VsGreg - SUICIDE WATCH par IAN GLASPER, BASS - 4761 lectures
Suicide Watch joue du thrash metal old school dans le pu respect des traditions, une petite interview avec Ian Gasper .... redacteur dans Terrorizer par ailleurs !
To start this interview, could you please explain why Ade and later Ian left Stampin' Ground?
Well, it's a long story, but Ade just wasn't enjoying himself in Stampin' Ground anymore, and he made it quite clear on several occasions that he would rather be somewhere else, and in the end he was asked to leave the band. That was a tough call to make because he is such a deadly drummer, but the band replaced him with Neil Hutton from Benediction.
A year or so later, Ian left, mainly because his wife had their second child and he didn't want to tour anymore.
Well, it's a long story, but Ade just wasn't enjoying himself in Stampin' Ground anymore, and he made it quite clear on several occasions that he would rather be somewhere else, and in the end he was asked to leave the band. That was a tough call to make because he is such a deadly drummer, but the band replaced him with Neil Hutton from Benediction.
A year or so later, Ian left, mainly because his wife had their second child and he didn't want to tour anymore.
It wasn't much fun recording it, because Andy Sneap is an extremely meticulous producer and insisted that everything be locked tight to a click track/metronome. He uses Pro Tools in the studio too, so none of the band actually played together – we laid all our parts down separately and then Andy assembled them like some musical jigsaw! I think the record is a very slick piece of modern metalcore, there's some great songs on there, but it sounds TOO well-produced for me – the guitars were a lot more savage before the final mix.
Why did you feel the need to play 'old school thrash metal' in 2005?
It's a dirty job but someone has to do it! No, seriously, this is the music we love (well, one of the musics we love), and when we get together, the chemistry between the four of us basically makes us sound this way. If we tried to do anything else with these four guys in the band, it would be fake.
It's a dirty job but someone has to do it! No, seriously, this is the music we love (well, one of the musics we love), and when we get together, the chemistry between the four of us basically makes us sound this way. If we tried to do anything else with these four guys in the band, it would be fake.
'Global warning' was composed in 12 days and recorded in 4 days. Was it important for you to do it as fast as possible to give a direct, instinctive and pure thrash record?
Yes, after the Stampin' Ground recording I mentioned earlier, I really wanted to record an album live, all of the musicians together in the same room, feeding off each other's energy. We tried not to analyse stuff too much during the writing process either, we just went with our gut feeling each time, and I think we really managed to ''capture the moment'.
Yes, after the Stampin' Ground recording I mentioned earlier, I really wanted to record an album live, all of the musicians together in the same room, feeding off each other's energy. We tried not to analyse stuff too much during the writing process either, we just went with our gut feeling each time, and I think we really managed to ''capture the moment'.
You've worked with analogue tapes to record your cd, and not with pro-tools or any high tech software. Could you explain us why?
Because hardly anyone does it anymore, and we wanted to try something different. All the new metal albums sound awesome, but THEY SOUND THE SAME! Everyone uses the same drum triggers, the same guitars, the same effects, the same everything… even the same fuckin' riffs a lot of the time. The modern music scene has had the life sucked out of it by bands who just wanna be the next big thing, labels that encourage bands to want to be the next big thing, magazines that kiss the asses of the labels and tell the kids that indeed these bands are the next big thing, and last but not least the kids themselves that blindly believe what they read and worship banal bands because they think it's cool. We're hardly likely to change all that, but at least we're being who we want to be.
Because hardly anyone does it anymore, and we wanted to try something different. All the new metal albums sound awesome, but THEY SOUND THE SAME! Everyone uses the same drum triggers, the same guitars, the same effects, the same everything… even the same fuckin' riffs a lot of the time. The modern music scene has had the life sucked out of it by bands who just wanna be the next big thing, labels that encourage bands to want to be the next big thing, magazines that kiss the asses of the labels and tell the kids that indeed these bands are the next big thing, and last but not least the kids themselves that blindly believe what they read and worship banal bands because they think it's cool. We're hardly likely to change all that, but at least we're being who we want to be.
What are your main influences?
THRASH! Hardcore… punk… heavy metal… even a bit of emo and rock… we have a lot of variety in our listening habits, but when we get together as Suicide Watch, we just refer to all the thrash we listen to, mainly Bay Area stuff from the mid – late Eighties…
THRASH! Hardcore… punk… heavy metal… even a bit of emo and rock… we have a lot of variety in our listening habits, but when we get together as Suicide Watch, we just refer to all the thrash we listen to, mainly Bay Area stuff from the mid – late Eighties…
Did the early english thrash metal bands (like Acid Reign, Xentrix, ReAnimator...) have an influence on you or your music?
