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| w/ DEZ FAFARA |
| Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Do you see The Last Kind Words as a follow-up to The Fury of Our Maker’s Hand or as something else exclusively?
Dez Fafara: Definitely something else exclusively. All three of our albums have had distinct flavors of DevilDriver, but, very much different from one another. The first one was kind of us stepping out. Our second was extremely creative and to me, just a little bit scattered, even though it got great reviews. This one just hones it in and it comes fully, directly at you the way that I want DevilDriver to be. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: How have fans and industry met The Last Kind Words thus far? I hear it’s doing extremely well! Dez Fafara: They definitely have received it well. We’ve put a lot of work into it. So, it’s good to see that fans of heavy music and our fans are liking what we’re doing, and we’re doing what we’re doing straight from our heart. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: What do you feel Jason Suecof brought to DevilDriver as opposed to past albums, because you were quoted as saying that, “he really captured this band, and now I feel like it would be hard to work with anyone else.” Dez Fafara: He’s got a freedom and an essence about it and when you’re working with that guy, he really let’s you capture the “in the moment” things. Even with the vocals, if it wasn’t right or in the moment, he wasn’t going to take it. He really catches those moments of clarity within a bands recording process and puts them down in raw form and I think that’s the only way I can explain him. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: What was it like to also work with the legendary Andy Sneap, who’s work on this record is almost like a selling point in itself? Dez Fafara: He’s an amazing guy in general! We met with Andy over the Summer at the festivals and he’s an all around good guy. Plus, we all know, like you said, the legendary stuff that he’s done. I think he brought to the table what Jason didn’t at that point. We needed a certain kind of mix, a certain rawness to come out of it and Andy did extremely well. I’m really happy with the sound of this record. Not only in the way it was recorded, but, the way that it was mixed. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Does your music evolve while you're in the studio, or is everything 100% done by the time you go in and record? Dez Fafara: Most of it is 100% done. The guys are ready to go in, as well as I am. I always leave a few lyrics or a few things waiting, so I can have some spur of the moment stuff that makes it kind of more fun for me. A little pressure is kind of good. (Laughs) Those guys though, are pretty much ready. There might be some solos and stuff to write, but, they’ll go in and they’ll take their time to do that right on the spot as well sometimes. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: When writing for the album, was there a particular song that set the template for everything else? Dez Fafara: Not All Who Wander Are Lost, the first track, set the tempo for everything else. After that, it was just like, ok, we have to live up to this song. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Are you and the band satisfied with the result of the album or now that the albums completed you look back in retrospect and perhaps see some things that you would have changed or done differently? Dez Fafara: We’ll never do anything differently from here all the way back to the beginning of my career. But, I think if you’re ever satisfied as an artist, I think that word is not good. If you ever stand back and you say, I’m completely satisfied with that, that’s just not a good thing as an artist. So, no, I’m never satisfied and I’m always striving to do better and also, those people around me to bring better things in order for the team to do better. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: When you think of past releases, what primary ingredient do you think of The Last Kind Words will set this album apart from the rest and why? Dez Fafara: The band members will absolutely step in and do something raw within themselves and bring to the table music, that was not only in keeping with what we all wanted for the name DevilDriver, but, was in keeping with what we wanted out of doing something as far away from mainstream as we could do. Those factors are what made it what it is. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: The album design is interesting. What was the inspiration behind the cover or what would DevilDriver like it to represent? Dez Fafara: The branding of the cross is important for us. It’s just another symbol besides our name that people identify with DevilDriver. They get it tattooed on them such. So, for us, it’s important that the cover art didn’t do all the speaking. If you saw a guy with his head cut off on the front of the cover, you would automatically know what it was inside. We didn’t want that. So, we just chose a simple cross. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Ok now we’re going to take it away from the band and music for a moment to ask a more personal question that’s going to take some thought. So, whenever you’re ready… I know you were a hairstylist long ago before you traded that day gig for this. But, if you can recall, are there any good hair tips that you care to share with your fans? (Laughs) Dez Fafara: (Laughs) Alright. I grew up doing construction and after a real long time doing that and being a brick layer and hurt my back, I realized that all of my straight friends around here were making huge money doing hair. So, I went into doing that. Can I give you any hair tips? Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Yes, my hairs very dry! So, I need some tips. (Laughs) Dez Fafara: (Laughs) You need tips! You know what, especially now because I haven’t cut my hair in years… Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: (Laughs) I did this just to get a chuckle out of you. Dez Fafara: (Laughs) That’s great! As far as tips go, do what feels right. Do what’s easy because it’s your hair. Anahstasia (Dez’s wife): Tell her the trick. Sleep with conditioner in your hair. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: A hairstylist once told me mayonnaise, believe it or not, which is pretty sick. (Laughs) Dez Fafara: Well, Anahstasia knows this from living with an Italian man, if you use olive oil on your skin or on your hair, it’s incredible. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: I’ve heard that too. But, I’m only kidding with that last question. If you know me and you know my site, I always throw in one of those “out of this world” questions to get you to go, huh and a good laugh? (Laughs) So, I thought you’d get a kick out of it. Dez Fafara: (Laughs) For me, it’s all good. I’ve been a man of many trades and have done so many things in my life and you have to remember those things. (Laughs) Though, I made way more money doing that, then I did doing this. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Alright, back to the band. Tell me a little bit about the Bound by the Road tour coming up. I know you’ll be sharing the road with Napalm Death, which should prove to be pretty sick! Dez Fafara: The Bound by the Road tour is going to be a yearly tour, with this being the first installment of it. Sometimes it’s going to go off once or sometimes twice a year. Napalm Death, what can I say, having a legendary band open for us. I actually know the guys and have toured with them before years ago in my past with Coal Chamber. I think the line-up is really diverse and it’s what I wanted out of it. We have Envitro, which is a punk band, 36 Crazyfists, which is a coglamorate of all sorts of different things, Walls Of Jericho, Napalm Death and us. It’s going to be technically our first headlining run with proper lights. We’re going to have an hour and twenty minutes on stage, which is amazing. It’s fun to open for people because your off early and you get to kick back and watch everybody, but, man it gets old doing a half hour to forty-five minutes on stage. I’d much rather give them an hour and twenty minutes. So, it’s our first headliner in the states. We’re going to be playing a lot of stuff that we haven’t played live, as well as, some stuff off the new record that we’ve never played live. It’s definitely going to be cool. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Thanks Dez for taking the time out to interview. Good luck with the tour coming up. With that said, do you have any final words for The MetalWeb!? Dez Fafara: See you on the road! OFFICIAL SITE "DEVILDRIVER": http://www.myspace.com/devildriver HOME |