Recorded Ourselvesfucking So Hot Want to Do It Again
INTERVIEW WITH ROB CAVESTANY OF
Decease ANGEL
The Bay Area thrash metallic literally striking back when Testament, Exodus, and Death Angel embarked on the six-week tour crisscrossing Europe. Metal-Rules.Com had a pleasant opportunity of sitting downwards with the founder and guitarist of Expiry Angel, Rob Cavestany, to talk over various topics. The ring'due south recent album titled HUMANICIDE got the Grammy nomination, which was the well earned and deserved trophy for them afterward been around since 1983. Death Angel has visited Finland a number of times over the years. When arriving at Finland recently, the Bay Surface area thrashers faced ane of the hardest and wildest ferry trips as the massive storm hitting. Ladies and gentlemen – Rob Cavestany and Death Affections. (This interview was conducted on the tenth of February 2020 in Helsinki Finland)
Interview by Arto Lehtinen and Marko Syrjälä
THRASH Like A HURRICANE
Starting time of all, we take to enquire about the last night. We heard that when yous were on the mode hither by ferry, a massive storm striking hard on it, and many of you fell ill. So could yous tell u.s.a. a petty bit about the concluding night, what happened and how dangerous the state of affairs was?
Last dark? The ship was fucking rocking difficult, merely I got lucky considering I predictable. I don't like going on ships and stuff. I get seasick very hands. I didn't know information technology was going to be every bit bad as that, but just in case I fabricated sure I drank a lot of liquor and made sure I was going to pass out practiced. Right when it started getting actually fucked up, I was like to bed. I pretty much slept through the whole matter. I didn't get affected by it that much. When I woke up in the morning, glass was smashed all over my cart. Everything's smashed everywhere. Bottles and glass. I fucking slept through that whole thing. Information technology was astonishing. Information technology was very lucky for me too that because I would've been having a actually bad time.
And so y'all missed all "the fun"?
Yeah. Some others didn't get then lucky.
Because of the storm, the unabridged Testament backline got stuck in Stockholm, and they had to borrow stuff from you and Exodus to play their bear witness in Helsinki. How did you lot manage to get everything together then speedily?
Testament's using our drums and Ted's guitars and peradventure some of Gary'due south guitars or Lee's and the backline. They're using ours and exited stuff combined considering they accept nothing.
However, it'southward great that you managed to get it to work considering y'all all have a long shared history.
It depends on what kind of relationship nosotros have. If you're on tour together, it'southward going to be a really fucked up situation if you say no. It's going to be very awkward, especially if you lot're the opener or the headliner on their bout. Probably as long as you weren't total fucking assholes to the states, then, of course, it would be cool. This makes it much cooler considering we're friends, of course. Anytime, someday.
WHEN BAY AREA STRIKES Dorsum
You are long-time friends, merely this is the first time when all three bands have toured together?
It'southward true. We've toured with Exodus. We've toured with Testament many times, but never the three of us.
How did you lot manage to put this bundle together now, or should I inquire why information technology took so long to brand this happen?
I judge only our schedules worked out at the aforementioned time, where somebody wasn't in the studio or on a different tour. I estimate it's been trying to happen for a long time, but it just depends on… Everyone has a different schedule, and your schedule is planned out so far in advance. That just makes it impossible to assemble. We inappreciably see each other at dwelling house whatsoever, considering ane guy's over hither, over there. It finally happened.
Death Angel has continuously been on tour after HUMANICIDE came out last May. Actually, the bout started i month before in us, right?
That was a long time ago. We toured with Sepultura, with Overkill and we did a headlining tour recently with DevilDriver. Yeah, it's been a lot of traveling.
I gauge that playing a lot of gigs is something you have to do to keep things alive nowadays because albums are not selling enough anymore?
It's basically the only mode. Albums are not selling plenty to earn a living, fuck no.
We interviewed Exodus drummer Tom Hunting a couple of years agone and asked." Because the albums don't sell anymore, do you ever experience that now you're a kind of traveling merchandise seller?" – He said, "aye". Exercise yous agree with him?
No, I'll disagree with that. You could accept that feeling or that attitude, merely I technically if you interruption it down where your income is coming from. That is what'due south happening. I don't want to expect at information technology that way. I'chiliad non a traveling merchandise seller. That'due south why we hire a person to sell the merchandise. I'1000 a traveling musician, and we sell merchandise to exist, to survive. But we take washed that in the past. I've sat there and sold our shit, where nosotros had to. Nosotros did that many times, but not anymore, "Laughs".
