Written in an easy conversational tone, Bello’s memoir, Fathers, Brothers, and Sons: Surviving Anguish, Abandonment, and Anthrax, allows any reader to feel as if they are the friend who’s sitting down with him to catch up on life, only better. This isn’t a cache of rock and roll bragging rights about things like platinum records, globe trotting concert tours, and gold-plated Ferraris. Although, Anthrax has certainly racked up a slew of stellar accomplishments over their 40-year career and it would be well within Bello’s right if he did want to highlight those achievements. But instead Bello speaks candidly and with utter honesty about every aspect of his life including the grief he’s endured having been abandoned by his father as a young man and coping with the unsolved murder of his brother, as well as facing his own character flaws and how he still struggles with some of them to this day. And – well, feelings. It’s unfortunate how many stereotypes exist in the world regarding men not being able to express their feelings – – – let alone a ‘metal guy’ showing any sort of a ‘softer’ side! But Bello is as multifaceted as anyone – and he owns it.

And yes, of course there are plenty of Anthrax stories and insights throughout the pages of this book, how could there not be? But at the heart of this personal account is – as the title implies – Frank Bello the father, the brother, the son, and the man, and all of the real things both good and bad that he’s been though in his life. The real person – not a personification of the ultimate rock star, but someone that every one of us can relate to.

Despite all of 2020’s unprecedented fear, disappointment, and uncertainty due to the pandemic, there has been some good to come out of this dismal year as well: new music. And one album in particular offering solace to music lovers is the new Golden Robot Records release from L.A. Guns featuring Steve Riley and Kelly Nickels entitled Renegades.

Now, there is a bit of a fuss happening regarding former members of the original L.A. Guns having formed two different versions of the band while both using the same name. This has happened with other notable bands in recent past including Queensryche, Great White, Ratt, Yes, and others. And what seems to always happen is a number of fans will tend to pick sides choosing one group over the other and consequently bashing the other to no end. Having written for the band KISS for several years, I’d encountered a similar sort of vexation about Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley hiring Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer to replace original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss for current albums and tours.

But here’s my take on the name controversy – I absolutely do not care about any legal or personal drama happening between band members. I don’t care who my favorite musicians marry, or what they eat for breakfast, what their political affiliations are, or what kind of battles they’re waging upon one another.

As a fan of music I want to hear their music. As a fan of music I want to hear new music. And as a fan of music I want to focus upon and enjoy said music without having the unnecessary distraction of joining rock star versions of Team Edward/Team Jacob.

So now that that’s out of the way let’s talk about Renegades…

The early L.A. Guns vibe conjures up visions of girls and motorcycles, booze, grit, the open road, all that went along with the early days of sleaze rock and 1980’s Sunset Strip mayhem and debauchery. Steve Riley and Kelly Nickels alongside Scott Griffin and Kurt Frohlich have tapped into that essence while creating ten solid and modern rocking tunes.

A lot of creativity can seem magical at times. There are always the stories that artists like to tell about how inspiration struck them like a lightning bolt, and of course that does happen. But there is also something to be said for seasoned musicians coming together, knowing how to tap into and wield that creative force to craft quality work. Renegades is a strong, snappy, and genuinely hard rocking release from song-one to song-ten.

Highlights include the title cut, “Renegades” which exudes a catchy, high energy feel that is almost impossible to listen to without daydreaming of riding Harleys through the desert. “Don’t Wanna Know” – teeming with a raw, heavy groove. “Witchcraft” and “Lost Boys” – both simply great rockers, and the acoustic, “Would” with an almost a gentle, folksy sound.

But easily tied for first place would be the album’s first release, “Crawl” and the song “All That You Are.” Both strong, infectious tunes that are aurally satisfying on a level that only those who love and breathe the need for music can truly understand.

When the world can get back to normal, I look forward to seeing this version of L.A. Guns live as every cut on this album is simply perfect for the stage.

Interview by Melanie Falina

Ohio-based atl-metal masters, Mushroomhead, are in the midst of a pretty awesome 2018 – and they’re amping up for an even bigger 2019.

Having just released a brand new DVD, Volume III, and currently on the road with The Summer of Screams tour, UnRated caught up with Mushroomhead founder and drummer, Steve “Skinny” Felton to talk about the writing of their forthcoming album, the creative process, and their tour coming to The Forge in Joliet this Saturday, September 15.

Melanie Falina: You guys are on tour and have a whole lot of stuff going on – but one of the most exciting things right now is your new DVD, Volume III! It’s amazing with tons of new footage and it’s very cinematic looking too. How’s it feel now for you that it’s finally out there?

Steve “Skinny” Felton: I am glad that it finally got turned in and proofed and done, you know, how many edits, how many times you’re so close and then you end up working on it for another month or whatever [laughs]. Deadlines definitely help. But yes, very, very proud of this one. It’s our third DVD and it’s quite different than the others, and like you were saying and other people have said it’s very cinematic. It plays out more like a movie or an album than your typical band DVD release. Bands will have a video and then show some behind-the-scenes antics, and then back to a video. We really tried to incorporate a lot of the live element and bringing slow motion pieces together of live footage and doing some remix audio to tie all the videos together. So the first 38-40 minutes play more like a film or a record, but I’m really proud of it, it came out great.

Melanie Falina: And I’m sure you can use the knowledge you gain with each release to build on and get even better going forward too.

