Sept. 1, 2026

Thrash to Death: Absolute Darkness, Classic Influences, and Metal’s Enduring Legacy with Pipeman

Show Notes
Transcript

In this episode, Pipeman sits down with Ron of Absolute Darkness for a lively and nostalgic conversation about thrash, death metal, and the enduring impact of heavy music. They dive into the inspiration behind Absolute Darkness's modernized cover of Violence’s "World in a World", share behind-the-scenes stories from legendary metal shows and festivals, discuss the evolution and relevance of metal’s message, and preview new music and multimedia projects from Absolute Darkness.Main Topics Covered

The modern cover of Violence’s "World in a World"
Memories from the LA and Bay Area thrash scenes
The importance of authenticity and musicianship in metal covers
Balancing passion for music with other interests and careers
Band chemistry and contributing members of Absolute Darkness
The role of fun, emotion, and seriousness in metal performances and lyrics
The political legacy and timelessness of metal music
Metal festivals: 70,000 Tons of Metal, Shiprocked, Maryland Deathfest
The fan/artist dynamic at sea festivals versus traditional fests
Distinction and evolution of thrash, death metal, and other subgenres
The creative process and philosophy behind Absolute Darkness’s sound
Details about the upcoming album, “Witness to a Dying World”
“Attritional Warfare” animated music video and the process behind it

Key Discussions & StoriesCovering Violence’s "World in a World"

Pipeman honors Ron for modernizing a thrash classic and staying true to its spirit (00:51).
Ron describes his approach: preserving the original timing and vibe without modern click tracks, and adding his own vocal twist (03:26–04:47).

The Metal Scene & Festival Culture

Swapping stories about traveling to shows in the '80s, attending milestone concerts, and connecting with scene legends like Shawn and Rob (01:19, 02:22).
In-depth discussion on the unique vibe of 70,000 Tons and other metal festivals—no backstage, artists mingling freely, and the mutual respect between fans and musicians (14:06–17:18).

Authenticity, Influence, and Musical Philosophy

Both speakers stress the need for covers to reflect the performing artist, not just copy the original (04:47–05:19).
Ron and Pipeman riff on the evolution of metal genres and why new bands should forge their own style, rather than follow formulaic trends (19:35–20:44).
Nostalgic for a time when every thrash and death metal band sounded distinct (20:04–20:33).

Metal’s Enduring Relevance

The enduring political edge of metal, its capacity to channel emotion, and the surprising timeliness of classic lyrics (10:03–11:10).
“War Pigs” cited as a prime example of lyrics maintaining relevance through generations (11:16).

Band Dynamics and Musical Creation

Insights into Absolute Darkness’s current lineup, collaborative songwriting, and each member’s unique role (06:13–06:59).
The joy of live performance vs. studio work (05:40–06:09).

Notable Quotes

“What song could I do that I could bring my own flavor to?” – Ron (03:32)
“If you’re not having fun, what’s the point?” – Pipeman (07:09)
“Let your music do the talking. You don’t need to get up there and yap.” – Ron (08:47)
“Music should be political. It has been forever.” – Pipeman (09:54)
“Good music is not reinventing the wheel. That’s why we have influences.” – Pipeman (19:36)

Resources & Links Mentioned

Album Pre-Sales: “Witness to a Dying World” pre-sales start October 1st, album drops October 23rd; available on all major streaming platforms and Bandcamp (23:37).
Animated Music Video: "Attritional Warfare" – intricate 2D-animated music video available on YouTube, created in collaboration with a professional animator (23:47).
Social Media: Absolute Darkness can be found on Facebook for updates and interactions (23:47).
Festival App: Ron mentions his open-source app for metal festival attendees at Maryland Deathfest and 70,000 Tons (13:13).
YouTube Video Recommendation: "Attritional Warfare" animated video (24:38).

Be sure to follow Absolute Darkness on social media, stream the new album “Witness to a Dying World” after its release, and check out the "Attritional Warfare" music video for some jaw-dropping animation and killer thrash energy!

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-adventures-of-pipeman--941822/support.

Click Here to Subscribe for PERKS, BONUS Content & FREE GIVEWAYS!

Follow @pipemanradio on all socials & Pipeman Radio Requests & Info at www.linktr.ee/pipemanradio

Stream The Adventures of Pipeman daily & live Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays at 1PM ET on W4CY Radio & Talk 4 TV.

Download, Rate & Review the Podcast at The Adventures of Pipeman, Pipeman Radio, Talk 4 Media, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, YouTube & All Podcast Apps.

WEBVTT

1
00:00:05.009 --> 00:00:20.059
Hey, you're listening to Adventure on W4CY Radio. This is

2
00:00:20.219 --> 00:00:23.730
Pipe Man here on the Adventure's Pipe Man W4CY Radio,

3
00:00:23.820 --> 00:00:27.910
and I'm totally stoked about our next guest because, as

4
00:00:27.989 --> 00:00:32.229
everybody knows, I am a thrash metalhead from way back.

5
00:00:33.130 --> 00:00:33.689
There we go.

