According to Beautiful Brea Old And New, METALLICA guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield came to Brea, California several weeks ago for his half brother David Hale's 60th birthday. They jammed METALLICA songs as well as music from the '60s for two hours at Virtuo Music Studio in Brea, where James spotted a METALLICA poster on one of the walls of the practice room and signed it. Gary Hampson played bass guitar while Ed Soto, who had given James his first guitar lesson when he was a kid, played the lead guitar. David was on the drums. David's son, Daniel, also played a song on the drums.
One of the most influential figures in hard rock and heavy metal of the past 30 years, Hetfield was born in Los Angeles, California to parents who were devout Christian Scientists. A strict religious upbringing, which included seeing his mother die of cancer because their religion forbade medical treatment, fueled the lyrics of many METALLICA songs, including "Until It Sleeps", "The God That Failed" and "Fade to Black".
Hetfield learned to play piano and drums before picking up a guitar at the age of 14. His early bands during his high school years included OBSESSION, PHANTOM LORD and LEATHER CHARM. When LEATHER CHARM's drummer left, an ad that Hetfield placed in a local paper for a new drummer led him to meet Danish-born Lars Ulrich. The pair formed METALLICA in 1981 and remain its two original members. The group has since become one of the biggest rock bands in history, selling 59 million records in the U.S. and over 100 million worldwide. They were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in April 2009 along with JEFF BECK, RUN-DMC and others.
Hetfield battled for years with addictions to alcohol and drugs, finally entering rehab in 2001 during the turbulent sessions for the band's "St. Anger" album. He emerged clean and sober and remains so to this day.
Hetfield's struggle and the band's near-demise during that period was chronicled in the 2004 documentary "Some Kind of Monster".
Hetfield has been married to Francesca since 1997. They have three children, Cali, Castor and Marcella.
His hobbies include skateboarding, hunting, water sports, snowboarding, collecting guitars and customizing classic automobiles.
Hetfield has listed some of his main musical influences as BLACK SABBATH, THIN LIZZY, AEROSMITH, MOTÖRHEAD, QUEEN and LED ZEPPELIN.
METALLICA's ninth studio effort, "Death Magnetic", came out in September 2008.
One of the most influential figures in hard rock and heavy metal of the past 30 years, Hetfield was born in Los Angeles, California to parents who were devout Christian Scientists. A strict religious upbringing, which included seeing his mother die of cancer because their religion forbade medical treatment, fueled the lyrics of many METALLICA songs, including "Until It Sleeps", "The God That Failed" and "Fade to Black".
Hetfield learned to play piano and drums before picking up a guitar at the age of 14. His early bands during his high school years included OBSESSION, PHANTOM LORD and LEATHER CHARM. When LEATHER CHARM's drummer left, an ad that Hetfield placed in a local paper for a new drummer led him to meet Danish-born Lars Ulrich. The pair formed METALLICA in 1981 and remain its two original members. The group has since become one of the biggest rock bands in history, selling 59 million records in the U.S. and over 100 million worldwide. They were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in April 2009 along with JEFF BECK, RUN-DMC and others.
Hetfield battled for years with addictions to alcohol and drugs, finally entering rehab in 2001 during the turbulent sessions for the band's "St. Anger" album. He emerged clean and sober and remains so to this day.
Hetfield's struggle and the band's near-demise during that period was chronicled in the 2004 documentary "Some Kind of Monster".
Hetfield has been married to Francesca since 1997. They have three children, Cali, Castor and Marcella.
His hobbies include skateboarding, hunting, water sports, snowboarding, collecting guitars and customizing classic automobiles.
Hetfield has listed some of his main musical influences as BLACK SABBATH, THIN LIZZY, AEROSMITH, MOTÖRHEAD, QUEEN and LED ZEPPELIN.
METALLICA's ninth studio effort, "Death Magnetic", came out in September 2008.
The 2011 Big Four tour featuring Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax solidified Anthrax as both legends and prevailing lords of the mosh, and culminated in a profound hometown show on September 14 at Yankee Stadium. "I think everything in life has to be appreciated in the moment," says Bronx native Charlie Benante, "but with an occasion as monumental as the Yankee Stadium gig, you treat it as though you're eating the greatest piece of pie you ever had in your life, and just consume every last crumb."
One day earlier, Anthrax officially released their long-anticipated album Worship Music, which debuted at #12 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart. This was the band's first studio album since 2003's We've Come for You All, and marked the return of "classic-era" singer Joey Belladonna. The band ended the year completing the first leg of their wildly successful co-headlining tour with Testament (with Death Angel as the main support act), and will kick off 2012 with the second leg of that tour.
Worship Music is a metal manifesto depicting a band that after thirty years is closer to hitting their stride than preparing for their swan song. Benante's drumming is simply astounding, and both his songwriting and drum parts show maturity in structure and choices, while maintaining a rawness, proving that thrash can be simultaneously pure, perceptive, and pugnacious. The resultant sound is an intoxicating hybrid of classic and modern thrash metal that Benante and brood are bringing to the stage with the same passion, precision, fun, and intensity they always have, setting the bar frighteningly high for new generations of metal bands.
MD Online spoke with Charlie about the making of Worship Music, and he's the subject of our Influences feature in the February's issue of Modern Drummer magazine. Benante has an identifiable sound that's melodically aggressive, with his drums tuned for warmth, tone, and attack rather than thud and click. You could say his playing is sophisticatedly streetwise, the art of a self-taught but innately talented musician whose uniqueness simply cannot be learned, even through countless years of dedication to the craft. You just have to have it—and Charlie Benante has it.
MD: The production value on Worship Music is quite aggressive, yet there's still a great deal of warmth and liveliness on the recording, especially from on the drums. It seems that's been missing from other modern metal releases. How did you track your drum parts?
Charlie: I recorded the drums to tape, and then they were bounced. I miss the warmth and tape saturation you get from analog. I actually don't mind hearing some hiss on records, because it adds to the atmosphere. We live in the days where some drummers feel the need to record digitally and then have their drumming edited together and quantized, and it ends up sounding very robotic. It takes the life out of the song. I like when choruses naturally speed up, because it shows that a human is playing it—that human factor is what's been missing.
MD: In the '80s Anthrax showed several unique characteristics that made the band stand out from the rest of the bands in the Big Four, as well as from other thrash bands—Joey Belladonna's voice, Frank Bello's bass sound, but probably most of all, your drum sound. You always had a brightness and liveliness as opposed to the darker, shorter sustain heard on other band's albums. What influenced your sound?
Charlie: I love old jazz playing. Growing up watching Johnny Carson, I got to see Ed Shaughnessy and Buddy Rich, and they tuned their drums really high and open. Drums should sound alive! They shouldn't sound dead or synthetic.
MD: How long did it take you to track the drums for Worship Music?
Charlie: I started recording songs for the record back in 2009. The first batch was recorded over a four-day period, and maybe fifty-five percent of what I recorded then stayed on the record. A year later, in a different studio with a different kit, I recorded some more songs. And then I went back in again to record the last batch and re-record some songs that I changed after we started playing them live.
MD: What songs were reworked or changed after playing them live?
Charlie: "Judas Priest," "In the End," "Fight 'Em Til You Can't," and "The Devil You Know" were all reworked along the way, or recorded at different times. "Fight 'Em" changed quite a bit. Maybe sixty percent of what I initially played is the same, but it became a whole different animal when we started playing it live. I was playing it much better, so at the end of that tour I went back and rerecorded it. The song was sounding pretty ferocious, and that's what I wanted to capture on tape.
MD: I imagine having the opportunity to go back and re-track songs is not something that presents itself often.
Charlie: We had the luxury of being able to go back and do that, but doing so made for a better performance. Typically, drummers are the first to record, and then ten months later the album is done, and you listen to the finished product and think, "Wow, I wish I would have played that fill differently." I think Sting once said that the process of making records and then touring is backwards, because by the end of the tour you're so familiar with the songs and playing them so much better.
MD: "Fight 'Em" has some seriously nasty drum patterns and fills going on.
Charlie: There are two breaks in that song, and the second one wasn't initially in the song. There's the "Latin feel" drum part right after the second chorus, and then there are the fills after the solo. I was playing the "Tom Sawyer" drum fills in that spot as a joke because they fit. Then the guys started coming to the kit and screaming, "Rush! Rush!" when that part was coming up. Although I loved those fills, I knew I couldn't record the song that way. So I came up with different fills and patterns. Every so often when we play it live I'll throw in the "Tom Sawyer" fills.
MD: What are you playing at the tail end of the Latin feel, when the rides come in?
Charlie: I have two rides set up, my main ride and one on my left, so I'm just bouncing between the toms and then off the bells of the rides. The ride accents added all these colors to that section. That part is definitely a challenge.
Whenever I read an article about a drummer I respect, they always seem to talk about challenging themselves or continually moving towards something new with their playing, and "Fight 'Em" is a challenge. Before that part comes in, I can't push it. I have to go into it calmly and let it build. If I go into it too aggressively it just doesn't come out right.
MD: You and Frank Bello are such a tight rhythm section, even though your parts don't really lock in with one another. He seems to find the spaces between you and the guitars without stepping on anyone else or taking away from the pulse of the song.Charlie: Right. I actually tend to lock in with Scott's guitar more, and Frankie is kinda out finding the holes, which makes his parts stand out. It's funny, because Metallica is the same way. Lars and James lock in with each other; same with Slayer. The right hand of the rhythm guitars and the drums tend to go together.
MD: How did the title "Worship Music" come about?
Charlie: The story behind the name is that I fell asleep with the TV on one night and woke up at five in the morning, and there was this show on called "Worship Music." It was a Sunday morning sermon thing, and a light bulb went off—"That's a great title!" I wrote the opening title track instrumental because I wanted something that would set up the record. It reminds me of the sun rising, and the day is starting, and then…boom, "Earth On Hell" crushes right in. That's how each day starts for me. The sun comes up and then bam…the shit happens.
MD: There's a double entendre happening, where worship music is viewed as a form of music, but the phrase can also be interpreted as a declaration to worship music.
Charlie: Yeah, that's the thing, because to everyone that loves music, and especially for hard rock and metal fans, music is what they worship. They may have a handful of bands they follow and stand by through thick and thin, buy every album and just worship. Bands help them through life's good times and bad times, and their devotion is a form of faith. I don't go a day without listening to music.
MD: Speaking of which, the new material sounds very fresh and relevant, but the classic Anthrax sound is still in there. With Joey back in the band, did you feel any pressure to recapture the past magic, or just try to stay in the moment?
Charlie: I never really think of the old material or live in the past, yet there are elements of it in what I write. I still write songs on the same guitar that I did back in the day. I say that that guitar is magic, because there are just so many songs in it, but if I feel that I'm writing something that sounds dated, it probably won't last.
I'm sure there are bands that are trying to relive a record that brought them acclaim and trying to write that record over and over again. But there are also bands that just have a certain sound, like AC/DC or the Ramones. You sometimes have to just let a song be what it wants to be, and not try to rewrite it or cut it to fit what you think it should be.
