Interview with Dez of DevilDriver
January 27, 2005
Interviewed by Bill Klopfer

 

Dez: Hello?
Bill: Hey how’s it going, is this Dez?
Dez: This is Dez.
Bill: What’s going on man? This is Bill from Beyond Reflection.
Dez: Hey, how ya doing man?
Bill: I’m doing good, you?
Dez: Good, sorry if you had a hard time getting through. We’re tracking the last song today so we’re kind of just finishing it.
Bill: That’s brutal. I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.
Dez: No, it’s all good bro, we just finished right now. We just listened back to it and oh boy.
Bill: How's it sounding?
Dez: Oh man, I can’t wait for people to hear this.
Bill: That’s fucking cool.

Bill: Alright, let’s start with some questions. How exactly did DevilDriver get started as a band?
Dez: Well, I left Coal Chamber; moved up to Santa Barbara. I ended up meeting a bunch really cool people that just kind of like to barbeque and hangout and drink. We ended up jamming in a room. We ended up saying let’s do a band. That’s it; pretty organic. Then it just ended up to be really stepping up and a lot of the people that either opened for Coal Chamber or were friends of mine came to the rescue or came with us and took us out on tour and this and that, and it just stated to grow.

Bill: What made you guys choose DevilDriver as a band name?
Dez: Ya know what; we were called Death Ride and it wouldn’t work because there were a lot of different people using that name and then my wife found the name DevilDriver in a witchcraft book that we have. It just seemed to suit the band. It had a ring, ya know, and it means to drive away evil which we thought was really killer. We were like, OK that’s perfect. Just drive away the bullshit.

Bill: Who were you’re biggest influences musically?
Dez: I probably haven’t even been asked that once in ten years! So many influences, man. It’s impossible. I can say genres rather than singers – everything from punk rock to heavy metal to Johnny Cash. Ya know what I mean? I listen to everything. One’s mind should be open to listen to everything from classic 70’s to black metal to…Billie Holiday!

Bill: So, what is the name of the new album?
Dez: The name of the new album is The Fury of Our Maker’s Hand.
Bill: Cool. What is the significance of the title?
Dez: Pretty much…we don’t know anything here in life, but when we die we will. We’ve had that name before the tsunami and everything else so it’s pretty indicative of what is happening now and what I think is the ‘end times’ or last fifteen years of life on this planet.

Bill: Are there any songs off the new album you care to talk about?
Dez: We’ve got many songs and I can give you many stories. I can tell you that basically, everything is based on life experience. You know as well as I do, that everything you’re going through in life you could sit down with a piece of paper and write about. That’s where I get my inspiration. See what I’m saying. Aren’t there enough experiences in life that you could come up with a million albums with all of life's experiences? There’s not enough time in the day to write about humanity as far as I’m concerned.

Bill: How was the writing process for this album?
Dez: Some of the guys wrote in the back of the bus some riffs, other guys didn’t. When they got to the room, they’d write, they’d give me stuff and I’d structure it. I’d like it, I wouldn’t like it. I tell them vocal lines. I listen to them as well, but suggest why don’t you try to do this? It’s pretty open in this band. We all pretty much listen to each other. As you know, I don’t play any instruments so all I can really do is structure the songs or say I do like that, I don’t that, lets get rid of this riff or that riff…which I do quite a lot of, but these guys know structure at this point and they know we don’t want a 6 minute song so they come up with something indicative of what we would all want.

Bill: How do you feel about this new album compared to the first one?
Dez: It’s a step up without a doubt. I don’t even know how to compare it. I think the first album is very linear. We have certain songs on there in order to appease Coal Chamber fans…I mean I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for those people so I had to give them something that they would love. But as of now, it’s time that they open their minds and wake up to what’s really happening and I think the fact is that DevilDriver’s second album is a step way up above from what we did on the first one.

Bill: So what do you think of the music industry today?
Dez: Um…I know where you’re getting at with this. I’ll tell you, we’re fortunate because we don’t have a record label that tells us we need the next big radio single. They put the art in our hands…we have the colors, the brush and we do it and they say alright cool. Then out of the broad stroke they say we like this one song and we’ll push it, but they don’t come with the we need this, we need the radio thing much like they do to many artists. So about the music industry today…it’s getting more generic, that’s for sure. True art is dying. We need more labels like Roadrunner Records that let artists do what they want to do from their heart and their soul. I think heavy metal is one of the only genres between maybe old time country - and I’m not talking country on the radio - and blues where you’re actually getting the real deal from people lyrically and musically. And I think that’s what heavy metal is giving kids now, and that is something they’ll never get on pop radio. They’re getting reality…a reality check, a slap in the face. That’s true art to me.

