Midwest Metal Issue #20 Flashback II

2009 Notes: Another band who was known during their years of activity but went straight to legendary when they disbanded is Sleep. Known these days as the band that gave the world Matt Pike and High On Fire, Sleep was a trio of friends from the Bay Area who recorded a body of work still hailed as highly influential to those in the know. The band broke up after the monumental ‘Dopesmoker’ album had been recorded and shelved and the legal bullshit surrounding the release of it sucked the life out of them. Strangely enough, Sleep reunited for two special sets at the All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival held in England back in May of this year. Essential Sleep reading can be found in Decibel Magazine’s March 2006 issue.

2001 Notes: In 1999, after years of sitting on the shelf of London Records, Sleep's epic tale of ' Jerusalem ' was finally available. Even though by this time the band was dead, Matt I guess was doing his part to cross promote the album as well as his current band High On Fire, who fucking rule.

Interview with former Sleep Guitarist and current High On Fire Guitarist/Vocalist Matt Pike.

Midwest Metal: Matt what's new with you?

Matt Pike: I've been playing in a new band for about a year, we've just started gigging and also just got out of the studio. We're called High On Fire. I'm really happy with it.

How would you describe it?

Well, it's the guitars from Sleep, sort of, but with a different rhythm section. Less of, well it's along the same lines of Sleep, but without stepping on my old band-mates toes. I'm also doing the vocals.

You mentioned just getting out of the studio. Do you have a deal?

No, not yet. I'm looking. We just got the tape recorded and the first thing I'm gonna do is get a few copies of the tape off to Paula and have her try to get us some reviews and stuff.

A question a lot of people want to know is how and why did Sleep break up?

Things just got really strange between us. After the album (Jerusalem-ed.) was recorded, we were having a hard time. I mean even during the writing, that was a very hard song to write. (ed. Note: 'Jerusalem' is Sleep's final album and it's one song clocking in at over 52 minutes) Very difficult to play, and then the whole label thing, they [London Recordings] were freaking out.

How in the hell did Sleep end up on a major label??

I don't know, it just happened, it was such a trip. So the break up, it was about time, ya know? We weren't getting along the way we should've been, not for a band that was going to be touring.

Did you get signed off the strength of 'Sleep's Holy Mountain '?

I guess, that and the word of mouth. They approached us, it may have not worked out for the best, but at least something good is coming out of it.

I thought it was strange from the day I got a promo from London.

You did get one?

Yeah.

Right on, cool.

Then they sent the Gummo soundtrack with Sleep, Eyehategod, Burzum, Mortician etc.

That was a fucked up movie.

That movie was twisted like no other!

No shit, I put it on and I was like, "What the hell is my music doing on this" Fuckin' inbred kids killing cats and shit.

That dirty fuckin' kid who fucks the retarded girl!

Dude, whatever. That was just a weird movie, pretty harsh.

Well, back to the ' Jerusalem ' album, someone said that London wanted to remix the album to make it "listenable".

We remixed it for them, we originally spent two months in the studio going over each and every damn note, and believe me there was already like this black cloud in there with us. Then this guy comes in, and takes over the mix that we felt was perfect, and he started dabbling around and we had a big argument with the label about that.

I mean we wanted one track for the whole album and then they went in and made six tracks that we didn't like it. I mean we have no hard feelings, they're just business people and they do what they have to do.

How did The Music Cartel get involved?

Well, he (Eric LeMasters) just called and we talked and came up with a very simple contract that seemed cool and that was it. I mean I'm doing these interviews for him and also myself trying to plug High On Fire.

Let's talk more about the future, who's in H.O.F.?

I've got a kick ass drummer named Dezi and a kick ass bass player named George. They're just a couple of dirtbags that I like jamming with. We're really super tight and the three songs show it, I hope.

How are you handling the singing?

So far it's cool, I mean there's a lot better singers, but as long as I can pull it off and also play guitar I'm fine. I'm just looking forward to touring and touring, that's where it'll really improve.

What are the main differences between Sleep and High On Fire?