MD: What's drives your creativity these days?
Charlie: Anything can inspire me. Movies, music…the other night I went to see the Foo Fighters at a small club, and that was inspiring. I came home, set up my digital recorder, started playing guitar, and just let it go. Watching another band have a great show—that always triggers my creative energy.
MASTODON and OPETH are rumored to be teaming up for a U.S. tour in April. Support on the trek will likely come from GHOST.
MASTODON is among the nominees for the 54th annual Grammy Awards, which will be held on Sunday, February 12, 2012 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The band's Grammy nomination is for "Curl Of The Burl", the first single from MASTODON's new album, "The Hunter".
MASTODON received its first Grammy nomination in 2006 for the single "Colony Of Birchmen", from the band's Reprise Records debut album, "Blood Mountain".
OPETH's new album, "Heritage", sold 19,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 19 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous studio CD, 2008's "Watershed", opened with more than 19,000 units to land at No. 23.
"Watershed" was the follow-up to the band's acclaimed "Ghost Reveries" CD, which debuted at No. 64 on the Billboard chart back in September 2005 with first-week sales of just under 15,000.
OPETH's 2003 album, "Damnation", premiered with a little over 5,000 copies.
MASTODON is among the nominees for the 54th annual Grammy Awards, which will be held on Sunday, February 12, 2012 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The band's Grammy nomination is for "Curl Of The Burl", the first single from MASTODON's new album, "The Hunter".
MASTODON received its first Grammy nomination in 2006 for the single "Colony Of Birchmen", from the band's Reprise Records debut album, "Blood Mountain".
OPETH's new album, "Heritage", sold 19,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 19 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous studio CD, 2008's "Watershed", opened with more than 19,000 units to land at No. 23.
"Watershed" was the follow-up to the band's acclaimed "Ghost Reveries" CD, which debuted at No. 64 on the Billboard chart back in September 2005 with first-week sales of just under 15,000.
OPETH's 2003 album, "Damnation", premiered with a little over 5,000 copies.
Former ACCEPT and current U.D.O. frontman Udo Dirkschneider will be featured as an actor in a Russian movie, to be filmed later this year. More information will be made available soon.
U.D.O.'s latest album, "Rev-Raptor", was released on May 20, 2011 via AFM Records. The recordings for the CD took place between June 2010 and February 2011 at Roxx studios (owned by U.D.O. guitarist and ex-ACCEPT drummer Stefan Kaufmann) in Pulheim, Germany. The effort was mastered by Manfred Melchior at MM Sound Digital studios in Steinhagen, Germany. The album's cover artwork is once again a comic-like motif: but the "Dominator" character is this time "a lot more effectual and colorful," according to a press release.
Former SCORPIONS drummer Herman Rarebell is working with musicians from California and Brazil — including singer Gustavo Monsanto (REVOLUTION RENAISSANCE, TAKARA) — on the follow-up to Herman's 2010 album, "Take It As it Comes". The new CD will issued under the moniker HERMAN RAREBELL AND THE FATAL STING.
"Take It As it Comes" — a disc of material featuring songs written by friends — was released via Dark Star Records.
In a 2010 interview with Noisecreep, Rarebell stated about his songwriting approach, "I make songs that are very commercial, so [each] could be a single. It's a whole new thing. I think all you need is the forum to promote the music. The more people know about the song, the better chances you have. For example, if you have it in a movie, you have an edge because then people come out of the cinema, they hear the song pulsing their brain, they go home and download it. So it's not like in the old days where the next day you go into the shop, you buy the CD and you take out the cover, you study the whole thing. It's a completely different ballgame now."
On the topic of his former SCORPIONS bandmates, Rarebell said, "They do very good, and I probably just think that it was time after 20 years with them just to something else, no bad blood you know. It was just like you make a decision after you're married for 30 years and you say to your husband, 'Look, I want to do something else in life,' and [you] get divorced.
"Shit happens, as you say. My real life philosophy is what the song says. 'Take it as it comes.' There's not much you can do about it except stay positive. Don't look back, look forward and do something ... you really want to do and live your life. It's my philosophy. That's why I say that with my heart fully behind it. I learned that lesson, you know?"
"Take It As it Comes" — a disc of material featuring songs written by friends — was released via Dark Star Records.
In a 2010 interview with Noisecreep, Rarebell stated about his songwriting approach, "I make songs that are very commercial, so [each] could be a single. It's a whole new thing. I think all you need is the forum to promote the music. The more people know about the song, the better chances you have. For example, if you have it in a movie, you have an edge because then people come out of the cinema, they hear the song pulsing their brain, they go home and download it. So it's not like in the old days where the next day you go into the shop, you buy the CD and you take out the cover, you study the whole thing. It's a completely different ballgame now."
On the topic of his former SCORPIONS bandmates, Rarebell said, "They do very good, and I probably just think that it was time after 20 years with them just to something else, no bad blood you know. It was just like you make a decision after you're married for 30 years and you say to your husband, 'Look, I want to do something else in life,' and [you] get divorced.
"Shit happens, as you say. My real life philosophy is what the song says. 'Take it as it comes.' There's not much you can do about it except stay positive. Don't look back, look forward and do something ... you really want to do and live your life. It's my philosophy. That's why I say that with my heart fully behind it. I learned that lesson, you know?"
"Unto The Locust" has already been included in many top album lists for 2011 and MACHINE HEAD are gearing up for the 2012 US tour. So, some days before getting onstage METAL KAOZ got on the phone the band's drummer Dave McClain to get some inside info for this great album and learn what is already planned for MH's schedule. As the fans are saying MACHINE fuckin HEAD.
Hey Dave, how are you?
I am good, Dimitris, thank you.
I am good, Dimitris, thank you.
MACHINE HEAD are working on a DVD release, is that correct?
Obviously, you are talking about the DVD that we were planning to release after 'The Blackening' tour. That tour was extremely long and lasted 3 years so after getting off this tour, we were ready and anxious to start working on the new album so we kind left all the DVD plans behind us. I am not sure whether this will come out in the future. We had come to a point that we needed to work on music making.
Obviously, you are talking about the DVD that we were planning to release after 'The Blackening' tour. That tour was extremely long and lasted 3 years so after getting off this tour, we were ready and anxious to start working on the new album so we kind left all the DVD plans behind us. I am not sure whether this will come out in the future. We had come to a point that we needed to work on music making.
In a recent interview, Phil talked about some problems the band had during 'The Blackening' tour and he actually said that MACHINE HEAD almost broke up. So, what did happen?
Yeah, there was one time in particular in Paris during the SLIPKNOT tour; Robb and Adam had some pretty serious problems and after we got off stage that night, Robb was ready to call it a day and just end everything right there. But he and Adam did some therapy together and kind of worked things out.
Yeah, there was one time in particular in Paris during the SLIPKNOT tour; Robb and Adam had some pretty serious problems and after we got off stage that night, Robb was ready to call it a day and just end everything right there. But he and Adam did some therapy together and kind of worked things out.
Did you think that getting into a long tour like you did, would probably take a toll on the band?
Well, we did not know that the tour would stretch out for that long. And then album snowballed into a big thing, something that all of the bands hope for, so we did not think that it would be/cause a problem. When we went on the road with METALLICA, the tour got an additional year, but to tell you the truth, it wasn't that hard, since we had two weeks on the road and two weeks off; so there was time to take a break and get back home. After all the band was not constantly on the road for the entire period of time.
Well, we did not know that the tour would stretch out for that long. And then album snowballed into a big thing, something that all of the bands hope for, so we did not think that it would be/cause a problem. When we went on the road with METALLICA, the tour got an additional year, but to tell you the truth, it wasn't that hard, since we had two weeks on the road and two weeks off; so there was time to take a break and get back home. After all the band was not constantly on the road for the entire period of time.
And that also means that you did not need to take some time off after the tour, before starting working on the new album, right?
Exactly. After the tour, everybody went home to be their families; Robb has a family Phil has a kid so they spent the break with them. And one day Robb called me up telling me he was ready to go. So, we started practicing and rehearsing stuff and bouncing ideas.
Exactly. After the tour, everybody went home to be their families; Robb has a family Phil has a kid so they spent the break with them. And one day Robb called me up telling me he was ready to go. So, we started practicing and rehearsing stuff and bouncing ideas.
How long did it take you to write the music for "Unto The Locust"?
I think we started in May 2010 when me and Robb got together and finally we entered the studio in April; so, I'd say it probably took us 10 months to have all the songs for the album completed or I'd say almost completed; since a song is not completed until the last day just before it gets recorded. Robb always changes lyrics or adds new melodies so we are constantly working on different arrangements or trying new ideas. Even if we have the basic structure of a song, there will be changes in the last moment, before getting in the studio to commence the recording sessions.
I think we started in May 2010 when me and Robb got together and finally we entered the studio in April; so, I'd say it probably took us 10 months to have all the songs for the album completed or I'd say almost completed; since a song is not completed until the last day just before it gets recorded. Robb always changes lyrics or adds new melodies so we are constantly working on different arrangements or trying new ideas. Even if we have the basic structure of a song, there will be changes in the last moment, before getting in the studio to commence the recording sessions.
How can you be sure when to stop working on a song and start recording it?
It kind of depends on the occasion; some songs come together really fast and it seems like they write themselves. And then you have other songs where, something does not feel right and we have to try to find the missing piece. In the end, it is just a feeling that tells you that song is ready. Still, Robb is a guy who constantly has new ideas and always thinks how to make a song better. To really understand what I am saying, I will tell you that he was changing vocal melodies while the album was being mastered and mixed. Thank god that you cannot change something that is already done because probably he would be changing stuff to make things better after the album had been released… (laughs)
It kind of depends on the occasion; some songs come together really fast and it seems like they write themselves. And then you have other songs where, something does not feel right and we have to try to find the missing piece. In the end, it is just a feeling that tells you that song is ready. Still, Robb is a guy who constantly has new ideas and always thinks how to make a song better. To really understand what I am saying, I will tell you that he was changing vocal melodies while the album was being mastered and mixed. Thank god that you cannot change something that is already done because probably he would be changing stuff to make things better after the album had been released… (laughs)
This can be a nightmare for the record label…
(laughs) Yeah, it can sometimes be! The release date is something a like a warning for us: "You really have to finish the album or we'd have to change the release date" and that is not good...
(laughs) Yeah, it can sometimes be! The release date is something a like a warning for us: "You really have to finish the album or we'd have to change the release date" and that is not good...
Does this also mean that you have a lot of stuff that you had to leave out of the album?
We have actually two songs that didn't make it in the album, even though musically they were done. But Robb was not happy with the lyrics and some of the vocal melodies. Maybe these songs will be released at some time in the future and I really hope they will. There is one that I wrote the music for and has Robb on the piano and some of the orchestra stuff that was on the album.
