If a band was to win the award of the best metal act formed in the nineties,
it would definitely be SKULLVIEW. They released three albums and the three
are masterpieces of devastating power metal! Here is an interview with guitarist
Dean Tavernier.
In 1996 you released your first and only selftitled demo. What reaction
did you get in the underground with this tape?
The original demo received mixed reactions, mainly
due to the production quality and the vocals. We released this demo with
three songs. It was poorly produced... It was really nothing more than a
rehearsal tape which was recorded on a four track machine, and we just called
it our demo. The demo definitely got our name out there, but I don't think
it really kicked anyone's ass. We had a lot of criticism about the vocals,
which may have steered some "would be" traditional metal fans away from us
initially, but the vocals also attracted some fans who were more into the
genres of thrash metal and black metal, because the raspy vocals appealed
to them. At the time of the demo, people really didn't know how to classify
the band. The music has traditional heavy metal elements to it, but the vocals
fit more in line with black/thrash metal. Essentially, we had a broader fan
base in our demo days, as compared to today. Prior to releasing "Legends
Of Valor", we re-released our demo with an unmixed version of "Blood On The
Blade" as a bonus track, which featured our new singer, and gave people an
idea of where SKULLVIEW was heading in the future.
Was the demo responsible for the deal with R.I.P. ? How many albums is
the deal ?
Actually, when we signed our deal with R.I.P., we
had not released the demo. We didn't even have a demo recorded when we talked
to R.I.P.. We were offered a deal by R.I.P. after they saw us play a live
gig. They had never heard our music before this. It was at this time that
R.I.P. requested we put together a demo and start getting the SKULLVIEW name
out around the underground before they released our first album. We never
intended on doing a demo tape until it was suggested by R.I.P.. We signed
to R.I.P. for three records.
You did the vocals for this demo. What do you think of your performance
? Honestly I think it was not bad, but I prefer Quimby's vocals.
Well, I'm with you, I prefer Quimby's vocals over
my own also. That is one of the reasons why we found Quimby and got him into
the band. We hadn't been together for a very long time when we released the
demo. We had only played two or three shows up to that point, and we didn't
have a singer... so I was the lucky guy who was thrown in front of the microphone
so we could play the live gigs. It wasn't natural for me. I have a hard enough
time playing the guitar riffs, so it was doubly as hard to handle the vocals
and play the guitar parts. Some guys are good at doing that, I'm not one
of those guys. Melody and key were not an important part of the vocals when
I was singing... I just screamed and tried to get by the best I could.
In 1997 an awesome metal album took me by storm. It was "Legends Of Valor"
with powerful and raging songs as "The Night Of Metalkill", "Blood On The
Blade" or "Into The Walls Of Knowledge" to name a few... There was a big
enthusiasm for the band in some fanzines. Truth is SKULLVIEW's heavy/power
metal rules! Are you still satisfied with this first disc ?
The first disc is and will always be my favorite
SKULLVIEW album. I thought we overachieved on the first album, and I wasn't
sure if we'd be able to follow "Legends Of Valor" with something as strong
or stronger than it was. This was our first studio experience... we were
total amateurs and didn't know a whole lot about recording an album. We were
very sloppy musicians, and were not very capable players at that time (actually
we still have a very long way to go), at least in my opinion. But we pulled
it off pretty good on "Legends Of Valor". Sure there are some things that
could have been done better. We could have taken more time experimenting
with guitar and drum sounds, but we were so anxious to get the album recorded,
so we rushed right through the recording process. We tried to record and
mix the album in one weekend session. We were just so psyched about having
an album of our own that we didn't care... we just wanted the disc in our
filthy hands, ha ha. We must have listened to that album 500 times and couldn't
believe that we had written those songs and still couldn't believe that we
were the guys who were actually playing on that album. It turned out to be
a good album, and it still has received the biggest response than any of
the albums we have done since then.
Two years later, the second album "Kings Of The Universe" was more killer
with devastating and stormy songs as "Kings Of The Universe", "War Within
The Sky" or "Cobwebs And Shadowed Images" for examples. How was it received
in the metal world ? What are your thoughts about this disc ? I think "Kings
Of The Universe" became a classic, and for me it is one of the ten best metal
albums of the nineties.
