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Unchain the Underground is proud to present an interview with metal legends |
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Hades - without a doubt, one of my all-time favorite bands. I was listening to these guys back when I was a wee lad, but alas, they broke up before I was old enough to see them live (couldn't get to the shows, much less into the clubs!). I managed to make it to ONE reunion show in Paril of '91 at Studio 1 in New Jersey. The live album Live On Location was recorded on that glorious evening, and thus I got to relive the experience over and over, but it did not compare to the real thing. Much to my extreme joy, Hades reformed full-force in 1998 and have since released one full-length CD, $avior $elf, on Metal Blade Records with another, The Downside, slated for a Feb. 22, 2000 release. (I have an advance. It rules!!). I've seen the band live a handful of times since and will be seeing them a number more, I am sure! I immediately contacted the band about doing an interview upon the release of $avior $elf in early 1999. Piston Rod and I headed down to Hades' rehearsal studio in Northern NJ one fine evening to listen to the band jam and pick at their brains. I had so much to ask, after so many years as a hardcore fan, that this turned into the War and Peace of interviews and, all said and done,took place in three segments over almost a full year's time. So, presented here, in its entirety, in some sort of a cohesive whole, is one of my lifelong dreams come true... an interview with one of the greatest metal bands of all time: HADES. Please keep in mind that the first portion of this interview took place before the band had even begun writing The Downside, so some of the questions and responses refer to $avior $elf as their most recent release. |
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Interviewed by Greg Smith, with help from Piston Rod. Pics taken by Al Kikuras and Piston Rod. Additional pics/images courtesy of the Official Hades web site. |
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What made you decide to bring HADES back full time?
Hades today
Alan Tecchio (vocals): It was Dan's idea entirely. Dan and I got a deal to re-release the Non-Fiction and Hades CDs that we regained the rights to again, and this guy
said, "Put out whatever you want, you know, you can sign bands and stuff." We had to start our own... well, you can't really call it a label, but we had to put something
in name to release them through. It's called Exist To Resist. We had the brainstorm to do another Hades record since we had now a little distribution network in the
states and we figured we could maybe license it to a label overseas to could make the money back to pay the studio and the guy disappeared on us, basically, so what
happened was we were left holding the record and the studio bill with no way to pay it. So, we had to find a label to take it and we were really lucky... Metal Blade heard
the tape and Brian called up where we worked and left a message on the machine and was like "I am really interested in it!" and signed it worldwide. It was totally unexpected! Totally unexpected!!
So you had the material written before... Dan Lorenzo (guitars): Well, what happened was we got the deal right before we started mixing. When we decided we were going to do new stuff, I had a couple of
old riffs laying around and Ed had written some new stuff on his own. It would have been very easy to make this a Hades record that sounds just like Non-Fiction. I
didn't want to use any Non-Fiction leftovers, I didn't want to tune down like that. The opening riff on "$avior $elf" I had written on an acoustic guitar. It was the first
thing I wrote after not having played guitar for two years and then the fast part of "$avior $elf" was kind of written during the recording of Resisting Success. I kind of
re-worked it a little. The beginning riff of "End of the Bargain" is like 10 years old or maybe older than that. We called it the Egyptian riff. It was never anywhere. We
started rehearsing with a skeleton of maybe three or four songs and then we just started writing more. Did the songs come easily? (To Alan) According to the Metal Blade bio, you had said you would never work Dan again. Why was that the case? A: Well... Did you guys make up before you started working together at Steppin' Out? A & D: (at the same time) No!!
The only reason why I picked up the magazine (Steppin' Out) was because you guys were in it. I would go to the deli by my house and pick it up and read both your guys' colums. I don't like skiing (Alan wrote a column on
skiing), or going to bars (Dan and Alan are laughing at this point). It's funny shit, but I always had this impression that you guys were sitting together in an office...
A: Well, initally we were. We were writing the column (titled) "24/7" together. This one (picking up a magazine) we wrote about Dave's band years ago, and it says " by
Alan Tecchio and Dan Lorenzo, 24/7." So, back then we were kind of putting our things together and doing things together, but it was a very strange situation. I
mean, we lived together, worked together at Macy's, played in the band together, toured together, did fucking EVERYTHING together for seven years... ("Not
everything!!" Dan interjects). It was just too much, I needed a break. You mean you didn't go to Italy together (referring to Dan's trip to Italy when he got married)?
