Bobby, ever since you got together with Mark Edwards and the
rest of Overlorde and put out Return of
the Snow Giant in 2004, your name has hardly been heard outside of some
local venues with cover bands. Part of that is due to Overlorde being inactive
for the most part since then. You’ve also had some health issues since then.
How frustrating has it been to sort of be out of the picture for so long, and
what is it like to be back and recording original music with an established
band?
Very true—I have not performed with an original band in a
live setting since 2007 with Overlorde. However, Overlorde never disbanded—we
have had every intention of recording a follow-up to Return of the Snow Giant, but unfortunately due to distance issues
since John Bunucci and Dave Wrenn moved, we have been unable to rehearse, and
we didn't want to keep playing the same old songs. We wanted to have a new
album to support before we did any more shows. In fact, I did demo two brand
new songs with the band in 2007 upon my return to the group called “Worship the
Steel” and “Destroy Us All”. They will be re-recorded and will appear on the
next Overlorde album. The guys all just
bought something called a 'jam link', which we plan on using to write and rehearse
new material online in real time. Technology is amazing now.
As far as the cover band stints, they were very good for me
as they kept my vocal chops up, and I was covering my top 3 favorite bands. With
Steel Messiah, we were covering Judas Priest, but eventually we renamed the
band Resurrection so we could include songs from bands like UFO, Scorpions, Dio,
Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and even solo material from Rob Halford of Priest. My
longest tenure in a cover band was my 3+ years fronting the Tri-State area's #1
Iron Maiden tribute band, Sanctuary (not to be confused with the reunited
original metal band fronted by Warrell Dane).
That was a lot of fun for me since not only was I singing
like Bruce Dickinson and Paul Di’Anno, I was creating props like 7 and a half
foot tall 'Eddie' costumes with custom sculpted heads and arm extensions as
well as backdrops and various other smaller props. For example, a light-up “Piece
of Mind” Eddie head that hung from our drummer’s cage set. I am still pretty
proud of what I came up with. As a matter of fact, I recently dug up a lot of
photos of me creating these props and plan on creating a photo album on my
Facebook page for people who are interested in checking some of that stuff out.
People would absolutely flip when we had our Eddies walk out on stage! Sanctuary
was always known for a great stage show. When I came onboard with my art skills,
I'd like to think I helped make the band’s show even more intense.
After Sanctuary and I parted ways, I joined a Black Sabbath
tribute called Covered in Black from New York. Sabbath has always been my #1
band since I was about 15 years old. Sabbath with Dio and Blue Öyster Cult in
1980-81 was my very first metal show as a teenager. It was the 'Black &
Blue' tour. I'll never forget it. When the huge Godzilla head rose from the
stage I was in awe as I'm a huge Godzilla fanatic! But the Sabbath tribute was
great because we were an 'all eras' tribute—we covered everything from Ozzy to
Dio, Ian Gillan, and even Tony Martin-era songs. Unfortunately, thanks to a few
different issues such as distance, cost, and travelling a lot with a bad foot I
had to bow out. Both Sanctuary and Covered in Black are still active to this
day, albeit with different line-ups. I wish both bands well. I'm still good
friends with most of the guys from all 3 bands.
But yes, as you mentioned, it was quite frustrating to not
be involved with original bands, as that is my biggest outlet right next to
art. And the health issues didn't help matters. I almost lost my left foot in
2002 thanks to a severe infection after the removal of a benign tumor called a
lipoma. I'm diabetic, and we heal slower. The sutures became infected and I got
an awful abscess and needed a second operation. Then again 4 years ago I came
close to losing my big toe thanks to walking around in motorcycle boots on
Black Friday...a callus on the bad foot completely rubbed off, which again
caused a severe infection. I spent 3 and a half years in and out of Raritan
Bay's medical day stay/wound care unit, as well as 6 months of hyperbaric
treatments, to save the big toe. It was scary. Having a catheter implanted in
my arm to receive IV antibiotics was no fun at all. Also being unable to walk around a lot caused
me to gain a lot of weight, which is bad for a diabetic in itself. But now I'm
happy to say I'm doing much better, and taking care of myself as best I can. I
still have to be careful with the bad foot, and actually have a small hole in
that toe to this day. I have been very lucky in retrospect. I came close to
losing a foot, and a toe. I was extremely fortunate to have one of THE best
podiatrist/foot surgeons in New Jersey in my corner: Dr. Michael Sears. I've
been his patient since 2002, and I owe him a lot. If not for him, I may have
had just one foot right now. Now that
I'm doing original music again, I have even more of a reason to take care of
myself. I'm back where I belong and it feels fantastic.
While you’ve only been a part of Attacker for less than a
year at this point, it need not be said that you’ve been a part of the metal
scene in New Jersey in some capacity for quite some time, releasing a demo with
your band Morbid Sin about 25 years ago. I assume that you were aware of Attacker
back then, who released their debut album, Battle
at Helm’s Deep, on Metal Blade Records in 1985. Were you a fan back then?
How were they received generally in the 80s, especially considering the
ever-encroaching thrash metal movement in the mid to late 80s?
