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EDITOR IN CHIEF Mike Smothers
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CO EDITOR Thom Hazaert
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Megadeth Anthrax Queensryche Suicidal Tendencies DragonForce Over Kill Death Angel Corrosion of Conformity Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons Devil Driver Doro Armored Saint John 5 Metal Church Beasto Blanco Toothgrinder Metalachi MechaniX
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Write ups 20 Lamb of God 24 Testament
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BUILD YOUR SOUND
“Power, punch and clarity are the cornerstones of my bass guitar tone and these strings are designed to deliver just that.” - DAVID ELLEFSON
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e all know our captain Dave Mustaine, Thrash Metal legend and pioneer, and creator of some of the greatest heavy metal riffs ever written. (You know the shirt, Mustaine – Wrote ‘Em All.) Also, the creator of MEGADETH BEER, Mustaine Vineyards wine, and the driving creative force behind the ever-evolving Mega-Machine for over 35 years. And, of course, rounding out the Mega-Lineup, co-founder and bassist David Ellefson, a thrash legend in his own right, as well as author, producer, and proprietor of Ellefson Coffee Co, EMP LABEL GROUP and the relaunched COMBAT RECORDS, as well as the latest additions, guitarist Kiko Louireiro and drummer Dirk Verbeuren. Together, they round out the current lineup of MEGADETH, the pioneering “Big 4” Metal band who, on iconic albums like Peace Sells.. But Who’s Buying, So Far.. So Good.. So What!, and Rust In Peace, literally created the benchmark for Heavy Metal with Mustaine’s riffs and snarling vocals, Ellefson’s punishing signature bass sound, and a string of equally legendary guitarists and drummers including Chris Poland, Marty Friedman, and the late Nick Menza and Gar Samuelson.
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In 2016 MEGADETH released Dystopia, their 15th studio album, and set out on a whirlwind album cycle, including a massive World Tour, and a Grammy win for the title track “Dystopia”. In 2019 the band retreated to Nashville to work on the follow-up to Dystopia, when the Metal World was rocked to its core with the announcement of Mustaine’s diagnosis with throat cancer, which became a Worldwide headline on every major news outlet from CBS to FOX NEWS. The band, and fans the World over, rallied around Mustaine, and breathed a collective sigh of relief with the announcement he had completed his treatments, and was slowly but surely on the mend, given a 90% chance of recovery, and that the band planned to be back in action by 2020. On the eve of the sailing of The MEGACRUISE, Thom Hazaert sat down with David, Kiko, and Dirk, to talk past, present, and future of MEGADETH. DAVID ELLEFSON
enduring and revered Heavy Metal acts of all time.
When 18 year old David Ellefson, fresh out of High School in Jackson, MN, loaded up his van and made his way to Hollywood (with his buddy Greg Handevidt in tow), little did he know that, almost immediately, destiny would change the course of his life forever, as he would meet a determined young songwriter and guitarist named Dave Mustaine, fresh out of a band called Metallica, that David had incidentally never heard of, and they would go on to create one of the most enduring legacies in Rock history.
In 2019, Ellefson released his second Memoir, More Life With Deth, which I had the distinct honor and privilege of co-writing with him, as well as his debut solo release Sleeping Giants, a “companion” album to the book, featuring several new tracks including collaborations with not only yours truly, but a true “who’s who” of Metal luminaries including Mark Tremonti, Dave McClain and Joey Radziwill of Sacred Reich, Andy Martongelli, Steve Conley and Eric AK of Flotsam and Jetsam, and former Megadeth guitarist Chris Poland, as well as the title track “Sleeping Giants”, a genrebending collaboration with legendary hip-hop MC Darryl “DMC” McDaniels.
As one of the pioneering Metal bands known as the “Big 4”, alongside Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax, the iconic musical canon Mustaine and Ellefson created together on legendary albums like Peace Sells.. But Who’s Buying?, Rust in Peace, and Countdown To Extinction, would lead them to over a dozen Grammy Nominations, a long-overdue win for 2016’s Dystopia, selling over 50 million albums, and, in the process, becoming one of the most
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In addition to all of that, (as if it wasn’t enough) Ellefson has built his own EMPire, with his record labels EMP Label Group, and the recent relaunch of famed Metal label Combat Records, his coffee brand Ellefson Coffee Co, and seemingly endless lines of new
the next album, so I think we were in a really good position to be able to just, sort of, park that on the side of the road, to let Dave go through his treatments, and now recovery. We certainly appreciate everyone’s thoughts and continued prayers as we head, hopefully toward the finish line, and hopefully soon, we’ll be completely out of the Woods. Thom: That’s awesome. So, are you excited for the cruise? David: I am. I’ve been invited to do a handful of cruises in recent years, so I’ve really gotten comfortable doing them. And I have a lot of fun doing them. I always try to make myself available and to be approachable to the fans, sort of the de facto diplomat for Megadeth over all these years anyway, so it’s gonna be fun to kinda have one branded around Megadeth and all that we do, and it’ll feel right at home, with a real, full-blown Thrash Metal cruise. Thom: It’s great. It’s a great lineup. Who are you looking forward to seeing on the boat? David: Well, pretty much everybody there. We’re all friends, we’ve all grown up together. Some of us were like, a generation before, or ahead. It’ll be great to see Doro, we haven’t performed together since she toured with Megadeth on the So, Far, So Good, So What tour, in 1988. Testament, of course, have been long time friends, and we’ve done a lot of stuff together, pretty much through the 90’s, and beyond. And of course, Lamb of God, they pack a big punch, and literally in a lot of ways, they revived the Thrash Metal scene in the 2000s, which I think gave a lot of breath back into everything that we all do in Thrash, but with a new face and kind of a new sound. So I think that the cruise has got a little bit of everything. It’s got the vintage, it’s got the classic, and it’s also got the new guys as well. Thom: Yeah, it’s a powerhouse lineup for sure. We actually talked a little bit about that tour with Warlock on So, Far, So Good, in our new book MORE LIFE WITH DETH, and a lot about that actual period of Megadeth. So it’s super cool that they are on the cruise. signature products from Jackson, SIT, EMG Pickups, ISP, Gruv Gear, and even an upcoming collaboration with Metallica’s Kirk Hammett’s pedal company, KHDK. Thom Hazaert: Hey buddy. Super excited to finally get to chat about the Megacruise! But before we get to that, of course, I gotta ask, how is Dave doing? Obviously, there’s a lot of concern for his health, with the cancer diagnosis and his treatments and recovery, and right now, when it comes to Megadeth, I think that is first and foremost on everyone’s minds. David Ellefson: You know Dave, I think, is doing really well. He’s tough. He’s a soldier, he’s a fighter, and he’s also a General. He’s been a soldier in the troops himself, and he’s also a General as the leader. And I think having all these things to look forward to, the Megacruise, and the Five Finger Death Punch/Megadeth/Bad Wolves tour that we’re doing in Europe in January. I think, those things have all been super helpful with Dave’s fight against cancer.. Thom Hazaert: Dirk and Kiko said as much too, about how through this whole thing, just his work ethic, and his mindset, and how you guys kept working through it, and just, even from the beginning, with the diagnosis, just how determined and positive he is. And as hard, and as terrifying as that has to be be to deal with, it’s definitely an inspiration to anyone going through something like this. Especially, with the timing, with as much as Megadeth has going on. David Ellefson: We’ve started to make really good progress on
David: We did. And I think the other funny thing about this cruise is, is because we’re all there, and as much as everybody is scheduled to perform in their respective slot, there’s also these kinda really genuine, and unguarded moments that happen, as friendship, sometimes musical moments happen, very casual jam sessions, and with this cast and crew here, I can only imagine, who knows what might actually break out with the pirates that are on this ship. Thom: Right. And speaking to that, not to give too much away, but by the time people see this, it will pretty much be happening anyway, I think me and you are gonna end up doing a little bit of our thing on the boat, with the SLEEPING GIANTS stuff, and some jam, clinic-type stuff, and you’re working to sort of put together some of those jam-type things on the boat, which is sort of what you do, with Metal Allegiance, and it’s kinda become sort of a de facto David Ellefson thing, where you just kinda curate these kind of really killer jams, and get people together to do these, sort of, once in a lifetime kinda things. David: Yeah, all they gotta do is give me the word, and I hit the ground running. I love doing it, because I’ve never really been a guy who likes to just stand there and play music by myself. To me, it’s always about being in the room with your friends, making killer music, and playing for the fans. You know, what better place to do that, than with the captive audience of being on a boat, where we’re all out there thrashing the high seas together. Thom: Speaking of historic collaborations, I guess this interview is in the first person that it’s me and you, and I’m obviously involved in this too, but we’re going over to Europe to do a pretty historic show as well, with K.K. Downing, and some of the other guys from Judas Priest, K.K., Les Binks, and Tim “Ripper” Owens. Tell me
about that, like I don’t know already. Haha. David: Well the whole thing started with Andy Martongelli, a great player from Italy who I met through Kiko, and then we hired him to play with me and Frank Bello as part of Altitudes and Attitude earlier this year, when we went over and did some dates with SLASH. By way of that, Andy played on some stuff on the Sleeping Giants record, and that opened up the door for us to go down and do some shows over in Europe with the MORE LIVE WITH DETH Sleeping Giants solo performances, across Italy and Switzerland, which we’re doing in November. And as that was starting to shape up, I realized our book publisher Jawbone Press is located in the UK, and we should really try to get up there and do some shows or book signings, at least in London, and I mentioned that to Jawbone, which is how the show at the Camden Underworld came about. Along with that, I happened to think that K.K. Downing has been such a great friend, and generous contributor to More Life With Deth, with his stories that he told in the book, and even his participation in the audiobook. And It just hit me, maybe I should hit up K.K. and see if we could arrange a book signing event up there, maybe do something together as his memoir just came out last year. And that conversation went from, him graciously opening the doors to the Steel Mill in Wolverhampton for us to do a book signing event, to a conversation about a jam session, which turned into now a full-blown concert, doing Sleeping Giants, and also a whole bunch of former members of Judas Priest. And it’s gonna be, I think, sort of the cherry on top at the end of a fantastic year of 2019 with David Ellefson, K.K. Downing and friends, doing this historic event at K.K.’s Steel Mill. Thom: Right. And I’m proud to be one of those friends, so thank you. But, really how cool is it, we talked so much in More Life With Deth about what a huge Judas Priest fan you were, and how that Unleashed in the East, that “Les Binks era” was your Judas Priest, and how influential it was, not only to you, but the entire Thrash scene, and to be able to now go and do something so cool, with these guys, and do something so cool and historic. David: It’s amazing. I not only grew up on Judas Priest, but then Judas Priest and Megadeth continued to grow up together. And even recently, just last year, performed shows together on their Firepower tour, and our Dystopia tour in 2018. So, we’ve just continued to be really good friends. And I’m not gonna lie, as I’m digging into these songs for this setlist in November, it makes me realize that a lot of the stuff that Dave and I have done together in Megadeth, and even having long, detailed discussions with my friend Kerry King, back in the early ‘80s about our fascination with the song structure and riffs, and the guitar orchestration of Judas Priest, we in the Big 4, have definitely inherited the awesome musical legacy of Judas Priest, and we’ve just so clearly woven their style into ours, and granted we’ve taken that and made it our own, as we’ve become our own bands, but there’s no denying that, with, especially the early Judas Priest stuff. Quite honestly, there’s kinda like 3 phases of Judas Priest, well 4 actually, there’s kinda the early days, the pre-Les Binks era, then the Les Binks era, the Dave Holland era, and then the Scott Travis era. Thom: Yeah, which each one is a really distinct, musical period. That’s so funny ‘cuz that era, the Unleashed in the East Binks era, that really kinda is the origination of that part of, not only the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, but kinda really the origins of Thrash Metal. You listen to the A side of Unleashed in the East, that is pretty much the blueprint for the Big 4, right there. David: Yeah. And Judas Priest was so precise, and technical, and hi-fi, and there is no bigger fan of Ian Hill than me. I am his #1 fan. I love the guy as a person, he’s such a gentleman, such a fan of his bass playing, and how he, even his style, he had to change his bass playing within Judas Priest. It transitioned a lot with every drummer that came along. And I’m very aware of that myself, because I’ve had to do that. You know, every drummer and lineup change that Megadeth went through, usually a new drummer was also synonymous with a new guitar player change within 12 Rock N Roll Industries Magazine
Megadeth, so I’ve had to go through those different sort of artistic transitions we’ve had, so I kinda can really appreciate how Ian, as a founding member of Judas Priest, and how he and K.K. really being the founding original members of the band, I can really be empathetic to all the transitions that they’ve gone through throughout the years. And I think that’s one of the things that K.K. and I now, for he and I to get together, and for me to really dig down deep into the fabric of his music, and what he created, and how he writes, you know, it’s like getting inside of the mind of one of my favorite composers ever, and getting to share not only laughs and good times, but now to share that musical exploration with him, it’s just a bucket list moment, and it’s one I never saw coming. Thom: Not to turn this into a huge tangent, but the other cool thing about that evolution of Judas Priest that you were talking about, Priest influenced kinda the Big 4, and Thrash, but inversely, you guys, and Metallica, and the thrash stuff, started influencing Priest as they got into the Scott Travis era, and Painkiller. David: Absolutely. In fact, you look at, Slayer covered “Dissident Aggressor”, which was a very early Judas Priest song from Sin After Sin, and, which again, hearkens back to Kerry and I’s conversations about Judas Priest, back when he was filling in for Megadeth in 1984. And, you’re right, I think by Painkiller, and K.K. talked about that in his memoir, he talks about with the Painkiller album, how they were very aware of what was happening around them, you know, the big MTV years with Judas Priest were gonna change, and there was a new crop of Thrash bands coming up behind them, which clearly was the Big 4, and especially the Big 3, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax, had very much stayed true to our very fast and aggressive roots, and stayed true to the hallmark of our origins. You know K.K. talks about that. And by the time that we got on the Painkiller/Rust in Peace tour, and Testament was on that too with Souls of Black, one of their real, big-time stepping up game-changing albums for them, and it was kinda the young bucks, Testament, kinda the new favorite at the ball Megadeth, and of course, the iconic Judas Priest. That tour really, in a lot of ways, represented what was happening in 1990, with the classic Metal, and the newest stuff that was happening. It’s funny ‘cuz I always say in Megadeth, the bass is an anchor, and very featured instrument throughout our history, and in Judas Priest, the drummers are kinda the hallmark of the new era that they enter in. It’s often hinged around their drummers. Thom: Absolutely. So, you mentioned your new, and first-ever, solo release, Sleeping Giants, which came out in July on Combat. Obviously, I know about it, since I sing on a lot of it, and co-produced the thing, hahaha, but why don’t you pretend I’m not here, and tell everyone else about it. David: Last year, I went out on a BASSTORY tour, and I needed someone to jump up and sing a few songs. My partner Thom Hazaert, who I wrote More Life With Deth with, was there and started jumping up and singing some stuff, Megadeth songs, Guns N’ Roses songs, as Bumblefoot was also out playing guitar with us, Black Sabbath. Then we did an event, Playback Independent Music Expo, last December in Tampa, and as part of that we did an all-star Jam version of Basstory, again with Thom and Bumblefoot, Head from Korn, Troy Sanders from Mastodon, Kyle Sanders from Hellyeah, Dirk Verbeuren, Jason Bieler from Saigon Kick, Opus and Dave Sharpe from Dead By Wednesday, who had been the backing band on BASSTORY. And during the time in Tampa, in between shows, we went into MasterSound studios in and wrote and recorded the track “Vultures”, which eventually Max Norman, who produced and mixed several Megadeth albums, ended up mixing. Our original plan was just to include it maybe as a free download with the book, which would’ve been a cool little collaboration. But that turned out great, so I had a few other older instrumental songs that I told Thom to write some lyrics and melodies for, and we went into The Platinum Underground in Phoenix, with our friend John Aquilino, and we basically reworked and re-recorded “Hammer Comes Down” and “Sleeping Giants”, with some of our other friends, Dave McClain and Joey Radziwill from Sacred Reich, Mark
Tremonti, Chris Poland, DMC. As those started to come together, Thom was like, “Well you have other stuff too, don’t you?”, and he suggested compiling some other F5 demos that were unreleased, and some other songwriting demos I had with John Bush, and David Glen Eisley, a remix of “Vultures” by Kristian Nairn from Game of Thrones. We put it all together, and before you know it we had a full record worth of material, sort of a “companion albums to the book.
