Ring a around a rosy pockets full of poses ashes, ashes we all get thrashed and burned! By the second annual Thrash and Burn Tour 2009 with a line-up of hardcore and heavy metal acts alike all joining in to befriend one another making this tour be one you shall not want to forget. The second night kicked off without a hitch blowing the roof off the house at Hollywood’s House of Blues on the Sunset Strip gathering metal fans of all sorts, sizes, ages the whole package was gathered at this night’s night of metal festivities.
THY WILL BE DONE:
The stage was set and the fans waited in anticipation for the show to begin kicking it all off were heavy metallers Thy Will Be Done throwing together a 20 minute set up consisting of tracks found upon their latest release “In Ancient of Days” getting the crowd wide awake for the most part as the audience bear witnessing cheered and shouted with utter excitement. Next up came Periphery screaming until their voice went horse the crowd getting more into the thrill of what was later to be unleashed. As the night continued to roll right along Oceano broke the silence a little more getting the mosh pit in circular motion if not having people being thrown in the air if not drinking to the beat of the music to banging their head as hard as possible these guys were just as entertaining as the first set.
OCEANO:
My Children My Bride was up next keeping the crowd’s energy impacted thrusting nothing but fast racing screaming emotion from each song performed going right off into the next remainder of acts For The Fallen Dreams, who just like the act before them kept the energy moving forward along with the screaming and jumping action played in between. Veil Of Maya was the last of the opening acts to scream and shout their way into their spotlight of fame and fortune as the stage was now clearing up leaving the rest of the night in the hands of the main supporters if you will consider them…
DESPISED ICON:
Despised Icon, Emmure, and of course headliners of the almighty night life DevilDriver, but before we jump right into the end of the night the first two acts did do their part in performing and entertaining the crowd as much as possible. But rounding off the night was of course California’s own DevilDriver throwing out a lot of old, recent, and newer material each and every way they could imagine possible. From opening up with their classic “End of the Line,” right onto "Not All Who Wander Are Lost," “I Could Care Less,” “Clouds Over California,” down to much newer material off their most recent release “Pray For Villains,” that included “Back With a Vengeance,” “I’ve Been Sober,” down to the title track it all rounded up to the main song that caused utter destruction every time it is played, “Meet The Wretched.”
EMMURE:
Causing a brutalizing uproar of utter chaos alone, getting the entire crowd with adrenaline just sweating their glands onto the skin’s surface screaming, headbanging, spinning, it was madness everywhere you looked. Once DevilDriver had walked off the stage you knew the night was all said and done but was it really? Yes it was.
When it comes to the term “champion” what can be said about it? What indeed makes a real champion who can become one does it only relate to sporting events or can it expand into other categories such as music? In this case it does for these upcoming metallers known to the music world as Thy Will Be Done, the music they’ve accomplished to create and call their own makes the music that more enjoyable. Vocalist J Costa spoke to me about how the band got into music along with the formation and their newest album that’s out and about along with their current touring plans and future plans altogether. This is an act that will be hard to follow up on and shall not be one missing out on either…..
1. The name of the band Thy Will Be Done is interesting to say the least and sounds as if there is a story behind it. Where did the name come from and what is the story?
J: There is a lot of reason for it we’ve gone through a lot of line-up changes and the music was getting a little more epic and little bit more heavy and at the time we had a lot of names written down on some paper and one of them was Thy Will Be Done it just kind of reminded us of the old days like bands like Testament and Exodus those names are just so timeless and just so powerful. I’ve seen people who know the consultation of it. The phase itself is just a wonderful thing you just got to remind yourself sometimes do you believe in faith to it kind of fits well and seeing it fit into place.
2. Can you briefly summarize how the band formed and what you do in Thy Will Be Done?
J: I’m the vocalist and I also write all the lyrics and do 95% of all the music arrangements I do write some of the music too, and the first version of the band, we use to go by the name of Cobalt back years ago and I’m the only originally member and our Eric our bass player has been with me for 10 years and several years ago is when we changed the name. Just evolution of the band ya know.
3. Your lyrics are infused with heavy detail and raw emotion. What is it that normally gives you inspiration when writing lyrics and is there a concept behind the music you create?
J: Well I think a lot of inspiration comes from everything around you; rather it’d be history or current events obviously anything personal I want to written lyrics that anyone can get something from and this is exactly what I’ve been signing about and want people to get something from it no matter what.
4. Your new album “In Ancient of Days,” is out how has the reactions been thus far? What can fans expect when they listen to your music?
J: So far so good the reaction has been really well a lot of people who love the first record they are just dumb founded like “Wow I didn’t think you could get any better I didn’t think you could get any better.” People are just diggin it takes the first record and really dials it up you can hear the real maturely of the band. You can really home the sounds and with the new guitar player on board you can expect a lot more metal.
5. How do you think you will affect the music scene you are part of? What are your thoughts on the growing popularity in it as well?