D: No, but he gave me a nice wedding gift. That started it all. I was like, "Wow! Alan gave me a wedding gift!" Right before we got married, which was a big surprise. I
hate when people think it's like a Tony Iommi - Ronnie James Dio thing, because it really wasn't like that. We were either best friends or we needed a break. We don't
really fight. We might bicker over a few things, but it's not like this tense relationship, you know?
Hades - circa 1989
Dan, like you said, you stopped playing guitar for two years at one point. Did you just lose interest?
D: Yeah, completely. Scott LePage said "You'll play again some day!" I said "Fuck you Scott, I'm never playing again!! (turning to Scott, laughing) Right?" Did you decide to play again because of the intention to reform Hades or had you started before that?
D: My friend Dan Garber, who's my guitar tech since like the 8th grade, after we saw the web site said "Take my acoustic guitar!" and I was like "No way!!" He actually
brought it to my house and I was like "I don't want it in here!" Alan put down tile in my basement and I had just written that opening acoustic part to "$avior $elf." I
think I had only started playing guitar like a year and a month ago... You guys brought him up, so I have to ask: What happened to T. Coombs?
D: Oh, did you see him outside?? (everyone laughs) What happened was, he was playing frisbee with a friend and he got hit by a snowplow D: Trixter, he was in... but he was in a bunch of different things. ("Trixter??" I interject, in disbelief) Doro... yeah, he was kind of playing in cover bands
and doing a little bit of everything Piston Rod: I was hoping Trixter was coming back... (everyone laughs) Trixter played this little restaurant called Fordy's by us... A: Sure, I know Fordy's! Tommy was probably the
drummer when you saw them. I didn't actually see them, I just saw the ad for them. I couldn't believe they were still playing... A: Oh, yeah, yeah...
Had Jimmy Schulman been approached when you initially decided to reform the band? D: Four years ago, the day you came to that show where you didn't make it in (I
was 20 at the time and had sold my NY Faith No More tickets to see the Hades reunion in NJ. Unbenkownst to me, you had to be 21 to get in although the week
before the show I walked right into the club with no problem to buy tickets - Greg), we had just decided to do a Hades reunion and I had just gotten a message the day
before that there was someone in Germany that wanted to put out a new Hades record. I always got along well with Scott, but Jimmy was always late and difficult to
work with in the studio. He'd come late and it would take him hours to record one song. I said to Jimmy to come to the Wreck Room by 5 o'clock. He said he'd be
there at 4, but I said come at 5 and then next month I'll give you a thousand bucks to play on the next Hades record. He said "I'll be there at 4" and I said "Just be
there by 5" and he showed up at 6:30 and that was it for me. This was for Exist To Resist? D: Yeah. I mean, he can't come on time. The guy lives with his mom, he's struggling
financially and he couldn't come on time to make an extra thousand bucks... why would you want to work with someone like that, you know? But we're still friends... Yeah, you had to come all the way from Texas and you were on time! S: From the brothel. Everybody here, or with Tom? DL: Other than me. With Tom. What was everyone doing in the intermittence? D: Well, Non-Fiction you know about... Yeah.
Hades live at the Wreck Room, NJ 2/27/99
D: (Ed Furhman is talking in the background, and Dan snaps, jokingly) Ed!! You know, that's really rude!! (Dan cackles. "Well, you go!" Ed proclaims). Well, me and
Alan got the jobs at Steppin' Out. I settled down and got married. Scott had his two kids and he's married and then I guess, right before $avior $elf (turning to Scott)
"When did you move to Texas? I'm not really sure, exactly..." Is there a good "why?" S: Naaah, just for a job. And to get away from Dan and Hades. (everyone laughs)
Scott, have you been playing all throughout? S: Since I moved to Texas?
Well, since you left Hades. S: Since I left Hades in '87? I played bass with Mucky Pup for about a year or so and then I left that. Well, I never really was in Mucky Pup, I was filling in until they found
somebody, but they never really tried to look, so I ended up doing that first album on bass and as soon as they got the European tour I said I couldn't go, so they
found someone else. And then, after Mucky Pup I didn't play for about 5 years and then a friend of mine in a band called Prowler from way back in the '80s... Prowling Death Squad. I have that album... A: Yeah! Ed, I was asking what everyone did in the intermittence. I know you were in System Addict...
