The phone rings voraciously, demanding to be answered. I check my clock to see what god-awful hour it is. It’s 9:15 a.m. on a Saturday (relatively the crack of dawn in the college world – especially after a long and weary Friday night).

As I groggily place the receiver next to my ear and answer in that oh-so-Barry-White deep voice from the morning, a way too cheerful Danny Grady greets me with a hello and a laugh, realizing that he has just acted as my personal wake up call.

"What’d you do last night man? Out late?," the lead singer and guitarist for the metal band Injected asks.

Wait a minute; isn’t he supposed to be the rock star? I’m supposed to wake him up. Where is the pompous arrogance usually associated with the taste of fame? Well, to be fair, it was past 11 when Grady called me (his time), having done a gig the previous night in Wichita, the musician was still up a little too early to be of rock grandeur.

A band that’s been following the D.I.Y. ideals, pressing and handing out their own demos for years at local gigs in their hometown, Atlanta, Injected is used to being a humble ensemble of musicians. And if you’re looking for a handful of rock idiots, look elsewhere, the members of Injected (Grady, drummer Chris Wojtal, bassist Steve Slovisky, guitarist Jade Lemons) are all well educated on each of their instruments.

"I used to teach guitar for six or seven years," Grady explains. "I know music theory, and the fundamentals very well. I wasn’t classically trained or [anything]. None of us were. We’re just guys who took lessons for like a year and told our teachers we could play better than them."

Not worried about being typecast as any specific genre, Injected explores different musical styles freely. Currently, the band is considered by most to be a hybrid of hard punk and metal, but ask Grady, and he’ll set the listeners straight.

"We’re a fucking rock band," he declares. "We like to play everything. When we first started to get together it was the years when you discover a lot more than just metal. Around 17 or 18 you’re like, ‘Well, maybe I don’t want to just listen to this the rest of my life.’"

In addition to expanding their visions musically during their late teens, the members of Injected also first began playing music with one another around this time as well.

"We all knew each other from high school," says Grady. "Then, we were the only guys playing music after everyone graduated, so we kind of gravitated toward one another and formed Injected in 1994."

Being friends as well as bandmates for so long has helped Injected get past the normal quarrels that break up armies of other bands trying to break out. In past experiences with other groups, Grady remembers that musical differences between members would often lead to swift falling outs among the musicians.

"If you’ve got musical differences, it’s a lot easier to explain them in Injected," the frontman shares. "If you’re in a band where you don’t know the guys very well, and things start to deviate, people get pissed.

"When I was in bands that had guys who just didn’t know each other and we would differ musically, we wouldn’t hang with each other," he continues. "When we differ musically, in Injected, we still hang out."

And they’re having fun. Well, at least when they’re not living a non-rock star lifestyle. Last year, the group played their largest show at Atlanta’s Midtown Festival. As excited as the band was, the day’s hype was slightly dampened. No, not drugs, not sex, just your run of the mill stomach sickness.

"[There was about] 8,000 kids out there," recalls Grady. "That was amazing. Of course I was vomiting until the minute we got onstage. I wasn’t nervous; I had just gotten sick the night before."

Yeah, Injected may consist of guys who wake a little too early for the music world, are afflicted with everyday sicknesses, but I bet they go to fancy restraints and order hotel room service all the time, right? Wrong. As their singer continues to discuss the day performing at the Midtown Festival, a spontaneous yelp of joy can be heard in the background.

"They’re just yelling,"" Grady casually informs. "We’re going to IHOP."

The International House of Pancakes may not be the normal rock breakfast of choice, but Injected isn’t worried about following standard paths. Hell, they’re a metal band in a pop-infested world. And Grady would like to point out that Injected’s songs are a bit shorter than most of the racket that most bands are making lately.

"A lot of bands right now aren’t interested in writing songs," he complains. "They like writing real heavy riffs and rapping a couple of rhymes."

As for the Bizkit-esque rap rock thing that dominates airwaves, Grady just offers, in an exasperated voice, "Don’t get me started."

Releasing their debut album Burn It Black on Island records on February 26, Injected isn’t worried about how the public will perceive them.

"We’ve been doing everything on our end to make sure the album sells," Grady reasons. "Besides, you meet lots of different people doing interviews. You get to talk to them and wake them up," he continues, taking another jab at my drowsiness.

As much work as Island has required Injected to do in preparation to their CD release, the band has nothing but accolades for the record label.

"I’m not sure if they offered us the most money or not, but they had the best operation," says Grady. "When we went to other labels, there was no spirit. There was like a tumbleweed rolling through the office and you could hear the crickets. But when we went to Island, there was a really nice, dynamic, upbeat vibe going on."

Sure, the label may be upbeat, but it also provided Grady with his most un-rock star experience thus far. Unable to get into his own label party at the Roxy’s upstairs bar, On the Rox, a few months ago, Grady laughed the embarrassing situation off.

"I couldn’t get into that party at first. That’s the funny thing about the record industry. I mean it may be your party, but that doesn’t always mean you’re going to get in."

So whether they’re standing outside in the cold at their own parties, thrashing about onstage at their shows, Injected is making its own rules. They are living on the road, trying to learn the ropes of stardom.

"It’s tough sometimes," Grady admits. "I’ve taught guitar, made my own schedule, and never really had any structure in my life. I never did the 9 to 5. I quit college after two years. That definitely helps your mindset out here on the road."

Taking a final jab at my drowsiness, Grady discusses recording Burn It Black.

"It took three weeks to record," he says, chuckling. "If I had woken up before noon it would have been done in two."