Skinny: Absolutely. Every day you sit down and work on that kind of stuff, it’s a learning curve. And when you get done with it you think, ‘If only I would have…’ but you don’t know that until you get done with your initial objective. I look back and go, ‘I could have done that differently,’ but I wouldn’t have known that then if I did stick it out and finish stuff. And that’s part of the problem too because we have our own studio where we do a lot of the video editing and audio editing as well so it’s kind of a blessing and a curse, you can keep tweaking it until you get it right but is it ever going to be right? [laughs]

Melanie Falina: And I read that you’re actually building a new studio right now.

Skinny: Yeah, we just moved in early spring to another location which is an old transmission shop actually. And we got about half of it done before we set off on this tour, so when we come back we’re going to knock out a few more walls and start tracking some drums because we’re very busy writing the new album. We got some work in before we left, and we’ve been recording a lot of new ideas and just messing around with things on the bus. But we’re really excited to get back home and write a new record in a brand new place.

Melanie Falina: When is the anticipated release date for the new album?

Skinny: Well, if everything can happen the way we’re seeing it, it’ll be out late-March or early-April. Brand new Mushroomhead – album number eight – it’s crazy! Here we are, 25 years later, making the eighth one. But I’m really looking forward to this one. We’ve been doing this awhile and we’ve got some really solid ideas right now. You know, we find that the good albums just write themselves, so if everything goes right I think this is going to be a really smooth album. We’re going to home for a month, and then go back out for two weeks at the end of October to celebrate 25 years, and with our annual Halloween party that we do in Cleveland. This year it’s October 27th, the last Saturday of October. And then after that, we’re back in the studio, and if everything works out right we’ll be done by Thanksgiving. Then it’ll go on to mastering, do a new video, and get a couple of months pre-push as far as lead time, but yeah, in a perfect world that’s my next schedule. [laughs] And over to Europe is the definitely the next step, we’re going to focus on that pretty hard in 2019.

Melanie Falina: You had mentioned that the new album is kind of writing itself, and that’s something I experience too with my poetry. There are times when it just seems to flow out of nowhere, but then – for myself anyway – there are times when that inspiration just isn’t talking to me. Do you have that same issue?

Skinny: Oh absolutely, we say that all the time – we’ll be working on a song and it’ll be three, four hours later and walk into the other room and go, ‘It ain’t talking to me!’ Or, ‘I’m not hearing anything yet, it’s not telling me what to do.’ You [tell yourself] it’ll come, but after six or eight hours it doesn’t. It’s not the easiest to just walk in every day and just be creative, but we are fortunate enough to have our own studio so when the inspiration does happen – or strikes – we can get right on it, record it and capture it, and that’s a huge win for us. And that’s helping now as far as the time factor when, like you said, it just flows out of you. But we’re pretty open-minded too, we’ve been doing this a long time, so we can find inspiration pretty much anywhere. Like the other night, it was right after a show and we were standing outside the bus talking and I was drinking a beer, and the light pole in the club parking lot had this weird buzz to it and would flicker, and it was doing it in a loop. [laughs] And I instantly said, ‘Man, we should record that and put it in a loop and make a drum pattern from it.’ And we didn’t do that but it’s as simple as that sometimes, I was inspired by the sound of this fucked up lamp post. But that’s not something you’re going to look for like, ‘I’m going to go listen for weird sounds.’ [laughs] It doesn’t happen that way. We’re still just open-minded and willing to try stuff and still experiment. I know we’ve found Mushroomhead has sounds and styles, but is there one particular sound? I don’t think so, and I tend to like that. We write more like normal life – you’re not mad all the time, you’re not sad all the time. So you don’t just get one emotion out of Mushroomhead you get a full circle, plus there’s eight of us so there are a lot of different moods and personalities to capture.

Melanie Falina: You guys are on tour right now but also doing signings in full costume and with your masks. Is that ever something that’s kind of daunting, or do you still really enjoy it every time you put the mask on?

Skinny: You know, we all still really enjoy it. I think the only time when it really becomes bothersome is when we’re under really hectic schedules and say the wardrobe doesn’t have a chance to air out or dry. Putting on wet wardrobe that next day is always a kicker and sometimes it just stinks. [laughs] I think that’s the biggest problem and the biggest challenge that we find out there is keeping our wardrobe clean, but after so many years of the mask and the makeup you get used to it and it becomes part of the character, it’s part of getting ready before you go onstage – you get the wardrobe on, you get the makeup on, and by the time you put that mask on you’re ready to rock. The pre-game ritual gets you in the mindset.

Melanie Falina: So how is The Summer of Screams Tour going? Are you having fun with all these guys?

Skinny: Oh, absolutely! It’s a great tour, and it’s fun because some of these guys we’ve been out with before – Unsaid Fate, The Browning, and Psychostick – so it’s like a high school reunion basically. It’s a lot of fun and antics, and everyone’s just on the same page and everyone’s really happy to be here. And it’s been a smooth running tour, everyone’s just been really easy going and it’s off to a great start. I hope that The Summer of Screams Tour turns into something annual and that they continue to do.

Melanie Falina: Changing gears a bit here, but what would you say is the most important lesson that you’ve learned so far in life?

Skinny: In life – I think, be happy with what you have. Absolutely. Don’t take anything for granted. If you’re blessed in any way, take a second to take a step back and look at your life, I bet it’s not that bad. I have two teenage boys, they’re 17 and 19, and I say to them, ‘If that’s the worst thing that happened to you today, you’re doing ok.’ [laughs] It’s very important to keep your head straight, especially in the entertainment world, your head can get spun off really fast and it’s a whirlwind of a lifestyle for sure. But if you can be happy with what you have – it’s very challenging – don’t get me wrong – but I think that’s one of the most important things ever. Take a step back and be thankful, it could be a lot worst, I promise you.