We have actually two songs that didn't make it in the album, even though musically they were done. But Robb was not happy with the lyrics and some of the vocal melodies. Maybe these songs will be released at some time in the future and I really hope they will. There is one that I wrote the music for and has Robb on the piano and some of the orchestra stuff that was on the album.
Do you think that those songs will be out as part of a special edition, as a single or in the next MACHINE HEAD album?
I really don't know. I would really like to see the song with the piano to be on an album instead of coming out in a special edition. The second one is a heavy song and can be a bonus track. But the first one is really special for me; I wrote the music some days after my mom had passed away, so it has a special meaning for me.
I really don't know. I would really like to see the song with the piano to be on an album instead of coming out in a special edition. The second one is a heavy song and can be a bonus track. But the first one is really special for me; I wrote the music some days after my mom had passed away, so it has a special meaning for me.
You have also recorded an acoustic version of "Darkness Within", so have you ever thought of making an entire album with acoustic cover versions of MACHINE HEAD songs?
I don't know how many MACHINE HEAD songs can be re-worked as acoustic versions other than "Descend The Shades Of Night" or "The Burning Red". But this is a cool idea and it can be done as a special edition.
I don't know how many MACHINE HEAD songs can be re-worked as acoustic versions other than "Descend The Shades Of Night" or "The Burning Red". But this is a cool idea and it can be done as a special edition.
Or you could even do a special live show with acoustic versions…
Yes, that would be also cool and to tell you the truth I have proposed this to Robb and in particular to perform "The Burning Red" acoustic. Just an acoustic guitar on the stage... yeah it would be cool!
Yes, that would be also cool and to tell you the truth I have proposed this to Robb and in particular to perform "The Burning Red" acoustic. Just an acoustic guitar on the stage... yeah it would be cool!
Yep, that would be nice. What was your input in the making in the new album? I mean, what are the changes in your drum work as compared to the previous album?
I'd say in the last two albums I kind of play a little more. I guess the best way to describe this is by saying that I was influenced by Keith Moon whereas in the past I was a drummer who had everything mapped out by the time we got into the studio. I still do this but I also like to try different things and even over-play a little bit. It's like a natural progression to my playing since "Through The Ashes Of Empires". Like I said, I am trying to channel a little bit of Keith Moon in.
I'd say in the last two albums I kind of play a little more. I guess the best way to describe this is by saying that I was influenced by Keith Moon whereas in the past I was a drummer who had everything mapped out by the time we got into the studio. I still do this but I also like to try different things and even over-play a little bit. It's like a natural progression to my playing since "Through The Ashes Of Empires". Like I said, I am trying to channel a little bit of Keith Moon in.
Does this also mean that you have a certain degree of freedom when MACHINE HEAD are writing new music?
Absolutely, when me and Rob start working together, he will always propose stuff that I have never done and even sometimes challenge me to try something new. So, we have total freedom to do whatever we want.
Absolutely, when me and Rob start working together, he will always propose stuff that I have never done and even sometimes challenge me to try something new. So, we have total freedom to do whatever we want.
The US tour is up ahead, so did you have anything to do with choosing the bands to go on the road with?
Yes, we always think of what bands to bring along in order to form a good touring package but also to get along well with. Just like with SUICIDE SILENCE that we have already been on the road together, during the 'Mayhem' tour with MEGADETH, plus we are friends. The same goes with THE DARKEST HOUR guys that we did the European tour together. For the first band on the billing I'd say that we had met with Bruce Dickinson's son Austin a couple of times before, so we knew that RISE TO REMAIN would be a strong opening band. I am sure it will be cool! And sometimes we want something different on the billing, like we did when we had BRING THE HORIZON with us. I mean, there are heavy but still their image is something different from MACHINE HEAD.
Yes, we always think of what bands to bring along in order to form a good touring package but also to get along well with. Just like with SUICIDE SILENCE that we have already been on the road together, during the 'Mayhem' tour with MEGADETH, plus we are friends. The same goes with THE DARKEST HOUR guys that we did the European tour together. For the first band on the billing I'd say that we had met with Bruce Dickinson's son Austin a couple of times before, so we knew that RISE TO REMAIN would be a strong opening band. I am sure it will be cool! And sometimes we want something different on the billing, like we did when we had BRING THE HORIZON with us. I mean, there are heavy but still their image is something different from MACHINE HEAD.
What about the setlist? What can we expect on this US tour?
We're going to play about two hours. The set that we did in Europe lasted one hour and fifty minutes and felt really great. We really love that set and every night after we'd come off stage, it felt like we were just playing for like an hour instead of two. So, I am not sure if we are going to change or add something.
We're going to play about two hours. The set that we did in Europe lasted one hour and fifty minutes and felt really great. We really love that set and every night after we'd come off stage, it felt like we were just playing for like an hour instead of two. So, I am not sure if we are going to change or add something.
Will you be changing the setlist concert by concert?
Well, it is really difficult to make a lot of changes since we want to have one song of each album and there are songs that simply cannot be left out, like "Bulldozer" from the "Supercharger" that really gets the crowd going or "The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears" that is the song we like to play from "The Burning Red". We might change it a little bit by replacing "Ten Ton Hammer" with "Take My Scars", bring some other songs from "Burn My Eyes". I am sure we will.
Well, it is really difficult to make a lot of changes since we want to have one song of each album and there are songs that simply cannot be left out, like "Bulldozer" from the "Supercharger" that really gets the crowd going or "The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears" that is the song we like to play from "The Burning Red". We might change it a little bit by replacing "Ten Ton Hammer" with "Take My Scars", bring some other songs from "Burn My Eyes". I am sure we will.
A couple of months ago MACHINE HEAD had the 20th anniversary, so are there any plans to celebrate this?
We talked about it and we may do something during this summer in Europe. We haven't decided what or when but we will definitely do something to celebrate all these years that MACHINE HEAD have been together. It will be something for the fans to enjoy!
We talked about it and we may do something during this summer in Europe. We haven't decided what or when but we will definitely do something to celebrate all these years that MACHINE HEAD have been together. It will be something for the fans to enjoy!
Yeah, you should! So, after this US tour, you have Australlia's 'Soundwave' and then?
Probably we are going to do a second US run and visit places that we haven't for a long time like North Dakota or Oklahoma. And then we will go to Europe for the summer festivals.
Probably we are going to do a second US run and visit places that we haven't for a long time like North Dakota or Oklahoma. And then we will go to Europe for the summer festivals.
What about Canada?
We have a couple of dates in Canada in the current schedule but we definitely want to go there and do a full tour.
We have a couple of dates in Canada in the current schedule but we definitely want to go there and do a full tour.
That's cool Dave, thank you for your time. I want to wish you the best for this year and the upcoming tour. See you in Chicago!
Awesome man, have a good one and see you there!
Awesome man, have a good one and see you there!
With the January 24th release of their seventh album, Resolution, Lamb of God qualifies as one of metal's elite. The band have been on a major label for five of those albums, and the new one has a decent chance to debut at #1 on Billboard's SoundScan chart (a feat that 2009′s Wrath narrowly missed). Meanwhile, they remain a constant live draw, with a week of sold-out club dates coming before a Summer tour announcement.
Despite the band's lofty perch at the top of the metal food chain, you would never get that from talking to vocalist Randy Blythe. Not only is he humble about his band, he's embraced Twitter as a way to communicate with his fans. We spoke with Blythe about embracing social media, the way his voice has changed from album to album, his bid for Presidency, and SOPA among other things.
I've noticed that in the past six months or so, you've gotten a lot more involved with Twitter. What led to that?
I mean, the whole thing with social networking, [is that it's] personal with Twitter. A friend of mine told me about Twitter when it first started. a woman who lives here in Richmond, and she was like, "you gotta get one of these things. It's Twitter, it's micro-blogging, it's a blog post in 140 characters or less." And I'm like 'well that sounds really stupid,' because what can you say in 140 characters or less? And I tend to be long-winded, as several of my Twitter posts illustrate. But I just started it, kind of on a lark really. And as I continued doing it, people started following me and I started noticing its potential and its downside as a communication tool. As its potential for talking to a fan base, it really is unparalleled because it's an immediate response to a question from a fan or whatever. And it's not like you have to e-mail them and you can answer questions all day long. My guitar player, Mark Morton, has a very different style of Twittering than me; I don't know if you've seen his or not.
I don't know that I have.
Well, he answers every Lamb Of God question, like again and again and again. Like "what's your favorite guitar player? What's your influences? What do you think of the new record?" Like all of that type of stuff. He answers it again and again and again. And he talks about NASCAR a lot because he's a NASCAR freak. He's amused by answering the same questions over and over and over again. And he uses it as a way to communicate with the fans about our music specifically. I almost never talk about Lamb of God on Twitter.
And I saw it as an instant communication medium with the fans. But also I began to see it in a way to de-mystify the whole rock-stars are like these bizarre entity type of things because I really don't feel like a rock-star. I'm just a dude with a regular band and I think the perception of myself and the members of my band by our fans is very erroneous about our day-to-day lives. So I engage people on Twitter about different topics that don't deal with my band for the most part. I'm not foolish enough to state that all these people are following me because they think I'm Einstein or something. But it's a way for me to kind of talk to them on almost a 1-to-1 basis.
You have a management and a PR company. Do you vet what you say by them?
No, of course not! No way.
I kind of see you and Mark Hunter from Chimaira as the leaders of metal bands that have broken down the barrier of directly communicating with fans.
Well because when you think about it like this, I have a great job and I love it, but it is my job. I don't want to talk about my job all day long. Now if I don't talk to fans then they're gonna call me out as a jerk. You know, "you're a fucking jerk, you're a rock-star motherfucker." But that doesn't mean that I can't talk to them about something more meaningful than Lamb of God or something sillier. And that's a big upside for me, and as I said I saw the potential for it to be a great communication tool. There's also a huge downside: number 1, speaking face-to-face with a person communicates what you're trying to say in the manner you say it far more efficiently than typing 140 characters. Nuances of speech are just lost and sarcasm is pretty much, unless you just make it so wrenchingly, blatantly obvious, it's just lost in Twitter.
Absolutely, I've definitely gotten into arguments with people over social media after they misconstrued what I was trying to say, mainly via missed sarcasm.
Yeah, sarcasm has its place. I try not to rely on it too much, but it does have its place. And that sort of thing, that aspect of the human interaction, that person-to-person conversation, the use of our language, and even body language, is lost. So there's a huge downside to it. And the other thing with me with Twitter is I actually like engaging people and discussing topics that interest me and might make someone's head turn a little bit. They might think a little bit after arguing with me—I love arguing as well. And I do that quite a bit. And that's another thing, it's funny, a lot of people on the Twitter are like, "How can you argue with your fucking fans!" And I'm like "I'm not Mr. heavy metal robot. You don't just press a button and say 'rock on dude'." If I want to say something, I'm gonna say it. And you're a human being, you have a brain, if you disagree, you and I should talk and hash it out. And Twitter is kind of good for that. And with that being said I have something now approaching something like 24,000 followers, that's a whole lot of people to discuss with. So it can get kind of hectic and I waste too much time on it sometimes. But it is pretty useful. I first announced my Presidential candidacy on there and it's gone pretty good so far.
