by a sense of loneliness and desolation. His poem narrates the journey of the soul from her bodily home to its union with God and although the poem was more about someone losing their faith and based in a religious context, I sort of shifted the ideas into something more relatable to me in my dark night moment having to do with the creative side of the soul searching for my muse within. The lyrics were inspired by an insomnia fueled struggle to find inspiration lost in sleepless evenings of losing faith, awake with the inability to create. This is our heavy metal torch song on the album which pays homage to those little slices of death and life after midnight.

Mick: "Long Dark Night" is an up-tempo anthem with a hard driving verse and bashing chorus with broken up artificial harmonic based guitar riffs opposed by descending chromatic bass lines. Vocally it starts with a spoken prayer then roars on 10 for most of the track. This one pretty much doesn't let up and drastically offsets the slow opener.

antiMusic: "Excommunicated": Sounds like a song about a soured friendship?

Tairrie: Over the years I have often written songs prophesizing things before they happened. 'Excommunicated' is the embodiment of that idea with words that have taken shape with a few new identities and come to represent more than just one 'ex' friendship. For me, it is the lyrical equivalent of an anguished punch in the face. The track goes from a balled fisted stomp to a slinky, scary declaration of separation within the religion of relationships.

Mick: "Excommunicated" is one of my favorite songs on the new album. It's got a lot going on. Strange chords, big pinch harmonics, a strong back beat and 2 melodic lead breaks. The vocals in the verse and bridge are at full power and the chorus switches to sinister spoken word as the time signature changes and the tempo drops. This song's pulse is a big part of its impact.

antiMusic: "Eyes Black": Religion, in my estimate, is possibly the biggest evil in the world. Your take on Eastern practices is a pretty point blank strike at these atrocities.

Tairrie: I would say this is the most controversial track on the album. It was inspired by the short film 'Submission' created by the Dutch director Theo Van Gogh which he was murdered for making. The film was very critical of the treatment of women in certain religions and after watching it, learning the story about the director and doing a great deal of research on the subject myself I felt the need to express myself on the topic. It's one of the most important songs I feel I've ever written for and about women.

Mick: 'Eyes Black' is an abrupt mid tempo jam that is very bass and drum driven. It has some cool key changes and the guitar opens up nicely on the chorus. It also features a middle break that grows into a big layered octave guitar solo. The vocals are spit out with fire and purpose and the chorus growls in a very low and mean way. It's got a real no nonsense musical arrangement.

antiMusic: "Money Shot": Without naming names, you sound pretty disgusted at some female-fronted bands that place sexuality on a higher plane than musicality.

Tairrie: I am pretty disgusted with most female fronted bands these days. I find nothing interesting, original or genuine about the majority of women I see in so many of these magazines and videos nowadays. 'Money Shot' is not really about any one person, it's more about the mindset and mentality within the music industry at the moment when it comes to women in general and how many of them behave and allow themselves to be manipulated. It seems sex appeal has sadly become more important than substance and self respect. This track is my feminist lyrical stance that rails against this current trend of women in music who present themselves as talent less images of tits, tats and ass in hopes to get famous. A rock & roll middle finger protest is how I describe it best.

Mick: 'Money Shot' is a burst of energy with a very live and urgent "by the seat of its pants" feel to it. The chorus is a 4 on the floor assault and the mid section and wah-wah solo ease back into a solid groove to balance out the song. The verse vocals have a rhythmic echo that provides some space and the very live and sarcastic delivery of the entire song compliments the fast rock & roll vibe.

antiMusic: "Abusing the Muse": Religion again. While you can't paint everybody with the same brush, is there any other group who can deliver such evil (sexual abuse, the Crusades (military operated but religiously sanctioned), oppression against women, homosexuals, etc.), and then can hide behind the cloak of "freedom of religion"?

Tairrie: 'Abusing the Muse' is a full frontal assault call and response condemnation of the Church and all the self righteous, hypocritical evangelists, preachers and prophets that judge and condemn others in the name of God and pray for profit. This is another one of my personal favorites because it is anointed in truth and communicates a clear message of how I feel on the subject of organized religion.

Mick: 'Abusing the Muse' pounds it out. It starts with a snare roll intro that drops into a guitar riff based progression that keeps on moving throughout the song. The melodic walking bass line during the solo is a nice break. This one has relentless screaming vocals with a demonic sounding mid section. The overlapping chorus is very effective and the song builds to a really heavy ending.

antiMusic: "La Ciudad": Los Angeles seems to have "lost its shine for you".

Tairrie: Yes, unfortunately it has. I was born and raised in LA and my love affair with the city has always been a tumultuous one over the years. While many may look at LA as this glamorous place of worship from Silverlake to the Sunset Strip it has become more of a desecrated plastic wasteland in my eyes filled with familiar faces often empty behind their gazes. 'La Ciudad' is a song that exposes the true Hollywood myth for the two faced city it really is.

Mick: "La Ciudad" is a unique sludgy spiraling track. It plays off different ways to play a 6/8 beat. The bass and guitar parts split off from each other in interesting ways and the break/solo kick things up a notch with a classic metal feel. The vocals trade off between spoken word verses and full blown screaming choruses creating a cool dynamic. This one was the obvious choice for the middle track of the sequence.

antiMusic: "Suicide Tuesday": Seems like somebody is over-burdened.