You mean you disbanded the Ed Furhman Guitar Academy?? E: Yeah, I was teaching martial arts for a year and a half and I didn't play guitar at all. I finally got
back into it and that's when Dan called up and said "Do you want to do another record?" and I said, "Yeah, of course!" Actually, the band I used to be in, one of the
first songs we played was the first tune off the first System Addict demo. E: "SCX," right? Yeah. E: We actually did a third tape, but it was horrible. I had food poisoning and the rest
of the band was sick. It was the worst piece of junk we ever did so we basically made a hundred copies of it, and you can't find it anywhere. Nobody's got it, thank god! I play bass.
D: You play bass? Do you want to play on the next record? (I motion to Scott) With him in the room, you ask me?? DL: (to Scott) It's a lot cheaper than you, bud! Do you still teach all the notes on the fretboard in five minutes? E: That's right! I can teach anybody. You don't even have to be able to play.
I remember you taught Alan that on WRTN Midnight Metal (a local metal radio show that used to air many years ago). A: Really?? I don't remember that!
You got like all but two, you just stopped right before the end. A: I don't remember that! Wow! I'm the guy that remembers everything. E: I don't even remember that... I heard that a dispute about a girl came between some of the members, contributing to the breakup. Is that true at all?
A: Hmm, no... I don't think so. Yeah, that's what I heard. A: Me and Alan, we had some kind of ongoing things that happened to us...
Dave Lecsinsky
A: Also, they booked us in these little villages and people would drive from all over the place and say "I never even heard of this village, let alone this club!" They drove four hours, the Europeans will do anything...
I remember that's when I first heard Hades was broken up, when I heard
Alan was singing on the Watchtower album and that is when I first wrote to you (to Dan).
You wrote back and told me Hades was broken up and I had the letter in a frame for years. A: Oh, no... (laughing) I remember, I used to write to you and you gave me your number, and said "Call, I hate writing." D: Yeah! I was so starstruck, I didn't even call.
D: (goofing) Yeah, you know, a lot of people felt that way about me...DL: His spelling sucked though, right? Ahhh, it was not bad. The letters were all short. Then, one day you called me
and I was like, "Uhhhhh..." I had nothing to say to you because I was so shocked that you had called me! (laughing). I was like 13 or 14. D: (laughing) Is this on the internet? Yeah.
D: Well, then I won't mention it... a story about our internet guy. It's weird, with fans when you give them your number, you think they are going to write letters, and you call and they're like "Uhhhh, uhhh..."
That was me, exactly. Ed, after the first breakup, you put together a new Hades lineup and continued to play for a while... D: I forgot all about that!! I still have a poster of it. A: Do you?? (laughing) Did you guys talk about it at the time?
D: I did not want him to do it. It's funny now, 10 years after the fact, me and Ed... not that we really fought, but me, Ed and Jimmy, I would always say "Let's tune
down and let's play slower and let's have the bass and drums do less," kind of like where Non-Fiction was heading, and Ed kept telling me he couldn't tune down his
guitar because it would warp his neck (Ed laughs). Him and Jimmy. Then like three weeks ago he said to me "I wish you would have forced me to tune down or thrown
me out of the band because it sounds so much heavier." I could have kicked him in the ass, you know? Like 10 years later he finally realizes it, right?
D: What people asked me in Germany when I was doing a whole bunch of interviews in one day was "Are you guys going to do any Non-Fiction songs?" and I had never
even thought of it. Alan and I think of Non-Fiction as a separate entity, and of course people say "It sounds a little like Non-Fiction" and I said, " Yeah, well me and
Alan are in the band still, why the hell wouldn't it sound a little like it? The first Led Zeppelin record might have sounded a little like the Yardbirds. What are you going
to do? But we try as much as we can. It would be very easy for me to write another Non-Fiction style record, but I know what Hades fans want, so you want to please
the fans and please yourself. Hopefully, we've found that pefect combination. Do you still have the urge to write Non-Fiction style material?
D: I love Non-Fiction, man. That was a hot band! We had a different style. One thing I played for Alan last night that he had written a melody to, it is just so fucking
heavy, but it's so Non-Fiction style. I don't know that Hades should be doing it... I'm not sure. Will Non-Fiction every come back, you think?
A: I really never thought Hades would, but I don't know. Mike Cristi's been talking a lot of shit about me, so I don't think I really want to play with him. (laughing)
When the band breaks up, everybody talks shit about you, it seems. D: It's usually me. When we were in the band, Tommy was always talking bad about me and then as soon as Hades broke up, Tommy was all nice to me... Piston: Um, no. A: (laughs)
What's with the $20 sandwich? CH: Ahh, it's a stupid joke.