HUMANICIDED GRAMMY NOMINATION
What was a large affair for Death Angel recently was the Grammy nomination which y'all got from the album HUMANICIDE. It's a fact that it might not assistance sales a lot, merely only getting recognition must be a slap-up thing for whatsoever musician or artist, right?
That's true. That is true, and it feels proficient. We work fucking hard, hard, hard work. Nosotros put our whole life into everything we practise. Of grade, information technology definitely feels good, and I promise it leads to amend things, but that felt good to get recognized like that for the Grammy nominations. Information technology felt amazing, and it was a shock. Never thought in my life that that would have happened.
How did they pick you upwards for the nomination? Was information technology a item song or?
For the Grammy nomination, it was for the song "Humanicide".
You got a nomination, but after all, Tool won the Grammy .
Yes. Every bit we expected. Yep. Admittedly, but it was a dandy thing. It felt practiced for us and non only u.s.. Our families, our friends, our fans because we made everyone feel part of it. Information technology's like when yous have a favorite team in sports and when they're doing good, and everyone feels like they're in it, they're involved. We represented our fans and the Bay Area and thrash metal. Equally far as we're concerned, actual existent fucking metal, compared to with the other nominees. I don't know. There'due south here and there. Definitely, that Tool song is not very metal. Tool is a great fucking band. I'thou not trying to put them down. They're incredible musicians. I think they're fucking astonishing. For the category, our songs, to me, sound the most metallic for sure.
WORKING WITH JASON SUECOF AND LINEUP TALK
You have worked with Jason Suecof on several albums. Are you going to piece of work with him in the future, or are yous going to endeavour to do something else?
I'm not sure. I'm not maxim that nosotros won't, but I'm not saying that we're… We're for sure. Of course, at some point, we probably got to mix it up and try to work with other people. I had a great experience in the last iv records too.
Merely you have found a keen manner and chemistry to piece of work together with him?
Yes, exactly. Yep. Nosotros brand expert chemical science together because nosotros co-produced together the whole fourth dimension, simply we'll meet.
Musically HUMANICIDE is kind of a logical continuation for the terminal three Death Affections albums, but musically it's another step forrard. What kind of things influenced you when you lot starting time to write the music for this album?
Somehow, I but let it go wherever information technology will go. I don't try to predict what'southward going to happen. When I merely sit downwardly and start writing, information technology merely really depends on my mood at that moment. Then any starts coming out when I play, it's really unpredictable. I'thousand not trying to do annihilation in item. It's merely really happening in the mood and these days… A long time ago I'd say that we were more than influenced by other music, other bands. At the start, you're like fans of Iron Maiden and Metallica and everything. You're like trying to sound like them, because you lot're simply trying to discover your own sound, and you merely attempt to audio like what you like. I approximate that's still happening, but that's happening more in the background. For me, if I'thou writing, it'southward more of like my mood, or it'south just more of an expression of things that are happening to our lives and our band and us. So information technology comes out into music. I don't really know how to explain information technology. I'm not trying to retrieve of more of a audio every bit much as I'thou trying to brand the sound of my mood, or of the experiences that were any we experienced. Things on the road, the tour that nosotros're coming from: the oversupply, the feeling of the oversupply. I just try to imagine the crowd hearing that vocal or how it'southward going to move people, and just start playing the guitars. Run across what happens.
Nowadays, you lot and Marker write nigh of the song, whereas the other guys are not involved that much. How come?
Me and Mark, we're the songwriters. I love writing music, and that'south our audio is. I don't really know what to say. I just like to write. All of a sudden there is all the music and everybody, they believe in the songs that Mark and I write. It'due south just how our chemistry works. On this album, though, Ted has the first contribution in the song "Alive and Screaming". You lot threw down in there. Maybe we'll see some more contributions like that.
What if y'all compare your songwriting between the early days and the present, what'southward the most significant difference? And do you lot still have the same influences in mind what you used to have back in the day?
