G.G: Obviously there is a huge difference between the sound on the new disc, Songs From A Wicked Heart, verses the Give Birth EP. What caused such a significant change?

Jason: Well, this is really what we wanted for skull baby from the start. What we wanted to do, is blend all of our influences together, instead of concentrating on only about half. Songs From A Wicked Heart is much more natural and really is our heart and soul.

G.G: I see you have new band members. How did this line-up change come about and who are they?

Jason: This happened, because it needed to. Our former members were having some personal issues that were really holding us back as band. We’re all still friends and they will always be a piece of us. The new members are still very new. We will introduce them to the world soon through our website.

G.G: On your website, you list your influences. How strongly would you say a band like Sisters of Mercy plays into your sound? I seem to hear a lot of that in there.

Jason: The Sisters of Mercy were, and still are, a big influence on us musically. They were one of, if not the first, goth band I ever got into. I also think people can hear a lot of other influences in our sound as well. Great bands such as Black Sabbath and the Cure.

G.G: Are you afraid you'll be labeled as something like a copy of bands such as Sisters of Mercy, or Type O Negative?

Toby: No. I'm not afraid of bad press or heavy criticism. I would even feel somewhat refreshed if we were labeled a 'copy' of the Sisters. People hear my baritone voice and say "Pete Steele," but Steele is not one of my influences. I don't even own a Type O Negative album. Long before Type O, there was the Sisters of Mercy. Also, like Andrew Eldritch, I am influenced lyrically by the early Leonard Cohen. The Sisters of Mercy was the title of a Leonard Cohen song. It's a beautiful song, but when you listen to the words it's actually about prostitutes.

G.G: The vocals on the album are conventionally sung this time around as opposed to a more black metal style of screaming we heard on Give Birth. What caused the change? Are you more comfortable with your voice now?

Toby: I'm comfortable in the sense that I can hand anyone our new cd and say "give it a listen." Between you and me though, singing has always scared the hell out of me. But I do feel that the album is much more listen-able and enjoyable than our EP. I wanted to give the fans an album that I would want for myself. Something you can sit around and listen to, learn the words, sing along, etc. I feel that I can take myself a lot more seriously as a vocalist now that there is no screaming in the music. Maybe I'm getting old, but it just seems juvenile to scream. I know some people think that it's "emotional" or whatever to scream, and when you read what these bands are screaming about, it's really quite laughable. Specially the ones who are screaming a "positive" message.

G.G: There aren’t any major guitar solos on the whole album. Did you feel it would take away from the atmosphere to have a solo?

Jason: There are actually two guitar solos on the cd. I am not the biggest fan of solos, and I feel that a lot of people just really can't get into them unless they play guitar. And no, I don’t think they hinder the atmosphere. In fact, I think the two on the cd only help the atmosphere.

G.G:As far as the lyrics are concerned, themes of Jesus, God, Heaven, Satan, and Hell are prevalent. Were you intentionally aiming at a theme, or was it just what was on your mind at the time of writing?

Toby: The songs are mostly songs about love with a very melancholic attitude, filled with religious imagery. God is love. When you truly love someone, it's a spiritual experience. You worship them. You dwell on them day and night. You dream of them. You pray to them. You would die for them. And so the two go hand in hand.

G.G: How heavily does religion and culture weigh on your musical and vocal creations? What inspires you?

Toby: We live in the Bible Belt. We grew up here and it's a part of us. Once something is a part of you, it stays with you forever, even if you store it in the back of your mind. It's very difficult to accept salvation and its frustrating living day to day thinking that you could die and go to hell and suffer forever. It's so easy for me to write having grown up with it.

G.G: Your EP got a lot of good buzz. Did you sell as many as you would have liked? Is it still available?

Jason: No, not as many as we would have liked. It did good for what small amount of promotion was behind it. We did sell quite a few overseas, and that really made us happy. Give birth is still available at www.skullbabyband.com, and at www.cdbaby.com

G.G: How long has the new album been available, and how is it selling? Heard any feedback yet?

Jason: Songs From A Wicked Heart has only been available for a little over a month. Despite that short time, it is selling very well. Much faster than Give Birth. In fact, we are already about to order a another batch of CD’s. People who have bought the cd, have been praising it. We can only wait and see how much of a buzz it will receive from critics.

G.G: Any plans to tour this time around?

Toby: We have no plans to tour. Perhaps we'll sign to a label and maybe then we'll tour. As of now, we're planning to play shows locally and around the southeast.

G.G: Being an unsigned band, if you could have your pick of any label, who would you sign to, and why?

Jason: Any label, as long as they would not want to change us dramatically. A label that would make money for the band, and not only the label. Touring would be great, going all over the place. Promotion would also have to play a big part in it.

G.G: There’s a cover song on the new album. Tell me why you picked that song out of the millions of potential cover tunes.

Jason: The song is "I Just Died In Your Arms" by Cutting Crew. I thought we could do a kickass version of it and I think we did. The original already had a dark feel to it, so it was easy to give it the Skull Baby edge.

G.G: Have you been working on any new material, and if so, does it follow in the style that you've established on the new album?

Jason: I have a 90 minute cassette tape full of guitar. Im looking very forward to working on new material, its my favorite part of the process. I love song writing. The music does follow closely to the sound of <i>Songs From A Wicked Heart</i>. This is the sound you can expect for a long time to come from Skull Baby.

G.G: For fans who haven’t heard it yet, how would you describe the new sound of Songs From A Wicked Heart?

Toby: If you haven't yet heard "Songs From A Wicked Heart," if you like gothic ROCK, you'll love it. If you listen to a lot of the new Finnish Goth Music, like the 69 Eyes, you'll definitely like this album and will want to buy it. The 69 Eyes label themselves as "goth-n'- roll," which is probably close to what we are, but everyone’s out to start their own movement of some sort, and everyone hates being lumped into a genre and as a result tries to create their own and it usually ends up looking ridiculous.