After the impact that "Legends Of Valor" had made
on the true metal fans around the globe, "Kings Of The Universe" was going
to be a real test for SKULLVIEW. There were those who didn't think we'd be
able to put out an album that would equal "Legends Of Valor". There were
also those who didn't like "Legends Of Valor" so much, and they wrote us
off as just another band cluttering the scene. We wanted "Kings Of The Universe"
to make the doubters eat their words, and we wanted to prove to those who
did enjoy "Legends Of Valor" that they could count on SKULLVIEW as a band
who will continue to release kick ass heavy metal albums. I think we accomplished
both points. "Kings Of The Universe" was an album with a lot of aggression,
and showed everyone that SKULLVIEW was an underground band that meant business.
Our goal was to make people bang their heads, and "Kings..." did just that.
We improved by leaps and bounds, in my opinion, our playing was tighter,
the production was better, and the songs were catchier. We took a step forward
on that album.
The "Consequences Of Failure" new album is stronger than "Kings Of The
Universe"! It's total devastation with crushers as "Time For Violence" and
"Armed With An Axe" or fantastic pieces with "Palace Of The Boundless Cold"
and "Seek The Old Man For Knowledge" or the other great songs... Each time
SKULLVIEW does better! What is your secret ?
There is no secret. We just love to write heavy
metal songs... we have since day one!! A big part of it is that we don't
try to write songs trying to impress anyone. We just write heavy metal music
that we want to hear. If we tried to write songs in order to attract a certain
group of people, or record labels, etc... we would sound like any other band.
We just want to please ourselves. We want our songs to make us headbang.
I also think "Consequences..." is a direct result of our improvement as musicians.
We've taken what we've learned from our first two albums and have became
comfortable doing what we do. As a result of jamming together for five years
we've learned each other's tendencies in writing, so writing became a little
easier. Dave and myself became better at harmonizing with each other, and
Pete and Joe are really becoming comfortable with each other as a rythm section.
We've developed a writing style that is 100 % SKULLVIEW. The real challenge
will be on our next album as to whether we can continue our progression.
Why the lyrics of "Armed With An Axe" are not printed in the booklet ?
It was not intentional. When R.I.P. did the layout
for the album, the lyrics were included. Something happened with the format,
from my understanding, and the complete song didn't print out. There are
a few verses from the other songs that do not appear either, also for the
same reason. If the album gets repressed, the lyrics will all be included.
It's one of those things that you don't plan on happening but it did.
Who came with the idea to cover a Black Sabbath song ? Is "Born Again"
your favourite Black Sabbath album ?
I knew how to play the riffs on the guitar, so I
just started playing them at rehearsal one night, and the rest of the guys
just started playing along with it. Pretty soon we realized that we could
pull this song off, so we worked on it a couple of times and got it good
enough to play at a live gig. The song went over great live, so we always
kept it in our set. When we were in the studio recording "Consequences...",
we decided to just record the song and see how it turned out. Well, we thought
it sounded good, so we put it on the album. "Born Again" is my personal favorite
Sabbath album, although I like all Sabbath albums. They are one of my favorite
bands. Ian Gillan is my favorite vocalist. There is something very evil and
disturbing about that album. It has a vibe like no other Sabbath album, and
that is why it is my favorite.
There's always a "Gleam Of The Skull" part in your albums. Will you continue
the story on each album ?
This I do not know about. Originally, I had the
idea of doing a trilogy, now I really don't know where we will go with that
concept. Peolpe have liked all three of the songs so far, and they seem to
want more. I really like the way we ended Part 3, it almost seems to close
the concept perfectly. I have kicked around the idea of releasing a "Gleam
Of The Skull" ep. My idea is to bridge all three songs together with new
material that picks up between each of the songs and connects all three of
the songs into one long song. We are undecided at this time about what we
want to do.
Looking at the three covers of your cd's, a barbarian and his axe always
appear. Did this barbarian become SKULLVIEW's mascot ? Has he a name ?