Thom: Yeah it really came out great, and as I say all the time, I think it really shines an amazing light on all of your talents, as a songwriter, and a guitar player, and all of these amazing things you are, aside from just an amazing bass player. I mean being one of the most iconic bassists in the history of Metal is awesome, but I think there’s just so much more to you than just playing bass. And I think we really showcased that on Sleeping Giants. Wait, I’m supposed to be interviewing you. Haha.
And it really took on a life of its own. It debuted on 13 Billboard charts the weekend it was released, and saw a lot of success and airplay at radio, and we ended up doing a tour all Summer to support it, and as we talked about earlier, we’re going over to Europe in November to do it again.
davidellefson.com combatrecs.com emplabelgroup.com ellefsoncoffeeco.com
his treatment, he was still coming in almost every day. There were a few days where he couldn’t, obviously he had to be in the hospital some days, and some days he was just really tired. But he was really still working, and really motivated to keep working on the songs, which we’re all, of course super excited about. With the reception that Dystopia had, it’s gonna be a really nice step to have this 16th one.
DIRK VERBEUREN is one of the most revered and celebrated drummers in the extreme Metal World, having sat on the throne for Swedish-Tech-Death monsters Soilwork for over a decade, before being tapped as the permanent drummer for Megadeth in 2016, just in time to win a Grammy and tour the World on Dystopia, and get in the mix for album #16. Aside from Megadeth, and his own grindcore project BENT SEA, also featuring members of Napalm Death and Aborted, Dirk is an established clinician and indemand session drummer, with various recent and current projects including the latest release from CADAVER, TRONOS, an avant garde death doom collaboration with Napalm Death’s Shane Embury, also boasting contributions from Mastodon’s Troy Sanders, Faith No More’s Bill Gould, Nuclear Assault’s Dan Lilker, and more. Thom Hazaert: So obviously, the World was Rocked this Summer with the announcement that Mustaine had cancer. You guys were in Nashville working on the new
record when the announcement came out, obviously that’s kinda ground everything to a halt in the Megadeth World. How did you feel when you found out about it, and the reaction to it, the huge Worldwide just explosive reaction everywhere to the news. Dirk Verbeuren: I mean look, I got a call not too long before it was announced, with Dave telling me, which, of course, I was in shock, as anybody would be, and very concerned. I think we’ve all in our lives had people around us that had to battle cancer, and you don’t know if they’re gonna make it. I lost my Mom to cancer three years ago, so when he said he had that, I was shocked, and very concerned. But he also told me that the doctors told him that the outlook was good, and that he had a good chance to make it through, so then I was a little bit relieved by that, and it was really cool to spend time with him in Tennessee, you know, for almost three months writing songs, and that was going on even after he started his treatments. He was still coming in during the first weeks of
So yeah, as much as it was a shock initially, I really saw being there, and working with with the guys, and especially Dave, how much of a fighter that guy is. And of course, I knew that already from his reputation and from being on the road with him for several years. But when you’re dealing with something like that, when you have to go in and get chemo and stuff, it’s no joke, I know from when my Mom was doing that. It’s not easy, and he still showed up, and it shows you how strong his passion was for this music, and for the band. He still showed up and kept working, even when he had to go take naps or whatever, because he was so exhausted. Infinite respect to that, and it kinda made me go, if he’s going into it with this fighting attitude, and this optimism, and with this strength that he has inside of him, then there’s a good chance this is all gonna turn out to be ok in the end. Thom: Yeah, I know David said to me, “I dunno man. I kinda feel sorry for the cancer.” Dirk: Laughing. Yeah exactly. That’s a good way to put it man. Cancer is fucking with the wrong guy. Thom: So, you guys did get a lot of work done on the record? You were there for three months. What’s it like? Is it cool to have some impact, it sounds like you’ve had some influence from the stuff that’s gotten out, and Mustaine has posted. Obvi-
ously, you bring a little heavier drumming style to Megadeth, that they’ve never really had before. Dirk: Yeah, there’s that, of course, I think that was already on the way over the 2 previous records too, I think both Adler and Drover brought a little bit of that as well, but, of course, I come from the Death Metal scene, that was kinda my big thing growing up, so there’s definitely some influence from that. And I’m also a songwriter, so, I write riffs, I write songs, of course I bring arranging to the table, and you know, maybe some of the stuff is sticking. We’ll see. We worked on some things that I wrote, you know, of course it’s too early to tell what’s gonna end up where, what’s gonna be kept or not, we’ve still got some writing to do, but, yeah man, it’s been fun. It’s a very good, creative process, with some good exchanges, and good input from everybody, and I think that once we get back together to finish writing I think it’s not gonna be that much longer before we can get it done, because we do have a lot of material already. It’s actually been good to step away from it for a while, I think, it’s gonna give us a chance to kinda look at it with a fresh take. I haven’t listened to the stuff at all since I left Tennessee, and then to get back into it is gonna be kind of a first impression again, and that’s always good. Thom: So, me and you talked before, for David and I’s new book More Life With Deth, and you actually grew up a big Megadeth fan? Dirk: Oh Yeah. Absolutely. My first touchstone really, I would call, with extreme Metal, was Thrash. And Megadeth was a big part of that because one of the first shows I ever saw as a teenager was the CLASH OF THE TITANS tour, the European version of the tour at the end of 1990, with Megadeth, Slayer, Testament, and Suicidal Tendencies. And, at that point, I had already had Peace Sells on vinyl, and I had already heard So Far, So Good, So What, I don’t know if I had Rust In Peace yet, because at that time, where I lived, it wasn’t that easy to get music back then. But anyway, I was a huge fan, and then seeing them live, that was it. And I think it’s really cool to see that the band is kinda circling back to that energy again. Now with the lineup with Kiko, David, and myself, I think we’ve been really trying to bring that vibe back from way back then, and even though it’s many years later, and you can’t replicate it, and we’re not trying to copy it or anything, more just the energy. We go on stage, and I personally, try to think of how it felt when I was watching the band play live in 1990. Thom: And Dystopia, in a lot of ways, has been heralded as a huge return to form for that classic era of Megadeth. Dirk: Yeah, I agree man. I think that, definitely, we’ve taken steps towards that, to14 Rock N Roll Industries Magazine
wards the Thrash metal side of Megadeth, and to see how the fans embrace that, Worldwide, not just here in the states, but everywhere, I think that shows what people really want Megadeth to be. Of course, that shouldn’t be the one and only thing, but it’s very important for a band that’s been around 35 years, I would say that legacy is something that we also have to respect, being in the band. Of course, for me, it works great, for me it’s usually the heavier, the better, I’m all for it. Thom: Outside of Megadeth, you’re primarily known as a Death Metal/Grindcore drummer, Soilwork, and all the other stuff you’ve done. Was it a huge transition to tone it down from playing blast beats all day, to the more groove-oriented style of a band like Megadeth? Dirk: Yeah. It’s funny because one of the things that became apparent when I started playing in Megadeth, is that we play a LOT of shows, and they are an hour and a half, an hour and 45 minutes, and most Death Metal shows are an hour. Physically, for the musicians, and even for the audience, that’s usually enough. For grindcore and stuff, you don’t usually see those bands playing much more than an hour. In Megadeth, once you reach that hour and a half, even if you’re not playing blast beats the whole time, the physicality is really coming through. So what I quickly learned as a drummer, pacing my energy from the beginning, and kinda containing my excitement in the beginning of the show was very important, because if I let it all go and just went for it, then the last four or five songs will just be miserable. So yeah, it’s really different on a physical level. When it comes to the drum parts, I mean, when I started drumming, I was always into the extreme stuff, but I also, at the same time, always had an open mind when it came to music. I grew up listening to the radio, to a lot of Pop music, to a lot of Rock and Punk, whatever records my parents had, and I listened to a lot of Hip-Hop, which I still do. So as much as I was playing blast beats, and I wanted to do that stuff, I was also playing along to like Chili Peppers and Primus albums, so as much as I love playing the extreme stuff, the more Rock straightforward grooves, is always something that I’ve enjoyed playing as a drummer. And with Megadeth that’s very central to the song, because a lot of times, the drums are more of a support to the song, rather than like a show-off thing. So its hard maybe to kinda find my place in that, and to be a solid foundation for the rest of the guys, and with David, of course, who is one of the best bass players in the World, in my opinion, and that allows me to really lock in with him and just kinda lay that foundation for the song to blossom. So yeah, it’s a different thing, it’s a learning experience, which is what I think is so cool for me.
Thom: Yeah, a lot of extreme drummers would probably have a hard time transitioning to something as precise and feel oriented as Megadeth. For as straight-forward as it seems, a lot of it, isn’t. There’s so much timing, and feel and nuance to it, and that is definitely challenging as a drummer. Dirk: That’s very true. And you know, what that brings to light Thom, is that the central thing to a good musician in my opinion, is to be able to feel the music. Some people call it groove, some people call it swing, but to me how I think about that, if you’re able to feel the music, and find your place in it, and to breathe it and to live it every time you’re playing it. Not just when you’re recording, or in a specific moment, but every time. So every time you go on stage, you kinda lose yourself in it. If you start thinking too much about it, you’re gonna lose that swing. So for me, it’s really just about being me behind the drums, and that makes I happen, and I think that’s part of where the versatility comes from. You can apply that to any kind of music really. And in Megadeth, that’s more important than ever, because a lot of the songs really rely on that groove. Thom: Megadeth obviously has had a lot of drummers, and you’ve had to learn stuff pretty much from all of them. Who are your favorite Megadeth drummers, and out of all of it, whose stuff has been the most difficult to learn and play? Dirk: Hah. Well definitely the hardest stuff I would say is Gar’s, first of all, he only did two records with the band, but his style was something else. He came from the Jazz/ Fusion World, and you can really tell from his playing, it’s a very non-conventional approach. And as I was trying to figure out some of the stuff he did, I realized so much of what he did, some of the fills he used, was just stuff that nobody else did back then, and does even now. He just had his own thing. Plus, the fact that those albums are so fast and intricate, and probably some of the busiest drumming on any Megadeth album, add all that together, and yeah that was definitely tough. And of course, besides that, I grew up mostly during the Nick Menza era, that’s when I was listening to the band, and that’s when I saw them play, with Nick, and so I think I have a particular attachment to that as well, Youthanasia and Cryptic Writings, of course Nick had a very different style than Gar, I would say a lot less busy playing, and a lot more groove-oriented, and again, a very unique feel, which would be hard to replicate for anybody. I don’t think anybody can really sound like Nick sounded, only he could do it. But yeah, those two guys, just because of the era, and that was my teenage time, and when I got into the band, and those are the two that I feel the closest to. But, it’s fun learning parts from all these different drummers, that includes Chuck Behler, another awesome drummer who played on the So Far, So Good, So What! Album. Learning
all those parts, every time, as a musician, you have to do that, you have to find a way to play something that people are used to hearing a certain way, and at the same time, kinda inject a little bit of yourself in there. You grow as a musician when you do that. It’s a different thought process and a different approach from just doing it how I would do it. It’s a different way of being creative Thom: So you’ve got lots of session stuff you do outside of Megadeth, a lot of grindcore and extreme Metal projects you’re still very active in. Tell us about some of those. Dirk: Yeah first of all I have my own grind band, Bent Sea, which is basically my own music. I write all the stuff, I play guitar too. I basically write all the songs, and do the drums, and guitar, and my friends Sven from Aborted, and Shane Embury from Napalm Death are in the band as well. They record their parts and we go back and forth. It’s mostly a studio project, we’ve never played live, and I don’t know if we ever will, but it’s really just a way for me to make my own stuff, and play something I hear in my mind, the stuff that I grew up listening to. There’s a lot of new material with that, so there’s definitely going to be an album coming out soon, split releases and EPS, as they do in the Death/Grind world. I love the little obscure 7” releases, and all that. That’s kinda my thing. And then on the side there’s other bands that I’m a part of Cadaver, from Norway, I just played a show with them, we recorded the new album that’s gonna come out next year. Another classic band, also from the late 80’s EARACHE era that I grew up listening to. Tronos, which is another band with Shane Embury from Napalm Death, we did an album that came out not too long ago. Again, I’m not sure if there will be any touring with that band, because everybody is super busy, but it’s just fun to be creative. I’ve always been, pretty much since I was a drummer, I’ve played with a ton of different people. It’s a way for me to be creative, if I keep my focus on one thing, I tend to get pretty bored with that. So for me it’s really good to just have different outlets, so when Megadeth is not doing something, I can be creative, and then when I come back to Megadeth, I’m excited then about that as well. And I’m always doing studio work. I’m a session drummer, my whole life, on top of being a drum teacher too. it’s a ton of fun. Thom: Well thanks for chatting with us Dirk. Anything else you want to say to the beautiful people on the boat? Im looking forward to the Megacruise. I’ve done a few Metal cruises, if you can imagine like a festival, but in the luxury atmosphere of a boat, being out in the ocean in the middle of nowhere. That’s what the Megacruise is going to be. I can’t wait, because I know it’s gonna be so much fun. There’s gonna be so many unique events and experiences. Basically, we’re all just gonna be walking around on the boat, the musicians, the fans. So, it’s gonna be one happy family. dirkverbeuren.com bentsea.com
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At 19, Brazilian-born Guitar God Kiko Loureiro co-founded Brazilian Power Metal band Angra, who he toured with until 2015 when he was tapped to replace Chris Broderick as the full-time guitarist in Megadeth. Kiko’s presence was felt in spades on the band’s Grammy-Winning 2016 release Dystopia, cementing his place in Mega-history, as Kiko was embraced by legions of Megadeth fans Worldwide. Now in 2019, in-between touring the World with Megadeth, Loureiro tours with his instrumental trio, as well as performing clinics around the World, including his Kiko Loureiro Guitar Experience events, the second of which was held in Brazil in August, with the first ever US event announced in January in Los Angeles. Thom: Obviously, the first thing we really should talk about is Dave, and the shot heard around the World, the announcement of his throat cancer diagnosis. You guys were out in Nashville writing for the record, and the huge announcement came out, and everything kinda came to a screeching halt, and Megadeth had to take some downtime so Dave could do his treatments and recuperate. How did you feel finding out, and then to see the massive outpouring of love and support for Dave. Kiko: When I got his call, a few weeks before and we were already planning to go down and work on the album, and then he called me, maybe a few weeks before we were supposed to go, I was shocked, hearing this kind of news, but he said, “Don’t worry. It’s gonna be OK. The doctors said it’s 95% positive chance of being treated. Let’s work. I’m not gonna change anything. Everyone’s coming here, everything’s setup for the pre-production.” So we did. At the same time, I was shocked, I was relieved because he was very positive before we went to Nashville. Then everybody got there and we started working. Then a few weeks later, he started the treatment. He seemed to be cool, working fine, almost every day. Not on his chemo days, Thursdays, but besides the weekends, and his chemo days, we were working, even some Saturdays, so basically like five days a week. It was cool. We started with his ideas, I knew some of his ideas already because I was there in January of last year working with him, so we started jamming, and