6
00:00:34.409 --> 00:00:38.090
And so, and I have my own stories from LA

7
00:00:38.210 --> 00:00:41.640
and the Bay Area. So let's welcome to the show,

8
00:00:41.719 --> 00:00:44.039
Ron from Absolute Darkness. How are you?

9
00:00:44.960 --> 00:00:46.280
I'm good. Thanks for having me.

10
00:00:46.920 --> 00:00:50.520
Hey, my pleasure. I want to start off right off

11
00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:56.890
the bat. Okay. So you did a modernized cover of

12
00:00:57.009 --> 00:01:03.979
violence's world in a world. And, and, First of all,

13
00:01:04.019 --> 00:01:09.260
what I really love is that, you know, you are

14
00:01:09.299 --> 00:01:14.060
paying tribute to my time back then because I spent

15
00:01:14.480 --> 00:01:18.579
the 80s in L.A. until Slayer and Metallica left us.

16
00:01:19.359 --> 00:01:21.299
And then me and my bro used to hitchhike up

17
00:01:21.340 --> 00:01:22.980
to the Bay Area for the real shows.

18
00:01:24.079 --> 00:01:27.219
I'm sure we've been to the same shows then because

19
00:01:27.420 --> 00:01:30.549
I was... You know, I'm older than I look, I guess, because,

20
00:01:30.670 --> 00:01:33.230
you know, I was in that scene. I was at

21
00:01:33.390 --> 00:01:38.390
the world premiere CD release show for Pressing the Masses.

22
00:01:39.109 --> 00:01:44.879
Nice. And I was just with Sean recently at Milwaukee

23
00:01:44.939 --> 00:01:45.700
Metal Fest.

24
00:01:46.560 --> 00:01:47.359
We were both there.

25
00:01:48.159 --> 00:01:48.819
Not Milwaukee.

26
00:01:48.879 --> 00:01:50.200
I was at Maryland. That's right.

27
00:01:50.540 --> 00:01:50.900
Yeah.

28
00:01:51.019 --> 00:01:51.819
He was there, too.

29
00:01:52.359 --> 00:01:57.689
And at Milwaukee, it was like old school Ruthie's Inn

30
00:01:57.730 --> 00:02:01.750
type show. Because the violin show was in the smaller

31
00:02:02.049 --> 00:02:05.709
part of the building. And oh my God, it was insane.

32
00:02:06.129 --> 00:02:10.099
It was funny because I sent my youngest daughter a

33
00:02:10.780 --> 00:02:15.590
video of all the people stage diving and her response

34
00:02:15.610 --> 00:02:18.169
to me was, oh, so I guess that's how you

35
00:02:18.210 --> 00:02:22.250
knock down all your front teeth, huh?

36
00:02:22.289 --> 00:02:25.930
Well, I was at the show at the Metro, the

37
00:02:26.030 --> 00:02:31.189
very first violence reunion show after Sean got better with

38
00:02:31.370 --> 00:02:35.520
all the original members aside from Rob. And I think

39
00:02:35.580 --> 00:02:37.560
Rob showed up the next night to do a little

40
00:02:37.599 --> 00:02:39.919
cameo because they played two nights in a row. And

41
00:02:39.960 --> 00:02:41.919
I was on the I was on the first night

42
00:02:41.939 --> 00:02:45.120
where he didn't show. But, you know, I think I've

43
00:02:45.159 --> 00:02:49.810
talked with everybody but Perry and the bassist. But I've

44
00:02:49.840 --> 00:02:53.990
talked with Phil. I've talked with Sean. And Rob actually

45
00:02:54.169 --> 00:02:56.530
lives close by me. I run into him every once

46
00:02:56.569 --> 00:02:58.379
in a while at the grocery store.

47
00:02:58.560 --> 00:03:00.020
Nice.

48
00:03:00.039 --> 00:03:02.939
I know I've been talking with Sean about the release

49
00:03:03.460 --> 00:03:04.199
of that cover.

50
00:03:04.639 --> 00:03:06.280
And he's like, hey, when it comes out publicly.

51
00:03:06.340 --> 00:03:08.840
Send it to me. And so I haven't sent it

52
00:03:08.860 --> 00:03:10.150
to him yet. I'm going to wait until I can

53
00:03:10.189 --> 00:03:14.889
send him a Spotify link or something. But yeah, I've

54
00:03:14.930 --> 00:03:16.430
talked to Sean about that a few times.

55
00:03:17.189 --> 00:03:20.629
So tell me, of all the songs that you could cover,

56
00:03:21.210 --> 00:03:25.030
What made you pick that one and pick from that band?

57
00:03:26.789 --> 00:03:31.509
So I've always been fascinated by that song. I love

58
00:03:31.550 --> 00:03:36.250
that song. And, you know, there's lots of music that

59
00:03:36.310 --> 00:03:38.710
I love, but it's like, okay, what song could I

60
00:03:38.770 --> 00:03:41.129
do that I could bring my own flavor to? It's like,

61
00:03:41.689 --> 00:03:44.430
you know, I love that original so much. And, you know,

62
00:03:44.810 --> 00:03:47.960
I think another thrash band did a cover of it.

