As every thrasher who respects itself, no one should ever miss having a chat with Damien Sisson, the bass player of bay area thrashers Death Angel. My respect for that band is endless, and, as for you I guess, we all wait to see them back soon in our land. But until this time... Here's what Damien answers at RockOverdose.gr for its fans!
- Hello Damien, welcome to RockOverdose.gr! Where do I find you?
Damien: Thanks for having me on Rock Overdose, it's a pleasure to be here. You can find me here. Or on the road coming up on the Anthrax/Testament tour coming thru the Us and Canada.
- So, you’ve been back after Hellfest, how was it?
Damien: Hellfest was a sick muthafucking festival, definitely a highlight of our summer festival run this year for several reasons. First being the fucking audience, some crazy 70,000 fans or something recokulous like that, but also the other bands were smoking-King Diamond, Exodus...Oh yeah, good catering, too!
- In 2009 you had some line-up changes. How tough was for you and Will to adjust to the band?
Damien: In 2009 original members did decide to step-down from Death Angel. That opened up a great opportunity for Will and I, who had been playing together for several years in local bands. The adjustment wasn't very hard, other than going thru the process of getting my passport, which was tedious. However, the music that Death Angel plays isn't too different from where Will and I both came from, doing thrash ourselves in Scarecrow, a band with Exhumed guitarist/singer Matt Harvey. I think in the end, importing a rhythm section was a wise move for Death Angel as Will and I had been already used to each others feel, style and playing before joining. I certainly don't miss lugging my own gear, so that's been an easy adjustment.
- “Relentless Retribution” is the most aggressive album since “Ultra Violence”. Tell us a few words about it.
Damien: Relentless Retribution is ultimately a come-back album. Some might argue they might say DA never went away, or that they'd been back since the reformation in 2001, but I feel many people were divided about the reunion and the direction of the band. As an outsider at least, I felt that way. Listening to both preceding albums, and there's not the unity that needs to be there to make the band unstoppable, I wasn't around, but it felt like some guys wanted to go one way, while others another direction. RR, however, is a come-back album because we genuinely had something to prove, and there was an urgency felt in those songs. Will and I as new members and the remaining guys to fill what seemed like impossible roles to fill. Inevitably, people are going to say shit about how it's not the same band, that 2 original band members left, and how, my god, there's white guys in a Filipino thrash band. But I don't think the guys in DA ever set-out to be 'Filipino' thrash band, as much as they always just meant to be thrashers. Anywise, we all realized that we had to step it up and bring our game to the court. It's aggressive because that's how we feel together as this band. Fucking aggressive!
- Jason Suecof is the producer in bands such as DevilDriver and Trivium. Why did you choose him?
Damien: To be honest, before we recorded RR, I'd never heard of Jason Suecof, so I can only speculate what led the band to that decision. Most important is that the album seems to be well received, and people enjoy the sound of the album. Who he's worked with in the past is irrelevant to what he was able to create while working with us.
- Who did the artwork and how did you go with it?
Damien: My response is a bit like the last one ya got. I'm not sure who did the artwork for our album; I only know he's done some White Chapel album covers, too. Rob really gets to make the creative calls, but I dig how the concept is a wolf in sheep skin devouring the other sheep...there's enough imagery and irony there that the imagination can run wild as to what it means. And there are not wrong notions...
- So far, who’s your favorite band to tour with?
Damien: Favourite band to tour with...Exodus, Sepultura, Testament, Kreator...I like 'um all, but there's definitely a bond between the Bay-Area bands, all having grown up together and having shared so much history. They all say the same thing at one point, "Who'd a though we'd still be doing this after all these years!". Followed by a nervous laugh... I think many of the original thrashers we're just following a feeling the felt, they never projected a long-term plan to stay in the game. It's just the passion from the fans for the bands that has kept so many ripping bands alive. So, my favorite bands to tour with are the bands with rabid fans.
- What are your upcoming plans? Are there any ideas for a new album?
Damien: Funny you should ask upcoming plans because writing a new album should be top-list right now. However, these opportunities to tour just keep coming up, so before we hit the studio, we do have Leg III of the Anthrax/Testament tour, hitting Pac-Northwest, Canada, and North-East States. It'll be bitchin' I suspect. Lock up your bottles of Jager and Gin...Catering rooms across the States, prepared to be raped!
- (Ok, can’t stop laughing!!) Until now, which was your best show you ever gave?
Damien: Up until now...the best show I ever gave...That's a truly difficult question, because there are so many times I'm really giving it my all, and so what makes a show really special is the audience, not the band. I can say the first time I played open-air in Jakarta was amazing....warm weather, full moon, and my temper was blaring because I'd fallen in a hole in the sidewalk trying to find my hotel. Somehow, the elements made for an amazing night, like I wasn't even playing bass, but just observing the events. It just happened on its own. I'd also have to mention on the recent stop in Croatia at Metalfest...shit had gone down and it was getting ugly, but it was a beautiful night, open-air, once again, and a near full-moon-missing only a sliver...all I can say is it's something to remember-seeing so many people INTO it and letting themselves go with the music and forgetting about the shit that'd gone down. Sometimes it takes a little adversity to really drive the feeling home-when something is on the line, it's a matter of whether or not you have the ingredients...on those nights, and ingredients were there.
- When are you going to be back in Greece? Your fans have missed you!
Damien: I'll come back to Greece in a heartbeat....last time there, playing with Suicidal Angels in Thessaloniki and Athens was magical and fucking amazing. The vibe of those lands and those people is really something special...maybe ya'll Grecians should come to America and show those people a little something about passion.
- Well, thanks for your time; we wish you see you the soonest again. Any message to the Greek fans?
Damien: Thank you for having me; it's been my pleasure answering a few questions. Hang tough everyone, we're working as hard as we can and soon as this new albums drops, we'll have a primo reason come back and tear it up a bit in Greece. See yah!
For RockOverdose.gr: Labrini Gouma
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