Yes, I absolutely was a fan of Attacker, having heard them
on Metal Massacre 5 in 1985 at my
friend Jerry's house. As soon as I heard “(Call On) The Attacker” I was blown
away. It was like Maiden—only heavier! I was already an NWOBHM fanatic being
into bands like Raven, Hawkwind, Witchfinder General, Venom, Motörhead, and Angel
Witch, so I was excited about bands from the USA like Attacker, Fates warning,
Hades, Lizzy Borden, Helstar, Liege Lord, and Slayer. Not to mention Germany's
Accept and Canada's Exciter and Anvil, so I formed my own band, Morbid Sin,
while in high school. You could say we were 'local legends'...we were also
involved in some controversy when some kids had been knocking over gravestones
and spray painting Morbid Sin on them. State prosecutor Alan Rockoff was out to
get us—we were even interviewed in the News Tribune about all of that. We were
being accused of being a 'satanic' band as many metal acts were in those
days...but the subject matter was always dark and I'm a huge horror geek, so I
could see why. Plus I came out onstage in what later became known as 'corpse
paint'—even rising out of a coffin we had bought from a funeral parlor because
it had water damage. We had wrought iron cemetery gates on legs, with custom
made shrunken heads impaled on them. It was pretty sick—but all in good
fun. We gigged a lot, opening for national
acts like Manowar, Celtic Frost, Vicious Rumours, and some of New Jersey's top
metal acts like Hades, Non-Fiction, Prophet, and even Overlorde and Attacker!
Unfortunately, the band imploded thanks to too much partying
and lack of seriousness on some members’ parts at the time. I tried to keep the
band going, but ultimately didn't get close to that sound again until 1998.
Myself and long-time guitarist Wade Tyler formed a band called Proud Flesh,
which eventually included our Cauldron of
Souls-era drummer, Brian Vincent. We had recorded a demo at Trax East under
that name with a different drummer, but the style was a bit different. More
doomy and less thrashy. Sin always had elements of both. Once Brian came back
we had that powerful double bass drumming back, and we decided we would take on
the Morbid Sin name again. We recorded our first full-length album, Sins of the Flesh, once again at Trax
East with producer Eric Rachel of Skid Row and Lamb of God fame. We were
supporting that album for perhaps 2 months when one fateful evening we were
direct support for Fates Warning—one of my all-time favorite bands.
Also on that bill were Frostbite—Jersey guitarist Jack
Frost's band. After we played, Jack approached me and we both complemented each
other on a great show. Jack then asked me if I was interested in forming a band
and making an album together. He was involved in a project with Overkill bassist
D.D. Verni called The Bronx Casket Co., and they were signed to Massacre
Records in Germany. One of the label heads had asked Jack if he had anything
else going on, and Jack had wanted to go into a heavier direction than
Frostbite for some time. He said I would be perfect for what he envisioned, and
that my voice needed to be heard. After struggling in the club circuit for
nearly 13 years at this point, I jumped at the opportunity and put Sin on hold.
Basically 3 of Sin's 5 members became the band now known as Seven Witches.
We got together and literally wrote three songs in our first
rehearsal together. I came up with the band’s name and logo design. The name comes
from one of my favorite 70s British horror films, “Psychomania”. There is a
place in the film called 'The Seven Witches', a Stonehenge-like formation that
was actually made from a sect of witches who were turned to stone. Massacre
flipped for the demo and flew us overseas to work with renowned producer Siggi
Bemm. Brian Vincent came to Germany and drummed on the debut album, Second War in Heaven. I collaborated
with Jack and actually wrote the music as well as vocals/lyrics for four
complete songs, as well as the musical intro, “Rising Torches”, on that album.
Hence the strong similarities to Morbid Sin's sound on that debut.
After playing guitar in the projects Speeed (with
ex-Annhilator singer Aaron Randall) and Germany's Metalium, Jack began exercising
more control over the band. I had less input musically on the second album City of Lost Souls, having only 2
complete songs written musically. Gone also was Brian Vincent, so the changes
began. After a misunderstanding between Jack and I over my participation in a prog
metal band named Exhibition (with former members of Eternity X)—who I went on
to record a one-off album with called The
Sign of Tomorrow on LMP Records—I left Seven Witches.
Jack and I have since let go of any bad blood and remain
friends. But I would love to know why he seems to disassociate himself from the
first 2 Witches albums. I mean there
aren't even any links to them on his Wikipedia page, and he never talks about
them. I'm quite proud of those albums. All the fans I've spoken to say those
are still their favorite Witches albums. When I met James Rivera in Chicago
where Overlorde and Witches both played, he even said they were killer records,
and he loved my vocals. He had been learning material from the first three
albums at that point. Hearing that from a guy I'd idolized since I was 18 blew
me away! A couple years later, Jack approached me to sing on a track for his
first Frost solo album, Raise Your Fist to
Metal—It's a killer song called “Brotherhood of Lies”, which was inspired by
the French horror film, Brotherhood of the
Wolf, about the legend of the Beast of Gevaudan. A great film if you’re not
familiar with it. This song is the closest you'll get to the sound of those
first 2 Witches records.
I'm very grateful to Jack—he gave me my start, the way I see
it. If he never heard me sing that night, who knows if I'd be doing this today?
It was fate. Being the original singer and co-founder of that band is a great
feeling. The excellent Wade Black (ex-Crimson Glory) appeared on the third
Witches album after I left, and it was very exciting for me that two of my
favorite vocalists eventually appeared in the group as well—James Rivera of Helstar
and Alan Tecchio of Hades! I was always a fan of Hades and Non-Fiction. And now
a good mutual friend of mine and Attacker's named Anthony Cross is the band’s
latest vocalist. Anthony also sang with the same Maiden tribute band for about
a year and also sang with Attacker for a while! It's just a great scene
now...metal is coming back in a big way. I think if we all supported each other
and did shows together we could have our very own 'Seattle scene' here in
Jersey—but METAL instead of 'grunge'!
