An argument could be made that the hardships of life on the road create an atmosphere of the survival of the fittest.

The members of Louisiana’s metal quintet Soilent Green are nothing if not survivors, having endured two major van crashes on the road. Of all Soilent Green’s members, lead singer Ben Falgoust incurred the brunt of the injuries.

“I broke both my legs and both ankles. I spent some time in a wheelchair,” Falgoust says.

The injuries forced Falgoust to step away from the music business, effectively halting Soilent Green’s activities for the better part of four years. Falgoust says one the worst parts of the situation was the band’s inability to tour.

“Things were flowing smoothly and then everything kind of came to a halt. It totally put a dent in everything,” he says.

During the hiatus, Falgoust worked to regain the use of his legs. By the time the vocalist had fully recovered, he says the members of Soilent Green were ready to let their fans and peers on the metal and hardcore scene know they were far from extinct.

“It’s not like the whole industry is going to stop for Soilent Green,” Falgoust says. “We wanted to show people that this isn’t going to stop us. It matters how much you get in people’s faces.”

In addition to getting back on the road, Soilent Green continued working on new material for its new album, “Confrontation.” Falgoust says the eclectic mix of heavy music styles found on “Confrontation” is second nature to the band.

“It’s a natural thing with Soilent Green,” Falgoust says. “If anything, ‘Confrontation’ is a step in a new direction.”

Falgoust says recording “Confrontation,” which was produced and engineered by Hate Eternal guitarist Erik Rutan, was a great experience because they were able to step away from their day jobs and divert all their attention toward creating the album.

Rutan has a reputation as a death-metal producer, but Falgoust says Soilent Green was extremely pleased with the way he handled the band’s more diverse sound.

“He’s an awesome engineer — incredible. He showed so much commitment. Before we went down there he was calling us every day.”

Falgoust says although Soilent Green has been around for more than 10 years, finding the right lyrics and vocal patterns to fit the band’s constantly shifting song structures can still be a challenge.

“Sometimes it flows and sometimes it’s like a train wreck happening,” he says.

Although working with Rutan was a good experience for Soilent Green, Falgoust says the band put pressure on themselves to create the best album they could, reining in the diverse stylistic shifts the band is known for.

“It’s a tedious process because we’re really picky about what goes in,” Falgoust says.