63
00:03:48.319 --> 00:03:51.520
And I was a little disappointed because they did the

64
00:03:51.560 --> 00:03:54.930
modern production thing, which basically all bands do now. You

65
00:03:54.949 --> 00:03:58.069
record to a clip track. However, I don't think that's

66
00:03:58.090 --> 00:04:00.780
what Violence did during the day. It doesn't sound like it.

67
00:04:01.370 --> 00:04:04.159
And so I really wanted to capture that vibe. And

68
00:04:04.219 --> 00:04:06.699
I had two things I wanted to do. One, I

69
00:04:06.740 --> 00:04:11.159
wanted to preserve the original timing exactly. and reproduce it

70
00:04:11.280 --> 00:04:14.830
as best I could with newer technologies, you know, make

71
00:04:14.870 --> 00:04:17.449
it sound a little bit more fuller than was really

72
00:04:17.509 --> 00:04:22.209
possible when they recorded it and bring my vocals to it,

73
00:04:22.290 --> 00:04:25.990
just because that's the twist. That's the different thing I

74
00:04:26.029 --> 00:04:28.050
wanted to bring to it. I love Sean and I

75
00:04:28.089 --> 00:04:31.649
love his vocals, but they're not my vocals. And that's

76
00:04:31.689 --> 00:04:35.310
the twist I wanted to add to it. And actually

77
00:04:35.329 --> 00:04:38.490
I recorded the bass drums to it. And basically I

78
00:04:38.529 --> 00:04:42.250
put on a pair of headphones pressed play and jammed

79
00:04:42.350 --> 00:04:43.569
right to their track.

80
00:04:43.629 --> 00:04:46.740
That's how I got the timing nailed. And then things

81
00:04:46.819 --> 00:04:47.399
up from there.

82
00:04:48.540 --> 00:04:52.259
See, I love that because I'm all about real musicianship,

83
00:04:52.699 --> 00:04:55.879
you know? And so that's really cool. And yeah, you

84
00:04:55.920 --> 00:05:03.389
have more of the death metal type of voice. So

85
00:05:03.629 --> 00:05:06.769
I love that. One thing I love is when bands

86
00:05:06.850 --> 00:05:10.379
do a cover and they do it, their way because

87
00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:13.079
you're never going to do it as good or better

88
00:05:13.259 --> 00:05:16.230
if you're doing it the other band's way, because it's

89
00:05:16.290 --> 00:05:16.850
their way.

90
00:05:17.569 --> 00:05:19.149
And what's the point? What's the point?

91
00:05:19.209 --> 00:05:19.629
Exactly.

92
00:05:19.769 --> 00:05:22.550
The original exists. You got to do something different or

93
00:05:22.589 --> 00:05:23.519
there's no point to it.

94
00:05:24.069 --> 00:05:28.170
No doubt about it. So that's pretty cool. And so

95
00:05:29.529 --> 00:05:33.629
my next question is, what keeps you going doing this

96
00:05:33.769 --> 00:05:35.790
music gig in 2026 and making new music?

97
00:05:40.850 --> 00:05:43.110
You know, it's, it's, it's what I love to do. It's,

98
00:05:43.329 --> 00:05:45.850
you know, I, I've got a few passions in life. Certainly,

99
00:05:45.870 --> 00:05:48.790
you know, technology is the one that I'm super passionate

100
00:05:48.810 --> 00:05:51.329
about and it pays the bills and then music I'm

101
00:05:51.350 --> 00:05:54.160
also super passionate about. And, you know, I have a

102
00:05:54.199 --> 00:05:57.519
music studio in my house and there's nothing more enjoyable

103
00:05:57.560 --> 00:06:01.279
to me than going to the studio and jamming stuff

104
00:06:01.399 --> 00:06:04.040
out or writing a song. I mean, playing live is, is,

105
00:06:04.259 --> 00:06:06.540
is better, but you know, you only get some, you know,

106
00:06:06.560 --> 00:06:08.370
you don't get that opportunity every day.

107
00:06:08.399 --> 00:06:12.639
At least I don't. Um, And so, you know, it's

108
00:06:12.680 --> 00:06:13.300
just a lot of fun.

109
00:06:13.339 --> 00:06:16.339
And then playing with other musicians, you know, the current

110
00:06:16.379 --> 00:06:19.389
iteration of the band, which has been together for between

111
00:06:19.430 --> 00:06:21.850
three and five years, depending on the members, is the

112
00:06:21.889 --> 00:06:24.990
strongest one I've ever had. You know, we've got some

113
00:06:25.009 --> 00:06:26.589
really talented musicians.

114
00:06:27.009 --> 00:06:28.170
You know, I played the drums.

115
00:06:28.230 --> 00:06:30.649
And when I write a song, I jam out some

116
00:06:30.750 --> 00:06:31.889
what I think is pretty good.

117
00:06:31.930 --> 00:06:33.970
And then I hand it to Scott and he makes

118
00:06:34.029 --> 00:06:34.769
it so much better.

