ROCKET Interviews Matt McChesney of THE AUTUMN OFFERING

Daytona Beach, Florida’s THE AUTUMN OFFERING specialize in melodic death metal and are set to unleash their new self-titled album on August 31st via Victory Records. Initially formed in 1999, they’ve already been on a handful of tours throughout the United States. Eventually HATEBREED front-man Jamey Jasta signed the band to Stillborn Records in 2004 and they released “Revelations Of The Unsung” the same year. Since then, they have shared the stage with the likes of SLAYER, SLIPKNOT, MASTODON and GOD FORBID, among many other big names, and continue their rise to the top of the heap in the metal world.

The Metal Den’s Randy “Rocket” Cody has conducted an exclusive interview with new THE AUTUMN OFFERING vocalist Matt McChesney for his loyal worldwide Den Headz.




Rocket: Where were you born and raised?

Matt: Boston MA. My family is from Naples, Italy. I grew up in Boston MA and Plymouth MA, which is a suburb of Boston about 40 minutes south. I was a punk kid. Drugs, fighting, finally ended up in jail at 19. I got out, put my self through college and cleaned up my act. I barely went to high school but I graduated college with a 3.8 GPA. I was always a big Red Sox fan. I started playing the guitar around 14 and went from there.

Rocket: Do you come from a big family, Matt?

Matt: No. My family is very small. I haven’t seen my father in 14 years. All my grandparents are dead and I don’t have any cousins that I know of. I’m close with my mother, older brother and sister. They have families of their own now. I’ve missed them very much, with all the touring and living on the west coast now. When this is all over with I’m going to pursue a career in journalism. I was offered a job when I was in college to write at a big Boston newspaper. I wonder if the job offer is still good. I don’t ever want any children of my own, but I really want to spend my life post-career in Mass.

Rocket: Do you recall your first rock concert?

Matt: Yeah. My brother took me to see Iron Maiden. I was just a little kid. I had just got into heavy music and man, I was addicted. Having an older brother with similar musical tastes was great. I got to see so many cool shows. Maiden, Slayer, Metallica. I was seeing this shit while other kids my age were going to Disney World. I never had any desire for that. I didn’t like video games and I didn’t play with toys. My young shoulders bore a very old head. It’s still like that to this day. I’m 30 and I feel like I’m 100, with all the shit I lived through. But yeah, my first show was Iron Maiden, Seventh Son Tour. With all the icebergs and shit onstage. It was fucking amazing. Later on that year I saw Slayer for the first time at The Living Room in Providence RI. Some kid threw a M 80 in the most pit and blew off another guy’s hand…my addiction grew fonder. HAHAHAHA




Rocket: What first drew you to being a vocalist?

Matt: At first I wanted to be a guitar player. I worshiped James Hetfield and Kirk Hammet. Later on, it was guys like Chuck Schuldiner and James Murphy, followed by guys like Steve Vai and Alex Lifeson. Then something happened that changed my life. Pantera. I had never heard anyone that ANGRY. It spoke to me, much in the way that I imagine the guitar speaks to a guitarist. I was a good guitar player, but something inside me just wasn’t being totally fulfilled by it. Singing, as fucking gay as it sounds, completed me as a musician. To this day, there is nothing that I enjoy more. Not sex, drugs, anything. Playing music. That’s it.

Rocket: Who are some of your biggest vocal influences of past or present?

Matt: Like I said, Phil Anselmo was a big one. Layne Staley, I just loved. Layne, to me, had the best rock voice ever. After I started to get pretty good, I started to explore the techniques that influenced the guys that influenced me. Rob Halford, Dio, Freddy Mercury. I learned how to sing traditionally as well as just in a raspy rock voice. I learned falsetto, using your head voice. I went through a real power metal phase at one point. I got really good. Unfortunately I was never really in a band where I could utilize it.
As far as screaming goes, I was heavily influenced by the death metal bands. Carcass, Death, Suffocation, etc. I got into the throaty growling, which I think that I now do as good as anyone. When I first started, I had kind of a Tomas Lindberg sound. Uncontrolled, but really, really violent. My former band, Hell Within, our first record is a good example of this. I started developing some nodes on tour because I think I was doing something mechanically wrong. I began talking to Melissa Cross about doing some maintenance exercises. I had taken vocal lessons in the past, but none of my teachers ever touched on screaming. They basically hated that I had to do it. Melissa helped me very much, she’s amazing. When I had some throat issues during the Requiem sessions, I called her on the phone and she told me a couple things to try and it worked like magic. I’m really proud of the tone I got on this album. It’s the vocal tone that I had always envisioned in my head as the perfect screaming tone. Controlled, but fucking brutal. I forgot Jason Suecof. Huge influence on me. He taught me so much. How to construct hooks in different ways and experimenting with different vocal harmonies. Everyone seems to always use thirds or octaves. Jason showed me some really creepy ones. He’s great man. Mark Lewis is a underrated vocal guy. Everyone associates Mark with guitars, but he’s come into his own. I thought we crafted some amazing chorus’ together on Requiem. The chorus in “Narcosis” has so much going on…we had never really heard a chorus like that before, with so much call and response. Mark rules. Present day influences? There aren’t many. Most metal vocalists are shit now. Especially the ones who just scream. If your going to exclusively scream, you better be damn good. Unfortunately that’s not the case. Randy Blythe is good. I like Keith from Every Time I Die. There are some good ones.



Rocket: Let’s talk about the new self-titled The Autumn Offering CD set to be released Aug 31st.
Where was it recorded and who produced it?

Matt: Well, drums, rhythm guitars and bass were recorded in Arizona. Leads were done in Cleveland and in North Carolina. I tracked my vocals in Mass. We’ve got to the point as a band, having so much studio hours logged,that we can record anywhere. Having friends with studios helps. One guy may not have the pre amp you like, or you may like the studio but hate the drum room. It helps to move around. We produced the album ourselves. Pete Rutcho mixed and mastered it, and he did a fantastic job. It was our first record away from Audiohammer studios. We wanted to try something different.

Rocket: How does the songwriting process generally work for your band?

Matt: Well, Tommy or Jesse will send me a demo and I’ll start writing vocals over it. I’ll tell them what to change, be it a drum, guitar riff, something like that. Make a chorus longer or shorter. When we finally record them, they always change. For the better, usually. Our personalities are too strong to write together in room. Plus we all hate that. I don’t want people around when I’m writing vocals, baring my soul. That’s my time. They feel the same about their parts. When we come together in the studio that changes. We craft the final versions of the songs together, except for the vocals. I do those alone usually. It’s not because I don’t want them there. It’s usually because their parts are done and they have flown home. Or, if they are still at the studio their out at a bar chasing ass or something. If I was in their shoes I’d rather talk to broads and get drunk then watch me scream my brains out. They trust me. They don’t need to be there. If they have a real problem with something I did then I’ll change it. Unless I really feel strongly about it.

Rocket: What’s your favorite The Autumn Offering song to perform live and why?

Matt: Right now it’s ‘Fear Will Cast No Shadow’. That’s gonna change because we haven’t played the new songs live. The new material is so fucking heavy its gonna be a blast. I can tell you my least favorite song is “Embrace The Gutter”. I know fans like it, but it’s before my time. I think its too happy and the lyrics are cheesy as fuck. Maybe that’s why people like it, I don’t know.

Rocket: Does The Autumn Offering have a fan club or street team that people can join if they want?

Matt: There’s a Victory Records street team. They go to shows and pass out fliers, CD samplers and shit. We’ve been lazy with our online presence but that will change. I’d like to set up a street team. I’ll tell you though, we are way cooler to the fans then most bands. We hang out, bring them on the bus, sign whatever, buy them beers. We’re not too cool, you know? Some metal bands think they are fucking rock stars. Let me tell you, there are no rock stars in metal. Metal is a pimple on the ass of the music industry. It doesn’t sell shit, and none of us have any money. Kids see the tour buses and things like that but it’s an illusion. Everyone is broke. These record labels are snake ass motherfuckers and they fuck you left and right. The rock stars are the rappers, sadly.

Rocket: I like to have fun with this next one. What’s the funniest thing that’s ever happened to you while
performing live on stage?



Matt: One time I was headbanging, in Detroit I think, and I drove my forehead into my knee. I knocked myself out. It was only about 5 seconds but it felt like a fucking eternity. I came to, on my back. For a second I had no idea where I was. I used to box, and I’ve been flattened before, so I knew not to get right up. If you do that boy, you are on fucking queer street. You’ll do a chicken dance and fall right back down. So, I laid on my back and kept singing. For a about 20 seconds. Then I got right back up, feeling like a damn jerk off. Another time I took acid and went onstage. Frying. It was hysterical.

Rocket: Who are some of the local un-signed metal acts on your scene that you think are worth
mentioning right now?

Matt: I feel bad saying this, but I never watch the locals anymore. I should. I really should. I did, the first 7 years of this. To be honest, I barely watch any of the bands I tour with. Except for a few nights, if I like them. They don’t need my approval. I dont even go to shows, unless it’s a friend of mine that’s in town. I went and saw Unearth a couple months ago and they killed it. Fear Factory, I went and saw them and they rocked. Locals….hmmm…I’m gonna make it a point on this next run to check some out. I don’t wanna be ‘that guy’. Even if I don’t watch them I always hang out with them, and lie and say I did watch them hahahahaha.

Rocket: What are some of the upcoming shows for The Autumn Offering that fans need to watch out for?

Matt: Hmmmm…all of them. No one show is more important. It doesn’t matter if we’re playing with Metallica or Corpsefucker from Akron Ohio. We give it 100 percent. Unless we’re too hammered. I don’t have anything to prove to anyone anymore. I give it my all for the fans.

Rocket: Where do you see yourself in ten years from now?

Matt: Dead. I’m clean now, but god, all the shit I’ve done. I’m worried. I’ve literally had doctors tell me to slow down or start penning my will. That’s nothing to be proud of, by the way. It’s fucking stupid. Have your drinks, but stay away from the hard drugs. They will only bring you to hell. Like I said, I’m clean and sober but the bill is in the mail.

Rocket: Thanks for rocking this out with me. Best of luck with it all! Go ahead and give a shout-out to your
biggest supporters.

Matt: Thank you, man. Uh….what up, methadone clinic!!!

http://www.myspace.com/theautumnoffering

ROCKET Interviews Brian Werner of INFERNAEON

Florida’s INFERNAEON offers a brutal mix of death metal with a European edge, first having stormed onto the metal scene with their 2007 debut effort entitled A Symphony Of Suffering. The act has now completed their second full length which is slated to be released later this summer via Prosthetic records. The group recorded at Erik Rutan’s infamous Mana Recording (GOATWHORE, CANNIBAL CORPSE) in St. Petersburg, Florida with producer Brian Elliott.

The Metal Den’s Randy “Rocket” Cody has conducted an exclusive interview with vocalist Brian Werner of INFERNAEON for his loyal worldwide Den Headz.




Rocket: Where were you born and raised?

Brian: I was born in Chicago and lived there most of my life from childhood and on and off through most of the yeas that was always kind of a central point. I lived in Wisconsin for a while and went high school there for a min till I got said fuck this place freshman year and went back to Chicago until because I was minor I was forced to go to a different school that lasted about 3 weeks finally they just gave up haha. I love Chicago that is one of the coolest cities on earth dude I’ve been all over the place and I’ll always call that city home. It’s a better new York in my opinion just as cool, better baseball team (White Sox, Fuck the Cubs!! Real men wear black!!!), and plus Chicago actually has real pizza instead of that crap they call pizza in NY hahaha sorry I’m just stating the facts, NY pizza tastes like cardboard and sauce.

Rocket: Do you come from a big family?

Brian: Not at all. I never met my father due to certain circumstances surrounding the conception of my birth. I knew my mom then i got adopted by her new husband and they had 2 daughters (one of which “Becky” died in 2004 at 20 years old from menengitis). I had a really shitty family life I lived on my own as a homeless teenager since the time I was 15 till 19 living under bridges and friends couches, band rehersal sheds always helped. But hey shit happens I’m not fucking emo about I’m glad I had it that way I never had shit handed to me, I had to fight, claw, and kill to get where I’m at in life and it’s all a matter of strengh and perseverence. I see it as natural selection in it’s purest form and I was the one who was smart enough and fast enough to survive and it made me and even stronger adult.




Rocket: What bands initially drew you to heavy metal music?

Brian: Megadeth, GWAR and Anthrax were definitely the first initial 3 when i was in 4th grade I remember I was the little kid and my best friend was the fat kid and he was into metal and his brother played in a death metal band that was around 1990 I was about 9 or 10 years old. After that in like 1991 1992 it was all Pantera’a Vulgar came out Sepultura and Obituary. After that in middle school we were hard into Fear Factory right after Demanufatcture came out and Machine Head’s Burn My Eyes for sure and of course Slayer I mean fuck I remember when Divine Intervention came out and that shit changed my life. Through high school years it was all Cannibal, Morbid, Deicidelater on like 17 or 18 when all these fucking little scene kids were into their gay ass rap rock and acting like fucking KORN-FLAKES Iwas listening to Dimmu, Skinless, Dying Fetus, King Diamond..a lot of King Diamond. Then everyone jumped on the shit nu metal band wagon and I was still listening to King Diamond and Mercyful Fate through the early 2000′s then here we are a few years ago and now all these same “scene” type kids are into realy metal now the same motherfuckers you know in the mid 90′s would have been little rap rock fags that we hated then but now it’s cool to be metal and it’s the “in” thing and it’s fucking insulting. All these people talk about are “fuck the trends” and “this is who I am” the same stupid bullshit the said when they were listening to Nirvana then 6 years later they were saying the same thing when they were listening to KORN and always talk this shit but yet they follow EVERY FUCKING TREND THAT COMES ALONG!!!

