Evolution of sound is a natural part of any band’s career path and sacrifices are often made along the way. For Montreal metal band A Perfect Murder, losing half of the band’s members was the price of progression.

Lead singer and Tennessee native Kevin Randel says he was able to hook up with A Perfect Murder through the Internet after his former band, Skard, dissolved.

“My band ended while working on our third album and I started searching on the Internet for some sort of opportunity,” Randel says. “I saw they were looking for a singer and took a wild stab.”

A lack of commitment and unwillingness to take the band in a more metal-influenced direction were some of the main catalysts for A Perfect Murder’s drastic lineup shift. Randel says band leader and guitarist Carl Bouchard was determined to see the band continue.

“The general attitude was to carry on. The other guys, as far as being able to take it to the next level, they didn’t want to do it,” Randel says.

Even though their vocalist is separated from the rest of the band by more than a thousand miles, A Perfect Murder has yet to run into any problems because of this long-distance relationship.

Randel says the band is committed to making the situation work.

“I fly over every four to six weeks to do whatever work we have to do,” he says.

Randel says although he is the only American in A Perfect Murder, a shared love of heavy music bridges any cultural divides that might exist between him and his French-Canadian bandmates.

“There really isn’t a big difference and we’re all great friends. We all grew up listening to the same stuff,” Randel says.

As a side effect of joining A Perfect Murder, Randel found himself immersed in the Canadian metal and hardcore scene.

“The people respect each other and work to make the scene better. It embraced me and I embraced them,” Randel says. “There are so many good bands; it’s such a hotbed for good music.”

When it comes to influences, Randel cites a variety of classic heavy-metal bands such as Megadeth, Slayer and Testament.

“The whole Bay-Area thrash-metal scene of the ’80s is a huge influence on this band,” Randel says.

Randel says these classic influences are what helps separate A Perfect Murder from the rest of the current crop of metal bands, and looking to these influences was a core component of the band’s musical progression on “Strength Through Vengeance.”

“There’s nobody else out there that’s doing what we do. It’s very raw, real and intense,” he says. “It’s a flight of stairs above what we were.”

In addition to musical progression, Randel says his lyrical and vocal contributions on “Strength Through Vengeance” add another new dimension to the band. Randel attributes this to his use of real-life experiences as the basis for his writing, but also notes this can lead to occasional dry spells.

“I write very sporadically. I might write for six months and stockpile and then not write again for two years,” Randel says. “Life’s circumstances have to pile up for a while. I have to go through a lot.”

Although the band members are looking toward the future, Randel says enduring the rigors of tour life and attempting to win over new fans are the band’s focuses.

“It’s nothing but hard work, paying the bills and paying your dues,” he says. “Sometimes it’s like a step away from being homeless, but this is all we know.”