working on everything I had some ideas, some riffs that he liked, Dirk as well, Ellefson, so we started putting some things together and we stayed there for two months. Of course, later, the pace of the work was getting slower and slower because of the chemo, after maybe the fourth week, was getting harder on him, but Dave was really strong and brave. Wanting to work every day. And it was great because we had a very good time together, the whole band, having long talks with the guys. It was a different vibe than on tour, we were living in the same house, and like, having breakfast together, we’d get to spend the whole day together in a very peaceful environment Thom: And it really seems like you guys were working and writing in a way that Megadeth really hasn’t in a long time, in a more collaborative fashion, all living in a house together, and working together, which definitely you can speak to, seemed different than how Dystopia was made. Kiko: I can’t speak for all the albums of course, but Ellefson he mentioned that was like the way they used to do it in the past, in the 90’s. Because it’s different, with technology, you don’t really need to be all the time together, like in the 80’s or 90’s, you needed to be in a room playing together, because the equipment to record was different. It was more like jamming, and recording, like really going to a proper studio. Now you can be like, in a house, and you can have the best of both Worlds, because you can have all the technology to record, and then the next day come back to the same idea, or three weeks later you go back to that idea, and everything is there and you can just play from the point where you stopped, you know. In the past it was not that easy to do that. And also, this relationship, the whole band together, I think it’s very important to play together, but to hang, to talk, to get to know each other, be comfortable and confident in each other, so when you show an idea, everybody is excited to hear because there’s this relationship. It’s not like trying to compose with someone you don’t know, now you really know that person. It helps to be vulnerable, to show you ideas, to show was you think about, or to say something about somebody else’s idea, you feel more comfortable to say, “This is good. This is not so good.” Which is very hard, in a band, to criticize your friend. But if you’re together the whole day, and really getting to build that relationship, then everyone gets the confidence to say whatever is necessary. Thom: So after he gets through his treatment and you guys are gonna get back to work? Speaking of, you guys just announced the Five Finger Death Punch tour in Europe in January, so it seems everybody is hopeful that Dave is gonna be back and up and running by then, and back on track? Kiko: Exactly, yeah. I think he needs like some time now, a few weeks, he has to do the follow-ups, and see the results of the treatment, but everybody is very confident for this tour, and I guess it’s selling well, and everybody got excited, so that’s good. I’m doing all the stuff here in-between, and kinda waiting in a standby mode, and whenever Dave is ready we go back to Nashville to record the songs. And it might be good to get to re-listen, because we were for two and a half months, listening to the same songs, and the same ideas, over and over again. Which was very good because, every day we could change the little things, and make it into something better. But now we have like a few months and we can look from a distance, and listen again to the ideas, and really be sure those are the best ideas, and the best songs, because we still have a lot of ideas that are not finished, so you never know, we could keep working on more stuff, you know? Thom: Yeah, and even Dirk said earlier, that you can kinda go back in kinda with fresh ears now, so this time off really could prove to be a positive thing in terms of making the record and not having to rush or force anything, because you can go back in on those ideas that you probably hadn’t heard in months and months, and hear them with totally fresh ears, in a way you may not have before. Kiko: Exactly. Totally. That’s probably gonna be very helpful. Because we’re going to be very confident about the songs, or maybe we’re going to hear something that we were not hearing back then
in July, and then we tweak the songs even more, or create another part, another outro or whatever. So I think that’s gonna be really helpful to get a different perspective on those ideas. Thom: So this is really the first time collaborating, studio-wise, with Dirk. What’s that been like? Kiko: Dirk is amazing. Not only as a drummer, but as a musician and a writer. He’s very musical. He’s very talented in many ways. He has great ideas, songwriting ideas, he writes great riffs. He has a great sense of structure for the songs as well. Which is not a very common thing for drummers, to be honest. And he’s way beyond that. He’s a great musician. So that’s great, it’s really, really good. He’s an amazing all-around musician, aside from being a great drummer. Dirk will just come in, and record or write an amazing drum part, or a great fill, or just something to make the song better. And if the drums suck, the song’s gonna suck. He always bring cool stuff that makes your ideas even better. So it’s great to work with him. Same with Ellefson. He has like a, he’s like the book of heavy metal, the book of Megadeth. Because he knows the whole thing. He has been there the whole time, he knows all the songs, all the stuff, he’s like, “Oh this is more like this song from this album.” Or, “We did this in ’87.” He remembers everything. And he has like this very positive vibe, and he’s always excited about everything, which is great. Because when you’re composing, say you show an idea, and you’re not really sure, you’re not sure if people are gonna like it or not, Ellefson is always like, “Oh, this is so cool man. In ’87 we used to do something like this!” Then you get excited, and you get more confident, and then he suggests something, and it just flows, you know. Besides being a positive guy all the time, he knows everything about the band, so it’s good to ask him, or listen to his point of view. It’s very important. Thom: So this is your second Megadeth record, you’re like an old seasoned vet now. Is there pressure following-up the huge success of Dystopia, the Grammy, etc? Kiko: Oh man, there’s always pressure you know. But you have to try to think positive. Receive the pressure, because it has to be, every Megadeth album is an important album. Anytime you record an album, any album, it’s something that is gonna stay, so it’s a milestone in your career. So there’s this pressure, so just take it, and do your best. Then believe that you’re doing your best, and whatever comes out, that was your best at that moment, and that should be enough. That’s what I think, and the way we have to think. The pressure is there to be 100%. Take the pressure, and just go 100%. If you do your best, it must be enough, you know? Thom: So you’ve been keeping busy in the downtime. What have you been doing? I see you did another Kiko Loureiro Guitar Experience, and some shows in Brazil. Kiko: Yes I did. I went to brazil, I have a trio with my instrumental music, I always get invitations to go there and do stuff, and actually, I was already kinda planning to go down there, because we were about to go to Brazil for tour, for the Rock In Rio, so I was already kind of accepting the offers, because then I would’ve been there anyway, and I would’ve just continued with Megadeth. But then when Dave gave me the news, then I really went back to those offers, and I did some gigs there, and then I did my Guitar Experience, which is like a full day of Guitar teaching, and playing with students, which is something I am going to do here in California in the new year as well. Thom: So are you excited for the Megacruise? Kiko: I did a cruise a couple times in my life, I did one of the Metal cruises once, and it was pretty cool, to see all the bands, and obviously the other activities. It’s going to be fun to jam and see the fans. I am really looking forward to it. kikoloureiro.com Kiko Loureiro Guitar Experience: kikoloureiro.com/gxp -Thom Hazaert
AND THE CREATURES
INVASION TOUR 2019 3 0 O C T B AT T L E C R E E K , M I M U S I C F A C TO R Y 31 OCT CLEVELAND, OH THE WINCHESTER 0 1 N O V D E T R O I T , M I TO K E N LO U N G E 02 NOV CHICAGO, IL REGGIE'S 0 3 N O V R I N GL E , W I Q & Z E X P O C E N T E R 05 NOV KANSASVILLE, WI 1175 06 NOV MINNEAPOLIS, MN TURF CLUB 07 NOV DES MOINES, IA LEFTY'S 08 NOV OMAHA, NE SOKOL UNDERGROUND 0 9 N O V L AW R E N C E , K S T H E B OT T L E N E C K 1 0 N O V W I T C H I TA , K S B A R L E Y C O R N S 1 1 N O V S T LO U I S , M O F U B A R
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TICKETS AND VIPS JOHN.COM
But “Redneck” came along and that is what changed it all for me It opened my eyes to the might and power of Lamb of God. Fast forward 13 years after and here I am jotting down thoughts about one of the
20 Rock N Roll Industries Magazine
most iconic bands in heavy music in the entire world today. 25 years of shreds and beats are easy to pronounce but not easy to accomplish and add a bit of controversy due to the name (and also previous band’s name), the dark days of Randy’s incarceration in Europe, the bands line up changes, etc. Be aware and on the lookout as Randy might be snapping some pictures of the bands and people at Megacruise with his Leica as he is an avid fellow photographer (in case you didn’t know). And, fun fact, he does not consider himself a “metalhead,” so be careful if you bring that up because he might throw you overboard. Catch LOG at Aftershock, Megacruise, and lots of dates in Europe early 2020 Enrique Nunez
Stephanie Cabral
Falling in love with your favorite bands’ music is easy because, well, they are YOUR bands. You discovered them, you shared them with your friends, purchased their cds/vinyls, hung their posters on your walls and attempted to know as much as you could possibly learn about them as a whole and individual members . I must confess it took me a while, more like years, before actually giving LAMB OF GOD a proper listen. I was just way too in love with my favorite bands of the time at that time.
With the writing core of Charlie Benante, Scott Ian, and Frank Bello, basically intact since the band’s inception, their pummeling Thrash style altered the absolute core, redefining the word “Metal” for generations to come, and their tongue in cheek style, connection to hip-hop, pop and street culture, and ground-breaking collaborations with artists like Public Enemy, helped break down the walls between genres, and made Thrash Metal accessible to a whole new legion of Music fans. In 2016 the band released their latest album For All Kings, and in typical Anthrax fashion, set out on a massive World Tour, logging hundreds of shows, and thousands of miles, including support slots for SLAYER and Lamb of God. Thom Hazaert caught up with drummer Charlie Benante to talk about Coffee, Tour Life, and getting on a big fucking boat. So are you excited for the MEGACRUISE? Charlie Benante: Yeah! I’m really excited. I get a chance to do things on it that I don’t 22 Rock N Roll Industries Magazine
necessarily do, like have a coffee thing, and then jam with some friends, so yeah, I’m excited. Yeah, we’ve been talking about the jams, and you guys are maybe gonna do some KISS stuff, it looks like it’s gonna be really fun. Charlie: Yeah. So I’m always interested in doing that type of stuff, you know, it’s kind of an extension of what we do, and like where we came from, to bands that we like. We get up and do some of these things, and that’s fun, ya know? And that’s always, as a huge Anthrax fan, that’s always been so cool is you guys were always sort of blasting out your influences, covering them, like the stuff on Attack of the Killer B’s, cool KISS covers, and Black Sabbath, and that’s always been kinda part of the fabric of what Anthrax does, is just really paying tribute to the stuff that you guys like. Charlie: Absolutely. And we really pay close attention to detail. So tell me about the coffee. Well, tell everybody who doesn’t already know about the coffee. Charlie: Coffee thing started, maybe, I’m going back, 10 years ago, or more. I mean I’ve always been a coffee fanatic since I was a little kid. Actually Mustaine contacted me about doling a coffee a while back, and it was something that was always brewing, no pun intended, in my mind. So yeah, I started doing that with him, and then that kinda fell apart, but I always had the desire
to do it, and the passion, so I did it on my own. I found a roaster, and just put it out. And then the guys at Dark Matter Coffee in Chicago, we kinda hooked up together, and we merged, and lo and behold, this is what we have. Like I said, it’s not something I just put my name on. Every aspect of it, i’m involved in. That’s the same with me and David and Ellefson Coffee, and I know you guys have done a couple interviews together and talked about that. But we were involved with every step, from selecting the beans, to the roasts and the flavor profiles. And that’s what’s so cool about your coffee, too, is that you are so involved in it, and really passionate about the process of coffee. Charlie: Absolutely. So what is your set gonna be like on the cruise? Any surprises? Anything interesting? Charlie: Actually we were thinking about certain things for the cruise that we don’t necessarily do normally. So I think that we’re gonna try and throw in some things that are kinda obscure, so people will be like, “Oh, it was kinda cool that they pulled that one out.” You know. But again, only on the water, not on land. Oh, that’s it. It’s kinda like, it’s in international waters. So it’s ok. Charlie: (laughter) Absolutely. So we’ll see about that one. So you guys are writing some stuff now, right?
bIgnacio Galvez
As one of the iconic BIG 4, ANTHRAX is a legendary figure in the Thrash Metal World. From their humble East Coast beginnings on Megaforce Records, with original vocalist Neil Turbin, Anthrax has maintained their staying power through multiple eras, different vocalists, including classic era, and current vocalist, Joey Belladonna, and the notable John Bush era, where they didn’t miss a beat, releasing the classic albums Sound of White Noise, and Stomp 442.
Charlie: I’ve been writing this album for quite a bit now. Now, it’s starting to really come together, where I’ve been meeting with Scott, and Frank’s been there, and you know, sending them demos of stuff, and now it’s actually starting to take shape. It’s starting to sound really good, and, just, it has a very aggressive tone to it this time, which is cool. And maybe, it’s our surroundings that are making it sound so aggressive, you know what I mean, the World. Definitely. Speaking of aggressive, you guys have been touring a ton, including a lot of shows with SLAYER on their farewell tour. What’s that been like? Charlie: That’s been crazy. I mean, it’s been kinda bittersweet, because, you know, we’ve been on these shows where it’s the last time they’ll be in that specific area, I can just see it on their faces, especially Tom, that, yeah, it’s coming to an end. And then we’ll be in South America together, and then I’ll see them in Vegas, in November, for my birthday. It’s the 27th, and they are playing on my birthday, so I said, “Alright. I’m going to Vegas. Fuck it.” It really is kind of the end of an era, though. I mean, that’s the end of the BIG 4, right there. Charlie: Yeah, and who knows what the
other bands gonna do. I saw some thing the other day about one of our brothers going back into rehab, so I’m hoping that he’s ok. Obviously Mustaine and his health, you guys, all, have gone so hard, for so long. I mean, honestly, I don’t think there’s a harder working band in the fucking World, than Anthrax. Charlie: I know I got the airline miles to prove it.
like, all the dates that we put on it, and my heart just kinda sinks, like, “Oh my God. I was there?” How many shows, if you had to put a number on it, would you guess that Anthrax has played in your 30+ years as a band? It has to be an astronomical number. Charlie: Oh my God, dude. I couldn’t even guess. That would be one of the hardest.. That’s a good trivia question. But I really have no idea.
I would love to see you fucking MILES+ statement Charlie, I’m not gonna lie. (Laughter) So what’s next Charlie, just writing this record, staying busy on the road? You guys are still out for a while, right? Charlie: I swear this record has taken us almost 3 and a half years of, seeing people’s faces. I wanna slow down a bit though.
Thom: We should try and figure that out someday. Even, like, a ballpark. It just has to be insane.
I dunno, can you? I talk to Frank all the time, and he’s like, “Oh, I’m in Europe. Oh I’m in Japan. Oh, I’m home for one day.” It’s insane. You guys, it’s just, unfucking-real. Charlie: I don’t like, you know you’ll be at a meet and greet, and someone will come up with a shirt of yours, and on the back will be
Thom: Yeah, even through the 90’s, the 2000’s, Anthrax was always touring fucking hard, man. You guys never stopped. And have never not been fucking awesome, ya know?
Charlie: Yeah, it would be pretty crazy. I mean all of us, together, different bands, have toured like constantly. Maybe Metallica would have us beat, a little bit maybe. But they’ve slowed down recently, so..