I think it'due south happening subliminally. The things I'm listening to is information technology's going in, and it's just mixing upward. Then when I'm writing, I'm not thinking of 1 affair or the other. Information technology just blends together, and whatever I started playing is probably from something because I listened to something, but I only don't realize it. It'south just coming out. Sometimes I'll write something based on a sure part. Sometimes there'll be a certain drumbeat that I similar. A sure tempo and I kind of a feel of the vanquish, and and so I'll write parts around a beat that I like, but from the drum office. Sometimes I'thousand simply trying to call back of how Mark'south going to audio when he'south going to sing over what I'm going to write or something. I'm only picturing what his voice might exist, but I have no idea what he'southward going to do. In my mind, I'm just trying to imagine Mark's voice coming in on top of that, and so I just do information technology like that. Sometimes I'one thousand not thinking of anything. I'm just feeling a certain way, and that feeling is but starting playing the guitar, and then I'm merely recording what'southward happening. So later, I listen to the parts and stuff that I only played so, "I like that one part here." I just start to build the song off of one of the riffs or ane of the parts that I wrote. It's just similar that.
There's the classic lineup of Death Angel, Ted Aquilera joined the band for the reunion lineup in 2001, and the electric current group completed in 2009 when drummer Damien Sisson and drummer Will Carrel joined the band ranks. So, this is a kind of Marking Three version of the band.
That'southward exactly what it is.
If yous think virtually the current lineup and how you work together as a band – How have things inverse compared to the early days?
For 1 matter, we're older than we were. That in and of itself makes a difference. With age, hopefully, comes a bit more of the wisdom, for the experience of so many things that you learned. You did wrong or did right and specially wrong things. Y'all learn from that, and y'all but effort to pay attention, and yous're always trying to progress and exercise better and not brand mistakes. Now we merely kind of accept much more teamwork. People are responsible for a multifariousness of different roles in the band. It'southward not just just writing the music. Ted handles a lot of our production, and he's dealing with the touring, everything about the product, the crew. He gets involved with all that stuff. That, in and of itself, is a huge job. He's dealing with all the details about all that stuff. Meanwhile, I'k working on the musical side of things, and Mark'due south doing his frontman thing, and writing lyrics and stuff. I only remember we function more smoothly now, and we kind of know what to do a little bit more. Nosotros're non just running around crazy like not paying attention to how we were when nosotros were younger, but it was fun doing information technology like that. Yous only can't keep doing it like that once you lot grow out of that.
When Death Angel started to play together, yous were all actually young guys. Anybody in the band was still a teenager.
Exactly. A lot of the differences mostly come from the historic period of things and how you handle yourself. Compare yourself when y'all were 15 years quondam, how yous functioned. Information technology's dissimilar, but it was a bully time.
"GOLD GIN"
Death Angel has recorded several cover songs during the years, and i of those is KISS archetype "Common cold Gin". I'k just curious, how you ended up choosing that song?
Because we're huge KISS fans, huge KISS fans. It's a pretty well-known fact virtually our band that the reason we exist is because of Kiss, and we wanted to do a tribute to the band that we loved so much. I don't know how we picked that vocal of all the songs. Information technology's kind of funny considering we're all under-age, nosotros couldn't even drink at that time. Nosotros're singing a song about common cold gin". That'south pretty funny. That'south why, only because we loved Osculation and then much.
In that location'southward a great version of Blackness Sabbath'southward "Heaven and Hell" by Black Sabbath on the DREAM CALLS FOR BLOOD album. You're probably huge Ronnie James Dio fan likewise?
Aye. Every bit I'm I, as we all are huge Dio fans. He's one of the greatest. There'southward likewise very interesting cover on the EVIL Dissever. Then we covered "Wasteland" past The Mission United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland. Practise yous know the band, The Mission Britain? They're an old gothic stone band. We used to listen to them all the time, even in the '80s. We loved The Mission Britain. The guitar role player from The Sisters of Mercy. We covered their vocal. As far as recorded covers, we have also covered "Trapped Under Ice". Information technology's on a Metallica tribute album, and so nosotros've washed a few.
FROLIC THROUGH KUUSROCK
This is, in fact, the 4th time Death Affections has performed in Finland. Practise yous have any memories of your offset visit to Finland in '88 in Oulu with U.D.O and the others?
With U.D.O and… Which festival was that?
It was called Kuusrock Festival.
"Cruz Rock" festival. Didn't Stevie Ray Vaughan play there? He was. That was a two days matter, right? Stevie Ray Vaughan played the other day. That'south one of the things I boot myself the most because, at that time, I wasn't really paying attention to Stevie Ray Vaughn. I was just so into metal that I wasn't tripping off of his blues. Shortly after that, he becomes one of my favorite guitar players of all fourth dimension. I just love and worship his playing, and we fucking could have maybe met him or seen him, and I merely didn't even realize it.
