|
I heard Vital Remains recently went through some lineup changes, particularly with Thorns being replaced by original vocalist Jeff Gruslin. Is that true?
Thorns was originally hired to be our permanent vocalist, but after the recording of Dawn we fired him. He had too many personal problems with drugs and alcohol, which affected his performance at rehearsals and at live shows. We wont tolerate this kind of immaturity and irresponsibleness. So we had to make the decision to fire him and move on and do what was right for the band. So, we proceeded to ask our former (and original) vocalist, Jeff Gruslin if he would like to audition for the band. He agreed to come down and try it out, and I must state the facts…it is only an audition right now. We are still considering other auditions as well as Jeff. Its been a long time since Jeff has been a vocalist in a death metal band, things have changed and progressed in a very big way since he left the Vital Remains years ago. So as it stands we will work with him until we have complete assurance that he is either capable or not capable of getting the position. It’s not going to be easy for anyone who wants to try and step up and audition. We require a lot from a vocalist. So if things work out than Jeff will remain a permanent member of the band, if not, well we must move on and find someone else. We have to look out for what is best for the band. We wont settle for anything less than great.
Former vocalist Thorns.
Was there any bad blood between Jeff and the band that had to be buried before he could rejoin?
Well there was some friction between Tony and Jeff for years after he (Jeff) left the band. They have now resolved their differences after many meetings and conversations. We
are all friends now! I hope it stays that way no matter what happens within the band.
What has Jeff been doing since he originally left the band?
He got married, and hasn’t been involved with any other band projects. But he still keeps in contact with many people in the underground and is now dealing all kinds of
merchandise over the internet.
Will you still be using Thorn's lyrics?
The only lyrics that really belong to Thorns are the ones that appear within the song,” The Night Has A Thousand Eyes”. We don’t plan on using this song for airplay or live
performance. All the lyrics on the new album were written by Dave Suzuki, with the exception of “Black Magick Curse”, which was written by by Tony.
Any other lineup changes to detail?
 Actually yes, we’ve been working with ex-Incantation drummer Kyle
Severn. We wanted to have Dave switch over to lead guitar. So we had to locate a new drummer. Kyle is a worker. He is all about being total metal. He works very hard at the drums, and is doing very well.
Again, this is only an audition; if he works hard and proves himself then he will remain as our permanent drummer. If not, well, we must move on. Dave can always go back to playing the
drums if Kyle does not work out.
Is it at all frustrating to have such substantial changes in lineup right after releasing a new album?
Well you know, it’s really frustrating, but its all part of having to deal with the everyday problems and predicaments that go along with being in a band. We always want the best for
this band. If someone is not pulling their weight, then we must fix the problem. We always manage to get things working right when it really matters. With this new line up, I
hope it works out. If it doesn’t than we will certainly manage to fix everything. But it’s really important to keep a solid and steady line up. When you have everyone in the band doing
their part well, then the chemistry takes over and creates a magikal sound that penetrates through the fans that watch and listen to us live. It’s a great feeling to know that
everyone in the band can share the same opinions and share the same goals to achieve as a band.
Traditional death metal has seen somewhat of a resurgence of late, with bands like Diabolic, Devilyn and Hate Eternal attracting a lot of attention. As a seminal
death metal band that has been there since the beginning, to what do you attribute the recent surge in its popularity? How do you feel the "new breed" of
death metal bands hold up to the genre's forerunners?
Joe Lewis, interviewee.
I must say I admire the so-called “new breed” of death metal you’ve described. I’m all for it!! This music has so much brutality and is totally driven by so much hate. Hate is
something that drives us as a band to create such extreme music. And I really believe that the fans are looking to find something more extreme than the typical and average
death/black metal music that exists today. But with new bands on the scene like Hate Eternal, Krisiun, Rebaelliun, Angelcorpse, Triumphator and Centurian creating some of
the most extreme music ever to be heard, the extreme metal scene couldn’t be any better than it is today…this is indeed the era of the “new breed” of total hate and
aggression, and we are right there amongst the best of the extreme.
Forever Underground was widely hailed as a complete masterpiece in the metal underground. Did you expect it to be so enthusiastically embraced?
Forever Underground definitely made a statement and left its mark upon the metal scene. And I am very proud of that album. It was some of our best work. I still enjoy listening to
it from time to time. I’m very happy with the response we got from the album, but I still feel, and always will feel like we can always do things much better. We are never satisfied.
We are always our own harshest critics.
Attack of the Killer Logo
With the outbreak of black metal, there were many that thought the reign of death metal was over. Vital Remains never stopped forging on, however. Was there
ever a time that your faith wavered and you thought the era of death metal might be over?
We kept on doing what we always have been doing when the outbreak of the black metal wave emerged into the scene. We’ve always stayed true to our brutal style and
nature as well as to our roots. We never followed the trends nor will we ever follow them. We have created our own unique sound and we will stay true to it. We’ve never
believed at any time that death metal would ever die out. Death metal will be around for a long time to come. There is still so much room for experimentation in this death metal scene.
Are you a fan of black metal?
I’m not a huge fan or listener of most black metal bands. However I do admire some of the more elite bands like Marduk, Immortal, Darkthrone, Emperor, Mayhem, Satyricon
and War. I don’t dislike black metal, it’s just that there are too many repetitive bands that try and mimic other bands. The scene is over populated with too many bands. It gets to
the point where there is no longer any originality left. Many of these bands all sound similar to each other. I can’t distinguish one black metal band from the next.
“Now THAT’S a war face!” - Gunnery Sgt. Hartman
In both press photos and live appearances, Vital Remains have been consistenly decked out with Satanic icons and pendants. I am assuming that they
aren't just stage props. Have they ever lead to a public conflict with someone what wanted to dispute or berate you for your beliefs?
We are Satanists in every true sense of the word. It’s our true life style. Our way of life. It’s the way we choose to base our existence. It’s not our religion. We have no religion.
Religion is a fucking joke! Jesus Christ and god are a fucking joke. We despise all that is holy. We hate the Christian church. We like to control our own lives as individuals. We
don’t follow the herds, we lead ourselves to be who we want to be and believe what we want to believe. I often have conversations with people who believe in god. We debate
about all the possibilities of where we came from and discuss the subject of a higher existence. I don’t have any problems with anyone else’s beliefs. If you want to believe in god and
pray to Jesus in the Christian church than so be it. I have many friends and relatives who follow the Christian and catholic religion. I have respect for all of them because they
are all friends to me, and I will not base my trust and friendship on the fact that they follow this organized religion. But the second they start judging me for my beliefs is when I
will retaliate and defend my beliefs. He who makes judgments on others judges himself. The way I look at it is be who you want to be, believe what you want to believe,
love who you want to love, hate whom you want to hate. I will not judge anyone because of their religion. If people respect me I will respect them back, if people cross me I
wish them dead. I will always stay true to my Satanic beliefs.
|