It is my understanding that Mark Edwards helped connect you
with Attacker after the band had lain dormant for the past few years. How
exactly did it come about that your name was brought up in association with Attacker?
Mark mentioned to me one day that Attacker was most likely
going to call it quits after having difficulty finding a singer with a suitable
higher range...both vocalists on Attacker's previous 4 albums sang in a mid to
upper register. As a fan of the band I told Mark I thought that was sad they
were calling it quits because I'd have loved to have taken a shot at that vocal
spot. I had met Mike Sabatini in 2005 in Germany at that year’s Keep it True
festival, but didn't really know him having only been introduced briefly. Mark
said he'd let Mike know about what I had said, and next thing I knew, we were
in touch via Facebook.
As previously mentioned, Attacker had been idle for the last
few years after trying to replace Bob Mitchell on vocals with a couple of
different singers. Meanwhile, you were working with cover bands. It seems a
rather serendipitous situation that one of New Jersey’s biggest heavy metal
bands should stumble upon one of the better traditional metal vocalists of the
00s in their own state without any significant project ties to worry about,
does it not?
You can certainly put it that way. The only thing I had been
up to at that point was concentrating on artwork. I had pretty much given up on
anything except a follow-up to Overlorde's Return
of the Snow Giant whenever that materialized. I had finally put Morbid Sin
to rest at that point after unsuccessfully trying to solidify a new lineup. We
had recorded a new four song demo in 2006 called 13th Child at Sound Spa Studios in Edison, N.J. with
producer/engineer Steve Deacutis. That line-up featured longtime Sin guitarist
and writing partner Wade Tyler as well as Incantation drummer Jim Roe, and my
cousin Joe Bruno on bass. It was perhaps the heaviest we ever were. Strong doom/thrash
influences on that one. It remains unreleased to this day. A few people have it
through the band—but it remains a rarity until a label puts it out. Stormspell
Records put out limited editions of our first two demos as well as our ‘98 full-length.
I'd like to shop that stuff again and add the 13th Child stuff to it.
What was the next step for you after Mark mentioned your
name to the band? Were you asked to try out? Did they come to see you perform
live? Were there any other vocalists in the conversation that you were aware
of, or was it the discovery of a suitable new vocalist that was the catalyst
for the band rising from dormancy?
Well, Mike Sabatini already knew what I was capable of,
having seen Overlorde at Keep it True, and he also saw me perform with Covered in
Black at Dingbatz one night. He knew I had a reputation as a strong vocalist.
Once he heard I was interested, it took off from there. Mike gave me 5 songs to
learn—2 from The Second Coming and 3
from Battle at Helm's Deep. Then I
went to Jersey City to try out. I was terrible in my opinion. I was out of
shape and out of practice—my breathing was affected, and I figured "oh
well—I blew it!" But I was happy to have given it a try. Just jamming with
Attacker would have been a cool experience for me!
Luckily, Mike knew with a little work, I could pull it off.
He had faith in me. Once he told me he did indeed want me in the band, I began
getting into better shape. Now I'm able
to pull off the early Attacker stuff with ease. The best part of my joining was
that the guys did not want me trying to imitate anyone—just be myself but
remain true to the melodies that were already written. At this point in time, I
am very comfortable singing the old material. I sing it like Bobby Lucas. I
will say that my voice is more naturally suited to John Leone from The Second Coming album. I love all the Attacker
stuff, but that is my favorite album.
You were not in the band very long before they had you in
the studio. The band released a single called “Condemned” in 2008, and you
re-wrote the lyrics and the vocal lines for the song, which is now known as
“Steel Vengeance”. Was anything changed musically? Is this recording the same
that ended up on Giants of Canaan?
Well, that song (“Condemned”) had only been released as a
very limited single at Keep it True—I believe there were only 150 made up. Mike
actually came up with the idea of me taking that music and coming up with my
own lyrics and melodies. He wanted to show the metal world that Attacker was
back in a big way, not another false start, as had happened twice before. This
was it—the real deal. We knew we would be a force to be reckoned with. So I
took the music from “Condemned” and began absorbing it. I was influenced by an
episode of the TV series “Stalkers”...I just couldn't get over how some of
these people out there got so wound up in their significant others’ lives to
the point that they would kill. You know, "if I can't have you, no one
will". It disturbed me. So I tried approaching it from that point of view...obsession.
I tried getting into the head of a stalker. I also attempted to create a
catchier melody line and hook for the song. There's new verses, bridges, and a
chorus of sorts. I think it was a damn good first song.
Musically it is exactly the same as what “Condemned” was, which
makes it interesting to hear both versions now! The song was already great; Bob
Mitchell gets a lot of respect from me...after all, I was a fan before I
replaced him! We did re-record the entire song for the album version. It's
punchier now. Vocally, I did change the way I sang the bridge part. I had a lot
of this 'Ozzy' thing going on in the demo version. It's really cool, but
ultimately it was too much like Ozzy!
To the point that someone may have thought, "wow, what band is this that
Oz is guesting with?" So Mike suggested I try it in my aggressive voice
for the album version, and it worked. It's much more powerful now.