Charlie: Well, thank you. It just goes to show that we enjoy playing. -Thom Hazaert
Gene Ambo Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Testament is a thrash metal band that consists of Chuck Billy on vocals, Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson on guitar, Steve DiGiorgio on bass and Gene Hoglan on drums. Testament is often considered one of the most influential and popular bands in the thrash metal genre. Their powerful sound and strong fan base proves it. Testament formed in 1982 and has been active ever since. Over the band’s 3 decade career, they have released an impressive 12 full 24 Rock N Roll Industries Magazine
studio albums. Their last album Brotherhood of the Snake was released in 2016, which entered the Top 20 on the Billboard 200! Still touring, they kick off their “The Bay Strikes Back Tour” with over 25 international stops in early February 2020. Testament has proven to be an iconic band in the metal scene and is showing that they’re not slowing down anytime soon. -Boston Schulz
QUEENSRYCHE is a legendary presence, and pretty much a household name in the Rock and Metal scene, selling over 20 million albums Worldwide. Since their landmark 1984 debut The Warning, Seattle’s Queensryche has released 15 studio albums, including Metal classics Operation: Mindcrime, widely regarded as the greatest Metal concept album ever made, and Empire, which spawned massive hits including “Jet City Woman”, the top 10 smash “Silent Lucidity”, and the title track. In 2012 original vocalist Geoff Tate was replaced by Crimson Glory vocalist Todd La Torre, and with a revamped lineup recorded and released the eponymous Queensryche LP, followed by 2015’s Condition Human, and their current release, 2019’s The Verdict. Rock N’ Roll Industries had the chance to catch up with La Torre about Queensryche, and his upcoming time on the boat. Todd, hey brother how you doing? Todd La Torre: Good, man. Just got home last night from playing some shows, and now I have 10, 11 days until I leave for the cruise. So are you stoked? Queensryche I believe has done a bunch of cruises before, so you kinda know what to expect. Todd: Yeah, we’ve done Monsters of Rock Cruise like 6 or 7 times probably. We’ve done the YES cruise. Yeah, we’ve done a lot of cruises. That’s awesome, man. What have you guys been doing this year? Just touring a lot? Obviously the new album The Verdict came out this year, and was really well received, I assume that has kept you guys busy. Todd: Yeah, it’s been really good. I think we’ve done maybe, 100 shows this year. We just did 4 years in Europe, and then we’re doing more fly dates, and then going back over to Europe for another 19 shows I think, and then more fly dates through the year. And then we have a six week tour in January. We’ve done a ton of shows this year. We went out for like a month or so, Fates Warning was out with us, earlier in the year, so I haven’t been home very much. At least you get a couple weeks to recharge before you go back out. 26 Rock N Roll Industries Magazine
Todd: Yeah, we go back out for the cruise, then we have a show in Mexico, and then I think I have a few weeks off before the second European tour. I think you’re gonna do some jams on the boat, too, from what I’ve heard. Todd: Yeah, David Ellefson gave me a call, and we talked about doing some stuff together for the cruise. I think one of the nights is all KISS songs, and I’m actually gonna play drums, for one song. I think Chuck Garric is playing bass on it. I don’t remember the whole lineup for the song that we’re gonna do, I think we’re gonna do some Iron Maiden stuff, and Dave will play bass on some of that. One of the other ones, I think Frank Bello and Charlie Benante from Anthrax are gonna play. Maybe Alex Skolnick is gonna be on one. So that’s gonna be a lot of fun. And I talked to Mike Howe from Metal Church, and he asked if I’d be interested in doing “Fake Healer” live with them on the boat. We did a re-recording of that song, and put a video out for it. So, I’m gonna be quite the busy little body on that cruise. Look, you’re at sea for what, seven days? You gotta stay busy, right? (Laughter) Todd: As a singer, you wanna always have your voice, especially for doing stuff like Iron Maiden covers, ya know. But I’ll give it my best shot, and it’ll be a lot of fun. I’ve never jammed with any of the Megadeth guys, or the Anthrax guys, so that will be fun to share the stage with those guys, and I think that the people will enjoy what everybody’s got in store. I mean look, I’m sure it’ll be epic. I’ve seen Queensryche many, many times, and you just pull it off flawlessly. And those are some pretty big shoes to fill, vocally. Todd: Ah that’s why I wear boots. (Laughter) But I always say, I don’t have shoes to fill I just wear my own booths. But I appreciate the compliment, but it is what it is. I mean when I was given the opportunity to join Queensryche, I certainly felt like I was capable, to do it, having sung in Crimson Glory, singing a lot of high stuff. Queensryche and Iron Maiden, those were influences of mine growing up, and it’s in my wheelhouse. Hopefully I’ll do a good job doing the Iron Maiden material with those guys. I’m sure it will be amazing. Anyway, thanks so much for your time, Todd. See you on the boat! -Thom Hazaert
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Suicidal Tendencies is a band that needs almost no introduction. Almost 40 years after, and this train keeps rollin’ whether it’s an MMA show or creating chaos in Downtown LA. Today, we have the pleasure of having Ra Diaz chat with us about music, life and the Cyxo lifestyle! Thank you, Ra, for taking the time to chat with us. I know you are just about to hit the stage for the Louder Than Life Festival in a couple of hours. I’m sure you are excited to hit the stage and see the other bands perform, so let’s dig right in. Suicidal is considered crossover thrash, what do you think of that or what would you call it? I personally hate “labels,” but I understand why they are important to differentiate styles. Ra- Usually I just say “Punk/Metal.” I don’t like the idea of labels either. Sometimes we do three very punk songs in a row, and then we switch to a very heavy one or it could be a ballad. We just like to keep it entertaining. Ra, you’ve been with ST for a good three years now, right? What’s the story of Ra before joining the band? Who is Roberto Diaz and where does he come from? Ra- I grew up in Chile. I went to jazz school and played shows in my town, all over Chile and South America. In 2010, I ended up moving to Mexico City. I was there for 3 years. I played all kinds of gigs, too. Church gigs, bars, doing covers, jazz, whatever I could. Then I started coming to the US for events and meeting people, and I realized that it was my next step. I would eventually move here at some point, which took place in 2013. But before that I met ST as a fan back home in Chile in 2008 when they played for the first time. We stayed in touch and once I moved to LA we started hanging out and they noticed I started playing with people they knew like Rick Thorne, Chad Smith from Chilli peppers, D.H. Peligro from Dead Kennedys, Sendog, etc. I guess they kinda realized that aside from being a fan, I could actually play. So when the time came that they needed a bass player, I was on the list and then got the call. How could I say no to that, 28 Rock N Roll Industries Magazine
my favorite band ever! Some people might call it luck, and some others say you were at the right place at the right time, but I think YOU were making it possible to be at the right places ALL the time. Ra- Yeah, I believe I was trying to place myself in the right places. It is said that Venice influenced Mike’s musical style? What influenced yours? Ra- When I was a kid, my very first influences must’ve been Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Infectious Grooves, Suicidal, Primus, you know, all those bands that have heavy bass presence. Then I started listening to more heavier music like Pantera, Metallica, etc. But I did Jazz school for 6 years. Not sure if any of the jazz artists I like were “proper” Jazz musicians, but I consider I am open and welcoming to any influence to becoming a better bass player even if it comes from a Disney or pop song. “Institutionalized” was one of the 1st Hardcore Punk videos to receive a lot of airplay on MTV. Did you get to watch it on tv? Ra- The very first time was in the movie Repo Man, but not the year when it came out instead, like early 90’s. I was a little kid, I just loved the soundtrack and started looking up the bands and such. Back then it was a struggle, not like today, everything is so easy to find out, it actually took me a long time to get a copy of a cassette. I actually miss those days, you had to work for it. Also, I never even saw a picture of them, I didn’t know what they looked like. To me it was such a moment because you could be metal and funky and groovy and 20-something years later, here we are. Just the fact that I get to say that (I get to play for ST) is amazing. Since this article will be printed for Megacruise, let’s ask a couple of Mega questions. Were you a fan of Megadeth growing up? Ra- Definitely. When I was in High School I used to play a couple of Megadeth covers and, also, my very first tour with Suicidal, we were opening for them. They have a place near my heart. Even-
tually I played with Kiko at Musician’s Institute. I’m just lucky to actually call them friends. I usually get early to festivals and like to see all the other bands perform, It’s the fan that enjoys to see the sets by the bands I grew up listening to. I had posters of a lot of these people hanging on my walls in my room back in Chile. Actually, they still are hanging there. I’m sure this gets asked often but… “How cool is it that you get to play with the Godfather of double bass drums”? Do you guys ever have conversations in Spanish? Ra- Of course. He’s very fluent, and every now and then we crack jokes in Spanish, which is very weird because one moment he goes from perfect proper English to full on Cuban accent. He’s an unbelievable person, just a good dude to have around. I’ve learned so much just by standing next to him. What are some of your best memories so far created with ST? Maybe name your top 3? Ra- Being able to play with Suicidal back in Chile in front of all my family and friends. That was the “full circle moment” for me. My mom on stage wearing an ST bandana, my nephews being there. A lot of my friends working the show, you know, stage hands, photographers I knew. I don’t know if a lot of people get to experience that, but for me, that was it. The second one would be when we played two shows in Cuba. There’s not too many bands that get to play there for many reasons. It felt like making history, and I was part of it. For sure, the other one would be playing Ozzfest. Just knowing I was going to be part of it I even thought “ah, I shouldn’t even be here!!!” And, to add to that, the first time I saw my name on a record with ST. It wasn’t like I just played a couple of gigs. Now it was engraved forever in an album and that was such a great feeling. I was part of the history. What would you be doing if you were not a musician? Ra- Something music-related. If I were not playing, probably producing, managing, touring, etc., and even go back to photography. I used to do that back in Chile for other publications and radio stations. That’s actually how I met ST, because I was taking pictures of them back in Chile. How do you balance band life and personal life? Do you have “personal time?” Ra- The way I see it is… being in the band is “personal time.” It’s my day to day. We do a lot of things together even if we are not on tour. I may be filling out merch orders, planning, etc. I am just happy to be here and like to contribute in any way I can, I find myself doing a lot of band-related stuff and I’m very honest when I say that I enjoy doing this. And working for the band, I have a good time. Tell us about your gear set up and brands of choice. Why did you choose them? Ra- I play, Schecter basses, my Jazz bass is customized by them. D’Addario strings, Gallien-Krueger amps, EMG pickups, and Dark Glass electronics. I have a very simple set up. My very first bass was a 4-string Washburn P bass. White with a white pickguard, it actually still exists, it’s at a friend’s house. I gave it to him many years ago and he still reminds me that if I want it back I can have it. Of course, I won’t take it back as it was a gift, but it would definitely be cool to just borrow it to play it again to see how it feels. Schecter is a great company with great people, sometimes I have some crazy ideas and I spend a couple of hours with Christina, one of their designers, just adding stickers and coming up with stupid ideas. They just take good care of me. -Enrique Nunez & Dea Meeks
DRAGONFORCE – EXTREME POWER METAL By Thom Hazaert As the legendary DRAGONFORCE prepare the release of their 8th studio album (which will be out by the time you’re reading this), Thom Hazaert and Rock N’ Roll Industries caught up with resident shredder/livestream enthusiast Herman Li to get the skinny on the bands latest opus, EXTREME POWER METAL. RNRI: Damn Herman. It looks like you guys have a lot going on! Herman: Yeah, we have the album launch this week, we’re gonna play at this huge video game convention, TWITCHCON, so it’s gonna be pretty crazy. RNRI: Yeah, didn’t it sell out in like an hour or something? Herman: Yeah, I think it took 2 hours, and it was done. Sold out. It’s gonna be streamed to, I think, 5 million people as well? So, it’s gonna be crazy. We’ve been preparing for that, it’ll be great promo for the Megacruise as well. RNRI: The new album, Extreme Power Metal, didn’t you track some of that live on Twitch on your channel?
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Herman: Yeah, that’s right! We actually recorded a lot of the parts for 6 months streaming it online on Twitch. It was fun, you know, you’ve got the fans watching as you’re recording, as I’m recording the guitar solos, live. It was pretty crazy. RNRI: It seems like that video gaming thing, I mean look, you guys were known for being the hardest song ever in Guitar Hero, and that’s always been a part of the DragonForce legacy, but it really seems like, the new video “Highway to Oblivion” it’s really video-game centric, and it seems like with this album, all the artwork and promo around it, that’s come even more to the forefront. Herman: yeah, we’ve always been into it, but the theme of this album is all about fun. So we’re really putting together all the things we enjoy, with the artwork, and the video games, even some stuff about movies, Starship Troopers, which was kind of a cult movie, we’ve got a song about that. We’re kinda mixing all of the retro stuff together. RNRI: So what can people expect from the new show? It looks like you guys, your shows are already selling out for next year, you’ve got some European dates. What’s the new show going to be like? It looks like at TWITCHCON you’re going to have all kinds of giant arcade
machines. It looks like the whole show is themed around Zero Wing - maybe a giant screen that just flashes ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US? Herman: Laughing. Well I can’t give the whole show away, but we’re gonna have the dragon from the actual album cover, we’re taking him on tour. We’ve got massive arcade machines, I actually see another two of them being built in front of me right now. We’ve actually got four of those giant machines. This is gonna be a long World tour, and we can’t wait to get these things out. RNRI: That’s exciting. And when does the album officially come out? Next week? Herman: Yes. Exactly the same date as TWITCHCON, September 27th, the
launch date is that Friday. RNRI: And the show on the boat, is it gonna be a lot of the new stuff, a mix? I mean you guys have like 8 albums now, it’s gotta be getting harder and harder to choose. Herman: We’re gonna do a combo. Probably a bit more new stuff, because we really like the new songs, and if people have seen videos, or know anything about DragonForce playing on a cruise, they can expect something crazy. We always bring it. I mean, I’ve played guitar in a jacuzzi, under the water, last time we did a cruise I was playing a snorkeling
guitar solo, like playing a guitar solo while breathing underwater, so. I don’t what we’re gonna do this time. Set me on fire maybe? RNRI: Yeah, not sure how the Hell you’re gonna top that. Do you fear at all for your safety? Herman: It’s ok. You just have to practice. Practice your breathing. I mean it worked out great last time. We will be doing something crazy again. And it’ll be great because we’re going to actually bring the TWITCH on the tour, and be livestreaming on the TWITCH
channel, behind the scenes everything, so if you wanna see something beyond us recording, or playing video games, we’re really gonna being everyone behind the scenes on this tour.
