The fall season will officially be known as “The Autumn of Stolen Babies.” In September, the California-based theatrical metal rockers will be a part of the “Epic Kings & Idols Tour” in preparation for the October 16th release of their highly anticipated new album “Naught.” The band has been on a long hiatus since the release of their acclaimed record “There Be Squabbles Ahead” in 2006, but they couldn’t be happier to be back on stage where they belong. Drummer Gil Sharone chatted with Inked about their legion of passionate fans, why the break needed to happen, and the one person he is loyal to when it comes to getting tattoos.

Inked: Stolen Babies is part of the “Epic Kings & Idols Tour” this fall. How excited are you guys?

Gil Sharone: We’re stoked just in general, not only to be on that tour but just to start our album cycle. The full run is going to be with Paradise Lost, Katatonia, and Devin Townsend. An awesome lineup, a super strong bill and, for me, I think just one of the best bills of the season and I’m not just saying that. But for somebody to spend hard earned money on concert tickets, this is just a solid bill from start to finish. It’s going to be an awesome night.

Inked: Do you find inspiration for new music while you are on the road?

GS: Yeah, inspiration comes from anything that we live and experience. Dominique [vocals] and my brother Rani [bass guitar] are the main songwriters for the band and, you know, they are influenced by everything. From a conversation we have in the van on the road, or watching a movie, or hearing a film score. We have so many different influences and inspirations that we draw from.

Inked: Did you think that the fans would stick around during the band's hiatus?

GS: We weren’t sure if people would know that we were even still alive. And that’s what’s been so amazing through the past few years. We’ve done very cool side projects and collaborations that have definitely kept us in the mix as far as people asking about the band. It’s just so awesome to see that people care, and people are catching on. And now we’re totally out of this hiatus and the Stolen Babies machine has started back up again. Doors are opening like crazy. It’s very natural. We’re not trying to make things happen.

Inked: It’s almost like the hiatus, even though it was long, gave you a chance as a band to focus on what direction you wanted the music to go and now fans can see how beneficial the wait was and that it was indeed worth it.

GS: With us, our hiatus was very healthy and we needed it. We’ve been playing music with each other since high school. But then we do things in and out of hiatus. We went out and did Europe with Dillinger Escape Plan for two months and that was f*cking insane. I played with both bands and that was a huge tour for us because the response we got in Europe was just overwhelming. But then we fell back into the hiatus and then we started working on the record. We just kind of did that at our leisure. We weren’t in a rush. It was all very refreshing for us to come back and really focus. In order for us to be where our heads are at right now with Stolen Babies, this hiatus had to happen.
The fall season will officially be known as “The Autumn of Stolen Babies.” In September, the California-based theatrical metal rockers will be a part of the “Epic Kings & Idols Tour” in preparation for the October 16th release of their highly anticipated new album “Naught.” The band has been on a long hiatus since the release of their acclaimed record “There Be Squabbles Ahead” in 2006, but they couldn’t be happier to be back on stage where they belong. Drummer Gil Sharone chatted with Inked about their legion of passionate fans, why the break needed to happen, and the one person he is loyal to when it comes to getting tattoos.

Inked: Stolen Babies is part of the “Epic Kings & Idols Tour” this fall. How excited are you guys?

Gil Sharone: We’re stoked just in general, not only to be on that tour but just to start our album cycle. The full run is going to be with Paradise Lost, Katatonia, and Devin Townsend. An awesome lineup, a super strong bill and, for me, I think just one of the best bills of the season and I’m not just saying that. But for somebody to spend hard earned money on concert tickets, this is just a solid bill from start to finish. It’s going to be an awesome night.

Inked: Do you find inspiration for new music while you are on the road?

GS: Yeah, inspiration comes from anything that we live and experience. Dominique [vocals] and my brother Rani [bass guitar] are the main songwriters for the band and, you know, they are influenced by everything. From a conversation we have in the van on the road, or watching a movie, or hearing a film score. We have so many different influences and inspirations that we draw from.

Inked: Did you think that the fans would stick around during the band's hiatus?

GS: We weren’t sure if people would know that we were even still alive. And that’s what’s been so amazing through the past few years. We’ve done very cool side projects and collaborations that have definitely kept us in the mix as far as people asking about the band. It’s just so awesome to see that people care, and people are catching on. And now we’re totally out of this hiatus and the Stolen Babies machine has started back up again. Doors are opening like crazy. It’s very natural. We’re not trying to make things happen.

Inked: It’s almost like the hiatus, even though it was long, gave you a chance as a band to focus on what direction you wanted the music to go and now fans can see how beneficial the wait was and that it was indeed worth it.

GS: With us, our hiatus was very healthy and we needed it. We’ve been playing music with each other since high school. But then we do things in and out of hiatus. We went out and did Europe with Dillinger Escape Plan for two months and that was f*cking insane. I played with both bands and that was a huge tour for us because the response we got in Europe was just overwhelming. But then we fell back into the hiatus and then we started working on the record. We just kind of did that at our leisure. We weren’t in a rush. It was all very refreshing for us to come back and really focus. In order for us to be where our heads are at right now with Stolen Babies, this hiatus had to happen.