Rotting INTERVIEW WITH SINGER WALTER DELGADO BY CALEB R. NEWTON
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he members of the fierce Los Angeles-area hardcore band Rotting Out grew up embedded in the city’s heavy music community. On their new album, Ronin, they’ve catapulted these sounds into a new era. Out now via Pure Noise Records, Rotting Out’s new album features ferociously punching hardcore, with the band wheeling out fierce riffing designed to leave a mark - literally, if you’re lucky enough to catch the band live. Vocalist Walter Delgado explains that the band kept the live experience in mind when developing their new record.
ea luminaries like Black Flag and Pennywise. Delgado also adds that he often looked beyond the Delgado explains the band’s hardcore scene for inspiration for modus operandi as “a very tradi- his own performances. tional, L.A. street punk approach, complemented by heavier riffs “I usually try to think outside the that are kind of derived from New box a little more, outside of traditional hardcore,� he explains. “So York hardcore.� os, although there’s certainly plenty of raw energy to go around.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAN RAWE
“Writing this record, there were these two rules that I had in my head,� Delgado explains. “Would a punk kid still listen to this song? Or, would this be boring live? So, I made sure that these songs, once they’re portrayed live, still kind of carry that energy, that aggression, and that same essence that they do on the CD, or on the record. Because hardcore is all about the live shows, personally. I think you can’t be a hardcore kid just being stuck in your room and listening to records all the time. If you’re not going to shows and kind of getting your hands in it, you’re not really a part of the scene, personally. The band’s background also So, when it comes to what we informs their songwriting big time. write, we want it to translate to live “When it comes to writing music, shows and have that same energy, we already kind of have an idea like punches in the face.� of what we want to represent, and what we want to sound like, That sought-after energy is abun- which is very, you know, at home, dantly clear on Ronin, although and very traditional,� Delgado Rotting Out ground their relentless explains. “We try to be very much onslaught in a carefully strength- rooted to the history of hardcore ened, melodic backbone. The and hardcore punk.� meaty guitar riffing, super heavy bass, and cacophony from the In developing the sound for Rotdrums all feel grounded in endless ting Out’s first full-length album in forward propulsion. In other words, seven years, Delgado shares that the band don’t just pack pure cha- the group took cues from L.A.-ar-
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Ronin. Delgado explains that the band also hoped to showcase the personally gripping core that helped fierce hardcore catch on in the first place. “I’m very stoked for people to hear it, and for it to finally be out,â€? he shares, explaining that he’s looking forward to hearing other people’s reactions. “Even if it’s negative, I want to know why. I even like offending people, in that sense, where people are almost mad that they don’t like our record, where it’s like getting under people’s skin - I like it. But also, it’s for the kid that goes to that hardcore show and is going to be stoked to see these new songs live. It’s meant to speak to that new fan on a different platform, more than just punching each other in the face, and moshing, and whatnot.â€? đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł
INFLUENTIAL HARDCORE, THEN AND NOW
maybe I’ll be listening to something like the Deftones, or even Nirvana, things like that, which I grew up listening to, and I’d want to incorporate little by little. Or even Rage Against the Machine, where it’s a different kind of approach to writing music, or just the vibe of the song specifically. We’d add these little toppings of other aspects of music.� Ultimately, setting the stage for memorably gripping shows isn’t the only aspect that weighed on Rotting Out while developing
Growing up in L.A., the members of Rotting Out latched onto some classic groups from the area, like Suicidal Tendencies, Black Flag, Terror, and Internal Affairs. As for music from the East Coast, vocalist Walter Delgado also names the Massachusetts groups Stop and Think, Slapshot, In My Eyes, and Bane. Personally, Delgado also cites John Joseph of the N.Y.C.-area group Cro-Mags, H.R. from D.C.’s Bad Brains, and Ray Cappo from Connecticut’s Youth of Today among those he “really admired growing up.� “I was more amped on hardcore bands that had like a faster sound, a more aggressive sound, sometimes even a more melodic sound,� he explains. Some more recent bands that have caught Delgado’s attention include the Massachusetts group Restraining Order, and the NorCal group Drain. The latter actually has a unique personal connection to Rotting Out, as Drain’s vocalist went to the same high school that Delgado attended. As he explains, he’s stoked to see their success.