Ever been to the Carnegie Delicatessen in NYC? You can get a $20 sandwich there. (everyone laughs) Those things are huge, but, anyway... your Metal Blade bio describes $avior $elf as a concept album. Exactly how related are
all the songs? A: They all have a saving theme within them. "Y2K" is obvious, trying to save the computer situation as we are turning to the year 2000. "$avior $elf," the title track,
is about saving the American welfare system from being abused and taken for granted. It should be used for people that really need it, but things are askew. "The
Decline and Fall of the American Empire" is about America following in the tracks of Egypt and Rome. We have to save ourselves from having that happen. It is just
topically-themed stuff, related to saving. A friendship that's not worth saving in "End of the Bargain..." every song has something in it about that. It kind of
happend by accident. We started writing songs and I was putting the lyrics together and I think Dan noticed something about a cross, or something about saving. Dan
came up with the title and the title meant something to me in a lot of the songs and as I finished all the rest of the lyrics I made sure they had something to do with it.
Do you know Anthony Trance, a promoter that is around here in NJ? Was that theme one of the reasons you decided to put "Out Father" on the album? A: That was Dan's move.
It is just strange to hear the Our Father on a metal album. D: Well, you know that little logo Alan designed with the upside-down cross that will make him burn in hell? (laughs)
All I can think of is that picture of you (Dan) in Metal Maniacs kissing the Pope's hand. (everyone laughs) DL: Well, we wanted to bring the power of Stryper back into metal... Yeah.
D: Okay. This guy John Bomma, a local who was a really good singer. I guess in like, 1980 he got vocal polyps and he couldn't sing anymore. He became a born-again
Christian and we went our separate ways. Well, we resumed our friendship and I guess it was kind of a cool segueway into "Active Contrition." It made sense to me,
anyway. When John got the CD it was one of the highlights of his life. It is cool that you can make an old friend happy. Really??
DL: To Jesus!! (everybody laughs). He's looking for royalties! You know, some person copywrited "Happy Birthday" and now every time it is in a movie or on a TV show, they have to pay out of the ass.
A: Oh, really? You can wear a little bikini top. DL: We'll get some fat chick humor in there.
I am always ready to eat. If you guys want to grab some food, I am ready. A: I'm starving. Alright. How do you feel $avior $elf holds up against previous Hades
releases? D: Some people always like what you do first best. I can't listen to Resisting Success because I think the sound quality is horrible. When we play the songs, I still love
them, but to me it is a perfect combination of so many things. You start questioning yourself when people say it's not as good as the first album, but I don't know,
man... I think it's better. I listened to WSOU on the way down to pick Scott up at the airport and I heard those songs and I think the songs are great, in my opinion. (asking the band) What do you guys think?
S: I like them. As someone that's not in the band, I think I'm the authority on them. Besides $avior $elf, which is your favorite Hades album?
DL: I like the second one.
Uhhhh, man... I just love it all! A: Well, that's a good answer... Man, I have all the albums on at least two formats. I have If At First You
Don't Succeed on vinyl, CD and cassette... A: Really? I have 7 inches, I have Live on Location on cassette and CD, I have Resisting Success on CD and cassette...
E: He's got more than I do! I think all together we don't have all that. I met you guys at Tower Records in Nanuet many years ago and got you to sign my copy of Resisting... A: Yeah, I remember that! Yeah, Tapeville moved from where Tower is now. So I guess your least favorite record would be the first one? B: Because of the sound quality. I love the songs... D: It's on the American version. Well, you guys played it at the show, but the live version isn't on there. There is a studio version.
D: That's from rehearsal from the night before that show. Why did you guys leave it off the live version? D: Ummm... we wanted to have bonus tracks on the record. Live On Location was put out in
Europe one way and wherever it gets put out second, they always ask for bonus tracks so we just put "Diplomatic" and M.E.S." live in the studio from rehearsal the night before.
So it had nothing to do with the live versions, themselves? D: No. Speaking of "M.E.S." I heard that it was an acronym for "Man Eating Scarf"
(Alan starts laughing at this point) and that it is about the first time you smoked pot. A: (still laughing, motioning to Dan) Him! He smoked pot!