Rocket: When did you first start singing?

Brian: I started around 15 or 16 doing death metal right out the gate, then it evolved to more mid ranged thrash stuff. Then when I was 19 I started singing for this band in Milwaukee called Autism that was really cool I had fun with that really gave me a chance to refine my voice early on. keith Devito from Pyrexia and Catastrophic was a major help and influence I always loved his work on Hatred, Anger and Disgust and System of the Animal was a huge influence. I was lucky enough to meet him early in my career before I was really set in my ways as far as how I sing and he mentored me alot and taught me more correct ways of singing this genre which has defined my entire way of singing now as a professional.

Rocket: Who are your biggest vocal influences?

Brian: Well, like I said in the last question about Keith being a HUGE influence but that is also a 2 part question because as a singer there is also lyrical content and influence and in that department I’d have to say King Diamond through and through. He really enlightened me to how this music IS spiritual and release certain emotions that can only be described through music because to try and describe certain emotions this music portrays using only spoken work would require you to swallow your own tounge, but the lyrics can enhance the rest of the music to play of the landscape that the music creates.

Rocket: Do you recall your first rock concert?

Brian: Not really, I was really really drunk!! I was 14. I remember it was Napalm Death it was my first introduction to Jagermeister and the rest of the night was pretty much a major blur.



Rocket: INFERNAEON is signed to Prosthetic records. How is that relationship working
out so far?

Brian: Amazing!! We love being on Prosthetic — it’s kind of like a badge on honor they don’t sign just anybody. They may not be the biggest label out there but in my opinion they are one of the most respectable ones out there. They aren’t a label that just signs a bunch of shitty bands because it’s the cool new thing. They sign talent, we have some amazing bands on this labels from all different backgrounds. We sound nothing like Kylesea or All That Remains, Funeral Pyre isnt anything like Lamb of God or Acatia Strain and NO ONE even comes close to sounding like Gojira! Everyone at the label works very close with their bands and helps out in any way possible but I respect the fact that they are a very DIY label. Makes the bands work harder for it which makes you appreciate it that much more when you achieve it! The best things in life take work and assholes that get shit handed to them tend to be the ones that dont appreciate what they have, so it’s nice to work with a label that pushes you to do things for yourself, it makes you very self reliant which in my opinion is the best way to be in this business, if you dont do it for yourself no one is going to do it for you.

Rocket: Your band has a new album that you are making. Who’s producing it, where was it
recorded and when will it hit the streets?

Brian: We initially hired James Murphy as most of you know to produce the entire album, however it became evidently clear that continuing to work with him was not going to a positive experience but also a professional one without getting into specifics, we finished recording drums with him and then took to rest of the project over to Brian Elliot at Mna studios which was the best decision the band could have made!! Recording at Mana was fucking amazing and totally pro and Brian knew EXACTLY what we were trying to accomplish and devoted 110% of his effort into it and we are blown away with how well this turned out, it definitely exceeded our own expectations!!

Rocket: Who are some of the bigger metal bands out there that you’d like to see INFERNAEON share the
stage with one day?

Brian: GWAR for sure is always going to be a dream come true there were one of the first metal bands I ever heard in my life that turned me on to this life at a very very early age. King Diamond or Mercyful Fate would be so huge we would all sell our souls 9as if we havnt already lol) to go on tour with King, I could kill myself after that tour and die with a HUGE fucking smile on my face. Danzig or Candlemass we would all die to tour with, for myself I’d have to say Hypocrisy or Slayer as well.

Rocket: I like to have fun with this next one. What’s the funniest thing that’s ever happened to
you while performing on the stage?

Brian: Either tripping my balls off on mushrooms in Portland and stopping the whole show in between songs so I could take Bibles that i stole from the hotel and tape them to my drummers feet in front of the crowd to see how fast he could play double bass with Bibles taped to his feet!!!! Ahh I love Portland I have yet to ever play in Portland NOT on mushrooms!! I love that city! Lol or the other time I could think of LMAO was on another tour we played in Portland on the Pyrexia tour and me our keyboard player and guitar player ALL took a bunch of mushrooms before we played! Brian broke a string 10 sec into the first song and was tripping so hard he couldnt find his back up guitar and while I’m singing was asking me for the van jeys to get his back up out of the trailer but he was so fucked up he wasnt making any sense and he pissed me off so I saw the keys off to the side of the stage and made his ass look for them in the dark tripping his balls off lmao

Rocket: What are some of the important upcoming shows for your band?

Brian: We have some major fucking tour news coming out very soon but I’m not at liberty to discuss at the moment but we intend to be very active very very soon. We should be all over North America this fall and winter then hopefully we’ll get over to Europe for this album too. we really plan on almost not coming home for almost a year and just hit the road hard as fuck for the next 12 months then get right back into the studio by fall of next year for a follow up album and just crank out as much shit as possible before 2012 lol.

Rocket: Where do you see yourself in ten years from now?

Brian: Either in a shallow self dug grave because I can’t take fucking people and their bullshit anymore or fat dumb, stoned and happy in front of my Xbox we’ll see.

Rocket: Thanks very much for rocking this out with me. Best of luck with your music. Go ahead
and give special thanks to any of your friends, family and supporters.

Brian: Dave Brockie and GWAR, King Diamond, Our manager Eddie and Red Rocket, all of our sponosrs ESP Guitars, D Drum, Vic Firth, DB Drum Shoes, Obascenitease Clothing, Erick Rutan and Brian Elliot at mana studios, a nice healthy Fuck You to James Murphy, Mike Poggione, David Vincent, Laura Mayhem, Pia and Fetus Productions, luke Leonard, Victoria Kirchner, Crystal Brackett, and a big thank you to statute of limitations!

http://www.myspace.com/infernaeonoracleofarmageddon

ROCKET Interviews Drummer Bevan Davies

Bevan Davies is a heavy metal veteran, having played drums for DANZIG, STATIC-X, JERRY CANTRELL, BLOODSIMPLE and THE MERCY CLINIC. He performed the drumming for Danzig’s 2004 “Circle of Snakes” on rockers like “SkinCarver” and “1000 Devils Reign”, and is currently working on a new band with former BLOODSIMPLE bassist, Kyle Sanders, former TORCHE guitarist Juan Montoya and SUNDAY DRIVER singer Charlie Suarez entitled MONSTRO. Davies – considered one of the most technical drummers going, doesn’t seem to be slowing down at all, and before it’s all over, will have left quite a mark on the music world.

The Metal Den’s Randy “Rocket” Cody has conducted an exclusive interview with drummer Bevan Davies for his loyal worldwide Den Headz.



Rocket: Where were you born and raised?

Bevan: I was born and raised in Fayetteville, NC. It’s home of Fort Bragg and former home of Pope Air Force Base.

Rocket: Do you come from a big family?

Bevan: Yes I do come from a big family. I’m the youngest of 5 kids, 4 boys and 1 girl.

Rocket: When did you first start playing drums?

Bevan: I got my first drumsticks when I was around 8. I didn’t learn what to do with them until I was 12. I don’t consider myself a drummer prior to age 12. I thought I was going to grow up and race motocross.

Rocket: Do you remember the make of your first kit?

Bevan: My first toy drumkit came from Sears, but my first REAL kit was a Tama Swingstar. I wanted Pearl
drums, but the music store in Fayetteville sold Tama. I got them when I was 13 and I still have
them.



Rocket: Who are a few of your biggest drumming influences?

Bevan: My first influence was Peter Criss. He’s the reason I started. Today I include guys like Brian Downey, Ian Paice, Vinny Appice and Mikkey Dee among my favorites.

Rocket: What were some of the very first cover songs you mastered playing?

Bevan: The very first song I ever covered was “Breaking The Law” by Judas Priest. Then came songs like
“Rock n Roll All Nite”, “Rock You Like A Hurricane”, “Destroyer” by The Kinks, “Ain’t Talkin’ Bout
Love” and “Cocaine” by Eric Clapton.

Rocket: Did you ever take any formal drumming lessons?



Bevan: Lessons yes. I played in school band from 7th grade thru 12th, including marching band and jazz
band. During high school I also took private lessons from Jay Bolder who was band director at
South View High School in Fayetteville.

Rocket: Do you recall your first rock concert?

Bevan: The first concert I ever attended was ZZ Top in 1983. They were supporting their huge Eliminator
album. Sammy Hagar was the opening act and he had just released Three Lock Box. I was blown
away at the volume and how cool the drums sounded. I remember thinking Sammy sounded way
more heavy metal in concert than he did on the radio.



Rocket: Can you please give us the specs on your drum kit?

Bevan: I currently utilize 3 different drumkits. They are each slightly different for the different bands I use
them with. They are all (finally) Pearl kits. I have a Custom Z kit I use with my band MonstrO,
a Reference kit I use with Dirty Pollyanna, and a Masters Custom kit I use with Comes With The
Fall. The Custom Z kit has 2 22″ bass drums. The toms are 12″, 13″, 14″, floor toms are 16″, & 18″.
I have the Custom Z 6 1/2″ X 14″ snare with that kit. The Reference kit has a 24″ bass drum, 13″ tom, 16″ & 18″ floor toms, 20″ gong bass drum, 6 1/2″X 14″ Reference snare and a 12″ Firecracker snare. The Masters Custom kit has a 24″ bass drum, 12″ tom, 16″ & 18″ floor toms. I switch between a 14″ Maple Free-Floating snare and an Ian Paice Signature snare on that kit.

Rocket: You’ve played with a lot of killer bands over the years. What band are you playing for currently?



Bevan: Currently, I have 2 bands I am working with full-time. They are MonstrO and Dirty Pollyanna.
I do still have Comes With The Fall, which is a high priority, but much less active while our
vocalist/guitarist William DuVall is busy with Alice In Chains.

Rocket: How was it getting to work with the legendary Danzig?

Bevan: The Danzig experience was cool. Unfortunately I was in the band during a time when Glenn
wasn’t doing a lot of U.S. touring. Most of the shows I did were in countries like Chile, Spain,
Germany, Sweden and Norway. I’m happy that I do appear on the Circle Of Snakes album.
The greatest memory of the whole experience was getting to do the first Glenn/Doyle reunion
shows. Those shows were insane and Doyle is the coolest guy ever.

Rocket: What is your favorite song (cover or original) to play live and why?

Bevan: Favorite songs to play live? That’s tough, because I’ve played with so many different artists.
While touring with Jerry Cantrell I always looked forward to playing “Would?” With Danzig it was
probably “She Rides”. The chicks would always go nuts when we played that. With Bloodsimple,
I looked forward to every bit of it because it was all so intense, especially Red Harvest.
These days, with MonstrO I love playing “Anchors Up”. Dirty Pollyanna is ALL fun.

Rocket: I like to have fun with this next one. What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s
ever happened to you while performing on the stage?

Bevan: Most embarrassing moment onstage? That’s easy. I was playing a graduation party in front of all
my classmates and I did one of my 10 minute drum solos. Since we were playing in someone’s
backyard, there was no real stage. My drums were set up on a piece of plywood and the 2 rear
legs of my throne were actually off the wood and on the ground sinking into the dirt. I was standing
up finishing my rock star solo and when I flopped back down on the last note, the throne over-
turned and dumped me on the ground. I was really embarrassed, but I blamed it on the punch.

Rocket: With all the great metal albums released in 2010 so far, what are some of your favorites?

Bevan: My favorite release so far this year is Ratt’s Infestation. It rules, and anyone who ever liked that
band needs to pick up a copy. I’m also pleasantly surprised with Ozzy’s new record.

Rocket: What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to a kid starting out on their first drum kit and looking
to embark on the rock n roll dream?

Bevan: The first piece of advice would be learn to read sheet music and don’t limit yourself to just drums.
Take some guitar lessons and vocal lessons. You have to equip yourself to be able to jump into
any musical situation. The most valuable people get the gigs.

Rocket: Where do you see yourself in ten years?

Bevan: In 10 years I see having added a few more albums to the Comes With The Fall catalog. I see
Dirty Pollyanna still creating popular music, and I see MonstrO touring in front of legions of
die-hard rock fans. Thanks!

http://www.myspace.com/bevandavies

ROCKET Interviews DELIVER US FROM EVIL’s Alex Morgan

Evansville, Indiana (USA) metal band DELIVER US FROM EVIL have been one of underground metal’s ‘best kept secrets’ over the past several years. They are as brutal as LAMB OF GOD and as precision-perfect with their musical execution as a surgeon is with his knife. The band still remains unsigned, but that should all be changing soon. With a fiercely dedicated drummer leading the band into battle, through the harrowing landmines of the music biz, they are a band that seems to to be in this for the long haul… no matter how popular they get.

The Metal Den’s Randy “Rocket” Cody has conducted an exclusive interview with DELIVER US FROM EVIL drummer Alex Morgan for his loyal worldwide Den Headz.



Rocket: How has 2010 been treating you so far?

Alex: Very productive and promising. A lot of things that we’ve been working toward for the last 4 or 5 years have come to fruition just recently. It’s been refreshing… but really stressful at the same time… but it’s been awesome that everyone involved have really stepped up to the plate and gotten the work done. And the work is something that all involved have been proud of so far. Most if it is all DIY, and I don’t think that we/I could be happier with all of it. Still have a few more steps to complete the vision of the band, but it’s nice to see an end to the tunnel of the “beginning or developmental” phases of things.