I'd say that High On Fire is a less droning type of band. It's similar, but different. I'm trying new things here and there which make for an interesting bunch of songs. It's missing a lot of the stuff I was doing in Sleep, but I'm making up for it with a few of the other things I'm trying to do.
[Sleep Live 2009]

Midwest Metal Issue #20 Flashback…1999/2009

So 10 years ago this was one of the issues that came out in 1999, #20. On the old Midwest Metal website I had four interviews from #20 there and I wanted to re-post them here in the now. You’ll see two sets of notes, these are my thoughts on the pieces in 2001 and my current 2009 thoughts. All I can say is it’s been a fast decade! Usurper, Sleep and Soilent Green coming soon…

2009 Notes: Still love this album, still love this band. When this interview was conducted Burning Witch was an active band, sometimes it's hard to remember as they've been broken up for well over a decade. However the legacy they laid out over a very short time continues to grow. 'Crippled Lucifer' was re-released by Southern Lord in 2008 and Stephen is still doing everything under the Sunn related to the dark arts.

2001 Notes: One of the greatest Doom Metal albums ever was and is 'Crippled Lucifer' by Burning Witch. This interview was done a few years ago when the record came out, I spoke to Stephen O'Malley who some of you may know from his magazine, Descent as well as his artwork and design. Don't really know what happened with the band but their legendary status as a pure cult band fits better than anything. This interview ain't the best but the band still rules.

Recently, there's been a few somewhat high profile (meaning, you're hearing a lot about them) releases from the Los Angeles label Southern Lord. The two being Thorr's Hammer with 'Dommedagsnatt' and the other one I will be talking about shortly is 'Crippled Lucifer' by Burning Witch. I spoke to the Witch's Stephen O'Malley about the doom masterpiece that is 'Crippled Lucifer'.

Midwest Metal: Seeing that you'll be a "new" band to readers here in Chicago, start with the beginning of the Witch.

Stephen O'Malley: Thorr's Hammer broke up in the middle of 1995, me and Greg (Anderson) and Jamie (Sykes) wanted to continue doing something else. So we took a bit of a break between the two bands when Greg went out on tour with another band of his. So when he came back that Fall, we started jamming again, found a bass player named Stuart and once we started playing with him, it was all over!

We played, did some shows which leads us to the summer of '96, Greg moved to L.A. (from Seattle) we continued with the band and we then had an opportunity to record, we did. A producer named Steve Albini recorded what turned out to be the 'Towers' recording which was going to be put out on Metalion's label Head Not Found. But he flaked out on that, so. We then recorded some new material in March of '97, that was the 'Rift Canyon Dreams' as soon as that was done I moved to England, that was when the band broke up.

At the beginning of this year, 1998, I had to come back to the states and Greg had released both recordings on CD and the old line up got back together. We did two shows, one in LA, one in San Francisco . Our friend Chris Dodge (Slap A Ham) put the 'Towers' out on LP in Oct., so we're going to try to keep it going and doing new material. We've written one new song so far, and soon we'll be working on a lot more.

Thorr's Hammer and Burning Witch possess different styles, was it a conscious thing to go in a different direction?

It wasn't really planned, ya know? It was just a chemistry that blended when we played together, even the new song, it sounds similar to the 'Rift…', it's just really slow, atmospheric, trance type stuff. But the sound is not a concept, it just happens that way.

Is there any sort of lyrical concept?

Not that I know, I've only read a few of his (Edgy/Vox) lyrics, and it's his dissecting of his problems, love songs if you will. Not that I mean love of women, but just things he loves in his life, negative things seeing that the lyrics are so dark.

You said that Stuart's involvement in Burning Witch was a factor in the sound, did he bring in different ideas/ influences?

Well, when he joined the band, it changed the chemistry for the better. The bass player in Thorr's Hammer was just had this nondescript way of playing bass. And, band wise, we've always had different musical backgrounds, which may not influence what we're doing now, but it does have an impact along the way. Stuart's influence was timing, he kept it all together.

What are you looking to accomplish with the new music you're doing?

I guess I just want to create something that is so droning, trance and very unusual and an uncomfortable atmosphere, be it from the volume or the tone of the riffs. That along with the timing. I also learn a lot from playing with them.

Is there ever a chance of a tour?

Stuart wants to do a West Coast tour, but getting in a van for a month may not be the best. I'd like to do Washington D.C. , Chicago , New York .

[A]Chicago [show] would be cool.

Yeah, I've been hearing a lot about the Chicago scene, sounds like the antithesis of the Seattle scene. There's some conflict, huh?

Yeah, you can say that.

But it shows that there are a lot of heavy, violent bands from your area and it's cool that it's not all bullshit.