One of you had smoked pot and had a really bad reaction and just sat in a chair... A: (laughing uncontrollably) It was him!! He thought his scarf was attacking him! (Ed also starts laughing) (to Alan) Were you there?
A: (laughing) No, I don't think so...
This guy is from America, right?
Another pre-breakup Hades photo
D: Yeah! But you know what's funny? I remember saying in interviews in the past that Hades will never do anything cliche, like have their pictures taken in a graveyard,
but that whole thing fit for this record. That is the most cliche thing in the world... a monster, or a graveyard, or a tombstone. We did it for $avior $elf because it just seemed to fit.
I remember a picture of you guys on a big rock. D: Yeah, that was in Patterson. Have you seen the video for "Active Contrition" yet, or no? No.
D: Some of the scene where the guy who sings the Our Father, John, is dressed as a monk and there is some footage of him walking around exactly where that rock was. Does it still say "Mike" on it?
A: (laughing) He remembers everything!! I know you were recently in Europe to do some press. How was the response over there?
D: It was fucking unbelievable! The Jets were playing their last game of the season against Denver. I had to miss that... I had to fly from Newark to Brussels and then
to Schtugaard. It's like 4:30 in the morning my time. I figured I would take that day off and start the next day. I step off the plane... it is me, (Brian) Slagel (founder
Metal Blade) and the head of Metal Blade Germany and he said "Your first interview is in an hour" and it is half an hour drive. They drive like a 120 miles an hour. I did 77
interviews in 5 days. One guy was busting my balls about why we don't sound like the first album. I was fucking going to break his neck, but I wanted to be really nice to everybody. It's over the top there... $avior $elf
just came out in Germany, it wil be three weeks on Monday, and we got 9/10 in Rock Hard Magazine, which is a big magazine in Germany and within the magazine, the song "$avior $elf" is on the
compilation CD. Obviously, there is always more stuff happening in Europe. Now that the album is out in America, do you have any idea as to how you did with intial sales?
D: The album is up to about 1500 units in America. We know we sold a lot of records in what they call New York City, which is actually New Jersey and New York.
We sold tons of records, and every week we are selling more in Boston and Chicago as well. That is what we know. D: They don't have Soundscan in Europe. It's been out for almost three weeks in Europe. You don't really know how your record did in Europe until about three months after it is out. If they
re-order, they can tell, but we won't have a really good idea of European sales for maybe another month, they told me. How is working with Metal Blade? They are a lot more financially sound than your past labels...
A: Oh, yeah. Like I said before, we were going to put this record out on our own and we didn't expect anything. If we sold a few thousand copies, we'd be happy with it, but like you said,
they are a real label. They totally have their shit together. They've got the press thing going, especially in Europe. That couldn't have gone smoother. Well, you had the original release, then you had the releases that came out
two or three years ago... are these... A: These are totally new releases, all redone, new artwork, new bonus tracks... Shit, now I've got to buy them again... D: Do you have The Lost Fox Studio Sessions?
Yeah, I have that. D: Well, you can mailorder that through I have both. A: Do you? Yeah. D: It is so much fucking better.
Do you think you might go with Metal Blade? D: We talked about maybe putting something out with them. Noithing is definitive yet with that, but that would be a dream. Even if not, I would be willing to spring it.
To print a thousand CDs now costs like $1200 bucks and we can sell 200 copies to guy in Germany for $1200.
Were you guys ever at a point in your musical careers where you didn't have to hold shitty day jobs? D: Yup! Non-Fiction. How long did it last? D: Four years!
How did it feel to go back and have to get a regular job? D: I knew that was the end of music. How can you be in a band and have a real job? There is no way... No.
D: We were in the preview section and the guy got one part of it correct. Me and Alan went on tour with Overkill for like two months in Europe and America and our pay was, literally, $175 a week.
At this point, the interview grinded to a halt as a bunch of the guys had to leave. Dan and Alan and I planned to finish things up on the phone at a later
date. That conversation, combined with some recent email correspondence with Dan to catch up on recent developments, follows:
Hades at the close of the first portion of the interview. So, how are you guys doing?
D: Good! We were at Hooter's today, we thought of you. Was the party today?? (Hades had a video release party at Hooters for the "Active Contrition" video)
D: No. Oh, okay. D: We had lunch, though, and we were talking and said "Yeah, Greg's gonna like it here!" I've actually never been to Hooter's, believe it or not.