Rocket: DELIVER US FROM EVIL just released a rocking video for “Only Ashes Remain”. I love it!
Totally brutal and very well done. Who directed it and did you guys have a good time making it?



Alex: It was directed by Mitch Massie (http://www.youtube.com/maddogmtch), located here in Evansville Indiana. As far as we’re concerned, he does an amazing job. Yeah man, it was a blast! For us, it took about 2 twelve hour days of shooting. But I know there was at least 4 days of shooting involved to get everything we needed. Plus we had around 10 extras. They were amazing. They destroyed themselves for 12 hours one day, and were totally into it. It’s because of them this video turned out so awesome. We have a documentary on the making of the vid. You can find everything on the bands youtube page @
www.youtube.com/playtillibleed, and the new official youtube page at www.youtube.com/dufemetal.

Rocket: I understand your band has completed a new EP, correct? What can you tell us about that?

Alex: Yeah, dude. We recorded an EP at AUDIOHAMMER STUDIOS with MARK LEWIS. Which was an AWESOME experience. We also stopped in ATL for three days to hang out with my homie EYAL LEVI from DÅÅTH and do some pre-pro. We learned ALOT about writing songs and working in a real studio and how fast things can really go. It was great. On the song STILL I RISE, we went in with only three riffs, and wrote that song in the studio. Love playing that one. DEATH MORTAR is the song that people seem to be reacting to the most to. I think it’s because its more mid-tempo than most of our songs, and normal people tend to be able to move to that region of speed. Then you’ve got Walk Into My Grave..….guitar fucking hero.
We also just re-did our myspace layout with the new songs and with the artwork of RAVEN EBNER. Find some of her work here. www.corviid.deviantart.com. She is amazing. The artwork on the page is an oil painting she did for us. Totally rules. The layout was done by Simon Bondar at www.imperial-industries.com
You can find the myspace page at www.myspace.com/deliverusfromevil.



Rocket: You guys played a bunch of shows in 2009. Which one stood out the most?

Alex: I think opening for the Black Dahlia Murder, UNEARTH, and playing WOE OF TYRANTS record release party in their hometown of Chilicothe ohio were the best shows for us in 09. Great responsive and supportive crowds. Not that our normal crowds aren’t the shit, its just a different sense of energy when the crowd is 300+ and every band on the bill kicks ass. We played a lot of killer hometown shows too. We were really busy writing in 2009 too.. and communicating with the “right” people finally. We just opened for DROWNING POOL recently as well, and played to almost 900 people. We also opened for SKINDRED which I found out totally kills it live. Benji’s a hell of a frontman. I did a shoot with them after the show… we drank a bottle of Jager and had a blast. About 6 months later, the club we were at burned down. Bummer.

Rocket: What current equipment endorsements does the band have right now?

Alex: I’m endorsed by TRICK DRUMS (www.trickdrums.com) and the rest of the band endorses Kramer and Epiphone guitars and basses, and SHURE mics. John just got picked up by Kramer guitars. He’s stoked on that Nite – V that they have. The rep came out to a show in Nashville and just gave him a fuckin guitar! Sweet! He’ll be getting one more as a backup. I’m glad he’s getting the recognition he deserves for his playing. No one can say he doesn’t deserve it. And I endorse TACO TIERRA and KILLER SKATEPARK and HAMMERHEADS BAR and THE DUCK INN… in Evansville. And my guitar player John and SINGER Brent endorse RICKS SPORTSBAR.

Rocket: Killer. What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about DELIVER US FROM EVIL?



Alex: Well, for one, people tend to think that we are a christian band because of the imagery and name of the band. Really, that’s like thinking that the movie LEGION is a christian movie because it’s about angels. What it boils down to, is that the statement of the imagery and music relays the message of keeping ourselves in check. There are a lot of distractions in this world that can become addictive and really screw people up, and take them off of their chosen path. When we first started, we were told that we wouldn’t be successful playing metal and original songs, and that we wouldn’t get the gigs that we wanted locally, and all sorts of other negative things due to the fact that we live in such a conservative area. But 5 years later, we’ve stuck to our guns and produced the best material we possibly could, and have had first dibs on many of the local and regional shows featuring national acts, and played to huge crowds in our region and hometown. So really the name and message stands for keeping our heads straight, and following the path that WE have chosen for ourselves… while destroying all distractions and obstacles in our way.

Rocket: In a perfect world, what three big name metal bands would you love to share
the stage with at this point?

Alex: We’d like to tour with GOJIRA, DÅÅTH, or THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER… and CANNIBAL CORPSE.
We’ve shared the stage with a bunch of bands. That’s cool and all, but we’re ready to tour with this shit.

Rocket: What was your favorite heavy metal album of 2009?

Alex: DÅÅTH the Concealers

Rocket: What about in 2010? Have you been into anything that’s been released so far? Did you
listen to the new Fear Factory?

Alex: Yeah, that drumming is sick. I’ve always dug Hoglan’s work. Very Fast and smooth changes. Fear Factory and Morbid angel were the first time I heard drums played like that, and it made me want to play like the way I do now, so I hold a special place in my heart for Fear Factory and Raymond H. Plus, DINO is back!
I’m also looking forward to GOJIRA and DÅÅTH’s next releases. The highly respect the two drummers in those bands, and am lucky enough to know them both personally… and, we were in the studio the same time as Whitechapel, and I’ve heard most of that record… and it’s gonna be good.

Rocket: You also have been getting some killer work as a rock photographer, working with some big names on that end. Who are some of the bands you’ve worked with so far?

Alex: I’ve been lucky enough to do a lot of work with GOJIRA and DÅÅTH. I shot Gojira’s first show with Metallica in ARRAS france. An amazing experience. I’ve probably gotten about 15 shots of GOJIRA published, got shots in their music book for “THE WAY OF ALL FLESH” and did the shot on their myspace page. I also took all the shots in the booklet for DÅÅTH the Concealers, which are two of my favorite two recent records. I also got to fly to Tampa and do a promo shoot and chase armadillos with CANNIBAL CORPSE. Which was awesome. I had just did about 7 dates with GOJIRA in Dec. of 08 when they were on the IN FLAMES tour. After St. Louis, Gojira and I went Bowling and I forgot my license at the bowling alley…..unknowingly, and when my friends dropped me off at the airport at 4 AM… I opened my wallet and saw that it was missing. My flight took off at 6AM. Luckily I had my passport in my camera bag, and that is the ONLY reason I could get on that plane without my license. WHEW! When I landed in Tampa, Pat O’ Brien from Cannibal picked me up and took me to the state park where we did the shoot. Afterwards, Alex Webster took me to their practice space where we did some endorsement stuff. It was a good time for sure. Then I flew to LA, hung out with EYAL for a few days there, and then flew to Phoenix Arizona where I hung out with Eyal and Kevin Talley and worked for a few bands out there… Dylan Rowe and Split the Enemy. I flew home for two days, did christmas with the am, and flew to Orlando on Dec 26th where I shot the singer from DÅÅTH’s wedding. I flew 8 times that month, and was in 11 different states. It was INSANE. I stayed with DÅÅTH and did a 5 day shoot in Sept of 08. I shot the portraits in THE CONCEALERS album and several of their promo shots floating around out there. And I also did most of the photos on KEVIN TALLEY’s website at www.drummerkevintalley.com at that shoot as well. I did three dates with Gojira on their most recent Metallica tour. I got some great live shots of Lamb of God, Metallica, Slayer, Manson, Chimaira, Devildriver, Lamb of God, A7X, Behemoth, Cannibal Corpse and MANY others on my website. ALEX MORGAN IMAGING.com (www.alexmorganimaging.com)

Rocket: What are some of the upcoming gigs for DELIVER US FROM EVIL that we
need to watch out for?

Alex: We just played out most of our big shows this year. We are now releasing our newest EP “STILL I RISE” on JULY 2nd and 3rd at our release show at the DUCK INN here in Evansville Indiana. Then going back in and finishing our second full length album. After that, we are going to figure out how and who we will record with, and we will be going for the “RECORD DEAL” on this one and totally want to start touring with this shit. Time to step it up and do it for real.

Rocket: Anything I forgot to mention that you want to cover here, brother?

Alex: We will be shooting another video this summer for the single off the new EP STILL I RISE….which will be with the same dude who did ASHES and it will be a sequel type of thing, so keep your eyes and ears open for that. And of course… finishing the second full length.

Rocket: Thanks for rocking this out with me. Best of luck with your music. Go ahead and give special thanks to any of your friends, family and supporters.

Alex: I just want to thank the following people:

First of all, our families and our women for all the support and always being there and being patient, Eyal Levi and the rest of DÅÅTH, Mark Lewis, Brenden at Metal Armada, Jon Munnier and Ryan Key for the pre-pro sessions, Simon Bondar, Raven Ebner, Richard Gamba, Joe and everyone with GOJIRA, Emma Salzard, Mitch Massie and all of our extras in our video, David Coomer, Mark Truxal, LES AND BILLY for making our lives a thousand times easier, Nick Unfried, Aaron Schenck, Everyone at the DUCK INN, Zak Grimes and Kelo at Woody’s, Joes records, Sandman and Chelsea at 103 GBF, Our homies at Coconuts records, Bonnie @ Dungeon Promotions, Dan Titzer, Everyone who has covered Brent and Johns shifts at RICKS SPORTSBAR so they could play shows, and RICK for being cool with John and Brent being in the Band, Chip for letting Jeff of work when we need to play, John Turner and Scott Henze for playing our shit when they come out to fight, Tony Trip for tattooing our logo on his leg, Heath McKinnley – Mitch Ellis – and Greg McGee for the photos, Rhonda Taylor Gassman, anyone who has told anyone about the band or likes our music or has shown our music to other people, Derondi Thomas Jackson for the promotion in Japan, Matt Easterling for the hookup in Seattle, all the bands and people that have paid me to photograph them so far, and of course Rocket here at the Metal Den. Sorry if I forgot someone here or misspelled your name. It’s hard to remember everything!

http://www.myspace.com/deliverusfromevil

ROCKET Interviews IN THIS MOMENT Guitarist Chris Howorth

American melodic metal act IN THIS MOMENT was founded in 2005 by vocalist Maria Brink and guitarist Chris Howorth. Once their full lineup was in place with bassist Jesse Landry, Blake Bunzel on guitar
and drummer Jeff Fabb, they next released their debut album Beautiful Tragedy on March 20, 2007. The smash success of the record landed ITM on several high profile tours, including The Hottest Chicks in Metal Tour 2007 with LACUNA COIL and OZZFEST in the summers of 2007 and 2008, along with support stints for MEGADETH and ROB ZOMBIE. Managed by OZZY’s bassist Blasko, ITM has undoubtedly established themselves as one of the hottest new heavy music acts on the planet.

The band is now set to release the highly anticipated follow-up to their debut entitled A Star-Crossed Wasteland, which is slated to hit the U.S on July 13, 2010 via Century Media. The album has been named by Alternative Press as one of the most anticipated releases of 2010.

The Metal Den’s Randy “Rocket” Cody has conducted an exclusive interview with IN THIS MOMENT guitarist Chris Howorth for his loyal worldwide Den Headz.




Rocket: Where were you born and raised?

Chris: Topeka, Kansas, the heartland!

Rocket: Do you come from a big family?

Chris: No, not really, it was just me and my sis and mom and dad growing up, but I have a very supportive family.

Rocket: What bands first drew you to heavy metal music?

Chris: Well, definitely Kiss, and all that 80′s metal and thrash are what got me up and playing air guitar in the mirror, bands like Ozzy, Metallica, Ratt and Motley Crue.

Rocket: Do you recall your first heavy metal concert?

Chris: Hell yes I do, it was Kiss and King Cobra in Salina, Kansas, my parents took me, we were all blown away by the Kiss show, even my parents couldn’t deny that it was a very entertaining show.



Rocket: When exactly did you first start playing the guitar?

Chris: I think when I was 14 or 15 I decided “I want to be in a band and I am playing guitar”.

Rocket: Did you ever take any formal lessons?

Chris: Yes, I went to the local guitar shops in Topeka KS and tried learning theory and all that jazz from the guys that worked there, but eventually found a local guy who could teach me stuff I wanted to learn, like a specific riff or solo from a song I liked. I had a natural talent for learning by ear so once I learned power chords I was off and running.




Rocket: Let’s talk about the new IN THIS MOMENT album, A Star-Crossed Wasteland. What can you tell us about the new material?

Chris: We are super excited for the new CD to come out.We went in a much heavier direction on this album. We feel it’s our defining album. Just the right mix of aggression and melody.

Rocket: Who produced it and where was it recorded?



Chris: It was produced by Kevin Churko (Ozzy Osbourne, Five Finger Death Punch) and recorded at his home studio in Las Vegas, Nevada. We recorded our last album with him too. He is a great producer and a great guy. We are really happy with how it all turned out.

Rocket: How exactly does the songwriting process work for ITM?

Chris: Well, we are a bi-coastal band so it involves a lot of demos getting sent back and forth. I wrote a bunch of songs and sent them to Maria and she and I fleshed out the initial arrangements and then once we got into the studio we took each song apart and reassembled them with Kevin’s help then everyone adds their own magic to the tracks and it becomes In This Moment.

Rocket: What kind of guitars are you currently using in the studio?