No, not really, they weren't that great, were they? The first Xentrix album was cool, I thought, and I liked Onslaught until they changed singers and signed to a major label… Acid Reign and Lawnmower Death were good for a laugh too. But put those bands alongside Exodus or Testament… well, there's no competition really, is there?
No, not really, they weren't that great, were they? The first Xentrix album was cool, I thought, and I liked Onslaught until they changed singers and signed to a major label… Acid Reign and Lawnmower Death were good for a laugh too. But put those bands alongside Exodus or Testament… well, there's no competition really, is there?
You've worked with Ed Repka (MEGADETH, EVIL DEAD, NUCLAR ASSAULT, BIOHAZARD…), for the artwork of your release. Can you tell us more about this cooperation? What is your favourite artwork drawn by Ed?
I think the definitive Repka cover for me will always be ''Peace Sells' by Megadeth. Ed's a great guy and believes in what we do, and we didn't want anyone else to paint our cover for us. That guy was the face of thrash all through the late Eighties – and now he's back! Have you seen that kick-ass Three Inches Of Blood cover he did? Awesome!
I think the definitive Repka cover for me will always be ''Peace Sells' by Megadeth. Ed's a great guy and believes in what we do, and we didn't want anyone else to paint our cover for us. That guy was the face of thrash all through the late Eighties – and now he's back! Have you seen that kick-ass Three Inches Of Blood cover he did? Awesome!
We're mainly just disgusted with Mankind, how we insist on torturing and killing each other over religion and oil, how we constantly rape the planet for profit, destroy the environment that should be there for our children to inherit. At this rate they will inherit nothing but a blackened shell, ravaged by war and natural disaster. But to me, this isn't ''politics', it's common sense – stop the killing! No war no more!
You've played live with Napalm death, Raw Power, Eminence or Cancer. What are you thinking about these bands? What was your best show?
I have a sad story to tell you… we've been pulled from the Napalm Death show because of some wheeling and dealing between various booking agents… Eminence never showed at the gig we were playing with them, because their guitarist got ill and they flew home to Brazil… and then we couldn't play the Cancer show we had booked because our drummer Ade got ill himself… Raw Power were good though!
I have a sad story to tell you… we've been pulled from the Napalm Death show because of some wheeling and dealing between various booking agents… Eminence never showed at the gig we were playing with them, because their guitarist got ill and they flew home to Brazil… and then we couldn't play the Cancer show we had booked because our drummer Ade got ill himself… Raw Power were good though!
Ian is running Blackfish Records. Why did you release this cd with Mausoleum and not with Blackfish?
Blackfish ceased to exist about two years ago, about the same time that I left Stampin' Ground… same old story – cash flow problems! Besides, Blackfish would never have made such a great job of the CD as Mausoleum – thanks Alfie!
Blackfish ceased to exist about two years ago, about the same time that I left Stampin' Ground… same old story – cash flow problems! Besides, Blackfish would never have made such a great job of the CD as Mausoleum – thanks Alfie!
Blackfish recently released a 'tribute to thrash'. Why Suicide Watch is not on this cd ? Which cover would Suicide Watch record for this kind of tribute?
SW were not even in existence when I compiled that thrash tribute, otherwise we would've definitely been on there! I guess we would've done something like ''The Fault' by Defiance, or ''Azamoth' by Sacrilege BC, or ''Positive Outlook' by C.O.C., or ''Mechanized Death' by The Accused, or ''Demons – Evil Forces' by Hirax, or ''Chalice Of Blood' by Forbidden, or maybe ''You Snooze You Lose' by Nasty Savage, ''Come Alive' by Uncle Slam, or ''Evil' by No Mercy… uh, the list is endless!
SW were not even in existence when I compiled that thrash tribute, otherwise we would've definitely been on there! I guess we would've done something like ''The Fault' by Defiance, or ''Azamoth' by Sacrilege BC, or ''Positive Outlook' by C.O.C., or ''Mechanized Death' by The Accused, or ''Demons – Evil Forces' by Hirax, or ''Chalice Of Blood' by Forbidden, or maybe ''You Snooze You Lose' by Nasty Savage, ''Come Alive' by Uncle Slam, or ''Evil' by No Mercy… uh, the list is endless!
What are the last good thrash cds you've heard?
I just picked up the reissue on Mausoleum of the first 2 Hades albums, and that is awesome! And I'm not just saying that because it's on Mausoleum either, that band ruled back in the day and both their first albums are classics of the genre. Respect!
I just picked up the reissue on Mausoleum of the first 2 Hades albums, and that is awesome! And I'm not just saying that because it's on Mausoleum either, that band ruled back in the day and both their first albums are classics of the genre. Respect!
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