Melanie Falina: And yeah, speaking of that, musicians are always surrounded by people telling you how great you are – so how do you stay grounded like that?

Skinny: Well, or how bad we are. If you’re on the Internet then it’s how bad we are. [laughs] If you’re face to face they love you, behind a keyboard they hate you. And sometimes it’s crazy because it’s that same person.

Melanie Falina: So how do you emotionally balance out those different kinds of reactions?

Skinny: You know, I say it to the band, and a lot of artists – they say the bigger the band the more it’s going to get ripped. At the end of the day, I don’t really create art or music for everyone else’s opinion, I create it because I’m trying to express myself as an artist. And whether people like it or hate it, it doesn’t matter, I’m going to make stuff. I like to create, I’m very much addicted to the creation of all of it – entirely – the craft of writing, recording, mask-making, blah blah blah. But it’s not as easy as everyone thinks. As an artist, if you can just be happy with what you do, I think that is the key. And then if there are people who end up liking your music and maybe become fans of your stuff, then that’s a humongous bonus. I didn’t start this to be in the biggest band in the world, I didn’t start this so everyone would like me. As an artist, I needed to express myself and create, and this is what came out. But if you’re true to yourself then it doesn’t matter what anyone else says. I think it was Andy Warhol who said it, “Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.”

Melanie Falina: Is there anything else that you’d like to mention?

Skinny: Just that I can’t thank the fans enough. We’ve got an amazing underground following, and I don’t care if you’ve been here for 25 minutes or 25 years, thank you! We would not be us without you – flat-out. The fans are the reason we got bigger and more popular, we were just making art [laughs] and people ended up liking it. So, I just can’t thank them enough.

MUSHROOMHEAD WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE

Mushroomhead will be playing The Forge in Joliet on Saturday, September 15 for The Summer of Screams Tour with Powerman 5000, The Browning, Kissing Candice, and Unsaid Fate. Click here for tickets.

Living The Life with Poison’s Rikki Rockett

Interview by Melanie Falina

When glam rockers Poison exploded onto the music scene with their debut release, Look What the Cat Dragged In, they made music fun. Like, really fun. The kind of fun that lead the charge in 80’s rock and metal that was glamorous and carefree. Of course, there were other androgynous looking bands on the rise as well, but Poison made true of their “Nothing But A Good Time” anthem for their following – and without fear of getting knifed by fellow music fans – or in some cases, the band themselves.

Thirty-five years later, albeit minus the massive makeup, hairspray, and brightly colored spandex, Poison is still bringing that good time to the table – and it’s a saving grace for fans of 80s music looking for that feel-good vibe from their formative years, as well as the younger generations of music lovers alike.

Melanie Falina of UnRated Magazine recently got the chance to talk to Poison drummer Rikki Rockett, and Rikki shared some insights on being one-fourth of a ‘band of brothers’ for three and a half decades now, to being both a dad and a cancer survivor, and how he’d love to do a reality TV show…

Check it out!

Melanie Falina: Do you still bring your scooter along with you on tour so that you could ride through the cities that you visit?

Rikki Rockett: Yeah, I do, and now I have a trailer so I can actually bring my motorcycle. But before I had a small-frame that I’d have to put in the bay of the bus and I’d have to drain the gas out every night which was a pain.  

Melanie Falina: You’re a few weeks into your “Nothing But A Good Time” summer tour with Cheap Trick and Pop Evil now. Last summer, Poison toured with Def Leppard and Tesla, but for this tour you guys are headlining which is awesome to have you guys on stage for a bit longer.

Rikki Rockett: Yes, I agree – we get to spread our wings a bit.

Melanie Falina: Are there any Poison songs that you guys can squeeze in now as the headliner that you’re enjoying playing again, or are there any older songs that you would like to work into the set-list?

Rikki Rockett: You know, someone requested “Love On The Rocks” last night right in front of Bret and I, and I said ‘Yeah, I want to do it,’ and Bret was like, ‘Oh, who doesn’t?’ And I’m like, ‘No, he doesn’t.’ [laughs] We try to change things up, but you know, the set time isn’t that much longer really because there are three bands – even though we’re the headliner.

Melanie Falina: Are there any older songs that maybe you haven’t done live in forever that you’d really like to?

Rikki Rockett: I really wish we had an A and a B set, you know – honestly, I do. That’s what I would love to be able to do. There are a ton of songs that I would love to play live. I love our hits, don’t get me wrong, and I love the response that we get when we play them. But I do think that doing some deep tracks would be fun, I would actually love to do a ‘no hits’ tour, you know what I mean? Seriously! That would be kind of cool. I love all our songs but I do feel like we have this huge body of work that we’re not using, but that’s just how it is.

Melanie Falina: Poison started 35 years ago – back when you were all basically kids – did you ever think for a second that three and a half decades later you’d still be playing in this band?

