Since the band's 1992 Metal Blade debut, _Burning in Water, Drowning In Flames_, Skrew has evolved due to the ingestion of multiple styles and ideas. Over the years, Skrew has chipped away at the frame of the band's music in an attempt to perfect their sound. Fans of the band have witnessed the band's growth through numerous releases: 1994's brilliant _Dusted_, 1995's _Shadow of Doubt_, and _Angel Seed XIII_, their latest effort.

Grossman starts talking about the new record and the direction of Skrew in 1997: "I don't know where to really begin about this record. What is a record other than where you are at that time? Talking about the last record, _SoD_, I was involved in a major car accident while making the record and the record was pushed back. That was a great record, but I don't really remember making it 'cause I was under some really heavy narcotics and medication. I still love that record. It's funny when I hear it now, it just has this seething, burning down inside the pit of your stomach feel to it, whereas _ASXIII_ is more in your face and immediate. This record is like a punch in the mouth."

"I think the record is like that for several reasons," adds Grossman, "one of the reasons being that we had five weeks to do this record, which is like the shortest amount of time we have ever had to work on a record. We crammed it in. We went in and pumped it out. I would have liked a little bit more time, but y'know what? It worked out fine."

He continues, "I think this record shows off the sickness of life to some degree. I don't write pretty songs. That is not what motivates me to write. My musical education comes from the old Blues -- 1930s and 40s material -- and so I think that works into my songwriting. Not pretty stuff. When I was a kid growing up I was all into bands like Bauhaus or The Birthday Party, and all that stuff was dark and showed a vile side of life. I just take my musical inspiration and writing styles from all that, writing darkened tales of life and what we go through. It's all there in my music."

From where does Grossman derive the song ideas? Are they always present? "Yeah, I am always writing. We already have four or five songs ready to play live or put down on record. I think it is more like, do I have time to be creative? I am always creating. If it isn't something music related then it is something visual. I do a lot of artwork, and that keeps me busy too. I don't know, ideas are always there; it is just getting the time to work on them that is the obstacle."

Grossman has helped produce both this record and a few other bands (Atlanta band Big Twin Din and German industrial/rock act Testify) over the course of a year. He is constantly learning and acknowledges that he has far more to learn. "I don't even consider myself a 'producer', but I sure am doing something right, as I keep getting offers to do this. I worked on three records, including my own, in the last year, so I am happy to be doing this. I would do it again if I was asked to."

Skrew has been Grossman's baby since its inception in 1992. He has been at the helm for the last five years as many musicians playing in Skrew have come and gone. Despite the frequent changes, Grossman still stays focused and adamant about keeping the sound of Skrew flourishing and vibrant no matter who is in the band. The quintet is currently rounded out by programmer/keyboardist Jim Vollantine, guitarists Jason L. and Doug C., bassist Frapp, and drummer Chris I.

_ASXIII_ is unlike any other Skrew record, since it caters not to what Skrew has been or should be about (an industrial/metal feel) but more to what feels natural in the state of progression for the band. Grossman agrees. His focus was more on feelings than sticking to a certain style or niche. "I agree... this record definitely has that feel. When we were working on the _SoD_ album with producer Neil Kernon, it was such a fucking intense learning experience for us. This motherfucker has been around, and we learned a lot of shit with him. We really did. But you know what? He really had this set idea of what the Skrew record should sound like. He told me before going into the studio this was what we were gonna do, and I was into that. This record, we wanted to have more of a free flow of ideas going around. I think we captured that. All the elements of Skrew are there, but they aren't set to sound like this or sound like that. It just molds itself."

Once asked about the significance of the album title, Grossman replies, "The title is just words that we came up with in order to best represent the material on the record. Let's get into the name first: _Angel Seed_. Okay... what is a seed? A seed is where human life, plant life, or any type of life starts with a seed. With angel, it kind of represents this mythological figure you might see. When you die and go to heaven you might see one. Or even when you die you might become a good or bad angel. The title is all-encompassing. And the XIII is actually a number that stands for unbalance of things. Y'know... not in order. So the name of the record signifies an unbalance of life. We really didn't put much thought into it, but it seems like we did."