<< Interviews deze maand
archiveer onder : speed / thrash metal
USA, Down Factor, ‘Murder The World’, thrash, strak, bombastisch, technische hoogstandjes, doorzettingsvermogen, erkenning en gewoon lekker muziek maken. We hebben het over het tweede volledige album van Down Factor. Beide gitaristen Brooks en – bandleider – George beantwoorden vragen over loonbaantjes, de band en hun toekomst daarin en hun visie op “the shit side of live”…
Text: Jean
Greetings…I shoot my first Q aye? I think there is no particular reason for choosing a band name such as Down Factor, however, it sounds kind of industrial (Factor) with a rampage sphere (Down) over it, which can be considered as "down with the factory", translated to "down with the human race/the society". Reading your lyrics its not hard to create this link. If there is any story behind your name, please explain….
George: Almost. You just about got it right. Most people are clueless. It means the shit side of life, the bad things that happen and that people are about. It's like, the situation is this and there's that, but...the bad part is...the down factor is... Yeah, you could link industrial to it I suppose. I wanted that edge, but since we don't use synthesizers, keyboards or drum machines, you aren't really going to get that. Although, Ramon is just about a drum machine. But, you can kind of tap into that industrial edge by using triggers.
How does the Oakland metal scene react at your full length 'Murder The World', and is there much local support for you guys by gigs/radio airplay/zines?
George: So far, the response has been great! Actually, we haven't played any shows in Oakland. All around Oakland, but not in Oakland. There's only one club in Oakland to play at and we will be doing that in January. A club called iMusicast just closed unfortunately. That place was really cool, but the owner of the building wanted to build condos. Asshole. When people hear us live, they really get into it. That is if we don't play too fast. Sometimes we do that cause the adrenaline is going, but that's just the raw part of playing live. We've only played a limited number of shows since releasing the record. We had some issues with the release and then the holidays and crap. But at every show, we tend to hold a majority of the audience and it's great. With the exception of Vader & Decapitated of course. But, with every show, our fan base gets bigger and bigger. It's a matter of playing a shitload of shows.
What do you know about the thrash metal scene in The Netherlands or Europe in general? Any bands you are familiar with?
Brooks: We just played a show with Vader, Decapitated, and Dew Scented, they’re European bands that I love, so that was quite a thrill. I think a lot of the most interesting and innovative metal in the world is coming out of Europe right now, and that's what’s been filling my metal plate lately.
George: I really dig this band called Asmegin. I don't understand a damn word, but it's great! And I like some of the Vintersorg stuff. Always been a fan of Kreator and Coroner was a big influence on me in my earlier days. And of course, King Diamond. King Diamond is god! He used to be close by. Not quite The Netherlands. I hear he and Andy are working on a new album. I love The Puppet Master.
How did you manage to bust Steve Smyth's ass (guitarist Nevermore) as a guest musician in the studio to record a solo during the track 'Blinded'?
George: Don’t forget Juan Urteaga! He also stepped in and barked some lyrics on this song as well. So I have cameo's from Vile and Nevermore. Woohoo! Steve's a cool guy! I met Steve hanging out one night at The Cocodrie in San Francisco. He and his roommate Stacy were hanging out watching some of the bands. I can't remember who. It might have been Machine Head when they were doing a show with the name Ten Ton Hammer. Just got to know him. Later I found out he played guitar for Testament and Vicious Rumors. No ego or nothing. Down to earth dude. When I recorded the album 'Pure', my other guitar player who was filling in at the time wasn't quite catching the feel of the leads that I needed for that album. So I asked Steve if he would come in and do it. He came to Fantasy Studios where we were recording and listened to the songs. I needed him to play all of the opposing leads that I wasn't playing. He ended up doing four of them. I had to find a new guitar player after that. Eventually, I found Brooks, here, by way of Steve, who was giving him lessons, and he had to come in and learn how to play Steve's solos. I never thought I would find anyone to do that, but he did. Then, when it came time to record 'Murder the World', Brooks brought up the idea of asking Steve to do another solo. Here's how cool the dude is. We asked him, but he said he didn't have time, but he did anyway. He had already joined Nevermore and was in the process of recording for both Nevermore and Dragonlord, flying back and forth across the world. Getting ready to go on Gigantour, was in Seattle practicing and the guy still took the time to lay down this lead. He recorded it during one of his stops in the Bay Area in his studio at home. Something happened and he had to do it again. This time, he did it in a studio in Seattle after practice one night and emailed the tracks to us while we were in the studio. We never even saw the guy. We then had to lay his track down as part of the song. That was tough actually. We almost fucked that up, but in the end we got it right.
