Interview with Diego.
I must say when first
hearing your band it felt like a deformed hand grabbed me by the throat and violently
drug me into a time warp back to the late 80s-early 90s age of grindcore. To me
your music seems to pay homage to such greats as Terrorizer, S.O.B., Extreme
Noise Terror and Nausea. Your thoughts?
Thanks man, I think the sound we get is because of our
writing process and influences. All of our songs are written as a band. We get
to the practice space, kill some beers, and do what is fun.
Our backgrounds and influences mesh very well. I have a
heavy metal/stench style with experience on bass, guitar, and doing vocals so I
have a decent ear for how things should sound especially with being in key and
timing goes. Taylor
is a master at coming up with ripping riffs and his speed at dishing them out
is unmatched! We literally have to agree the writing needs to stop sometimes
because we have so much material to work with.
Tony has influences from an unlimited amount of bands which really gives
him a substantial ear for the song writing process. I think his vision of the
band is very clear to him which is nice because I can be a drifter at times.
The idea of the bass tone he wants and gets really gives us the low end of
heaviness that we wouldn't have otherwise. The drums have become a very driving
part in song writing also, Napo knows the
right times to step in and take charge. He has become a very heavy hitting and
confident drummer which is exactly what we need. We like to create a clean and
crisp slate for Ryan to work with, we got lucky getting a great sounding
vocalist. We can always count on Ryan to kick ass at every show no matter what
obstacles are in the way.
By the time a song is done its been through the ringer, I
always know that what we end up agreeing on is a reflection of our strongest
areas combined. We have learned how to work together as a band and we are
getting better every time.
Your currently have a
6 song demo available in digital format. I really like it! I listened to it
like 7 times in a row. Do you also circulate a hard copy?
Awesome! I'm glad you liked it! We just pressed some tapes
and have been getting rid of them fast. Right now we have only been selling
them at shows.
I really like the
production of the demo. The guitars and vocals are raw as hell. I also was
drawn to that thumping pop of the snare. Was this an in-house production for
you guys?
No, we didn't record it ourselves. After recording Krullur I
don't think that's something I ever wanna do again! Well at least not as drawn
out of a process as that was.
We recorded with Chris Ryan at Sterret Street Studios, he
was a great guy to work with. He was very patient and skilled at what he does.
I highly recommend.
Do you have any plans
of doing an official release…vinyl?
Fuck yes, we are actually now in the process of planning our
journey onto vinyl. All the music is ready to be recorded, we will be in the
studio very soon. The plan is to do a 12" split with Alimanias and then do
our own 7".
Your grinding music
is accompanied by horror, post apocalyptic images. With that being said, do
your lyrics cover all the acts of kindness that humanity bestows to the earth?
Haha, well in this band we all let Ryan take care of the
vast majority of the lyrical content. So songs like 'Burn The Church' and
lyrics like...
"Man made god in his image.
Blind, scared, stupid, and full of hate."
...are some beautiful and poetic hymns that should (but
don't) accompany every Sunday church service IMO. But hey, maybe one day...
Are you the sole
person in charge of the band art? Online I’ve seen some great drawings and show
flyers you have created. Let’s dive into that aspect a little. Tell more about
your art background. Did you start as a child? What are your influences? With
your finished work, what digital imaging programs do you use?
Our friend Ryan Timony did the cover of our demo and our
logo design, I do a lot of the art now but that doesn't shut any doors for who
we might use in the future.
I always drew as a child but never really got good until I
put a lot of time into it and that didn't happen until I went to state jail.
I did time for cutting some priest’s penis off and kicking
it up his ass /: naw not really...
I used to be a drug abuser, that ended with me getting
arrested while ditching my burning vehicle in front of a gas station. I was on
foot and fucked up outta my mind with various illegal drugs. They only charged
me for the blow.
First I was sentenced to a 6 month in patient rehab. During
that time I drew an 84 page comic of the descent into hell in straight
ballpoint pen. I have never drawn straight pen to paper like that again but I
know it taught me very much. It mainly taught me to keep going, to push through
the drawing, and to have creative adaptation. I had a friend smuggle the comic
out of rehab and never got it back.
I got out of rehab and straight to a half way house which I eventually fucked off and ended up busted doing more time now in State jail.
In jail the only peace I found was creating my own reality.
I saw many reach out to the 'god' of this earth as is written in the book of
holy shit. It was pathetic. Prisons are rampant with bible being passed out. I
used mine as rolling paper and filled revelations with demonic images. My mind
was very ill feeling all of the time, silence was a true treasure to have. When
I would draw I would mentally shut out everything going on around me. The
permeating noise, the ugliness of the tank, and the defeat in everyone's eyes
would for those moments be gone. I learned the true power that images can
obtain if designed with intent.
I learned to build tattoo guns during my incarceration and
did many tattoos in return or food, tobacco, and weed. Though I never pursued
tattooing again since my departure it is definitely something I don't regret.
It helped keep me sane.
So that was my first dive into understanding and creating
art. I used the microcosm I was in as a testing ground for things like using
subliminal messages and even understanding how they make others react. I did 15
months in all plus the 5 months in the court ordered half way house. After I
was free of the legal system I took a long drawing hiatus. Now I am back at it
with a clearer mind than ever.
My influences were strictly Satan, hell, and demons for a
very long time. Satanic imagery will always be the seed from where my art began
to bloom but it definitely isn't its extent.
Right now I am working on a comic I wrote. I have Daniel
Shaw doing the inking which is amazing! I draw all the pencils and he inks all
the pages then I do the lettering and color.