I use two different singing styles in my stuff: a clean
style and a more 'dirty', aggressive sounding voice. I use the 2 styles for
dramatic effect, and switch back and forth depending on the feel of the song,
as well as its storyline. I like evoking strong imagery with my lyrics. Stylistically I'm very influenced by Bruce
Dickinson, Ronnie James Dio, Rob Halford, Ian Gillan, and Ozzy. Then I got
heavily into John Arch and Ray Alder from Fates Warning, James Neal of Malice,
James Rivera of Helstar, and David Wayne of Metal Church. I love all of their
voices, so hopefully they have rubbed off on me! As far as my favorite vocalist
right now, I'd have to say John Arch; the guy gives me chills. That's the way
it should be. The Arch/Matheos album is ridiculous...I've been waiting for that
album for about 25 years!
Many who know of your recordings, whether it be with Overlorde,
Exhibition, Seven Witches, or Morbid Sin, understand your vocal prowess, but
that is not your only role. You are also a lyricist, songwriter, and artist.
You have your own personal outlets for expressing your creativity, but do you
find more value in doing so musically than through other means? Do you also
play any instruments?
Well, it's a different type of creative outlet, singing.
It's a physical release. I get any pent up anger or frustration I may have out.
And that's a great thing. It's also a very emotional outlet for me. Anything I
sing, I try to put feeling into it. I draw on some of my own life experiences
when I approach writing and performing my vocals. As far as the lyrics go, I
have always been strong with creative writing since grammar school, then I
began to excel at it in high school. I never got anything lower than a B grade
in creative writing—most of the time I'd score in the high 90s. It was just
something I loved. Being raised on horror and science fiction films certainly
helped.
I'm also a passionate reader. I devour books. I'm a huge
Stephen King and Dean Koontz fan, and most recently I've been getting into Jack
Ketchum. I also enjoy reading Shaun Hutson, who is like England's Stephen King.
Speaking of the UK, I also enjoy Graham Masterton's work. Fantasy-wise, I
really enjoy Piers Anthony and the Xanth novels. I'm just a geek at heart!
My other passion is art. I draw, paint, and even dabble in
sculpting. I seem to be good at all the things that don’t make money nowadays! But art is also a great outlet for me.
As far as an instrument goes, yes...I play guitar. No leads though—just rhythm
guitar, which works for me since I can come up with a riff here and there.
You created the album artwork concept and provided a sketch
from which Jowita Kaminska-Peruzzi delivered the finished product. You also
wrote nearly all of the lyrics and the vocal lines. Did you also work with the
rest of the band with respect to constructing the musical arrangements?
No. Virtually all of the music on this album came from the
other guys. There was a point in working on “The Hammer” where I felt it just
needed a slow break. I just heard it...felt
it. I got the melody line in my head and could not shake the idea. So I
presented it to the guys and played what I heard for them on the guitar, and
they were into it. So I'm really fortunate in that respect. It's nice as a
singer to be able to pick up a guitar and say "hey, can you guys try this?
I'm hearing this in my head". This band is a team, and we never just shoot
ideas down. We listen to everything and we all get honest about what's
happening musically. You cannot take anything to heart in the creative process.
If a part in a song just isn't working, it goes.
This album pretty much just flowed. It was an amazing
creative process. The songs seemed to transform themselves. I'm hoping we start writing new material
soon. I'm very inspired in this band. The guys are just tremendous musicians—awesome
talents every one of them. This is a band of artists. We do this because we
love it, and our hearts and souls are in it. We don't do it for money, or
chicks, or to party, or any other reason besides we have it in our blood. Let's
face it: our type of metal has not been a money-making juggernaut the past 15
years. The fact that we can please
people with what we do just makes it all worthwhile.
When you joined Attacker, was it already understood that the
band would be getting more than just a musician, but also somebody who would
make valuable contributions to, in a sense, re-establishing their identity?
After all, Mike Sabatini and Pat Marinelli formed the band in 1983, but it is
your conceptual ideas, visually and lyrically, that are littered throughout Giants of Canaan. I suppose that says
something about how well the band’s new lineup (also with bassist Jon Hanemann)
functions as a unit?
I don't really know how aware the band was of my artistic
talents outside of music. I'm not even sure they realized I was also a
lyricist. In the past, from what I understand, Mike Sabatini, Mike Benetatos,
and Lou Ciarlo had all contributed lyrically in addition to their singers. I
don't know if this was more a case of the singers not being able to come up
with all the lyrics or what, but I have always been the primary lyricist and
came up with all of my vocal melodies in my past endeavors—aside from Overlorde
that is. With Overlorde, half of that album was already written when I came
into the band. I did restructure some of the vocal lines, and gave all the old
stuff my 'Lucas touch', so to speak.
But being able to be in complete control of lyrics and
melodies felt extremely good again. It's just what I do. I'm a natural writer—I
have been since grammar school. I used to come up with my own comic books and
storylines back then. During recess, I'd have a crowd of people around my desk
while we went page by page through my stories and I'd read aloud to everyone.
But I'm not opposed to contributions, concepts, or song titles even at times.
On this Giants of Canaan album, the
song “Black Winds Calling” I had felt should have been an instrumental, and I
was actually pushing for that. It just felt like that to me. I didn't have
anything for it. But Jon Hanneman was the one who said "hey, can I take a
crack at it?" I said sure, go for it. He wrote the lyrics and came up with
the basic verse structure for my vocals. All I did was add the bridge and
chorus melodies. He just heard something I didn't—which was awesome!
Jon also not only co-wrote the lyrics for “Curse the Light”,
it was all his concept. He wanted me to try to get across the feelings of how
much America and its ideals have changed. How sometimes he almost feels like a
stranger in his own country. I can relate to that. We have so many different
types of people now all struggling to get their point of view across that it
can make your head feel like it's about to explode. Right wingers, leftists,
libertarians, independents, socialists...we have almost lost sight of the
common goal nowadays. Everyone is pushing and pulling in different directions.