Tairrie: I would have to say that description seems a bit more fitting for 'Repose' as 'Suicide Tuesday' is coming from a different sort of head space. It's the most somber track on the album lyrically because of the subject matter. A bit like a page lifted from a diary entry describing an uneasy moment in time.

Mick: "Suicide Tuesday" is another personal favorite on the new record. The riffs are relentless and the drums keep it quick while syncopating with the guitar in spots. The solo section is an old school rock jam that adds another layer to the song. The vocals are gritty yet melodic in the verses, the choruses are screamed and the end is an intense proclamation.

antiMusic: "Saviourself": During the last My Ruin Halloween show in Europe in 2008, a certain bandmember at the time wore a Jesus costume and is no longer in the band. This song talks about Christ complexes and former false friendships. Coincidence?

Tairrie: Not at all, in fact you're very perceptive. This particular track is meant to be more tongue-in-cheek lyrically compared to the other songs on the album. I like to think of it as the continuation of 'Skeleton Key' from our 2008 release 'Throat Full of Heart'. Both songs are very descriptive illustrations of just how far someone is willing to go when they are desperate for a little attention and what they are willing to give up in the process be it long standing friendships or personal integrity while transforming themselves into someone else.

Mick: "Saviourself" has a slinky classic rock feel. The verse has a laid back stop and start groove that juxtaposes the straight ahead big chorus riffs. The rest of the song builds and moves around this idea while the solo section shifts time signatures. It's another track that benefits from the sarcastic vocal delivery. Sassy verses and sandpaper choruses compliment the song perfectly.

antiMusic: "Malediction": Another friendship which proved to be false?

Tairrie: I like to think of 'Malediction' as a well deserved damnation and denunciation of a man. It's the lyrical antithesis of salvation and final retribution.

Mick: 'Malediction' is the most 'metal' song on the record. The first bar of the verse cuts to one guitar then the muted picking and harmonic minor progressions commence to truck along. This one has lots of changes and the solo cooks. The intro vocals have an "announcer" feel to them and the rest of the song is full on. The verses are quick and venomous while the choruses spread out and howl with fury.

antiMusic: "Repose": Is this about a relationship or it as a metaphor for the music biz?

Tairrie: It's actually more about my relationship with my band and art. 'Repose' is a call for calm and the restoration of a soul after years of unrest and obsession with expression. I suppose it could be taken a few different ways depending on the way you interpret the lyrics but it's not aimed at anyone in particular or Mick incase anyone was thinking that. It was written as an honest way of putting things into perspective in my head and heart in regards to the years spent in My Ruin and delivered as an alternative anthem to the usual brutality of most of the album. This is also the only track on the album where Mick's voice is heard which makes it kind of special in another way. He sings the chorus with me.

Mick: 'Repose' is the album's alt rock song. The quirky verse pays off with a big rock chorus. The riffs, bass lines and chord changes roll with the backbeat and the guitar lead displays some big vibrato and catchy licks. The vocals are layered and melodic and the 'gang vocal' chorus is a first for My Ruin and sets this song apart. It's a perfect song for crowd participation.

antiMusic: "Turned Out": This is your second Henry Rollins cover (third if you count the track with Ana Kefr). What made you take on this song?

Tairrie: This is actually our first Rollins Band cover. We covered Black Flag 'My War' in 2000 as a b-side to the "Beauty Fiend" single and a hidden track on our 'A Prayer under Pressure of Violent Anguish' album. Recording a cover on our albums has become a bit of a trademark for us over the years. Mick & I always try to find something that describes how we are feeling lyrically at the time we are recording by someone we respect and admire musically then give it a red lipstick marked stamp of My Ruin.

Mick: I have been a fan of this song since I got the 'Lifetime' cassette back in 1987. Their early material was really raw, strange, angry and way ahead of its time. Rollins Band and Black Flag both influenced many bands including us. I was very excited to cover this song and see how our version would turn out and we're very happy with it.

antiMusic: "Deathknell": Deathknell usually signals the end of something and your lyrics state that "you can hear the bell ring somewhere in the distance" yet you end off stating that "in the end, we will continue to do what we do, without them". What does this say about the future of My Ruin?

Tairrie: The song really isn't about the future of My Ruin, it was written as more of an homage to the ghosts of our past and to our current state of mind in the band and as husband and wife. 'Deathknell' brings things full circle on the album with its epic sounding eerie procession which comes in the form of a spoken word omen. It's a melancholy musical lament where I play the role of the narrator speaking directly to my significant other in regards to what we have weathered as a couple together for the past decade and provides the understanding that with death, there is reflection, rebirth and resurrection.

Mick: 'Deathknell' is the album's slow rolling closer. Fuzzed out bass provides the foundation for the relaxed drum beats and fluid guitar lines to flow. There is also a creepy bell that adds another layer. The spoken word story telling and the doom shouted choruses really highlight the dynamic of this record. The melancholy feel of the track makes for a perfect ending to this set of stories.

Morley and antiMusic thank Tairrie and Mick for doing this interview.