Chris – I am endorsed by Schecter guitars, but in the studio we use anything and everything, I did actually track most of the rhythm guitars on my Schecter Hellraiser, but we used a Les Paul, a Fender Strat, and some other assorted guitars for the album as a whole.

Rocket: What kind of amp rigs?

Chris: I am endorsed by Krank Amps, and I love them, but for the album we are open to trying anything, and we basically get a few different amps and amp combo’s going and then pick what sounds best. We used one of the new EVH heads mixed with a dual rectifier for the album.

Rocket: ITM will be playing this year’s Rockstar Mayhem Tour on the Mayhem Festival Stage starting July 10. Who are some of the bands you’ll be excited to checkout?



Chris: I am excited to see Lamb of God and Rob Zombie, and I am just excited to meet new people and hang out for a couple of months!

Rocket: Your band’s manager is actually Ozzy’s bassist, Rob “Blasko” Nicholson. How has that relationship been working out so far?

Chris: Blasko is like our sixth member, he has been guiding and helping us since we started, he always has our best interest at heart and doesn’t take shit from anyone. It’s been a very satisfying relationship so far.

Rocket: I like to have fun with this next one. What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you while performing live on stage?




Chris: Well it doesn’t seem funny at the time, but I have blown some key parts live, coming out on stage in an arena playing the wrong song and not realizing till halfway through… that’s pretty bad.

Rocket: With all the great metal albums released in 2010 so far, what are some of your favorites?

Chris: I am not really up on any other bands that have released stuff this year but the new Ozzy album is slamming and it comes out this month sometime!

Rocket: What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to a kid starting out with a guitar and
the Rock N Roll dream?

Chris: The best advice I can give is to believe in yourself, practice constantly, and never give up….that’s the biggest. Giving up is the quickest way to not achieve anything.

Rocket: Where do you see yourself in ten years from now, brother?

Chris: That’s really tough because I try to just live in the Moment, life is what happens while you are worrying about the future, I guess I see myself making music and feeling happy.

Rocket: Thanks very much for rocking out this interview. Best of luck with it your music. Go ahead and give a shout-out to your biggest supporters.

Chris: Thanks a lot for the interview, Rocket! Any ITM fans out there… come see us on Mayhem!

http://www.myspace.com/inthismoment

ROCKET Interviews Ex-FLATLINE Guitarist Randy Weitzel

Thirty-nine year old American guitarist Randy Weitzel recently departed extreme metal act FLATLINE only to begin self-producing his own THREE THIRTEEN project’s debut studio effort entitled Full Tilt, which is essentially a tribute of sorts to a musical era that helped shape him into one of underground metal’s most respected guitar players. Make no mistake: Weitzel is a child of the 70′s who – like so many from that era – was deeply affected by the rocking institutions of legendary bands like KISS, JUDAS PRIEST, and AC/DC. Despite his leaving FLATLINE, a highly touted underground metal act, Weitzel – not one to rest on his past laurels – is prepared to keep on rocking… no matter what the cost.

The Metal Den’s Randy “Rocket” Cody has conducted an exclusive interview with Randy Weitzel for his loyal worldwide Den Headz.





Rocket: Where were you born and raised?

Randy: I grew up in a small town about an hour from Pittsburgh. When I was a teenager our family moved to a really small town called Home, PA. If you want to know what that was like check out my favorite episode of The X-Files called Home. It’s an eerie, dark episode about genetic mutants. I met Chris Carter and Gillian Anderson last year and told them that I lived in Home. They said they’d never met anyone actually from there, but I seemed relatively normal compared to the characters. It was pretty cool.



Rocket: Do you come from a big family?

Randy: Nah, just me and my little sister Carmen.

Rocket: What bands first drew you to heavy metal music?

Randy: What some people might not realize is that when you are 8 years old and you’re staring at this demon guy with chains and wings, who breaths fire and spits blood and your uncle is crankin’ God of Thunder out of an 8 track player, it’s pretty fucking heavy! That’s how I was introduced to KISS. My uncle then told me that Gene Simmons had a cow’s tongue sewed to his face and that KISS stands for Knights in Satan’s Service! It scared the hell out of me, and I loved it! I STILL love it!



Rocket: Do you recall your first heavy metal concert?

Randy: Fast forward a few years and picture this… my best friend’s dad drops us off at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh and leaves. KISS is in town and it’s supposed to be the greatest night of my life. As we
approach the arena rumors start floating around that KISS blew out the power during sound check and that concert is cancelled! So we are 15 years old and stuck in the city for the next 6 hours. We ended up
hanging out with Carmine Appice from the opening band King Kobra! So despite the show being cancelled, it was pretty awesome. I got to see the rescheduled show, but it happened to be on the same night that
Ozzy and Metallica with Cliff (Burton) were in town. I got to see Eric Carr before he passed but never did get to see Cliff.

Rocket: That is intense. So who are some of your biggest guitar playing influences?

Randy: Definitely Space Ace. I also I got into Angus Young big time, and I loved James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett a lot too.

Rocket: When exactly did you first start playing the guitar?

Randy: In the mid-eighties. Maiden and Priest were at their peak and it was a great time for Metal. They all had amazing guitar players and that’s when I picked up the guitar and got serious.

Rocket: Did you ever take any formal lessons?

Randy: No. I jammed with friends who taught me what power chords were and how to pull-off and hammer-on. I would get some tabulature from Guitar Magazine, put on a cassette and just play along. It was cool when I started to put it all together because I could jam out to AC/DC tunes instead of playing fucking John Denver in some class.



Rocket: How many hours do you practice a day right now, brother?

Randy: The biggest complaint from my wife is that my guitar is always sitting on the couch or the chair, or the floor, or the bed, or in the bathroom! I don’t always have it plugged in but I’m constantly noodling on it. I don’t really practice scales for hours a day.

Rocket: Everyone knows you departed FLATLINE. What can you tell us about the musical projects you’re working on now?



Randy: The main album I’m working on right now is called 3/13 (Three Thirteen) FULL TILT!, and it’s a homage to 70′s-80′s rock bands that influenced me like KISS and AC/DC. All of the web promo and album art is also a nod to things that I loved as a kid like the STAR WARS, Topps Trading cards, Hot Rods and Pinball. I have 9 songs written and demoed and we’re about to go into the studio to record the drums.
Jimmy Shultz (Cerebellion) is doing all the drums and I’ll be doing all the lead vocals and guitars. We are recording 3/13 drums soon atClear Lake Audio in North Hollywood with engineer G Preston Boebel
(Whitesnake, Quiet Riot). I’ll have some special guest appearances too, like guitarist Chris Howorth (In This Moment) who’s helping me produce, Josh Newell (Yeti, Ketaset, ITM, Flatline) will lay some bass and members of Flatline including Travis Johnson and Hector Gonzalez. It’s basically a straight up rock album. 3/13 is packed full of lead fucking guitar playing and good vibes. If you are a bitter, hateful bastard then this album is not for you! I’m also doing an album with Travis (Johnson-Flatline) called American Massacre. The goal was to just put out a really cool thrasher record and jam with our friends. We don’t really have any expectations of where we want it to lead. We just want it to be a fun, healthy experience. We have about six songs demoed right now but are taking our time. The drummer Lonny Pallisas is doing stuff with his band Eminent, Josh Newell the bassist will be busy engineering the next Internaught record and I’ll be recording 3/13 album all summer. Travis is taking off to tour with In This Moment so we’ll pick it up later this year.



Rocket: Very cool. What kind of guitars are you currently using in the studio?

Randy: I’ve been jamming my Gibson Explorer for the 3/13 stuff. I think because there is no whammy bar on it like my Jackson Rhoads I tend to write more rock-type riffage with it. I also have a secret list of
fellow guitar players that I’m going to hit up for their Les Paul’s and SG’s!

Rocket: What kind of amp rigs?

Randy: Simple. I’m running a Marshall 800 and a Boss distortion petal.



Rocket: I like to have fun with this next one. What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you while performing live on stage?

Randy: When I was 19 I was playing live with a thrash band called Phantom Crew at IUP College in Indiana PA. We had a song called Roadkill, and when we played it someone threw a garbage bag onstage with a dead opossum in it. Everyone instantly went nuts, jumping up on stage and moshing. Campus security freaked out, turned the house lights on, killed the pa system and the cops came. We avoided jail (that time) and were banned from campus for life, but our cool factor went way up!

Rocket: With all the great metal albums released in 2010 so far, what are some of your favorites?

Randy: Rob Zombie’s Hellbilly Deluxe 2 rules. Exodus’ Exhibit B:The Human Condition is awesome, and I heard the new In This Moment album and it slays! It’s called Star Crossed Wasteland and comes out July 13th!



Rocket: So who are some of the other upcoming metal acts that you’ve seen on
the scene lately that impress you?

Randy: On the last tour Flatine did, we played with a band called Thy Will Be Done. Go see them!! They will rip your balls off.

Rocket: When can fans expect to see you out playing live shows again?

Randy: As soon as I get some of these projects done and ready. I’m busy too putting together Phantom Republic Music and Design, my recording and graphics company. I’ve been doing it on and off for years and right now I’m working out some bugs with some new gear recording 3/13 and American Massacre. Definitely soon.

Rocket: Thanks very much for rocking out this interview. Best of luck with it your music. Go ahead and give a shout-out to your biggest supporters.



Randy: Yeah, thanks everyone for the Facebook and Myspace support. Thanks Rocket, you rule, looks like you are taking over the metal world, bro! LONG LIVE DIO, LONG LIVE ROCK AND ROLL!

http://www.myspace.com/randyweitzel

Interview With ROCKET Of THE METAL DEN

Music journalist Randy “Rocket” Cody is an undisputed legend in the world of heavy metal. His band articles have surpassed one million page views worldwide, with 250,000 ‘views’ alone coming at metalunderground dot com – where starting in early 2006, over 100 Rocket interviews and reviews were published exclusively for a total of 13 months.

Metalunderground is the most viewed metal news site in the world today, recently taking in seven hundred and eighty three thousand global page views just in the month of May/2010! It is Rocket’s immense popularity as a writer that ultimately helped metalunderground dot com become the # 1 ranked heavy metal news site on earth.



Rocket departed metalunderground dot com in February of 2007. He next started up a site
for his original creation on MySpace called The Metal Den with partner Eddie Karam.



As creator of the only site that also promotes “unsigned” metal talent, Rocket’s ability to write about hot upcoming bands and then showcase them in the news that‘s tied to the top mainstream metal names in the world today, has served as a great mentorship for literally hundreds of upcoming musical acts around the globe. His work has helped these bands achieve a better image, sound and overall marketing strategy while in their pursuit to become a successful underground heavy metal music act that can go on to open for national acts and even one day strike a record deal.



Pantera/Down/Superjoint Ritual vocalist Phil Anselmo said it best:

“The pulse of heavy metal lies in the underground.”

If there were ever a crown awarded for supporting underground metal, it would surely be worn
by Rocket Of The Metal Den.

The Metal Den’s Hope Cody recently conducted an EXCLUSIVE interview
with Rocket of TMD for all the loyal Den Headz around the globe.



Hope: 2010 has been one helluva year for you and The Metal Den. How’s it going?

Rocket: Let’s just say that I’m feeling pretty damn frisky.

Hope: Haha! Congrats on your March interview with legendary PANTERA/DOWN vocalist Philip H. Anselmo. That’s got to feel real good… not to mention all the other great personalities in metal you’ve interviewed at TMD.

Rocket: Yes, the interview with Anselmo is definitely an honor. It’s more of an honor that DOWN also featured the interview on their band site too. Makes me get all kinds of warm and fuzzy inside!




Hope: You have definitely been on fire, Rocket. Let’s talk about the viewership at your official
site for The Metal Den.




Rocket: Well, for a site that is a complete outsider to begin with… and still does ZERO paid advertising, my site TMD racked up 100,000 page views this year between the months of March and April. We are pacing over half a million for the year.

Hope: That is simply incredible.

Rocket: My TMD site has been featured on over 100 rock news/radio sites all over the globe
in that time… names like Gibson.com, Artistdirect.com, USAToday online, to name a few.

Hope: You seem to have fun “unearthing’ a lot of all the cool old demos, film footage and recordings from
bands like Metallica, Ozzy, Kiss, Van Halen, Slayer, and so many others. Do you plan on doing more of that?

Rocket: I plan on doing whatever it takes to be an educator of the youth that are coming up and
trying to makes sense out of what exactly metal music is. You could call me the only heavy metal journalist/historian and promoter on the planet. When you’ve got so many screamo bands
still being labeled “Metal”… well, I’m here to help the kids understand what came before.

Hope: I understand many of the top labels now submit their news directly to your site… can
you tell me more about that?

Rocket: Sure. Many – if not all – of the top metal labels (including Metal Blade for one) have now
been regularly sending in their band press to be considered for publishing at my site TMD. It feels good.. but then again, I knew it was coming. With my worldwide fame at its height right now, every one and
their mother wants to work with me. I understand it though… and I appreciate it for sure. TMD
has taken 5 years of blood, sweat and tears to build to this point. Nothing was handed to me!

Hope: You just launched a new cool service for bands. It’s a band bio service, right?

Rocket: Yes, any metal band (unsigned or signed) can pay $100 for a nifty band bio written by me. I will throw in a cool quote for your MySpace page or other marketing materials for an extra $50. Basically,
there’s a shit ton of bands out there trying to make a name for themselves in a seriously over crowded worldwide arena. Point blank, a killer bio and/or quote from a famous journalist like me will help push you over the top.



Hope: You also just signed on as an official sponsor for Rock For Life’s The Undeground Music Fest going off July 9 and 19 in Pennsylvania. Tell us more.