Rikki Rockett: No, I didn’t, honestly. I dreamed it but didn’t know that it would actually happen. You hear, ‘living the dream,’ but honestly it’s true. It is a lot different than I envisioned it but it’s still fantastic. It’s still life – it has its ups and downs exactly the way anyone else has things in their life, but it’s just magnified in a different way. I want to write a book and I want to explain this to people [laughs]. People have said, ‘Aren’t you guys like brothers?’ and ‘Why aren’t you guys in the same bus?’ and things like that, but let me tell you something – I love my sister but I don’t want to live with her. I don’t have any brothers, I have a sister, but if I did have brothers I wouldn’t want to live with them either. So honestly, this band is a band of brothers but in some ways it’s actually more stressful because there’s more on the line. If you have a brother or sister there’s nothing expected of you – you share something at Thanksgiving and you’re done with it. [laughs] There’s not a responsibility. But the band –  it’s like this child that we all have to share custody of, and we all have our own way of doing it at times. So this is why there are many divorces in bands. [laughs] Proverbially.

Melanie Falina: What are the best things about touring right now at this point in time, and what are the worst things?

Rikki Rockett: I think it’s all together better, for me. At 20 years we got our own buses to travel in, and that’s not to be snide but it’s nice to have your own space. I’ve got a trailer with a motorcycle out with me, I’ve got tools so I can work on it, my cameras – I’m kind of a camera buff, and I’m never bored on the road. When you’re all cramped on a bus – road crew, band, everybody – you’ve got to respect each other’s space, it’s just a lot more stressful. If you leave a bag in the middle of the hallway somebody is mad about it or whatever. It’s prison-like, you know what I mean? You understand why someone gets shanked over a ham sandwich. [laugh] On the bus there are these things – who stole someone’s DVD or whatever – all these little things because huge things.

Melanie Falina: You’ve already had an interesting life – in addition to music, you’re a dad, you’re a black belt, you’re a cancer survivor – I can go on and on. So what would you say is the most important lesson you’ve learned thus far in life?

Rikki Rockett: Wow, that’s kind of tough because there’s a yin and a yang there. I think that my kids have been a blessing because they’ve taught me a lot, especially having a girl. You know, the boy is such a reflexion of me, but the girl – I want to teach her how to be treated, how she’ll put up with things – that’s an important thing.  Somebody posted this thing the other day that said, ‘As for my girls, I’m going to teach them to think that they can breathe fire.’ And I want to do that with my kids, without spoiling them. Then on the flipside, I had the cancer thing that taught me a whole other lesson. After the cancer thing a lot of people ask me if I want to stop and smell the roses more, but no. I’ve lost a little bit of time and I realize our time is limited. So I’m a whole lot less patient these days, if I meet somebody and they’re like, ‘Oh, bro, I’ll call you!’ and they don’t call me, that’s it – I’m done. I’m totally done with them. People don’t get second chances in my life because I know now, when I look back, how many people have burned me and wasted my time. And like the song, “Life Loves A Tragedy,” if you listen to that song, there’s a little bit of that truth in that.

Melanie Falina: I know that Poison is taking up the bulk of your time right now, but what’s going on with your other band, Devil City Angels?

Rikki Rockett: It’s funny that you mention that, we just did a Devil City Angels music video for a new single called “Testify.” We’ve got Joel Kosche from Collective Soul on guitar, and we’ve got a guy called Topher Nolan out of Nashville who was with John Corabi – Corabi went on to do The Dead Daisies so we grabbed Topher – not a big name, you know? But he’s kind of like Brandan [Gibbs] in that we’re lucky to have a guy who’s that talented and hasn’t been grabbed up by someone already. So that’s the band and I’m telling you, this new song is really, really cool. It’ll be out in the new few weeks, we’re moving pretty quickly with it. I’m super excited.

Melanie Falina: Ok, so now for a question you probably get asked all the time and are tired of having to answer – but do you foresee there ever being another Poison album with all-new material?

Rikki Rockett: You know what, I don’t have an announcement about that, but we have talked about new material quite a bit, and we’ve messed around with stuff. So would we do it? All I can say is I hope so because I think it would be fantastic.

Melanie Falina: Is there anything else in your life, musically or otherwise, that you would like to do?

Rikki Rockett: Well, I’m pretty into motorcycles and I have a blog that’s pretty much motorcentric, so I spend a lot of time with my YouTube channel doing that stuff from the perspective of being on a motorcycle – like what’s life like when you’re riding.  So I do a lot of that already and I have a really good idea for a reality TV show that I’m going to pitch after this tour is over and it has to do with motorcycles. So that’s what I’d like to do. And you know the motorcycle community is shrinking, actually, newer riders are not emerging as quickly as even five years ago – so I want to help with that. It’s kind of like trying to fix Global Warming [laughs], I’m going to do my part. Riding just takes you to a lot of places that you might not even have cared to go to, but then all of a sudden you’re like I’m glad I got here.

Melanie Falina: Is there anything you’d like to say directly to your fans?

Rikki Rockett: Yes. Honestly, the fans are the reason why we’re still here after all these years. People ask, ‘What is the secret to your longevity?’ Fans! We’re very lucky to have them, and I’m lucky to be in a band where fans have embraced us so well. If they hadn’t, we just wouldn’t be able to do it. I love them. And I know other groups and artists have talked about that but I feel like they just say it but I really mean it.

 

Rikki Rockett Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Interview by Melanie Falina

There are two things that hard-core coffee lovers truly delight in – – – drinking coffee (that one is a no-brainer) – – – and talking about coffee. And one of the most passionate coffee enthusiasts of the metal world is without a doubt Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante.

