when you started out as a band, it seemed you were one of the
first to bring technical and speed metal elements, like voivod and
razor (?) influences, to the music. was this a planned decision, or
a natural culmination in the ways metal was being made at the time?
We were so fucking high on any drug we could get our hands on we
were off in 'freakout' zone. We were honestly just trying to be the
most 'over the top' band ever. We were taking speed from Sodom,
Slayer, DRI, punk, thrash, etc. And mixing it with distorted styled
lyrics of dread and death ala 'War and Pain' era Voivod, and Venom,
Blessed Death, etc. Then 'attempting' to put in some Voivod
weirdness guitar chords, and some Mercyful Fate 'evil', just all of
it on hand! We had no idea where it would take us! It was very
straight forward and insane! It was basically just a bunch of long-
haired teenagers in Slayer and Venom shirts going nuts for metal and
aggresson in 1985!
the first deceased i ever heard, "luck of the corpse," had tight
and fast rhythmic arrangements and workout drumming; what atmosphere
were you intending on that album? how did it turn out relative to
your expectations?
Well 'Luck..' was an experience! I got good and bad memories of that
'era' of Deceased. Original guitarist Doug Souther and me were
completely on different levels as to where the band needed to go
both musically and personality wise at that junction in the bands
life. So it 'clashed'! Neither of us was right or wrong. Just
'different' in our beliefs! I think the other guys (Mark and Les)
wanted to go with my 'angle' more so, and Doug took offense. He was
really ready to move on and away from the band. So recording that
record had it's 'negativity' to it. Musically it's just too fast for
it's own good! Trying to still live up to our 'faster then you'
attitdues and trying to release something 'good' for death metal
fanatics the world over to bite into. Everythnig was 'rushed' and in
the end it sits a bit 'dissapointing'. I loved the songs and I loved
the chance to release a record with Relapse and be thought of as
'competent' enough to record and be on a record label. That was
great! It was 'neat' to see your face and music on a cd and vinyl,
cassette. It felt 'good'! We were 'growing up' a bit and we had to
start somewhere 'fresh' as a band.
I'm sure there is! I personally like to call Deceased music
supporters, 'friends'! I don't like the word 'fans'. Makes you think
you are 'better' then them! We are all 'even steven' in my eyes. We
all get up out of bed, eat, drink, sleep, love music, got our
hobbies, families, etc. That's all it is to me. 'Seperation' between
bands and their music supporters is pretty 'high ego' to me. No
need! Let's all just have fun and keep on laughing through as many
good times as we can!!! Look out for each other and keep on keeping
on!
people sometimes ask me if i feel i'm being disrespectful to the
dead by celebrating morbidity through music. what do you think about
this question?
metal has gone through huge changes since the middle 1990s. with
the internet and the personal computer, it now seems everyone has a
label or a zine or a band, and there's tons and tons of metal
"information" with perhaps very little data. what do you think the
next stage will be?
i was talking with ray miller of adversary, a band from indiana,
and i said that in many ways i respect most the styles from when the
styles we have today were newly forming. he suggested i listen to
early deceased, and i did and heard many influences in the music.
what do you think each style of metal (heavy metal, melodic heavy
metal, speed metal, death metal, and crossovers like hardcore, etc)
represented to the generation that produced it, in terms of both
music and attitude? when you brought together these styles, could
you recognize each distinct impulse in your work, or did they gel
into a new language?
Well i've always loved music. I mean anything and everythnig that
got me 'going' i loved! It is my life's greatest ecstasy. Early on I
fell in love with the Beatles,. I was literaly 3-4 year sold. The
choruses... the 'greatness' was quite easy to understand to me. Then
I got into the 'hoopla' of Kiss. The blood of Simmons on the covers,
the 'image' and visuals. It's perfect for an 8 year old to sink
his/her teeth into! It got me into wanting and craving more
outlandish and more 'over the top' music. Trying to conquer the
'extreme'! What is now tediously 'mellow' in music standards of
today (Van Halen, Ted Nugent, Heart, Benatar, etc.) was once 'over
the top' and pretty darn 'heavy' stuff! I just kept poking my head
around in mags, record stores, all of it to 'find' something to fix
my craving. This got me to the 'gory' Eddie and Maiden, razor blade
through fingers artwork of Priest, the 'devils and witches' of
Sabbath! All of it! Which in turn got me to Motorhead, Ramones,
Plasmatics, Venom, etc.
It's all a big 'turn of the screw'! It just continues to move on and
no one can slow it down. So when i got into deceased and we formed
the band we knew deep down all of us had a common bond for 'muis'c
first and formost. Sure, we were 'caught up' in th eheavy metal
mania of the times. We died for sodom, exciter, venom, fate,
manaowar, all of it! But we still had our 'elders' of musical uprise
(The Cars, Kiss, Journey, Blondie, Foreigner, etc) in our hearts as
well.
We were living the life style of 'full blown heavy metal' but we had
our hearts set in music!