Maybe he was not metal enough for you, and so "Laughs."
I wasn't even paying attending, and I was similar, "Fuck."
When you were immature, you probably idea that everything else was shit but thrash and speed metal?
Kind of. Your mind frame is like that.
The debut anthology ULTRA-VIOLENCE was a really brutal, straight forrad and aggressive metal anthology and everyone seemed to beloved it. Regarding the second album FROLIC THROUGH THE PARK, it felt that you were kind of trying to pause boundaries with it. In that location were reggae or jazz influences and fifty-fifty some funky stuff on the anthology. It was a mix of many different styles and genres.
Funky parts "Laughs". Well, nosotros were listening to a lot of Faith No More and Carmine Hot Chili Peppers. We wanted to comprise some sounds into our music. To me, that's our kind of strangest anthology. It's the most mixed-up sounding, weird.
Now decades later, would y'all agree with my stance that FROLIC THROUGH THE PARK was perhaps put together too quickly?
Peradventure, yes. We didn't really take whatsoever idea of pre-production or song arrangements. Nosotros were merely doing role afterwards part later part, just stuck them together. Plus, it was a kind of a thing happening, where this is the kind of thing where everyone in the band was trying so hard to contribute to the writing. I'm not trying to put everyone downwardly or annihilation, only just looking back on it, that'due south exactly what was happening. Everyone was only trying to get their vocal and go their part in. Information technology's kind of when you lot have likewise many cooks in the kitchen kind of thing. Everyone was doing it, and so no one was taking control of the situation to say, "Maybe that part shouldn't." Information technology's just like, "Why not? That's my part. Y'all don't like my role. Okay." Everyone'southward parts in here now, and that was just crazy.
I know what you lot mean, and dorsum in the day, you had a different human relationship and chemistry in the band, and you lot probably couldn't say "NO" to anybody without making enemies in the family?
Exactly right. Sometimes it had a magical moment. Some parts it worked, here and at that place, but a lot of other times it doesn't piece of work, but exactly, you can't say no. You just have to let it happen because you lot simply couldn't say "fuck you" because everyone has to work equally. There are proficient parts and bad parts to it. That'due south why now it'south just kind of seems like it sounds more consistent, because we're not having like all that pushing and pulling, and all these crazy five different styles of music in ane vocal. Now I try to write; at that place's notwithstanding a variety of styles betwixt the songs. Of course, you could hear the departure. Some songs are more than brutal, and some are more rock. They seem to like each song stays together within itself. It'due south not like 5 songs in one song.
I call back your former interview from '88. You had just released FROLIC THROUGH THE PARK, and there is a song chosen "3rd Floor" on the album. If I recall correctly, the song was nearly your friend who was at the hospital, and y'all went to come across him. Only there was some level or floor in the hospital that you were not able to get, and that vocal is virtually that?
Information technology is. That was the psychiatric ward. We were like, "How can we not become to the third floor? What's with that?" Then they said, "That's a psychiatric ward. Yous don't go there." We were like, "We got to write a song most that." That was a skillful inspiration.
ACT III – But And then…
If FROLIC THROUGH THE PARK was a bit confusing release, everything got fixed on the next anthology Human activity III. It was a perfect metal record by any measure out. Death Angel raised on the whole new level with that album.
This is true because and then we had a fucking serious producer, Max Norman. That era is where I learned the most of everything. That's where we went from turned from a boy to a human, going through that album. Every that nosotros had to experience from, even from the record label, Geffen records. We went to a major label and working with max Norman, and they weren't just assuasive the states to do any. They are making united states of america write and write and write so much and like, "Okay. That'due south pretty good. Permit's hear more songs, more songs." I was getting and then fucking pissed. I was similar, "Y'all already have enough of songs. At that place are fifteen songs. That's enough songs." They're like, "No, better songs. We wrote like 30 songs for that album, merely that taught u.s.a. how to piece of work difficult very, very difficult. Much more than we thought we were doing before.
Perchance you lot had learned to be more disquisitional of yourself then?
Exactly, that's what information technology was. Since and then, at present nosotros don't have to write thirty songs because in one case I'g realizing songs like, "Okay, I just cut it already." I don't even waste fourth dimension with the rest of the band, because I already could tell like it's got to be amend than that. Rather than just writing too many songs and half of them are no good. Once information technology's already going that mode, I only really need to love what I'grand feeling and then present it to the band that nosotros piece of work on information technology with everybody.