Follow Herman on TWITCH at TWITCH. TV/HERMANLI Follow DRAGONFORCE on TWITTER/ FACEBOOK @DRAGONFORCE -Thom Hazaert
OVERKILL – LAST MAN STANDING 2020 marks the 40th year since the formation of Thrash legends Overkill, who in 2019 released their 19th studio album, THE WINGS OF WAR, the first to feature former Shadows’ Fall drummer Jason Bittner. We had a chat with co-founder/vocalist Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth about the boat, the band, and the Garden State. Blitz. Hey man how’s everything going? Thanks for taking the time to chat with us today. Yous guys excited for the MEGACRUISE? The Megacruise will kill, the line-up alone makes it the event of the year! I think if I was not playing, I’d be going regardless. 2020 marks the 40th anniversary of OVERKILL as a band, and the 25th anniversary of your debut album Feel The Fire. Any special plans for the big anniversaries? We have no anniversary plans for Feel the Fire, or the birth if the band. I think we have always tried to live in the present. That has helped us make the most of day and the current release. Overkill actually toured with Megadeth on the PEACE SELLS tour. Any cool memories that stick out from that period? The PS/TO tour was our 2nd through the USA, and we already knew the Megadeth guys. What stood out to me was energy and excitement. I’m talking not only about the bands, but the audience. The tour for me still is the mark where both band came together to take this thing of ours to the next level! In February you guys released your 19th studio album THE WINGS OF WAR, which is also notable as it’s the first album to include your current drummer Jason Bittner. I’m sure by now everyone has heard it, but why don’t you tell us about it for anybody who hasn’t. For The Wings of War, the chemistry of the
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band changed slightly. The addition of Jason was part of the reason, and in my opinion gave us fresh ears. I think the idea is change can sometimes be unsettling, but we embraced it, yielding high end results in the songwriting, as well as production.. Lets say TWOW has “ teeth”. Overkill is currently in the midst of a huge World tour, including some current dates in Europe (with Flotsam and Jetsam and Destruction) that will be finished by the time this goes to print. How have the shows been going? What’s the reaction to the material from the new record? With such a massive catalog of music to choose from, how do you guys decide what’s gonna make it into the set? The Euro tour has been killer, 3 veteran bands, all cut from a similar cloth, it’s a “thrash” no -brainer. This is the 2nd leg with the same line up. Choosing a set list? FORGETABOUTIT ! Again ti live in the day, we are playing 4 new tracks, and they fit seamlessly. You also recently launched a hockey themed clothing line with PUCK HCKY, which is fucking awesome. David (Ellefson) and I both have lines through them as well, and pretty much my entire wardrobe consists of PUCK. In fact, some key pieces from the OVERKILL line have already made it into my daily rotation. How did the collaboration come about? You guys are from Jersey, so I assume you’re a DEVILS fan? It really does seem like there is a special connection between Hockey and the Garden State. Hockey and Jersey hand in hand, with 3 cups! Always lived the sport, and have been goimg to games since the 90s. Adrenaline PR introduced us to Matt at Puck, and we loved his ideas.
It’s cool to know, that over the years as well as now, there are plenty NHL players, that are headbangers! Have you ever gone out in search of the actual Jersey Devil? Yes....he lives at the Prudential Center. What can the fans expect from OVERKILL on the MEGACRUISE? Herman Li from Dragonforce just told me that he may or may not light himself on fire. Any special surprises, maybe not quite that extreme, deep cuts from the catalog you guys plan to pull out, etc? It’s always business as usual for us. Keeps it running like a well-oiled machine. Thanks so much Blitz. See you on the boat! See you all on-board! Wreckingcrew.com Find more of Overkill’s PUCK collection at PUCKHCKY.COM! -Thom Hazaert
Their latest released HUMANICIDE, released in May on Nuclear Blast, sees the band still at the top of their game, with founding guitarist Rob Cavestany and vocalist Mark Osegueda (who also is one of the main vocalists in Metal supergroup Metal Allegiance, with David Ellefson, Mike Portnoy, Alex Skolnick, and more) holding down the musical fort, on a blistering album cycle that included touring with the likes of Overkill, Anthrax, and more. Rock N’ Roll Industries caught up with Osegueda via phone from Florida to talk about Humanicide, Metal Allegiance, and the Megacruise. Rock N’ Roll Industries: So you ready to go get on a big boat? Mark Osegueda: I can’t fucking wait. RNRI: You’ve done other “Metal Cruises” before, yes? Mark: Yeah, Death Angel I think has has done 3 other ones, if not 4, and then Metal Allegiance did one.
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RNRI: And yeah, you’ve been involved with METAL ALLEGIANCE, basically from the beginning? Mark: Yeah, they did really the first show on the MOTORBOAT, and I came on right after that. RNRI: Metal Allegiance is such a great, fun show. Always. And you pretty much do all the shows? I think, for some reason, you couldn’t do the West Coast shows earlier this year, in fact my laminate from the tour the back has you on a milk carton as MISSING, but other than that, you’re pretty much the main vocalist live. Mark: Hahaha. Yeah. Two days prior to that Death Angel started a tour, so my main band had a tour, so unfortunately I had to miss out on a few Metal Allegiance shows there. They had the San Francisco show, the premiere for the Murder in the Front Row film, and a couple other shows I couldn’t do. But there will be more, and I’ll be part of it. RNRI: So Death Angel has a killer new album out, HUMANICIDE. Tell me about it. Mark: Yeah. Humanicide! We’re very, very proud of it. We started the touring cycle shortly after it came out, and we’ve been going kinda nonstop. We leave, November and December we’re doing our first headlining shows in North America, God, in I think 6 years or so. We can’t wait for that. Death Angel, Exmortus, and Hellfire. It’s gonna be awesome. We can’t wait. But yeah, it’s the ninth studio album by Death Angel, and the fourth we’ve done with this particular lineup of me, Rob Cavestany, Ted Aguilar, Will
Stephanie Cabral
Since forming in the Bay Area in 1982, DEATH ANGEL has been a staple in the Thrash World for over 30 years. After releasing classic albums like the Max Norman produced ACT III, their major label debut for GEFFEN, and FROLIC THROUGH THE PARK, Death Angel disbanded in the early 90’s, after a nearly fatal bus crash threw the future of the band into a tailspin, Death Angel regrouped in 2001, after a one-off performance at the benefit for Testament vocalist Chuck Billy, with a revamped lineup, and have been going strong ever since, releasing multiple studio albums, and touring the World.
Carroll, and Damien Sisson, and like the last record, produced, once again, by Jason Suecof, down here, in Florida. He’s great man. He’s an intense individual, an intense ear, an intense person to bring out aggression for us. He’s also intensely insane.
Mark: We’re Blessed. And I think it’s because we had it the first time, and when it went away, we thought long and hard, if we ever get the chance to do it again, we’re gonna pull it off with all our might.
RNRI: So what can people expect from Death Angel on the MEGACRUISE?
RNRI: And all you guys really missed, Mark, was that weird period in the 90’s when Metal just kinda went away, and wasn’t cool. And you guys kinda like, dipped before that, at the top of your game, so you never really had to suffer with your fan base diminishing, or going away. You guys were just like, “fuck this, we’re out.” And ok, 2001, we’re back. And everyone was excited, and you were cooler than ever. It really was brilliant, if not unintentional.
Mark: Oh man. We can’t wait. We’re doing two sets, so we’re gonna cover, pretty much, the history of Death Angel. It’s gonna be mostly focused on the newer era, but there will be some classic thrashers touching on The Ultra-violence, and of course Act III, but we’re gonna be mostly focused on the era that we are in right now. But it’s definitely gonna be a retrospective of our career. I think it’s just gonna be pure, raw energy like we always did. We’ve always taken pride in our live performance, and we look forward to playing for the fans, and of course our peers, we’ll get to play for our peers, who are playing in the other bands, so it’s gonna be awesome. RNRI: And Death Angel is a band that is revered in the Thrash community, I mean, the band broke up in 1991, and then reformed in 2001, and even since then you guys have a career with more longevity than most bands with a long career.
Mark: Laughing. Yeah it was unintentional, but we dodged that bullet, for sure.
www.deathangel.us www.metalallegiance.com
-Thom Hazaert
Catching up with Pepper Keenan of Corrosion of Conformity, while on tour celebrating their 25th anniversary of Deliverance! C.O.C. released “No Cross, No Crown” in early 2018, headlined sold out shows, and will soon be making waves on Megacruise. How has the tour treated you? How does it compare to your early tours? It’s been great. This is a really long tour, maybe the longest. It’s been a lot of fun. What’s your favorite song to play live from “No Cross, No Crown?” Oh man, we switch the shit up all the damn time, jumping around from song to song, but I think right now what I’m diggin’ the most is a song called “Forgive me.” How did you choose the songs for your Megacruise set list? We haven’t done that yet. We’re on tour right now, playing all the way up ‘till we get there. We play two times on the boat I believe. So, we’re trying to put together two different set lists. We’re testing stuff out right now. It’ll be about 35 to 40 songs, so we’ll figure it out when we get there. It’s always last minute, and sometimes we change them on stage. How did you come to be aboard the first ever Megacruise? How excited are you to play? I really don’t know how we got on there. I’m kind of guessing that Dave Mustaine put a little thing together, or it was thrown at him. We played with Dave and Megadeth back in the day when “Deliverance” came out. We toured together. I’m just stoked to be back in the company of those guys. I’ve always kind of kept in touch with Dave over the years, and he’s always been very kind to me and the 36 Rock N Roll Industries Magazine
COC guys, and I really do wish him the best right now. Maybe he’ll be there, I don’t know, but I’d love to talk to him. I consider Dave a pretty good friend. We’re all thinking about him. You played on the late Lemmy Kilmister’s Motörhead Motörboat Cruise. It must be bittersweet to be back on a ship after such a great loss? That too, I didn’t really think about it like that. I’m happy to be on a boat any ol’ day of the week, and If it just so happens to be with a bunch of metalheads drinking piña coladas, that’s even better. Tell us about the legacy of New Orleans beloved, Dr. John? Yes, I crossed paths with him many times over the years. He was influential to the New Orleans scene on so many different levels. He was a musician and kind of a bad seed all at the same time. Everything about New Orleans pretty much sums up Dr. John. Loosing him was a big deal. There’s nobody down the pipeline like him. That’s the end of it, you know. Sad. You‘re the owner of one the most influential and popular bars in New Orleans, “Le Bon Temps Roule.” What would you tell people about your bar who have never traveled to New Orleans? Most people know about it by now. I’ll go in there anytime of the day. You know, we’re open 24 hours a day now. There’ll be some guy from Australia or some metalhead from Germany or wherever, they somehow always find out about it. It’s just a classic New Orleans joint. We support local musicians, and try to keep it real. Especially with the way New Orleans is changing nowadays, you can count those kinda bars on one hand. I’m pretty proud to try to keep it like it should be.
The building was built around 1890 and was hit during Katrina. Le Bon Temp Roule reopened just six weeks after the flooding that almost destroyed New Orleans. Did you do a complete remodel? We didn’t change the guts of it, you know, we just made it run more efficiently, fixed a lot of things that needed dire repair. I didn’t want to change the character of it. It was such a classic old place and, anybody who knows me, knows that I like old stuff. It’s not getting track lights anytime soon. Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and Sam Cooke being the great early influencers in rock and roll, did you learn to play rhythm and blues from the 50’s era or from later contributors? Oh, much later. I started going backwards as I became somewhat of a better guitar player and exploring a lot of the old blues stuff. I pretty much started like any other kid would; Black Sabbath, the Ramones, shit like that. Then as you start to unravel everything, you go backwards a little bit. I just stumbled into a great vintage guitar store in New Orleans, called, “Inlow Guitars” and they mentioned you. I hang out with Bill. Bill Inlow’s a great guy. He’s got a great shop. We’re buddies. I love going to his place and just talking shit with him all day long. Let’s talk punk rock. Name your top 5 bands. Oh shit, man. Black Flag, Bad Brains, Discharge, Cro-Mags, there’s too many to list. And, I’d have to say early COC for sure. Who are some current punk rock and metal bands you’re listening to? I listen to all kinds of stuff these days. As far as punk rock bands nowadays, I really wouldn’t have a clue. There’s all kinds of stuff out there, but I kinda stick with a lot of bands that I dig. One of my buddies, Jordan Cook, plays in a band called “Reignwolf” and I think they’re great, not punk rock, just rock n roll. I keep my ears open. It also depends on what day it is. Whatever strikes my fancy. Many metal bands who’ve played over 30 years are starting to wind it down. Any near plans of retirement, or will you continue on to write more albums? We just keep taking it one day at a time. We still enjoy playing music and, if people dig it, we’ll keep on keeping on. I don’t feel like it’s been that long. Where will you be following Megacruise? We’re taking a little break, and then we go to Europe. We’ve pretty much been everywhere we can be. Perhaps start focusing on new material. Thanks, Pepper. Enjoy the ride. -Evlin Lake
I’m excited to hear the new album. You’ve got a lot of big names attached to your new solo project, “Old Lions Still Roar.” Can you elaborate on what this project is or how it came together? Phil: I’ve always wanted to write and release a solo album; I actually found an old magazine from 1999 in my studio the other day with an interview with me and I actually mention writing a solo album in that interview and that was 20 years ago! I just never had the time as we were always busy with Motorhead. Was it natural? I guess it was pretty natural. There’s some song ideas I’ve had for years on the album, but there’s also a few songs on the album that I wrote completely in the studio. I have no real songwriting process I go through; each song is different so I guess in that way you can say it was natural. Did you write the songs first and then decide to bring in any particular artist? The album was put together in various different situations but there were quite a few songs on the album that I did write where I did have somebody in mind for the vocals. Luckily, the majority of people I asked to guest on the album all said yes! I noticed that you’ve done some recordings or live gigs with some of the other musicians on this album. Is there anyone that you had never met or worked with that came into the studio to lay down a track for you? 38 Rock N Roll Industries Magazine
I’d met and/or am a friend to every guest on the album to a certain degree so no there was nobody that I had never met before that came into the studio. You’re practically rock n’ roll royalty. What’s it like working with all these other high caliber musicians that have been in the industry as long as you have? I’m just very humbled and honored that all the people that you are referring to gave up some of their personal time to help me out on this album Do you have any highlights you can share from the sessions on the new album? Unfortunately, there’s nothing too exciting regarding the recording of the album as a lot of the guests recorded their parts in their own respected studios obviously due to me living in Wales. It’s not practical to fly everyone here to record their parts! It was great to have Ben Ward from Orange Goblin, Benji from Skindred and Chris Fehn formerly of Slipknot to come down to the studio to record their parts though. It was great to spend some quality time with them and to share some songwriting ideas. I noticed that the new song has an animated video. That’s awesome! Are you going to try and do a video for each song? It’s a great animated video! The lyric video for “Swing It” has just been released, too, which has also come out great. I think
we have one more video planned for the album so it will just be the 3 music videos released for the album Any plans to tour behind this album? We’ve just finished a French tour with Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons where we played “Straight Up” that features Rob Halford on the album and we also played “These Old Boots” for the first time live on this tour that features Dee Snider on the album. Our singer, Neil Starr, does a great job singing those songs live as they aren’t easy shoes to fill! We carry on touring the UK & Germany throughout winter and might try and fit 1 or 2 more songs off the album into the set. I noticed that you’ve got another project called Phil Campbell and The Bastard Sons that is actually you playing with your sons. Who is easier to work with? a) your sons or b) the eclectic group of musicians on “Old Lions Still Roar”? It’s always fun to work with different people, but nothing beats working with your family! I can’t not ask a Motörhead question. Any chance you can teach me to play the songs on Aftershock? It’s been a while since I’ve last listened to that record, so there’s probably a large chance that you’ll have to teach me, but thanks for asking! Thank you, and I hope everything goes well with “Old Lions Still Roar!” -Jason Martin
Ok great. From what I was reading, it looks like there might be a follow up to
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the Outlaw album, say Vol. 2? Dez: Yeah, no. We haven’t even thought about that yet. To be very honest, if anybody’s heard that record, that was 2 years of my life. I put more of my money into it than the label. That was just an artistically pure thing. It’s the 20th Anniversary of Wisconsin Death Trip. Do you have any highlights you can share from that tour? Dez: Absolutely, I think people need to know this, first of all, I found Static-X back in the day in a club of about 40 people and then turned them on to the people that got them their record deal. So, I’m the one that basically found Static back in the day and, as much as those guys come up to me and say “thank you thank you,” I say “Thank you.” I think that record is one of the most seminal records of the new metal genre, and it still holds up today. I, as the owner of a very large management company where my wife is the CEO, was brought on board Static-X to help relaunch them and launch the brand and the tour. Eventually, because they give 50% to Wayne’s family, we handed that back over to them like 2 months ago for them to now roll. That tour was fantastic and we’re going back out on another one in November and December for a second run. The first one was almost all sold out. I was side stage almost every night watching those songs getting goosebumps, Watching and listening to Static-X again was a fantastic thing. If you know the band, then you know what I’m saying. If you could only play music from one album on a tour, like Wisconsin Death Trip, what album would you decide to play? Dez: What, like if I was stuck on a desert island kind of thing? Is that what you’re asking? It’d be AC/DC Back in Black. The songs that you guys have are REALLY aggressive, and I know you’re the one who writes the lyrics. o what really pisses you off or what gets your blood going these days? I’m sure it has something to do with illegal downloading or something, but what are you going to
Hopefully I get to meet you in person sometime or at least get to follow in your footsteps. I’m a huge Devildriver fan all the way back to Coal Chamber. It’s definitely a pleasure to have met you. Dez: I appreciate you, brother. Thank you so much. I’m looking forward to the Megacruise, I’m going to be on there with a bunch of great heavy metal bands, and there’s nothing better than getting on a ship with a bunch of heavy metal bands and sailing the seas, ya know what I mean? It just doesn’t get better than that. I’m really glad that Dave and the crew asked us on because Dave has been a friend for a long time. From the very start of my career in Coal Chamber I toured with Megadeth, and Dave Mustaine has always been a fuckin’ great guy to me. And 20 years later for him to have us on the Megacruise, it just goes to show that there is loyalty in the metal community and we’re very thankful for that guy. -Jason Martin
Stephanie Cabral
When I was reading about the double album coming out and, your sound is going to span your entire career as far as you know. Can you explain your continued evolution as a vocalist or a songwriter in terms of if you’re going to bring back some of that old technique or that old sound? Where did that start from and where is it going? Dez: Look, when I left Coal Chamber I was just really dedicated to making sure that, ya know, the reason I left that band and moved onto a different sound and actually went heavier and more underground is ‘cause that’s where my roots are from. Ya know, I’m more of a goth/punk rock kid that found metal because it was vicious. So it’s still the only reason that I do sing or listen to heavy metal is because it’s vicious and reminds me of punk or the early feelings of goth and those reasons. But I think with the new record what I am doing vocally is I’m saying nothing is off limits. Whereas Devildriver was always a certain thing. It always had to be from me a certain thing that could never be considered “crossover,” right? But heavy for the sake of heavy is really what a lot of bands are doing right now, and when you do that your art gets watered down and it just becomes a ton of stuff that is heavy that’s just like, “Wow, show me something new.” What Devildriver is doing now on this new record is like nothing is off limits. And I think we learned that by doing that Outlaw Country record. Like it’s really a heavy metal record. I can’t stress that enough. It’s a heavy, heavy, heavy, some of the heaviest stuff Devildriver ever done heavy metal record featuring John Carter Cash, Johnny Cash’s son, and Randy Blythe from Lamb of God together on a song. What we found is that if we don’t bind ourselves down, and we don’t have any expectations, we just go into our art especially the new crew in Devildriver We go into our art with an open heart. Then what we come out with is something unique, different, and it’s gonna move the brand forward. And that’s exactly what happened over recording 20 songs with the band.