D: Really... it should be cool! Okay, I'll just pick up where we had left off. Alan, when I called Aldo's and asked for you a while back, they asked if I was referring to "That metal guy,
Alan." What did you do to earn that handle? A: (laughing) "That metal guy, Alan?" Hmmm... I don't know! That's news to me! I guess just the metal screams, because Dave always goes around, going
"METAAAAALLL!!" I guess they were just imitating that, or something. When was the last time you went back and listened to Control and Resistance? A: I have it in my truck right now!
Do you like it as much as you did then? What are your feelings on it now? A: Ummm, back then I was in the band and I am sure I looked at everything I did
then a lot differently than I do now, but I listened back to it and I remember all the changes and the parts and all the things that came right to heart after I had memorized them, and it's cool! I like listening to it.
Are there any old songs you guys absolutely will not play again? D: "Masque of the Red Death" and "Aftermath of Betrayal" would be bizzare to do
without Jimmy. Nobody is really that hip on doing them, but we've learned to never say never after all these years, you know? Speaking of Jimmy, according to the inlay card to Exist To Resist, you put in
that article that Hades split up due to personal differences between you guys (Dan and Jimmy). Deciding to put that in there... was that kind of like a statement?
A: Not really, it was actually one of the few things I had that was actually in color for the band and it left a kind of ambiguous possibility as to why we broke up.
Is there kind of a begruding peace between the two of you now? D: Oh, no. We're fine. I took Jimmy to Baltimore a couple of months ago. I'm the
one that talks to him the most, really. I wish Jimmy was further along in life. I love the guy and I root for him, but he's 37 and he lives with his mom still in a
one-bedroom apartment. I would think that alone would give him the impetus to try harder in life, but Jimmy works like 10 different jobs in a year. But, there are people
that can put me out, people I went to High School with that are making maybe a half a million dollars a year that are saying "Oh, Dan is such a loser for doing whatever
he does." But, I think that at age 37 Jimmy should be a little further along and I think he knows that too, but the fact that he just never really does anything about
it just frustrates all of us. But, he's a great guy, I really do root for him, you know? In your guys' opinions, how did the comeback show at the Wreck Room go? A: It superceeded my expectations by a long shot! I can't believe that many
people were into the whole scene still. It was really cool! Oh, I loved it! D: Were you surprised at the turnout? No, actually I wasn't.
A: I was! I thought we'd do like 300, 350 or something like that. We did over 500! It was amazing! The one other time I saw you guys was at the Studio 1 reunion and it was packed then.
A: It's tough, though, because it was so many years later, but I think that even the club was kind of surprised about the number of people. They gave us a crazy bonus
and it was just a great night. I hadn't played a show in four years and wasn't even sure I belonged on a stage with short hair. It was a great time. I had a lot more fun
than I thought I'd have. We weren't going to book any more shows until we saw how this one went and how we all felt about it, and obviously it felt good!
Dan, I heard that Jim Matheos from Fates Warning literally tried to BUY the song "The Cross" from you because he thought it was such a godlike tune. Is this true? D: Really?? I never heard that! (laughing)
You never heard that? D: No! I think you hear lots of things! That's interesting! I heard it from someone that knows him, and he was told that he tried to buy it from you, but he refused.
D: (laughing) He should have contacted me, I would have sold it to him. I'll still sell it to him! Tell him! I'll pass the word on. Through all the touring in the old days and with Non
Fiction, was there ever a night where you had diarrhea really bad and you had to run off stage in the middle of a set to go to the can? A: (laughing) Not me! So never actually on stage, running off. A: Naaaah. We were pretty much okay with that, because you pretty much clamp
up, even though you're a nervous wreck. Like, every time Non-Fiction headlined the Limelight, I would swear I was going to go in my pants. When they say "Here they
are, IRS recording artists Non-Fiction!" everything sucks up in you... you couldn't possibly go to the bathroom when you're on stage, I don't think. Although critics loved both Hades and NF, and each had a strong cult following, neither really achieved commercial success.
A: Definitely not. Any theories on why that was the case? A: I'm sure it's a number of things. It could never be just one thing, but seeing how
Metal Blade is handling this Hades release, a lot of labels that were with earlier on either didn't know what to do or didn't have the ability to do what a real label ought
to do, like organization and people doing their jobs right. I think that held us back a lot, but I don't want to blame just the labels, I am sure it was a whole number of things. What else do you think, Dan?