119
00:06:36.629 --> 00:06:39.829
You know, my lead guitar playing is pretty basic, but,

120
00:06:39.870 --> 00:06:44.790
you know, Doug comes in and really rips something pretty awesome. And,

121
00:06:44.829 --> 00:06:48.050
you know, Orson is solid on the bass, and he

122
00:06:48.089 --> 00:06:49.949
goes to every metal show in the Bay Area. So,

123
00:06:49.990 --> 00:06:54.170
you know, everybody says, you know, Orson's band is so awesome.

124
00:06:54.230 --> 00:06:56.500
It's like, hey, you know, Orson is one of four, but,

125
00:06:56.540 --> 00:06:57.569
you know, as long as we.

126
00:06:57.480 --> 00:06:59.839
Get credit, I don't care. Orson's awesome.

127
00:07:00.420 --> 00:07:01.139
Right.

128
00:07:02.560 --> 00:07:04.759
And so, you know, we're just having fun.

129
00:07:06.139 --> 00:07:09.990
And that's key, like, especially in metal. Like, if you're

130
00:07:10.009 --> 00:07:13.269
not having fun, what's the point? You know, and we

131
00:07:13.290 --> 00:07:16.610
can tell. The listeners can tell. You know, we can

132
00:07:16.649 --> 00:07:18.990
watch you up on stage and tell that you're not

133
00:07:19.069 --> 00:07:22.589
really having fun. To me, it's a transfer of emotion.

134
00:07:22.689 --> 00:07:26.040
So if you're having fun doing it, we're going to

135
00:07:26.100 --> 00:07:27.810
have fun consuming it.

136
00:07:28.800 --> 00:07:30.160
Yeah.

137
00:07:30.180 --> 00:07:33.439
You know, my lyrics tend to be very, very serious and,

138
00:07:33.980 --> 00:07:37.839
you know, not about happy stuff, but that doesn't mean,

139
00:07:37.860 --> 00:07:40.699
you know, you can't have fun with it though.

140
00:07:41.500 --> 00:07:42.079
Exactly.

141
00:07:42.120 --> 00:07:45.279
You don't want to be too serious. Even cannibal corpse,

142
00:07:45.339 --> 00:07:47.500
you know, is up there cracking jokes.

143
00:07:48.579 --> 00:07:52.879
Right. You know, and you know, it's true because I

144
00:07:52.930 --> 00:07:56.389
think people listen more to the serious subjects. If you

145
00:07:56.430 --> 00:07:59.730
make it less serious and more fun, like I don't

146
00:07:59.769 --> 00:08:04.029
mean less serious as in it shouldn't be serious. Just,

147
00:08:04.930 --> 00:08:07.750
you know, not taking yourself too seriously, you know, like

148
00:08:07.790 --> 00:08:10.889
you're saying, you know, just having a good time, you know,

149
00:08:10.930 --> 00:08:14.810
and then I think people listen more than they're going

150
00:08:14.829 --> 00:08:18.410
to pay more attention to the message. If they feel

151
00:08:18.490 --> 00:08:22.769
like they're not being lectured at, they're just being part

152
00:08:22.829 --> 00:08:25.449
of it, you know? And I think that's what you accomplish.

153
00:08:26.449 --> 00:08:27.569
Oh, thank you. Yeah.

154
00:08:27.620 --> 00:08:29.180
That's what we're going for. I mean, you know, when

155
00:08:29.240 --> 00:08:32.779
our live shows happen, You know, it's always tempting to

156
00:08:32.820 --> 00:08:35.750
get up there and pour your heart and tell them,

157
00:08:35.789 --> 00:08:37.330
you know, you should feel this way or that way,

158
00:08:37.370 --> 00:08:40.190
but that doesn't work, and it's not the point. You know,

159
00:08:40.490 --> 00:08:43.009
if they listen to the music, they know you have

160
00:08:43.049 --> 00:08:44.929
a point of view. They know what you're saying for

161
00:08:44.950 --> 00:08:47.389
the most part, but let your music do the talking.

162
00:08:47.649 --> 00:08:49.190
You don't need to get up there in the app.

163
00:08:49.269 --> 00:08:53.399
I mean, you know, everybody gives their opinion every once

164
00:08:53.440 --> 00:08:55.340
in a while, and certainly if you look at my

165
00:08:55.399 --> 00:08:58.809
social media, you'll see I give my opinions every but

166
00:08:58.909 --> 00:09:00.370
I don't need to give them on stage.

167
00:09:00.490 --> 00:09:03.750
Certainly not constantly. And you know, let the music do

168
00:09:03.769 --> 00:09:04.240
the talking.

169
00:09:04.789 --> 00:09:07.840
Well, you're so right too, because if you have an

170
00:09:07.919 --> 00:09:12.399
opinion and you're somebody that writes lyrics, your opinion's definitely

171
00:09:12.419 --> 00:09:16.080
going to be in your lyrics and people get the

172
00:09:16.139 --> 00:09:18.840
message that way. And I think it's, I think it's

173
00:09:18.879 --> 00:09:22.200
a better way. Like I think music is a better

174
00:09:22.240 --> 00:09:25.559
way because you listen to it while you're enjoying the music. And,

175
00:09:26.809 --> 00:09:30.830
it hits you. Like it's something that you real, like

176
00:09:30.889 --> 00:09:32.710
I hear some lyrics and I'm like, Oh my God,

177
00:09:32.750 --> 00:09:36.320
that's so me, you know? But if those same lyrics

178
00:09:36.360 --> 00:09:39.220
were something that was said to me, maybe I wouldn't

179
00:09:39.240 --> 00:09:41.580
get it the same way. Yeah.