I was actually going to talk about that as well. What led you to do that? How much thought did you put into it before you decided to do it?
Well, you know, I always said, I would never want to be President of the United States.
Worst job in the world…
Yes terrible, his schedule is awful. . He has a team of 18 million people running around him at all times advising him on this that and the other. I'm a resistant to advice type of guy, unless I ask for it. I don't particularly care for unsolicited opinions in my ear all the time. He doesn't get much sleep, his family life is completely destroyed I'm sure. Looking at some of the Republican Candidates and their "debates" [Laughs].
If you can call them that…
Yeah, I'm like "Fuck It! I can do this, I'll be the President, I can say whatever the fuck I want no matter how ridiculous because that's what these people are saying." LUDICROUS things! I mean, when you have a guy who was pretty tight in taking Iowa, his name is Santorum, who is widely known that his name has an alternate definition, I'm sure you know about that?
Yep.
That's pretty big. When you have a guy who is being seriously considered as a Republican nominee, we have a problem, a real big problem. Why shouldn't I? So that was all the thought it took really, was looking at their debates…I was like "fuck it, Ill fix this place. I got ideas maaaan!"
Aside from the metal blogosphere , has any serious media reached out to you?
Not really. Not yet. I'm wondering when it will happen. My first campaign statements mostly dealt with, a very broad, all encompassing military policy. Which basically in a nutshell was like, we shouldn't be where we don't belong, where it is unnecessary, and that's simplifying things a bit. I know it's a bit more complex than that. But that was just my first campaign statement. Soon I'll be making another one dealing with economic reform and probably this one won't be so popular. I'm not going to say what it is, but I have ideas on how to fix the American economy, and they're relatively simple. And we'll see as I release further campaign statements to see whether or not it generates enough hoopla as it were, within the political sphere for maybe even, you know, FOX News to contact me. That would just be lovely. [Laughs]
Would you ever seriously consider running for office?
I am running for office.
I stand corrected [laughs]. So lets talk about the new album a bit.
The boring stuff!
Yeah I gotta get to it, enquiring minds and whatnot.
Yeah I gotta get to it, enquiring minds and whatnot.
I know, I know. I wouldn't have this wonderful platform if it weren't for my melodious singing voice…
Absolutely, that's actually one of the things I wanted to bring up. A radio station I was talking to said that on every album, your voice sounds a little different. Do you go for different sounds for each album, or is that more what Josh Wilbur or Machine or whoever your producer is pushes you towards?
No, I'm very consciously trying to sound a little bit different. And also, the fact of the matter is my physical instrument, that being my vocal cords, are changing. It's as if you were playing guitar on one record, like you had a Les Paul, and it had a certain gauge strings. And then after you played it for three years on a tour cycle instead of breaking, the strings developed calluses and got thicker so you went to a heavy gauge of string. Therefore the guitar is going to sound a little bit different. I mean, that's just the way it is in the style of music I sing. Maybe not for everybody, maybe everybody can maintain a linear vocal sound. But I appear to be unable to maintain a linear sort of vocal sound because my instrument is changing.
Mark Morton describes the different voices I do as different characters and each record we do we try to introduce a new character. He calls one of them, the "straight Randy dragon." Then on this record it got into "mid-range" or "high dragon" or then even he'll refer to my first band Furious George, which was just a train wreck. But he's like, "try and do some of that Furious George shit, just yell like a idiotic punk rocker." So, we try and work with the characters and Mark is really -both Machine and Josh Wilbur were definitely involved in helping me find those new characters in my voice. And Mark is really instrumental in that, in pushing me and saying "try it this way" because he hears things, as a musician, a real musician. I say I'm a musician, but really I'm a vocalist. I'm not Pavarotti or anything. But as a real musician he hears things that I sometimes do not and he encourages me to try those things. So we definitely work on the voice.
Do you still take voice lessons?
I haven't been to see Melissa Cross in a while, and I would love to. I'm going to have to make time to do that on my own. I have kind of an open ended deal with her, where I really wanna work on stuff. But I do warm up, I use her warm up techniques constantly.
It's been a few years since you put a record out and the industry has changed pretty drastically. Do you have any kind of take on it? With the Pandoras and the Spotifys of the world and the declining physical sales…
Well , it's no big secret that I'm a huge fan of having a physical medium to hold, to look at the packaging. I mean, I love vinyl. I grew up buying it. The first recorded music I ever had was on vinyl. And I loooved buying vinyl and I still buy it to this day and I collect it. That being said, I certainly don't wish everything was only on vinyl. CD's, which I still listen to in my truck, because the fact of the matter is they sound better then a lot of MP3's. It's the way it's supposed to be. Maybe it's a subtle difference but if you really listen you can hear it (sometimes I analyze things too much). But MP3's man, I mean it's a great format. The iPod makes touring so easier for a guy because you don't have to carry around all these CD books, which is what everybody use to do and your CD's got completely fucked up. I re-bought many things.
So the MP3 format is great. My problem with it is that it's killing the music industry, downloading. It really is. And that is not some wild conjecture; you can look at the numbers. And you have to see where that came from. It didn't come from the recession. It didn't come from all of a sudden, people wanted convenience. It came from the fact that people can get shit for free and they're unleashed. I don't know what's going to happen with that. We have the whole SOPA thing going around which I am not for as it opens up too many doors for corporate and governmental monopoly on what we get as far as media. NOT into it.
The other thing with the MP3 format whether legal or illegal that I don't like is the fact that I think it is killing the concept of the album itself because back in the day musicians were paid per song when they put out a single. There was no album because they didn't have the technology to cram that much on a 45 or a 78 even. So when they went to the 33's it was like "holy shit we can put a lot of music on this!". And dudes like Elvis and other guys and their songwriters started thinking, "we can make a larger piece of music that the songs relate to each other and their pace. And some of them, like concept albums, actually tell a story. Elvis did a Christmas record. That was one of the first, as far as I know, one of the first thematic records. People were like "holy shit he did a whole record about Christmas." And that was a unique thing because before, people were use to consuming singles and the artist were paid per song. Then as rock n roll changed and people started putting out albums, people started really working on their overall song crafting technique, not just like "I'm going to make this an awesome sing along song" but like how this relates to the rest of music, the rest of my catalogue. And it created some great things. I mean listen to any Led Zepplin record, its amaaazing. And also albums defined eras of bands. You could see their growth, where their head space was by listening to an entire album and where they were in that particular moment in time.
MP3 now, kids and I think adults, a lot of them are just buying singles. So we are actually devolving, we are going back in time. And as a musician, and this is purely selfish, I put a whole lot of work into writing a record that is not a schizophrenic mess. That will work together. And I want it to say something. If someone is getting just one song, they won't know what I'm saying. Of course that's selfish… Of course I would love to sell albums and I would love to get paid for them because I'm a fucking musician and that's what we do. [Laughs]
I don't know if you know this but album sales are actually up from last year, year over year. Up like, 1.3% or something like that.
Interesting with the current economic climate…
Yeah, and digital for the first time went over physical, but that's counting singles.
You know overall, I don't foresee digital sales of albums increasing music sales, unless there are super draconian measures enacted by the government, which none of us want. For me, it would be great personally, just for me, Randy Blythe the singer of Lamb of God, a guy who makes his living in music. If the government said "BLAAM, you're going to get fined heavily for this illegal downloaded music or whatever. You have to pay for this or we're going to come after you and cut off your internet because its theft." That would be great for me personally. However, there's no way that is going to happen without opening up a whole lot of other really dangerous doors for those in power to control what we do.
It's funny man, I think a lot of people think the internet exists in this vacuum, like it's this magic place, and it's not. There are corporations that provide services and those corporations, as of right now, aren't really responsible for what's put on their secondary liability. That's how the downloading sites and safe havens and all that shit go, they aren't responsible for what's running through their servers. However, if they were, and people were fined, the corporations could then decide "well we only want to release this content," and that is fucking up our freedom of speech and intellectual freedom, and I'm not for that. Money to me at the cost of liberty, no amount of it is worth it.
Absolutely…Shifting gears, talk to me about singing with Cannabis Corpse. Anything that you did differently to train for your show with them that's coming up?
YES! I've been jamming with them this entire week [note: this interview took place prior to the performance]. I actually have practice in 3 hours now. The only thing I'm having to do differentl – it's really interesting for me. We're playing some of their older stuff and some of their more recent stuff. Stuff from their first record, singing it reminds me a whole lot of the old days being in Burn The Priest, when I was just learning to be in a band because their first record is the stuff from when THEY were first learning to be in a band. Andy "Weedgrinder" Horn wrote a TON of fucking lyrics. I have like flash cards, giant flash cards I'm using. Their lyrics are immense and long and it's not like I can be like "ok now I'm going to sing the song about weed and then the song about something else." NO, all the songs are about weed [Laughs]. So his phrasing at the beginning, it works, but it's technically not correct. And when I listen to my old phrasing in some of the Burn The Priest stuff, it's technically not correct. Some of it doesn't fall where, technically, it should be, on the beat or on the downbeat. Some of it is just out in space . So for me to relearn his parts, I'm having to actually sort of sit back and be like "ok not everything has to be exactly perfect and make sense…"
So unlearning a little bit?
Yeah I'm unlearning, which is really cool. It keeps it really green for me. It reminds me of the days when I was first in a band. Their later stuff, he of course learned, like me while being a band, how to put things on the beat, on the down beat, phrasing, how not to cram too many syllables. He has so many lyrics and that was something I was guilty of back in the day, of trying to just cram every single word in a song possible. So that's interesting for me. As far as my voice though, doing this stuff is just like, once again, being in Burn The Priest I can do this stuff all day long. It's easy for me. It's what I first learned to do. I sound like I did when I was a fucking…24 year old kid first singing for this band. So yeah it's going back in time a bit…and a lot of fun.
I guess you're comfortable with the point Lamb of God is at right now career -wise. You've definitely weathered some storms, stayed on a major label and put out a record I'm sure you're very proud of… This sounds like a stupid generic question but what do you think the future holds for Lamb of God? Do you see the band existing 20 years down the line? Can you not even think about it in those terms?
[Laughs] 20 years down the line…
That would be awesome! [laughs]
It would be awesome but I mean… I never wanted to do anything that would tarnish what we have built. And if I'm 60 years old and unable to hop around, get down like I do now, I don't wanna stand up there and look like an old man asshole who can't let go of the fact that he can't do those things anymore. But then again, there are guys like Iggy Pop, one of my heroes, who is still fucking crazy on stage. So maybe if I take care of, or should I say, continue to take good care of myself, don't drink, tryin to quit smoking now, haven't gotten intoxicated in a long time now. If I do that, maybe I'll be good. And if Lamb of God, I don't foresee us ever really having to break up. We don't have to break up, unless we just implode, because we grow to hate each other so much, which very well could happen. But I don't see us HAVING to break up. We can just take long, long breaks. I can be buried as an active member of Lamb of God.