Rocket: Yeah, I just hooked that up. Thanks to my bro Greg Bowman at Level Nine Entertainment for asking me and TMD to be part of it. They’ll be doing tons of advertising via Best Buy in that region too.. and the bill is gonna destroy those in attendance. Also, Rock for Life is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping children with cancer. So that makes me feel good to be part of something that’s helping others who are less fortunate.



Hope: Again, how did you initially start The Metal Den?

Rocket: After Dimebag was killed, I was in my rehearsal studio in early ‘05, snorting the dreaded meth and bleeding on my bass guitar. I had first picked the bass up when I was much younger at nineteen after having realized I couldn’t find satisfaction any longer from being a vocalist. Anyway, I had at this point been up for the last 18 days in a row of the past 20. No sleep. Just me, this pic of Dime up on the wall, and my serious problem with snorting that shit up my nose while jamming my bass guitar out of a big amp. I had this really strange thing happen to me. Call it what you will, a moment of ‘divine intervention’… but all the sudden I was drawn to this Guitar magazine on the ground flipped open to this old Dime interview… and his words in there about being let down by friends on drugs… it all just kind of punched me in the gut. Almost like he was talking to me. It even felt like Dime’s spirit was in that room with me.

Hope: Wow, that’s so inspirational.

Rocket: It made me straighten up for a second and think, you know what I “can” do something else good with my life… and my passion for metal music – instead of killing myself with drugs – and that’s when the idea for The Metal Den just popped into my head. I had this utter conviction that I was going to create the best metal news site of them all… to help promote the music I love. I’ve been writing and doing promoting for the worldwide heavy metal music scene ever since. I am also now three years clean of meth! Thank God!! Stay away from it… and any friend who offers it up ain’t no friend at all!

Hope: That is so awesome for your readers to learn. So when exactly did The Metal Den.com first launch?

Rocket: I actually launched the site in late 2006 with my partner Eddie Karam of Red Rocket Entertainment, while I was still writing exclusively for MU. Eddie’s company manages a slew of top underground metal acts like WITHIN CHAOS, EKOTREN, and FROM THE THRONE. Eddie is a great guy to work with and is an important part of TMD’s site design and overall function.

Hope: Your tribute article on Randy Rhoads in 2007 achieved worldwide acclaim,
having been featured at every top metal news site on the planet. It’s received well
over 30,000 page views since publishing. What does it feel like to have achieved such great success around the world with your work?





Rocket: It humbles me to know that something I did means so much to people.
Randy Rhoads was my favorite guitar player as a kid.

Hope: Of all the interviews you have conducted over the years, which one is your favorite?

Rocket: I’m gonna go with Anselmo’s interview. I’m still blown away by it!

Hope: You hosted the infamous 2006 TMD Networking Party at The House of Blues
On Sunset Strip with a whole bunch of legendary names in metal that attended… like SACRED REICH producer Bill Metoyer, Ex-MEGADETH great Nick Menza, and so many others. What were some of your favorite moments from that event?



Rocket: Meeting one of my heroes in life, ex-MEGADETH drummer Nick Menza. He was a really cool, down to earth dude. At one point later that night, I even saw Dan Aykroyd eating dinner in the foundation room, which is a series of big luxury rooms we rented out, and I thought to myself, “Damn, I even have a Blues Brother chilling at my party!”

Hope: When is the next TMD Networking Party going to happen?

Rocket: We are in the planning stages for doing one later this year in 2010. It’s going to kill!

Hope: What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to a person with the dream of
becoming a successful rock n roll journalist?

Rocket: Simple. Go out to shows in your local club scene and listen to the music. Have beers. Then always go back home immediately after and type up about six to ten sentences on your computer, reflecting on what you just saw at the show. Then post it on your own blog. There you have it, you’re now a rock critic!

Hope: Who are some of the hot upcoming metal bands you think people need to
keep an eye out for right now?

Rocket: Hostility, Deliver Us From Evil, Downspell, Orphaned To Hatred, Sedna, to name a few… so many to mention. I could go on all day! Ha! Please check www.themetalden.com for the latest news updates and upcoming metal band articles!

Hope: What are some of your favorite heavy metal albums released in 2010 so far?

Rocket: It’s a tie right now. The two best metal albums I have heard to this point are Fear Factory and Kingdom of Sorrow, though I love the new Ratt, Keel’s new one rocks hard too. People need to pay attention to these old rockers from the 80′s… cause they are making a serious comeback. It has nothing to do with hairspray and eyeliner now. These acts have something to prove musically. Keep your eyes out for my end of the year “Best Metal Albums of 2010″.. it’s gonna rock your faces off.

Hope: I understand you are also taking new pre-orders for 50 limited edition TMD T-shirts. Where can your fans order the shirt and how much does it cost?



Rocket: We will soon have this promotional offer up on TMD’s site. This will be a great collectors item to have. Trust me on this one! But… I fully intend to offer other TMD products beyond the shirts as well. This bad boy is getting ready to blow up big time!

Hope: Also, congrats on being married to me for 2 years as of this coming July 22!

Rocket: Rock on, baby doll. You are my world… as are my Den Headz. I love you all!

Hope: And you’re getting ready to turn 40 on July 16. How’s that feel?

Rocket: Hey, man… 40 is the new 20! I feel great about getting older and wiser. No worries here.

Hope: What’s next for Rocket and The Metal Den?



Rocket and Den Head G in 2007




Rocket and Hope Cody’s wedding day on July 22nd, 2008
in Santa Barbara, California

Rocket: World domination. I plan on finishing my straight up takeover of the heavy metal world… and I’m halfway done!

Hope: Thanks for rocking this out with me, Rocket! Go ahead and give thanks to your biggest supporters.

Rocket: I want to thank you, my lovely wife, my family, my partner Eddie Karam, almighty God, Pastor Joel Osteen, along with every single Den Head reader across the globe who follows my work at The Metal Den. Without any of you, my work means absolutely nothing. Support underground music!

http://www.myspace.com/themetalden

ROCKET Interviews WARBEAST Vocalist Bruce Corbitt

Bruce Corbitt is best known as the singer for pioneering Texas thrash legends RIGOR MORTIS, who most recently performed at the last Ozzfest in 2008. Corbitt is now fronting WARBEAST (formerly Texas Metal Alliance) and is more than prepared to unload some pure, honest to goodness thrash brutality on anyone who will listen. Better than that – WARBEAST got signed to the hottest underground metal label in the world – Housecore Records – which just so happens to be owned by former PANTERA vocalist Philip H. Anselmo. WARBEAST’s debut “Krush The Enemy” is due out in late April/2010.

The Metal Den’s Randy “Rocket” Cody has conducted an EXCLUSIVE interview with WARBEAST Vocalist Bruce Corbitt for TMD’s loyal following of DEN HEADZ all across the globe!




Rocket: What were the feelings you had after initially finding out Philip Anselmo was going
to sign WARBEAST to his label Housecore Records?

Bruce: Oh man, what a phone call that was for me. One of those moments that you will never forget. It would take a lot of “setting up” the moment to really explain the impact it would have on my life and the rest of the guys in the band. So fuck it, if you really wanna know… I will just go ahead and tell you the entire long/in-depth story here for the first, and probably last time.


(Photo Credit: Kate Richardson)


It was all kind of crazy how it all happened in the first place. I hadn’t seen Philip since he moved out of Dallas/Ft. Worth…. 15-years-ago or some shit like that. Then Rigor Mortis did those few shows with Arson Anthem back in late 2007. Hell to be honest with ya bro… I didn’t have a fucking clue what the guy would be like after so many years. Yeah, I knew about all his up-and-downs in life and the problems with his bands/band members, etc. Like everyone else, I had heard all-kinds-of-shit about him over the years. Some of it good… and a lot of it bad. But I only judge a person by how they are towards me. Fuck what ya hear about someone… and who gives a fuck if you have a problem with him… that doesn’t fuckin’ mean I will. Ya know? … sort of how you would like everyone to give you the same chance and not judge you by what they hear about ya. But of course we all know that isn’t always the case.



Anyway, back in the 80s, both of us had “joined” bands (Pantera & Rigor Mortis) that just really didn’t like each other. The Rigor Mortis guys just hated Pantera for whatever reasons. The Pantera guys just thought Rigor Mortis sucked. Neither band liked the others band’s style etc. The fans got in on it too… so because of that “so-called” rivalry… we didn’t really hang out that much back then when Philip lived around here. But whenever I did see him back in those days, he was always very cool and respectful to me. So I always considered him and friend and I was anxious to see the guy after so long.

During those Rigor Mortis & Arson Anthem shows we had a few chances to get reacquainted. That’s when I told him about the new band. Yes, I already knew he had a label and of course any band wants to get signed. But I even remember being uncomfortable about it and thinking to myself, “I sure hope he doesn’t think I am trying to get him to sign us just by mentioning my new band.” So I was really just talking to him in a “friend” type of way… ya know? Like… “I got another band going now bro. You remember Rick Perry and Scott Shelby from Gammacide? … I am jamming with those dudes now. This is the best band I have been in since Rigor Mortis. We gotta badass bass player and this young monster-of a-drummer etc.” Even though Philip acted interested in what kind of style the band was… again I just thought of it as brothers catching up on what is going on with each others lives etc. I never talked to him that much about his label, I remember I kind of thought we might not be the type of band Philip would be interested in. Hell, I really didn’t know what he wanted for his label now that I think about it… because we didn’t really talk about it that much.



Then we had some long talks on the phone in the next few months following the tour. During one of those calls he started asking what everyone around here had been up to. He asked me about the band and what Rick and Scott were doing these days. I filled him in… then I told him that we had our demo finished and mixed. So I mentioned that I would like to send it to him to check out. Again, I just wanted him to hear it like you would want any friend and “music fan” to hear your band. I wasn’t thinking of it like I was submitting our demo to his label. So if he didn’t like our music or if he didn’t want to sign us… that would’nt have bothered me one fucking bit, or changed our friendship at all. I wasn’t expecting shit… just hoping he wouldn’t think we sucked… haha!

Anyway I guess what I am trying to get at is this… when Philip called me a week later and started praising me, the band, the songs and our demo. I knew “immediately” that it was SINCERE. This wasn’t about “friendship” or any kind of crap like that. This was actually because he had heard something he “believed in” when he listened to this band. Ya see, I’d like to think I know Philip Anselmo good enough to know that he didn’t start his own Record Label as a charity to sign all of his friend’s bands. The man wants to be successful at anything he does and he has a shitload of friends in bands. So that’s what made that call so special to me… because I knew he wasn’t just trying to help us out as a friend. It was because he fucking loved our band and wanted to sign us. Dude, you just can’t explain that feeling unless you experience it for yourself. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would get to experience something like this twice in my life… with two different bands.

Now the fact that we “are” friends even made it cooler for me. So it was a special conversation for me that night. It was totally unexpected. After about an hour of asking me all kinds of questions and getting all the details he could about the band… Philip then told me he wanted to talk about business. That’s when he told me he wanted “first” chance at signing us. It was at that “exact” moment that I knew we were going to be signed to Housecore Records. Talk about getting some chills brother. Fuck I knew the other dudes in the band wouldn’t want to be on any other label when I told them this news. That was another cool thing for me… I was the “one” that got to let the other guys in the band know what Philip had said about us.



So for the band itself and the rest of the other guys… I was freaking out for them. I always believed we had a solid lineup and we were writing some great songs. I just couldn’t wait to call the guys and tell all of them the good news. Imagine how good that made me feel to let my bros know we had someone that believed in us enough to sign us? Especially when that someone is a metal legend and an old friend to Rick, Scott and myself. Plus our bassist and drummer were big fans of Philip… so I knew they would shit-in-their-pants.

Rick Perry and Scott Shelby were always a great guitar duo and I always felt they should have been signed to a real label back in their Gammacide days. In fact I always thought it was complete bullshit that Gammacide and some of the other great metal bands around here in (D/FW) didn’t get signed. But what I learned from being signed to Capitol Records with Rigor Mortis back then was… sometimes it takes more than just being a good band with good songs. Sometimes it can come down to just meeting a “key person” that will be the hidden piece to the puzzle. If you don’t happen to be in the right place at the right time… or cross paths with someone at a certain moment in life… sadly your break may never happen. So with all the talent and work it takes for a band to get to a point where they deserve to be signed… there has to be some luck involved to accomplish your dreams. For Warbeast… that “key person” turned out to be Philip Anselmo. CRAZY!! Anyway, I was happy for Rick and Scott and felt it was long overdue for them.

Then with our bassist Alan Bovee… he hasn’t been in bands as long as us. But he is a solid, dependable musician and his talent is equal to the rest of us. We like to give the guy a hard time and we fuck with him sometimes. He is a good sport about it and he knows we aren’t serious. He is actually the member that makes this band fun to be in. I just know I felt good for him to be able to have this experience of getting signed.

As far as our drummer Joe Gonzalez, he had just turned 17-years-old when he joined us . The first thing I told him when he came into the band was… “I am going to get you signed mother fucker!” To make a bold statment like that and then for us to actually get signed… I knew he would freak-out when I told him that we really did it. To be honest with ya… when we first decided to keep this band going after doing that first benefit show for Wayne Abney. I “never” thought about us getting signed. I thought we would just do some shows here and there and that would keep us busy in between Rigor Mortis and Gammacide stuff. But Joe was such a talented young musician and when I looked into his eyes… I could see he had a hunger and passion that few musicians have. He had his entire life and career ahead of him. That made me really want to do something for him that would have an impact on his life forever. Joe is grateful to us for everything that has happened to him and he has thanked all of us many times. He also didn’t forget my bold statement I made to him when he first joined. But now looking back, I should be the one thanking him. Because he was the final piece of this band and because of him… I really got the feeling that we could do something from the moment he joined us.