In a way, yes, the barbarian, or warrior as we like
to call him, has become our mascot. He has no specific name. We just refer
to him as the SKULLVIEW warrior. We will take any recommendations from fans
and consider them.
Have you received requests from vinyl maniacs asking for a SKULLVIEW 7''
or picture lp ? Do you prefer cd ?
We get requests all the time from people seeking
SKULLVIEW vinyl. This will become a reality very soon. Vinyl four our first
two albums is on the way, as well as a double gatefold pressing of "Consequences
Of Failure". We are also awaiting a 7'' release from Syren Records where
we will be doing a split with a young heavy metal group from St Louis called
Drizzit. I enjoy vinyl, but the simplicity of cd is very appealing to me
because I can listen to the cd anywhere. Any format is pleasing to SKULLVIEW.
The first and second albums last between 35 and 40 minutes. The third
lasts over 60 minutes. Have you changed your opinion about the running time
of a cd ?
The length of "Consequences Of Failure" was not
intentional. We ended up with ten tracks clocking in at over 60 minutes of
material, but that includes "The Archimage" intro before "Seek The Old Man
For Knowledge" and "Digital Bitch". "The Archimage" is a little accoustic/spoken
word interlude that was not planned. It was an idea I came up with while
we were in the studio, and it turned out, so we used it. Without "The Archimage"
and "Digital Bitch", we still only have eight new songs on the record, which
is the same as our first two releases. We have some lenghty songs on "Consequences
Of Failure", but we didn't realize how long they were until we recorded them.
When we wrote them, we just included all the necessary parts for each song,
and they happened to turn out longer than usual. We don't concentrate on
subjecting a certain amount of time for each song. We just write the song
until it is finished. It can be a two minute song or a ten minute song...
as long as the song ends up having the impact that is required for that particular
song.
SKULLVIEW releases one album every two years. Do you feel comfortable
with that way ?
It takes us a good year to year and half to write
our albums. We only rehearse once every week and a half for a couple of hours,
so we don't have a lot of time to accomplish quantity and speed as far as
songwriting. There are bands that write, record it, and release in a year's
span, but in the end the listener is just getting a rush job. Two years is
a good time span for us. We can take our time and make sure that our songs
are exactly the way they need to be. We don't want to get in a situation
where people expect a new SKULLVIEW album every year. Sure we could release
an album every year, but I would think the music would be rather generic
if we did that. We want to release the best material we can.
How are SKULLVIEW live shows ? Do you play often in the USA ?
We have fun at SKULLVIEW live shows. We like to
play loud and like for people to get their heads banging. The last show we
did was with October 31, and it was a great time. We party and have fun with
all our metal brothers and sisters. You never know what to expect at a SKULLVIEW
show... but you can expect to hear heavy metal!
The line-up is stable. So I guess the members of the band are really friends,
aren't they ?
We have been lucky have the same line-up over the
last 5 1/2 years. We are all friends in SKULLVIEW. We are more than a metal
family... we are close friends for life. If SKULLVIEW decided to ever break
up, we would still be friends. The relationships amongst the members of this
band go back a long way, and not just because of metal music. We are friends
who happen to like metal.
What are your ten favourite metal albums ?
There are so many great albums to choose from, this
is very hard. My personal favorites one are : "Piece Of Mind", "Born Again",
"Black Sabbath", "Holy Diver", "Machine Head", "Nasty Savage", "Epicus Doomicus
Metallicus", "Metal Church", "Run To The Light", "Raging Violence".
I thank you for the answers and wish a long live to SKULLVIEW! If you
have messages or final thoughts...
This was one of the best interviews I've done in
a long time. Thank you, Patrick, for an enjoyable interview. To all the heavy
metal warriors out there... be sure that each SKULLVIEW album will be pleasing
to your ears, and devastating to your necks. We will not release garbage!!
SKULLVIEW will continue to release kick ass heavy metal as long as you want
us to. Support the scene, and death to fags and posers!!
website
Interview by Patrick Lefevre
Back