Did you actually get some downtime in between the last album cycle and recording Resolution?
Yeah I got a little bit of downtime. We were home, when were we home? Towards the end of November from Australia. We were on tour with Metallica. I didn't see those guys, I saw Mark some, cause that's my homeboy, we kick it and hang regardless. But I didn't see those guys in a musical sense till mid April. During that time I was doing a lot of other shit. Doing writing, I wrote a rough draft of the novel that I have to pick back up and start on the second draft soon, and just trying to be a regular family guy man. I don't get to see my wife as much as I would like. Ya know, your women need attention, because if you don't give it to them you won't have one. And I like my wife, I like hanging out with her, shes cool! [Laughs]
Swedish female-fronted heavy rockers SISTER SIN will enter Standstraight Studios in Stockholm in late February with producer Chris Snyder to begin recording their third album for a May 22 release via Victory Records.
SISTER SIN recently released a video for its cover version of the MOTÖRHEAD classic "Rock 'N' Roll". The track, which was made available on all digital platforms worldwide via Victory Records on September 13, features guest vocals from the German metal queen Doro Pesch. It was produced by Snyder at Standstraight and was mastered at Abbey Road Studios in London, England.
SISTER SIN's second album, "True Sound Of The Underground", landed at position No. 97 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
SISTER SIN in November 2010 announced the addition of bassist Andreas Strandh to the group's ranks.
"True Sound Of The Underground" was released in North America on June 22, 2010 via Victory Records and was issued in Europe on July 23, 2010 through Metal Heaven Records. It was produced by Henrik Edenhed (DEAD BY APRIL, ROBYN, LAMBRETTA, TEDDYBEARS, CHRISTIAN WALTZ, THE SOUNDS) in Stockholm at Studio 301 and Cosmos Studios.
For more information, visit www.sistersin.com.
SISTER SIN recently released a video for its cover version of the MOTÖRHEAD classic "Rock 'N' Roll". The track, which was made available on all digital platforms worldwide via Victory Records on September 13, features guest vocals from the German metal queen Doro Pesch. It was produced by Snyder at Standstraight and was mastered at Abbey Road Studios in London, England.
SISTER SIN's second album, "True Sound Of The Underground", landed at position No. 97 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
SISTER SIN in November 2010 announced the addition of bassist Andreas Strandh to the group's ranks.
"True Sound Of The Underground" was released in North America on June 22, 2010 via Victory Records and was issued in Europe on July 23, 2010 through Metal Heaven Records. It was produced by Henrik Edenhed (DEAD BY APRIL, ROBYN, LAMBRETTA, TEDDYBEARS, CHRISTIAN WALTZ, THE SOUNDS) in Stockholm at Studio 301 and Cosmos Studios.
For more information, visit www.sistersin.com.
L.A. GUNS — featuring Phil Lewis, Steve Riley, Stacey Blades and Scotty Griffin — has inked a new record deal with Cleopatra Records. The band is currently in pre-production and expect to start tracking in early February with legendary producer, and old friend, Andy Johns (LED ZEPPELIN, THE ROLLING STONES, CINDERELLA, VAN HALEN, as well as the last three L.A. GUNS albums). A CD and vinyl release, as well as bonus tracks available only on iTunes, is set for early summer. A nine-month world tour following the release is also currently being planned.
Singer Phil Lewis is said to be thrilled to get back in the studio and finally get a chance to record once again with Andy. "We've been waiting a long time to get back in and record," he said. "Our last album, 'Tales From The Strip', was incredibly well-received and we're looking forward to putting out something even better! With today's uncertain musical landscape, it's great to have a label like Cleopatra Records behind us. We've been friends with Brian Perera (Cleopatra Records owner and founder) for a long time, and are really looking forward to working together on this and many more projects with him in the future."
Phil Lewis' L.A. GUNS is not to be confused with the Tracii Guns-led version of the group, which is also continuing to record and perform under the L.A. GUNS moniker.
Singer Phil Lewis is said to be thrilled to get back in the studio and finally get a chance to record once again with Andy. "We've been waiting a long time to get back in and record," he said. "Our last album, 'Tales From The Strip', was incredibly well-received and we're looking forward to putting out something even better! With today's uncertain musical landscape, it's great to have a label like Cleopatra Records behind us. We've been friends with Brian Perera (Cleopatra Records owner and founder) for a long time, and are really looking forward to working together on this and many more projects with him in the future."
Phil Lewis' L.A. GUNS is not to be confused with the Tracii Guns-led version of the group, which is also continuing to record and perform under the L.A. GUNS moniker.
Bobby Hambel: Hello Niclas!
Hey Bobby, how are you?
BH: Good bro, how ya doing?
I´m good. Where are you calling from, New York?
BH: I´m in Jersey right now.
How´s the weather?
BH: Freezin´! Fuckin´cold!
Same as here then.
BH: Where are you at?
I´m in Stockholm.
BH: Oh shit, awesome!
I actually talked to Billy in early June last year. I was kinda wondering, I listened to the album back then and it´s not coming out until now, is it the same version of the album now? Was it all done back then or has anything been added?
BH: I believe it´s the same record, yeah! Added to it? I´m not sure I understand what that would be? I know that in June… we had to push the release back for whatever reasons. Far from perfect and far from easy to deal with sometimes. Sometimes things like that happen, but yeah, it´s the same record. We´re looking forward to releasing extra bonus type material to go along with the music and the world tour. There will be extra material available for download or to purchase on a disc coming out really soon. We´re trying to get some stuff out there. Live recordings and extra material, like songs that didn´t go on the record but we still have them written. We wrote a lot of material for this album and you can´t fit all of it on one record, so we had to narrow it down to the songs that kinda float the best with each other and all the stuff that was left over, you add the stuff that we´re still working on now, because we´re still writing and recording, we should have a lot of stuff to release. There´s a lot of stuff coming out with Biohazard.
Yeah, that was kinda why I was wondering, since I figured that the album was done back then in June and then the release date was pushed back and I just got a feeling that maybe you worked on it more, but I guess it was other circumstances that made you push it back then?
BH: Yeah, other circumstances. (laughs) Which is unfortunate, but everything happens for a reason. I think it´s great that we´re starting our tour at the same time as the record´s coming out. It´s a great way to start off a new year and everything just feels very positive right now.
Have you found a new guy? Is that all set?
BH: Yeah, we´re good! What we decided to do was basically not to over complicate things and panic, because we had a lot of… as you can imagine, outside influence as far as people that mean well, like people close around us or in our immediate contact, that would reach out and offer help. Everybody had a new suggestion. It was like a cold remedy. Everybody had their own little homemade recipe for how we should continue as a band and we needed to look at each other and just keep it really simple. "Who is the most natural person to step in?" and that was Scott Roberts, and I´ll tell you why! Scott was the most natural guy because one, we´ve known the guy forever and we´ve toured with him forever and he actually joined Biohazard playing guitar when I wasn´t in the band and he was also in a band with Danny called Bloodclot and Scott knows all the material and the way it worked out is that when we put the original band back together for the reunion and I returned, Scott stepped right up and offered to come out on the road and tech and help us and that was just such a great thing. That´s what friends do, you know. There were no issues with me returning to the band and him stepping aside and offering to tech. It´s the real deal, he´s like family with us! And it was great because here we have a tech who knows the material back and forth and then some things came up where a couple of us couldn´t make the show or we couldn´t make it to a gig, Scott would jump right in and help us and save the show. Scott actually had to do that a couple of times and there´s no awkwardness jamming with him. He has our groove and he knows our feel, he´s part of Biohazard in a big way. He´s already part of the crew and the immediate family so it was the most natural thing and we´re lucky enough to have a guy like that in our corner, who has our backs.
I read that back in August you announced that you were auditioning people. Did you go through the auditions?
BH: Yeah! We went through a couple of things. You see, that´s what I´m talking about. Let´s go back to what I was talking about with outside influences that mean well and try to help us, Biohazard was all of a sudden getting steered into different directions. People were saying "Ok, now you should just change the entire thing and add a front man to the band and another bass player!" and sure "Why the hell not? Let´s get fucking congas and a fucking keyboard player and get some back up chicks to sing?" and I´m like "Wait a minute! We just made this record and we didn´t have any of that shit on this record, so why bother putting that kinda live band together anyway?", first of all. Second of all, if we were gonna do something like that we really needed to give it a lot more time and energy, than we were able to do, so we definitely checked out some singers and we entertained the idea and I still think it could be a really cool thing to have five guys on stage instead of four. Who knows? We might still do something like that in the future, but right now, for all reasons just to keep this thing rolling, the one that made the most sense and the one we could definitely feel the most at ease about and definitely bank on and feel confident, was asking Scott to step in. He´s one of us and he knows all the material and he can hold it down. For the next album, if we wanna write music that has extra this or extra that and different instruments, I´m all about it. We´re all about it and we´re not into holding ourselves back and we love to experiment and find new sounds and new music. We´re not gonna limit ourselves, but this record was done as a four piece and I think we´re gonna go out and tour for this record. But then you have people who go "You need to go out and find somebody that looks and sounds exactly like Evan!" and then others that go "You need to find somebody that doesn´t sound and look like Evan!" or "You need to find two singers and a DJ!". How about that! It was a little fuckin´crazy, but everything seems to be working out for the best. And I appreciate you asking.
Cool! Back in June when I asked Billy for the title he said that you had one and were about to tell people, but then you guys played Download or whatever and you decided to change it. Was that when you changed it into "Reborn in defiance"?
BH: Eeehhh, I can´t even say… "Reborn in defiance" was kinda always a suggested title. That idea came a little bit earlier. It was around before it got chosen. There were definitely a few working titles. We had a lot of titles kicking around while the record was still taking shape. That´s what happens when you´re forced into having more time than you thought you were gonna have. All of a sudden you´ve got time to change things in your mind and go back and revaluate things, you know. I think "Reborn in defiance" really sums up and is completely explanatory in a lot of different ways and a lot of different angles. "Reborn in defiance" into so many different parts of this, whether it´s musical or music business wise, band structure, just a life´s journey and the struggles we´ve had to overcome to get to this point as a band all these years later. There´s so much of it that just applies.
Have you guys been in touch with Evan since he left?
