Albums of Purgatory interview Derision's Josh Payne

 

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

Josh Payne: We just played our last show with the original lineup on August 31st.  Scott (Drums) and Jeff (Guitar) decided to call it quits.  I think the commitment required to be in an active band got to be too much.  Paul (vocals), David (guitar), and I are going to keep going as a four piece when we find a new drummer.

AoP: Have you had any luck in finding a new drummer?

JP: We have been talking to a few but haven't jammed out with any yet.  The position has only been open for about a week so it's still early.

AoP: How would you describe the Derision sound?

JP: Metal with hardcore elements.  We go for a heavy groove but try to keep the vocals understandable.

AoP: How did you get involved with the band?

JP: After Chainlink broke up, Jeff and I got with Scott to start up something new.  I guess my involvement came from my previous involvement.

AoP: You were previously in Chainlink, how did they differ to Derision?

JP: A lot of it was very similar at first.  We were trying to keep away from the same sound but most people we tried out for the band came out and played or sang Chainlink songs when we jammed.  Mainly we were looking for slightly more technical rhythm, and we wanted more melody.  In Chainlink, it was all scream, all the time...so this time we wanted more variety.

AoP: Can you remember your first gig (how did it go)?

JP: My first gig was in Chainlink.  We threw a show and had Choke from Louisianna come down.  We were all nervous and just worried about playing our parts, so there wasn't much energy on our part.  I remember Scott having a hell of a time with his drums.  He broke a snare, and his drum pedal kept falling apart...but we kept going and he made due with what was playable.  We fixed the problems between songs, I always hate when a band stops mid song and goes, "Aww, lets try that again."  It just kills the show.

AoP: What are your favourite Derision tracks?

JP: The Silence of Us All - this one isn't recorded yet, but its fun as hell to play.

      Remember Me - its on the demo, just fun to play and I can go nuts to it.

AoP: What are your favourite Chainlink tracks?

JP: Fake -  it was the crowd pleaser I guess.  Looking back I see many things I would change, but it worked for the time.

AoP: What are your favourite all time songs or albums?

JP: Vision of Disorder (self titled)

     Nine Inch Nails - Downward Spiral

     Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works Vol. 1

     Hum - You'd Prefer an Astronaut

     Marilyn Manson - Antichrist Superstar

AoP: What was the first record you bought?

JP: Beastie Boys - License to Ill

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

JP: I don't think I can really answer that, because the people I would put on each instrument have way too different musical outlooks.

AoP: What do you think of the position of metal and music in general today?

JP: I don't like what a lot of people are considering metal these days.  I look at the Ozzfest lineup this year and want to shoot people for calling it a metal show. 

AoP: Which other bands in the scene really stand out for you at the moment?

JP: I like Killswitch Engage.  I think they have a lot of older metal influences that are being worked nicely into the modern sound.  The frequent change in vocal style works really well to keep things interesting. 

AoP: Do you have any funny stories about the band you can share with us?

JP: Last new years, we were all drunk setting off fireworks.  For some reason Paul felt it was a good idea to shoot them from the roof of his car.  The fireworks burned most of the paint off his car that night.  The same night, we thought Paul died, but it was just passing out that caused him to fall out of a chair and roll off a porch.  We tried to wake him up by slapping him and throwing things, but nothing was working until all of a sudden he wakes up laughing hysterically before he passed out again for the remainder of the night.

AoP: Finally, what do you see in the future for Derision?

JP: Changes in flexibility mainly.  I think the change in lineup will give us more freedom to experiment.  Once we have a permanent drummer, a full length will follow very soon.