put into your music? Dez: Ya know I don’t really think that. I take the high road when it comes to digital downloading etc. I’ve got 3 kids in their 20’s. You can’t be an old man standing in a buggy whip warehouse looking at cars go by going “You know, they should go back to using horses.” Like it’s just stupid. That alone doesn’t raise my blood. I think humanity has been a huge source of my lyrics, if you go into my lyrics and you really look. It’s about how people treat themselves and how people treat other people; how you should treat other people. How we treat the planet. But basically, and what irritates me lately, is humanity. Like, most of us are lost. Most of us are selfish as hell. Most of us are not givers, most of us are takers. I see this from the other side of the coin because I’m a Freemason. So, I do a lot of charity work. I do a lot of underground stuff that I don’t do to post on Instagram or whatever. I do a lot of charity work with the Navajo kids at the Window Rock. I do a lot, right, and so I think a lot of us need to be more givers than takers and I don’t think that’s going to happen. So, if the deluge comes, if the flood comes, I’ll be the first to say “Wash us away” because we’re ruining the planet. There’s the haves and the have nots, and it’s apparent to me that the human race has completely lost it’s way and there’s gonna be something that’s gonna happen in the next 5-10-20-30 years that’s gonna shift everything and I don’t know what it is. I don’t know if it’s war or fuckin’ aliens coming down, ya know what I mean? But something is gonna have to happen so we don’t destroy our oceans, our seas, go to war constantly, have leaders in power that are morons. That’s what I write about. I tend to really get down to the human aspect. But I, myself, can’t write about fucking castles and dragons because I’ve never lived in a a castle and I’ve never seen a fucking dragon, ya know what I mean?
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As the legendary vocalist for German Metal band WARLOCK, later changing the name to the eponymous DORO, Doro Pesch has been a Heavy Metal icon for the better part of 4 decades. As the first female vocalist to ever sing in a band at England’s famed Castle Donington festival, to touring with Judas Priest Megadeth and many more, Doro has become one of the most iconic and influential faces in history of Heavy Metal. In 2018, Doro released Forever Warriors/Forever United, a double album featuring 25 tracks with guest appearances from the late Warrell Dane, Chuck Billy of Testament, Johan Hegg of Amon Amarth, Mille Petrozza of Kreator, members of Sabaton, Ross the Boss, Jeff Waters of Annihilator, and more, and set off on a 2-year World tour that continues on the Megacruise. How are you Doro? Doro: Good! Very good! I just came back from this Russian tour and now I’m heading back to the states on Thursday, and I’m meeting up with Lita Ford, and then I’ll see you on the Megacruise!
And all over you find these Metalheads, like total, die-hard, Metal fans, even in places I did not expect it. We did an Australia tour, and then someone said, “Why don’t you guys play in Thailand?” And it was awesome. All over there’s Metalheads, like the leather vest, and long black hair, and they’re totally into it. And I thought, “Wow.” You’ve been on tour a LOT the past couple years. Doro: Yes. All year, we’ve been touring, and playing all these Summer festivals. And then we’re doing another European tour in November. Now I’m doing something with Lita Ford on Friday. A song or something. Earlier this year I had the honor to induct her into the Hall of Heavy Metal History., and we started talking, and we said, “Man, we’ve known each other for such a long time, we’ve got to do something.” So, on Friday I will see Lita, and then we will go to the Megacruise! I’m se excited to meet all my friends, and especially all the great fans! Tons of musicians that I’m dying to see again! You have a lot of history with a lot of the bands on the boat, including Megadeth. Doro: Yes! I did my first big America tour with Megadeth. It was Megadeth, Sanctuary, and us as Warlock in 1988. It was great. We did a tour with Metal Church, and it was great. We got along great, and then Overkill, we do a lot together, may festivals. And Phil Campbell, we also toured with Motorhead many many times, and Testament. God, so many great bands that are on the cruise! I’m 42 Rock N Roll Industries Magazine
so excited to see everyone. What can people expect from your set on the cruise? We will do a special setlist with all the highlights from each record. The best of the best, all killer no filler. And I’m bringing my old guitar player from Warlock Triumph and Agony with me, Tommy Bolan. We just did this Metal Church tour together, he’s great. He has so much energy, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody like it. He’s a powerhouse. We’re a really good team. Energy to the max. So tell us about the newest album a little bit Forever Warriors/ Forever United. There’s actually some cool covers including a very cool MOTORHEAD cover on there as well? Doro: It’s the first double album I’ve ever done, it has 25 songs on it! The first song I actually wrote for the album was called “Living Life To The Fullest”, and it was a song for Lemmy, and he inspired me so much, and he was my best friend, and meant the World to me musically and personally. So “Living Life to the Fullest” was the first idea I had when I was flying over for Lemmy’s funeral, and I was sitting in the plane, and this melody and these lyrics, they just came up deep out of my heart and my soul, and I was singing it on my little cell phone, and I immediately went back to the studio and recorded that song. And I tried to do it as nice as possible, so Lemmy would like it, even from Heaven. So that was the first song, actually the whole record started, I stared writing, I wrote many songs with my band, and someone I’ve worked with for, oh god, 20 years, Andreas Bruhn, he was he guitar player for Sisters of Mercy, and I went to Hamburg, and we were writing some stuff, and Joey Balin who produced the Triumph and Agony album, I went to him and showed him some ideas I had, and then he had some ideas, and suddently there was great chemistry, like in ’87. Before I new it we had about 40 or 45 songs. It would be a shame if only 10 or 12 songs ended up on this album, so I called the record company, I called Nuclear Blast and asked if it would be possible to do a double album. At first they said, you know, in this
Jochen Rolfes
That’s exciting! How was Russia? Doro: Oh man it was wild. It was great. The fans were, like, mental, excited. I’ve been playing there for almost 20 years, and they appreciate you a lot because they don’t have as many concerts. It was good. It was good, yeah! For a long time you couldn’t go there. The first time I went was in 2000, we always tried, some promoter would put up some festival or something, but it always got cancelled. You couldn’t even play in East Germany. It was impossible. And now it’s great, we can play in Russia, and China, and all over! It’s definitely different from the 80s.
day and age, it’s so hard to sell albums, and a double album. But I just kept working and working, and then I got a phone call, “You know what Doro, it’s your twentieth album, do it. Do it, and we’re totally supportive of it.” So then it became a double album. Its dedicated to Lemmy, and when I had the first song for Lemmy, I thought maybe I would love to have a great cover version of a great Motorhead song, maybe something not everybody is so familiar with. I know everybody knows “Ace of Spades”, and with Lemmy, I had a chance to see this really, really, nice, really great soulful side, so I thought, “Yes, I want to do a Motorhead song with great lyrics, and a great melody.” And “Lost in the Ozone” was always one of my favorites. And I thought, “let’s try it.” And we tried it in our studio, and, it was full of magic, and we thought, “Wow. I definitely want to put it on the album.” So, it started with Lemmy, and then it ended with Lemmy. And I really hope he thinks we did a good job. And there are many great songs, many, many anthems. Many people sing on, “All For Metal”, Johan Hegg from Amon Amarth, and Mille of Kreator, Warrel Dane of Sanctuary, who became a great friend after the Megadeth tour in ’88. We always stayed in touch, and we played a lot of festivals together. And the last time I saw him at Wacken, we were talking a little bit, and I told him that I had this anthem in the making, and it has a cool vibe. And I said, “Would you like to sing on it?” So he said, “Sure.” And we recorded his vocals, and we actually had a little video camera, and that was the last time that I saw Warrel Dane, and I’m so happy that he sang on the song, Sabaton, they sing on it, many, many great people. When WARLOCK started, there wasn’t a lot of women in Heavy Metal. You, Lita Ford, there was a few of you that were really pioneers, and now there’s so many, and you were one of the people that really opened the doors for that. What advice
would you have for other women looking to get into Metal, or doing Metal? Doro: I would just say, do what you love. Go full force. Do it every day if it’s possible. Do it with your full heart, and don’t let anyone ever get you down. Just follow your heart, and do it to the fullest, and I’m sure it will be successful. I’ve learned sometimes it will take longer than you think, sometimes you think, “Oh next year I will have a hit.” Sometimes, it takes longer. Sometimes it takes 10 years. I would just say do it, and do it as much as you can. In the beginning when I had my first band, had this rule we had to practive every day, I didn’t even know why, and id go, “Why. We know all of our songs.” And we practiced every day. Even Christmas and New Years Day, we were always in our little practice room. And in the end, it paid off. And if nobody believes in you, just believe in your fans. If you do it with your whole heart and your soul, then people will pick up on it. And as far as you being a pioneer. You were the first woman to front a band at CASTLE DONINGTON, one of the biggest Metal festivals in the World. Doro: Yes! And back then there was no computers, or no internet. So we got invited to play at MONSTERS OF ROCK, and we didn’t know it was that big, and we thought, maybe it was a small festival. It was like Ozzy, and the Scorpions, Motorhead, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, and us Warlock. It was great. And then I was onstage, and there was all these people. Oh man. My knees they were like, shaking. And then we started, and I think we did pretty good, and that was pretty much the biggest door-opener, because then they said, “Hey, do you want to go to America.” And it was because of that festival. Because back then, England was really paving the way for Metal, and to get a chance to get an America album release, or tour, you first had to prove yourself in England. And the press was sometimes really, really critical. But we did really good, and everyone said, “Yeah, let’s give that band a chance.” -Missie Tong & Thom Hazaert
Phil: Yes, we did a cruise sailing from Florida to the Bahamas, and it was a little getting used to with the boat swaying. I had a like bucket side stage so when I puked I can get back to playing the song! Haha no, I’m kidding. But not gonna lie, it was a little getting used to, but it rocked! The band toured on the anniversary of “Symbol of Salvation,” and then you guys played summer European festivals and now the Megacruise. What is next for Armored Saint? Phil: We have a documentary being filmed by Russell Cherrington from Derby England. He is also a great friend and is a professor of film at the University of Derby. Also, writing for a new album. And always learning something new about music and guitar! After nearly four decades in the business, you guys have toured with an impressive list of legendary bands, including some the bands on Megacruise. Can you name a few your favorite bands to tour with? Gonzo: I enjoy touring with bands like Metal Church, Queensryche, Ted Nugent was fun, yet the bands I really want to tour with are Iron Maiden & Judas Priest USA /Europe... Dreams do come true... so I’m putting it out in the universe!!! Wouldn’t you like to go to a Judas Priest/Iron Maiden /Armored Saint Tour... Hopefully, our booking agent Dan Devita @ TKO is reaching out to make it happen. I have relayed our desire! Since your last album the band has kept very busy. Has the band given any thought to slowing down or, God forbid, retirement? Phil: Slowing down...no we are just getting started! Lol
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Gonzo photo Stock Custom media © 2018. (used by permission) Phil photo (used by permission) by © 2019 gonzosandoval.com
With rock and metal cruises being so popular over the last few years, have you guys played on any other cruises, and did you have any difficulty playing?
Is the band still with Metal Blade? Isn’t there a family connection to the label? Gonzo: Yes, we are still with MetalBlade Records we are on our last record fulfilling our previous record deal with them. We are free agents after this one. We will have to cut a new record deal for the record after this one. Back to music business attorneys, rock!
panies support the band? Gonzo: There are many companies that support Armored Saint individually... I’ll name a few... My endorsers and friends... GonzoDrumsofthunder.com Paiste Cymbals (best in the biz)
Back in May, it was announced that the band was going to start working on new material. Have you made some progress and when do you expect it to be released?
Vater Drumsticks
Gonzo: New record is written, demos made. I›m in drum preproduction rehearsal (yes, just me) learning the songs. We have 11. Drum recording begins Dec. 9, 2019, God willing! Expected to release the new Armored Saint record in August 2020!
CymPad International
Do any of the band members have projects or commitments that do not involve music?