How I felt for myself was REDEMPTION. I never really did anything that great in bands after I was fired from Rigor Mortis over 20 years ago. All the other guys from Rigor had joined or started bands and they have been successful. But my ‘Thrash” style of vocals weren’t wanted during the 90s. Hell I wasn’t even in a band for about 15 years and I thought my days of being onstage were over, until the Rigor reunion in 2005.

I admit that I ain’t shit unless I have a good band doing the type of music I can fit in with. I was fortunate enough to have jammed with some talented musicians in Rigor Mortis. Part of the reason I never did anything after Rigor Mortis was simply because I was never able to get with another band as good as Rigor Mortis. It is hard to go from driving a Ferrari to a Volkswagon. So my heart was just never into it like it was with Rigor Mortis. Then Scott Shelby and Rick Perry wanted to jam with me all these years later. So finally I had something I felt was as good as Rigor Mortis… and I had some badass-motherfucking musicians to back me up. That is when I am at my best… not just the frontman part, but everything I do to help the band… promoting etc. Somehow I had this second chance and now I can “finally” say that I have done something good besides Rigor Mortis. So the redemption feeling I got wasn’t about proving anything to anyone else… it was about proving it to myself.

Most important of all to me was that I knew my big brother Jeff Corbitt (RIP) would have been proud of me. I still believe my bro might still be alive if Rigor Mortis wouldn’t have done a reunion back in 2005. Life is crazy sometimes and life can have bad timing. My bro was having some depressed times after his separation from his wife of 20 years. He asked me to move down to his place near Austin and work with him on his sound and lighting business. I could sense that he really needed me.

But right before he asked me that… Rigor Mortis had suddenly all agreed to reunite with the original lineup after 17 years. Now at any point in my life in the 15 years prior to that… I would have moved in with my bro in a heartbeat. I loved him. I looked up to him and he was always like my hero. Like I said… life can have bad timing. So I had to tell my bro I couldn’t because we were about to start rehearsing for a 2 1/2 week reunion tour. Now don’t get me wrong…. my bro was proudest of me back when I was in Rigor Mortis. So he was happy to hear about the reunion. He was the type of guy that had too much pride to really let you know if he was having tough times and really needed you.

Ironically, Rigor Mortis stayed at my bros house after we played one of those reunion shows in San Antonio. It would be the last time I would ever see him. Again he was proud of me when he watched us drive off that day to continue the tour. He knew this is what I loved doing more than anything else in my life. Anyway all of us in the band noticed he was in bad shape. He was obviously depressed and taking too many pills to try and deal with it all.

When we got up the road we all started talking about it. I told them that I knew I needed to try and do an intervention on my bro as soon as the tour was over. I thought about it often during the rest of the tour. Not thinking at all about suicide or anything like that. I just wanted my big bro to be himself again… so I intended to help him. I knew I was the “one” person that could help him…. maybe the “only” one. But I made the decision to wait until after the tour before I started talking to him about it. A decision I will regret for the rest of my life.

Sadly I waited a day too late to help my brother. The night I got home from the tour I was exausted… I just wanted to sleep for like 24 hours. I wanted to get fresh before I called him to start trying to help him. The next night after my marathon sleep… I was just about to call him. But instead, I got the call I never wanted to receive. His ex-wife told me my bro had killed himself. I couldn’t believe it and still can’t to this day. He always “had” me… so I couldn’t understand why he didn’t talk to me first. Plus now he didn’t even know I was intending to help him and that he was what was always on my mind. I still regret not calling him during the rest of that tour now. But I just thought I wanted to talk to him about this stuff when I wasn’t out on the road.

My mind is still fucked from thinking about how it all happened. I always felt like I lost my brother because I started singing again. That was a fucked up feeling! So the only way I could deal with it was to prove there had to be a reason that it happened this way. That there had to be more to it than just a 2 1/2 week Rigor Mortis reunion tour. So what getting signed with Warbeast really meant to me was that I finally had some closure on my bro’s death. I know that my bro would be proud of me for doing what I love to do. I realize now that this is what I am supposed to be doing… so I can’t keep blaming “myself” for his loss. His spirit will always live on in me. He is my motivation for everything I do with this band and with Rigor Mortis.




Rocket: You recorded the WARBEAST debut “Krush The Enemy” at Philip’s home studio in New Orleans.
As I understand it, Philip helped you work on your vocal delivery a bit before you actually began laying
down your vocals. What were the things you two worked on?

Bruce: Well he didn’t really work with me on my actual vocal delivery. It wasn’t like he gave me singing lessons or any kind of shit like that. I guess I can sort of sum it up like this… It was like an old boxer hiring the best boxing trainer around before his next big fight. The trainer is smart enough to know not to change this veteran boxers style after so many years. He isn’t going to try and make a boxer into a puncher, or visa versa. Instead he is going eliminate some of his weaknesses and focus on improving his strengths… etc. He would teach him some of his “own” knowledge that he has learned himself by having more experience. They would concentrate on adding new techniques to the fighters arsenal etc. With the main goal to simply have him as mentally and physically prepared as possible when the fight starts. Then in between rounds he would give him advice, tips and make the right adjustments.

That is pretty much how it was working with Philip. I wanted him to be in my corner when I did my vocals on this album. I am older than Philip, but he has recorded ten-times more than I have. I wanted to improve and he had the experience I needed to help me. So before we went in the studio to record the vocals, we spent several days listening to the demos and analyzing everything. We worked together on improving the lyrics in certain spots and adding some hooks. He would hear lines that he noticed were giving me some trouble. Maybe there were too many words in one spot that made me just have to spew them out too fast. Or like if a couple of words were tongue-twisters for me etc. He was cool about it… he had a way of telling me I was singing a part stupid and make me laugh about it. So it was fun to work with him and learn from him. He had me prepared before we went into the studio. Then once we started actually recording, he was there to listen closely after each take. If I nailed it… we would move on. If not, he would offer a suggestion and we would try it again. He wasn’t trying to change me at all… it was all about just bringing out the best in me. He also taught me alot of studio tips that I will take with me to my grave.

Rocket: The engineer who was chosen to work on “Krush The Enemy” is named David “The Puma” Troia. He’s worked with DOWN, OTEP and MUDVAYNE. In your opinion, how important is it – even for an underground metal band – to work with people that have a proven track record?

Bruce: Well you already know going in that they have proven they will accomplish good results. That will give a band confidence right there that the final product will be what we want it to be… as long as we do our parts. Of course alot of it is the chemistry and how well you work together. We found out the first night we met ‘The Puma’ that we would all be on the same page. He’s a young and very talented-hard-working engineer. But just as important… he had the patience that a picky band like us needed. So everything just went smooth-as-hell during the entire recording process. We always felt like we were on the same team, and that is about all a band can ask for. I honestly wouldn’t want to use anyone else the next time we enter the studio. I just hope that we didn’t drive him crazy with all of our different types of personalities … haha! Everyone of us is completely different to work with… but he seemed to adjust to our individual personalities and moods.

Rocket: Can you provide some insight as to how the actual recording process worked? Was Philip there
the whole entire time in the studio?

Bruce: We drove to Louisiana and we had ten days of recording scheduled. We arrived at Philip’s house on a Friday night and started recording early the next day. No, Philip wasn’t in the studio for all of it. The first night we got there we sat down and listened to the demos. Philip wrote down some notes for ideas and suggestions for the drums and guitar parts. So he went over it with them before they went in to record. Philip also worked with Alan a little bit at his house about a few bass ideas. Then he went in for the early stages when Alan started recording his bass tracks. But he pretty much had faith that they all could handle it without him having to be there.

We actually recorded this album at three different places. The drums were recorded at a really bad ass studio called Balance Productions. Joe spent two days working on his drum tracks. Scott played the rough rhythm guitar tracks for all of the songs while Joe was recording his parts. Fuck, I gotta give Joe his props for coming through under the pressure. He finished his tracks with time to spare.

The guitar and bass tracks were recorded over the next week at The Puma’s home studio. I wasn’t there for any of those sessions. During that time I worked with Philip on adjusting some lyrics and preparing a game plan for when we recorded my vocals. Other than that I did a lot of fucking off and partying in my free time… haha! We hoped we would be able to record the vocal parts during those 10 days. But it came down to where I would’ve had just a little over one day to record all 10 songs. So we all said fuck that and Joe drove me back to do my parts two weeks later. In other words… I pretty much had a 10-day Vacation on that first trip… haha! I mean I worked on stuff while I was there… I just didn’t get to record my parts. So I just fuckin’ relaxed, partied and lived it up… yes I did… thank you very much!

The reason I didn’t just stay and we didn’t just extend the recording time was because I had a show in Germany with Rigor Mortis the following weekend. So we figured those long rehearsals with Rigor Mortis would be a good way to warm up my voice before I started recording my vocals for Warbeast. It also gave me some extra time to prepare for any lyric changes we had made. Of course with Philip being a vocalist, he wanted to be there when I recorded. Because I had already asked him to work with me anyway. So he was there for every second of the vocal tracks. We did my vocals right there at Philip’s own studio just a short distance from his house. It is pretty much just a studio they built in his barn… AKA known as Nosferatus’s Lair.

I put my life and everything I had into my vocals on this album. There was this old mirror ball on the ceiling hanging right above me. Everytime I was about to sing a part on this album… I would look up at that mirror ball and think about my big brother. That’s how I motivated myself right before I sang each line. I had five nights to record the vocals. So we did two songs a night and we took our time with them. I got on-a-roll one night and finished 4 songs and actually finished all of the vocals in 4 nights. So on that last night it gave us extra time to be able to add some sound clips I wanted to use in the last song on the album called We Are The Vultures.

Rocket: How intense was Philip to actually work with and was it at all nerve-wracking?

Bruce: Oh man, can you imagine trying to work with Philip Anselmo? I mean we have all heard what an asshole he is ya know? haha! No seriously dude… we worked our asses off and had a blast doing it. He was very respectful to all of us and treated us like family. We were all so different with our moods and personalities when we were there to make this album. Philip was able to adapt to each of our styles. The guy may have this intense image as a metal frontman. But when you actually get to know him as a friend… he’s a good guy.

He’s a pretty cool boss too… he’s not a dick or a dictator. For a band like us, it is nice to associate with someone that has already been through it all in their own bands. Because it’s easier for him to look at the band’s side of things too. So he is very fair to the band when it comes to business with Housecore Records. We could have done this album without any input from Philip and he would have believed in us to give him a good product. But we wanted him to be our Producer and be involved in the creation of this album. He made this album even better… and that is what a Producer is supposed to do.

For myself, I always work best when I feel comfortable and when it’s fun at the same time. I felt more at home doing my vocals in Philip’s barn studio. I always felt weird when I was in some fuckin’ high-dollar studio all isolated and behind the glass. I just feel out of my element and I hate it when I can’t always hear what everyone is saying on the other side of the glass. But if you put me in a room that looks like a place I usually just hang out with a few bros… then it is easier for me to relax and just be myself. We were joking between takes… throwing out old Steve Martin and Cheech & Chong lines and singing Beatles etc. That made it easier for me to be less nervous when it was time to get serious and record a song. So overall… Philip made it a very productive, but also a fun and memorable experience.


(Photo Credit: Kate Richardson)


Rocket: Does Philip do any guest vocals on “Krush The Enemy”?

Bruce: He did a couple of “special effect” type of vocals on the album. In other words… he didn’t sing any parts in his normal voice or do any backups. But in a couple of parts he did like a background voice in one song and a breathing-type-of-sound in another. Little things that no one would know it was him doing it unless I pointed it out to them. Fuck man… it would have been cool with me to have him sing some on the album.

Well there is one song that Philip sang with me. But it is more of just a “Joke” song. He has a copy of it and so do I… and I hope it stays that way. But yeah, we knew the rest of the guys in the band would be all anxious to hear my vocals when I returned to Texas. So when things were going ahead of schedule and we were having so much fun… we got a spur-of-the-moment idea to fuck with the other guys. So I sang one of the songs in one of my wimpy Rock/John Lennon type of voices. Philip sang some parts with a melodic/vibrato type of voice. He deliberately sang some of the lines off-time and off-key… haha! We got our drummer Joe to do some high-pitched screams and a couple of pig squeals. Even Kate got in on the fun and added some funny parts. The mic got knocked over when we started recording it and the dogs started barking… so we just left that in their too.

So anway, we placed the song like 4th so they wouldn’t be expecting it when I let them hear the CD. I admit I had to leave the room before it came on… because I knew I couldn’t keep a straight face. The funny part is that it took them awhile to figure out it was all a joke. At first they were like “What the fuck??” … haha! But then they actually said they liked that I could sing in different ways and maybe I should do some of that on new songs. I was like… “NO FUCKING WAY… not for Warbeast!” If I really wanted to sing like that I would just form a John Lennon tribute band… haha!

Rocket: The Texas metal scene obviously took a major hit when Dimebag Darrell was murdered, therefore
ending PANTERA once and for all. In my mind, WARBEAST is going to be perhaps the biggest Texas
metal band to emerge in such a way since those Cowboys From Hell. Do you have bigger expectations for
the success of “Krush The Enemy” because of this?