Do we help the poor? How many people are truly suffering and struggling? How
many are just lazy and working the system? Should illegal immigrants get to
stay here if they sneak in and get caught? Should religion be a part of the
public school system? Should we take the word 'God' out of the American anthem?
Should we erase all references to
religion out of the public eye so we don't offend anyone? These were some of
the things I thought about when structuring the song and putting emotion into
it. I feel there are too many Americans against the very idea of what America
was intended to be these days. So “Curse the Light” is a perfect example of a
band collaboration.
A lot of people may not realize this, but Mike Benetatos has
had the longest tenure in Attacker as a guitar duo alongside Marinelli, having
been a part of the band since the reunion in 2001 and now recorded on three of the
band’s five albums. Did you find their chemistry working together evident right
away? It certainly shows up in a lot of the twin guitar harmonies throughout
the new album.
Pat and Mikey are like peanut butter and jelly...I compare
them to Tipton and Downing from Priest and Dave Murray and Adrian Smith from
Iron Maiden a lot in the sense that they both have a unique individual style.
Mike is more of a shredder and classical type player. He rips, and he's fast
and technical. Pat has more of a bluesy
and melodic style. He's great at being melodic and adding atmosphere to the
songs. Both play their parts to the hilt. And both of these guys can write
killer riffage. I've always loved twin
guitar harmonies. I'm a huge Thin Lizzy fan as well as Maiden and Priest, so I
love what they do. Thin Lizzy were doing the twin lead harmonies before
Maiden—I don't think enough people acknowledge that fact. Steve Harris must be a big Thin Lizzy fan. So yes, Mike
and Pat are integral to the sound of Attacker. I can't wait to get started on
the next album!
One aspect of songwriting that has always interested me is
how a song develops musically and conceptually; for example, is the music
written first? Is a concept constructed first and music fit around it? Being
the band’s primary lyricist for the new album, were you working around already
pre-established musical frameworks for the most part when your wrote your
lyrics?
It's funny, because with me it can go either way. I can
already have a topic or song outline written or an idea in my head. Then when I
hear new music that the guys have, I'll start coming up with melodies. At that
point I'll sit down with my concept and begin writing the lyrics and fitting
them into the melody. At other times I may have a melody idea in my head before
the music is written, like the part I talked about from “The Hammer”...after I
knew what I wanted to do vocally, I sat with my guitar and worked the chord
patterns out.
A few songs in particular, I find, work quite well as a
unity between music and lyric, like Giants
of Canaan and especially “Glen of the Ghost”. The latter obviously stands
apart from the rest of the album musically, which has me wondering if the
conceptual idea came before the music in this case.
Actually with “Glen of the Ghost”, Mikey B. had the guitar
parts already written. When I heard it, it was a totally Celtic vibe happening,
so it just made a whole lot of sense to me to go in that direction lyrically. I
was very excited when I heard that song because I knew I could get very melodic
with it. Melody is very important to
me, as are hooks and strong choruses. I think that shows on this album.
As an extension of the previous questions, how much, if any,
of the album can claim its origins to before your tenure in the band—excepting
“Steel Vengeance”, of course? Are all of the other songs ‘from scratch’, so to
speak?
The only other songs that were kind of floating around
riff-wise were the songs that would eventually become “Sands of Time' and “The
Hammer”. I believe Lou Ciarlo had a hand in writing those riffs. But I
approached them just like I would any new song—listen to it and get inspired.
Sometimes I get melody ideas immediately, other times it may take a few
listens. But 85% of the time it comes right away. I'm blessed with that I
suppose. The other seven songs (apart from “Steel Vengeance”) were all written
when I came aboard. We literally rehearsed 12 old Attacker songs, and wrote and
recorded an entire new album, in less than a year. And none of it is 'filler'.
I'm pretty proud of that. I think we all are.
You have drawn from a few different sources of inspiration
when putting together the lyrics for the new album, from history and
pseudo-historical tales to stories of revenge and mortal fear. There is even a
‘triumph of metal’ type song with “Sands of Time” and its self-referential
qualities (“Attacking on at Helm’s Deep”).
It would be natural assume that you drew on your own
personal interests when penning these lyrics, so would you care to talk about
how you came to arrive at these topics in particular that you ended up writing
about?
You’re absolutely right. Aside from “Curse the Light” and “Black
Winds Calling”, which were Jon's ideas, the remaining 8 songs were all of
personal interest to me. I've been intrigued with the whole 'war In Heaven' and
fallen angels theme since the Seven Witches debut. The Nephilim were a cross-breed
between human and angels. Could an extraterrestrial race have interbred with
us? Could the effects have been monstrous? According to the Bible, yes: this
happened. There have actually been skeletons found that prove this. We are
talking about skeletons that averaged between 7 and a half feet and 10 feet
tall with huge elongated skulls. 18 were found in the U.S. in Wisconsin alone.
These skeletons first made into the news in the 50s, and
over 200 'digs' have produced these gigantic skeletons. Even the tooth
structure is unusual, supporting more molars than normal. Nephilim? Annunaki?
It sure seems that when the Bible states "there were giants in the earth
in those days", it was fact. I'm a sucker for anything strange since I was
a kid. I'm also big into cryptozoology, which is the study of unknown animals
and creatures. I'm a firm believer in Sasquatch, UFOs, and sea serpents. To
think we have discovered every single living creature on this earth is a very
bold statement. So is saying we are the only life in the universe. It's absurd.