When ACT III came out, fans and critiques loved it, only at the same time, Expiry Angel was compared to Metallica because of the 2 "metal ballads" you had on the album. Simply for certain, "A Room with a View" opened many new doors for the band?
Yes. MTV video, stuff like that.
Was that MTV thing more a curse or a blessing for the band?
Blessing, considering nosotros just got and so much better as a band. We got better at songwriting, producing, arranging. As players, just gaining more than control over what we were doing. Not simply doing what over again… It taught me how to write and make records, I think. I took that experience from then on and then just go along trying to get meliorate and better at it. I love ACT Three. I love everything, "Room with a View", "Veil of Deception". They're actually nice songs, the way that they came out. Then people say, "Why don't you play that? When are you guys are playing "Room with a View "or writing a song like "Room with a View" now?" And I take answers for that. Fifty-fifty though I dear the song, it doesn't belong to the fix. If information technology's at that place, the set'south going to get so soft. It'due south like people are thrashing so difficult. There's no room for that right at present. In a headlining tour, only we would something like "Room With a View", never in a show similar this? That's going to exist fucking throw off the whole wrong feeling for the nights. It's all power in this kind of a beak. We but haven't fifty-fifty been doing encores. We've been playing all the way through, so just that's it. Not coming back for doing the… Good night, so come back. We merely play direct through and continue it more intense. Some other thing well-nigh it is it's very challenging to play alive. It'due south got a lot of harmony background vocals, and information technology has to sound correct to exercise it. If we're not going to make information technology audio correct, then nosotros're not even going to attempt it, considering it's just not going to come out and then well. Now we take so many more songs that there are other songs to choose from than that. In one case in a while, nosotros play "Veil of Deception". In one case in awhile, I'd rather play "Veil of Deception". It's a little more than group snooping or moving. Again, never say never. Plus, the style of it. Information technology'south a very eighties kind of carol style. The manner of information technology isn't really in this time and space to exercise that.
Y'all had a significant following with Act Iii, a great label, and the right people behind you. It was close that you didn't brand it really big. I mean, Really Big!
Sure, information technology was.
LIFE AFTER Decease Affections
Everything changed dramatically in 1990 when you had that horrible bus accident, and Andy Galon injured critically. The band continued for a while with other drummers but suddenly everything was over, and Expiry Angel dissever upward. So, exercise you even so think about those things like, what it could have been information technology this and that didn't happen?
I'yard forced to considering it ever comes up in interviews. Other than that, I cull non to think well-nigh information technology because "Why sit in that location and think about horrific experiences in the by?" I'm but happy that we're live and was able to move on from that. Actually, in brief, it wasn't the ring'due south error. It was Destiny, of form, more often than not about the timing. Then the menstruation of time changed really fast, nobody knew about it.
Death Angel went through serious personal drama, but also the whole music climax changed really fast in the early '90s. Suddenly traditional metal, thrash, and speed metal went away, and death and black metal stepped in. I guess several thrash metallic bands started struggling and vanished abroad at that fourth dimension.
That's true, that'south true. It was a strange destiny. I just tried to accept it for what it is. Here's what happened and everything. Everything happens for a reason. At the moment, yous tin can't understand the right sometimes, simply information technology does happen for a reason in some mode.
For you lot, you weren't the only band who suffered from that, but it must accept been a horrible time?
It was pretty savage.
I've read in some of your interviews where you were not in the decease metal affair because you never liked that song style. You preferred more something like James Hetfield'south style.
Yes, yes. That'due south true.
THE ORGANIZATION AND OTHER PROJECTS
Afterwards Death Angel split in 1991, and Andy had recovered from the bus accident, you formed a new band, The Organization, which was basically Decease Angel, but without Mark Osegueda. Was information technology a serious band or more than similar a therapy band, simply doing something together as a band?