So when we started writing we just blew it out as fast and furious
as we could. Beyond "caught up" in the times of aggression and drug-
fed energy. The 'attitude' you speak of was just 100% 'us'! It was
'Deceased'! We just got in and 'did it'! We took all of the aspects
of music we loved, speed of hardcore and thrash, melody of
traditional heavy metal, choruses and 'structures' of traditional
kiss styled rock n roll, and the 'zaniness' and off kilter of punk
and the ilk.
It 'worked' for us! Sure some 'genres' worked better for us. But it
was still all just a big band blender and we kept feeding it with
more musical vegetables :)
it seems to me much of the metal from 1978 onward would have lost
impetus and extremity if it weren't for the influence of hardcore
music. how do you think on this issue?
do you read any zines or websites today?
do you think the political climate in the USA will be more or
less tolerant of death metal in five years?
I say it'll be the same as of today. It seems to 'stay' under the
radar al lthe time. It seems no one's minding the 'smaller' people
of the earth and globe right now, music or non music related. But i
see a slow but steady 'rising' of this around the world and in time
it will outnumber or truly challenge the 'theories' and practices
and beliefs of alot of the world. Geesh remember when Dee Snider was
'sooooooooooooo bad' in the governments eyes?! Wow! How far we've
come in 20 years!
around "fearless undead machines," it seemed to me that your
style as a band shifted from aspiring to a death metallish sound to
more of what you were doing with doomstone's first album, namely
making heavy metal using some of the techniques from death metal.
this to me was a brilliant move, as it put you closer in touch with
your roots, aspirations and musical loves. how is it that you as a
band can pull something like that off, and immortal could, but
virtually every other musician appears mediocre when they attempt
something like that?
Well, that's some nice words coming from you, and we truly
appreciate it! All I can say about that 'time' is that we as a band
had decided we needed to complelty build on our 'musical strengths'!
To sincerely cut the 'fat' and 'extras' of our sound up to then
('Blueprints..' l.p was very bizzare and 'all over the place'
musically) and do what 100% worked for us! We were still 'searching'
for our 'perfect identity' in music and we at that time, I beleive,
found it! Guitarist Mike Smith came forth and said 'i write guitar
riffs this way and this is what i want to write in this band'. I
took it into consideration as the band's 'arranger' of songs. Mark
and Les (guitar and bass) also put their ideas and words into
persepctive and it really felt 'right'. It was a sincere 'bonding'
of the band both musically and spiritualy! We 'got on wth it' and
delivered our finest record up to that point in our eyes. It was
very well recieved by the industry and that felt good to us. Doing
it completely 'our way' and being accepted for it! From there it's
all just 'fell into place' since.
i'm told that king fowley is still a very active tape trader.
how do you find the time? and what do you trade?
were there any other deceased side-projects besides doomstone?
Well, Deceased-related, no not really! Unless you count a few 'one
off' sessions with silly named 'projects' me and Mark have done like
'Masbah', our tribute to Japan's Casbah and early Master from
Chicago. It was a jam session and we just went 'silly' haha. I got
that on tape somewhere, and i believe that was 1991. Also there's
'talk 'of me and Mark doing 'rock brigade' an all 80's rock thing
where we cover Aldo Nova, Gary Moore, Fist, and Triumph songs, etc.!
Les Snyder was/is in Doomstone along with me and that was fun.
Doomstone has gone all over the place using 'session 'guys and just
'mixing it up' to confuse us as well as others. Now I do have a side
band called October 31. It's not Deceased-related outside of me
being part of it, but i really enjoy the times and music that band
has created! 'Traditional' heavy metal is what we file that under!
does metal exist in the mainstream any longer?
It doesn't matter to me. The music is the same to my ears! The
identity of the 'captivating' audience has long gone back to the
'die hards'. And that's how I personally see it fit. It's not for
everyone and it's really by it's own 'musical law' not to be
concieved as very 'commercially viable'. It has it's 'surges' and
it's a rollercoaster love affair to some. But to me it's just music
and it's always gonna be there for those who want it! I know i
always will!!!!!!
what do you make of this hip-hop influence in nu-metal -
artistic advancement, or tool of the labels to make music more like
that which they have trained the sheep to buy?
Wow man! I really am the wrong guy to 'invite' this into metal
music. That 'style' of art never did a damn thing for me. Outside or
inside the genre of metal music. Just does't 'click' for me in the
least! Some took to it instantly, others it 'grew on'. To me it just
does not work!!! It tries to break down the 'barriers' that as I
mentioned metal music kinda set its self in firmly many, many years
ago! The 'funkiness' of it isn't needed for metal. The 'ghetto' vibe
is just so 'out of place' in the metal genre. Let it be its own
'entity' and stop trying to 'heap' it in with the trappings and
undying spirit of heavy metal music and it wont be a problem with
me!
old metal records seemed to me to be a brilliant project,
because each generation of metalheads ages and then the music they
found meaningful, especially the rarities, is forgotten and all we
know of that time are the bands with excellent advertising budgets.
is there a way to combat this generational loss in metal?
is it true that most metalheads quit at 30?
