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As the man behind two of metal’s finest offerings, HADES and NON-FICTION, guitarist Dan Lorenzo should be living comfortably off royalties for the rest of his life. But he’s not. Not even
close, and while many a former full-time metal musician might be bitter about “what should have been,” you’ll never hear Dan gripe about “that manager” that screwed him, or that “MTV didn’t play the video. We could
have been... we should have been.” And if he did, who could blame him? His former bands released a total of no less than 9 full-length, often critically acclaimed albums (not counting live recordings and
compilations), several of which have gone on to “cult” status, sought after by record collectors. He has toured the US and Europe, establishing strong fan bases here and overseas, playing to packed houses on both
shores, opening for metal giants like SLAYER, OVERKILL and MANOWAR.
But, Dan is not bitter. Quite the contrary. He’s a man that appreciates his life where it is now, and, as you will discover in this interview, has very few regrets about his past. He continues to write great, heavy music purely for the joy of it, having released 3 solo albums in 13 months. Dan is a man with quite a story to tell.
Interviewed by Al Kikuras.
 So three albums in a year and a half. What the hell possesed you?
After the Hades DamNation CD came out I bought a Zoom home recording unit with a drum machine. My whole life, I wrote music while playing guitar and I would just come up with things. Once in a great while
I would hear a song in my head, without a guitar in my hands, then I'd figure it out. That's how I wrote the music to "Mortify Me" off (Non-Fiction’s) Preface. With the Zoom home recording unit,
for the first time in my life I started writing to drum beats. I would find a beat I liked and try and write to it. Right away I wrote the music to "Nothing", "Cassius King", "Four More
Years/USA". It was such a new way to write. I hardly ever play guitar, but at this point in my life I would say I could write, if not a song, at least a cool riff 2 times for every 3 times I pick up the guitar.
When you first started writing music again, did you think you would be this prolific?
No. I just noticed the older I got, the easier it became. It took me a bit to write melody lines again. Alan always insisted he write all the lyrics and melody lines after I wrote the bulk of Resisting
Success. I think I wrote a couple melody lines in the songs "Peaked" and "Biocaust" but that was only if Alan couldn't come up with something.
You've been working with Ron and Jimmy from HADES, primarily, with a few other guests. Did you ever get the urge to start fresh and find all new blood?
Yes and no. The older you get the less you want to deal with the personality's of new people. Even if Jimmy would drive me crazy for always being late... at least I know what to expect. I did bring in
old and new friends to a bunch of the songs.
Any chance you might play out live with your solo stuff?
Probably not. I hate when old looking people go onstage. If John Kosco would sing I'd be somewhat more open to the idea. I'd be way too scared to sing live.
Have you had any Hades or Non-Fiction fans go ballistic on you because of the direction of your solo material, or because (GASP!), you've recorded some COVER SONGS?
The "wacky/nerdy" Hades fans HATE my solo stuff. The Germans and Eddie Trunk don't like it either. I like Eddie a lot but I tell him all the time he has horrible taste in music (laughs)! He loves Tesla,
UFO, and even likes new Iron Maiden. I'll listen to his show, and he'll play my least favorite song off a CD that we both love. He doesn't like Godflesh or Clutch. I totally respect his opinion, and I
am so appreciative he is honest with me. I think Eddie still thinks like an A&R guy. I'm more into Metal Maniacs, Eddie is more of a Metal Edge kind of guy. My ego is huge when it comes to my song
writing. I think anybody who doesn't like it is either stuck in the past or stupid.
Dan Lorenzo and Cassius King (Jimmy Schulman, Ron Lipnicki)
Overall, how has the response to your solo stuff been, especially compared to how you expected it to be?
My drummer Ron has a friend who put it simply. He said "You can't market your solo music to anybody over 30, it's way too hip for that". He thinks Hades are like Spinal Tap. I just wish people my
age would "get it" more, but then a few people my age DO love it. Unfortunately only you and Peter Fletcher from Pigmy Love Circus/LA Weekly seem to understand what I'm doing. Okay...
maybe a few others. Blitz from Overkill and Mike Cristi. They inspire me to do more. I honestly thought people would flip for it. I think my riffs smoke almost anybody.
The solo albums you have released are much more "you" than the HADES/NON-FICTION albums, it would seem. Do you feel the reviews any more deeply than you did with HADES or
NON-FICTION albums? Do the good reviews make you feel better and negative ones cut more to the bone?
Great question. The only time I get upset is if a reviewer says something I agree with, like how bad I sound singing "Two Timer" off my new CD. I'm always rushing and the artwork was finished for
"Cut From A Different Cloth" when I realized the mix and my 2nd vocal were KILLING "Two Timer". Usually I just laugh at bad reviews. Some asshole from the magazine Explicitly Intense said a
song from Nice Being Alone sounded like Overkill. Well look through the booklet jackass... maybe that''s because Blitz from Overkill sang on it! He also said my t-shirt was a Rob Zombie rip off. He
must have been too young to know that both of us were INSPIRED by Ed Roth. My old metalhead friends in Germany don't like my solo stuff. I'd get more upset if they didn't listen to Running Wild and
Manowar. If you like dated metal you will not like my solo stuff. Also some reviews say my songs are too short. To me, other peoples songs are TOO LONG! I have a fucking short ass attention
span. Is this interview almost over? (laughs) I'm kidding I LOVE doing interviews.