It has been a long journey so far and we both have busy lives but it continues.
Completed it will be a 48 page introduction to what I hope will be an ongoing
series. I have learned so much in the short time collaborating with Daniel, no
books compare to his 20+ years of inking.
For finishing up my art I use mainly Photoshop and sometimes
adobe illustrator. Those programs are extremely great for getting the most out
of your art but will only take you as far as the time you've invest studying
them. They are both overwhelming to get into but after hundred of hours they
start to pay off.
Let’s step back in
time for a minute. Previously you had a great tenure in Krullur. Please tell a
little about that era of your playing career.
I actually first tried out for Krullur when I was 18, so it
was 2005-2006? Even though I only played guitar at the time I said I would try
out on vocals.
 |
Its Kyle Laven "Hey are you gonna make it out? We are
all waiting..." I had totally forgotten that I was supposed to try out for
this band he said he was in. Having flaked out twice already he said this would
be a strike out if I didn't make it. Fuck.
Ditched what I was doing and soon I was fucking hammered
drinking vodka out of a water bottle with a 40oz king cobra and a red MD 20/20.
I was singing Black Metal by Venom. I blacked out after running through the
song a few times. I never heard back about being accepted, I'm sure it sucked.
At that time Kyle Laven and Tommy Coston were the guitar players in Krullur,
(they never ended up playing live) Marty was kicked out during that time.
I didn't see Jay again until I had gone in and out of jail,
which was preceded by Kyle and I crossing paths again but now I had a shaved
head (because jail) and hadn't played anything in a long time, its was around
2009. Krullur was now Kyle and Marty on guitars and Jay on drums. No bassist,
no singer. Kyle again suggested I try out but on bass this time. I was living
with him at his parents’ house and I would go over to Jay's house with him for
practice anyway. I fucking sucked and Jay really had no intention of keeping me
in the band at all. Kyle told me later that he had to keep begging Jay to let
me come over and jam, (for the record IDK if that's true) I really did have a
long way to go and there was no telling I would ever be any good. This
persisted.
Kyle started slipping on his playing and we noticed that he
was using too many of whatever he was doing. Kyle's drug use got worse and I
was finally getting a grip on bass and now also vocals. We played as a four
piece never doing any shows rehearsing twice a week.
It finally got to the point that everyone realized Kyle
wasn't gonna work out. It really sucked, the negative effects that getting
'fucked up' was having became more apparent. At this point I had already moved
out of his parents’ house so I didn't see him outside of practice as much as I
used to. We decide to kick him out. He felt betrayed.
Kyle came to our first live show at the engine room. The
line up was Jay on drums, Marty on guitar, and me on bass and vocals. It would
stay this way for 5 years. I think that's the last time I ever saw Kyle. He is
the sole reason I was able to join Krullur which led to Krullur breaking a 5
year stagnancy. I do miss when Kyle and I were best friends.
From that first show on we continued to play live, practice
as always was Thursday 8-10pm and Saturday 8pm-12am. Some of the bands we did
shows with were Deceased, Condition Critical, Hellwitch, Solstice, PLF,
Warbeast, Insecticide, Lethal Aggression, Deadly Reign, Vital Remains, Social
Decay, and many more local/touring acts. I think we always put on a pretty
solid show though I do remember there being things I could have done better
when I first started hitting the stage.
Throughout my time with Krullur, Jay and I recorded the
'Grounds For Termination' EP. I think it came out really well for having done
it ourselves. It got Krullur signed to HorrorPainGoreDeath records.
A few things contributed to my decision to quit Krullur, in
the end it demanded too much time for something that I felt was worn down for
me. It was a great ride to be a part of and I regret nothing, I would do it all
again in a heart beat. Till this day it is the longest thing I have ever stuck
with. I hold the utmost respect for Jay and Marty, we went through many things
together and I will always remember Kyle for being a great friend when he was.
Krullur and I may cross paths on the stage again, no one can
be sure.
Was GFF a project
created while in Krullur or was it formed after your departure?
God Fearing Fuck was already created and in the process of
really taking form. I’m the last piece that joined creating the line up we have
now.
I joined God Fearing Fuck a few months before I called it
quits with Krullur. The last show I did with Krullur was Jan 10, 2015 at
Mango's which I wasn't even supposed to play. Their singer got locked up the
night before for some traffic shit so I filled in on vocals. I didn't wanna
leave them, the promoter, and venue hanging.
Since appearing on
the live scene, it seems like you have been busy playing quite a bit of gigs.
How has the reception been? Have you brought over some of the Krullur audience?
The reception has been awesome playing live both with
Krullur and God Fearing Fuck. I have a very high respect for people who support
music and art but especially live shows. I think a live show is a very honest
form of art. What I mean is that much like our live's energies will ring out
and eventually fade away as do all the notes, drums, and vocals (plus whatever
other sounds/instruments) at a show and none can be redone, its all done in one
shot. Much like a life each show has its mistakes, its brilliance, and it's own
purpose as it finds its way to the eschaton. Everyone has their reasons for
going to live shows and supporting the extreme music I have been a part of. The
community has always treated me well and I appreciate every person that has watched
any show I have been a part of.
I think the God Fearing Fuck shows bring a lot of extreme
music lovers out as did Krullur. Its hard to tell if the different fan based
have crossed over much but I think they have for the most part.
Ok, thanks for the
interview. Please feel free to leave any contact information, websites, etc.
Thanks, Jeff.
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