No, it was very serious for the states. Nosotros love that ring. I put all my heart and soul into that. At that moment of fourth dimension, that was very big a reaction to united states, about like what happened to united states from like everything that happened. Then when we got in the bus accident and all that shit, and when our band ended because of that. It was just a actually dark cloud about everything. It attached itself to thrash metallic. I simply didn't want to deal with any of information technology. I didn't want anything that reminded me of that bad nightmare, which meant anything to do with thrash or Death Angel or anything. Nosotros notwithstanding wanted to play music, though. But then Marking moved to New York. He only had to go the fuck out of here. He was just didn't desire to call back of anything well-nigh it. He only went to the extreme and moved to the other side of the country. He got married and only was fucking out of here. We withal wanted to play music. We just said, "Permit'due south just play whatever nosotros wanted to play." Something which is not thrash metallic, and not Death Angel. This is rock and blends of music that we love… That was but us letting out all our other kind of style of music that we were non actually doing in Decease Angel, but nosotros liked to all this dissimilar kind of stuff.
Once more with multiple people writing. You have all these weird, different kinds of parts going all crazy all over. Inside there, at that place are definitely certain songs I really, really similar a lot more than the others. That was what we were doing at the time. Unfortunately for united states, we simply could never get out of the shadow of Death Angel. No thing what, people wanted to hear Death Affections. They're merely like, "It's four of the five of y'all. Why don't you play Death Angel?" Every show that we played, people were yelling for Decease Angel songs. It was just crushing your spirit considering you didn't want to hear about that. We just wanted to move on from there, only we couldn't. In the time information technology was crushing, and we only had to fucking… We couldn't be any longer. We were quitting. We were barely existing, and we had to go home and get jobs, and so we could fucking survive. We went from touring ACT III with fucking two bout buses and a truck with all our products to a van, sleeping in our van, driving ourselves fucking in The Organisation. We were totally back to foursquare i, to the punk rock. We did it, and we loved it. Nosotros did it for a year. Two records, and we did it. After and then long, it was merely fucking exhausting, and similar we just couldn't become across it.
When the System split up, did you and so have plans or any discussion about putting Death Angel together again in the future?
Not really, considering after The Organization… many years happened until Death Angel came back. We weren't thinking about putting Death Angel together. Nosotros only were like, "Let's just get apart from each other, and then that nosotros aren't existence compared to Death Angel any anymore." We just split apart and just did different things—a lot of dissimilar projects.
What did you exercise afterwards the Organization split up? You lot probably never gave up playing at any indicate?
I had a band with Andy on drums and John Menor. He was a bass role player of D.R.I at once. He'south on the albums; THRASH ZONE and DEFINITION. He was a friend of ours in the Bay Area, and the three of us formed a band chosen Smokestack. Nosotros were just like playing funky, bluesy, melodic stuff. Not metal. Only a very different, bluesy and funky groove. We just had a lot of fun. By that betoken, it was also like every ring that I was in, I put everything I had into it, and put my life into the music, in the moment of time I was into information technology. It was very nice because we weren't trying to go on tour and get information technology. We were but having fun, and we were just playing local gigs all the fourth dimension, day-past-day. Nosotros did a lot of parties. A lot of our friend'due south parties only having enough fun time. For the business part of it. We were only just playing music and not worrying nigh trying so difficult in the business part, which is the part that'due south fucking eats yous live. It takes away from the music, and you just start paying too much attending, trying to get somewhere with your business. We weren't even trying. We were just playing parties, working our day jobs, and having fun playing music.
Did you exercise whatever recordings with that band?
We have a demo. It's very rare. Iv or five songs. It's actually absurd sounding too. I recorded it on my ain Tascam analog recorder. I recorded it, but it came out really well, and there are absurd songs on it. Information technology was really nice, tasty playing that we were doing. It'south not metal, and I'one thousand the singer in there, me and Andy singing. We didn't effort to push it very far. After a while, we simply started to fizzle apart and go to work more. Then later that, we had then we had a band chosen Swarm. That'southward when Mark moved back from New York, and and so nosotros started reconnecting and being friends again and hanging out. And then all of a sudden, "let's write some music or something". It was in the belatedly '90s. That was more of only kind of rock, straight-ahead rock. A little scrap of metallic sound in there, but not really. Nosotros were just kind of checking it out and not actually… We were merely trying to see, experiment where we were going to go and write and stuff, and run into what happens. We were on tour with Jerry Cantrell in the Usa. Alice in Chains'southward, Jerry, when he had a solo band, Jerry Cantrell ring. That's when nosotros got the call near Chuck Billy's Clash of the Titans, Thrash of the Titans, which led to Death Angel getting back together.
That was in 2001?
Its 19 years now. It's a pretty fucking long time, though, for being in the side by side era. Considering we did all the stuff before that and at present nineteen years since that. It'due south pretty good.
