The “Screams Of The Innocent” cd re-release by Hellion is a real killer
with amazing songs. And the proof that some jewels are sleeping in the underground
crypt and must be find... I got in touch with guitarist Rick Van Zandt to
know more about ROTTWEILLER...
Can you tell how you got introduced to heavy metal ? Which were the first
bands you have heard ?
Of course we just called it hard rock back then.
I don’t think the term heavy metal came out until the early 1980’s. As a
kid I never liked any of the popular bands, I listened to the underground
bands like Armageddon, Three Man Army, Mahogany Rush, and Lucifer’s Friend.
My guitar heroes were Hendrix, Zappa, and Frank Marino. I know Izzy liked
Grand Funk, Led Zepplin, and Black Sabbath, Doug liked Rush, Iron Maiden,
and Ozzy. Ronny listened to everything.
When was formed ROTTWEILLER? Which goals did you have in mind at this
time ?
The first version of ROTTWEILLER was formed in 1983,
to record the song “Intense as Hell” for the Northwest Metalfest sampler.
The line up for “Screams of the Innocent” was put together in 1985. Of course
we wanted to get a big record deal, and play our asses off. But the only
deals that came our way, seemed to lean more toward getting our asses ripped
off!
Did the line-up stay the same from the beginning to the end ?
After ROTTWEILLER recorded “Intense As Hell” for
the Northwest Metalfest album, problems between Paul and the bassist Tim
Wolfe started right away, and Izzy took over on bass by the time the album
was released in 1984. Soon after, with the other groups on the Metalfest
album, ROTTWEILLER performed with in a sold out concert at Seattle’s Moore
Theater, in support of the albums release. The crowd got to see future members
of Alice in Chains, Faster Pussycat, and one band who’s career was launched
by the Northwest Metalfest album, Metal Church. In late 1984, ROTTWEILLER
opened up for SLAYER, and shortly thereafter brought in Rick Van Zandt on
guitar, completing the original front line up on Screams of the Innocent.
The current line up is the same, except for Ronny Munroe, who we brought
on board as vocalist in 2002.
Did you record some demo tapes before the album?
Yes and no… In mid 1985, We booked a studio
to record a demo. We recorded and mixed it in only a week, at a cost
of about $900. As with many bands of the period, that demo was released
as our debut CD.
Was "Screams Of The Innocent" a lp released on a small label or a self-financed
vinyl ?
It was never on vinyl. We couldn’t afford to finance
it ourselves, so we just sold home made cassette tapes at shows. There
was never much interest from any record labels at the time either. We struggled
for about 4 years, and after the Grunge scene past us by, we went our separate
ways. We were in shock when Jurgen at Hellion Records said he wanted to release
it.
How did you get in touch with Hellion ?
Terry Gorle of HEIR APPARENT was signed to Hellion
in 2000, and played Wacken that year. He talked to Jurgen about releasing
CULPRIT’s Guilty as Charged CD, and when CULPRIT got their deal and played
Wacken 2001, Terry went with them, and brought our CD along with him to see
if Jurgen would be interested in ROTTWEILLER. We felt pretty confident
that we would be next, so we started putting the band back together right
away.
Are you satisfied with the cd re-release of "Screams Of The Innocent"
?
We’re absolutely amazed! I mean, we thought it was
15 years dead and forgotten, but now we’ve picked it up right where we left
off, and we’re having a blast! They gave the production of the CD artwork
a cult collectors item treatment. We love it! We feel very privileged to
be able to play the way we do, and get it out there for people to hear. I
think we are one of the only bands in this particular niche – Playing a style
that is straight to the point -loud, hard, fast, with kick ass performance
highlights, and just a touch of musical depth. Nothing we play gets too silly,
moody, monotonous, or so musically complicated that you lose interest. “Screams
of the Innocent” just keeps kicking your ass, song after song.
Did you play alot in the clubs of your State (or other States) during
the eighties ?
We played in and around Seattle mostly. We played
with bands like CULPRIT, UPPER ECHELON, RANDY HANSEN, PAUL DIONO, MYTH, METAL
CHURCH and SLAYER. We played a 2 day Open Air Festival in Spokane, and played
with HEIR APPARENT at the Paramount in Seattle.
Did you like to play in Germany last August ? How was the crowd ?
Traveling to Germany was the first time the band
had ever stepped outside the Pacific Northwest area.
To our good fortune, we were very well received. We showed up at the Head
Bangers Ballroom in Hamburg where WARLORD was playing, and met them. We ended
up opening for WARLORD at the Club Hollywood in Itzehoe, where the owner,
Marco, treated us like family. He was awesome and the crowd was fantastic!
We met a lot of very friendly people through Jurgen, and every one at Hellion
Records. Although there are always problems with a festival the size of the
Wacken Open Air, we didn’t experience any negative energy or stress. Everyone
in the crew and staff were very helpful and professional. We would liked
to have played to a larger crowd later in the day, but the fans that saw
us at 10:00 in the morning were kick ass! Thanks to each and every one of
them for getting up early to see us!
Which are the future plans for ROTTWEILLER? Have you thought about a new
album ?
We’re getting into the studio to record our next
CD in February 2003. We’ve also been playing a few gigs, we played with Quiet
Riot in October, and we’ll be opening for RATT for 3 dates in January. We
are trying to find a way to support another trip to Germany this summer,
to play the HEADBANGERS OPEN AIR, and the KEEP IT TRUE festivals. We spoke
with Rick Pierce of NIGHTSHADE at Wacken 2002, and they’re going to play
at H:O:A. I hope we can make it also.
Which are your ten favorite heavy metal albums ?
1. Heaven and Hell - Black Sabbath
2. Number Of The Beast - Iron Maiden
3. Hall Of The Mountain King - Savatage
4. Holy Diver - Dio
5. Screaming For Vengeance - Judas Priest
6. Spectre Within - Fates Warning
7. Transcendence - Crimson Glory
8. Soldier Of Fortune - Loudness
9. Diary Of A Madman - Ozzy
10. Resurrection - Rob Halford
What is your definition of heavy metal ?
Geez… we got to come up with a new term. You know
that in a few years, TIME/LIFE is going to come up with a collection of
“Greatest Heavy Metal hits of the 80’s”… and it’s going to suck something
awful. The underground is where it’s happening, always has. If loud, hard,
fast, kick ass music ever makes it to the main stream, it gets corporate
real quick. It’s just the nature of the business. But TRUE Heavy Metal fans
are a die-hard breed. They know what they like, and no matter how MTV dresses
it up, they don’t buy it. And why would you? If you really want to listen
to it, just turn on the radio, or borrow the CD from any one of the 10 million
suckers that bought it!
Final thoughts…
Please visit our web site at
Rottweiller.org
for news updates, bios, and photos from Wacken, and other performances.
Hope to see you all in 2003!!
interview by Patrick Lefevre
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