J: Its tough because we don’t fit on any tour we play on, we are kind of the odd men out but we kind of like it that way, sometimes it’s a burden and sometimes it’s a blessing I think right now in the constant of music I think what’s happened is that people feel so comfortable carting to people to a crowd’s reaction by playing what masses are accustom too I’m not trashing it or knowing at it at all. General label a costumed thing, that’s not what we want to do, and want to take our influences on it and we are a band playing what we like.
6. You have a music video for the song “Earth’s Final Embrace,” can you give a brief summary on how it all came together.
J: Well for the video when it came down to do a song I really wanted to do was “Earth’s Final Embrace,” I really feel that, that video which we did with David Borski the director it kind of all came together rather quickly we had just came back from Japan. We had just gotten back and we set up that day for 5 or 6 hours and we had gotten this room, within the rehearsal building where we were practicing it, and the land lord had let us borrow this room didn’t charge us for it and it was 100 degrees in that room and had a couple of ideas for it and the director took it from there and did the editing magic to it.
7. Many of your songs are so hard and intense that I am sure they translate well into a live setting taking on a whole new life in front of a live audience. How does it make you feel when the emotion and power that you envisioned in the recording studio, come to life while playing in front of a crowd?
J: I love I live for playing live, those 20 or 30 minutes on this tour, all the driving or parking the little things you instantly forget about them. It’s just so rewarding.
8. What are the upcoming plans for Thy Will Be Done?
J: We are doing this Thrash and Burn Tour right now with DevilDriver after this we actually go to Europe for 4 weeks going there with Earth Crisis with Sworn Enemy that takes us to the end of September early October and when we get home we’re doing a CD release show with Hatebreed and then from there on we kind of have an open schedule I’m hoping we can fill that schedule in sometime soon and do some stuff.
9. How has MYSPACE and the internet impacted your band and do you think downloading helps or hinders the artists?
J: It’s a double edge sword I’m always one for people if they want to download music and pay for it I’m all about it downloading for free and keeping a record and like it and not going out and buying it you’re hurting the band and then that label is not making money and then the band is not getting on tours and then dropped from the label and poor sales numbers so people who really love the band go buy it. The internet, has helped MySpace has been great, it takes a lot longer sometimes because we don’t always have internet access while out on the road but I really try my best.
10. What is the toughest lesson you ever learned in the studio and on the stage?
J: That I’m human and nothing is going to go exactly as planned. No matter what we have to constantly remind ourselves why we do, what we do.
11. What bands would you like to tour with and who has been your favorite to tour with this far?
J: I’ll tell you what it’s been an honor to be on the road with DevilDriver I’m excited but definitively if I could say any bands or artists we could tour with Black Sabbath with Ozzy, that’d be amazing or Metalllica number one for all of us would be amazing or a reunited Sepurta, that would be amazing, there are so many, Machine Head, we did a show with Machine Head and Arch Enemy that was great, there are too many there are a few Testament, etc
12. Every band has its musical influences. What are some of the other bands and artists that have greatly influenced you guys and your music?
J: We listen to everything from rock to bock, to industrial, classical, we listen to everything, influences from everything Black Sabbath, to early Metallica, Slayer, Testament, Misfits, Danzig of course it’s hard to say of course bands like Suffocation, Death, Tool the Almond Brothers, Pantera, there all there.
13. What's your reaction when/if a fan told you a very meaningful statement such as "Your music changed my life?" Has this ever happened to you?
J: It just happened and it gives me goose bumps, that’s the part of love, “really thank you so much” I don’t know what else to say other than I feel real appreciate and blessed to make someone feel the way I do when someone has gone and inspired me. It just makes me feel amazed, and it’s not about money or anything like that, if somebody really got inspired by something I did then wow that is the ultimate goal with music. Making music for someone else and making it sound like something
14. All of that passion that you play with must be tough on you physically. How do you prepare for the physical demands of a tour?
J: Its tough since I do all the driving I don’t get much sleep or rest, I eat the healthiest within the band, and prepare myself with breathing exercises before each show.
15. Anything else you'd like to add?
J: Yeah it’s been awesome meeting you and awesome meeting everyone we have so far, I hope this is the first of many shows out on the West Coast.
Be sure to pray for forgiveness after reading this interview because it may be your last. Vocalist and front man Dez of heavy metallers DevilDriver managed to catch me at missing our schedule appointment earlier that evening out at the second day of the second annual Thrash and Burn Tour. He spoke to me about the band’s musically career to life out on the road, down to what the upcoming plans for the almighty Devils plans to be. You get it all when you sit down and read this rather interesting conversation…
1. So four albums as a band thus far how does it feel?
Dez: It feels amazing and what people need to know about DevilDriver is most bands get 4 or 5 or 6 years before they get a record deal. So they get to really know how to write we had about 6 months before we got our record deal. It was written by one guitar player and so by the time we did our second record, the second record rather we’d only been together for like 2 years or so. I think everything has been an evolution, a real killer progression to this point that I think now I think there is a really defining sound the growth is right there.
