Pivotal Rage last spoke to guitarist Greg DiPasquale back in the fall of 2007 when he was busy working with Sons of Azrael.  Looks like he’s no longer with that band and is instead back with Buffalo, New York’s Herod, a band whose album Rich Man’s War, Poor Man’s Fight (Lifeforce) got a great review on Pivotal Rage a few years back courtesy of yours truly.  I was pleased to hear from Greg again.

 

So it sounds like things didn’t work out between you and Sons of Azrael.  Can you tell us anything about that?  Why are you out of the band?

 

Well, around the time I left (January to March 2008) things were creatively, in my eyes, stalling out big time.  I didn't think there was a big enough commitment by the other dudes in the band to really push the extremes of our sound and to really push us out of the same league of shitty bands that we were getting lumped in with.  I gave it every last chance I could, but I could not handle having the door slammed shut on ideas that were “too different” and not part of the “formula” anymore.  So the day after we got home from a tour with The Classic Struggle and As Eden Burns in March 2008, I quit the band.

 

Is that a huge disappointment?  Especially given the fact that Sons of Azrael had that connection with Metal Blade Records.

 

Ya know, the Metal Blade thing really wasn't a concern of mine at all.  Yeah, we were associated with them, but they only really handled stuff like distro and upper end business stuff.  My only hope with the connection to Metal Blade was that we could've gotten a tour with Cannibal Corspe or King Diamond or something cool like that.  For me, the biggest disappointment about leaving S.O.A. was knowing that the band has the capabilities and the talent to really expand on the extremity of death metal, but instead they, at the time, wanted to keep it safe, simple, and formulaic, which I hated.  The bland nature of so many of these “deathcore” or “metalcore” bands is really gonna bite a lot of these 3rd tier bands in the asses later on, and I thought we were a first tier capable band that was compared to and lumped in with 3rd tier bands.  I hated the association with all of these bands, and I don't think the other guys minded as much as I did, which made me realize that I was fighting a battle that I'd never win.

 

Are you hoping that you made some connections in the music industry that you can bring back to the Herod camp in order to help get their music out to a larger audience?

 

Nah, Herod's sound and appeal has always (or at least since 2003) been for a very select audience.  Almost to a fault, we are elitists, perfectionists, and we know that a lot of people can't grasp the concept of our music.  A lot of those people we wouldn't want to be associated with anyway, so our music has been good for weeding out the false and the fake and really showed us who the tried and true are.  There's a word for people like us.  What's it called?????  Oh yeah, I believe the word is “assholes.”

 

Hahaha, okay.  How did you get hooked up with the S.O.A. guys anyway?  It seemed like such a departure from Herod’s music.

 

The Buffalo heavy music scene is very inbred, like one big family that fucks each other and steals members from bands, haha.  Seriously though, I had known the S.O.A. guys for years before I had joined the band.  I was at their first show, and Herod had even played a few shows with them along the way.  When they asked me to join in August 2006, obviously I was a little skeptical and unsure, and I think I made that known to the other guys.  The one thing that I wanted to hear from the guys was that they were looking to grow as a band, expand on their sound, have less tired mosh parts, and less cliche Swedish style riffs, and pretty much that's what they told me.  The problem with that is, I don't think they knew how far I wanted to push it, and I didn't know that they'd have limits to their approach to extremity.  I wrongly assumed that because they got a guy from a band that sounded drastically different from their current sound (Herod) that they too wanted to be different from what they sounded like as well.  Those guys will be alright, though.  I'm still friends with them, and I just heard some of their new pre-production demos, and it seems they've finally gotten “it.”  It sounds different from the old stuff, and if they continue on this path they will definitely distance themselves from the pack of 3rd rate At The Gates and Black Dahlia Murders that seemingly exist on every street, in every town nowadays.  I think the biggest part of the problem was that I pushed so hard, and perhaps the wrong way, for change that change became un-appetizing to them.  It's unfortunately obvious by hearing their new stuff that they needed me to not be in the picture anymore to make those changes.  They needed to find their way on their own.  It's a bummer because I really thought that together we could do something really special and different, but alas it wasn't in the cards.  Oh well, no harm, no foul, and I wish them the best and will continue to support their endeavors.

 

S.O.A. seemed to have a black metal orientation to it.  Do you think black metal has an audience here in the US?  It seems to me more like a European and Scandinavian phenomenon for some reason.

 

There was/is a black metal influence on S.O.A., not an overpowering influence on the sound, but it is in there.  Personally, it is a big influence on me.  I think that was one of the few things I might've brought to the band stylistically.  As far as a black metal audience in the States, there is an underground pocket of black metal support in the U.S., as the first decade of the 21st century has brought forth some killer black metal bands from the U.S.  Groups (well, more like solo projects under the moniker of a group) like Leviathan, Xasthur, Nachtmystium, and Twilight (which is pretty much a combination of the three bands prior) have emerged and showed that while most great black metal comes from the Euro/Scandinavian area, the U.S.A. can spew forth some pretty intense shit as well.

 

Good point.  So again, you’re back with Herod, which I am happy to hear.  What are the plans for that band?  Is there a new album in the immediate future?

 

As of right now, we are working on new material, and I really couldn't see us playing any shows until there is new material to present.  We feel that our best work is ahead of us, and so far from what I've heard I don't know if we'll ever be able to top some of the new stuff that's been kicking around the Herod camp as of late.  We'll see, though.  Time, as always, will tell.  We'll just be hanging around our practice space with some beers, and as Chuck Schuldiner would say, letting the metal flow.  So far, Matt (Backlas, bassist) and myself have been demoing like lunatics, and we're starting to bring Jesse (Benker, lead guitarist) into the fold, so that means that the shit is only going to get a wackier.  Expect a much more diversified, and possibly more metal than ever, Herod on the next record.  Or even better yet, don't expect anything.  Just be ready.

