"...And The Dead Shall Rise" is one of my favourite underground metal albums.
Really amazing stuff and maybe the best in the "horror metal" kind...
I never thought that one day I would have the possibility to make an interview
with one of the bandmembers, and I still have some difficulties to see it's
the reality... But now it's time to go in the RIPPER story with guitarist
and vocalist Rob Graves. Thank you very much Rob for the answers !.
Hail Rob ! How did you get into Metal originally ? Which were your fave
bands ?
Around 1969/1970, the 1st Black Sabbath album hit
the streets and it was that album that changed my life forever...As far as
I am concerned, that album was the very 1st heavy metal release...I was already
extremely into Hendrix, that starting in 1967, and then when Sabbath came
on the scene, that was it...From there, I began listening to Purple, Montrose,
Kiss and shortly thereafter came Priest...It was Priest that took me to a
completely new level in my writing and guitar playing...This was 1975/1976...From
there on it was mainly Priest and Sabbath up until 1980...By that time I
was heavily involved in the Ripper project and it would be 3 or 4 years before
anything else caught my ear...Then came Accept, Gravedigger, Metallica, Anthrax,
Savatage and Overkill...It was these bands that helped shape everything I've
done since then...
When and how did you start playing guitar ? Are you self taught or did
you take lessons ?
I became aware of Hendrix in 1967 and immediatly
began hammering my parents for a guitar...On Christmas day that year, I received
an acoustic...I was a little disappointed that it wasnt an electric, but
I made good use of it anyway...My parents told me that if I showed promise,
I would receive an electric and an amp for my birthday in 1968...When that
day came, it was the happiest day of my life up to that point...It was then
that I disappeared to my room and created my own little world with my guitar
and my records...I learned everything that I could, I even learned all of
the bass lines...I never took any lessons...My records were my teachers...It
just seemed natural...Thats when I knew what I was put on this earth for...I
couldn't tell you what I was playing, but I could play it...To me, lessons
seemed like cheating, so I never bothered...Looking back, I'm glad I didnt...
Did you play in other bands before RIPPER ?
Oh yes, I was in tons of bands...The problem was,
everyone was a guitarist or a drummer...So I bought a bass and a bass amp
and became very involved in the local scene...I played every kind of music
you can think of...I soon realized, that the more I knew, the more oppertunities
would be open to me...All the while, I stayed dedicated to my guitar playing
with my stereo and my records...I was playing bass in bars before I was legally
old enough to...I didn't care what type of music it was, as long as I didn't
have to get a "real" job...
For which reason did you form or contribute to RIPPER ?
The good thing about playing in bars, was that it
was night work, which kept my days open...By the time 1980 rolled around,
I could no longer ignore the metal pumping through my veins...I began searching
for a metal band that needed a guitarist...Ripper was the 1st band that I
was ever in where I wasnt the bassist...I was ready...I was sharpened to
a fine edge...I answered the ad that they had placed and the rest is history...Ripper
had been formed in the mid 70's and by the time I answered their ad, they
had been through several guitarists...Ripper had very high expectations and
none of the previous guitarists seemed to measure up, for one reason or another...The
band and the image were already well established when I joined in 1980...My
contribution was my metal attitude, my ability and my vast archive of original
metal songs, written over the years, locked away in my room...The songs they
had were too rock-n-rolly...I told them it would be metal or nothing...They
agreed...
Was the name of the band inspired by the JUDAS PRIEST song on the “Sad
Wings Of Destiny” album ?
Thats a good question Patrick...They came up with
the name long before I arrived and I never asked them just how they did...I
remember Gene Simmons of Kiss telling Sadie Paine(Ripper bassist) that he
was sure that she chose the name Ripper because "he" played a Gibson, Ripper
bass...She just laughed and told him to get over his self(laughs)...Sadie
could play hard-ball as well as anyone...I was very into Priest, but I didnt
name the band...Great song though, I learned it note for note when it came
out in 1976...
The look of the RIPPER’s members made think to some horror movies from
the golden years of the american Universal and the british Hammer companies.
Did you already choose that look in the very first days of RIPPER ?
Absolutely...That was the very source for the visual
part of Ripper...We were all big "horror movie" fans, "London After Midnight",
"Dracula", "Frankenstein", etc...I was big time into Chaney, Lugosi and Karloff...Ripper
had already chosen that image and when I came along, I just happened to agree
100%...The look was crude at first, but it got better and better as it went
along...
Do you think “horror metal” are the right words to describe RIPPER’s music
?
Yes I do...Actually it should have been described
as "gothic-horror-power-metal"...To me, thats what it was...We did the best
that we could at the time to sound as scary as we looked...
I understood that you recorded one demo, but I never got the chance to
hear it. Which songs were on this tape ? Did you send a lot of demos to fanzines
and labels ?
Yes...We did release a 4-song demo/EP cassette in
1985...That EP ended up being Side One of the album, you know, the 4 character
songs...We each sang our own character song, sort of like an introduction
of things to come...That EP was entitled "Ripper"...It included pictures,
credits and lyrics...I still have a virgin copy, still wrapped...