Bill: Since we're on the subject, what do you like and dislike about music coming out today?
Dez: I like a lot of music. If you’re talking about demos and first albums that are coming out, like a band like Grimfist or Superjoint Ritual; I love the music coming out today. And then if you’re talking about some other kind of pop stuff, or very generic so-called metal I’m not into it. I’m not willing to go into names or anything, but obviously I follow something that is not trend, it’s art. Anything that is true art, eventually people latch on to as being real and I eventually latch on to too, as well as you and everybody else.

Bill: What do you like and dislike about touring?
Dez: I dislike being away from my family, that’s for sure. I’ve got one of the hottest women in the fucking world so whenever I’m not lying in bed with her, kissing her that’s a travesty and time goes by. I’m a pirate and I’ll never change; touring is in my blood. It’s something I’m going to do for years and years and years…I like to say I’m just getting started. I think DevilDriver and the second DevilDriver are just the beginning of my career, so if that is indicative at all of any time space I’m going to be on the road for the next 15/20 years without a doubt.

Bill: What is the first thing you do when you come home from touring?
Dez: Make love to my woman for about 4 hours, then I order in a big pizza and drink wine.
Bill: Nice!

Bill: What kind of shows do you like to play; would you rather play a smaller venue or something like Ozzfest?
Dez: Ya know, everything’s cool…Ozzfest is cool because people are waiting on heavy music. So it’s killer when you walk out and drop your banner and everybody goes fucking nuts. You’re loving it! But, smaller shows are killing too because you can shake people’s hands, you can be right there with them, if there’s 200, 400, 600 I mean those are great shows. Anywhere there’s a good bottle of wine and people want to see DevilDriver we’re going to go, ya know, we’re going to play. We’re not going to say there’s only 150 people there tonight, we’re going to throw out just as much, if not more onstage.
Bill: What kind of wine do you drink?
Dez: I drink Chianti, I’m Italian.

Bill: What is the most memorable tour you can think of?
Dez: In the early days I toured with Pantera a lot; went all through Europe with them, all through the states with them several times. Just became, I’d like to think best friends with Phillip. He’s one of my great friends and influences as well. There’s one of my influences, that’s for sure. Ya know, in 97 in Phillip’s house downstairs in his fucking basement he took me down and taught me how to scream and it ended up to be a song on his Viking Crown album which is actually out now.
Bill: Oh, that CD is out now?
Dez: Right, so there ya go right there. But, the most memorable was also being with Dime. I have great memories of Dime, great memories of Pantera. Still I don’t think anyone will get to that level. There are many bands that think they’re going to be the next Pantera, but I’m sorry, you’ll never be. I toured with them for years and years, and those were the best times where you come out on a Thanksgiving night and there are no shows so they rent out the top of hotel bar. So everyone from the whole tour is up there drinking. Or you pull into Texas and they rent out a bar and all their family is there. You meet their mother, their cousins, you meet everyone and everyone is having drinks. Those are the nights on tour that you relish and remember, and I have many of them. This is my tenth year in the business I should be writing a book yet, but I’m going to wait another ten and see what else happens because I’ve had great experiences.

Bill: Well, I think we’ve covered everything. If you want to check out the interview go to beyondreflection.com.
Dez: I appreciate any support of us right now. Obviously we aren’t going to get the most radio support and I think that’s great a thing too. We’ll get the support of all sorts of other people because of that. So look for the new DevilDriver album because it’s going to blow up. I love music. Let me tell you, I just did another interview and got turned on to some CRAZY shit ‘cause I’m a huge Godflesh fan. So this guy turned me on today to this band called Blut Aus Nord, I believe it’s .com. Check that out. They’re fucking brutal. Ya know what they are? They’re Godflesh meets Dead Can Dance meets Cradle of Filth. It’s fucking sick shit. Ya know who else you should check out? A band called Grimfist at grimfist.com. Those are my buddies from Norway. I’m going to get them over here. You’ve got to listen to their shit. That’s one of the most fucking influential bands to me right now. I just answered you’re question, but later on!.

Bill: Alright man, thanks for your time.
Dez: Take care brother.
Bill: Same to you.
Dez: Alright!
Bill: Later!

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