The Royal Bliss, a band from Salt Lake City, Utah, have unleashed the best album of the year. Screw that Metallica album Death Magnetic! Life In-Between is a solid rock effort that weaves between hard rock and pop so effortlessly and poetically it is like a sting ray drifting in the currents waiting for Steve Irwin. You can read our review of Life In-Between at this location.

After hearing the band, we had to talk to them to find out more about them. Who were the Royal Bliss? Where did this awesome album come from? And what were their plans once they dominate the United States? We sat down with Neal Middleton, lead singer of the band, and got some answers.

BnR: You fell from a balcony and doctor said you would never walk again. How did you find the courage and the determination to rehabilitate yourself?

Neal: It was weird. They said I wouldn't make it through the night and if I did, that I would never walk again. I wanted to get the hell out of there [hospital] because I had a show the next night. It was me not accepting that I wouldn't be the way I was again. I didn't want to let down the band, they didn't think we would make it through, but I did. Having to get back on stage was a driving force. As I was dealing with that, the drummer (Jake Smith) informed us he was having a kid. The band wasn't sure if we would survive it, but it brought us all together. It showed my dedication to the band and what were doing.

BnR: Has the fall influenced your music?

Neal: You can hear a lot about the fall in the music. I struggle with alcohol and the fall was a direct result of it. I was drunk and fell. The last record, After the Chaos II, had a song about it [the fall]. I am a binge drinker. I go on binges for binges for three days and do stupid shit. There are songs on Life In-Between that reflect those times, like Save Me and By and By. I write lyrics when I am in those low spots.

BnR: Let's talk about Life In-Between right now. I loved the record, but I had not heard of the band until this record. I was shocked to learn that this wasn't your first release. How was the recording process for Life In-Between?

Neal: The recording process for Life In-Between was awesome. We didn't record the album in Utah so it was easy to focus on music. We were away from friends and family and this forced us to focus on the music. We could record when we wanted to which was generally 11pm - 4am. That is when we are in our prime. Drink a few cocktails, smoke a little and then play how we play on stage. We wanted to make the studio experience loose, but also capture some of the energy from our live show.

BnR: Was the recording process different than After the Chaos II, which was aptly titled because you dealt with a lot of stuff during the recording of it.

Neal: Aww man that recording process was absolute hell. We started that record when I was still in a wheelchair. We fired our manager who stole a lot of money from us. We had to find a private investor to pay the debts. Chris who plays guitar and sings back up had his jaw wired shut. Taylor our other guitarist broke his ankle and had to play his parts sitting down. Our drummer rolled his car five (5) times into a tree. We were in a multi-million dollar studio for three months and didn't even get one song done. There were just too many cooks in the kitchen. Eventually, we spent a lot of money and went to another studio and wound up recording at the producers house. We could only record from 10 am to 4 pm when his mom was at work. Oh and she had a couple of cats, so the place smelled like cat piss, which most of the band was allergic to. We would take a break and go outside for a smoke and to breathe. The whole process took over a year.

BnR: A lot of band probably would have quit with all that "chaos" going on. How did the band survive?

Neal: Those hard times can either kill you or make you stronger. We have been together for six years and it was all we knew. It is all we ever wanted to do. We had nothing to fall back on, so it was this or nothing. We lost a bass player because he needed month. That is when we found Tommy. Tommy is a better fit.

BnR: Are you still on good terms with Brent?

Neal: Oh yes we are still on good terms with Brent. We try to split song writing credits among all members of the band, even if I write 100% of the song. This way we get paid the same.

BnR: That's good because that lead to a huge riff in Guns N' Roses. Axl wanted more of the song writing credits than Stephen Adler.

Neal: Yes, well we built this band together and as long as we are together we should all enjoy it. But yea, we still talk to Brent because we have to consult him when we license a song for a movie or whatever.

BnR: How would you describe a Royal Bliss live show?

Neal: Five guys having a hell of a time on stage. Good old American rock n' roll band. We try to be better live than we are on the CD. We also try to have a good time feeling the energy of the audience. We write the set just before each show so there is no fake shit. We don't use backing tracks or auto tune. We actually enjoy tuning our own equipment. I would describe it as good rock n' roll energy.

