Albums of Purgatory Interview december Wolves' Smails

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

Smails: Well, I guess you could say that we've been taking a bit of a break for a while. We took a long break before began really working on getting the album done. The album took a good six months or so. Now we're kind of taking another break. We've always been a very active band...playing shows, rehearsing several times a week, recording, etc...But we lead very busy lives as well. But our guitar player and main song writer, Brian, and I are in the process of writing and we're making plans to put material together for a new album. We don't really rehearse like we used to. We devise a strategy, brainstorm, and put together the results...That's what we did with Blasterpiece Theatre and I think that it worked out pretty well.

AoP: How would you describe the December Wolves sound?

Smails: I don't know if I can describe the "December Wolves" sound...It's psychotic, bizarre, brutal, violent, bloody, disgusting, perverted, horrifying, sarcastic, filthy...That's what I think it sounds like.

AoP: how did the band start back in the early '90s?

Smails: There were five of us in the beginning...We met, started rehearsing and writing music. This lead to our demo "Wolftread". A valiant attempt to break the mold of stupid American black metal, our demo actually got us a lot of international response and support. This was followed up by our disappointing first album "'Til Ten Years"...Disappointing because the majority of the music was written by our old drummer who had a funny fascination with folk music. This separated us from the sound that people knew of us...People started think of us as a "folk black metal" band. I can't tell you much that pissed me off...Brian wasn't exactly happy about it either and so the two of us made a conscious effort to make the band more sinister. I remember he and I were talking in the lounge at the studio when we were recording TTY. We said, "Hey, what if we used samples and made the music really sick instead of happy sounding?" It made sense...But some of our other band members were happy with the direction of December Wolves at the time. When we tried to speed things up a bit(or a lot for that matter...) and become a band that would be known for sickness, the other guys decided to bail. Their exit from the band was a direct result of the brutality in our music. They just couldn't handle it. By this time, "Completely Dehumanized" was finished and waiting for release. "...Dehumanized" allowed us to impliment the songwriting and production techniques that we always wanted to utilize...It was the first time that we were actually able to make a brutal record. That leads us to the present day...

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

Smails: Our first gig was good...We played with (Yeah, get this...) Enslaved and Absu at a club(I don't remember the name) in Newport, RI. We had a lot of fun. We hung out, drinking, with the guys in both Enslaved and Absu before and after the show and they were all a lot of fun. We weren't very developed as a band at that point but it certainly was a good time.

AoP: Do you have any touring planned at the moment?

Smails: No touring...It's possible that, at some point, we might think that it neccessary but I honestly don't want to do it any time soon.

AoP: Who has been your favourite bands to gig with?

Smails: Well, like I said, Enslaved and Absu were great guys. Also, My Dying Bride were very cool  when we played with them. They made a point to introduce themselves to us and they were just altogether very personable...Not egotistical like a lot of other bands of their kind of status...Just flat out cool.

AoP: Have you had much response for the new 'Porn again Christian' video?

Smails: Well not much yet because it was only up for 24 hours. Apparently, there would've been some legal trouble because of the EXPLICIT CONTENT of the video. But it will be going around shortly. I've got friends who are gonna spread the fuckin' thing like wildfire...hehehehehe

AoP: What are your favourite December Wolves tracks?

Smails: I try not to have favourites when it comes to our own music but, for the sake of conversation, I'd have to say that my favourites are Time Flies When You Wish You Were Dead, 'Neath Our Warhammer, Solid Gold Beating, Completely Dehumanized, Porn Again Christian, and My Bible

AoP: What are your favourite all time songs?

Smails: Twisted Sister: Horror-Teria, The Smiths: Bigmouth Strikes Again, Dark Angel: No One Answers, MOD: Aren't You Hungry(original), Blondie: Rapture, The Clash: Know Your Rights, Bolt Thrower: World Eater, Dead Can Dance: Xavier, Pestilence: Deify Thy Master, Order From Chaos: Quietus, Strawberry Switchblade: Let Her Go

AoP: What was the first record you bought?

Smails: Huey Lewis and the News: Sports

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

Smails: Honestly, the music is not what it used to be and I don't think that anyone can tell me that it is. There are certain things that I like about the current metal scene but many more things that I don't like about it. Most bands suck these days....What can I say?

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

Smails: hehehehe...Oh yeah! One of our old members (and I re-emphasize the fact that he is no longer in the band)shit his pants when he was a kid and hid his stinking drawers in the ceiling so that his mum and dad wouldn't find them. One day, we were cleaning out the practice room and they fell from ceiling onto the floor. Brian and I couldn't stop laughing for at least a week. Also, Brian knew a kid in high school who fucked a sheep...But everyone knows that one. hehehehe...that's some funny shit though, ey? hehehehehe

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