Probably! Some call it 'the music of youngsters'! And 30 seems to
stop the youngster ball rolling for some. Not me! Gonna be 35 in a
few months. And I find it healthy, life giving, and still 100% a
part of every day I exist on! To me, it's all in the way you look at
things.
do you think paranoia in this time of history is warranted on
the part of the citizen?
while your early material was urgent, it seems your newer work
is more medium paced. what caused this change, in your view?
how did creating the doomstone album "for those whom satan hath
joined" influence your outlook on songwriting in deceased?
do you listen to any black metal besides venom?
Well what's 'black metal' anymore? The gurggling, non heavy , non
catchy crud of something like Darkthrone? I despise that horrible
shit! To me it has to 'brood' it has to 'lurk' it has to create the
'dark' side of things in both atmosphere and personality. That fast
insane blast, garage punk/electric shaver styled guitar, and
unimpressive or convincing vocals stuff don't so it for me! I just
prefer the 'trappings' of a Venom 'Sacrifice' or a Mercyful Fate's
'Into the Coven' anyday! I listen to tons of the newer stuff out
there and often 'hyped' up. And I hope to hear something i can grab
onto. But sadly it get sput to the side and discarded over time. Cuz
it don't have depth or stayin gpower for my tastes in music. I think
the last great 'black metal' record I heard and sincerely
appreciated was 'Ritual' by Master's Hammer! And that's at least 10
years old now! I'm still waiting and hoping for more 'darkness' to
surface.
what were the handful of most influential bands during the
1980s? 1990s?
did these bands differ markedly from the bands of the 1970s?
For me it sure did! Cuz the 70s belonged to the radio for me as a
kid! By the time I was into less known 'album tracks' by radio
artists of my 'childhood' it was almost 1980!
I was the 'hit song' guy! But I quickly learned there's tons of
songs the radio doesn't play that really got my goose :)
what do you think bands in the 2010 decade will be like? will
there be a resolution to mainstream versus underground, black versus
death, funk beats versus metal beats, etc?
referencing the previous question, it seems to me that metal
uses percussion differently than most mainstream music: where
mainstream music creates a bounce and an expectation of its
fulfillment, metal creates a driving structure which encloses change
in harmonic/melodic patterns (by other instruments). what ideas
differ between these two groups?
what non-metal makes your playlists these days?
if you could wish positive things for metal in these areas, what
would they be:
A. Bands: to drop the egos alot of them have and be musicians first
and formost! Erase the egos pleaseeeeee! To really cherish and hold
in heart the honor of playing music!
B. Labels: to be more respectful to your artists. Treat them as
hmans and not business cattle. We are all in this together so even
up the angle already!
C. Journalism: to write from the heart and always call it the way
you see it!
D. Philosophy: to learn by your mistakes, grow everyday, and
challenge 'challenge' on every occasion!
it seems to me there are now several live deceased releases,
including a few that didn't make massive distribution. which is your
favorite?
There are? I only know of one! 'Up the tombstones' live from Thrash
Corner! Unless you count the old cassettes we made in the later
80's! :) I'm confused here. Or drawing a blank! You decide! Haha
We are gonna have some live tracks surfacing soon though! As bonus
songs for cd releases! :)
As for 'up the tombstones', I love the live c.d! It's 'us'! It's the
energy, live attitude, and songs we played of that time! Thanks to
ray at thrash corner for releasing it and 'phantasmagoria' club for
having us!
will deceased ever do a massive tour?
mr fowley, i have heard you are recovering from lung troubles
that mean you cannot assume your customary position behind the kit.
will this ever change?
It's doubtful! We have a new drummer in Dave 'Scarface' Castillo and
to tell you the truth, he's just perfect for the band and we will
carry on with him as brother, family, and friend! It's the 'end of
an era' and the beginning of another! Chapter 1 complete! Now onto
chapter 2! Wish us luck! We rise from the grave come midnight!
since you gentlemen have survived this long, where most
metalheads are in their teens, do you have any advice about "growing
up" and "life and how to live it"?
Do your best to keep your head about you! Have your spirit in hand
at all time, wear your heart on your sleeve, and keep your elders'
good ways within you. Never look back and never give in! I wish
everyone well in their journey!
how would you have me killed for asking so many questions? or,
more apropos to the
interview: is there anything else i forgot that should be answered?
cursed productions recently issued "the radiation years," a
collection of early demos. is this the complete deceased pre-label
discography?
when you think of the people who enjoy your music, is there
anything they have in common (besides enjoying deceased)?
Well tapes are now cd'rs in our 'technologically advanced' world!
Haha
Yes! Too many croonies and back stabbers, fakes, cheats, liars, out
there. Who sleeps with their windows open anymore at night!? Sad
isn't it! Laziness, greed, the need to 'stay up' with another
persons fortunes plays evil tricks on the mind of many. The 'whoever
dies with th emost toys wins' mentality is fucking pathetic! I say
take what you got and build on it. Some obviously have it easier in
their means/ways to 'survive'. Some deserve it, some don't!
It's unknown to me truly! Jobs and home security come first with us.
Family, rent, etc.
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