 

Do you think tastes in the metal community are getting ready to shift again back to more melodic, song-based heavy metal like that played by Herod?

 

Honestly, I don't think so.  Maybe slightly more than in the past decade, but I'd be surprised to see it make a major breakthrough again like back in the 80's.  Metalcore/deathcore is still the trend du jour, and it seems most bands that people consider to be melodic, old school metal are nothing more than metalcore bands that know how to play a little more than just breakdowns.  The majority of it, if not all, is crap, and like every other trend will be washed away with something newer, and more disposable.

 

Are you going to continue searching for outside avenues for your creativity?  I know that you have musical interests that stretch beyond what Herod will probably do in the future.

 

I've had a project in the works for a while called Combattalion.  We probably won't have much to offer beyond a demo or EP, though.  I wrote about 5 or 6 songs for that project before we started Herod up again, and Herod is my number one priority at the moment, so Combattalion is definitely deep on the back-burner for the time being.  It's different from Herod and S.O.A., but it's still really metal.  It truly is just a combination of death metal, power/classic metal, black metal, and thrash metal.  Basically, it's my homage to all the extreme styles of metal that have influenced me greatly over the years.  It's fun stuff to play, it's fast and dirty, and hopefully someday people will get to hear it.

 

I certainly hope I get to hear it!  But speaking of your musical tastes, I know you are a big fan of Megadeth.  Are you happy with their recent output?  On my part, I know I really liked The System Has Failed but didn’t like United Abominations as much.

 

Yeah, I love Megadeth.  I love all their shit (including a bunch of songs on Risk!!!), but I think I as well enjoyed System a little more than Abominations.  Dave Mustaine rules, and he could probably put out a box set of Barry Manilow cover tunes, and I'd probably buy like 3 copies of it.  Talking to me about Megadeth is probably a bad idea though, as I am heavily biased.  Haha.  Probably as effective as having a conversation with Mike (Jeffers, Herod drummer) about the Cro Mags, haha.

 

What do you think about bands like Megadeth releasing these remixes of classic albums?  Personally, I am a little disappointed when I listen to these remastered versions of Peace Sells or So Far, So Good and hear the changes that Dave has made to the music.  Same goes for a new version of Blizzard of Ozz that I recently bought.  How could Ozzy possibly consider changing that album?!!  It was perfect the way it was.

 

Some of the older records definitely were lacking a little on the production side, so I was all for beefing them up a little for clarity purposes.  So Far, So Good, So What originally was buried in tons of reverb, so to hear it kinda bone dry after it was remixed was nice.  As far as Sharon, oops, I mean Ozzy, having Mike Bordin and Robert Trujillo re-record bass and drum tracks over the originals by Lee Kerslake and Bob Daisley, I though that was complete bullshit.  Records like Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of A Madman need not to be molested by the hands of a lawsuit settlement.

 

It just occurred to me that Herod would be a good fit for Gigantour.

 

Actually, there was contact between Herod and I guess what could be called a Gigantour rep in early 2006.  Needless to say, after initial contact it crumbled faster than a house of cards on a windy day, but oh well.  It would've ruled obviously, but again, it just wasn't in the plan for us.

 

Do you have a metal album of the year that you can recommend to the readers of Pivotal Rage?  Or perhaps a short list of best albums for 2008?

 

Hmmm, let me think for a moment.  I'm sure I'll forget something, but if I had to come up with a list off of the top of my head, it'd probably look like this.

 

Pharoah - Be Gone

Enforcer - Into The Night
Bloodbath - The Wacken Carnage and The Fathomless Mastery

Guns N Roses - Chinese Democracy (seriously)
Cynic - Traced In Air

Hail of Bullets - Of Frost and War

Crypticus - They Called Me Mad

Withered - Folie Circulaire

Nachtmystium – Assasins: Black Meddle Pt. 1 

Metallica - Death Magnetic (again, I'm being dead serious)

Dark Throne - Dark Thrones and Black Flags

 

What do you follow or keep up on outside of music?  Did you pay attention to the Presidential election at all?  Do you think Obama will be good for the country?

 

Honestly, I am just an average follower of politics.  I did vote, and hopefully Obama will help turn the ship a little.  He's gonna be getting a lot dumped in his lap at once come January, so we'll see how he handles the pressure and the mess that was left for him.  The problems the country has now I don't think can be solved in only four years, but we'll hopefully see what this guy's made of come January.  If he sucks, hopefully we'll have the common sense to not re-elect him.  We've made that mistake before and look where we are now.

 

Amen to that.  Any Christmas gift ideas that you can share for the Pivotal Rage family?

 

5 cases of Labatt’s Blue, a black Gibson Flying V, an advance copy of the new Cannibal Corpse record, and a Stanley Cup victory for the Buffalo Sabres.

 

Hahahaha, I didn’t mean for you.  Actually, I meant something like, what are the hot gifts that we can buy for our friends and family?  Although, I think I’d like a Gibson flying V as well . . . Anyway, what will you be doing for New Year’s this year?  Are you a partier or a quieter, more reflective person on such occasions?

 

I like to party. There's nothing like starting the new year off with a hangover.  It can only go up from there.

 

Yes, that’s actually a good point.  I’ll think of you and your advice on the morning of the 1st when I’m puking my guts out.  The shit can only get better!  Anyway, good luck to you in the coming year, Greg!  I hope to see something new from Herod on my top ten list for 2009.

 

Thanks for the time, Jason, and thanks for all the support I've gotten from you and Pivotal Rage in the last year and a half.  I hope to see something from Herod in your 2009 top ten list as well.  Haha.  Cheers, and I hope everything stays fine in '09.