Pete Slate at A Day of Death 2011 - (photo - Brian Pattison)
Several months ago by now, Glorious Times entertained the idea of bringing co-creator Brian Pattison's GT era zine 'Chainsaw Abortions' back from antiquity. With the sheer number of gigs GT has been putting on this year, plus the various benefit activities we've been holding (and something coming soon sure to make heads turn yet again!), the idea has pretty much fizzled out. However, rather than scrap the work that's already been done, we've decided to post the interviews (and at a later date, even some reviews) just as we did with our last post "Derketa: Witchburned" which was also originally meant for the return of Chainsaw Abortions.
GT favorite Druid Lord is prolific. And we bring this piece to you to coincide with their latest release on Doomentia Records. One has to work VERY HARD to find an all around kick ass band these days, even rarer when everyone involved is a gentleman, we've done the hard work, the rest is up to YOU!
GT - Druid Lord come about and was it a conscious decision for Druid Lord to have a
completely different sound from Equinox?
Pete - Yes totally. Equinox was formed primarily to be a Black/Death metal band. Druid Lord is all about Doom and old school Death Metal. I've been a huge fan of Doom and heavy music since Black Sabbath back when I was a kid. I had been wanting to form a Doom band for years but never found guys to jam with. I had the Idea for Druid Lord for many years but it took up until 2010 to become active. Lyrically Equinox was more about mysticism, magic, mythology lyrically. Druid Lord is writing about Horror, Occult type subjects like taken from an old 70's cult move.
GT - You started out as a 3-piece, but it didn't take you long to add a 4th. Did you
always want to have 2 guitarists?
Pete - We did. We decided that we needed a 2nd guitarist for live shows especially as the music had to be heavy as hell. Ben Ross also from FL, had heard a few samples of music on Myspace and contacted our vocalist Tony. At this point we had not even started looking for anyone. So Ben came over to rehearsal, learned all the songs. He fit's the band 100% with his attitude, skill, and drive. Killer musician. We didn't want a typical Death Metal shredder. We had to find a guy that was willing to play with more feel and keep it slow and heavy. He's been in the band for a year now.
Druid Lord at A Day of Death 2011 - (photo - Brian Pattison)
GT - What bands inspired the sound of Druid Lord?
Pete - Celtic Frost, Hellhammer, Pentagram, Cirith Ungol, Dream Death, Autopsy, Candlemass. Man, there are tons of great bands. We just take our influences and mix them into our own brand of music.
GT - How did the deal with HPGD come about for your full-length debut?
Pete - I believe it was Alan Moses who mentioned in conversation that Mike from HPGD was a really cool dude. I think....haha....Anyway, I sent Mike some recording from the album that were already finished and he seemed to like what Druid Lord was doing. So he made us an offer and we finished "Hymns for the Wicked." We are very pleased with the way Mike handles his business and label. It was good decision for the band.
Stephen Spillers at A Day of Death 2011 - (photo - Brian Pattison)
GT - Since the release of the full length Druid Lord has been fairly active releasing 7"'s
on a fairly regular basis. Have the ep's sold well? Are you planning another full-
length?
Pete - Yeah, the ep's are selling very well. We made a decision to release some special ep's on vinyl and splits. So there was no full length in 2011. Now for 2012 we will do another full length. Maybe no splits at all. We had a lot of material written and we got a lot of killer offers. Each split is special due to the songs/artwork.
GT - You were able to get your long-time friend Kam Lee to record guest vocals on
your song "All Hallow's Evil". What was it like to work with Kam? Did he or Druid
Lord have any reservations about doing the track together?
Pete - Kam and I have been friends for a very, very long time. I've always respected his work with Death and Massacre. He's a total pro musician and has a killer voice. They guy also writes lyrics like a madman. So, he and I had wanted something around a Halloween theme. We already had the music finished. So, I sent Kam the tracks and he came over to Tony Blakk's home studio and laid down the vocals. It was his concept for "All Hallows Evil." I think the song come out damn great. We've even played it live with him a few times. In FL and NY. The song is featured on a split cd with the band Kaiju. Check it out.
Pete Slate and Kam Lee at A Day of Death 2011 - (photo - Brian Pattison)
GT - Druid Lord made the long ass drive from Florida to New York State to play A
Day of Death in July 2011. How was the experience?
Pete - We had the best damn time. I mean the drive sucked but we got to get a break from reality at home. We drove straight through. I think it took like 20 hours. We crammed the van and took off. We did a bit of site seeing. Saw Niagara falls, Buffalo Insane Ayslum, and the Day of Death Fest. Getting to play with bands like Deceased, Rottrovore, Derketa, Goatcraft was awesome. Making new fans and hanging out and meeting new people was the highlight for us. We got to play our brand of DOOM in NY. Great, great time. There were some amazing bands at the fest.
GT - Can Druid Lord fans outside of Florida expect to see the band live any time soon?
Pete - No plans yet but we'd love to get over to TX and play more gigs in the south. Hell, we'd play about anywhere if it worked out. Spread the plague!!!! I would like us to also get over to Europe. Killer scene for Doom/Death Metal.
Kam Lee joining Druid Lord on stage at A Day of Death 2011 - (photo - Brian Pattison)
GT - Now that Druid Lord seems to be going fairly strong and Gabe has Serpent Son
going, does that mean Equinox is done or is it just on hiatus?
Pete - Honestly, I can't say right now. I don't want to say it's over for good but we are all busy doing other things. Druid Lord is my main priority right now and we have a lot more work ahead of us.
GT - Would you like to impart on final bit of wisdom?
Pete - Mega thanx for the interview Brian. We have merch still available so people should contact us. Also, keep a look out for new music in 2012. The "Druid Death Cult" is coming!!!!!!
http://druidlord.bandcamp.com/album/hymns-for-the-wicked
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