2. When you guys started this band, where did you see it going? What were your goals?
Dez: Goals were just to go make music. In this day of downloading and the economy I didn’t really have anything on my mind other than working and doing music. I think the guys around me would think it’d be cool to tour, and I think starting over would be hard and fun and we’ve been on the road now since 2002 I don’t think nobody tours as hard as we do, we always have a good time.
3. Did you ever see yourself being a "professional" musician?
Dez: I don’t know kind of dreamed of it as a kid ya know everybody has their dreams right? I got my first tattoo at 16 and they asked me what are you doing? Don’t worry I’ll be in a band one day. So something observably in the back of my mind but I just did everything I could just go to rehearsals and ya know all that stuff young and being in different bands and find a good way to do it ya know?
4. When and where was the first DevilDriver show? Can you describe the scene?
Dez: It was good a lot of people didn’t know us and it was at the El Rosa.
5. What keeps you guys going?
Dez: Music, love of brotherhood, love of the road, love of doing something different right now, we love the fact that we stand out like a sore thumb, ya know when there is so many thousands of bands sounding the same right now, we don’t which is just totally organically you can’t make that happen so we look at that and that is just great for us and the reason we do it.
6. Has there ever been any major road bumps where you'd consider you'd had enough of the band?
Dez: Ya totally of course but then they’d say the same thing about me and you’d say the same thing about your job or whoever’s reading this or listening this would say the same thing about their girlfriend or boyfriend ya know of course. But in the end family wins over, and you end up talking but most people have it hard road when it’s in band life but we ya know how to get along ya know. We know what exactly pushes each other’s buttons so we don’t do it to each other anyone when you’re first coming up everybody is learning what those buttons are ya know.
7. Over the years you guys have always been with Roadrunner Records. Has there been any interest from any other labels, why do you choose to stand by Roadrunner?
Dez: Right ok well this record we couldn’t put it out anywhere we actually talking it probably 10 different labels when someone would offer more money and all this and more promises but I feel comfortable with a label I’ve been with for 10 years and I know everyone over there then when they honestly got on the phone with me and said hey we’re gonna be behind this record. Then it was just so obviously choice to go with them. They are the best label I think when it comes to metal ya know. Some labels are good from other things hardcore whatever types of music, but this is a metal label so they know what they’re doing.
8. "Pray For Villains," came out a week ago, what can fans expect, can you give a brief description on how it all came together?
Dez: Well we recorded it in a month and to describe the record would be an evolution a defining moment I think in the band’s career and the other part of the question we are totally pleased with what’s going on right now, we couldn’t be happier.
9. Looking back, do you have a favorite album or any particular song, and why?
Dez: Right now “Back with Vengeance” and it was just so fun to play and that one for now.
10. What has been your favorite place to eat while out on the road?
Dez: *Laughs* Aw to eat, anywhere that’s kind of like home cooked and not fast food which is rare a lot of us live off protein stuff and shake mix and crap like that otherwise you end up stopping and eating BS every night.
11. I noticed you guys tend to tour with Lamb of God a lot, among other bands when coming in contact do they ever get tired of seeing you, like "Oh no not these guys again leave us a alone".
Dez: They are great guys really nice guys we’ve been fortune to tour with them ya know, their album came number 2 on Billboard, there a huge band, make no mistake about that Lamb of God is probably the biggest heavy metal band right now next to Metallica and really great guys and amazing players and a band like that who takes another band out a lot knows that they are doing that band a favor by turning them onto other people and that’s what they’re doing for us. I mean we are all for sure; I we are extremely grateful for that.
12. What is the best part about being in this band?
Dez: The best part of being in a band? Is being able to play music I love to take the stage I love all of that and I love the road I do, but I’m the kind of guy that can sit back here and say nothing for 4 hours that’s just me.
13. How long do you see yourselves doing this? What do you want to accomplish with DevilDriver?
Dez: Accomplishment for me I think is in the journey because you don’t know what the destination is and any kind of accomplishment is in the journey and how long I want to do this? I want to do this until my health fails me, which could be 40 but who knows give me 50 years.
14. How does it feel to headline this year’s "Thrash and Burn Tour" and are you guys getting along with everyone? What is expected after this tour?
Dez: Ya Thrash and Burn is good totally diverse bill most bands wouldn’t go on a tour like this because it’s all hardcore bands completely separate genre I mean for us we’re not scared to test the waters and go out with different bands and different people. After this, we are going to Europe with Behemoth for about 6 or 7 weeks and then going with Lamb of God to Austria and then trying to do Japan and Hawaiian by ourselves then we’re gonna start at the end of January net year and we’re already booking to the end of 2010 way into 2011.
15. Any last words?
Dez: Any last words? Never there is no last words.
