What are your first impressions of Germany?
Larry: “Good beer!”
Mike: “Yeah! The food’s good… London food is terrible… that’s what we just got back from. We went to London for a couple days… we didn’t play there. On the 23rd, we’re gonna fly back to London… and play. But here, I mean… yeah, the food’s good.”
Larry: “But it’s cold…”
Mike: “Yeah, it’s fucking cold…”
How’s the first gig in Germany been going yesterday?
Larry: “You couldn’t really… the sound was a little rough… you couldn’t hear anything. But the crowd was pretty cool. Pretty crazy!”
Mike: “Yeah, they were crazy.”
Why have you chosen such an expensive cover for “Beyond The Gates”?
Mike: “We didn’t… the label did… the company did. It was their idea. They wanted something that was really, you know… I don’t know… different. Something that… I mean, as you could obviously see, it is different… I mean, everybody tells me it’s like what a lot of the old bands used to do…”
You’ve changed your band logo… with the upside down cross. But your lyrics are also about satanic things. Why?
Mike: “On the second album?”
Yes.
Mike: “It’s not all about that, you know… songs like ‘No Will To Live’… that’s basically a slow death kinda thing… and ‘March To Die’ is basically about the war… ‘Tribulation’ is about how the world’s gonna end… and stuff like that. It’s not all satanic, like “Seven Churches” was, you know.”
But there’s still songs with satanic lyrics…
Mike: “Right, I mean, you can’t… you know… put out an album like “Seven Churches”, which was totally satanic and then for a second album, just totally stop it right there. You’re going to lose everybody… you know what I’m saying? So, that’s… we’re just trying to get into different things to write about, you know, instead of just “Satan this, Satan that… oh, the devil’s my friend…” I mean, there’s so many dumb bands out there now that are still writing about that… That’s pretty funny…”
So, will the next album be without any satanic lyrics?
Mike: “Probably, yeah… so far that’s the way we’re going.”
What have you done after the release of “Seven Churches”?
Larry: “We’ve just practiced a lot.”
Mike: “Yeah, we practiced a lot… writing more songs… play here and there, you know… that’s about it. Ever since this album came out, we’ve been doing a lot more. Because the first album usually really just gets the people to know who you are and when a second album comes out… that’s when the shit starts happening, as far as… you know, touring…”
Larry: “It’s hard to get a tour with just one album…”
Mike: “Yes, that’s how it is…”
What kind of music do you listen to?
Larry: “Everything!”
Really?
Larry: “Yeah, except for Country music (laughs).”
You have the same management as DEATH. What do you think of Chuck?
Mike: “Well, we don’t have it anymore… the lady that managed us, quit… so, we’re not on the same management anymore. Plus he’s back in Florida… I don’t think he’s playing anymore… I guess he’s…”
Larry: “I think he’s trying to get a band back together right now…”
Did you have musical training or have you learned your instruments by yourself?
Larry: “I did learn from a guy that taught Kirk Hammett and Steve Vai…”
Mike: “I just tried to make up things on my own. I took lessons from this real old guy… he was really good and played with a lot of Country bands… but he was really a Jazz kind of guy, you know… he was really into Jazz stuff. I took lessons from him for a while. Then I took lessons a long time ago after that. But now, I just try to make up what comes out of my head, really. Jeff also took lessons a couple of years…”
Larry: “Yeah…”
Mike: “We took them for about a year. And now we just, you know… make up our own shit as far as that…”
Mike: “No.”
Larry: “I never worked (laughs).”
Mike: “I have worked part time…”
What are your favorite German bands?
Larry: “DESTRUCTION…”
Mike: “Yeah, DESTRUCTION, KREATOR… and eh… (someone mentions TANKARD – Frank) yeah, TANKARD… Who’s this band we’re playing with?”
DEATHROW
Mike: “They’re really good. They’re a really good band. There’s another band… I’m missing somebody… Name some more German bands.”
SODOM
Mike: “Yeah. I like their new stuff. I think it’s way better…”
Larry: “The SCORPIONS…”
Mike: “Yeah, the SCORPIONS…”
Any plans after this tour?
Larry: “A US tour… after this tour.”
Mike: “A month later, we go home, relax for a month and then go out on a US tour with AGNOSTIC FRONT and NUCLEAR ASSAULT.”
Have you ever heard of MORBID ANGEL?
Larry: “I don’t think so.”
Mike: “I think I have…”
It’s a new US band…
Larry: There’s so many new bands there (laughs).”
Mike: “I’ve heard of IRON ANGEL…”
That’s another band from Germany…
Mike: “Yeah, they are really good.”
Okay, some words for the readers?
Larry: “Hey, the beer’s great! (laughs)”
Mike: “Yeah, the beer’s great. Get drunk and listen to our own album.”
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Interview and pics: Frank Stöver