Albums of Purgatory interview Dead Jesus

 

 

 

Albums of Purgatory: Firstly, whats the band up to?

Dead Jesus: Currently we are working on new songs for our next album which we will hopefully be recording in late fall of 2002. We are also planning our Canadian tours for the summer. Other than that, the usual drinking and trying to keep out of trouble with our local law enforcement.

AoP: How would you describe the Dead Jesus sound?

DJ: Many people have tried to pinpoint us as one type of music or another. I've heard everything from "surf metal" to "black metal" but for us, Dead Jesus is our expression of everything around us. It is our art. But, if I had to describe our sound I would have to say that we are "All Canadian Death Metal."

AoP: How did Dead Jesus start in 97?

DJ: The band really started around 95 by Andy and myself. We were tired of playing stuff that had already been written so we just started playing our own riffs and melodies. We actually had no idea where it was going until we found Calvin sleeping in a nearby graveyard. He told us the Devil had said that he was to cut himself and "let the blood over-take the masses" but, he needed some musicians to set the stage. This was intriguing so we invited him over to my place and Dead Jesus as born. We had so many drummer problems (or maybe it was problem drummers), that we didn't really start playing until 97-98.

AoP: In 98 you were opening for bands like Cannibal Corpse and Napalm Death. What was that like and how did it go?

DJ: Cannibal was a disaster. I ended up embarrassing the fuck out of us when I broke a string at the beginning of the set and my back-up guitar was half a step out of tune. Of course we didn't realize this until the end of our set when Andy and I were doing some clean melodies and it sounded like crap so ya, we looked pretty foolish. On the other hand, the Napalm show show went very smooth even though Calvin dislocated his shoulder and stepped on his ritual knife which went right through his left foot. Most of the screams that night were for real.

AoP: Have you got any touring planned for the near future?

DJ: Yes, we have lots of shows lined up and we'll be bleeding all across Canada this summer. Sorry to all you U.S. citizens, a couple Dead Jesus members have to many prison points to be allowed across the border.

AoP: Whats your favourite Dead Jesus tracks?

Evilglen: Carnival of fetuses
Orgasamatron: A.F.
Ryan the Viking: Dichotomy
Travis: Dichotomy

AoP: What are your favourite all time songs?

Evilglen: Britney Spears
Orgasamatron: Cradle of Filths' "The forest whispers my name"
Ryan the Viking: Metallicas' "Blacken"
Travis: Deaths' "Trapped in a corner"

AoP: What was the first record you bought?

Evilglen: "Night Songs" by Cinderella (I know, I know, but, I was a child of the 80's)
Orgasamatron: "Strange Animal" by Gowan (there's no excuse for Calvin)
Ryan the Viking: "Kill 'em all" by Metallica
Travis: "Dr. Feelgood" by Motley Crue

AoP: What would be your dream band line-up?

DJ: Personally I would put the talents of Mozart and Beethoven into the band, Nick Barker on drums, Steve Harris on bass, Dani Filth and Lee Aaron doing vocals, Peter Lindgren and Kerry King on guitars with a whole host of classical orchestrators. And of course they would all be Britney Spears clones.

AoP: What do you think of the position of metal and music in general today?
 
DJ: Well I have to tell you, I hate bands like Korn. Jummping up and down while occasionally hitting open chords in drop-d that the record company wrote for you because "it's what everybody wants to hear", isn't very appealing to me. If you look further into metal you start to unearth real art like Dimmu Borgir and Naglfar that are truly expressing themselves. To me that is what music is really about.

AoP: Do you have any funny stories about the band you're willing to share with us?

DJ: So much shit happens to this band we cuoldn't even begin to describe. Lately: Ryan fell off stage at a show, Travis got attacked by a naked fat girl, Calvin set himself on fire, and I broke my hand punching a mannequin. The list goes on.

AoP: And finally, what do you see in the future for Dead Jesus?
 
DJ: We'll just keep playing to the best of our ability. No compromise. And if people come to the show to get covered in blood and feel the energy that we pour into every second, then we'll keep playing. Anything further into the future, we will have to consult our magic 8-ball.