180
00:09:41.700 --> 00:09:43.460
And you know, we try and make the music strong

181
00:09:43.519 --> 00:09:45.799
enough where even if you're like, you know, Oh, he's

182
00:09:45.820 --> 00:09:47.620
a little too political for me, but you know what?

183
00:09:47.659 --> 00:09:50.259
That's a really cool riff. You know, that's great.

184
00:09:50.759 --> 00:09:51.450
Exactly.

185
00:09:52.389 --> 00:09:55.309
And music should be political. In my opinion, it has

186
00:09:55.389 --> 00:10:00.009
been forever. like not just our genres i mean you

187
00:10:00.049 --> 00:10:02.669
go back to the 60s and 70s it was all

188
00:10:02.740 --> 00:10:06.980
political and then punk just made it political with a

189
00:10:07.299 --> 00:10:10.399
little more angst and same with metal you know it's

190
00:10:10.460 --> 00:10:14.480
like it's the same message just in a different way

191
00:10:14.759 --> 00:10:18.360
you know and that's what's cool about music and certainly

192
00:10:19.070 --> 00:10:22.929
It does blow my mind that in 2026, we could

193
00:10:22.970 --> 00:10:27.049
take the 80s songs and change names out in the

194
00:10:27.110 --> 00:10:31.590
songs and those political songs would still be the same today.

195
00:10:31.710 --> 00:10:33.649
That blows my mind.

196
00:10:34.230 --> 00:10:35.330
Oh, yeah.

197
00:10:35.950 --> 00:10:40.110
That we're still talking about the world blowing up and

198
00:10:40.169 --> 00:10:46.809
things like that. That, I think, is what's great about

199
00:10:46.950 --> 00:10:51.100
metal is that That's why it stands the test of

200
00:10:51.240 --> 00:10:56.740
time because poppy type music is very relevant for that

201
00:10:56.860 --> 00:11:00.590
period of time only. Whereas I find that metal and punk,

202
00:11:01.129 --> 00:11:05.169
a lot of the messages, they transcend time. Like, like

203
00:11:05.230 --> 00:11:07.649
I was just saying, you know, those songs in the

204
00:11:07.730 --> 00:11:11.250
eighties are just as apropos as today. And so I

205
00:11:11.309 --> 00:11:15.730
think that's why these genres have stood the test of time.

206
00:11:16.769 --> 00:11:18.909
For sure. I mean, war picks, you know.

207
00:11:19.899 --> 00:11:27.470
Right, exactly. So, and you know, what's funny is you

208
00:11:27.870 --> 00:11:32.769
mentioned that if you listen to the original version, it's

209
00:11:32.830 --> 00:11:36.200
not as good because of the same reason why I'm

210
00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:39.659
talking about as the lyrics, you know, War Pigs is

211
00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:42.980
so relevant because of the lyrics. Now, if you take

212
00:11:43.019 --> 00:11:47.049
the original version of it, those lyrics aren't so relevant

213
00:11:47.620 --> 00:11:50.659
through all of time. They're not so evergreen, you know?

214
00:11:50.860 --> 00:11:52.860
And I think that's what made it a great song

215
00:11:52.940 --> 00:12:02.009
is actually adjusting it to make it better. So we

216
00:12:02.049 --> 00:12:06.750
have witness to a dying world coming out. Yeah.

217
00:12:07.029 --> 00:12:07.669
October 23rd.

218
00:12:07.809 --> 00:12:11.590
And, and it's like a birthday present for me because

219
00:12:11.850 --> 00:12:15.500
my birthday is the 11th, but Oh my God, that,

220
00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:19.620
That title alone says it all to me.

221
00:12:20.860 --> 00:12:21.279
You know?

222
00:12:22.899 --> 00:12:23.899
Yeah, for sure.

223
00:12:24.720 --> 00:12:28.519
It is funny, like, because a lot of things you

224
00:12:28.590 --> 00:12:31.009
and I grew up on are coming true now. And

225
00:12:31.110 --> 00:12:34.190
did we really even think they were going to come true? Like,

226
00:12:34.309 --> 00:12:37.470
in some ways, not. Like, you know, even something as

227
00:12:37.529 --> 00:12:41.169
simple as watching Star Trek. And they were having the

228
00:12:41.190 --> 00:12:43.490
video calls. And I remember, ooh, that would be cool

229
00:12:43.509 --> 00:12:46.429
to have. And now it's normal life. And here we are.

230
00:12:46.870 --> 00:12:50.220
And James T. Kirk is now starting a metal band

231
00:12:50.289 --> 00:12:52.299
at 95. It blows my mind.