We have barely scratched the surface when it comes to inner space and sea life;
imagine what's out in the vast reaches of space.
I also draw inspiration from horror films and literature, as
well as historical figures and battles. Take “The Hammer” for instance. Not
many people know who Charles “The Hammer” Martel was. Martel was a Frankish
military leader who was a genius when it came to war tactics. He subjugated
Bavaria and drove the pagan Saxons out of France. But my song is based upon his
greatest victory—the Battle of Tours, in which he earned his nickname “The
Hammer” for the way he hammered his Muslim enemies. Martel's army was
outnumbered by literally thousands of Muslim troops. Yet through his genius and
merciless onslaught he beat them back, uniting Europe in Christendom. Had
Martel not emerged victorious in the Battle of Tours, Europe would most likely
be all Muslim right now. I'm fortunate to have the knack for writing lyrics and
melodies. And I have a ton of new ideas for the next Attacker album!
A few of the songs on the album have a biblical, though not
evangelistic or proselytizing, theme running through them. I am speaking of
“Giants of Canaan”, “Washed in Blood”, and “Trapped in Black” in particular,
though others may be cited, whether intentionally or no. In “Giants of Canaan”
you deal with the Nephilim, whereas “Washed in Blood”, I presume, takes on the
perspective of Moses, or Jesus himself, and lastly, “Trapped in Black”, perhaps
less overtly, deals with the soul:
Though I'm made of
flesh and bone I know that my soul won't be left alone
Born into this life
alone what place will be my spirit’s final home?
Now I hear the
darkness calling
It won't leave my soul
alone!
I know that religion, as with politics, is a pretty dubious
topic to bring up due to the tensions that arise from people on opposite ends
of the spectrum, but since it is relevant to the album, I think it is fair to
discuss its usage.
Certainly, the lyrics in no way betray a proselytizing
motivation, meaning that the message therein is personal. In addition, biblical
stories have been turned into lyrical subject matter in heavy metal for
decades. Bands like Black Sabbath and Trouble come to mind in that regard.
Would you, if you don’t mind, talk about your usage of biblical themes on the
new recording and how they integrate with the subject matter of your other
lyrics?
Actually, “Washed in Blood” was written about Jesus Christ
in his moment of doubt in Gethsemane...at this point he knew he was to die, and
he is asking God the Father to "let this cup pass from me". So this
song is my interpretation of Jesus' conversation with God the Father. I wanted
to point out the fact that Christ was as much a human as he was God the son of
man. Being human, he had his doubts. Remember: he was about to take on all the
sins of mankind. Through his blood, we would all be washed clean. Ultimately,
he accepted his father’s wish, and died on the cross. Imagine how heavy a
burden this was on Christ!
In “Trapped in Black”, I'm drawing on ideas I got from Edgar
Allan Poe's “The Premature Burial”, as well as my feelings on the everlasting
soul. The human soul supposedly weighs 21 grams. There was an experiment
performed in 1907 by Dr. Duncan MacDougall where he had taken six people who
were terminally ill and dying and placed each one separately on a contraption that
was actually a very sensitive scale. They were then closely monitored, and at
the time of their passing, their bodies each weighed 21 grams less than when
they were alive. I found this very freaky. I already believed in life after
death, and have heard many stories of near death experiences, and I have no
doubt that we all continue to exist after we leave this mortal coil.
What is the soul? Where does it go when we die? Does that
depend on how we lived our lives? So this idea plus the extremely frightening
idea that a person could be buried alive and wake up in a coffin six feet below
the ground were my inspiration for “Trapped in Black”. I think the scariest
things in the world are being buried alive, floating at sea without a boat and
at the mercy of whatever lurks beneath the waves, or falling from a great
height or knowing your plane is about to crash. Let me add that being abducted
and knowing you’re about to be murdered rates up there too!
But as I said earlier, I have been fascinated with the Bible
for a very long time. It's a subject matter I've been tapping into since the
Morbid Sin days. I grew up a Roman Catholic and spent 9 years in Catholic
School. I graduated in 1980, so I was at the tail end of violence in the 'Parochial'
type school system. I was absolutely brutalized by the nuns in my school.
Seriously—I could write a book. My nose was even broken when I was in 6th grade
by the principal. My mom went through the same type of ordeals. I went to the
same school; why she would send me there after beatings she suffered is still a
mystery to me. It's no wonder I rebelled and went nuts once I got to high school.
I began listening to hard rock at the age of 10 thanks to my cousin Al. He
turned me onto Kiss, Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Zeppelin, Deep Purple, etc. So in
my school, we'd be able to bring vinyl in on Wednesdays. Here I am bringing in
Sabbath's debut album, and getting whacked for it!
In any event, religion fascinated me. Once all the molestation
allegations began coming out and I learned more about the way certain religions
(Catholicism included) cherry-picked parts of the Bible they liked, and omitted
others, I renounced my Catholic faith.
That does not mean I don't believe in God. There absolutely is a higher
power at work in my life now. And I call Him God. Without being preachy, all
I'll say is there absolutely was (and is) a Jesus. By all rights, I should
either be dead or in jail right now. The fact that I am sitting here doing this
interview is proof positive that there is a God. I've had a lot of tragedy in
my life through the years. I was into some very dark stuff back in the day.
It's no wonder that darkness followed me around. I survived drugs, a girlfriend’s
suicide, my daughter Emilee's mom passing away—more than a person should have
to go through.