Brooks: I think I owe him a beer.
I mentioned that 'Murder The World' is not a musically original album, but the use of your identical thrash riffing combined with all of your influences together made this album to a devastating high light in my humble opinion. What do you think of the album's originality?
George: We weren't trying to reinvent the wheel. We just wanted to write good songs. As far as original goes, I think all of the parts are very original, but the format of the songs is familiar. There’re a lot of songs that follow this format. But we try to make it more intense. One of the main focus points behind Down Factor when I created it was to play songs that sounded like a regular song when you first heard it, but then if you listened to it more carefully, you would hear that it was a bit more complex than just a basic song. I wanted to play these really intense parts squashed into regular parts fused with slower groove parts mashed into regular songs. So you ended up with songs that had both complex technical parts, but with groove parts that all flowed together like a simple song because throughout the song, you could always find the snare on the root of the beat. When we wrote songs for the new album, I didn’t want to dictate how all of the beats went for each song. I wanted the other guys input and influence so they could be creative. At least to me that’s why we play music. I wanted to be influenced by some of the stuff they knew. We also liked to play covers. Always have a good time doing that. And when you are writing, most often, you become the product of your influences. Brooks, Ramon and myself are all highly influenced by thrash metal. For me, it’s the groove and bludgeoning side of thrash. Brooks, its the shred guitar and fast thrash riffs. Ramon loves the challenge of super technical shit. Hauling ass on the double kicks, clicking every note on the rides and hats. It’s thrash metal taken to the extreme ends of death metal. So, a clusterfuck of original ideas, arranged in familiar formats, with shred and extreme thrash, old school beat to death so it sounds good again.
Brooks: I think what makes it a great listen is that it has bits of pieces of all types of metal, and keeps you on your toes.
What is for you, as a DF musician, the biggest difference between your first release 'Pure' and 'Murder The World'?
George: Well, the biggest difference is the players. I have different players on the last album. Brooks and Ramon are just far more adept at their instruments than my guys on the last album. Don't get me wrong. I like the last album and the songs are good, but they are just a lot tighter on this album. It also has to do with the production of the album too. Juan Urteaga did a great job recording this thing too. Everything is crisp and clean in comparison. My playing improved vastly as well. Having Brooks and Ramon in the band really put the pressure on me as a musician. But hey, that is also evolution in playing and recording too. The more you do it, the better you get at it.
The lyrical aspect between 'Pure' and 'Murder the World' is relatively the same. Down Factor is my arena for bitching about things I usually hate. ‘Pure’ was more bantering about politics and social injustices in general. This one is vehement. A lot of it is me breathing fire about these political dicks and right wing religious conservatives who want to keep people stupid. It’s amazing. Like a bunch of sheep following the one in front of it to the slaughterhouse. I can only rant from my perspective. But that’s what I see. It's about the crap I see and the injustices I perceive.
With which major band(s) you would like to tour with? And what would you give up in your personal life to tour with these band(s)? that is, if there is anything to give up of course…
Brooks: Stryper, of course. I'd give up my pencil sharpener.
George: I'd tour with anybody. I don't care. Any good metal or hardcore, black metal death metal bands. Black Dahlia Murder, Slayer, King Diamond, Exodus, Testament, Bleeding Through. I don't care anybody. Just as long as the bands are cool and the shows are cool. I'm not hard to please.
What equipment do you use on stage, as well in the studio while recording? Any tricks or tips considering studio techniques for the amateur musicians out there?
Brooks: We used my ENGL SE head and Ibanez guitars on the record, which, coincidentally, happens to be the live rig as well. In the studio, Juan constructed a massive fortress of death, a foam igloo around the cab to capture every nuance of brutality possible.
George: Currently, I'm using a dual rectifier live, but I plan on upgrading to an ENGL. These things just fuckin' rule. But money isn't exactly lucrative at the moment. So if anybody at ENGL reads this, I really want one of your amps, but can't afford it. Put me on a 60 month plan. I'll pay it! Really! (Endorsers: pay your tribute! JW)
How is the album recorded? Is it recorded in a "live" set up or did you record the instruments one by one? The album sounded pretty "live" recorded to me due to its warmth and perfectly fitting breaks and fill ins in drum/guitar combination.