BH: Well, it´s a little awkward… we´re not really speaking with him like every day. We´re well aware of how he´s doing and he´s doing ok. He´s doing his other thing and we wish him well, you know. He´s got another band he´s jamming with and he seems to be excited about it. When you get to be in the position that we´re in and I hate to say our age, but we´ve been around for a while and we´ve been through this whole thing and one thing I knew, coming back into the band and I had my own reasons why, but I always knew this is a blessing and a lot of people don´t get a second chance to do something. Finish something they started or change something wrong that´s been done or go back and fix mistakes. We´re very fortunate that we were able to and it´s because of the fans we´ve played to all over the world. That´s we´re the demand for us to get back together really came from. We owe it to them! I always knew there are no guarantees in life so the fact that we got together in the same room and actually jumping on a plane together or a tour bus and getting on stage and touring the world for almost two years was… wow! It was an amazing thing that nobody thought would ever happen and the fact that the four of us actually managed to keep it together long enough to do an album together, was another thing that was more than we could ever hope for. The fact that it didn´t stay together the way people would´ve liked it to, is no surprise. When I say no surprise, I´m saying that there´s nothing guaranteed in life. The fact that we got the original band together, a full world tour and a new album speaks volumes and I´m very proud of it and we´re all proud of it. The fact that one of us had to go his separate way, that´s life, man! We wish nothing bad on Evan. We´re just gonna keep playing and he´s got his own life and he´s got things going on and we hope he´s alright and we hope he finds what he´s looking for.
You mentioned earlier that you´re still writing and coming up with ideas. I guess it´s not gonna take that long for the next album to come out? And being on Nuclear Blast, what kinda deal is that? One album or more?
BH: Well, I hope so! I think Nuclear Blast is awesome and they´ve been excellent to work with. It´s something to be said for a label like Nuclear Blast to take notice and believing in a band like Biohazard, because what they did is kinda "in defiance" of their world and the industry. Biohazard has never been like a top forty fucking top rock fucking one hit wonder type thing where people look at us as dollar signs! People get it and believe in us out of respect for what we do, which is better for us because we get to work with people who´s the real deal, you know what I mean? I wouldn´t know how to act in the area of the music business where everything is bubble gum façade, one hit wonder, flavor or the week type of trend, because you can´t trust anybody around you because they´re only paying you because you´re popular at the moment and that could disappear tomorrow and as soon as you´re not making them any money, they fucking leave you in the dirt! What we do in heavy metal is more of like… the label understands the band. They´re behind it and they understand what it´s about and they believe in the band. For Nuclear Blast to believe in us and what we have to offer the world, was great and they stepped up and we give them a lot of respect for that!
Touring wise then? You´re playing a couple of shows in the US soon, right?
BH: Yeah, we´ve got some shows coming up in the US and Europe and then we´re going to Australia.
You´re not playing Sweden though!
BH: I´m not sure right now. I have to go look at the tour dates. I have so many tour dates that just came in. I´m really embarrassed I don´t know that. I don´t think there´s a Swedish show, no.
Any plans for coming here during festival season?
BH: Totally! We´ve been talking about it and the festivals. Biohazard loves the festivals. I´ll never forget when we were young and first went over to Europe. You´re talking ´89 or ´90 and when we first saw the European festivals like in Holland and the outdoor atmosphere of the festivals, was so special to us. We really don´t have that in America, you know. We never had anything that cool. (laughs). We always loved them since day one, so any chance we get for festivals, anybody´s that booking us or anybody that knows us, they all know that we love festivals and we jump at the chance to play them, so… I can´t remember the last… I definitely know we played a Swedish festival with Motörhead back in ´95 when I was with Biohazard in the early days. I´m not sure where it was… I forget… Fagersta… I know we played in Fagersta with the original Cro Mags and The Exploited and GWAR. That was like in 1990.
Awesome! You should play this festival in Gothenburg called Metaltown! They´ve got Slayer, Machine Head, Anthrax and you would fit right in there!
BH: You think so?
Yeah!
BH: That´s cool! Yeah, I´d love to!
Finally, what were you up to right before you joined Biohazard? Were you in a lot of bands before Biohazard?
BH: Biohazard was my first band that ever did a record! I was 19 years old when I first got together with the guys and started the band together. Before that I was in another band in Brooklyn called Rattlehead and we were making demos and stuff, but we never got the chance to make a record. We were just jamming together. Biohazard was the first thing that turned out to be serious and we´re real lucky because the way we put the band together, we were under some great mentors and we had a great home town club called "L´ Amour and there were some really ass kicking bands around at that time and great musicians. They allowed us to believe in ourselves like "Hey, you could really make this a real band!". The timing for Biohazard was the reason that did it. It became my life right away and then I left, you know.
How would you compare the New York/Brooklyn/New Jersey scene back then to today? Are there still a lot of bands happening and stuff similar to Biohazard and what you´re doing?
BH: Well, as far as music goes, the east coast has always had its own kinda edge and its own type of sound or flavor, whatever you wanna call it! Just like in Europe, you have different type of metal bands that come from Germany and from Sweden. In America we have the west coast bands, the Bay Area metal bands and they definitely had their own style. They were the pioneers. The east coast always had its own thing too. It just formed into what it is with different elements, that´s all. As far as the scene goes, it´s very different now compared to when we were younger. How the clubs are, how the shows are, how the crowd is. It´s a little different. We still love to play in our home town area. It´s still great and we love it, but everything has changed since when we started. The whole world has changed, you know. When we started out dude, you were a band and you had to make a demo tape, a cassette tape, man and you had to print up all these posters and we´d get like a hundred posters or a thousand posters and then get giant buckets of glue and paint brushes and we´d drive around in New York City at 2 o´clock in the morning looking out for the cops, because what we were doing was illegal and we would just put up Biohazard posters all over the city to promote. And stand outside in front of clubs and hand out flyers. There was no fucking myspace, no internet, no cd´s! We had to trade demo tapes and we had to do real hands on street level promotion of our band. Now it´s a totally different world! Now you don´t even have to leave your house! We put up like 50 posters down one block and freezing with the glue all over us and one guy on the street corner watching out for the cops and then we´d drive around and hit the next block and then come back and look at our posters and there was another band there posting over our new posters! It was a territorial thing and then you´d have a fight with the band that posted over your posters and it was like crazy fucking shit that used to happen! That´s where we came from.
Sounds like it was a bit more exciting, a bit more alive in a way.
BH: It was more alive because the underground was really underground, you know what I mean? And there wasn´t access to the things that were underground unless you went and became a part of the underground. You had to go to the dirty clubs, be in a dirty band and see a dirty show. You couldn´t just click on a mouse! It was completely different, so you had to be a part of it and when you´re a part of something that´s underground that the rest of society doesn´t really get, that´s when it´s more special to you. That´s when you´re more loyal to it! That´s when you embrace it more and you´re like "Yeah, I own this shit! This is me and who I am!" and you proudly wear that t-shirt of the band you support and there was more like a camaraderie between the people who shared the common interest in the scene. It was a bit more chaotic and a bit more violent, but it had its own way of living and breathing, so I really prefer the old days better but here we are in a new world and we´re still playing. It´s interesting!
Absolutely! Dylan was right, the times they are a ´changing!
BH: Yeah, well some of this shit I don´t know about! (laughs) All this technology can´t be that great, you know. One day we will all wake up and it was just a fad and technology´s over and we´ll go back to everything being analog and dial up phones and fucking land lines. That would be awesome! (laughs)
Yeah, we´ll see what the future holds! I hope you get to Sweden soon!
BH: When we play, you gotta come up and hang out and introduce yourself, man!
I will! Excellent talking to you Bobby and have a great day in New Jersey!
BH: Yeah, tell all people to look out for all new Biohazard material on the horizon! Alright bro, thank you!
Hey Bobby, how are you?
BH: Good bro, how ya doing?
I´m good. Where are you calling from, New York?
BH: I´m in Jersey right now.
How´s the weather?
BH: Freezin´! Fuckin´cold!
Same as here then.
BH: Where are you at?
I´m in Stockholm.
BH: Oh shit, awesome!
I actually talked to Billy in early June last year. I was kinda wondering, I listened to the album back then and it´s not coming out until now, is it the same version of the album now? Was it all done back then or has anything been added?
BH: I believe it´s the same record, yeah! Added to it? I´m not sure I understand what that would be? I know that in June… we had to push the release back for whatever reasons. Far from perfect and far from easy to deal with sometimes. Sometimes things like that happen, but yeah, it´s the same record. We´re looking forward to releasing extra bonus type material to go along with the music and the world tour. There will be extra material available for download or to purchase on a disc coming out really soon. We´re trying to get some stuff out there. Live recordings and extra material, like songs that didn´t go on the record but we still have them written. We wrote a lot of material for this album and you can´t fit all of it on one record, so we had to narrow it down to the songs that kinda float the best with each other and all the stuff that was left over, you add the stuff that we´re still working on now, because we´re still writing and recording, we should have a lot of stuff to release. There´s a lot of stuff coming out with Biohazard.
Yeah, that was kinda why I was wondering, since I figured that the album was done back then in June and then the release date was pushed back and I just got a feeling that maybe you worked on it more, but I guess it was other circumstances that made you push it back then?
BH: Yeah, other circumstances. (laughs) Which is unfortunate, but everything happens for a reason. I think it´s great that we´re starting our tour at the same time as the record´s coming out. It´s a great way to start off a new year and everything just feels very positive right now.
Have you found a new guy? Is that all set?
BH: Yeah, we´re good! What we decided to do was basically not to over complicate things and panic, because we had a lot of… as you can imagine, outside influence as far as people that mean well, like people close around us or in our immediate contact, that would reach out and offer help. Everybody had a new suggestion. It was like a cold remedy. Everybody had their own little homemade recipe for how we should continue as a band and we needed to look at each other and just keep it really simple. "Who is the most natural person to step in?" and that was Scott Roberts, and I´ll tell you why! Scott was the most natural guy because one, we´ve known the guy forever and we´ve toured with him forever and he actually joined Biohazard playing guitar when I wasn´t in the band and he was also in a band with Danny called Bloodclot and Scott knows all the material and the way it worked out is that when we put the original band back together for the reunion and I returned, Scott stepped right up and offered to come out on the road and tech and help us and that was just such a great thing. That´s what friends do, you know. There were no issues with me returning to the band and him stepping aside and offering to tech. It´s the real deal, he´s like family with us! And it was great because here we have a tech who knows the material back and forth and then some things came up where a couple of us couldn´t make the show or we couldn´t make it to a gig, Scott would jump right in and help us and save the show. Scott actually had to do that a couple of times and there´s no awkwardness jamming with him. He has our groove and he knows our feel, he´s part of Biohazard in a big way. He´s already part of the crew and the immediate family so it was the most natural thing and we´re lucky enough to have a guy like that in our corner, who has our backs.
I read that back in August you announced that you were auditioning people. Did you go through the auditions?