THINGS NEVER HAPPENED
I'k curious to know if you were ever asked to join any other bands, maybe some well-known bands during the period when Death Affections didn't exist?
That'due south a good question. A long ago, I got asked really to join Ministry. I wasn't feeling it. I wasn't actually into it. I didn't want to simply join someone else's band. I liked writing music and doing my own affair, and I only wasn't… Now that I call back well-nigh it, that would've been cool. I kind of wish I did leap in in that location for the experience, At least for a tour. I wasn't thinking of it. I thought one time I joined that ring, I had to stay there forever. I merely didn't desire to sell myself into this world, where if I wanted to exercise my own thing. I just wasn't really feeling information technology.
When did they ask you to join the band?
It was shortly later on Decease Affections broke up, though. It was somewhere effectually '91. I recall what ended happening was Metal Mike got in at that place.
The guy from Rigor Mortis?
Yeah. That guitar player concluded up doing it. When I didn't do it, so I heard that he got in in that location. In that moment of time, I wasn't really into Ministry so much or whatever. I wish I would accept checked it out. It would accept been cool, only I just didn't exercise it. At 1 point, Jason Newsted, when he was putting something together, and he hit me up to play with him, simply I don't know. I wasn't feeling it or whatever. It wasn't my thing. Whatever he was doing, just wasn't… He's a great musician. It just wasn't what I felt similar playing.
Jason used to accept a ring called IR8 together with Tom Hunting and Devin Townsend around that time. Was it that project nosotros're talking almost at present?
It wasn't that 1. It wasn't Tom. If Tom had been in in that location, that would have been more interesting for me. I love Tom. I'm just not then much. I approximate I'm just i of those people that like-kind does his own band kind of affair. I haven't actually done that and played with other people.
THRASH – GETTING NOSTALGIA
During the past few years, a lot of thrash related movies, DVDs, stuff similar that have been released. "Go Thrashed", and Harald Oimoen got his own movie "Murder in the Front Row" out. Do you lot feel that "thrash metallic" has become more than like nostalgia for the '80s teenage kids, who are a little bit older nowadays?
Probably, I approximate and then. It definitely is something, and it'south a very interesting story and got a lot of farthermost stuff about information technology. Information technology's exciting and foreign for people to like who doesn't feel that. They just look at, "What is that?" I tin can understand that that would exist happening. I'k glad that something's happening and people that are able to observe and experience what information technology was and what information technology is.
If you think about the fans and audience's reactions in concerts from your perspective as a performer – Do you see a difference between people in Europe and usa?
It is a big difference. I much prefer the European scene by far. One of the problems with u.s. is that they're very curt attention span and very trendy. People are very quick to leave one thing and go to the adjacent. Leave one thing and go to the next. Something one year is already former to some people, specially the kids these days fifty-fifty are, "That'due south so erstwhile." You lot're similar, "That's but last year." They're similar, "That's former." That's onetime? What do you call up of me? Holy shit. That's why what you said about the nostalgia thing. I can see it. I can empathise because that's the mode people carry now. And it'due south fucking crawly. I'll take it like it's understandably so. Expect how old this music is and similar it happens to everything in time. After so long information technology goes in the past, new things come around. The younger people, they don't like erstwhile things. They like new things. Why did we like information technology and so much in the '80s? Because it was new and it was heady, and information technology was a new thing. If that music was 30 years old, so nosotros wouldn't be listening to that.
There are however several bands and artists of the '80s, who tour regularly, but they only play the hits and the same songs, year after tear. Although those bands however go on on releasing new music, they've all the same have chosen the condom path, and when we ask why they say information technology is the affair that people want to hear. Do you agree?
That is the case for some of the artists. I feel fortunate with us because we don't totally only go that route. Nosotros by and large play our new stuff, and nosotros did that from the starting time because I didn't want simply to be stuck playing only FROLIC THROUGH THE PARK and ULTRA-VIOLENCE just forever. If we did that to ourselves, nosotros'd be stuck like that. Nosotros don't have to practise that. We're playing more stuff from our after records, and the people like the combination of all. The younger people like our newer stuff fifty-fifty more than the older stuff because… At that place are two things about it, I call up. For united states, we didn't go that way. Nosotros kind of exercise some erstwhile and some new, it's a mix. We do most mostly the new stuff, simply here's the departure. I just try to hope that I'chiliad right about this. I try to feel confident because we really – I retrieve that it also matters what you're putting upward. If your new stuff isn't as expert then…
We didn't say that! "Laughs"
There you have it. I'm not naming names. I'm only saying that could exist the example. We believe in our newer stuff. I retrieve our new music, the later on stuff nosotros're doing is a fucking killer. We beloved playing it, and it comes across really well alive, and the people are loving it. And so nosotros, of course, always play former songs too. We don't but play new songs; we mix it up. The first song is "Humanicide". The second song is "Voracious Souls". We get back and forth and endeavor to pick the best cuts for a certain dark or a sure tour. We e'er stand backside our new stuff.