A fan of the beverage since his toddler years, it’s really no surprise that Benante’s life-long love of coffee eventually lead to the creation and sale of his very own Benante’s Blend coffees. And much to the delight of the metalhead coffee lovers of the world, Benante also indulges in that secondary activity of talking about coffee, but with other coffee worshiping metal luminaries in what he calls his “Talking Coffee” video series. Already racking up super cool coffee chats with people like Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe, Megadeth’s David Ellefson, Slayer’s Tom Araya, and many others, it’s always a thrill to see who Benante will be talking coffee with next.

But UnRated Magazine recently caught up with Charlie Benante whilst in the midst of Anthrax’s KILLTHRAX tour with Killswitch Engage – – – only this time Charlie became the interviewee rather than the interviewer for a fun chat about all things coffee…

Melanie Falina: I’ve heard you use the expression “the art of coffee” before when you were talking about Dark Matter Coffee who you’ve partnered with recently. But explain what “the art of coffee” means to someone who might not be a hard-core coffee lover like yourself?

Charlie Benante: I think with any subject – take someone who’s an audiophile – they have to have the best quality of the music. You know, we spend so much time making records to sound good and we spend so much money to make these records sound good, and then at the end of the day someone’s listening to them on these little tiny pods and it’s kind of like, ‘No, no, that’s not how it was intended,’ but that’s how some people want to listen to them, and it’s the same thing with coffee. Awhile back someone turned me on to a French press and I fell in love with doing it that way. Then someone turned me on to the AeroPress, which extracts as much of the bean/coffee as possible so that’s another way of doing it. I remember years ago when I stumbled on to this thing at Starbucks, they have what’s called the Clover machine and that tastes so good because that uses the exact elements that I just talked about but it’s a machine that does it. So when I say “the art of coffee,” there are so many different ways people try to get the purest taste out of that bean.

Melanie Falina: I’ve read that your mom used to put coffee in your bottle when you were really little, is that true?

Charlie Benante: That’s a true story, I’m not making that up. When I would sit at the table with her, sitting on her lap, I’d grab her coffee and take a sip, you know what I mean? I loved the taste of it and so she would put a little in my bottle. It’s funny, when my daughter was born I talked to her doctor about that, and they said that coffee is no problem for a kid, it actually helps them focus. And I thought that’s a good thing. [laughs]

Melanie Falina: You know how we all have certain tastes that we discover we really like as kids and we carry that fondness through our entire lives? Would you say that coffee is that primary taste for you?

Charlie Benante: Absolutely! It’s something that I never grew tired of, as a matter of fact it’s way stronger nowadays. I go to sleep thinking about the morning – about the coffee. Even today, I woke up on the bus as we were driving through Savannah, Georgia and I was just like, ‘Come on, man, are we there?’ We do have coffee on the bus but I didn’t want it, I wanted to get out into the city, wherever we were. Luckily for me, two blocks away from the hotel was this kind of ma and pop coffee roaster place that actually roasts the coffee there. So I just sat there and the smell was everywhere, it was one of those experiences that I talk about.

Melanie Falina: What is your morning ritual at home? Do you use a French press or automated drip, etc?

Charlie Benante: [Laughs] I have so many different ways of making coffee. Usually if it’s during the week and I’m taking my daughter to school, I get up early and I make her lunch and then I’m pretty much making a drip – – – unless I don’t have time to do it and I’ll just hit the Starbucks up the street. Usually on the weekends is when I have more time to do things and I’ll use the French press or the AeroPress. But at the end of the day it’s all about the experience.

Melanie Falina: Do you only drink it in the morning or do you have coffee all day long?

Charlie Benante: I don’t drink as much as I once did, I’ve kind of limited myself to the morning cup and then maybe in the afternoon I’ll have a cold brew or Americano or something. I’m trying to limit my coffee intake later in the day, it’ll make me wired at night because I don’t drink mild stuff, I drink ass-kicking stuff. [laughs]

Melanie Falina: You had mentioned waking up on the bus this morning but not wanting to make your morning cup there. What’s your set up on the bus?

Charlie Benante: We have everything. We have everything on the bus – we have a grinder, we have a Keurig machine, we have a regular coffee machine. The other night in Virginia Chris [Adler] from Lamb of God brought me a bag of beans from his local place. He said, ‘This is really good stuff…’ so I was really happy about that. [laughs]

Melanie Falina: You do video interviews – aptly named “Talking Coffee” – where you talk to other people in the music world who like coffee. In the video you did with Corey Taylor I kind of got the impression that he’s drawn a bit more to the kick of the caffeine than the taste of coffee. What’s that balance for you between the jolt and the taste?

Charlie Benante: I don’t even notice the kick anymore to be honest with you. I’ve become so immune to it that it doesn’t really affect me the way it did 15 or 20 years ago. And other people that I’ve spoken to, like Brent Hinds from Mastodon, like he was saying [his coffee experience] was all about him and his dad – that was their bond. We don’t drink alcohol with our parents when we’re younger but everyone has coffee in their house. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been places where they’re complete tea drinkers, and they’ll try to give me the argument about caffeine in coffee, but there’s more caffeine in the tea they’re drinking than there is in coffee. But this is the funny thing, back in the 90s when Starbucks hit the West Coast and I remember enjoying it there but it was nowhere near the East Coast or Midwest or anything. And once it started to make its way, I’d tell people, ‘Starbucks is such good coffee,’ and most people would just drink McDonald’s coffee or the local stuff so once it came around they’d say, ‘It’s gross and so bitter…’ and I thought, ‘Whatever, eventually you’ll get the hang of it.’ Sure enough, a few years later people drink Starbucks exclusively. And it’s also a part of the culture that happened in the 90s where people were going to coffee shops to meet up, to vent, to read, to do work, whatever, and now it’s a normal part of our everyday culture.

