GREG PUCIATO

PHOTO BY JIM LOUVAU

INTERVIEW BY THOMAS PIZZOLA

Greg Puciato, the former The songs on Child Soldier range frontperson for the Dillinger from wildly aggressive to more conEscape Plan, who wowed templative, and everywhere in beaudiences for 16 years with tween. They are exciting, dynamic, his insane vocal gymnastics and in- and allow Puciato to utilize every tense stage presence, is finally going facet of his wide-open vocal range. solo. When the DEP called it quits There was no set direction, except back in 2017, he focused on The for being true to thine own self. Black Queen, his darkwave project, which showcased another side of his “This is just how it turned out,” he exmusical persona. plains. “I didn’t have any rules as far But that wasn't enough, so now, the man thing; it’s not a thinking thing. When widely considered one of the best mod- you’re writing a story, you just go ern metal vocalists is set to unleash Child where it goes, and if you go someSoldier: Creator Of God, his first release where that doesn't feel right, you say under his own name, on Federal Prison- ‘nah,’ and go a different way.” er Records, a label that he co-owns and runs, with his friend and collaborator, Putting out music and running the label artist Jesse Draxler. has helped Puciato deal with the insanWhy now? Well, it just felt like the former DEP bandmate Chris Pensource of his inspiration. a painter and signing my name in the as genre or emotion. It’s a feeling ity of the times we are currently living in. right time. “I’m so busy with all of it, the releases, the label, I'm so deliberately “A bunch of different stuff just lined involved in every, single facet of up,” Puciato says. “Releasing under everything, that I don’t have much my own name, with so many things downtime, really,” he says. “You play happening stylistically on the album, on the hand you’re dealt, and this is the a label that I co-own, it just feels symbol- one that we’re all dealt, so there’s ic of me fully owning myself and every- not too much sense in complaining thing that makes me ‘me.’ It's a decla- about the weather. Also, I’m realration of integration and actualization ly introverted, and by that I don’t and ownership for me. I'm 40; it feels mean shy; I just mean that I’m very, correct. It feels like an important point very internal. I charge from being on the timeline for me.” alone, and I pass time easily. I don’t On Child Soldier, Puciato takes to ing people or not doing social things. owning himself and his music by If I didn’t have these records already playing all the instruments on the done, I would be losing my mind album—except for drums, for which from having something external he enlisted the aid of friends Chris slow my output down, but that didn’t Hornbrook (Poison The Well), his happen, so I’m fine.” nie, and his Killer Be Killed band That said, Puciato also has a premate Ben Koller (also of Converge). scient take on dealing with the world This was his way of getting closer to as it exists in 2020. “Someone else’s feel isn’t going to meaning the state of the world as be yours, even if they play the notes far as idiocy and inequality, yeah, you tell them to play,” he says. “If it pisses me off,” he says. “I feel emI can play guitar and bass, what’s barrassed for the fucking species a the point of telling someone else to lot of the time, but ultimately, I think play the thing? It’s not gonna feel like this giant, slap-in-the-face, wakeme, it’s not gonna be the tone I want, up call will do us some good collecor the exact same expressiveness. tively. Like, the car broke down, and With solo output, you’re trying to get now everyone’s like, ‘Wait, how the something to feel the most like you fuck did we end up here? Not only is possible, and the more hands you put the car broken, but I’m in fuckville?’ on the thing, the more you corrupt Yeah it is, and yeah you are; time to that sentiment. I can’t imagine being sort it out.” lose too much energy from not see“As far as the 'madness of our times,' corner if other people painted three So, maybe it is the perfect time for a quarters of the painting.” Greg Puciato solo record. ” �� �� ��

LP/CD/DIGITAL OUT NOW