Ironically, the cover art of your new album, Cut From A Different Cloth makes it look more like a power metal album than anything HADES ever released, yet it is just about as far
from "old school" metal as anything you recorded. What was the plan?
My buddy/roadie since the 8th grade, Dan Garber, designed everything as far as art for Cut From A Different Cloth. I love it all EXCEPT for the sword, but when I asked him to remove it, it didn't look right.
 What are you listening to mostly these days?
I just got the new Jesu CD. You know, Justin from Godflesh maybe because I don't do drugs. It seems SO boring. I listen to Clutch, Alice In Chains, Jerry Cantrell but mostly the stuff I
grew up on. I only listen to music while driving in my car. More often than not, it's one of my solo CDs.
The first two Hades albums are about to be re-released in one package. You guys wrote a new song for the re-releases. How did it feel stepping back into those old shoes? Did the writing/process go smoothly?
Yeah, it WAS like stepping into old shoes. All we did was fight and disagree! (laughs) We had one 3 hour rehearsal and came up with "Thinktank". It’s ok, but not as
good as Hades stronger material. Hades was usually a struggle.
You’ve been anything but shy with your politics over the past year. Do you describe yourself as a Republican?
Well I'm moderate on some things. I'm pro-choice, but I can't comprehend how anybody gets pregnant "accidentally". I think Democrats have their hearts in the right place, you know... 'no
wars, let everybody out of jail,' etc, but I just think they lack foresight. I mean if Gore won in 2000, Saddam would still be in power. Libya wouldn't have had a change of heart. Egypt wouldn't
be discussing elections and Lebanon’s government wouldn't have resigned. I totally understand when people are against war, I'm against war, but when Clinton was President we kept telling
Saddam 'stop it... or else'. Other countries know Bush means what he says. My boy George is a horrible speaker, but you can't say much after the success of the elections in Iraq. EVERYBODY is
against war... but sometimes it's necessary.
Do you look at Blabbermouth.net often?
Yeah, pretty much every day.
What do you think of the posters?
Well, anybody who has enough time to post is usually a negative person, but some of the people who post are hysterical. I love when people goof on Scott Ian. I don't know why exactly, but he
bums me out more than just about anyone in music. Maybe because he reminds me of Paul Schaefer from Letterman. Scott thinks he invented everything in metal. I have to admit I loved the first SOD album.
You've traveled Europe quite extensively, where HADES is probably most well-known. How many times have you been stopped on the street by a HADES fan over there?
Never on my vacations, only when we were on tour. Actually, also in Germany when Metal Blade Records flew me over to do press. When I first cut my hair in 1994 I could stand next to the biggest
Hades fan in the world and they wouldn't recognize me.
When are the HADES re-releases expected and what labels are they on?
Tom Derr is rereleasing it in America on May 10th through his label Rock Ridge. Mausoleum Records SAID they were going to put it out May 24th in Europe, but then again, they also said they would pay
the studio bill months ago and they haven't. We still owe Crystal Studios some money for the one new song we recorded, "Thinktank".
Where did the interest to re-release the albums come from? Did the labels approach you guys or did you put out the feelers to re-release the albums?
Tom Derr was blown away by the new Hades song "Thinktank". Alan and he have been friends since Alan was in Watchtower. Mausoleum told me how much they loved my first solo CD. I told
them I couldn't tour, they said they couldn't release my solo CD, so I asked them about Hades.
I heard whispers that a label might release a compilation of all the Paul Smith stuff. Is that still in the works?
Yeah, I heard that too, ha ha. Monster Records sent me a contract 3 years ago about that. I signed it. They move incredibly slow.
So with these HADES re-releases on the horizon, and considering you never plan on playing a live solo show, on a scale of 1-10, what are the chances of a one-off reunion show to celebrate the re-releases?
It would be a pisser if Jimmy Schulman could remember how to learn the songs to play one more European festival or something. If it was easy I'd say "6,” but when things are not fun it doesn't hold
a lot of interest for me. The rehearsals would not be fun. As a group we don't have the same vision. My heart just isn't into Hades right now. I try and throw on some of our CDs and it just
sounds kind of dated to me. Hades to me ended up being 50% of my vision. That's why I'm way more into my solo stuff.
Dan after someone tried to block him in basketball by jamming
a finger in his eye.
Two years ago, I think I would know the answer to this question, but now I am not quite as sure: you can either play music or basketball. Which is it going to be?
Music! It's very hard for me to both at the same time. After seven years of being obsessed with hoops I hurt my knee and fractured a finger right before I started recording Nice Being Alone. My knee
hurt for 6 months until I got physical therapy and I just started playing basketball again last week. I suck. I was a natural quarterback, shortstop, pitcher in grade school but I'm not a
natural basketball player. I can hit a bunch of "3's" in a row then throw up an air ball. I'm pretty good on defense, but right now I'm loving music again.
Last question. What are your biggest musical regrets?
That I didn't meet (drummer) Ron Lipnicki sooner. I also wish Non-Fiction did the video for "In The Know" before 'Reason To Live". Also in hindsight... after Resisting Success I should have never
stopped writing melody lines. Alan did a great job 95% of the time, but I should not have given up that job entirely so easily when he asked for it.
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RELATED LINKS:
www.danlorenzo.net
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