Melanie Falina: And that is what paved the way for all of the smaller, craft roasters that are around today as well.

Charlie Benante: Correct. Let’s face it, it spawned a whole other subculture and to me there’s nothing better. Like today, I went to a local coffee place and it’s nice to be able to experience America. This is the type of America that I encounter and like, not worried about anybody’s fucking race or politics or anything – everyone’s just having a cup of coffee. They could be black, white, red, brown, green – I don’t give a fuck.

Melanie Falina: So in regards to your own coffee, you have the partnership with Dark Matter coffee, and on your website you sell your Be All End All which is a dark roast and the Forever Metal medium roast. Any plans to add any additional roasts as well?

Charlie Benante: We did come up with another one which you can get in stores and online, it’s our Fernet Branca Blend collaboration. And I’ve been talking about doing another type of blend with the guys at Dark Matter. As soon as I get the time to go there we’ll sit down and do a taste test of this kind of thing and that, and then we’ll come up with something really cool again.

Melanie Falina: Between Anthrax and being a busy dad I’m sure it’s hard to concentrate on the coffee as much as you’d like to, but if time wasn’t an issue where would you like to take all this? Grocery store distribution or having your own cafe someday?

Charlie Benante: I would love to have my own place where people could come and just sit, drink coffee, do artwork, get up and do a song. [chuckles] You know, just come and hang.

Melanie Falina: Maybe like a heavy metal coffee joint?

Charlie Benante: Exactly! I think there’s room for it. But I think the best thing for me would be to incorporate everything that I love and everything that other people love and have a cool collaboration. I love branching out and doing some of the horror conventions and things like that because I get to meet people who are just as deeply into the stuff as I am. It’s always good to meet people at those and talk, I’ve made such great acquaintances at these types of things. And everyone has something genuine about them that you can learn from or they can learn something from you – you can bounce something off of them. You know we did this beer [Anthrax Wardance Pale Ale] and the distributor that brought it into Illinois, Gun Craft Beer, are just such cool people I was happy that they’re so passionate about it too and it really helped us. If you go to Kuma’s you can get it there and at Binny’s, making those connections is a really good thing.

Melanie Falina: For myself, now that I pay more attention to the kinds of beans that are in my coffee, I’ve discovered that I like a lot of the beans that come from Ethiopia and Kenya. Are there any specific places in the world that grow beans that you really like?

Charlie Benante: Yeah, Ethiopia is one of them – some of my coffee is blended with Ethiopian beans. I also love Costa Rica, Guatemala is another one. One day I went down to Dark Matter and we all did this coffee tasting and we tried all different types, and I gravitate more towards those beans.

Melanie Falina: So just for fun…if suddenly there was no coffee anywhere in the world, what would you drink?

Charlie Benante: Um – my mornings would definitely be strange. [laughs] I don’t know. I guess I would have to force myself to drink tea. I mean, I wouldn’t want to drink alcohol in the morning.

Melanie Falina: Is there anything else you’d like to mention in regards to your Benante’s Blend coffee?

Charlie Benante: I’m just glad that people enjoy it, that’s the truth. And if they tell two people and they tell two people and it spreads. In this day and age when you have other people putting out coffee I’m happy to say that I was one of the pioneers way back doing it. And I didn’t just slap a sticker on it, I pretty much made the coffee from scratch, I picked the beans, I did so much taste-testing on it – so what you’re drinking is what I’m making.  

To learn more about Charlie Benante’s coffees (and other endeavors) head over to his official website by clicking here.

Interview by Melanie Falina

Coffee lovers have come a long way since the days of the larger-than-life tins of Folgers or Maxwell House found in most every American kitchen. Today, not only have the standards for ‘good coffee’ skyrocketed, but the passion for fresh-roasted coffee has come to rival even the wine aficionados and beer connoisseurs of the world. And should you be a coffee-swigging, horn-throwing fan of heavy metal, then the world got even more flavorful in 2016 with the formation of Ellefson Coffee Co. by Megadeth bassist David Ellefson.

In just two short years, what began as a web-based mail-order business, Ellefson Coffee Co. has since sold thousands of bags of its coffee, formed an array of retail partnerships, and put roasts like Roast In Peace, Kenya Thrash, Urban Legend, and Rock N’ Rose on the map in the coffee world. UnRated Magazine recently had the opportunity to talk to Ellefson about the beloved bean-based elixir, but also what it’s like to run a rock and roll coffee company.

Melanie Falina: How are you David?

David Ellefson: Good. How are you feeling?

Melanie Falina: Good – I’ve already had my coffee today so things are good. [laughs]

David Ellefson: Good job, me too. A couple cups in…

Melanie Falina: One of your own roasts or something else?

Photo: Anita Gongola

David Ellefson: Actually, today I’ve been sampling stuff, we’re always getting stuff from new roasters. The other day I was sampling their stuff against [Ellefson Coffee Co.’s] Rock N’ Rose against Starbucks, and so today I just opened a brand new bag of Starbucks’ Anniversary Blend. Sumatra is kind of the basis – kind of the base coffee of a lot of coffees. I don’t really drink McDonald’s and I’m not really a big fan of Dunkin’ Donuts so Starbucks has always been my baseline, and they sell a lot of coffee so I go back to ‘what is the world buying right now?’ It’s kind of like radio, whether they like it or not this is what they have to listen to, so that’s how I benchmark our coffee. A lot of roasters come to us and go, ‘ours is the best,’ but it’s not always about the best, it’s about whether people like it or not.

