Albums of Purgatory interview Hades' Alan Tecchio

Albums of Purgatory: Firstly, what's Hades up to right now?

Alan Tecchio: Not much. We are on a bit of a hiatus. We played a number of out of town gigs this past year and they were pretty lackluster attendance wise. It got a little depressing to be honest. The German office of
Metal Blade said the would like a new cd. We are not sure about the US office... Ed has a side band now and
is devoting most of his time there. Dan and I are still busy at Steppin' Out Magazine and we are both new homeowners so you can imagine the bill stress there.  Finding time to play is increasingly difficult. Anyway, I'd like to write some new stuff this coming Fall maybe and see what happens...

AoP: How did you become involved in the band back in '85?

AT: I was recruited by Scott Lepage who I had previously played with in a band called Prophecy. He was the new Hades guitarist at that point.

AoP: What caused the band to split in '89?

AT: We had mad bad vibes on tour in Europe. Basically Dan and I were at odds and some other dudes in the
band helped escalate that. I had the 'Tower deal on the table and decided in Holland that I would take it
if it was still open, when I got back to the States. 

AoP: You joined Watchtower following the break-up.  What was it like trying to adapt and what were the differences compared to Hades?

AT: Well, with Hades I was writing too and the Tower stuff was all done when I joined except for some
melody tweaking. So some harmonies and melodies were what I brought to that band. The Tower stuff was way
more intricate than the Hades stuff. It's way more intricate than just about anything actually. Singing
that high stuff was very challenging too. There was a lot more tongue in cheek with Tower as well. We
covered stuff like Like a Virgin and Billy Jean. It was night and day between the two bands.

AoP: You then formed Non-fiction with Dan Lorenzo.  How would you describe the Non-Fiction sound?

AT: Heavy, slow, melodic. Powerful shit. At the time I thought we were kind of like the East Coast's answer
to Soundgarden with a more definite metal edge.

AoP: What are your favourite Non-Fiction tracks?

AT: Probably Sad And Done from the third cd, Mortify Me from the first one and maybe Reason to Die or the
title track from In The Know

AoP: How did the 'Exist to Resist' Hades reunion CD come about in '94?

AT: Dan as always, got us to put the remaining tracks (that we never recorded before we split up) on tape
and secured two small deals to release it here and overseas. Tim at Big Blue Meenie Studios hooked us up
with time at a bargain rate and the cd was born.

AoP: What made you decide to finally reform Hades in '99?

AT: Dan and I really just wanted to see if we could still write songs together. We planned to put out the
Saviorself cd ourselves real small time. Just for hardcore fans and the morbidly curious.

AoP: What are your favourite Hades tracks?

AT: Wow... Bloast, The Cross, I Too Eye, Doubt, Legal Tender. The list goes on...

AoP: What are your favourite all time songs?

AT: Invisible-Dio
      Bloodsucker-Deep Purple

AoP: What was the first record you bought?

AT: Lynyrd Skynyrd-Pronounced

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

AT: Geoff Tate and Bruce Dickinson on vocals
       Tony Iommi and Michael Schenker on guitar
       Pete Steele on bass
      Dave Lombardo on drums

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

AT: Well, metal is certainly underground. In that sense it's cool like in the old days, but it is also pretty
unpopular. We'll have to see when the revival happens, if it does. Today there are some cool bands out there.
I like that crazy Hoobastank song and the whole Linkin Park cd is like an unfolding story of my last relationship (very, very weird) even though those guys get a bad rap. I don't know... I listen to all kinds of stuff really. It depends on my mood. There is good and bad in all the genres and then there is the argument that good and bad is subjective, so who really knows? I don't really dig the mainstream Britney Spears type stuff, but I never dug the mainstream stuff, for the most part. So it's always remained one thing for me...bad.

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

AT: One time I was locked out of the bus in Boston and had to enter through the back door. (It was a
converted school bus) Anyway, as I am climbing over the gear I hear noises coming from the front of the
bus. As I get to the front a voice blurts out, "Don't put on the lights!!". I'm so pissed that I had to
climb in that the lights went right on. There stood this naked girl, well actually she was on her knees
and the band and crew were all in line to get serviced by her. It kind of broke the mood by I thought it was
hilarious.

AoP: and finally, what do you see in the future for Hades?

AT: Some more music and much uncertainty!!!!