Somewhere, someone needs to order the XXXL Pampers...

Notice this isn’t a Heavy Metal Heaven entry, this guy with some due respect is going to the lower level for sure. So that aside, Don Decker is gone. The cornerstone of the Minneapolis metal scene Don was a mover and a shaker via promoting shows and his retail store Nightfall Records. His band Anal Blast were admittedly a joke and while some of the members went on to a "slightly" more successful band, Don never stopped doing what he loved, even if it was performing in a shitty diaper.

Even if you weren’t knee deep in the scene, Chicagoans might remember the local Nightfall location that opened on Lawrence (near the Admiral Theater) in 1997. He’s been gone from Chicago for quite some time as the store closed in maybe ‘99 but the guy had friends here, there, everywhere, he was just 41.

I did business with Don over the years, mostly advertising related stuff for the store or for the Milwaukee Metal Fest. He was a real pain in the ass, but he was committed to the cause. That tops everything when it’s all said and done.

The first time I went to Nightfall was when it had just opened. I walked in and Don was on the phone, so I looked around while he kept on with his conversation…

“Oh, this fucking place is great, the location? Fuck, it’s near a strip joint, there’s tons of whores walking around, the liquor store two doors down is fucking open ‘til 2:30 and there’s a shithole gyros place across the street too. I fucking love it! O.K. Ma, see ya, bye.”

Megadeth week concludes...

So until the November start of their tour with Machine Head this is the last of Megadeth for now. This interview is actually kinda creepy. I remember reading it when it was published and not even blinking about [Killing/Peace] Drummer Gar Samuelson "falling asleep" during this whole interview.

Knowing what we know now and how the early Megadeth line up struggled with substances, it's just a little weird, especially with the interviewer calling him out like that. But for those of you who are fans of the classic line up of Mustaine, Ellefson, Samuleson and Chris Poland it's a decent interview.

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Megadeth Week continues...

So, it's officially Megadeth week here at None But My Own. Keep the requests coming in! The jury is still out on 'Endgame' but I will say it reminds me of their third album 'So Far, So Good...So What!'

Here's another Old Metal Mag classic RIP Magazine - Steffan Chirazi piece on Megadeth circa 1988.

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Coming soon, another 'Peace Sells...' era interview from Metal Mania Magazine, 1986.

Old Metal Mag Moment: Megadeth 1986

I've been getting requests from people asking about old magazine interviews with (insert band here). So one of the bands who people seem to really want to read about is Megadeth.

While on the subject...

I've been trying to get into the new Megadeth album, 'Endgame' for a few weeks now. It's not a bad record by any means, but it's extremely far from what I'd call excellent or great. Musicianship wise, it's beyond words. New guitarist Chris Broderick? Believe the hype. His axe-work is so good it's hard not to throw some big sounding adjectives his way, but the guy is, IMO responsible for the rebirth of Megadeth.

So here's an interview from 1986 with the other members of the band, at the time.

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ps: One year ago today, I launched this thing with this. Many thanks for the support to those who have supported!

Slayer: An interview with Dave Lombardo

Slayer return to the record stores on November 3, 2009. A new record titled ‘World Painted Blood’ will kick start the Slayer machine into high gear via touring and press for at least the next 18 months. As a way of pre-promoting the album, Slayer took part in this past Summers Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival in which they played one new song nightly. During the tour’s Tinley Park , IL stop I sat down with Slayer Drummer Dave Lombardo for a pre-show interview.

Where is Dave Lombardo, the drummer these days? The kid who grew up a John Bonham and Peter Criss maniac? Where are you as a drummer in 2009?
I feel I’m at the peak of my performance right now. I just feel on top of my game. I feel confident, I’m hitting hard, I’m breaking pedals, snapping sticks and popping snares. I’ve got this great record behind me, ‘World Painted Blood’ which I’m really, really excited about. So aside from the little ups and downs that a personal life can do to you, my career and my future look very positive.

I feel I need to comment on the amount of press you’re doing, I think it’s great…
Really?
Yeah…
Why?

Well first off, not only am I a fan of Slayer but I’m a big fan of your work. When I did that interview that I left for you in the back lounge…
I wasn’t doing any press back then, was I?

No, none. In fact at that time (February 2002) you weren’t even “officially” back in Slayer, that was a one off thing your manager at the time set us up with.
So why do you think it’s a good thing for me to be doing press? I’ve heard this from a few people so I’ll ask you, why do you think it makes people so enthusiastic?