The Kelly Shu
Gonzo: I can only speak for myself...We have music, music, and more music coming at you live. First off, my brother and Guitarist for Armored Saint has written his first solo EP. It will have instrumental music and songs. I will be co-producing with Phil. I will also be playing drums on his first solo record. We can’t wait for you all to hear this opus! What charities/causes does the band support and what com-
Paul Milkovich @ RatRod Drums Milwaukee, Wisconsin Cymbal Sox Remo Drum heads Attack Rack ESP Guitars & Basses... for the fellas and many more... and like I mentioned... each member has his support team. This is most of mine...there are others... like all of you Armored Saint Hooligans. I Love all of You! Stay Strong and Stay Saint! -Arthur
John 5 is an anamoly, an every-man’s guitar hero who grew up in suburban Detroit, before moving to LA and finding his way from being an in-demand session guy to playing with the likes of everyone from David Lee Roth to Paul Stanley to Marilyn Manson, to his current job slinging strings for the astrocreep himself, Rob Zombie. John is also an extremely prolific solo artist, with 10 independently released solo albums, the latest of which, Invasion, hit stores on July 31st. John is set to hit the road in the US on Halloween, with his solo band The Creatures, with his first ever Australian dates announced for 2020. Thom Hazaert sat down with Mr. 5, who kicks off the Megacruise festivities with a much-hyped performance at the sail away, for a long overdue chat about all things Rock N’ Roll, the state of the music business, KISS, Van Halen, and of course, Megadeth. So you’re not on the full cruise right? You’re just doing the sailaway? John 5: Everyone thinks I’m on the whole cruise, but I’m just doing the sendoff. We’re doing a full show, and everything, but no, unfortunately, I’m not on the whole cruise.
Sure you don’t wanna just jump back on for it? Haha. So, you kinda grew up, starting out, your original influences were like HEE HAW, and classic country? John: Yeah, my Dad used to listen to all that stuff, and the guitars always stuck out to me. This sounds really cool, and they look cool playing it. It just was so inspiring. That was what really got me into playing guitar. Then I saw, you know, KISS, and Van Halen, and then it jus really blossomed. But that’s why I play a Telecaster, ‘cuz all these country guys, they were playing Telecasters, and I just thought that was the only electric guitar.
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That’s actually a really progressive thing, as there’s not a lot of Rock, especially Metal-Leaning, Rock players, who play Telecasters. It’s not traditionally thought of as a “Metal” guitar. John: It’s all from your childhood. And that was from my childhood. It was something that, I was so young, and I saw the electric guitar, and I was like, this is so cool, and I wanted to play electric guitar, and I thought that was the only shape out there. And it just stuck with me. And, like most of us, then you discovered Van Halen and KISS? John: Yup. Van Halen, KISS, Jimi Hen-
drix, and then, you know, you always have epiphanies. And I was a really, really huge Megadeth fan. I had all these Megadeth posters, I was a massive, massive fan. My first show was So Far, So Good, So What. I was really into Megadeth, and I would go see them every chance I could. Yeah I’m a huge Megadeth fanboy too. And that’s some of those moments that are really defining, you know, you playing with David Lee Roth and Paul Stanley, etc. David and I did the Sleeping Giants record, and we’ve been out on tour supporting it, doing this BASSTORY tour. In Detroit, Chuck Behler came out
Kelly Koolstra-aplin
You know the biggest bummer, I think they decided they are going to do a KISS jam on the boat, and you’re gonna miss it. John: Oh, that’s incredible. That sounds so fun.
and played with us, and a couple weeks ago in Fullerton at The Slidebar, Chris Poland came out and played with us. It was surreal. John: Yeah! I saw that on Instagram. That’s so cool. I love Chris, I love all the guitar players. Everybody they’ve had, I’ve been such a fan of. So how did you “officially” get into the business? What was kinda your first “big breaks”? John: Well I would do sessions for like, really low money, and then it was just word-of-mouth. Like, there’s this kid that will come in and do a session, for like, this much money, and he’ll get it done really fast, and do it really good, so I started getting all this session work, ‘cuz I was doing it for half of the price, in half of the time of everybody else. So, I started working a lot, and I was doing a lot of score music, and things like that. I think my very first professional tour, I guess, was K.D. Lang. Before that I would do, like, sporadic things Lita Ford, I went and did some shows with her, blah blah blah. But I think my first real, real tour, was K.D. Lang, and you know, we had a masseuse, and a chef, and like, three nights at Radio City Music Hall, the Sydney Opera House, all sorts of really cool things. So it was a really great starting off point. Then when I joined Marilyn Manson, I was like, “Where’s the masseuse? Where’s the chef?” It wasn’t like that. I remember that, you were one of those, a lot of times guys who become bona fide guitar heroes, just like, come out of nowhere. You, Zakk Wyle etc. I remember when you first started doing the stuff with Roth, and then did Two with Halford, and little things here and there, and then your band LOSER, then you were just fucking, everywhere. And that’s how it is a lot of times, the greatest guitar heroes, just comes from out of nowhere. And, on a side note, I actually really liked LOSER, which was a band you had briefly in the mid-2000s. That record never even came out did it? John: Yeah, I believe just a single came out, ultimately the record never came out because I joined Rob Zombie, and the record never came out. It was really good, too. Yeah, it was great. But that was literally that period where you just went from this cool underground session guitar player, to a fucking guitar hero over-
night. It was awesome. John: Aww. Well, thank you. I appreciate it. What have been your proudest moments, or accomplishments so far in your career? Recording, playing, what are your favorite things you’ve done so far in the business? John: I think having my parents watch me. Having my parents see me, and experiencing it. I started so young, and worked so hard, and having them see me play these big shows, I think that was my favorite thing. You’ve done a lot of solo records, like what, 10? And you always put themout yourself, sort of through independent channels, something which you really were a pioneer of. No labels, just truly DIY. How’d you come to that decision, and how do you think the music business sort of brought you around to that, and how has it changed in the time that you’ve been in it? John: I think I’ve done 10 now. And it’s so wonderful to put it out yourself, because, first of all, there’s no more record store, there’s no more anything like that. There’s not even really that many outlets for news. So your Instagram, your Facebook, your Twitter, it’s kinda like your own TV channel, where people wanna go and get news from their favorite bands. And YOUTUBE now, is such am amazing marketing tool, it’s incredible. Anybody can get discovered. If you’re great, you can put it up online, you’ll get discovered, and you’ll be up on stage. That’s how a lot of people will find band members nowadays. So it really is a wonderful way to release records, just independently now, because you can promote yourself, you can market yourself, and it’s wonderful, because these companies take such a huge cut, and a lot of times it isn’t really worth it because they aren’t doing anything you can’t do yourself. I mean if you want to buy something that’s not like, top 10, say, I dunno, Mercyful Fate, you can’t go to Best Buy or Target. Of course there’s Amazon now, and you can always order anything online now, but a lot of times if you want to physically go buy something, you have to go to the show and get it from the artist. But I make vinyl, I make CDs, I make tour books, I make T-shirts. I make anything you can imagine. I just pay for it myself, and distribute it myself. It’s wonderful.
Absolutely. The big chain stores are gone, and while there are still amazing independent record stores around, it’s almost become such a niche market, and everything is constantly evolving. I think there is absolutely a market for physical product, and I think anyone who says otherwise is wrong, but it’s getting to, more and more, where people still want the physical product, but they want to buy it from the artist, at a show, get it signed, and take it home as memorabilia. That physical product has become a more personal experience, than just going to a store and buying it. John: I totally agree. I always put myself in a position in the customer’s position. If I was going to see my favorite artist, I would definitely want to get a CD, or a Vinyl, or a tour book, get it signed, meet them, and get the chance to talk to them. That’s exactly what I do, and it seems to be working. Fans today, younger ones, a lot of that is streaming, which, again, putting myself in the position of the fan, I think is great. I mean with us, you’d have to get dressed, go to a store, buy a record, then get a turntable, a needle, and then go home and listen to it. Now, with streaming, basically any record ever, is available to listen to, at any time, right from your phone. Ttell us about your new record INVASION. John 5: Yeah, it’s called Invasion. It came out July 31st. You have to hear it. It’s my favorite record I’ve ever done. My son listens to a lot of EDM stuff, and I thought, “Wow, that’s really cool”, and I really wanted to incorporate some of that. And there’s really just everything on it, Rock, Bluegrass. It’s a really diverse record. I just really love music, all styles of music, and I think that really comes through on this record. Catch John 5 live at the MEGACRUISE sailaway, and on tour starting Halloween. -Thom Hazaert
In April 2015, classic era vocalist Mike Howe rejoined the band, and they recorded their eleventh studio album XI, released in 2016, followed by 2018’s Damned If You Do. On the eve of their appearance on the maiden voyage of the Megacruise, Rock N’ Roll Industries caught up with Howe for a quick chat. Metal Church has continued to carry the torch of 80’s metal through all the changes in the music industry and many line-up changes. What keeps the band driven? We love what we do, and we love Metal music! The band has recorded two albums since the return of Mike Howe and now one with latest band addition, Stet Howland. What can you tell us about this third classic line-up of Metal Church? Everybody has the same goal in mind, to make music that sound good to us and that we enjoy playing!
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You guys did some one-off shows with Anthrax around 1987 or so. Have you ever done a full tour with them? No, but we would love to someday! Over the past few years you guys have toured with Armored Saint and Megadeth. This is going to be a reunion for all......Is there anyone on the Megacruise line-up that you have not seen live? I’ve most of them but haven’t seen LOG or John 5 yet, so I’m looking forward to seeing them live for the first time! Your latest release Damned If You Do was mostly written and produced by your guitarist, Kurdt. Is the plan to release the follow up in 2020, and will Kurdt be handling the same duties? We are always writing new music so when we are ready, we’ll pick a good time to release the next album. What gear does Metal Church support and endorse? Kurdt uses MesaBoogie and Gibson guitars. RAT PAK RECORDS has released the last few Metal Church releases. How has that been? Rat Pak Records has been with us ever since I returned, and we love all that they do for us! -Arthur Stump
Stephanie Cabral
Since forming in 1980, Metal Church has been a force to be reckoned with in the Thrash Metal scene. After forming in the Bay Area, the band relocated to Aberdeen, WA, where they became a strong influence on the burgeoning Seattle music scene that would spawn the likes of TKO, Soundgarden, Mother Love Bone, Alice in Chains, Sanctuary, Forced Entry, Queensryche, and more. After releasing highly regarded major label albums including The Dark and Blessing In Disguise, the band briefly disbanded in 1996, before reforming with vocalist Ronny Munroe, who would front the band until 2014.
I will say the one we had the most fun with was “Halcyon.” We literally called it the “fun” song. Nobody got in their heads, we just had heavy metal blast on recording it. I did the voice of a Greek God at the end. Like, how can you not have fun doing that? Of course, I love the songs I sing on leads, “Solitary Rave” let me say what I had to say to some people, and I will never turn down an opportunity to be snarky.
Hey everyone! Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions! For our audience, can you give us a quick description of your sound? Calico: Our music is really sonically diverse, which is what makes it so fun! You aren’t gonna hear the same sounding song twice. That’s the beauty of having two singers. It’s Sonny and Cher from hell. There’s a lot of imagery that goes along with it as well. We are “Natural Born Killers” set to music. Every time the show starts, I picture all the cars in Deathrace 2000 starting their engines all at once as the sun goes down in the desert. How did the band come about? When did you meet and officially become Beasto Blanco? Calico: The band started with Chuck Garric (vocals) and Brother Latham (guitar). They had a concept of the sound first technical, but not fussy… then the task was finding musicians that were willing to really grind it out and not only play like a beast but perform like one, too. Then they brought on Jan Legrow (bass) and I, and we began to create a show. We later added Sean Sellars on Drums, and the beast was complete! I’ve heard time and again how much people liked Beasto Blanco’s music, but then they saw us live and now they have a Beasto tattoo. The contrast between Chuck & your voices is what is really iconic to me about your music. It creates such a unique sound! How did you both come together on pairing up on vocals? Calico: Along with multiple personalities I have multiple vocal sounds, too. Chuck’s vocals really hold it down. It’s the concrete of the building, the signature Beasto sound. As the records progressed, we started playing with my voice. Turned out I had this bratty little kid voice, this sexy lounge singer purr, AND a heavy metal bellow. All of which seemed to work with Chuck’s growl. I found this quote from Brother Latham and it really spoke to me: “We’re a lifestyle band, bringing culture back to rock and roll with this style of music, by what we do and also who we are.” Can you elaborate? And that being said, was being in a band something that just came easily to you guys? Calico: He was talking about the way rock n roll was when we were kids. It was a lifestyle, a reckless abandon, an escape. It’s fantasy and a place where any kid could dream of being up on that stage, too. 50 Rock N Roll Industries Magazine
We don’t write and perform songs for the masses. We are the masses, thus the title of the recorded WE ARE. We all grew up loving rock n roll, so being in a band was something that came easy. For all of us, but being Beasto is like being a preacher and Broadway star as well. Add that in the mix and it gets considerably more difficult. You seem to have gotten a lot of recognition from working with Alice Cooper. How did that opportunity come about? Chuck: Alice was looking for a bass player, and my name was in the hat. I had been playing with Dio, and it was just a great fit for both of us. It’s been 16 years now, so I guess this relationship is working. We are thinking of exchanging rings. Lol. You’re still touring with Alice. Does he encourage you to work on your own projects? How do you find time to write, record and tour for Beasto Blanco? Chuck: Alice is every musicians’ dream to go work for. He will take you to school and, if you’re smart, you are paying attention. I learned so much about how to put a show together visually and sonically. He’s also incredibly supportive of Beasto Blanco. He loves the music and urges us to push harder and dig deeper. You have to be prepared to be all in. If you do both bands. Half the year with Alice and the other half with Beasto is a full-time job literally and figuratively. But while I’m on tour with Alice I’m writing new Beasto songs, Chris is in Los Angeles writing riffs, and when we all get together it’s like there was never a moment apart. Speaking of writing and recording, are you all equally involved in the writing process? Calico: Yes, the process never stops. While we are touring, Jan will be playing a bass line at sound check and we go “DONT FORGET THAT RIFF!” I’ll be joking around doing a Judy garland impression and chuck will go, “Let’s do a song where you sing like that!” It’s not always melody first. Anything can inspire, so we are writing all the time. Don’t say anything clever around me, it will end up in a song. I know you guys just released a new album this year. What song are you most proud of off of it? Calico: Everyone would say a different one. Sean and I are punk rock kids, so we get off on “We Got This.” Chuck is more of a poet so he always wants “Down” in the set.