Brooks: We wanted a live feel on this record. I think a lot of us are getting a little tired of the new modern metal approach, the total perfection that sounds like robots playing guitar and drums. You might as well just let the computer play. A band is about the people in the band, and the music they create together. We didn't go over every single note for absolute flawlessness. We love how on old Slayer albums, you could hear the difference between Kerry and Jeff. They weren't machines, they were dudes who slammed their guitars just to see what came out.
What are you guys doing besides Down Factor? Just working from 09.00 to 17.00 or are you active in any other bands/projects that you have no time to work for a minimum wage?
George: Wouldn't that be great. I would love to not have a crappy day job. But we'll see. I'm currently not in any other projects. Some of my other guys are and that's cool. We're all here to play music. But this is the main focus for most of us.
Brooks: We'll see...
Where does Down Factor stand in about two years from now you think?
Well, we'll see. It really depends on how this album is received. If we can manage to get on the road and play it for people, I think we could do well. Playing in the bay area is really tough. We intend to get out on the road in the spring for a couple of weeks and then hopefully go out for a few months when summer rolls around. If we don't pull that off, then there won't be any money to keep the band going. You need to have record sales and you can only sell so many in the bay area. Once we get out on the road, I think we'll do alright. Whenever we play outside of the bay area, people go absolutely nuts.
Any major plans for the future, like touring Europe and its great festivals for instance?
We'll see. Our indie label here can't support a tour in Europe, so we will probably look for a European label to market and distribute the album over there. We are looking right now. I think many Europeans might dig what we do more so than the Americans. Especially some of the rhetoric of the lyrics. If we find a good label with some good marketing power over there, we might get to come tour over there. We'll just have to see. But, I really want to play Wacken this year. I dig going to festivals and always want to play in them, even though most bands only get about 20 or 25 min to play. It's still something I want to do. We played the Milwaukee Metal Fest a while back. I was really looking forward to it. It used to draw 5000-10000 people. When we went, it turned out to be the underside of Jack Koshick's ass. What a crappy show that was. I won't ever play another Jack Koshick show unless we get paid.
I always ask the musician interviewed for comment on releases from the past, now its your turn. Please give your comment on the following:
Exodus - Pleasures Of The Flesh:
George: This album rules. I love this album.
Brooks: I'm a Bonded by Blood guy, but ‘Pleasures’ is killer too.
Atheist - Piece Of Time:
George: Heard of it, haven't heard it.
Brooks: I've listened to some Atheist, but haven't really heard this album front to back. If I'm in the mood for progressive death jazz thrash, I usually reach for Cynic.
Death - Scream Bloody Gore:
Brooks: DIE!!!! One of the greatest metal bands of all time. I like this album a lot, because its really a band of young hungry metalheads who had no idea what amazing things they were in store for. Much like Metallica's Kill Em All, it sounds like just another band in the scene, but one with tremendous potential.
George: I agree with him.
Artillery - By Inheritance:
George: Never heard of them.
Faith No More - King For A Day…:
George: Can't get past the vocals.
Brooks: Never heard this one, but Angel Dust is the shit.
Next and last tricky question: suppose your house was on fire and you are only able to save THREE
CD's/LP's/MC's - besides the people you love of course - from the devastating flames, which will they be?
George: My King Diamond -Them, Slayer's Decade of Aggression. I would say Reign in Blood, but it just isn't long enough. And if you want to be technical, disk one. Besides, I like to listen to live albums and then another live album, Iron Maiden's Live After Death.
Brooks: Oh man, that is tough, I'll have a different answer for you ever week. Right now, I'd grab Meshuggah's "I", Death's "Human", and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum's "Grand Opening and Closing".
With these last words I want to thank you for answering this interview and hereby give you the opportunity to speak out any (classic) one-liners or last words to our readers:
Brooks: Keep your eyes wide open, cause you never know what you might see.
George: Whew! I love heavy! (Paul Baloff 2002, RIP)
http://www.downfactor.com
<<
vorigevolgende >>
|
Maak home
Bookmark