232
00:12:52.940 --> 00:12:55.820
That blows my mind more than anything. I mean, you know,

233
00:12:57.279 --> 00:13:00.679
I'm a technology guy at heart. And I love seeing

234
00:13:01.480 --> 00:13:06.570
all the Star Trek technology become real. And in fact,

235
00:13:06.590 --> 00:13:09.129
you know, one of the things, you know, you mentioned

236
00:13:09.149 --> 00:13:11.389
you were at Milwaukee Metal Fest. I was at Maryland

237
00:13:11.409 --> 00:13:15.070
Death Fest and 70,000 tons. I've been actually writing an

238
00:13:15.690 --> 00:13:18.870
open source app for metal festivals. So if you go

239
00:13:18.909 --> 00:13:22.190
to Maryland Death Fest or 70,000 tons and you download

240
00:13:22.210 --> 00:13:24.990
the app, that's a free open source app I'm giving away.

241
00:13:25.570 --> 00:13:30.129
Nice. I love that. That's what 70,000 tons is one

242
00:13:30.169 --> 00:13:32.950
I haven't been on yet that is on my list.

243
00:13:33.070 --> 00:13:38.929
Like I've done Shiprock. But 70,000 tons looks like one

244
00:13:38.950 --> 00:13:41.909
of the coolest festivals ever. What was it like to

245
00:13:41.980 --> 00:13:42.789
you as an artist?

246
00:13:44.019 --> 00:13:47.659
Well, I haven't been as an artist. I have been

247
00:13:47.659 --> 00:13:51.379
12 years going in a row. So I'm a regular.

248
00:13:52.519 --> 00:13:53.679
Yeah, yeah.

249
00:13:53.879 --> 00:13:57.179
And, you know, I haven't done a lot of other

250
00:13:57.220 --> 00:14:01.919
festivals aside from I did Maryland Death Fest. and you know,

251
00:14:02.039 --> 00:14:05.080
it just, it's, it's a little different mainly because it's

252
00:14:05.440 --> 00:14:08.220
such a marathon. Like they start the music at 10 AM.

253
00:14:08.259 --> 00:14:10.590
They stop it at 6 AM. You get a four

254
00:14:10.620 --> 00:14:14.330
hour break and you go again. Um, many people go

255
00:14:14.389 --> 00:14:17.850
four days without sleep. I try and get about 10

256
00:14:17.850 --> 00:14:19.230
hours sleep over the four days.

257
00:14:19.250 --> 00:14:26.549
Um, um, And, you know, it's just a lot of fun.

258
00:14:26.789 --> 00:14:28.730
And, you know, especially going that often, you see the

259
00:14:28.769 --> 00:14:31.450
same people year after year, as well as meet new

260
00:14:31.470 --> 00:14:32.289
people all the time.

261
00:14:32.350 --> 00:14:34.690
So it's a lot of fun. And, you know, also,

262
00:14:34.789 --> 00:14:35.769
there's no backstage.

263
00:14:35.870 --> 00:14:37.769
So, you know, I got to hang out with Sean

264
00:14:37.789 --> 00:14:41.620
and Phil and Steve Souza and the guys from all

265
00:14:41.659 --> 00:14:44.259
the bands. Because, you know, your choices are be in

266
00:14:44.279 --> 00:14:46.639
the room or hang out with the fans. Those are

267
00:14:46.659 --> 00:14:50.860
your choices. And so that doesn't happen at other festivals

268
00:14:50.940 --> 00:14:51.299
as much.

269
00:14:51.899 --> 00:14:52.139
No.

270
00:14:52.159 --> 00:14:52.220
No.

271
00:14:52.509 --> 00:14:54.889
I found that to be the attitude at Shiprock too.

272
00:14:54.970 --> 00:14:58.450
It's like the artists had artists catering at Shiprock, but

273
00:14:58.470 --> 00:15:02.129
we're always at the buffet with everybody else, you know?

274
00:15:02.789 --> 00:15:05.950
And I think way that kind of is, is I

275
00:15:05.970 --> 00:15:09.789
think a lot of the bands realize, Hey, these people

276
00:15:10.629 --> 00:15:13.889
are not your typical festival goers because they're paying a

277
00:15:13.970 --> 00:15:16.129
lot of money to be on that cruise. So they're

278
00:15:16.149 --> 00:15:20.139
going to be more respectful. And I think that's the way,

279
00:15:21.090 --> 00:15:24.899
the people going look at, it's like at Shiprock, I

280
00:15:24.899 --> 00:15:27.820
don't know about 70,000 tons, but every band has a

281
00:15:27.860 --> 00:15:32.799
meet and greet. So, so basically they don't feel like

282
00:15:32.840 --> 00:15:36.090
they need to bother the artists because the artists are

283
00:15:36.149 --> 00:15:38.610
there and they get the meet and greet. They see him,

284
00:15:39.070 --> 00:15:42.889
you know, like even, you know, even in the casino,

285
00:15:43.009 --> 00:15:45.830
like I was teaching one of the dudes from flat black,

286
00:15:45.870 --> 00:15:50.460
how to play craps. You know, and, you know, and

287
00:15:50.580 --> 00:15:55.179
so it's a different vibe. And I found that somebody

288
00:15:55.279 --> 00:15:58.960
looking on as a media person that all the attendees,

289
00:15:59.919 --> 00:16:03.610
they didn't bother the artists like they would at a festival.

