As a warning, if you don’t care for the word “shit,” don’t read the following interview with Demiricous bassist and vocalist Nate Olp. Of course, if you just said “fuck that!”, like you should have, then read on. Demiricous’s latest CD, Two (Poverty), is out now on the mighty Metal Blade Records. The interviewer is Bill Hugel.
First off, thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. Now you just released a new CD, right? Beyond the obvious, what’s the significance of the title, Two (Poverty)?
It's one word, it’s to sum up the state of the band really. We ain't got shit. None of us have any money or anything.
What did you try to do differently with this album as opposed to the first one? Are there any things you tried to do differently?
We wanted every song to sound different from the last song. We're all just sick of hearing a CD that by the end of it sounds like one song. I think people are afraid to just play what they want and broaden shit out. So the main thing was to make each song feel different, kinda like a Led Zeppelin record.
How has the response been to it so far? Is there anything that you think listeners have missed?
It's been really good. Some people prefer the way the vocals were on the first one, but I hate the way they sounded on the first record. On the new record, they have so much more of an identity, I think. I think the longer the record is out, the more people are catching on and getting into it. There's always tons of shit that people miss or "don't get." But I'd rather people have something to think about rather than just know what your shit is all about right away.
Two (Poverty) was produced by Erik Rutan. What was it like working with him, and what did he bring to the table? Did his past experiences, both musically and as a producer, make a difference to how your CD turned out?
Erik was sick, man! He's really positive and keeps the ball rolling. He's got his shit down in his studio for sure. One of my favorite things is how he makes every record sound different. No two sound the same. He has that ability to make your record fill the room, make it sound real expansive ‘n shit.
Over the summer, you guys had your equipment stolen. What all was taken, and have there been any leads in the case?
All the drums, three guitar cabs, one bass, the P.A., two guitar heads, a four track . . . dude, sooo much shit. I can't even remember. Nothing was recovered. It was most likely an inside job from the storage unit place we practiced in. They wouldn't let us watch the security tapes or anything. The cops didn't do shit cuz they are cops. I fucking HATE cops. They told us to call them if we find anything. Nobody helped. We did everything we could as far as getting a hold of pawn shops and guitar centers and all that shit. The cops actually accused us and told us we need to look into our friends in the band. Fuck the police!
Did you have to miss any shows, and what other complications were there? Insurance covers everything, right?
It sucked. We were in the most secure place ever. You needed all these codes to get to our floor and in the elevator and everything. The only people who can get up to our room were employees. None of us have any money for insurance. None of us have renter’s insurance or home owner’s shit. We just did shows on borrowed equipment from all the kick ass bands from around here in Indy. That was what saved us, all the crew around Indy. We played a benefit show and raised our own money to get just enough to play on our own again.
What did you have to go through in order to get new equipment, and how is your new stuff working out? I’m sure your original gear had a lot of sentimental value, and I know that musicians also become very particular about the tools of their trade.
Yeah, we lost crucial shit, but really it happens to every band. If your shit hasn't gotten stolen . . . it will soon. So you do what you gotta do to get your feet back on the ground and roll on with the shit.
What is your opinion of this current resurgence of thrash, with bands like Municipal Waste, Skeletonwitch, and yourselves? In what ways is this new thrash sound different from the old-school variety? Is there more of an influence from, say, death metal?
It's cool, man. People are having tons of fun with it. History repeats itself I guess, ya know? I don't think anybody is really reinventing shit, but fuck it, it's fun stuff. I don't think we really fit into the thrash resurgence thing as much as some of the other bands. I don't think we sound like that or look like that. There's definitely a bit of a dress code goin’ on with it, and we have no part of that. I think the main difference from the real old shit is that there is more influence from all kinds of modern metal. Skeletonwitch has a bit of black metal in it and death metal vocals. They are one of the tightest bands live, goddamn it! Sometimes I wonder how long bands can last when they are a throwback . . .
Demiricous’ sound is pretty brutal. What are your musical influences and how have they changed over time?
Everybody in the band likes totally different shit. Scott likes Megadeth and Gojira, Ben likes Suffocation and Pantera, Dustin likes King Diamond and Death-Spell Omega, I like Motorhead and Led Zeppelin. I mean, shit's just all over the place. When we first started, we were more thrashy black death metal shit. Now we're just tryin’ to get on our own shit with time.
What prompted the change from this earlier sound?
I guess just an attempt at doing our own shit, or at least whatever is not the most typical thing going on in metal. I mean, the more you play together the more you want to see what you're capable of. I don't want each album to be the same, or actually any song for that matter.
In some other interviews, you guys said you considered yourselves "street metal." What exactly do you mean by such a term? How does it make your music unique?
That whole thing started out as a joke, really. I was making fun of how many fuckin’ sub-genres there are in metal, and I told Chris (our original drummer), drunkenly, that we were “street metal.” So we put it on a shirt written in hilarious Def Leppard letters. Somehow, it got turned into this thing that we supposedly created, and now it's just made fun of, rightfully so. I think there was a band from
Where do you draw inspiration outside of music? Has that changed in any way from album to album? Does the current political climate in
Well, we're not necessarily a political band or take a religious stance or whatever. But as far as lyrics go, this record was a bit more personal, I guess. There was a lot of influence from the road and the way I live. I don't pay too much attention to the political shit in
How have your recent tours been, and who did you get to tour with? What’s the best show you got to play?
We were on tour with Skeletonwitch and Dying Fetus, and 3 days in we find out that all of our tour support money had been spent by our manager behind our backs. He spent the money on band debts that were supposed to be paid over the past 2 years in small installations; instead, he paid it all using our tour support that Metal Blade gave us. He took his cut off the top before taking care of business, like a dumbass. So we lasted about 2 more shows on the tour, then we had to drive home cuz we had no money. We fired that dude right away cuz he dug us a hole so deep we may never get out. Needless to say, we have a lot of figuring out to do right now.
Finally, as seasoned road warriors, you know that personal hygiene can become an issue while on tour. Do you have any tips or pieces of advice for the younger bands out there?
Fuck hygiene! Be a caveman. Hygiene is metalcore.
Hahaha. Good point. Lots of luck to you and the band! Thanks for the interview.