MINA CAPUTO On 'The Sound Of Scars': 'It's Definitely, Hands Down, My Favorite LIFE OF AGONY Album Ever'

LIFE OF AGONY vocalist Mina Caputo recently spoke with Travis of the Fargo, North Dakota radio station 95.9 KRFF. The full conversation can be streamed below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the group's forthcoming album, "The Sound Of Scars":

Mina: "It's always exciting to release new music. Whether or not it gets the accolades is irrelevant in a sense, but I'm happy that everybody is extremely excited. Reaction so far has been mega... It's definitely, hands down, my favorite LIFE OF AGONY album ever... We went to Ashland, Oregon and spent some time tracking drums with Sylvia Massy. We're in the middle of the mountains. I love nature, but I am a city person. I've had my bits of living in the forest in Sweden; I've lived in Miami; I've lived in L.A. by the hills. I love nature, but gravity pulls me back always to the city. A city person being in the middle of Ashland, Oregon was very therapeutic. The process has been extremely rewarding, and we had a great time writing the music, locking ourselves up in the room with one another. We had a great time with Sylvia. We're trying to keep that vibration up."

On the album's title:

Mina: "I think if you ask each band member, each band member's definitely going to express a different interpretation of what the title means... What it means to me is that each scar, each wound has some kind of harmonious melody to it. What I mean by that is I'm particularly really good at turning trauma into bliss, so all the scars I proudly wear, like a crown in my life — losing my mother from drugs; losing the dad from O.D.'ing; laying on the floor with his body; friends shooting themselves in the head all throughout growing up; all the bad drug overdoses I've seen; all the beatings I've seen friends take... Each scar, basically, is like a Gregorian chant in a way... Your scars have sound in a sense, and they might not all sound good, but they're all very therapeutic, I think, for the person. It's up to that person to kind of check the dial so that energy, frequency and vibration of that scar doesn't bring you even lower."

On the advice she'd give to those who are struggling to find the silver lining of such "scars":

Mina: "I'm no therapist. I'm no plant medicine. I only can speak from personal experience, even though I kind of don't even believe in therapy and the pharmacutical world, because that's where it all leads, which creates even more problems. I'm not perfect. I have very, very low days. I have very, very high days. I'm an extremist — there is no middle ground with me. I'm not perfect. My only advice would be, one day at a time. One breath at a time. I would tell people to start meditating, because that allows you to confront every uncomfortable truth that you're experiencing as a human being. We need bad people in the world in order to have the good people. Breathe. Exercise. Getting your body moving, and allowing that energy to move within your body definitely creates health. Have the right diet. Stop eating sugar and junk food. It's not an easy process. I'm going to be 46. I was suffering deeply in my 20s and early 30s. I'm learning every day. Nobody's perfect. Perfection doesn't exist... I would strongly recommend journaling, meditation. It's just quieting your mind... If you want to become even more of a creative fireball, meditate, because you become more clear. You become more focused. You can hone in on whatever task is at hand and try to be in the moment."

On whether she plans to write an autobiography:

Mina: "I did have a book deal. I had a ghost writer to help me with it. I had to terminate the whole experience because she wasn't the writer that I wanted. I crushed that deal and they allowed me to move on... It turned out to be not the right time, probably because no one should be touching my book but me... I journal and I write a million songs, but writing a book is a completely different craft and art. I've never actually really tried it, but I've got to start [with] one paragraph a day... If I think about all the years and all the experiences and all the drugs and all the men and all the women and all the crying and all the laughter and everything that I've been through, forget about it — I'll never stop."

"The Sound Of Scars" will be released October 11 via Napalm Records. The album is being described as a "chapter two" to the group's 1993 debut, "River Runs Red".

LIFE OF AGONY will kick off a tour of Europe in London on October 22.

Photo credit: Gino DePinto