There are bands like Kreator who accept done very well with the new stuff. They have managed to recreate the whole matter with their newer material, appealing to the audition, so they only play a few former songs.
We always exercise something old, at least 1, at least. We're never going to play a show without playing something from the ULTRA-VIOLENCE, never. We ever do something from that album. If our set is too brusk, and so we're going to play ULTRA-VIOLENCE over ACT Iii. ULTRA- VIOLENCE is the starting time record. Yous got to become to your first record and specially the ULTRA-VIOLENCE. That's the classic pure thrash of ours. I think the people would be nearly disappointed if we don't play anything from the ULTRA-VIOLENCE.
It's the same affair with Slayer. If they don't play anything from REIGN IN Claret or Kreator from Pleasure TO KILL, people are going to kill them.
Pretty much. I understand that. You go to the shows to hear certain archetype songs.
FROM Osculation TO OPETH
Our time is running out and, and we have covered almost all the subjects, but here is one more question. When you started listening to music back in the day – has anything has changed since then, I hateful, for example, do you lot still take the dear left for KISS?
Of course, I love Osculation! I even so dearest all the metal bands I liked back in the day. I don't need to name those. Everyone from Iron Maiden, Scorpions, Judas Priest, Metallica. The gods. All of the gods of metallic, the obvious ones. The main inspiration of metal. If those are the main bands that you are ever listened to when you were growing up, you can never outdo that in your center. That'south always going to be the fucking number one for you. And then the newer ones, yous just endeavour to absorb information technology and check it out, but they never overtake Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin and AC/DC. That's the stone that I love. The other bands, I similar o f newer bands, I like Mastodon. I think they're skilful. And Refused I like and Children of Bodom, I similar. Merely I'g from the old schoolhouse. What I'g I going to do about it? Sometimes when I hear newer bands, I recollect, that they're good and they're great musicians. A lot of times, I just don't hear an original sound that I'm going to be influenced past. I'1000 hearing in them what they sound like other bands. I more go to the source, which is the original bands. I think they had the real feeling in in that location. There'southward plenty of; in that location's plenty of Black Sabbath and Priest and Maiden albums for me to beloved. Mercyful Fate, of course. I call back Gojira is good. I like their drummer a lot. I tin can't say that there aren't any newer bands that influence me, though. If I'm going to go in that direction of influence, and so it'southward going to bands like D.R.I or the more fun. You know, t he fun kind of punk rock. Crumbsuckers, I loved a lot. The band from New York, Crumbsuckers. Doubter Front, Cro-Mags. Verbal Abuse, Dead Kennedys. I love them a lot. These are all old bands. All the metal that'south in my playlist is the old metal. On our bus, that's all we mind to. Nosotros're listening to erstwhile metal. It'south the onetime stuff and even similar "not" metal, rock. Everything from Rainbow and Deep Purple to fucking Blue Öyster Cult or just fucking Osculation. It's good stuff. I can't really help information technology. Only Opeth, I've recently come to like though. By seeing them live a couple of times, it blew me away. They're fucking incredible live band. I fucking tripped off that. They're not even that new, but for me, they're newer. Of form, they're newer than the other bands we're talking about. To me, that's, that'southward kind of newer.
You seem to similar Opeth now, but originally they used to have the death metal style. Back in the day, you didn't like it because of the brutal manner and the vocals.
A picayune bit. It was kind of taking me a while to get used to that, but more so now I'm getting used to information technology considering I'k hearing it all the time on bout. After a while, okay. Information technology'south growing on me a little bit. I still prefer the vocals that have a footling scrap more melody and something going, so I tin can sympathize the words and stuff like that. I like Satyricon, only again it's not new. To me, information technology's newer of something that I would be listening to these days.
We want to thank you for taking the time to have this interview.
Thank you guys
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Source: https://www.metal-rules.com/2020/03/29/death-angel-guitarist-rob-cavestany/