Bruce: Honestly I don’t even think about that kind of shit. I admit that I’m damn proud of this album… but I don’t ever have like these “big” expectations. I just hope people will like what they hear. I’m the type of guy that would rather be surprised if the band has any type of success. The label and some of the other band members might think differently about it than I do. Either way, I have never thought about anything like being the next biggest metal band from this area since Pantera. Now that I think about it… I don’t even think about Warbeast getting bigger than Rigor Mortis either. I know that for many people… I will always be thought of as the singer of Rigor Mortis. So I am just concentrating on doing my best with this band. What Pantera accomplished will never come close to being duplicated by any metal band from around here. I am also aware of what Rigor Mortis did for this local scene back in the early underground days and that we have our own local legacy too.

Anyway, to be honest with ya bro… I admit I never became like a real big Pantera fan. But I remember I was happy for them when everything exploded and took-off for Pantera. I was just as proud as anyone else that they were from our area and they were out there kicking the worlds ass on stage every night. I can also honestly say that everyone of us in Rigor Mortis felt the impact of Dime’s death like the rest of the metal world. We were all shocked and devastated and mainly… we were pissed-off that anyone could do that to Dimebag. Ironically, that tragedy seemed to have helped Rigor Mortis heal some old wounds… and we reunited not too long after that. I think if we could all go back and re-live those 80s days again… Rigor Mortis and Pantera would be Party-buds. Because that was the one thing both bands did have in common.

Sometimes I think how crazy it is that the singers for Rigor Mortis and Pantera are now on the same team. It was the last thing anyone would have ever predicted. Even though I never had any probs with Philip at any time… it is all still a fucking trip to me because of the old Rigor/Pantera thing. Looking back many years later, all that “feuding” or “rivarly” bullshit just seems so stupid, silly and kind-of funny to me. Because I actually always got along with the other Pantera guys when I did see them back then and over the years. Sometimes I think Philip and I are making up for lost time because of the stupid crap that prevented us from being better friends back then.

So you see, there is just so much history involved with how we even got to this point. I don’t like to compete with history…. so when you asked me about my expectations… I guess I can sum it up like this. All I really hope for with Warbeast is that we become our “own” band and form our “own” identity. So hopefully one day we can be added to the list of the other great D/FW metal bands that will always be remembered. To get to that point where we don’t have to be known as the band with members of Rigor Mortis and Gammacide… or the band on Philip from Pantera’s record label. Maybe in time, people will just simply think of us as “Warbeast”… and maybe even say “They were one of the best metal bands to ever come out of D/FW.” For myself, that right there would be an accomplishment that I would always be proud of. YOU KNOW DAMN WELL!

Rocket: WARBEAST has begun playing live shows around the scene. How is the reaction for this band
any different than what you’ve experienced in the past with RIGOR MORTIS?

Bruce: Man, a lot of that depends on who is in the crowd that night. At some shows you have 50 people that want to mosh… at others you have 2. In some cities everyone is going crazy and getting into it, at others they stand there just watching you. We put everything we can into every show and we just see different reactions at different places. But no matter what the crowd does during our set… after the show the majority of them seemed to have liked us. From the wild-drunk-chick headbanging on the front row… to the laid-back guy watching from back by the bar area… they all came up afterwards and let us know how much they dug Warbeast.

The crowds are really similar to the Rigor Mortis crowds. It’s not like we are a completely different genre that brings in different types of crowds. I am the same guy onstage when I perform with both bands. Rigor Mortis fans have also liked watching Warbeast live. They always come up to me afterwards and praise us. Then they usually proceed to ask me when Rigor Mortis is going to play again or when are we going to record a new Rigor Mortis album… haha! Like I said… once you are typecast from a certain band… it never goes away. But that’s cool man… fuck it. I will always be proud to be part of the Rigor Mortis history.

Rocket: The street date for “Krush The Enemy” is this coming April 27th. Do you guys plan on
throwing a CD release party?

Bruce: Hell yes! It will be on May 8 at The Ridglea Theater in Fort Worth. We have some of our buds playing on the show with us. Hell Goat… which has our long-time friend Alapeno in the band, he was in Big Iron. Mitra of course has Harden Harrison, my bro from Rigor Mortis. Blood Stain Carpet are our drummer Joe’s good friends and they are badass. Turbid North is my favorite of the young metal bands around here. I kind of try to be like their manager when needed and I help those guys out whenever I can… because I believe in them. Of course we have had many special guest musicians join us on stage during our set over the years. We will probably have a “special surprise guest” for this one too… so ya never know who might get on stage with Warbeast at our CD release show.

Rocket: Any idea on what the retail price of the album is going to be?

Bruce: Man I really don’t know right now to be honest with ya. I would guess it would be the standard price that most albums sell for these days.

Rocket: When it officially drops, where is the best place for fans to pickup a copy of “Krush The Enemy”?

Bruce: You will be able to get it at big chain stores like Best Buy, as well as independent music stores. You will be able to order it off of our web site and the labels website. Of course it will also be available to download on iTunes, etc. We will be taking pre-orders on the Housecore Records Website soon. It will also be released in Europe, but probably a few months after the US release date.

Rocket: Do you guys plan on shooting a music video any time soon?

Bruce: Hell yes! We are shooting a video with Michael Huebner and 12 Pound Productions on Sunday, March 20. It will be for the song ‘Scorched Earth Policy’ and it should be released right before the album comes out. So everyone should be expecting to see the video in a few weeks.

Rocket: What’s your opinion of the new age of thrash acts making names for themselves right now?
I’m talking about great bands like Warbringer, Lazarus A.D., Toxic Holocaust… or any others
that you may specifically follow.

Bruce: I love that shit to be honest with ya. I am not one of those that think you have to be from that era to write good thrash songs. It just proves to me that the Thrash torch will keep burning for many years to come. I would love to do some shows with those bands down the road.

Rocket: ‘The Eagle’ radio station in Dallas, Fort Worth has already begun playing some
tracks off “Krush The Enemy”. How does it feel to hear your first new music in
decades being played on the radio?

Bruce: It’s kind of weird for me to be honest. Rigor Mortis never got played on a local station like that around here… ever. So if you consider that it’s the first time I have ever heard myself on a big radio station. I will admit that it’s a damn good feeling dude! So I appreciate Angela Chase and “The Eagle” for being the first to play a song off of this album.

Around here locally for me… it has always been about KNON 89.3 FM… our public radio station. That is the station where our local D/FW metal bands have “always” been supported. Because they are willing to play heavier types of music and unsigned bands, etc. So I will always support KNON for being there for us and supporting our local scene from the beginning.

Rocket: I myself feel thrash is the most important sub-genre of metal music because it generally doesn’t
let the fans down, you know what I mean? With thrash metal, the listener knows what they
are generally in for. There’s always the speeding tempo and shredding guitars to rely
on, which is what I love about metal period. Why do you think that thrash is on
one hand adored, but on the other hand looked at still like some bastard child in
the industry? I mean, it amazes me how a great thrash act like MEGADETH struggles
to sell albums, while bands from the other more widely accepted sub-genres of metal
are able to sell a ton more and get way more radio play. Even METALLICA turned
away from thrash – cut off their hair – so they could be more widely accepted in the music biz
during the 90′s.

Bruce: Well to be honest with ya dude, if I really gave a shit about what’s more popular and what sells more… I obviously wouldn’t be singing for bands like Warbeast and Rigor Mortis. I mean I like to listen to all kinds of music… I certainly don’t only listen to Thrash. But it is my favorite and it is what kind of band I want to be in. Thrash music is like a rush of adrenalin for me. Those that “get it” or that are “into it” know what I am talking about. I’d like to think of it like we just have better taste than most music fans… so that is probably why there are less of us out there. Haha! But yeah, you are right… you aren’t usually disappointed with a good Thrash band if that is what you are into.

Rocket: What are some of the upcoming gigs for WARBEAST that we need to watch out for?

Bruce: We play the Grand Opening of Rock Dogs on April 2. That is at the old location of the Rock Star in Ft. Worth. On April 6 we have a cool gig opening for HammerFall and Havok. That will be also our first chance to play at the legendary Trees in Deep Ellum since it re-opened. Then we are playing at a 2-day metal fest in Oklahoma City on Saturday, April 17. That will actually be our first show out of Texas. I already mentioned our CD release show on May 8. There will also be a CD release show in New Orleans… I just don’t have the date yet. I am positive we will be playing at Joe’s Garage Tribute Weekend II in a few months. That will also be at the new Rock Dogs Sportsbar. Then look for us to be hitting the road around summer time to support the album. We hope to tour as much as possible in the 2nd half of the year.

Rocket: Thanks very much for rocking this out with me, brother. I wish you the best of luck with your music. Go ahead and give special thanks out to your biggest supporters.



Bruce: I have said this numerous times… but it always comes from the heart. I always believed a band is only as good as their fans. Without them… we ain’t shit… PERIOD! So I want all of them to know how appreciated they really are. This Warbeast album is my first official release in 22 years. So I want to dedicate it to all of those that have been behind me during my ups and downs. I would also like to take this time to mention some people that do alot to help Warbeast exist… because we couldn’t do it all without them. So special thanks goes out to Kate Richardson for all her hard work and dedication she does for Housecore Records. Larry Holmes, he is our main roadie, supporter and guitar tech. Carcass John Fossum for his artwork designs for our album cover, T-shirts and flyers. Beth Shelby for all kinds of numerous shit she does for the band. Tim Vasquez for doing our official website. Rodney Dunsmore for doing a great job on our T-shirts. Michael Huebner of 12 Pound Productions and Ricky Warden of Outlaw Video TV for tons of video promotion. Kenny King who recently came on board to help as a guitar tech and roadie. I am sure I am forgetting some others. But we consider all of them part of this Warbeast/Housecore family we have going on. We salute all of them! CHEERS and you fucking heard me!

(Top and bottom photo credit: Gregg Maston)

http://www.warbeast.org/

ROCKET Interviews Philip H. Anselmo

Philip H. Anselmo is a living “Heavy Metal God” , widely considered the ‘pound for pound’ greatest metal vocalist of them all – but that’s not to say he hasn’t been to hell and back.

After losing his former PANTERA band mate Darrell “Dimebag” Abbott by way of a tragic on stage shooting on Dec 8, 2004, Anselmo and the entire city of New Orleans were next literally flooded out of their own homes by Hurricane Katrina – a category 5 monster – and forced to take a brutal dose of mother nature. To add further insult to the hellish turn of events, Anselmo then found himself having to get major back surgery. Never one to throw his hands up in defeat, the music icon simply tightened his boot straps and unloaded a third album from his long running Sabbath-influenced DOWN project, along with moving full speed ahead in signing new acts, such as Texas thrashers WARBEAST (featuring RIGOR MORTIS vocalist Bruce Corbitt), to his very own Housecore record label.

WARBEAST’s debut “Krush The Enemy” is more than an all-out thrash assault… it’s a ‘brotherhood’ that’s come together – during difficult times – to keep the true metal tradition going strong… no matter what. The ‘Stronger Than All’ code he’s always lived by has definitely been put to the test in the past five years, but it’s Anselmo’s uncompromising love of music that’s helped him survive the toughest chapter in his life.

The Metal Den’s Randy “Rocket” Cody has conducted an EXCLUSIVE interview with Philip H. Anselmo for TMD’s loyal following of DEN HEADZ all across the globe!






Rocket: What initially inspired you to want to start your own record label?

Philip: There’s music I’ve made in the past, music I’ll make in the future, and a handful of bands from around the world that deserve to be heard. The thought of licensing the personal music I’ve been holding onto for over ten-years with some other “label” was ghastly; it wasn’t going to happen. So I knew one day I’d HAVE to put the stuff out on my own! Fast forward to the present… Extreme music has been kind to me on all levels of human existence, so the idea of helping newer bands grow and prosper is natural.




Rocket: You signed WARBEAST (formerly Texas Metal Alliance) to Housecore and took it upon yourself to truly be involved in the recording of the band’s debut “Krush The Enemy”. Why was it so important to you that you be involved so deeply in the process?

Philip: 1st of all, WARBEAST is a great band. 2nd, like any of our bands, I want to be as close as possible without interfering. If a band WANTS me to be in the studio with them, it’s my pleasure. If not, I trust their judgement. It’s THEIR band. If a band wants my production input, I don’t charge a cent because we’re both working to get the best results, obviously! Their names AND my name will be on the product! The band’s satisfaction with the end result is the most important thing. With WARBEAST, I felt that I was familiar enough with Bruce’s background, as well as Rick and Scott, to contribute. I also know Thrash Metal VERY well, especially the older school DFW Thrash sound. The band asked me to help out, period. That’s all they needed to do really, and man of course I said, “Fucking right!” Bruce and I got to work closely together, and that was a very cool experience. With WARBEAST, there’s a lot of detailed to their music, as well as vocal passages that deserved an extra amount of attention. They do what they do so well, we had to make sure everything was clear and audible enough for each guys liking. It’s a special record for them. It’s a GREAT record to me.


(Photo Credit: Kate Richardson)


Rocket: You and Bruce Corbitt of RIGOR MORTIS/WARBEAST have known one another for many years. Can you recall the very first time you saw a RIGOR MORTIS show and tell us how it made you feel?

Philip: I can’t remember the name of the bar, but what I remember the most was how absolutely fucking intense they were. They were up on that stage, ugly as hell (ha!), ripping the shit out of the set! I’d heard their 1st demo before I saw them that night, so I knew most of their songs, but what amazed me was how much effort they put into their music! The demo didn’t do them justice! The songs were there, but to see them played live was a different experience. Crazy-intense!!!