Photo: facebook.com/ellefsoncoffeeco

Melanie Falina: As you know, a lot of musicians have products now that they put their name on and sell – be it wine or scotch, beer, coffee, hot sauce – whatever, but your coffee business is almost a full-time gig on its own – it’s a really good thing that you drink so much coffee because I don’t think you sleep!

David Ellefson: [laughs] Yeah! It’s funny with coffee, I’ve always been a guy who’s started everything. All the bands – I’ve seldom done side-man work, I’ve enjoyed the ones that I’ve done but I’m a guy who when I see something I just set out to do it and I put it together myself. And I’ve been like that from my first bands, to my label [EMP Label Group], to the coffee company, and yeah, it sure would be a lot easier to just license my name out [laughs] and sit back and receive royalty checks. But at the same time, my nature and how I enter into certain things, I’m just that guy that likes to build it from the ground up. And that requires me to be hands-on with it – but when passion drives something it’s not really like you’re working at it, you’re just doing it because it’s who you are, it’s a part of you. And it’s kind of like that with bands, that’s why they call it ‘playing’ music instead of ‘working’ music [laughs], because you show up and you want to play.

Melanie Falina: That’s awesome that you have this whole other business that is as fun and rewarding to you as your music!

David Ellefson: I’m blessed to have great teams around me – there’s a team that came together with the label, there’s a team that came together around the coffee, and that’s what makes it work; as much as I’m the figure-head and I’m the famous guy – and that’s part of my role in the company – I also understand business. I’m certainly glad I went to college – there’s a part of me that always felt like everybody knew something I didn’t, so that’s why I went to college to make sure that I had it all buttoned up. And it’s funny how a lot of times, things I learned in college – 10, 12 years ago – are suddenly really coming to fruition now. It’s kind of like when you take a guitar lesson and you learn a pentatonic scale and you don’t really understand it until you learn a song and you’re like, ‘Oh my god, there’s that pentatonic scale! I use it all the time and I didn’t even know!’ Knowledge can be power, but knowledge without application is useless.

Photo: facebook.com/ellefsoncoffeeco

Melanie Falina: So what’s the next plan with your coffee – do you want to be in every grocery store, do you want to rival Starbucks, what’s the long-term plan for Ellefson Coffee Co.?

David Ellefson: Well, you know, even Starbucks got really popular because, as I understand, it started with just a couple of guys roasting coffee. And then another guy came along and he brought back the whole European coffee experience and wanted to build it out – again, team-built and a concept and a vision. So I think you just can’t have growth without substance, and to me the coffee company is no different than a rock band. You can’t just suddenly be on top 40 radio because you want to be – you have to earn your way there – you have to have something that’s of merit, you have to have something of substance, and it has to be believable.

Photo: facebook.com/ellefsoncoffeeco

David Ellefson (continued): To me, we’re a rock and roll coffee company – that’s what we do. And I think until we get really good at being that we can’t grow anywhere else, and that’s been our focus. We say that to each other all the time on the phone, ‘Hey man, we are a rock and roll coffee company,’ because I swear about every week someone walks in our door and says, ‘Hey, I can do this, you should do this, you should do that – why aren’t you in the grocery stores?’ They come in with these grandiose ideas and again, it’s just like a band, if someone walks in and says, ‘You guys should be on tour with U2,’ or ‘You guys should be huge! Why aren’t you playing the stadiums?’ And again, to the untrained, unknowing ear that’s all they know, but when you’ve been in the trenches like we have for the last couple of years with the coffee company we started right away with heavy metal, rock and roll coffee – that’s what we wanted to be and that’s what we are. And just like every great band – you build your fan-base and you stay true to who you are and that’s why people believe in you, they trust you and they come to rely on you because you’re not a sell-out and not just in it for the buck and as a cash-grab. And we’re not, believe me we’re not. [laughs] There’s a lot of work to starting a company from the ground up! So for us, Ellefson Coffee and all of our roasts we do, our cups, everything we do – it is being in a band. I work out of a tribe of misfits in the coffee company so to me Ellefson Coffee is just an extension of everything I do with music.

Melanie Falina: Is there anything else you’d like to add, or say directly to the coffee drinkers of the world?

David Ellefson: Just enjoy a cup of coffee! Hopefully it’ll be in an Ellefson Coffee cup. [laughs]

Related links:

• David Ellefson Official Website
• Ellefson Coffee Co.
• EMP Label Group
• Combat Records
• Megadeth

Photo: facebook.com/daysofthedead

Anthrax’s Charlie Benante to appear at Days of the Dead Chicago

By Melanie “Sass” Falina

The world is full of monsters (‘…at the end..?’) – the ones who lurk under our beds and in our closets when we’re little, and the ones we seek
out as adults when wanting to be thrilled or terrified. And there is a plethora of reasons why the entire horror world is so fascinating to so many –
whether becoming enthralled by zombies or vampires because they’re frightening whilst also being quite cool, or for the process of cuddling up
closer to that special someone when you know the psycho with the sharp, gleaming knife is about to jump out from the shadows. We like to be
scared, we like feeling vulnerable from the safety of our movie seats or couches – – – and the satisfaction of dabbling in suspense, in the gruesome, in the macabre is primal at it’s core, just like that of music, and that’s exactly why the pairing of musicians and horror conventions goes hand-in-hand so beautifully.

