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""I fear no man or institution. You should just remember that we know where you live." - Randy Blythe" |
LAMB OF GOD - LEAVING NOTHING IN THEIR WAKE BY CHRIS LISEE
Lamb of God are back with a blistering new CD entitled Ashes of the Wake. Check out what the band had to say about their music, their gear, and their beliefs. Rock On!
FPE: Regarding the production on Ashes of the Wake, there is more clarity in the vocals and more low-end overall than in your previous work. What are some of the things that you felt Machine brought to the production table?
Mark: "Machine rules...we wanted a producer who would think outside of the typical metal production paradigm....and he did. The tones and the placement of the mix are very unique for a thrash metal record. He approached the project with a creative and artistic ear...his relative inexperience in the genre was liberating."
FPE: Ashes of the Wake, As the Palaces Burn and your DVD Terror and Hubris are all available for under $10 new at most stores. Do you feel that it is important to keep prices low?
Mark: "Well, it most certainly helps....cheaper is better."
 FPE: How do you feel about people downloading your music for free? What about people that buy the cd's, then burn copies for their friends, like the old-school "tape trading" days that helped bands get wider recognition in the '80's?
Mark: "I definitely think downloading helps us more than it hurts us. We're most interested in turning people on to our music...If they dig it, chances are, they'll buy it or come to a show and support us one way or another."
FPE: Mark and Willie, who's left and right in the mix?
Mark: "I am on the right and Will is on the left."
FPE: It seems like you experimented a little more with different tones on this album. There are parts that have kind of a lo-fi sound, and the middle of "The Faded Line" sounds like a can of bees. Did you use any new toys, or techniques, during the recording process?
Mark: "Mostly just different amps and different settings. We used a Mesa-Boogie Mark IV for the main guitar sound, but we also used a Marshall JMP for a more brittle, older sounding tone. The switching and mixing of the tones makes for a more dynamic record."
FPE: Is there any one thing that has been a constant in either of your rigs since day one?
Mark: "The Mesa-Boogie Mark IV....it's easily the most diverse amp I've ever played through. Mark IV's can do anything....Willie and I both use them."
Willie: "Although things have changed a great deal, Mark has always used the Mesa Mark IIII head, and I shortly followed. I mean for all intensive purposes, ever since people ie; interviewers or kids, magazines what have you, have been interested in what we are playing, it hasn't changed."
FPE: Chris, there are guys that have switched from guitar to bass, or bass to guitar, but you went from bass to drums. How long had you been playing drums before New American Gospel came out?
"I began playing in September of '94 when Burn the Priest (later LAMB OF GOD) first began. It was something I had always wanted to do, but found myself continuing on in bands and recording projects playing bass. When we got together to make this band - John already played bass and had no great ability or interest in switching to drums. Instead of having someone walk away, I made the switch. It was ridiculous. My kick drum had no legs so it would roll around the room when I kicked it - my cymbals were all cracked generic top and bottom hi-hats. There was more duck tape on the drum heads than drum head and the sticks were either stolen or from my backyard!!! We tooled around forever with me slowly upgrading this and that - by mid '95 we were playing shows locally and the learning curve was brutal. I would practice hours a day to do what it was I heard in my head. From there we toured regionally incessantly and the US as well till the end of '99 when we made the move to change the name and a guitar player. New American Gospel was recorded in early 2000 and came out in September of 2000 - so, in short, I was playing for about 5 years."
FPE: Who were some of your influences when you switched to drums? How did you develop your own style?
Chris: "I learned the basics listening to the first Aerosmith record - since then I haven't learned a single cover song. The guy who made me want to switch up bass to drums was Shannon Larkin when he was playing in Wrathchild America. After seeing him at a show in DC, I knew I wanted to do that. As for my style - it's more the anti-style. I learned how to play all wrong - I am left handed but play a right handed kit - lead with my left foot and hand - I have never taken a lesson and never wanted to "sound" like anyone out there. Of course everything I have heard in my 30 years on the planet has influenced me, but it's all in my head - I have no bag of tricks or clinic chops to share. I want to challenge myself and add to the song - not take away from the overall picture of the music and generally be the best I can be for myself and my band." FPE: John, your bass tone on this album is sick. Your sound has transformed from more of a "clicky" sound to a fuller, almost sub-bass, tone.
John: "We used a method called re-amping on this record. We layed down a direct track into the board as well as an amped track. Once we finished all of the tracks, we went back and played the direct track through the amp and recorded it, making tweaks along the way. What you hear on the record is a blend of the direct and re-amped tracks."
FPE: What did you use for gear on the new album?
John: "I used a mesa-boogie 400+ bass amp into a 4x10 svt cab. the amp is super powerful and dynamic. I would recommend it to anyone that can afford such a powerhouse. the svt cab was a full range cabinet in that it sent the entire signal to the speakers rather than splitting it between the speakers and a tweeter. Live, I use the same head but I now have two mesa 8x10 cabs to push and I couldn't be happier with the set up. "I play Peavey millennium basses which are a good solid rock bass. They have a tons of kick to them and are extremely playable.
FPE: How long before the whole East Coast/West Coast metal scene turns into a bloody turf war?
Mark: "Well...there was a pretty intense EC/WC Kickball game during OzzFest....um....I think there may have been some blood shed."
Randy: "I plenty of friends from both coasts and believe me, it's already bloody."
FPE: Omerta is the "unspoken" code of honor. Aren't you afraid that Lamb of God may wake up with a horses head on the bus, now that you've spoken about it?
Mark: "We're not afraid of anything....you haven't lived how we've lived."
Randy: "I fear no man or institution. You should just remember that we know where you live."
FPE: Who is Frank Pollard, and why does he have both Terror and Hubris in his house?
Mark: "He's a Chicago used clothing merchant...I've never been to his house, but apparently Randy has, and must've felt terrified and cocky all at the same time."
Randy: "Frank Pollard is an insane artist I know from Chi-town. He lives his nightmares- the terror is his, the hubris is mine. One night at Frank's and you would cry for your Mama like peanut butter cries for jelly. Bitch."
FPE: Randy, you've said that you're more of a "punk rock" guy. What are some of your punk influences? Do you listen to more metal, now?
Randy: "Some of my punk rock influences? Well, as far as being Punk Rawk, I would say Saturday nights at the bar where my woman pours me free pints of good beer and I get ornery while she blasts the motherfucking Sex Pistols or some Iggy for me and then I challenge some moronic frat-boy to a good fight. As far as metal goes, metal sucks. Fuck metal. And I mean that."
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