Former Hades bassist Jimmy Schulman
A: What I like about it is I just feel lucky. I started singing when I was 16 just because I was into Priest and Maiden and I liked the whole thing. I just feel lucky to
have been able to do what I have done and I feel really proud of everything I have done, which is something that I am sure a lot of people can't say, especially when
they are really into a certain thing that winds up becoming a trend, or whatever. I feel really proud about all of the lyrics I have written, I am really happy with most of
the music we ever laid down, and for me that is success in itself. Speaking of trends, the black metal band Hades had to change their name when you put the band back together. Were there any difficulties getting
them to do that? D: No. I pretended I was going to sue them. If you read inside the record, you see "Hades used no lawyers of managers..." I would never, ever use a lawyer for music
again, but I called up Nuclear Blast every day saying I was going to have to take them to court for the name and I was going to get a lawyer and all this stuff was
going to happen. Obviously, the band probably felt bad and stupid. When you put a band together the first thing you do is try to pick an original name and they didn't
pick an original name, it was our name since 1978. It was very easy. They actually believed me when I said I was going to hire a lawyer, which I absolutely would never
have done because I wasn't going to give a lawyer a penny. It was rather easy. What would you consider to be the definitive HADES song? D: Hmmmm...
While on the topic of "Active Contrition," is that the first video you guys made? D: Yup! What do you think of it? A: Ahhh, it's okay. It's pretty cool. There are some good themes and stuff and I
think some good ideas went into it. I think parts of it are really good, but the live shots are a little lacking because we had to shoot the video. We just did it for 500
bucks real quick, and it looks it, but it's cool. I am glad to have been able to do the video. When did you guys last speak to Paul Smith (original Hades vocalist)?
D: I speak with him pretty regularly. He lives in Michigan now, he's on his second marriage, he's got two kids. He's a great guy, I love him to death. He's proud that
he even had a part in the original Hades and I am sure that he wishes he had done more. We might even let him sing background or something on the next record.
Paul, if he lived here, would be one of my very best friends. He is a really, really good guy. He is a lot like Alan. If freaks me out, how similar they are, even though they might appear different, they have a lot of similarities.
Have you guys been listening to any new metal lately? A: I have. Our drummer, Dave, is really into new stuff. He gets stuff like Carnal Forge and he's got the new Bolt Thrower. He listens to so much stuff and he's
always letting me borrow discs and he's always blasting stuff in the apartmen. He's got that Ultraspank CD and he likes the Deftones...
Are both you guys fond of it? I know, Dan, that you were a huge Slayer fan back in the day. D: It's funny, I am interviewing Tom Araya tomorrow for the first time. My favorite song off
that new Slayer album is "Love To Hate." They definitely fucked shit up, that band! They came out and they were just the heaviest and the most brutal. They can still be considered the heaviest.
There are a million death metal bands which, to me, don't sound as heavy as Slayer. Are you guys fan of pornography at all?
A: I think back in the day we had a lot more to say about that. I had a lot of collections, the videos (Dan is snickering in the background), which I don't really have anymore. Yeah, I am pretty burnt out on it already. A: Are you?
Yeah. You know, I think Racquel Darrian just got back into the business. D: I have a picture of me taken with her from like 7 years ago.
What is the whisper in the beginning of "Next To Nothing" (the Non-Fiction song)? It sounds like it is in German. D: (laughing) I'm saying, "Very good, very, VERY good!" I am just kind of goofing
about the headphone levels. Okay, it definitely didn't sound like English to me. What has been the best show you have played to date, as Hades? D: Boston, 1988 It was all those bands at one show? A: Yeah.
Was it the crowd response that made it so incredible? D: It was awesome! How about the worst?
D: When we opened up for Anthrax. We came out and did "The Leaders?" and everyone was loving it and my amplifier blew after that one song and I had to
pretend I was playing for the next four songs and then one of our roadies, John Milnes from Mucky Pup, when and got my practice amp and we threw that on top
and it was just a disastrous show. Really embarrasing because we were playing in front of a packed house and we came out so strong. We were so poor back then, there was no such thing as backup fuses or heads or anything.
It has been a year since $avior $elf was released. What has surprised you the most over the past year? D: The one thing that surprised me the most, is that I gained back a good
percentage of the passion for music that I had lost after the Nastasi experience. By "the Nastasee experience," are you referring to just the whole experience of being in Non-Fiction with Dan, or something else?