Roughly 10 years ago my life began changing for the better—and
it was only after I accepted God into my life. I'm not a 'Bible-thumper', or
even a 'born again' Christian though. I just cannot conform to any religion at
this time...I've struggled with this for the past decade. But I know God. He's
definitely in my life. I don't think we as human beings can even begin to
describe what God truly is. There is so much to consider. I'm very big on
'ancient alien' theory. People have been seeing flying objects and experiencing
visitations since the beginning of time. Are they just beings like us with the
ability to travel farther and faster than we can? Or are they something more?
Our 'creators' so to speak? Is the earth just a giant petri dish? An experiment
in genetic alterations on life that already existed here before we became
thinking, feeling creatures? I have my own theories.
My mom was very upset with me when I told her I was renouncing
Catholicism. I just don't believe that the 'Virgin Mary' has any power over us.
I believe she was chosen to be a very important surrogate mother. I can explain
easily how she became pregnant without having intercourse. She was abducted.
She was impregnated with a hybrid being—part us, and part them. Jesus Christ if
you will. The 'Star of Nazareth'? Hmmmm....a UFO possibly? Think about it. There
are many religious frescos the world over depicting glowing objects in the sky.
But who can say what they are? What I'm saying does not take away from the fact
that there is a god. He's just most
likely not a guy sitting up in a
cloud with a long white beard. But good, evil, biblical prophecy—it's all true.
We just don't have the ability to truly understand what it's all really
about...until we meet our end in this physical form.
That's just my belief. But the Bible was passed onto us for
a reason. And the similarities in all major religions points to what I believe
to be the truth: there is only one
God, and whether we call him the Holy Spirit, Allah, Jehova, or Brahman, He
just wants us to acknowledge and believe in Him, and live as good a life as
humanly possible. Is there a devil? Absolutely. You cannot have good without
evil. One thing I believe that I was
always taught in Catholic school was that God is all around us. We can all plug
into this presence if we allow ourselves to. And it will change your life for
the better. Plug into dark and negative energy and that's exactly what you'll
get. Sorry for being so long-winded on that question!
Aside from being a great album closer in general, I find
“Glen of the Ghost” to be one of the more appealing songs on Giants of Canaan, not the least of which
because I find the subject matter to be interesting and melded well into lyric.
Shrouded in mist in
the eerie moonlight
Slowly I see she is
coming my way
My heart skips a beat
and I'm shaking with fright
For now I can see it's
the lady in grey...
In the time of my
youth they would all speak of her
Haunting the glen with
the breeze in her hair
In long robes of gray
and sometimes dressed in white
The old ones would
fear her ghostly cries in the night
The concept stems from archaic Irish folk myths,
particularly that of the glenafooka, of which a documentary was made examining
the persistence of such beliefs and traditions in modern Ireland. What
attracted you to this particular tale? Did you know beforehand that this would
be the song to close the album, or was that decided later?
Oh yes—we all agreed this song would close the record. And
as soon as I heard the music I knew I wanted to write a song based on Celtic
mythology. I had seen Glenafooka last
year on Netflix I believe. It's a really great documentary. Seeing these people
talk about their legends and how dear they are to them really touched me. The
legend of the banshee in particular interested me. The whole idea that you
would hear a cry in the night, or catch a glimpse of a ghostly woman in white
or grey crying just prior to the death of a loved one really creeped me out. I
imagined myself coming to grips with the fact that I may be dying and walking
to meet this woman in white in the woods, and taking her hand realizing she was
there to take me 'home'. I wanted the song to have an ethereal quality to it.
The intro to the song—that little sound bite at the beginning—is the perfect
set-up! Our good friend and co-producer/engineer Pat “Taps” Guden came up with
that. We were all like "that's it!"
We wanted to bookend the album with 2 really strong songs. “Giants
of Canaan” was always intended as the album’s opener too. It's just a perfect
set-up to what this new Attacker was all about. It's got power, melody, and
variations in tempo and atmosphere. People are getting a first glimpse at this
new machine if you will. Attacker has always been a killer band. As you know,
I'm a long-time fan. But when something like a new vocalist who is also a
songwriter comes into an already established band, there will be doubts among
the fanbase. Will they still be as good? Is the sound going to change
drastically? It's understandable. When you’re a fan of a band you expect a
certain style and sound. Luckily, Attacker fits me like a glove. I had a few fans
approach me in Europe saying, "you know, I was a little worried...but wow—you
kicked ass up there!" or "I wasn't sure about a new singer for Attacker,
but you did all the old stuff great! And the new stuff is killer!" Those
are awesome compliments coming from long-time fans.
Attacker recently played its first show in years in Clifton.
I understand the venue saw one of its largest crowds in years to usher in the
band’s return to the live circuit. What was the first show with the band like?
How long had it been since you had the opportunity to front an original band on
stage? Did it go smoothly? What was the set list like, and how was the new
material received? I’m sure the crowd was quite energetic.
The show was incredible. I was very nervous, as I hadn't
been onstage with an original band in 6 years. When you’re doing a live show,
you have to be prepared for anything. You know, Murphy's Law—what can go wrong
will go wrong. But I'm happy to say that it went great. We were lucky to have
Lou Ciarlo, Attacker's original bassist and great friend, as our stage manager.