Your music videos have so much energy and storytelling within them. Do you keep a similar style while performing your music live? Calico: Our music videos and stage show are really what set us apart. We put serious time and energy into them both. I wrote and directed all the videos from WE ARE. The band and label gave me 100 percent creative control on them. I poured myself into the story telling and visuals, and I do the same with the show. Our live show is really what makes people Beasto lifers. As an audience member you feel like you are in this world we’ve created with us. It’s not us up there and you down there, it’s a street fight, drag race, and a heavy metal pep rally all crashed into an hour. Sounds like Beasto Blanco has toured some amazing countries and venues. Do you have a favorite? Calico: We are lucky enough to have a great international fan base. It’s the best feeling in the world to me to see people on the other side of the planet scream our songs back at us from the crowd. We’ve done arena tours, club runs, we’ve played corporate gigs and giant mud field festivals. Some gigs we have played are the stuff of fairytales, like gigs in the French alps where it feels like you must have walked thru some portal into fantasy land. I think it’s more about who you tour with than where though. We just did two months with Halestorm and Palaye Royale and it was one of the best times of my life. I guess that’s my version of “Home is where the heart is.” Do you have a least favorite? Calico: Again, not a place, but a person. It’s only happened once, but a dude screamed out “SHOW YOUR TITS” to me at this gig at a really intense quiet part of the show, and the band didn’t even have time to react before the audience was on him like locusts. Could have done without that but hey, them’s the bricks, kid. Are you guys going on tour soon? When & where can our readers see you perform? Calico: After the mega cruise we are gearing up for a European run. We really wanna bring them something new from us. So I’m back in the lab making things that flash and bang and the boys rewriting up a storm. Lastly, anything else our readers should keep an eye out for? Otherwise, where can they get your new album “We Are”? Calico: You can grab a copy of WE ARE at www.beastoblanco.com or apple music. We are clickable on all major platforms. Spotify, amazon, etc. But definately go check out our two new videos “THE SEEKER” and “SOLITARY RAVE” on our YouTube channel. I’m really proud of those suckers. Calico Scorsese Spielberg over here. -Boston
We’ve been watching the evolution of Toothgrinder’s music from your debut to your current album. What is the key to keeping your writing process fresh and poignant? Johnuel: By really just trying to write music that comes natural to us. I think when we force songs, they tend to fall short of something meaningful and real-sounding. The songs that just seem to flow out always tend to be the keepers. I think we have really honed in on our vibe. If we keep things fun, honest, bold and meaningful, I don’t think we can lose. It is hard to describe our sound because it is ever evolving. That is what makes us, us. For all fans discovering Toothgrinder for the first time, what are the musical and ethereal elements that set each album apart? Musically, our first record “Nocturnal Masquerade” had a lot of faster songs and “prog” elements blended in with complex arrangements and odd time signatures as well as our first introduction into writing songs with choruses and structure that would then influence the process behind our following records. The bridge between “Phantom Amour” and our most recent musical efforts in “I 52 Rock N Roll Industries Magazine
AM” when speaking of ethereal elements however... “Phantom Amour” had a lot of harmonized clean guitars drowned with reverb to utilize as a texture that we were taking influence from at the time from modern metal bands as well as instrumental post rock music. “I Am” mostly came from the recording process working with Matt Squire, where we wanted to expand those ideas we had collectively and utilize his incredible producing capabilities and attention to detail that he holds experience within the pop/songwriter realm and how to balance that with our sound as organically and as naturally as we could during the making of the album. I AM is your third album. Are the stakes a lot higher now that Phantom Amour has been so well-received by the metal community? For a band like us the stakes are always high. We are always doing something that one subsection of our listeners love while another disapproves. It’s just the nature of being Toothgrinder. Though, we are so appreciative of being able to dip into so many different genres and still keep the core of our fanbase intact. We believe this record will take us to the next chapter of the band, for sure.
I AM has been described as a “personal catharsis” with extremely vulnerable lyrics. How does it feel to expose your experience with addiction and co-dependency to your fans? If it was 2 years ago, an absolute nightmare. Now that I have been given the tools to deal with such issues and developed a solid community of recovery friends, it makes putting myself out there just another step in the journey. I think I needed to expose myself a bit to gain the trust of my fellows. Putting my true, raw self out there gives the opportunity for others to do the same. It’s all about connection and community. The more I can connect, the better off I will be. This question is for Justin Matthews. Justin, we have witnessed the impressive and immense progress of your vocal range over the years. Do you have any tips or techniques for inspiring lead singers that you can share? I appreciate the compliment; I have worked hard emotionally and physically to become a better singer all the time. My biggest tip is to consistently humble yourself by trying something just out of your comfort zone. Things I thought were impossible at one time, now seem easy. Also, invest in a vocal coach, it will do
wonders. This one’s for Justin as well. Justin, what inspired that sleek new look and short hair? I have always hated my hair and could never stick to a certain style. I would usually just impulsively shave it and start from scratch. I really hope I won’t be doing that anymore, haha. As far as the attire, there was no rhyme or reason, it just naturally evolved from our Vagabond music video. Toothgrinder’s musical genius spawns from a unique place that sets it apart from your peers in the same genre. Where, what, and/or whom does Toothgrinder draw musical inspiration from? We tend to individually have our own inspirations musically that span across various genres outside of the realm we identify with and from what listeners identify us as. We also find inspiration from artists we’ve shared the road with on tour or at festivals but at the end of the day, it’s us having the desire and drive to inspire each other to be the best we can be as artists and as a musical unit. On “I Am” I remember we were listening to a lot of Alice In Chains, Architects, Ariana Grande, Bring Me The Horizon, Circa Survive, Go-
jira, Ghost, Post Malone, Porcupine Tree, Tool, Thrice… Aside from music, we all draw inspiration from a number of things whether it be in the arts, photography and videography, film, doing something beneficial towards the body and mind in health, or any activity or act that involves being creative and having our voices heard in the state of the world and life we all share together. Toothgrinder’s sound is hard to put into a “musical genre” identification box; which in my opinion is a good thing. The band’s sound has been described as everything from progressive/ post hardcore to a splicing of rock and metal core. When identifying Toothgrinder within the “modern metal” genre, how would you describe it and how do you think your music is influencing this genre? I think that once we release music and there are people attaching it to a sub genre or specific label of music is where it all tends to open up on what we’re identified as. We’re all very close and honest when it comes to working together on the creative and recording process and tend to never be satisfied or settle on something if at the beginning from pressing play to the very last note we don’t all come into
agreement that it’s something that has moved us, or if it’s something we agree that we’ve made a creative leap from prior records or songs that we’ve created. If we were to offer any sort of influence within the genre, it comes from raw honesty and to be ourselves creatively no matter what listeners expect from us. Toothgrinder is a relatively young band; tell us how it feels to be performing with bands like Megadeth at this stage of your career. It’s a tremendous honor and something we’ll never take for granted or would have thought to have ever happened. Megadeth was integral to my upbringing in playing guitar. I even played “Peace Sells” and “Tornado Of Souls” at my high school talent show. And funny enough, I grew up down the street and went to school with the original drummer and founding member of Overkill’s kids and one day I’ll never forget while we were skateboarding outside, I had a brief moment of getting to meet Dave Ellefson at random. So now being able to share the stage with them, let alone on a cruise ship, is something my 13-14 year old self could have never imagined or predicted! - Raquel Figlo
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Do you know what happens when heavy metal and mariachi have a crazy one-night stand? A bastard child called Metalachi. That’s what happens. In the words of Warren Moscow: “All the way from Juarez, Mexico via Hollywood, Ca…” Vega de la Rockha, El Cucuy (equivalent to “The Boogey Man”), Paco Halen, Kyla Vera and Kiko Cane deliver not only a music lesson during every performance but also a comedy show, both for price of one ticket.
Amigos, thanks for taking the time to chat with me as an interview… although we ALWAYS chat at shows, but this is a serious conversation (Not!!!). For our new readers, please give us a short glimpse of the Metalachi history. Well there is this thing called tequila. If you have never tried it, you should. Really gets the mental juices flowing. That started the idea of “what if there is a mariachi band that plays covers of heavy metal music?” (TAKE A SHOT) “Whooah, what if the band was called METALachi instead of mariachi?” (TAKE A SHOT) “No, that is stupid and will never work.” (TAKE A SHOT) “NO, that is brilliant and will absolutely never work.” (TAKE A SHOT) “Where are my pants?” Fast forward 8 years and we are on the MegaCruise. I assume Megadeth is one of the bands you have enjoyed in the past and that have shaped your taste in heavy music. Let’s change that up a bit. What are some bands or acts that would shock us to find out you are playing or enjoying at the moment that are not rock/metal? There’s lots of great music out right now, and the great thing it is more accessible than ever. Digging Sturgill Simpson right now. I didn’t really know why until one day I said “What the fuck, that’s Waylon Jennings!” … and it is. He is literally Waylon reincarnated into a hipster. Listen to him and tell me I’m wrong. Really digging Lizzo, too. She just has a really raw, cool vocal delivery. Overall the band has a really diverse musical range we listen to. Hard to pin down just one. Keeping up with the Megacruise festivities, please share with us when was the first time you experienced the music of Megadeth and perhaps your favorite 54 Rock N Roll Industries Magazine
songs and why? When I was in college, my roommate was a big Megadeth fan. I specifically remember the day he bought the Youthanasia album and brought it back to the dorm. I was just as fascinated by the album art (being an art major and all) as the music, but I really came to appreciate Dave’s work from that point on, because that was really my first time really hearing Megadeth. That lead me down the path of discovering their earlier work. Since then, the appreciation has only grown for the band and their longevity. Can’t wait to hit the high seas with such an epic group. We are truly honored to be a part of the 1st Megacruise. One of my favorite memories with you all happened at The Roxy in West Hollywood for the fan appreciation show years ago. I was standing behind the drum set ready to shoot images for the encore and then, Dave Lombardo walks in and jams with you all, that was epic as I was standing right there when it all unfolded. Are there any “Woah/WTF?!!!” moments that remain some of your favorite experiences with some of your rock/metal heroes? I mean, having the godfather of the double bass join us on stage to rock “Raining Blood” will ALWAYS be one of the high points in the career of Metalachi. It’s bittersweet, but the late, great Vinnie Paul was always a big fan of our show. If we were in Vegas or Dallas he would always sneak out and come to the show. The really cool thing about Vinnie was he was always so low key about coming out, he never wanted to make it a spectacle and make it about him. I would literally get a text from his crew in the middle of our show saying that Vinnie was there. Sometimes we would give him a shout out from stage but most of the time no one else in the venue ever even realized he was there. It was a cool little secret we had going on. He would stick around just long enough to say hi to the band after the show and then “poof” he would be gone into the night
until we were back in town next time and I get the same text about 3 songs into the show. The music world lost a true legend with that guy, and we miss him tons. In a world where “successful and known bands” book short-run tours with lots of difficulty and don’t visit the same market for a year or two, I still wonder to this day, how does Metalachi tour the US non-stop and sometimes visit the same markets 2-3 times a year?! Word of mouth has always been the key to our show. It happens like this. Someone who has never seen our show will come out (usually out of pure curiosity) and have the freaking time of their lives. When we come back to that market, they will bring two or three friends. Lather rinse repeat. That is how it works for us. People come out and have a blast at our shows and then THEY bring friends back with them the next time we are in town. It literally becomes an event for large groups of fans to get together whenever the loco train rolls back into town…and thus it builds. We have fans who have literally been to 30-40 shows at this point and they keep coming back and bringing new people into Metalachi Nation. What have been some of your favorite shows or festivals you have played and why? We just got back from Heavy Montreal in Canada and it was one of the biggest festivals we have ever played with likes of Slayer, Anthrax, Ghost (the list goes on and on). That was a blast. We played one of the smaller side stages and people kept saying it was the biggest crowd at that stage the entire weekend. We were side stage for Anthrax and Metalachi was one of about 20 people side stage for Slayer. We know their management, so they let us witness the spectacle. We quickly discovered why they typically don’t let people side stage for Slayer shows. Let’s just say our eye brows are just now coming back in. Those flames are no joke.
Enrique Nunez
It’s been a minute since we’ve had my very good friends, Metalachi, in our pages. After 3 full length albums released, appropriately named “Uno” (one), “Dos”(two) and “Tres” (three), music videos, “America’s Got Talent” outstanding performance, AT&T national tv spot, recent visit to Canada to play the “Heavy Montreal Festival, etc., etc., the bad boys and girl of heavy metal mariachi show no signs of slowing down.
To this day, being part of the “Bohemian Rhapsody” video is one of my favorite rock n roll experiences and one of my favorite videos that I have been a part of. How did you guys get to have (how much did the extortion cost more appropriately saying) Felipe Esparza join you in said video? “Whats up fool?!” Glad you enjoyed being a part of the video shoot. As always, thanks for the help Enrique. Metalachi did the “What’s up Fool” podcast with Felipe a few years back and we have stayed in touch. We went into the concept with an idea to have Felipe do a cameo. Lucky for us he said yes and literally went way out of his way between everything else he was doing to do two different shots for us that day, one early and one late at night. We owe that fool. He’s a killer dude. Your outfits are also very “different.” I’m sure that when you walk in on stage people are confused and wonder if they are watching an old Mexican film or Steel Panther perform. Is someone responsible for your awesome attires? The basic concept from the start with the costumes was to represent different styles of metal or rock but of course still keep some mariachi influence worked in. You know, punk rock, glam rock, leather rock, shock rock. A little nod across the board to a lot of the groups we pull influence from. I’m am almost certain that you have been called out for “disgracing” traditional mariachi music, and I’m also sure that more than one person has called you out on disgracing rock/metal music as well. Do you have any outstanding memories of fans coming to you after a set and expressing their thoughts for good or bad? Oh, do we. We have people in the mariachi world that think we are a total disgrace and people in the metal world who think what we do is blasphemy. WE LOVE THOSE PEOPLE. We feed off the haters. I have always said, as long as we are pissing people off, we are doing something right. When everyone starts to like what we do, then that is the death blow for Metalachi. My absolute favorite thing is to see a long haired, war vest wearing, hardcore metal head standing in the front row of our show just waiting to hate on us. Arms crossed, death stare at the band. The works. I know he came there specifically to just hate what we are doing. The payoff is, 9 times out of 10, by the 4th or 5th song in the set…that dude is head banging and singing louder than anyone in the room. Gotcha bitch! What does Metalachi do when not on tour? Not on tour? I don’t understand the question, Enrique. Thank you all for your time. We look forward to hearing your personal highlights of the Megacruise and please, watch out for “la migra” while in Mexico trying to make it back to the US. And special thanks to Kike Hammett for helping me put together this short interview ;) Rock on! -Enrique Nunez
MecaniX is : Gabriel Beauregard as Dave Mustaine Stéphane Bédard as David Ellefson Simon Labrecque as Nick Menza François Larouche as Marty Friedman What got you into playing music and performing? How did MecaniX form? What inspired your tribute band? Stéphane met Simon at a gig as a freelancer for a common friend, lead singer in a folk band. During the sound check, Stéphane discreetly played the intro of Holy Wars on bass guitar. Simon looks at Stéphane and says, “Hey let’s do it again !!!” So both played the beginning of the song. The band’s back vocalist filmed the scene with her cell phone. On the way back, with 10 hours of car ride, Stéphane and Simon had plenty of time to discuss their passion for the music of Megadeth. After placing an ad to find a Mustaine and a Friedman, a few days later, on the first day of auditions, two friends arrive with their amps and gear.. Gabriel is the perfect candidate to play Mustaine. And the other guy, Jay, was the first lead guitarist to play with MecaniX . Due to scheduling conflicts, Jay was replaced by François Larouche, a professional musician known in Quebec for having worked with different artists. It was the beginning of a great trip ... What is your favorite venue that you have played? Which venue do you dream about playing in the future? The Cecile & Ramone in Quebec city was one of our favorites. Of course, we want to play at the Bell Center in Montreal :-) Do you ever get performance anxiety? It depends on the gig, but we are able to control that feeling and it dies out on stage anyway. You guys are pretty new, been around
since 2016, correct? Where are you from? Montreal , Qc Canada. Everyone in the band played on the Quebec scene, some of the members have played several times in the USA. Where have you toured so far? We played a lot of bars and festivals all around Quebec. Pretty impressive being the Megadeth tribute band on Megadeth’s own cruise. Is this your first cruise fest? Yes it is, and it’s a huge honor for us to be invited on that cruise. This being the first Megacruise, who approached you about getting on the bill? An agent from New York City contacted us by email. He told us to get in touch with someone in Los Angeles about performing on the Megacruise. At first, we thought it was a joke. He said he saw our video on Youtube. What has been MecaniX’s feedback from Megadeth? Not Yet :-) Who are you most excited to play alongside on the Megacruise? Megadeth, Anthrax, Death Angel and more … What’s next for MecaniX? Continue to celebrate Megadeth’s music for as long as possible. Here in Quebec, there are a lot of fans of metal music, especially Megadeth fans. And it’s so cool to play this music, the nostalgia of the old fans that emerges at our shows mixed with the dynamics of the youngest. And we are from three different generations in this band :-) -Michele French
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