D: After Non-Fiction broke up we reformed the original Non-Fiction lineup. Me, Mike, Dan Nastasee, and Damon Trotta. We called it #9. We started a record, it was
coming out amazing, best guitar sounds I ever got, then Dan Nastasee got a solo deal for more money. He called it Nastasee. He told me he would use 3 of my songs.
Then I think he figured he would make more money if he used only 1 of my songs, "Two Pops." He put out a record called Nastasee - Trim The Fat. It's such a shame
because we wrote so many great songs together, but he had Tim Gilles erase all the vocals. We were friends for years, but after the way he handled his solo record I sold all my equipment.
Did the writing for the new record come easy? D: Writing for The Downside came fairly easily, but the most amazing thing is, since we finished recording I have written more stuff at a quicker rate than ever before.
Maybe because I was so inspired by The Downside. I've already written four finished new Hades songs and three for a little side project I might do with Dave our drummer. How does The Downside
hold up to previous Hades releases? D: The Downside is different than past Hades CDs. First of all, it's the first major label-sounding CD Hades has ever released. Much better sound quality than usual. It
combines many styles: speed metal, power metal, death metal, Non-Fiction-style doom, one almost commercial metal tune, and two mellow songs. It's longer than $avior $elf.
So, I take it Metal Blade footed the recording bill? D: We knew Metal Blade would pay the bill. They gave us a advance, and paid for half the recording a week or two before we went in. More importantly, it sounds so
good because Tim Gilles from Big Blue Meenie Studios gave us way more time than what we paid for because he loves Hades and is a friend with a big heart. Is "It's A Wonderful Lie" a leftover from the Non-Fiction days?
D: "It's a Wonderful Lie" the song is the only old song on the CD. Alan and I have tons of acoustic songs we wrote in the Non-Fiction days.
The Non-Fiction reunion last year was phenomenal. Any chance of another Non-Fiction record? D: I'd like to release a live Non-Fiction record. We have some great recordings. D: Actually, we wanted to play Wacken last year. Metal Blade arranged it!
Is it going to be the largest show Hades has played to date? D: Yes, we've never played in front of 20 thousand people before. If Hades had the chance to play on Late Night With David Letterman or something
comparable, what is the one song you would choose to play? D: I wouldn't play on Letterman until he got rid of the show killer, Paul Schaefer. If he did, we would play "Ground Zero NYC." Let's say
The Downside took off, sales were excellent and you had the opportunity to make a living at music again if you went on a tour of the US. Would you do it?
D: I would never go back to touring, other than maybe a week a year. I'm married. I don't cheat on my wife, I don't drink or do drugs, so touring is not for me. I just
turned 37, and the thing you may not understand is if you are on a indie label, even if you're Pete Steele or Dog Eat Dog, you live at home. I personally think it's wacky
to be in your thirties and living home. When Non-Fiction was hot, I used to fantasize about making $40,000 a year making music, but as you get older, you realize you
can't live in Northern New Jersey unless you are making adult money. I was so poor for so long. I now enjoy having money in the bank, money for food, money for
vacations too much. There's no 401k plan on Metal Blade Records! I don't think I'm a sellout. I could never work 9-5 or dress nice for work, I still write heavier music with each new CD. |
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D: Yeah, it's always come pretty easily for us. Even with Dave (Lescinsky, the "new" Hades drummer). The first rehearsal, I was kind of worried, but the second rehearsal was great.
Everyone got so much better. If it doesn't come easily, we walk away from it, because we certainly don't need this. This is for fun, it's not to make a million dollars or be the next Metallica. So if it was a real struggle,
why would we do it, you know?
What was the other band?
E:Yeah, System Addict went for about 5 years without much luck in the industry, so we packed it
in because we didn't get any support. Everyone was growing tired and it became more frustration than fun and that's when we all decided to end it. I actually stopped playing guitar for about a year and a half.
D: Oh, yeah? 
DL: He promoted The Pipeline, Connections, all those clubs...
Speaking of
Live On Location, you guys left off "Diplomatic Immunity..."
What about Europe?
A: Yeah, we all like Jimmy a lot, but it
comes harder to him, it seems.
D: I live V.A.S.T. and Clutch, and I think that is about it. I like a lot of the old stuff. I listen to Entombed and Godflesh, but that is not really new anymore.
I heard Hades is going to play the Wacken Festival this year. Was that Metal Blade's idea?