He did a fantastic job. As did our soundman, who has been with Attacker for
quite a while from what I understand. Our setlist consisted of mostly early
material. We played a 16-song set. Only four of those songs were from Giants of Canaan since it had yet to be
released. We opened the show with the intro “As They Descend” that Jon and
Mikey had come up with. Then we busted into “Giants of Canaan” and right away
the heads were bobbing and people were smiling and showing us the horns! I knew
it was going to be all good.
We closed the night with a little surprise: our version of
the Manowar classic “Hatred” from the Into
Glory Ride album. Eric Adams is another favorite singer of mine. He's
amazing. His screams are legendary. As you may (or may not) know, I covered “Metal
Daze” on the Second War in Heaven
album with Seven Witches. I'll never forget when I first discovered Manowar. I
was at my local record shop in downtown Perth Amboy called Platterpuss and I
saw the “Battle Hymns” album cover. Had no idea what they would sound like--I
just had a feeling I'd dig it based on the album art! That's how it was back
then. You didn't have the internet or Youtube to sample albums. If the album
cover was cool, you took a chance. That was how I discovered Mötley Crüe. I saw
the Too Fast for Love album at the
same shop and took it home. I was blown away! I still absolutely love the first
two Mötley Crüe albums!
You and the band just got back from Europe to play a pair of
festivals. You played in Germany with Overlorde some year back, so this will
not be new to you, but surely you must be excited about it all the same.
My first two times over in Germany for musical purposes were
to record the first two Seven Witches albums. We did the first one in Hagen at
Woodhouse Studios, and the second in Hamburg at Impuls Studios. Then as you
said I played Keep it True in '05 with Overlorde. But I was very excited this time around because I
was playing in Würzburg, and that is where I was born. My dad was stationed in
the army there and my mom went over to be with him because she missed him so
much. She was six months pregnant with me when she flew over and gave birth to
me in Würzburg at the army base. We lived there as a family for a year or
better after my birth. My mom and dad were renting a room in this wonderful
German family’s home. I have pictures of us in the house with them.
It felt very special to be visiting the town I was born in.
I never would have thought I'd get to see where I was born. Würzburg is
beautiful. Germany is beautiful, period. And the people are very warm and
friendly—metal fans are awesome over in Europe. This was also the first time I
was in Spain. They had the most incredible metal bar there called Tyrant that
you would have to see to believe. Just about every killer metal album cover is
painted in murals all over the bar. Mike took pictures of us standing with a life-sized
mural of KISS from Love Gun and me
standing outside in front of a gigantic mural of the Motörhead pig monster
logo! Both the German and Spanish promoters took very good care of us. We were
treated like rock stars! We met some awesome people over in Europe.
With Giants of Canaan
just coming out on February 2nd, I know it’s difficult to think about the
future right now, but what is next for the band? I know the top priority when
the band returned from hiatus was to get a new album under their belts before
working the live circuit again, so I assume the next several months will be
dedicated to some work on the road? Is Attacker all the way back as a touring
and recording outlet on a consistent basis, or are there no particular plans
for the immediate future? I guess what I’m mainly asking is this: are there
more albums to come?
Absolutely. We are already looking forward to writing the
new record. It's always best to strike while the iron is hot, and there is no
shortage of inspiration in this band. We do have more shows booked as we speak;
as a matter of fact, we will be doing shows with a few of my favorite metal
bands: Helstar, Heretic, and Finnish metal legends Oz ! Just check out our
Facebook page for dates and clubs. We plan on doing at least one show per
month. I believe we have three dates with Oz—which is going to kill!
Lastly, you have worked on a number of projects outside of Attacker
over the years, not all of which are buried and forgotten. Are you more or less
ready to go should Overlorde go into the studio to record a new album? Have you
abandoned the idea of resurrecting Morbid Sin?
I certainly will sing on another Overlorde album as soon as
it's all set. As far as Morbid Sin goes, at the moment I am leaving that band
on the backburner. I wouldn't resurrect Sin again unless I had at least two
more original members with me. You can say I pretty much gave up on the idea of
that ever happening. I do have material of my own that I wrote, which may
appear on a solo album of mine some day. I write pretty doomy, Sabbathy stuff.
But there are also elements of thrash and traditional in there too. If I do a
solo album one day, I'll also play rhythm guitar on it as well as sing.
I met Joe Hasselvander, drummer of two of my absolute
favorite bands, Raven and Pentagram. We actually talked a little about the
possibility of us working together on a song or 2 one day. Who knows? That
would be intense! I'm like a kid in a candy store right now—this is turning out
to be a great experience for me. The Attacker guys are all very down to earth
and great people. We have a blast together. Five clowns. But we’re five
like-minded clowns...when it comes to business and the music, we are 110%, and
that's very important. I'm back where I belong, and I want to make the most of
it. A lot of people don't get a second chance. I had almost given up music
altogether at one point. I'm glad I didn't.
Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. As a
show of gratitude, the last words are yours.
Thank you for the interest Matt. This is one of the better
interviews I've done—your questions were intelligent and I can tell you’re
passionate about what you do. That makes for a better interview all around. In
closing I'd like to thank the fans first and foremost—you are the reason we do
what we do. The guys in Attacker for giving me the opportunity, and Mark
Edwards for helping it become a reality, Jowita and Simone of Metal on Metal Records,
and also to Lou Ciarlo, the sixth member of Attacker, and Pat “Taps” Guden for
helping us create the masterpiece that is Giants
of Canaan. And a big thanks to my girlfriend Betty Nitkoski for her love
and support through it all, and putting up with a crazy boyfriend! I'm on
Facebook if anyone wants to say hello. Thanks again—and METAL ON!