Well speaking for myself, to me it’s a fresh perspective. Along the same lines, you’re palette is so wide, so varied for you to be speaking so highly of this new record…it’s really got to be something. I mean you’re a lot of things to a lot of people but you’re not a bullshitter Dave.

No, that I’m not (smiles). But you’re right, I’ve not come out and said the kinds of things I’m saying right now, you know? I personally feel the record you’re about to hear, from the guy who’s sitting at the helm driving this ship, or this train or whatever the hell you want to call it! Well it’s going over 150 miles per hour and I’m trying to steer and I feel collectively we’re all just at the top of our game!

It feels good, it feels classic, it feels like I said collective it was a very good vibe when we were working on it. I felt if the foundation, which is the drums with no lyrics, with no leads, just rhythm guitar tracks and drums, if that foundation is there and it feels good throughout the whole song…then everything else will just fall into place.

Part two of your heavy press schedule, you’ve done other press where you say ‘World Painted Blood’ sort of conjures up the “holy trinity” of ‘Reign In Blood’, ‘South of Heaven’ and ‘Seasons In The Abyss’, right?

So you’re saying ‘WPB’ has a classic feel, when approaching these songs are you reaching back to an inspiration you haven’t reached for in some 20 years? How do you approach this blank canvas and decide what fits the song best?
Well just recently I listened to the song “Expendable Youth" and I’m thinking to myself, “god, the drums suck!”

Huh?
Yeah.

How? I mean they’re driving the song, aren’t they?
They are, yes, but they’re so primitive. It’s primitive Lombardo. Now [if] you listen to Lombardo today and the chaos happening all around the music but being controlled by this kind of precision, you can hear not only how much I’ve grown as a drummer, but how much the band has grown as well.

That’s what I hear in this new record and I feel it’s fully entertaining. It’s in the melodies, the way Tom [Araya] sings even if he just jumps up a single note it just makes a world of difference in how the song comes out. Perhaps that’s also due to us working with an amazing producer too?

I must admit, all the records you’ve done in your career, I’ve never heard you speak so highly of a producer like you have with Greg Fidelman.
I feel he worked with me, and I can only speak for myself but I noticed he also did this with them too, but he worked with me the way Rick Rubin worked with me on all the old records. I don’t know if this was Greg’s technique or what, but he helped me develop the very best possible drum tracks…simply by their performance. Not in the editing stage or with a computer, nothing like that, he coached me.

He was right there with me, very positive. Together we focused, I mean really focused on detail as well as sounds and if that meant a snare hit or an extra kick drum sound that’s what was done.

You mentioned the word precision. Now to me, Dave Lombardo has always been a drummer who played from the heart. When Paul [Bostaph] was in the band he came across as a drummer who played more from the head.

As you’re explaining Greg’s role in the studio I’m getting this vibe where he motivated you to become a more technically efficient drummer. Would this be true?
A good producer makes a band sound good in the studio, but makes them sound even better after. He definitely did pull something out of us indeed, and that’s what I heard directly from Rick Rubin after the sessions.

I understand some of ‘World Painted Blood’ was written in the studio.
Yes, about half of it was.

OK, so looking back to [2006’s] ‘Christ Illusion’ I know that album was written, then you’d tour and then come back and write more, demo it, then go out again etc. etc. Do you feel that the album, I guess, suffered from maybe over thinking the material? Where maybe you lived too long with the material before it was laid to tape?
Maybe, it’s hard to say really. I think I work the best by just getting in there and nailing it down. I hate to use the words ‘under pressure’ because to most people that’s a negative, this was more of a “let’s just do it” feel, more motivation than anything.
How cool is it that this long into the journey you’re still getting this band wide motivation?
Well I think the nature of the circumstance of us going into the studio with only half the material we needed, I think it helped the situation. It did something to our natural way of functioning for sure. It was very positive, it was great.

I know you have to run, I appreciate your time today, I really do. Is there anything you’d like to close this out with?
All I have to say is I’m not going away. I’m not one to retire, I’m a drummer and I’ll always be a drummer and I’ll always perform. There’s a lot more of me to come in the future, whether it’s with Slayer, whether it’s with an orchestra or even with some African hand drums, it’s a part of me that will always be here. Thanks Tom.