Information
Author: Mourning
Translation: Dope Fiend
Line Up
King Fowley - Vocals, Drums
Les Snyder - Bass
Mike Smith - Guitars
Shane Fuegel - Guitars
Today we have with us a part of the history of metal, I had the pleasure of talking with King Fowley from Deceased, band that has just released "Surreal Overdose" which we reviewed on this website.
Welcome on Aristocrazia Webzine, we are really pleased to have you here, how is being on the scene for so long time without feeling tired of it?
King: We just keep on keeping on. Metal is forever to us! Year in and year out. We'll always do what we do!
Deceased is a war tank, you had some breaks releasing not so many albums compared with the age of the band but you still gave many satisfactions to who follows metal. The monicker has been buried and supported from the underground even if living under Relapse (you are the first band of this label) and you "just" played what you want and how you want. Which are your favorite albums? Is there a chapter of your discography that (since now there is this trend) you'd like to re-record? Or maybe you think that this is just commercial shit?
I'm happy with all we have done. No record is ever perfect, but you learn as you get older and through trial and error. My favorite record of the band is "Supernatural Addiction". I wouldn't re-record a thing. It is us at the time and date! It stays that way!
How was a particular album such as "Supernatural Addiction" born? It sounded almost "core" and "heavy" compared to the past but it still sound fuckin' Deceased-ish.
It is all we are about. Aggression, morbid ideals, melody, heavieness and catchiness. To me that record is very well put together and the songs are very fitting to what we went for! Good time recording it and I love it to this day!
Let's talk about "Surreal Overdose", it comes after six years since "As The Weird Travel On", during these years you had some changes in your line up and you returned to your originale role of singer/drummer. How do you write your songs? How did Shane enter in the composition process?
Shane is a longtime friend and has been a part of the band for five years now. He helped out and gave ideas and things as we wrote the tunes. Me and Mike Smith mainly do the writing, it's been that way for a few years now. It's best for Mike to get riffs, me to hear them sometimes fine tune and add lyrics and melody lines to it. We spend a lot of time getting songs the sound we want them!
From what are you inspired for the lyrics? How much does your non-musical passions influence Deceased?
Everything in life and death inspires me. I keep a sharp eye out on all I see and acknowledge. I also pull from tories and others incidents in thier worlds. It all comes together to create lyrical for us.
Speed and nastiness ("Kindred Assembly"), sometimes tangling riffs, some effects ("Skin Crawling Progress" and "Cloned (Day Of The Robot)") and melody ("Dying In Analog"), a not so complicated formula but that always gave good results, how do you put your trademark in your songs?
Dedication and not writing a song and leaving it alone. You let it breathe and then find more ways for it to live. We have a basic foundation of what we want then we build on it or over it and do our best to make it all even stronger overall. In the end we go with the strongest song structure we can create!
You are the first band in Relapse, now it is one of the most representative labels in the metal scene. What do you think about these years with their roster? Was there a sort of good competition among labels too? I think about Roadrunner, Earache and Nuclear Blast for example. it started out fine but they changed and became liars and thieves.
It got old. Deceased is a band that expects honesty and sincerity, as we give that ourselves. Relapse strayed from that so we left them. Labels are labels, I'm sure they have their inside jokes about each other but at the end of the day it's all just people and business trying to make money.
Which are the main differences that you noticed during these years in the music world? Is metal corrupted today? Can it keep itself as a genre and a lifestyle or the trends made it lose some of its main features?
It's always picked and probed. Formulas change it and hurt it. But those with no cares for following trends and fads just keep creating thier own thing and in the end you get a feeling that a band is or isn't doing it for the right reasons.
In 2004 you released "Rotten To The Core", a tribute to the HC/punk scene and I have to mention the presence of Raw Power of which you made a cover of "State Of Oppression". I'm not a fan of covers and usually i don't even try this kind of works, but in this case i enjoyed and then bought it. How did you choose the songs? Are they a part of you musical background or there is something from Les and Mike too?
It's all of our backgrounds. We love punk/hardcore when done right and this was some bands we feel do it right. We learn the songs and then give them a Deceased touch to add our personality to it. I am really proud of the "Rotten To The Core" cd, most of itcame out real good!
King Fowley, Les Snyder, Mike Smith, three guys that in 1990 created Deceased, you are like a family. How did you keep the relations with the other members so that when someone new join the band won't feel uncomfortable?
Actually it was 1985 and it was me and Mark Adams and Doug Souther that formed the band. By 1990 Doug had left and Mike Smith entered the band. We picked up bassist Les Snyder in 1987 after our old bassist Rob Sterzel was killed in a hit run accident. Anyone who has come in to play live or help out is a trusted friend first and formost. We're all friends and with that become a second family. It's all about straight up dedication and a deep passion for playing and creating music.
Doomstone splitted up many years ago, but will I ever have the pleasure of listening to another album by October 31? I really love the albums, especially "Powerhouse"; are there any novelties?
Soon a new record will come. That band is a project made by me and some friends do for fun. All of us have been so busy the last five years so no time has come to write or play out much. But soon we will return for some heavy metal fun!
Let's return to "Surreal Overdose", how was it received by your fans? And what about the critics?
So far its gotten a lot of kind words from folks. Many say it was well worth the six year wait and in league with all of our past material. We're happy as a band to finally get it out. Those songs are now very outdated with the newest song from 2008!
Have you already presented it in a live show? Is there a reaction that made you think: "we got what we wanted"?
We've done "Kindred Assembly" live. Working in a few more for future live shows. It's wild playing it live, a lot of stuff going on.
Would you give some advices to the young guys that are starting their approach with the metal world (about both listening and playing it)?
Dedication, runs the show, stick to your guns, don't follow trends, don't expect the world! And most off, always have fun with it all!
Are there any albums that you consider fundamental for you growthas an artist? And five albums that you'd like to have always with you?
Many albums brought me up from Beatles works to Kiss to Black Sabbath to all the following underground metal and punk ones. Five records i need forever: Voivod - "Killing Technology", Black Sabbath - "Mob Rules", Iron Maiden - "Piece Of Mind", Kiss - "Alive 2" and Ramones - "Pleasant Dreams" are a few.
What will you do now? Maybe some shows in Europe? Will we see you in Italy?
I hope to get to Europe and Italy in 2012. If any promoters reading this: GET IN TOUCH!!!
Thanks for the time spent with us, the last message for our readers is up to you!
Cheers for the support, all the best. Everyone take care and stay wild!!!
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