BH: Yeah! We went through a couple of things. You see, that´s what I´m talking about. Let´s go back to what I was talking about with outside influences that mean well and try to help us, Biohazard was all of a sudden getting steered into different directions. People were saying "Ok, now you should just change the entire thing and add a front man to the band and another bass player!" and sure "Why the hell not? Let´s get fucking congas and a fucking keyboard player and get some back up chicks to sing?" and I´m like "Wait a minute! We just made this record and we didn´t have any of that shit on this record, so why bother putting that kinda live band together anyway?", first of all. Second of all, if we were gonna do something like that we really needed to give it a lot more time and energy, than we were able to do, so we definitely checked out some singers and we entertained the idea and I still think it could be a really cool thing to have five guys on stage instead of four. Who knows? We might still do something like that in the future, but right now, for all reasons just to keep this thing rolling, the one that made the most sense and the one we could definitely feel the most at ease about and definitely bank on and feel confident, was asking Scott to step in. He´s one of us and he knows all the material and he can hold it down. For the next album, if we wanna write music that has extra this or extra that and different instruments, I´m all about it. We´re all about it and we´re not into holding ourselves back and we love to experiment and find new sounds and new music. We´re not gonna limit ourselves, but this record was done as a four piece and I think we´re gonna go out and tour for this record. But then you have people who go "You need to go out and find somebody that looks and sounds exactly like Evan!" and then others that go "You need to find somebody that doesn´t sound and look like Evan!" or "You need to find two singers and a DJ!". How about that! It was a little fuckin´crazy, but everything seems to be working out for the best. And I appreciate you asking.
Cool! Back in June when I asked Billy for the title he said that you had one and were about to tell people, but then you guys played Download or whatever and you decided to change it. Was that when you changed it into "Reborn in defiance"?
BH: Eeehhh, I can´t even say… "Reborn in defiance" was kinda always a suggested title. That idea came a little bit earlier. It was around before it got chosen. There were definitely a few working titles. We had a lot of titles kicking around while the record was still taking shape. That´s what happens when you´re forced into having more time than you thought you were gonna have. All of a sudden you´ve got time to change things in your mind and go back and revaluate things, you know. I think "Reborn in defiance" really sums up and is completely explanatory in a lot of different ways and a lot of different angles. "Reborn in defiance" into so many different parts of this, whether it´s musical or music business wise, band structure, just a life´s journey and the struggles we´ve had to overcome to get to this point as a band all these years later. There´s so much of it that just applies.
Have you guys been in touch with Evan since he left?
BH: Well, it´s a little awkward… we´re not really speaking with him like every day. We´re well aware of how he´s doing and he´s doing ok. He´s doing his other thing and we wish him well, you know. He´s got another band he´s jamming with and he seems to be excited about it. When you get to be in the position that we´re in and I hate to say our age, but we´ve been around for a while and we´ve been through this whole thing and one thing I knew, coming back into the band and I had my own reasons why, but I always knew this is a blessing and a lot of people don´t get a second chance to do something. Finish something they started or change something wrong that´s been done or go back and fix mistakes. We´re very fortunate that we were able to and it´s because of the fans we´ve played to all over the world. That´s we´re the demand for us to get back together really came from. We owe it to them! I always knew there are no guarantees in life so the fact that we got together in the same room and actually jumping on a plane together or a tour bus and getting on stage and touring the world for almost two years was… wow! It was an amazing thing that nobody thought would ever happen and the fact that the four of us actually managed to keep it together long enough to do an album together, was another thing that was more than we could ever hope for. The fact that it didn´t stay together the way people would´ve liked it to, is no surprise. When I say no surprise, I´m saying that there´s nothing guaranteed in life. The fact that we got the original band together, a full world tour and a new album speaks volumes and I´m very proud of it and we´re all proud of it. The fact that one of us had to go his separate way, that´s life, man! We wish nothing bad on Evan. We´re just gonna keep playing and he´s got his own life and he´s got things going on and we hope he´s alright and we hope he finds what he´s looking for.
You mentioned earlier that you´re still writing and coming up with ideas. I guess it´s not gonna take that long for the next album to come out? And being on Nuclear Blast, what kinda deal is that? One album or more?
BH: Well, I hope so! I think Nuclear Blast is awesome and they´ve been excellent to work with. It´s something to be said for a label like Nuclear Blast to take notice and believing in a band like Biohazard, because what they did is kinda "in defiance" of their world and the industry. Biohazard has never been like a top forty fucking top rock fucking one hit wonder type thing where people look at us as dollar signs! People get it and believe in us out of respect for what we do, which is better for us because we get to work with people who´s the real deal, you know what I mean? I wouldn´t know how to act in the area of the music business where everything is bubble gum façade, one hit wonder, flavor or the week type of trend, because you can´t trust anybody around you because they´re only paying you because you´re popular at the moment and that could disappear tomorrow and as soon as you´re not making them any money, they fucking leave you in the dirt! What we do in heavy metal is more of like… the label understands the band. They´re behind it and they understand what it´s about and they believe in the band. For Nuclear Blast to believe in us and what we have to offer the world, was great and they stepped up and we give them a lot of respect for that!
Touring wise then? You´re playing a couple of shows in the US soon, right?
BH: Yeah, we´ve got some shows coming up in the US and Europe and then we´re going to Australia.
You´re not playing Sweden though!
BH: I´m not sure right now. I have to go look at the tour dates. I have so many tour dates that just came in. I´m really embarrassed I don´t know that. I don´t think there´s a Swedish show, no.
Any plans for coming here during festival season?
BH: Totally! We´ve been talking about it and the festivals. Biohazard loves the festivals. I´ll never forget when we were young and first went over to Europe. You´re talking ´89 or ´90 and when we first saw the European festivals like in Holland and the outdoor atmosphere of the festivals, was so special to us. We really don´t have that in America, you know. We never had anything that cool. (laughs). We always loved them since day one, so any chance we get for festivals, anybody´s that booking us or anybody that knows us, they all know that we love festivals and we jump at the chance to play them, so… I can´t remember the last… I definitely know we played a Swedish festival with Motörhead back in ´95 when I was with Biohazard in the early days. I´m not sure where it was… I forget… Fagersta… I know we played in Fagersta with the original Cro Mags and The Exploited and GWAR. That was like in 1990.
Awesome! You should play this festival in Gothenburg called Metaltown! They´ve got Slayer, Machine Head, Anthrax and you would fit right in there!
BH: You think so?
Yeah!
BH: That´s cool! Yeah, I´d love to!
Finally, what were you up to right before you joined Biohazard? Were you in a lot of bands before Biohazard?
BH: Biohazard was my first band that ever did a record! I was 19 years old when I first got together with the guys and started the band together. Before that I was in another band in Brooklyn called Rattlehead and we were making demos and stuff, but we never got the chance to make a record. We were just jamming together. Biohazard was the first thing that turned out to be serious and we´re real lucky because the way we put the band together, we were under some great mentors and we had a great home town club called "L´ Amour and there were some really ass kicking bands around at that time and great musicians. They allowed us to believe in ourselves like "Hey, you could really make this a real band!". The timing for Biohazard was the reason that did it. It became my life right away and then I left, you know.
How would you compare the New York/Brooklyn/New Jersey scene back then to today? Are there still a lot of bands happening and stuff similar to Biohazard and what you´re doing?
BH: Well, as far as music goes, the east coast has always had its own kinda edge and its own type of sound or flavor, whatever you wanna call it! Just like in Europe, you have different type of metal bands that come from Germany and from Sweden. In America we have the west coast bands, the Bay Area metal bands and they definitely had their own style. They were the pioneers. The east coast always had its own thing too. It just formed into what it is with different elements, that´s all. As far as the scene goes, it´s very different now compared to when we were younger. How the clubs are, how the shows are, how the crowd is. It´s a little different. We still love to play in our home town area. It´s still great and we love it, but everything has changed since when we started. The whole world has changed, you know. When we started out dude, you were a band and you had to make a demo tape, a cassette tape, man and you had to print up all these posters and we´d get like a hundred posters or a thousand posters and then get giant buckets of glue and paint brushes and we´d drive around in New York City at 2 o´clock in the morning looking out for the cops, because what we were doing was illegal and we would just put up Biohazard posters all over the city to promote. And stand outside in front of clubs and hand out flyers. There was no fucking myspace, no internet, no cd´s! We had to trade demo tapes and we had to do real hands on street level promotion of our band. Now it´s a totally different world! Now you don´t even have to leave your house! We put up like 50 posters down one block and freezing with the glue all over us and one guy on the street corner watching out for the cops and then we´d drive around and hit the next block and then come back and look at our posters and there was another band there posting over our new posters! It was a territorial thing and then you´d have a fight with the band that posted over your posters and it was like crazy fucking shit that used to happen! That´s where we came from.
Sounds like it was a bit more exciting, a bit more alive in a way.
BH: It was more alive because the underground was really underground, you know what I mean? And there wasn´t access to the things that were underground unless you went and became a part of the underground. You had to go to the dirty clubs, be in a dirty band and see a dirty show. You couldn´t just click on a mouse! It was completely different, so you had to be a part of it and when you´re a part of something that´s underground that the rest of society doesn´t really get, that´s when it´s more special to you. That´s when you´re more loyal to it! That´s when you embrace it more and you´re like "Yeah, I own this shit! This is me and who I am!" and you proudly wear that t-shirt of the band you support and there was more like a camaraderie between the people who shared the common interest in the scene. It was a bit more chaotic and a bit more violent, but it had its own way of living and breathing, so I really prefer the old days better but here we are in a new world and we´re still playing. It´s interesting!
Absolutely! Dylan was right, the times they are a ´changing!
BH: Yeah, well some of this shit I don´t know about! (laughs) All this technology can´t be that great, you know. One day we will all wake up and it was just a fad and technology´s over and we´ll go back to everything being analog and dial up phones and fucking land lines. That would be awesome! (laughs)
Yeah, we´ll see what the future holds! I hope you get to Sweden soon!
BH: When we play, you gotta come up and hang out and introduce yourself, man!
I will! Excellent talking to you Bobby and have a great day in New Jersey!
BH: Yeah, tell all people to look out for all new Biohazard material on the horizon! Alright bro, thank you!
I read that you are working on a new album...
Yes.
What is going on with that?
(laughs) It's the best album I've written in a long time. So, I'm really excited about it. Yeah, Rob Arnold [guitarist] writing some songs, got Ben from Whitechapel writing some songs. I've got Jari [Laine] from Torture Killer writing some songs and Steve [Swanson, lead guitarist]. So we're really happy with it. It's really good stuff.
How do you feel you're connecting to it more so than you did with Death Rituals, so far?
Hmm... Good question. I think that each album's a different journey for me, you know? The music speaks to me, so I kind of write from what it tells me and this album's been such a pleasure to be involved with because it's so interesting and it's given me more options to do different things or do things I haven't done in a while, so it's a lot of fun on that level...
As you just said; actually my next question... Music itself is a journey, every time you make an album or go on tour, what have been some of the best parts of the journey you've taken thus far?
Just the exploration of the music and finding how it speaks to me. I think that to me, when I write and stuff, and I listen to the music first to get my lyrics from; just that is so exciting to me. It's a puzzle, you know? It's like a puzzle to me. Like a fourth dimensional puzzle; and it comes from nowhere but it ends up somewhere. And that to me is like pulling something that didn't exist before and then all of a sudden it's beautiful, you know? To me it is...It's a weird-beautiful.
You just said, you find how the music speaks to you.... How do you let it speak to you?