290
00:16:03.669 --> 00:16:06.649
Like even the press people bother artists at a festival

291
00:16:06.669 --> 00:16:09.409
a lot of times, which kind of annoys me. It's like,

292
00:16:10.009 --> 00:16:14.019
you know. Zach Wild was back one time and the

293
00:16:14.059 --> 00:16:16.059
tour manager had to go, all right, guys, it's not

294
00:16:16.120 --> 00:16:18.450
a meet and greet. We're working here. And like the

295
00:16:18.500 --> 00:16:20.519
fact that you should have to tell press people that

296
00:16:20.590 --> 00:16:23.669
blows my mind anyway. You know, and I have lots

297
00:16:23.730 --> 00:16:26.809
of stories like that. But I don't think the people

298
00:16:27.009 --> 00:16:29.610
act like that on the cruise ships because they know

299
00:16:30.169 --> 00:16:33.809
that you're there. You're going to be there and they're

300
00:16:33.850 --> 00:16:35.990
going to bump into you at some point. So they

301
00:16:36.009 --> 00:16:38.389
don't need to harass you because you're on vacation, too.

302
00:16:39.509 --> 00:16:43.039
Well, and you know, some artists really embrace it.

303
00:16:43.090 --> 00:16:47.029
Like I know that George Fisher, Cannibal Corpse, you can't

304
00:16:47.070 --> 00:16:48.789
get off the ship without taking a picture with him.

305
00:16:48.850 --> 00:16:51.269
He is everywhere. He's outside of every venue.

306
00:16:51.960 --> 00:16:54.559
I have never seen an artist be more accessible than

307
00:16:54.580 --> 00:16:57.720
George Fisher on the ship. Um, you know, Joey from

308
00:16:57.820 --> 00:17:01.700
Anthrax was, uh, and, oh, uh, you know, Rob from,

309
00:17:01.860 --> 00:17:04.180
from Death Angel, you know, those guys are everywhere on

310
00:17:04.200 --> 00:17:04.500
the ship.

311
00:17:05.029 --> 00:17:07.650
And then some artists are a little bit more reclusive.

312
00:17:07.710 --> 00:17:12.269
I think, uh, Alyssa from Arch Enemy, you know, was

313
00:17:12.309 --> 00:17:14.910
very hanging out in her cabin, not spending too much

314
00:17:14.970 --> 00:17:17.019
time around the ship, and that was her choice, and

315
00:17:17.039 --> 00:17:19.940
that's fine. But some of it depends on the personality

316
00:17:19.960 --> 00:17:22.779
of the artist, how outgoing they naturally are, and how

317
00:17:22.819 --> 00:17:25.220
much they just feel like this is one big party

318
00:17:25.259 --> 00:17:26.160
they want to have fun at.

319
00:17:26.980 --> 00:17:30.430
Exactly. And I think with Alyssa, I think maybe it

320
00:17:30.549 --> 00:17:33.630
had to do with everything that was going on and

321
00:17:33.730 --> 00:17:38.309
still going on, you know, that it's... you don't want

322
00:17:38.329 --> 00:17:40.670
to be bombarded with the questions that you've been asked

323
00:17:40.670 --> 00:17:41.569
10 million times.

324
00:17:43.069 --> 00:17:45.349
And also as a female, things can be a little

325
00:17:45.369 --> 00:17:46.470
bit different and I get that.

326
00:17:47.029 --> 00:17:50.819
Probably, but yeah, you're right. There's different personalities. I see

327
00:17:50.839 --> 00:17:54.220
it even at the festivals. There's, there's people, artists that

328
00:17:54.259 --> 00:17:56.059
are big artists that I'll hang out with in the

329
00:17:56.140 --> 00:17:59.779
crowd and GA watching a set with and others that

330
00:17:59.819 --> 00:18:04.480
you'll never see out there, you know? So it's so true, but, uh,

331
00:18:05.690 --> 00:18:10.630
I love your music and the combination. You know, it's funny,

332
00:18:11.579 --> 00:18:16.039
going back to Possessed, you know, it's funny that people

333
00:18:16.160 --> 00:18:21.000
back then were calling them Slayer copycats, which I didn't

334
00:18:21.140 --> 00:18:24.740
find them to be a Slayer copycat at all, or

335
00:18:25.059 --> 00:18:29.660
calling them thrash. And I think they're more like you.

336
00:18:30.220 --> 00:18:35.049
They were the original death metal band that had thrash

337
00:18:35.390 --> 00:18:40.779
elements to it. I wouldn't call possessed purely thrash metal.

338
00:18:42.099 --> 00:18:43.000
No, not at all.

339
00:18:43.119 --> 00:18:46.220
And possessed is a good example. I mean, it's kind

340
00:18:46.299 --> 00:18:48.900
of funny. It's like, okay, we call ourselves death thrash.

341
00:18:48.920 --> 00:18:52.440
And I think that accurately describes what we do. But,

342
00:18:52.940 --> 00:18:57.210
you know, death evolved from thrash to a large degree.