How did you get in touch with Iron Works ? Was it only for a one album
deal ?
We had a friend who wrote for a local entertainment
newspaper and he got the correspondence between Ripper and Iron Works Records
going...Until then, I had never heard of them...We signed for a 1 album deal
to see how things went...In retrospect, I'm glad it was just for "1" album...
Originally you recorded four songs for an ep. Was it scheduled to be a
self-financed ep, but then you got a deal and recorded four other songs for
a full lp ?
Right...At that point, we had only recorded the
1st EP...It was band financed and released...We sold them in stores and at
our concerts...We couldn't keep enough of them on hand...Everytime we got
a new shipment, they were gone...
Just before we got involved with Iron Works, we went into the studio and
recorded our 2nd EP...Iron Works Records was not willing at that time to
pay for the recording of a brand new album, so we just put the 2 EP's together
and that was the album...Iron Works Records only paid for the pressing and
releasing...The sessions were financed by Ripper...That album is actually
2 demo's put together...
“And The Dead Shall rise” was released in 1986. How was the response ?
How many albums were sold by the label ? Do you know the album was not easy
to find in Europe as it was in the import section of some record stores ?
Believe it or not Patrick, we were never informed
by Iron Works Records as to how many units were ever sold...We also never
received a penny in royalties...It was as though we had no record label....The
local response was very good, but as far as I know, it never showed up an
any U.S. stores...It seems as though all of them were distributed in Europe...The
only thing I saw in America was in Billboard Magazine...There were also picture
discs and colored vinyl pressings...I didn't find out about those until last
year...All magazine articles and interviews were from Europe...We were virtually
ignored in the States...Those versions fetch quite a price on Ebay I'm told...
As far as I’m concerned, “And The Dead Shall Rise” has always remained
for me one masterpiece of the eighties real metal. “Death Awaits You” is
powerful with a chorus haunting the mind. “Sinister Minister” is a memorable
anthem with a morbid feeling. “The Executioner” is heavy as hell. “Night
Cruiser” is threatening and devastating. “Don’t Tie Me Down” is raging power
metal. “Halloween” could be the right definition for what is horror metal.
“Wake The Dead” is a great tune close to doom metal. “Metal Mission” is fast
and stormy. I just think this album is essential in a records collection
of a metal maniac. What are your thoughts about the songs of this album ?
Thank you very much Patrick...I am very proud of
that album...We poured everything we had into it...We wanted it to sound
creepy, but we made sure there was no doubt that we were metal...We may have
been slightly ahead of our time because we never really caught on or had
much success...We ended up being mostly a collectable curiousity...I love
those songs, with perhaps "Sinister Minister" being my favorite...In my opinion,
it contains my best singing, screaming and guitar playing...At the time,
I had a decent 3 octave vocal range...Side 1 is intense with all of the weird
sound effects mixed with metal..."Death Awaits You" is very dark..."The Executioner"
is just good punchy power metal..."Night Cruizer"...Now thats a piece of
work...Sadie's vocal on that album still freaks me out...You should have
heard us live...We were thunderous..."Dont Tie Me Down" is powerful and catchy...We
used to open alot with "Halloween", another one of my favorites..."Wake The
Dead" is sort of "doomy" and "anthemy" and it was crowd favorite..."Metal
Mission" was usually the last encore with the whole crowd screaming "crack
your skulls"...Those were the days...We just took over...
There are a lot of sound effects / keyboards intros on the album. And
it really works before the song starts. How did it happen that you choose
that way of writing / playing a song ?
We wanted the 4 character songs to be special...Steve
Bogle(Hunger) did the keyboards and weird sound effects for us...We were
not really sure at the time of how to sound scary without the use of keyboards
and effects...All of that was done after the songs were already recorded...Just
icing on the cake...I think it worked out pretty well...Live, we used pre-recorded
tape loops for the keyboards...
Every RIPPER member is singing on the album. It is surprising for people
who listen to the album for the first time. Why did you decide to go for
four vocalists in the band ?
Ripper was designed for the long-haul...There was
no way to know back then that intense internal strife within the band, as
a result of getting screwed left and right would bring Ripper to a quick
end...Well I say quick...My tenure with the band was 10 years...We wanted
to be four recognizable characters as the years went on, each one being an
important and vital part of Ripper...We all had pretty strange sounding voices
and we just thought it would work...As far as I'm concerned, it did work...
Did you play live a lot to promote the album ? How was a RIPPER show ?
What about releasing one RIPPER show on video tape one day ?
We played all the time...We did have a special "album
release" concert to mark the occasion, but other than that, it was business
as usual...Our live shows were a full 2-hour concert event, with bombs, smoke,
fog, blood and every other horror cliche you could think of...We had an enormous
airbrushed back-drop and a stage full of equipment...Skeletons and smoking
cauldrons with spider webs and tomb-stones...We had 2 licenced pyro-technicians
who loved their jobs...All of the other bands hated our guts...But above
all, we were very polished and professional musicians...We enjoyed our shows
as much as the fans...We had a blast...We could have played in jeans and
t-shirts and still blown people away...We were about the music...We created
our image because its what we liked...We never really considered it being
a gimmick...That was who we really were...We were like Conan, "crush the
enemy, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of the women"...