Well, I'll go into a "meditational" type of trance smoking a lot of weed and that helps me to focus on that-- whatever this plane is or something that I'm hearing, it's very spiritual to me... So, I think that it's not really me that writes those things, it's something else out there that kind of goes through [me].
When you're writing songs, like even for this new album, and for your past ones, how have you brought your songs to life?
They just tell me what to do when I hear the riff, I just concentrate on them. I hear something in the music, it keeps repeating to me and I just have to keep listening to it over and over again until I hear it. So, like I keep, you know, keep going back and hearing the thirty second part of the song, and I just keep replaying it, and eventually it tells me what it should be, what I need to write. So, now that I've written so many songs and stuff, I've kind of like let my self go and let that happen. So, when I try to force something, I just put it down and just wait, and come back to it. Certain songs, like on this album, I just couldn't write at one time, but they just kind of want to be written.
That's interesting...
Yeah. I kind of think of them as alive... (laughs)
Yeah... Songs do make people alive in a sense...
(laughs) They have to.
Exactly. That's why so many people are so passionate out there... Even though you kind of answered this in my last question... How would you say you take the visions of what you see while you're writing and translate them into words?
Again, it's really how that song speaks to me and I think it just kind of-- sometimes I'll have an idea, like a song title or maybe one word, like maybe I'll have it written down on a piece of paper somewhere, and I'll come back to it, and I'll be listening to the music, and I'll look through stuff, and something catches my eye, and from that moment, it-- or I'll write; I'll be writing and nothing's really clicking, I don't know where it's going. It just comes together by itself. It's very strange now. I used to have a really clear idea of things, but now I kind of let it all flow through me...
Again, like you just said... The songs speak to you... Which song has spoken to you the most that you've written?
It's hard, I think they all speak to me in a different way. It's kind of hard to say that because there are songs that have made me more money and those are songs that are really, that really click, you know? But each song I wrote, there's something in there that has an anchor to my soul. Even though some of it's kind of disturbing, but a lot of it's metaphorical.
Horror is obviously a huge impact on your music; Phil Anselmo, for example, takes Edgar Allan Poe and integrates it into his music/lyrics sometimes, do you do that with your lyrics with any horror books or films?
Nope... None of that. I don't think about other things when I write about than what that music is telling me, you know? It takes me on a journey, a quest of some sort to figure out the puzzle to kind of complete it. I don't really think of anything. I'm not really a big reader or anything like that. I like movies, but I'm not really just into horror movies, I like just well written things that interest you, you know?
So, that's kind of how I really write...
So, that's kind of how I really write...
Yeah... You've been doing this for, don't take this the wrong way (laughs) probably since I've been born... So how do you really know when a song is complete?
(laughs) I feel a song is complete the second I'm done with it, when I'm done writing the lyrics...
That's it...?
Yeah, it ends there, for me. To me, that's where perfection is. After a lot of people get their hands in it and stuff, I don't know, I go on like a little bit of a depression... But I like it right when I'm done because it's only for me, you know what I mean? It has that connection somehow between that. Then after it gets released, something fades in that... (pauses) It's almost like people say getting your picture taken steals your soul. When a song gets released and everyone hears it, it kind of becomes less about you.
I've never heard it put like that before...
Yeah. It fades a little bit...
You're a deep person...
Yeah... Too deep sometimes, people don't get me like that, you know? They think I'm nuts. But I've experienced stuff most people have never experienced as far as weird things...
In your previous answer.... You kind of said each song you write is like a picture with it stealing your soul...?
Yeah... Well, that's because I'm forced to analyze myself at that point, but I'm not like that every minute... So like, when I'm just hanging out, just me, like when I go up there, I kind of have to do the whole thing, it's a weird fucking lifestyle. It's not meant for everybody, it'll definitely drive you nuts sometimes. I try to let myself open up to what I've done out there and forget about it out here, you know? As much as I can...
How do you want Six Feet Under to be symbolized through the eyes of your fans?
However they like it. They interpret it to what it means to them and then when they tell me how they found it or how they feel it, that's their own thing, I can't tell them how to accept it...
True... How do you think you guys are symbolized?
I don't know. I don't know... But if it makes them happy...Then that's a good thing.
When you are out there on stage, how do you take that energy that you have and let it just connect through you, through the fans?
Well, they're doing it... Yeah, they're feeling it... Their energy. Their energy reaches me. That makes me feel good, and put on a good show, and try my hardest, which is kind of hard sometimes, but that helps.
When you're recording, how do you try to take that feeling of the energy you get while you're on stage and translate it into an album while in the studio?
Well a studio is different, it's a whole other animal, you know? You have lots and lots of takes to do to make things perfect and stuff, you know, you piece things together and make things interesting and more dynamic and a little more tight. I just really want, when I'm in the studio, I really concentrate on that, I worry on the live situation later. (laughs)
Ok.
If I can write it, I can perform it. (laughs) You know, it's pretty simple. I guess it's hard to see from the outside how it all comes together, but it's really, it is a little magical sometimes...
Yeah, do you ever feel that "on fire" feeling?
Like I feel like I'm just right there where I feel like I need to be?
Yeah...
Yeah. I've had those nights. Tonight was one of those nights. (laughs)
Music gives fans an escape...Especially with heavy metal... Your lyrics are kind of graphic...But...How do you feel your music gives your fans an escape?
Well, I inject some of my lyrics with true to life themes, maybe. Some current type of ideas, events maybe. Songs like Manipulation [Warpath] and [Human] Target [Haunted], stuff like that. Caged and Disgraced [Warpath]. I was lucky enough, a kid, the other night, it choked me up even thinking about it. This kid from Iran, he escaped Iran to Turkey and you know, he kind of was like, "Your songs about freedom inspired me to fucking leave and to fucking save my life and that's fucking heavy duty..." I think they, the kids that really look at what I have to say deep, understand.
Yeah. How do you feel it gives you, yourself an escape?
Well, it's just made me realize things in my life I've been able to express myself in a certain way that isn't dangerous... (laughs)
You know how certain genres of music want to have their certain vibes or feeling like black metal wants it to have it's iciness and darkness; how do you want Six Feet Under's music to feel like, or what kind of vibe do you want it to have?
I just don't, I don't really force it... Like you said, a lot of people have a preconceived notion of it, certain styles of metal or genres, I just don't, I don't put myself in a corner like that. I think there's, I've kind of been able to experiment, I've always been able to experiment, I think that's another reason why death metal vocals are kind of looked at like that because I was able to experiment back in those days that kind of pushed me in a certain way and that kind of set a standard, maybe. So, I've never really stopped wanting to express myself, you know, I don't want to express myself the same way every time. It's just not the same day.
Well, that's why every album is different.
Yeah, it's a little bit more about more what it is at that time instead making the idea of what it is have to be this way.
It's a new transition.
Yeah. You just try to do it good enough to make it feel right.
Yeah.. You're very passionate with metal and obviously very, very deep with the answers you gave me...What impacted you in that way...?
That's a good question. I don't know. I don't know. I think that it was just someone took a chance on me and thought that I could do something good and could focus my energy towards that, you know? I never really knew what I wanted to do when I was a kid or really knew what I wanted to do when I was growing up, and I just was lucky enough to fall into something that made sense to me... (laughs) I was lucky, on certain levels.
Does luck really exist though?
Well, I think fate is luck.
So, you're a believer in fate?
I believe that everything that happens in life is mapped out for you. There's a path that someone keeps you on. I think that each of us have spirit guides that guide us through life and they keep us on the right path, like we have to listen to those people... Or those things, or those people...
With the passion that you have, how do you incorporate that into the way you perform?
I just do the best I can and try to present what I have to do, you know? The best I can. Sometimes I mess up. (laughs) But only because I'm distracted usually (laughs) by something. But yeah I just have fun with it, I like doing this, if it's easy, you know, like it has been... (laughs)
Yeah. Your songs have so many different meanings I'm sure... Other artists have told me that they don't really want to give away the meanings of their songs... How do you feel about that?
Yeah, one hundred percent. I don't really like to outline it and I don't reveal the secrets behind the verses, a lot of it's sad, is really what it's all about... Just sadness, loneliness...
But it really creates such amazing music...
Yeah, that's kind of how art is though. Art is seriously fucked up people that are kind of lonely and sad even though they have no reason to be. Any day you're breathing is a good day though...
Very true... As you were talking about earlier, you believe people have spirits that guide you through life... How do you feel that has affected your music, or how do you want it to affect it, I guess you could say?
Well, I don't know if it affects it other than it's in my every day life and I've accepted that as the truth of what life is and I just listen to those whispers.
Your music has left a legacy in death metal, there is no denying that, how does that really make you feel?
I love it, you know? I try to really, I feel good about it, but I don't think I'm done yet.
When everything is done with, how do you want your music to be remembered for?
Hmm. However those kids experience it, you know? I want them to experience it their way. I think I could say one-hundred times over what a song means to me, but it doesn't translate to what it means to you, you know? You can't really feel it unless you really know me...
Guitarist Bas Brussaard has quit Dutch brutal death metallers SUPREME PAIN because "he is no longer motivated," according to the remaining members of the band. A replacement axeman has not yet been announced.
SUPREME PAIN in November announced the addition of drummer Eric De Windt to the group's ranks. According to the band, Eric "is a very experienced musician and was part of many bands, such as SEVERE TORTURE (vocalist), SINISTER (vocals on 'Aggressive Measures') and PROSTITUTE DISFIGUREMENT, INHUME and DESTROYER666 (drums). At the moment he is also drummer for the Dutch death metal band TEMPLE."
SUPREME PAIN's third album, "Divine Incarnation", was released in Europe in May 2011 via Massacre Records and in North America on October 25 through Massacre's new distribution via AFM Records' deal with E1 Entertainment. The CD was recorded at Soundlodge Studios in Leer, Germany with producer Jörg Uken. According to the group, the album contains "nine blasting death metal tracks with an evil and twisted atmosphere."
Drummer Paul Beltman was forced to leave SUPREME PAIN last summer after suffering an injury.
SUPREME PAIN in November announced the addition of drummer Eric De Windt to the group's ranks. According to the band, Eric "is a very experienced musician and was part of many bands, such as SEVERE TORTURE (vocalist), SINISTER (vocals on 'Aggressive Measures') and PROSTITUTE DISFIGUREMENT, INHUME and DESTROYER666 (drums). At the moment he is also drummer for the Dutch death metal band TEMPLE."
SUPREME PAIN's third album, "Divine Incarnation", was released in Europe in May 2011 via Massacre Records and in North America on October 25 through Massacre's new distribution via AFM Records' deal with E1 Entertainment. The CD was recorded at Soundlodge Studios in Leer, Germany with producer Jörg Uken. According to the group, the album contains "nine blasting death metal tracks with an evil and twisted atmosphere."
Drummer Paul Beltman was forced to leave SUPREME PAIN last summer after suffering an injury.
__._,_.___
MARKETPLACE
.
__,_._,___
0 comments:
Post a Comment