343
00:18:57.269 --> 00:19:00.390
And so the early death metal bands were death thrash

344
00:19:00.430 --> 00:19:03.150
by default because that's the way the evolution was going.

345
00:19:03.670 --> 00:19:04.430
Exactly.

346
00:19:05.089 --> 00:19:07.619
You know, we try and bring in some other elements.

347
00:19:07.650 --> 00:19:09.640
I mean, you can hear some mellow death. You can

348
00:19:09.680 --> 00:19:13.900
hear various influences. And, you know, the bottom line, we're

349
00:19:13.940 --> 00:19:17.200
not trying to, you know, come up with some brand

350
00:19:17.259 --> 00:19:19.970
new sound. We're not trying to do anything other than

351
00:19:20.069 --> 00:19:22.670
make music that we like and are proud of. And

352
00:19:22.710 --> 00:19:25.009
hopefully people will think it's original. I think it's got

353
00:19:25.029 --> 00:19:27.329
a lot of originality to it. But, you know, even

354
00:19:27.390 --> 00:19:29.960
if they say, you know, oh, It's mixtures of the

355
00:19:29.980 --> 00:19:31.980
same thing I've heard a thousand times. Well, this is

356
00:19:32.140 --> 00:19:34.339
our mixture of the same thing you've heard a thousand times.

357
00:19:34.420 --> 00:19:35.150
And so we love it.

358
00:19:35.920 --> 00:19:39.039
And you know what? Good music is not reinventing the wheel.

359
00:19:39.079 --> 00:19:42.180
That's why we have influences. One thing I did like

360
00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:46.710
about your music is the same I felt in the 80s. okay?

361
00:19:46.769 --> 00:19:49.910
So nowadays you have a lot of these metalcore bands

362
00:19:50.019 --> 00:19:54.279
that have this formula. It's like an algebraic equation to

363
00:19:54.319 --> 00:19:57.200
make music. And so to me, a lot of them

364
00:19:57.240 --> 00:20:00.359
do sound the same. The thrash bands back in the

365
00:20:00.700 --> 00:20:03.319
80s and the death metal back in the 80s, nobody

366
00:20:03.380 --> 00:20:06.059
sounded the same. You could hear the band I could

367
00:20:06.460 --> 00:20:09.460
in like five seconds and know which band it was, okay?

368
00:20:09.930 --> 00:20:15.289
Sean certainly doesn't sound like Belladonna or Araya or Hetfield

369
00:20:15.809 --> 00:20:20.650
or Mustaine, you know, and the riffs are not exactly

370
00:20:20.690 --> 00:20:24.779
the same. The music is not exactly the same. I

371
00:20:24.819 --> 00:20:26.920
find that to be the same with you. Like I

372
00:20:26.960 --> 00:20:32.000
could hear your music until it's your music, not somebody else's,

373
00:20:32.640 --> 00:20:34.799
you know, and that's to me the key.

374
00:20:36.019 --> 00:20:36.819
Yeah, that's awesome.

375
00:20:36.859 --> 00:20:38.759
Yeah, I know that, you know, like Testament, you know,

376
00:20:39.500 --> 00:20:41.680
you hear a Testament riff and it's like, okay, that

377
00:20:41.700 --> 00:20:44.059
sounds like Testament.

378
00:20:44.200 --> 00:20:48.940
Exactly, exactly. So that's pretty cool. So I put you

379
00:20:49.259 --> 00:20:53.569
in a world like that, you know, opposed to today's world,

380
00:20:53.670 --> 00:20:56.930
which is kind of cool. And that comes from just

381
00:20:56.970 --> 00:20:59.809
playing what you like. I mean, like, that's the key

382
00:20:59.829 --> 00:21:04.650
to it. If you're gonna do this, especially metal or punk,

383
00:21:05.650 --> 00:21:08.309
You might as well do what you like. Otherwise, just

384
00:21:08.329 --> 00:21:09.069
be a pop band.

385
00:21:10.329 --> 00:21:14.799
Yeah, yeah, exactly. I mean, you know, I've always loved

386
00:21:15.740 --> 00:21:18.579
the thrashing. Violence is the epitome of this, but lots

387
00:21:18.619 --> 00:21:21.140
of bands do this. It's like, okay, you chug on

388
00:21:21.180 --> 00:21:22.440
the E a little bit, but then you take it

389
00:21:22.480 --> 00:21:24.000
high and you do some licks. And then you go

390
00:21:24.039 --> 00:21:26.230
back to the E to give the aggression. And then,

391
00:21:26.589 --> 00:21:29.690
you know, you move it around. You explore the fretboards.

392
00:21:30.519 --> 00:21:32.420
You know, there are some bands and, you know, I'm

393
00:21:32.460 --> 00:21:35.009
not talking, everybody has their own thing, but the bands

394
00:21:35.049 --> 00:21:37.809
that like, you know, use the E string as a very,

395
00:21:37.910 --> 00:21:40.390
as a rhythm instrument for the drums, you know, everything's

396
00:21:40.430 --> 00:21:42.529

Thrash to Death: Absolute Darkness, Classic Influences, and Metal’s Enduring Legacy with Pipeman

Listen On

Featured Episodes

Recent Episodes

Support On