“And The Dead Shall Rise” was released on lp and picture disc but also
on a limited golden vinyl. Did you agree with the label for these three formats
?
Iron Works Records released all of those without
ever telling us a thing...I didn't find out about them until 2002...They
took the money and ran so to speak...But it ain't over till it's over, right...What
goes around comes around...
Now, the lp and picture lp are very rare and cost a lot of money when
they appear in a rarities vinyl list. Don’t you think the time has come for
an official re-release on cd ?
Yes..."And The Dead Shall Rise" will be re-released
this year on Italy's Black Widow Records, in both CD and LP formats...But
you are right Patrick, it is time...The folks at Black Widow Records have
been fantastic and are promising a very special, quality product...I can't
wait...
In 1987 “Death Awaits You” appeared on “Metal Massacre 8” compilation
lp. Has Metal Blade offered you a deal or they just wanted one of your songs
for their compilation ?
We were working very closely with Metal Blade Records
at the time and we were negociating with them for a record deal...We were
living in L.A. at the time, rehearsing and recording and they really liked
what we were doing...But before we could secure the deal, all hell broke
loose...
When did RIPPER break up ? Why did you decide to stop the band ?
One of the band members had become a junkie, another
one had gone off the deep-end with witchcraft and the other one decided to
become a full-time student...I stood there and watched the whole thing go
down the drain, and there wasnt a damn thing I could do about it...I had
carried it on my back for 10 years and now it was over...I tried replacing
the members, but to no avail...Ripper was a joint creation and there wasnt
another person in the world that could take any of our places...I tried and
tried, but it just wouldnt work...It was over...This was 1990...
What are your best and worst memories with RIPPER ?
My best memories are the ones when we were beginning,
all of the fun we had, like mad scientists creating a monster that would
live and breath, and eventually take over America's 4th largest city...We
owned Houston...My worst memories were when it all fell apart, right in front
of my eyes...It was devastating and horrible...This was 1988...
Are you still in touch with Sadie, J.D. and Death ? Do you still see them
regularly ?
After I left California, I never saw Johnny(Death)Crystal
again...J.D.Shadowz rejoined briefly, but soon disappeared again...Sadie
Paine just kind of drifted away with her performing arts and movie make-up
schools and that was it...I haven't seen any of them in over 10 years...I
wish them well, and I do miss them very much...We had something special...
Rob, what have you done between the RIPPER split and your comeback ?
In 1991, I hung it up...I sold all of my equipment
and got completely out of music...I had been going non-stop since 1967...I
was crushed and very dis-illusioned...In 1998, a good friend of mine came
over and said, "thats it, this is too much"...He drug me to a music store
and bought me a Marshall and a Strat, brand new...I quickly started working
on the music I had written for Ripper's 2nd, 3rd and 4th albums, all of which
is much, much heavier that the 1st album...In 2002, I started receiving E-mail
from all over Europe asking when I was going to release some new material...Then
the offers started pouring in from record companies who wanted to re-release
"And The Dead Shall Rise"...Those 7 years off were very theraputic for me...I'm
better than I ever was, at writing and playing...I am very, very excited
about the future...
You are not too hot for a RIPPER comeback ? Can you explain why ?
Well my friend, as you know, the re-tread is never
as good as the original...I would never dream of doing it without all of
the original members...Ripper belonged to all 4 of us...It was co-created...There
has been too much water under the bridge, not to mention that I've lost all
contact with them...
Is your current band called ROB GRAVES or has it a name ? Which is the
line-up ?
My new project has no name as of yet, but I do have
a name or 2 in mind...I am auditioning members for this band as we speak...It
will be incredible when it all comes together...The music is the heaviest
metal I've ever heard...
You said you have songs which would have gone on RIPPER’s second, third
and fourth albums. Can you speak of these songs ? Will they be released soon
? Have you find a deal ?
The new music would have been Ripper's future...I
never even had a chance to present them before it all fell apart...I have
received alot of correspondence concerning the new music...As of yet, I do
not have a recording contract, but it wont be long...The time is right...The
new stuff is amazing...
Before the end, can you say which are your ten favourite albums of all
times ?
Bridge Of Sighs(Robin Trower)-Balls To The Wall(Accept)-British
Steel(Judas Priest)-Among The Living(Anthrax)-Taking Over(Overkill)-The Dungeons
Are Calling(Savatage)-Peace Sells But Who's Buying(Megadeth)-Master Of Puppets(Metallica)-Hotter
Than Hell(Kiss)-Montrose(Ronnie Montrose)...
Thank you very much Rob for taking the time to answer my questions. I
wish you all the best for the future ! Close this interview as you want…
Thank you Patrick for remembering and appreciating
Ripper...Its nice to know that all of that blood and sweat was not in vain...But
I promise, the new stuff will not disappoint...It will be done in the spirit
of the majestic-power-metal from times past, full of fury and precision,
a double edged sword, Rob Graves style...Ciao.
interview by Patrick Lefevre
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