BnR: You are playing slightly larger venue now. Is this an arena you are comfortable with or do you prefer the smaller venues?

Neal: I prefer the smaller arenas because of the monitor situation. I'm not into inner ear monitors and you have to wear them during larger shows. You just feel separated from the audience on the bigger stage. I enjoy the intimate shows where the audience is packed in. It would be awesome to have 10,000 people singing our stuff though. We were just did some shows with Stone Temple Pilots on a larger stage, but I still prefer the smaller shows.

BnR: So did you get a chance to meet Stone Temple Pilots?

Neal: Well not Scott. He was hiding on a bus. But the DeLeo brothers came up to us and introduced themselves and they are really cool guys. Kid Rock is also a really down to Earth guy. We just feel lucky to make money and have these experiences. We are not better than anyone else. If you make it big, you are just lucky. That is all it is, luck and hard work.

BnR: What music are you currently into?

Neal: I am into a wide spectrum of music. We were touring with 12 Stones, so I was listening to them a bit. Are you guys familiar with the Fleet Foxes? They sound like My Morning Jacket. A bit of a hippie, Neil Young meets Simon and Garfunkel. I tend to focus on singers though. Oh, the Muse. They are getting a lot of play in our motor home.

BnR: Are there any artists you would be ashamed to admit you listen to?

Neal: [thinks for a minute] Kelly Clarkson. The band is a fan of hers. She is a hell of a singer. We rock out to Since U Been Gone when wasted.

BnR: Ever thought about covering it on stage?

Neal: We did think about covering it. There is actually a really good metal cover of it, you should check out. But I don't own the album.

BnR: Well when you come to Philly, I can burn you a copy of her back catalog.

Neal: Oh you guys are in Philly?

BnR: Well no, not really, but a lot of people don't know where Delaware is. So we say Philadelphia for reference.

Neal: Delaware, isn't that in England? Just kidding. Well there is a rumor that we might jump on the Buckcherry tour in January. If we do, we will be playing Philadelphia and then I can get some of those famous cheesesteaks wit whiz!

BnR: You are in luck as one of our staff writers is the master of Philadelphia cheesesteaks. He loves them. We will have to take you over to Pat's or Geno's. So what bands influenced you as a kid?

Neal: Pearl Jam, Crash Test Dummies. I loved the Crash Test Dummies because his voice was so cool and the lyrics were funny. I would mostly listen to bands for their singer. My brother helped get me into various bands because he would come home and tell me to check out this band or that band. I like Sublime too and all the classics like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the Doors, Metallica, Johnny Cash. My first tape was Whitesnake and Run DMC.

BnR: Are there any people you want to collaborate with?

Neal: Eddie Vedder, Bono, Tom Waits.

BnR: We have talked to some other singers before that were influenced by the grunge scene. They mostly cited Chris Cornell as the best singer of that era. Would you agree?

Neal: Oh Chris is an awesome singer, but I prefer power singers, like Bono in his prime where he just belts out the notes and the music.

BnR: Well then who is your favorite singer?

Neal: Dead? Freddie Mercury. Living? I would go with Bono. But Bono when he was in his prime. As you get older, you can't hit the same notes as you once did. Definitely Eddie Vedder. He can sing and scream. He has a wide vocal range.

BnR: Tom Waits huh? Well maybe you might want to pick up Scarlett Johansson's album of mostly Tom Waits covers.

Neal: I didn't even know she had an album out. Hell no I don't have that unless I want a good laugh. If you are good at something, stick with it. And she's a pretty good actress.

Thanks Neal for taking the time out and talking with us. We will be sure to alert you when the band goes on tour. In the mean time, pick up Life In-Between, so you can sing along with the band when you see them live. Check out their official website, Royal Bliss.com for recent updates on the band.

The website is also a great place to preview some tracks of the album before you buy...actually why would you? We told you the album was kick ass, when have we let you down before?