RO: It's been, what, four years since the last Provision studio album? How have you and your approach to music changed in the meantime?

B7x: I think the biggest change to occur in the four years since we released The Consequence, is the addition of Matt. Matt's contributions in the studio and having written Paradigm Shift collectively as a group made a huge impact to our sound and the content of our songs.

Our writing and production methods haven't really changed. We've just learned so much more in the last few years, and Matt brings a new element to the team. One that we didn't have on The Consequence.

RO: What do you most want from your audience? Do you want them to dance or to listen?

B7x: We've never expected anything from our audiences. The most rewarding experience over the last ten years has been the shows where the fans sing our lyrics back to us.

I try to interact with the crowd as much as possible, and take the time to look at every face in the crowd. We want our audience to have a great time. If we can get them to dance, and move their body then I think we have done our job!

RO: Most of the songs on the album seem to deal with either forging new relationships or breaking free of old ones? Is that an accurate interpretation or are we way off?

B7x: Unlike the lyrical content on our first three albums, of which most came from real life situations; Paradigm Shift is about 90 percent fictional. Songs like "Waiting" and "Love Like Machinery," deal with control and seduction while "I Lose Myself" and "I Thought You Knew" are rooted in lust, longing, and hope.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have "Broken," "Crossline," and "Symmetry" that were influenced by darker subjects in life such as apathy, misery, and reflection.

Conceptually, the album as a whole is about change and moving out of the negative in life that holds you back. It's about evolving, though you definitely understood the "breaking free" part of it!

RO: What's next for you and for Provision?

B7x: Matt has already submitted new lyrical contributions towards album #5, and I have spent the last few months compiling a new arsenal of gear on which to forge the next era of our sound. Jen is always writing, and already has new works for us to start fleshing out.

We hope to release an exclusive remix EP this summer, and I am currently booking a short regional tour with Synapse from Denver, Colorado for mid June. We'll stay busy for the foreseeable future, and hopefully our 5th LP will be out by the end of the year.

Provision opens for Clan of Xymox at Numbers Saturday, May 7.