Rocket: You recorded WARBEAST’s debut “Krush The Enemy” at your own home studio in New Orleans. As I understand it, you helped work with Bruce on his vocal delivery a bit before you actually began laying down his vocals. Was that a good experience for you and can you tell me more about what you were going after?

Philip: I answered part of this question earlier, but yes the experience was very rewarding. Bruce and I worked on specific things in specific areas that either he or I felt needed to be addressed. The same thing happened with the band before they actually started recording, so I think it’s more of a “check list’ type thing I like to do, just to make sure we’re all on the same page. Bruce did a great job. All I really do is “suggest” ideas. We tried a few different approaches, kept what we wanted and moved on. Bruce was a complete trooper, but we weren’t doing rocket science; this was about bringing out the best in his performance. Bruce does what he does and he is who he is, I didn’t wanna change that at all. It was our intention to pay closer attention to detail, take our time and come out of there with the best ‘Bruce’ we could. I believe it’s his best work. He believes it’s his best. Honestly I’ll say it’s his best work, so far… he’ll have to out-do himself on the next one! But we feel real extremely good about the work he did on ‘Krush the Enemy’. It’s bad ass.

Rocket: Will you be taking a producer credit on “Krush The Enemy”?

Philip: Yes. I don’t really recall, it might be a co-production thing, but either way, yes.

Rocket: The engineer who was chosen to work on “Krush The Enemy” is named David “The Puma” Troia. He’s worked with DOWN, OTEP and MUDVAYNE. In your opinion, how important is it – even for an underground metal band – to work with people that have a proven track record?

Philip: OK. Lets set the record straight here: “The Puma” is a protege of Dave Fortmans’. He and I have worked together for over 5-years now… I stole him(!) and now he’s the main HOUSECORE engineer! At least here in the New Orleans area. What I mean by that is, we work with bands like EVS (Exactly Violent Style) from Japan, and it’s not like they can just drop in and record their new CD or anything. But The Puma is an incredibly valuable member of the HOUSECORE team. He’s a laid-back cat, and that’s a key element whilst tracking, mixing etc. We work very well together. Some say it’s almost telepathic.

Rocket: You’ve obviously had some time now to hear all the music and vocals together on
“Krush The Enemy”. How do you feel things turned out from an execution stand point?


(Photo Credit: Kate Richardson)


Philip: Every member of WARBEAST is uncompromising. They are relentless on their instruments, and we spoke of vocals. Believe me, it shows on this record. Execution of all things, is something those guys deliver on each track.

Rocket: How would you compare WARBEAST to the other thrash acts on the scene today?

Philip: OK. In my eyes, WARBEAST is a group of well-traveled musicians. The main songwriters were part of the original early ’80′s Metal scene, so their influences are vast, and they use them extremely well. No disrespect AT ALL to other Thrash bands out there today, and there’s no way I’m gonna lump ‘em all into the same category, but you hear a lot of what I call “Exodus” worship out there, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Everything is in 4-4 time, verse-chorus-verse-chorus-solo-verse-chorus-end. Cool. And by all means, WARBEAST is and will be considered a band that can play side-by-side with any of these bands, but it’s the musicianship and song structure of WARBEAST that’ll stick out. They cover a lot of ground intensely and with top notch precision. They’re also great live.

Rocket: ‘The Eagle’ radio station in Dallas, Fort Worth has already begun playing some
tracks off “Krush The Enemy”. How proud does it make you feel to get attention
for an underground thrash metal act, which normally won’t get played on radio?

Philip: I feel extremely proud for those guys, they deserve it. Yeah, I had my part in the recording/production, but the guys who’re actually playing the instruments and relaying the songs deserve the real credit. When my job is “producing”, that job is a whole lot easier when the band is solid. And they’re a very tight and prepared group of musicians.


(Photo Credit: Kate Richardson)


Rocket: The street date for “Krush The Enemy” is in late April. What are some of the
other promotions you’ll be rolling out to ramp up the attention for the album?

Philip: With HOUSECORE, it’s understood going in that promotion is a team effort between the bands and us. I’ll be doing interviews like this one, the band will be doing the same. Plus there’s magazine and website ads. But in all honesty, the best way for a band to be promoted is to be seen live, so to get out there and play some shows with a more established band, or bands, will be something for us to look forward to in the near future.

Rocket: Any idea on what the retail price of the album is going to be?

Philip: I’m not really sure off hand, so I’m not gonna tell a lie! But I will say, that the WARBEAST record will be released on CD and vinyl, and worth every cent.

Rocket: When it officially drops, where is the best place for fans to pickup a copy of “Krush The Enemy”?

Philip: Best Buy, Hot Topic, shit… any big chain of stores. I’m pretty sure some “Mom and Pop’ stores will pick it up. Either way, it’ll be out there, so it’s not like it’ll be hard to find. Unless the store sells out!!!

Rocket: Will there be a WARBEAST music video any time soon?

Philip: On that end, I haven’t the foggiest clue, but don’t rule out anything…

Rocket: I myself feel thrash is the most important subgenre of metal music because it generally doesn’t let the fans down, you know what I mean? With thrash metal, the listener knows what they are generally in for. There’s always the speeding tempo and shredding guitars to rely on, which is what I love about metal period. Why do you think that thrash is on one hand adored, but on the other hand looked at still like some bastard child in the industry?



Philip: I equate things like this: for me, rap/hip-hop music sounds generally the same all around. I couldn’t tell you the name of a single rapper etc, because I don’t care for the sound, yet it’s the “in” thing music/culture-wise. Real ‘Thrash’ was a movement AGAINST pop-culture trends, like yesterday’s disco and todays hip-hop culture, so being ‘Metal’ was always, and still is for the most part easily pushed to the side by mainstream “music” critics as ‘uncool’. But the reality of it is that we ‘Extreme Music’ fans never cared in the 1st place… who the fuck wants to share the cover of Rolling Stone with some talentless band/artist that’s a manufactured product of money meets fashion??? I can’t speak for another person, but I’d rather fall down a flight of stairs! The fact that Extreme music is misunderstood by the majority is a good thing. It separates us from the ABSOLUTE bullshit. Within ANY genre, there’s outstanding bands and crap, as the history of music goes. But with that said, the Extreme Music scene allots the bands to actually do what they WANT to do; there’s SO MUCH MORE freedom(!) as apposed to some flash-in-the-pan, 1-hit wonder rap/hip-hop or DISNEY artist who are completely STUCK in the mundane world of “herd’ mentality. If a big star today groomed out of the “American Idol” mold were to do an experimental side project, 9-times out of 10, they’d be laughed at, shut out and run out of the biz! That’s why the true underground of HARDCORE or METAL will always thrive! No conformity!!! No pressure to be ‘the next big thing’! Look at Slayer. They’re where they are today because of longevity and consistency. And will they be on the cover of Rolling Stone next month? A year from now? Anything could happen, but my guess would be “no fucking way”. Thank Lucifer!

Rocket: What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to a kid nowadays starting out on
his or her instrument with big hopes of achieving the “rock and roll” dream?

Philip: Work hard at your craft. Underground musicians work the hardest because we actually play our instruments!!! Don’t be influenced by just one or two bands; take 20 of your favorite bands and incorporate a bit of each towards the style of music you’re going for. And remember… music is a vast thing… EXPLORE!!! ALL OF THE NOTES HAVEN’T BEEN PLAYED YET!!!! It’s up to YOU to find the hidden ones…!

Rocket: Thanks very much for rocking this out with me, brother. It is an HONOR I will not soon forget. I wish you the best of luck with your label and music. Go ahead and give special thanks out to your biggest supporters.

Philip: BIG UPS!!!! to all the fans who’ve supported me and ‘The Cause’ to bring new music to light. Anyone who has a negative opinion of me, I thank as well. There MUST be a balance in order to thrive!
HAIL THE HORDES ACROSS THE WORLD!!!!!!! You know who you are…!



http://www.thehousecorerecords.com/
http://www.philanselmo.com/
http://www.pantera.com/


Top Photo Credit: Vékony Zsolt

ROCKET Interviews LAZARUS A.D.

Kenosha, Wisconsin (USA) thrash metal act LAZARUS A.D. exploded onto the underground metal scene in 2009 with their brilliant Metal Blade records debut entitled “The Onslaught”, effectively proving with a sledge hammer slug to your head why they are a clear harken back to a young METALLICA.

This is just one of those rare albums that gets your head banging uncontrollably, from the grooving like a twister opener “Last Breath” to the final note of the miraculous ”Thou Shall Not Fear”.

The Metal Den’s Randy “Rocket” Cody has conducted an EXCLUSIVE interview with LAZARUS A.D. for TMD’s loyal following of DEN HEADZ all across the globe!



Rocket: How has 2010 been treating you guys?

Dan Gapen: 2010 so far has started off with a bang. We just released the new video for “Absolute Power”. We had a good time shooting the video and I believe it is our best one yet. We also are getting ready to tear it up on the Kreator tour. We are looking forward to partying with all our friends on the road. After that tour we are going to head back into the studio to record the new album, which will be released in the fall.

Rocket: LAZARUS A.D. is signed with Metal Blade Records. How’s that relationship been working
out so far?

Jeff Paulick: It’s been a great experience. We are just a couple of guys from Wisconsin and they gave us a chance to make a career in music. The staff is one of the best to work with and we feel like it’s just one big family.

Rocket: I love ‘The Onslaught’ album. What a great debut! Chris Djuricic produced the tracks.
How long from start to finish did it take to make the entire record?



Dan Gapen: It took us about 2 years to write the album. We really wanted the songs polished when went into studio. The funny thing is it only took us about 2 weeks to record the album. We had those songs down; we could play them in our sleep.



Rocket: Are you guys working on any new material yet?

Alex Lackner: Yes, we have about half of the new songs written for the new album. We also have a few killer tracks in the works. We will spend the rest of spring getting those tight and then it’s into the studio in June.

Rocket: How does the songwriting generally work for this band?

Jeff Paulick: It usually starts with one of us bringing and idea to the table. The rest of us just start adding to it. It’s kind of like a metal stew and after simmer for awhile it’s done.



Rocket: LAZARUS A.D is heading out soon on a North America tour with KREATOR. How excited are
you guys for those dates?

Dan Gapen: It’s going to be blast we have been looking forward to this tour since we got the call. I mean come on its Kreator who wouldn’t be excited. I would have to say it’s going to be one big party with fans and the bands on this tour.

Rocket: Who are some of the other ‘new era’ thrash acts that you guys enjoy?

Ryan Shutler: We would have to say we really like Evile, Syslosis, Havok , & Warbringer to name a few. Really looking forward to touring with all of those bands in the future.

Rocket: What do each of you feel is the biggest moment this band has experienced
so far?

Alex Lackner: Right now at this point of our short careers we would have to say the biggest moment for LaZarus AD was playing LOUDPARK in Japan. Playing a festival with Megadeth, Slayer, Judas Priest , Rob Zombie just to name a few was sick as fuck. Not to mention all the fans in Japan made us feel right at home. We can’t wait to go back to Japan and blow the fucking roof of the fucker….

Rocket: Do you guys care if you ever have an album that sells a million copies?

Dan Gapen: That would be awesome to sell a million records. Any band that tells you different is a liar. Right not I don’t see that happening with all the illegal downloading. The music business is really fucked up right now and until it evolves it’s going to be a rough ride for everyone.

Rocket: What is each band mates favorite brand of beer?



Jeff Paulick: I would have to say right now we are happy to drink any kind of free beer while on tour. Of course we all have our favorites though. Dan is drinking Franzikhner at the moment whatever that is. Ryan will pretty much drink anything in a beer bottle or can. Alex is a Miller Lite guy cuz it’s less filling and I am currently drinking Blue Moon.

Rocket: Which album do each of you prefer? Metallica’s ‘Death Magnetic’ or Megadeth’s ‘Endgame’?

Ryan Shutler: Its close but we have always been huge Metallica fans and we felt “Death Magnetic” edge out “Endgame” this time. Both albums are great and in truth it’s just great to see two band who you grew up idolizing still making killer music and tearing it up out on tour.

Rocket: Here’s a hypothetical, Dave Mustaine calls you up and wants to bring LAZARUS A.D out on tour BUT you have to be well behaved ‘offstage’ or face getting kicked off said tour. Do you keep your act together or try and show Dave that you can be rowdier than he was in Metallica? LOL

Alex Lackner: We are a professional band trained in the art of partying. We are fun to be around when we are partying we know how to have a good time. Some people act like assholes when they have had a few too many cocktails. And if he threw us off for having a good time, well he must be one of those assholes we all know…

Rocket: What do each of you think you’d be doing right now for a living had you not become successful in the music biz?

Dan Gapen: To be honest, I would be working on the docks unloading trucks at a retail store or selling body parts for profit.

Jeff Paulick: College would be my plan if it didn’t work out or maybe I would be a librarian.

Alex Lackner: Professional poker player. I can dream can’t I?

Ryan Shutler: I would be donating blood and sperm for money. I’m sure someone wants a little Ryan nipping at their heels.

Rocket: Thanks very much for rocking this out with me. Best of luck with your music! Go ahead and give a
shout out to your biggest supporters.

Jeff: We all would just want to thank everyone at Metal Blade Records, Red Rocket Entertainment, and our families for believing in us. And of course all the fans that dig our music we couldn’t do it without any of them. Thrash or Die!

http://www.myspace.com/lazarus1

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