| Necrophagia has existed now for 27 years. Did you ever really expect to continue the group for as long as you have? |
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Killjoy:
I absolutely had no idea that Necrophagia would still be going after so many years. When the band started, we really had no goals early on. We just wanted to make the most disgusting, hideous horror worshipping music we could possibly imagine, in fact that's still the case. |
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| The band has put out a number of releases, most of which were EPs and a few splits, but there's only five full-length Necrophagia CDs, six with the release of Deahtrip 69. Are you happy with the band's discography at this point, or do you think that for one reason or another, the band should have had more material released by now given the amount of time the name has existed? |
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Killjoy:
I'm very pleased with the amount of releases we have had through our career, I wouldn't do anything different. We will never cater to any certain release schedules, ideals or conventional attitudes within the music industry. When we have the proper material written and inspiration is peaked then we record and release material. Sometimes it's a whole record, sometimes it's one song. |
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| At this point, you're the only remaining founding member of the group. In 2010, you brought in three new members to complete the line-up. How are they working out for you? |
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Killjoy:
The line up is going really well, working with Boris is really amazing. The guy is my best friend and I've known him for over 20 years. He has so much talent and passion for music in general. Actually much more than me. His contribution to Necrophagia is honestly the foundation of the band's future. Shawn and Damien are extremely excited to be a part of the horror cult and they are ready to go out and destroy. Like any family until we don't always agree on everything but it's been going great. |
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| How much influence did these newer members have on the sound for Deathtrip 69? |
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Killjoy:
That really depends on how you approach it. Necrophagia will always be my vision. But that doesn't mean it's up to me to do everything. Boris and I worked on the new material together very closely. There is some material that was written in the past prior to the newer line up but we have modified it greatly to make sure it fit perfectly with the more current songs on Deathtrip 69. So really no one influences Necrophagia. Horror is the only consistent influence. But with that being said Boris really understands what Necrophagia's vision is about and writes accordingly and he does bring in elements that are exciting and different but within the context of Necrophagia's legacy. |
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| I picked up on so many different atmospheres on Deathtrip 69, I'm pretty much compelled to ask this: What were the inspiration or inspirations for this release? |
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Killjoy:
We as a band have always refused to do what is expected. Not because we are trying to be avant-garde or do something preconceived to go against the grain, but simply to keep things progressing in a way that, as our career goes forward, we are not repeating what we have already done. I would be bored to death. So new elements always creep into our music. There's no real reason or inspiration to go with those choices, other than the fact that we don't wanna tread the same ground over and over again. We will always make an effort to keep adding to our sound without ever loosing our roots. |
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| When I listened to Deathtrip 69, it feels like the production quality was a little higher pitched then it needed to be. Are you happy with the production and the way the album turned out? |
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Killjoy:
The production is something we worked on very hard. It is the way it for very specific reason. Each song has a slightly different production that suits the song in itself. We did not want a standard production. We wanted a more organic feel, not something that was triggered, stale and robotic. We went for a more natural/real sound. I think you are speaking more about the mastering which enhances those elements. Everyone is focused on bottom heavy productions that the songs all sound the same and lack clarity. The overall sound of Deathtrip 69 is definitely much different from most releases that come out and we're happy about it. It's gonna sound strange or high end to most because it's not what everyone else is doing and we're pleased with that 100%. I'm sure many will disagree with our choice but we truly don't care. |
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| How long did it take to write the material for the release, as well as to record it all? |
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Killjoy:
The writing process went really quick once we got into the mode. Boris and I work together extremely well. The recording took almost six months, we went way over budget because we were extremely diligent on getting things correct. Our engineer Brendan "The Rat" Seditz really went above and beyond for us and we loved working with him. |
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| While digging around the internet, there were articles stating that there would be many guests on the release, including Casey Chaos of Amen and Maniac of Skitliv and formerly Mayhem. Some of the other names I read don't seem to be part of this according to the press release, but one name floating around caught my attention, which was Mick Thomson of Slipknot. Was he originally supposed to be a guest on the album, or would you even consider asking him to be part of a Necrophagia album given his notoriety in Slipknot? |
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Killjoy:
When the idea for guests appeared it was because they could truly enhance the upcoming material or add another dimension. For example Mick Thompson was going to do the lead guitars. This was because I wanted some lead parts on the new songs. Mick is a good friend and he is one of the best at what he does. When Boris joined it eliminated the need for someone outside to do the leads because he is simply awesome at leads. He's old school. His influences are Iommi, Fogerty, John Christ and such. It's much different from what Mick would have done, not better but different. In the future I'd still like to see Mick shred on one of our songs. Maniac does a killer spoken word part on the title track, it adds to the eeriness of the song. Casey Chaos did some singing with me on Kyra and I love the way he attacks vocally. He really made that track come together in a great way. In my opinion he's the best punk vocalist in the scene today. |
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| Were there any other guest musicians originally lined up, or even asked to do a guest spot on the release? If so, why are they not on here according to the press release from Season of Mist? |
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Killjoy:
Larkin from Godsmack was gonna drum on a track. He's a really good friend from way back and he's just on another planet with his drumming skills, time went by and that window was lost due to scheduling. Billy Sheehan was gonna do something as well but again I took forever getting things in motion. He's my favorite bass player. I can't remember who else was gonna be on it. But the reasons are simply to bring something new into a song or a selfish reason like wanting a personal favorite musician to appear (Sheehan). Sebastian Bach was gonna do some stuff on "London (13 Demon Street)" because I love his voice! Regarding Mick: Love the guy, so talented. He was gonna be a guest period. Necrophagia from this point on will always be the primary focus of all members involved. |
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| Necrophagia put out "Harvest Ritual, Vol. 1", and many expected Deathtrip 69 to be part 2. Will there ever be a Part 2? Or, will Harvest Ritual only stay a one part release? |
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Killjoy:
There will definitely never be Harvest Ritual Volume 2. It was an idea and I've moved past that and the songs that would have been on it. Deathtrip 69 has none of the elements that would have been on that record had it been recorded. |
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| Personally, I'm not sure what happened that you two are no longer working together, so hopefully this doesn't bring up anything negative, and if so please feel free to pass on this question, but the band reunited back in 1997 with Phil Anselmo handling guitars, then apparently was out of the band in 2001. Since he was part of the reunion of the group, has there ever been talk about working with him again on another release? |
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Killjoy:
I will say this again and stand by it. Without Philip Anselmo, Necrophagia would not exist today. He was vital to our rebirth. He is a true fan of extreme metal and a lifelong fan of Necrophagia way before he joined. There were many factors in our split, the inability to tour together, scheduling conflicts, etc. When we worked together I had an amazing time. I would not trade or change anything. There really is not one specific reason, but rather an accumulation of factors for us not working together. I have nothing but respect for him. I don't see us working together in the future on a full time basis. I wish him only the best in life and everything he does. |
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| Considering the line-up change that occurred in 2010, is there a possibility of a reunion of the original Necrophagia line-up at some point if things go sour with the new line-up? |
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Killjoy:
I can't see that ever happening. We had extreme musical differences back then and I haven't talked with them in many years. I have no ill feelings. We had fun writing and recording back then but things just changed drastically and not on my end. I still have the same vision for Necrophagia that I have always had. Making pure audio horror. I'm not interested in fame, or changing my opinions on what Necrophagia should be. They wanted to do Scorpions, Queensryche, Pink Floyd type of thing. All good bands but have nothing to do with the style or direction that is right for Necrophagia. |
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| It's been roughly 12 years since Eibon,/b> was announced, and due to hectic schedules the band never happened. Do you ever see the possibility of the group actually forming and putting out a record in the near or distant future? Or is this a project that is better forgotten at this point? |
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Killjoy:
Eibon was my idea, I assembled it. Again all kinds of factors involved with our lack of recording the debut. I don't see it ever happening. We made a few really good songs. I will say that much. |
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| As I stated at the start, Necrophagia has been around roughly 27 years. Do you see the band continuing for a good while yet? Or do you see an end in sight for the group? |
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Killjoy:
I have learned to take things as they come. I'm a moody bastard. It's my main weakness. I try not to be but I generally just don't like people. I like to be by myself much of the time. I like my surroundings and I don't like being out of my element. What does help a lot is again having Boris in the band. We hang out, watch movies, talk, laugh, create. Boris has definitely added some additional years to the bands future. I can't say how long we'll continue. I'm motivated right now so I don't wanna think too far ahead beyond touring, videos and another record. I think those things will all happen.
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| Are there any future plans for Necrophagia, or anything you would like to talk about in general, such as tour plans or about other projects you are working with? |
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Killjoy:
Nope. I just wanna tour a bit. Work on the visual side of Necrophagia now. Nothing else I'm doing musically is of any priority for me. As always, Fulci Lives. Gore Forever ! |
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