Attila’s Chris Fronzak Discusses ‘About That Life,’ Fusing Musical Genres, Warped Tour + More

Atlanta band Attila recently released their fifth studio album, ‘About That Life,’ and the group is trekking the States on this summer’s Warped Tour.

We had the chance to speak with Attila’s singer Chris ‘Fronz’ Fronzak, who talked about the band’s new album. The Fronz also expressed his enthusiasm for the Warped Tour and revealed what he has to have with him on the road to get the party started.

The title track from the new album ‘About That Life’ is an intriguing tune. Describe the message that's being conveyed in the song.

Basically it’s just a really fun song, it’s really heavy. Lyrically, we’re just poking fun at people who revolve their entire lives around money and cracking a joke at people like that -- who are really materialistic. Money doesn’t really matter, people revolve their lives around it only to lead to failure. It’s written like a rap song, basically.

This is your fifth studio album. How have you evolved vocally since the first disc.

As a vocalist, I’ve only gotten better with each album because I just continue to push myself and try new things as we went one and discovered my voice more. With screaming, it’s interesting because you can do a lot with your voice and I think screamers just take it for granted and don’t put much effort into it.

You said the new album was influenced by hip-hop. With heavy music, there there is often harsh judgment when trying to fuse varying genres together.

Totally, I think it’s bulls--- I think people are going to judge no matter what. We can be a cookie cutter band and do the same thing every other band is doing and if we did that people would talk s--- about us for sounding the same. And if you branch out people are going to talk s--- about you. It’s just the way the music industry has become, everyone just wants to judge.

What motivated the hip-hop influence on this album?

It’s just because that’s like my favorite type of music -- me and the band are all really huge hip-hop fans. And being from Atlanta, the hip-hop capital, it just made sense.

Being from Atlanta, can you talk about growing up in that music scene?

Growing up in Atlanta as a band was definitely a key factor in our success -- the local music scene around the time that we started was just amazing. It was a thriving scene in which there were many venues all across Atlanta. Everybody had a real hunger for the music so it was a great scene to be from because we could play shows frequently and have good turnouts at every show. Our local following was the reason that we kind of became bigger and got to branch out into different states early on in our career.

You guys have been described as party metal – what does this mean to you?

To me it just means that we make really heavy music that’s really fun. A lot of people have this f---ed up notion that music has to have a really serious, deep message and I completely disagree with that because music is art just like any other art form, just like a movie.

Not every movie is deep, dark and sad and has a deep profound meaning. Some movies are just fun and that’s what we are to the music scene. We’re just fun music -- I love heavy music more than anything else and I will continue to make heavy music but I just didn’t think that lyrically and the overall vibe of the music had to fit a certain standard. You can play heavy music but it can still be fun and you can have a good time and that’s what we’re all about and that’s why people have so much fun at our shows.

What are some bands you would love to go out on the road with, including some that you haven’t gotten a chance to tour with yet?

I always like doing tours with Asking Alexandria and Sleeping With Sirens, bands like that we just fit really well in that crowd. As far as bands I would like to tour with, s---, maybe Linkin Park or Avenged Sevenfold would be nice, I think we would fit in great – my guitarist is heavily influenced by them so that would be fun.

Have you played Warped before? What are you looking forward to most about the experience this year?

This is our first time, I’m just looking forward to being in the hot sun and playing in front of big festival crowds. The festival environment is my personal favorite. I love playing in front of big crowds very much. I like capturing the energy of a huge crowd and it’s just my favorite thing.

Any bands on Warped that you’re stoked to check out or hang out with?

I’m stoked to hang with my buds in Sleeping With Sirens and Memphis May Fire and Upon a Burning Body, too, that’ll be sick -- but that’s about it really. I don’t really know too many of the other bands.

Any touring plans after this long summer of Warped Tour?

After Warped, I know we’re going to Australia but other than that plans aren’t set in stone yet for fall. But I know that we’ll have one more U.S. tour this fall.

What is one thing you must bring on tour with you -- no electronics?

[Laughs] Something I must have on tour but not an electronic? Alcohol. [Laughs]

What is your alcohol of choice?

Whiskey. Jack Daniels.

Check Out Attila's New Single 'Middle Fingers Up'