Although they’ve been busy on the road as of late, Sons Of Azrael guitarist Greg DiPasquale was nice enough the step away and answer a few questions for the readers of Pivotal Rage. Sons Of Azrael have a blistering debut CD out now on Ironclad/Metal Blade. If you’re a fan of extreme music, this one’s not to be missed!
Thanks for the interview, Greg. I know you’ve had a busy schedule. I guess first things first. You were in Herod, right? I actually loved Rich Man’s War . . . Poor Man’s Fight. Why did you leave to join Sons Of Azrael? Was it impossible to stay in both bands simultaneously?
Yes, I was in Herod full-time from 2004-2006. I'm glad you enjoyed the Rich Man's War album. A lot of work was put into it, and I'm always glad to hear that people enjoy it. Shortly after the release of Rich Man's War, the band decided it would be best to go on a lengthy hiatus. The two founding members (Jesse Benker and Mike Jeffers) had been pushing the band non-stop since 2001, and they, as well as the rest of us (Jason Russo, Matt Backlas, and myself) were completely fried. This all went down in June 2006, and in August 2006 I got the call from SOA to get my grind boots on, and that pretty much brings us up to speed. I'm sure someday Herod will do another record because we all still talk and hang out with each other, but it would have to be more of a side project because me and Mike are full-time with our current bands, me with Sons of Azrael and Mike with Face The Panic.
Sons Of Azrael is a much different style of music from Herod. Did you just have an itch to play something more extreme? I’m definitely glad that the guitar solos are still there.
I love all kinds of metal, and extreme music in general. My only prerequisite is that it has to be good. Ha-ha! The guitar solos are fun to play, and there will be more on the next SOA release.
How would you describe the music of Sons of Azrael? It’s very intense and incorporates several different styles. I’ve had a hard time wrapping my brain around it.
To avoid lumping us in with every other band that knows how to use a hyphen, I'll just say that we're "really, really, really, really heavy metal."
Do you consider Sons Of Azrael to be a black metal band? I noticed that one of the tracks derives its lyrics from Anton LaVey (“Conjuration Of Destruction”).
I think to call us straight up black metal would be inaccurate, as we cull our influences from a variety of extreme musical stylings. That being said, if someone does hear a black metal influence in our sound it's because we're fans of black metal and are in turn influenced by black metal. Also to call us black metal would definitely leave us wide open for criticism and scrutiny by actual, full-blown black metal bands and fans, so we don't want to pose and say we're something that we are not. The LaVey inspired and borrowed lyrics are due to our singer's (Joe Siracuse) belief in Satanic philosophy.
“Azrael” is the
Jeffery Dahmer was supposedly "soft-spoken" as well, right?? Sometimes the most deadly are the ones that are heard least.
Good point. How did the title end up as “The Conjuration Of Vengeance” whereas one of the songs on the album is called “The Conjuration Of Destruction”?
Both titles are derived from Anton LaVey's Satanic Verses [sic].
What happened on “
This question would be best suited for our singer Joe. It's a very personal and tragic song topic that unfortunately hits very close to home for him.
How is The Conjuration Of Vengeance being received so far? Did it turn out the way you wanted it to? Any positive feedback from guys in bands that you admire?
Well, you're never going to please everyone, so it's inevitable that your album is going to ruin at least one person's day, but the reaction has been mostly positive. Our live show is one of our stronger points, and I think our live show does more to win us new fans than advertising or airplay does. Most people seem to be getting into the band after they see us live, and hopefully when they hear the record they are equally as stoked. For me, respect from peers is more important than respect from critics, so when we hang out with bands, or tour with bands, and they compliment us on our sound, our show, our hair (ha-ha), or whatever the fuck it is that they dig about us, it's a compliment I take very much to heart.
You guys are signed with Ironclad Recordings, which is the label formed by Unearth singer Trevor Phipps. How did this relationship arise?
To my knowledge, it was first established in the early part of 2006, and we had our first band meeting with Ryan and Trevor of Ironclad shortly after I joined the band in September 2006, and at that meeting they told us that they would like to sign the band. We ate, we drank, we partied, we talked business, and then ate and drank some more. That's my kind of business meeting! They should all be like that.
What’s the relationship between Ironclad and Metal Blade?
Metal Blade is the "parent" company of Ironclad and handles distro, promotion, shit like that. Day-to-day business and artist relations are handled by Ironclad.
What about touring plans for Sons Of Azrael? It probably helps that you have this relationship with Metal Blade, right?
Um, yeah. Having the longest running and, to the best of my knowledge, first metal label does help get your name out there in the mix a bit. Ha-ha.
How was the July tour with Vital Remains and The Absence? I bet the crowds were great since those dates were essentially in your backyard.
It was a great learning experience for us. The Vital Remains and Unmerciful guys (The Absence dropped off the tour before we hopped on) were very kind, outgoing, and most importantly, professional. A lot of the crowds had never heard of us before, but we won over some fans with the intensity of our live show. You know, those old school death metal crowds can be a tough demographic to tap into sometimes. Mostly because they know what they like, and they don't want to stray from that path, but we opened some minds on this tour and had some old-schoolers throwing horns and banging heads, so I guess we did alright.
I saw that you thanked Dave Mustaine in the liner notes. Is he a special mentor to you?
Not personally, but pretty much he is the reason I play metal. After I got into Megadeth, the music I was writing at the time suddenly got way faster, and as you can hear it hasn't slowed down yet. Without a doubt, Megadeth is my favorite band of all-time.
Would Megadeth be a band that you’d like to hit the road with in the future?
Fuck yeah!!! Definitely, but unfortunately, due to Dave Mustaine's personal beliefs, the chances of that happening are as good as me shitting out a mailbox.
What other significant influences have there been on your life and music?
Thrash/speed metal, power metal, classic heavy metal, black metal, grindcore, death metal, hard rock/classic rock . . . But if you cut me open, you'll see a thrash/speed maniac at heart. Thrash/speed metal is the genre that helped me discover all the other styles I mentioned, except for hard and classic rock obviously. All the genres I mentioned, I love, but thrash is #1 for me.
How healthy do you think the metal underground is right now? If you could change something about it, what would it be?
The underground is healthy in the fact that there are a lot of bands and a lot of scenes. However, it is unhealthy in the sense that too many bands sound alike, and there seems to be very few people interested in pushing their own personal envelope as far as stepping outside the box is concerned. Also bands unwilling to seek out the true roots of the style of music they're playing makes them seem like they're missing the point of what the genre's about. Ultimately, this will be the downfall of this current resurgence in metal. If I could change one thing, I'd steal everyone's At The Gates records so people would have to find a new band to rape. Leave that band alone people!!! Just because they were great doesn't mean you'll be great too by sounding like a shittier version of them.
The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once commented that the printing press was a horrible invention because it gave people with nothing to say a chance to say it. Do you think contemporary recording technology works the same way? Are there just too many metal bands out there right now?
It isn't that there's too many bands. The problem is that there aren't enough original ones.
What do you think is worth a listen at the moment? Anything you can recommend?
Hmmm, let's see . . . Withered, Skeletonwitch, Destruction, Razor, Entombed, Vio-Lence, Glorior Belli, Dark Funeral, Bathory, Testament, Megadeth, ahh fuck it . . . just listen to any black/thrash/speed/death/grind/powermetal albums from the years 1981-1993 and you'll be just fine.
Haha! Anyway, thanks for the interview! Any parting words for the readers of the Pivotal Rage webzine?
Thanks for the support, keep coming out to the shows, and thrash harder than the next person. See you on the road!!!