From November 17-19, the Days of the Dead horror convention will be returning to the Chicagoland area for its sixth consecutive year – and for the second year in a row now, Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante will make an appearance each day.

“I go anyway, I’ve been going to [Days of the Dead] for all these years as a spectator.” explained Benante, a longtime fan of not only horror but the conventions themselves. “And I’ve been good friends with one of the guys who puts it on forever so we’d always joke about it, ‘You should do it one year…’ he’d say.”

And it was when scheduling for the 2016 Days of the Dead Chicago convention was going on that Benante finally came on board.

“And then [last] year my friend David Ellefson from Megadeth [was] going to do it so I said it’ll be a good time, I’ll do it too.”

With an array of merchandise available from his own line of Benante’s Blend coffee beans to custom designed t-shirts to autographed gear – Charlie Benante manned his table at DOTD with warmth and an approachable demeanor, much to the delight of both music and horror lovers – and he’s psyched to do it again this year too. Having just wrapped up a killer South American tour with his band Anthrax, Benante will be back on U.S. soil and ready for fans to come and say hi.

“I really get off on meeting people, talking to them, trying to hear what they really like about this whole thing. What inspires them? Just stuff like that. What makes you get out of their houses to come to these kinds of things?” explained Benante about what he’s looking forward to during the convention. “I enjoy the really good conversations. And some people don’t want to talk, they just want to present their stuff, have me sign it and that’s it, which is fine…it’ll be a fun time.”

Along with Benante, there will be other rockers on hand as well to meet at this year’s Days of the Dead including Twisted Sister front-man Dee Snider and Pantera/Down/Superjoint Ritual’s Phil Anselmo. And then there are the horror movie stars set to make appearances as well – Linda Blair of The Exorcist, Stranger Things’ Sean Astin, The Craft’s Fairuza Balk, Carrie Henn – “Newt” from Aliens, and many, many others, in addition to dozens of vendors, attendees in costume, and an all-round horror-loving time.

Check out the Days of the Dead Chicago official website for tickets and information on photo opportunities with some of this year’s guests. More details can be found on DOTD’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts as well.

And as we move into the holiday season, Days of the Dead attendees can easily help those less fortunate by bringing in non-perishable food items (for humans and/or pets) or a cash donation for the More Grains organization. With a mission to help in the cities where the Days of the Dead convention operates, contributions go 100% towards feeding families and pets in need. Look for the More Grains merch-booth at the convention while you’re there.

Days of the Dead Chicago will be held at the Chicago Marriott Schaumburg located at 50 N Martingale Road in Schaumburg, Illinois – click here for more information.

Days of the Dead Charlie Benante photos courtesy of Eric Bonano

Related Links: Anthrax @UnRatedMagazine

Interview by Melanie “Sass” Falina

Although fewer mantras ring truer when it comes to a band ‘doing it all for the fans,’ saying so can often just sound trite – particularly if the band is simply talking the talk without walking the walk. But one band who truly takes the needs and wishes of their fans to heart is metal’s own Venom Inc.

After having fallen off the radar for some time, it was the fans who refused to let Venom music die, and like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Venom Inc. came to be once again after an impromptu live performance at 2015’s Keep it True Festival in Germany. With thousands of witnesses soaking up the glory of this newly reunited killer band, the music world quickly rose up to welcome these guys back and then beg them for more. What began as ‘fuck it, why not?’-fun kind of idea suddenly became a pedal-to-the-metal movement that was blossoming into tours all over the planet, and placing Venom Inc. right back where they should have always been – on stage, offering the goods to countless adoring fans, and while wielding the brand spanking new album, Avé, as well. 

While in the midst of Venom Inc.’s whirlwind “2017 North American Blood Stained Earth Tour” with Goatwhore, Toxic Holocaust, and The Convalescence UnRated Magazine’s Melanie “Sass” Falina got the opportunity to hang out on the Venom Inc. tour bus with Tony “The Demolition Man” Dolan, Anthony “Abaddon” Bray, and Jeff “Mantas” Dunn to talk about the rebirth of Venom Inc,, the sheer importance of the fans, and all things Venom Inc…

Melanie “Sass” Falina: So all of this started with a festival and just kind of gained momentum since then – how cool is that?

Tony “The Demolition Man” Dolan: You know what’s marvelous about this is that it was kind of an accident, none of it was planned. And we still haven’t planned anything, everything’s just been as it goes along. It’s all derivative of the fans because the fans wanted us to do this, it was a fan promoter who asked us to do [the festival] for the fans, and since that point the fans have wanted to us to go play everywhere in the world and we just said yes. But the demand for an album, the [concert] set, it’s all been from fans, so what’s kind of great is that we’ve let them be in control. We’re not trying to manipulate anything or provoke anything, we’ve just carried on and just done it.

Anthony “Abaddon” Bray: And that’s always been the Venom thing. When we first started in the very beginning, we didn’t sit down with a piece of paper and a game plan and a budget, we were just three guys who got together in the church hall because it was free and we kicked the shit out of some equipment. And a record deal happened and gigs happened – quite big gigs happened – and we just thought, ‘Well this is what happens when you’re a rock band.’ We just went along with it. We kind of stumble into stuff. [chuckles] It’s kind of a cyclical thing. Tony [“Demolition Man” Dolan] was playing at a festival in Newcastle, our hometown, and it spawned Jeff [“Mantas” Dunn] to get up to do a diehard Venom song, and I was just there because I go every year and I was at the bar. One of the guys who runs the Keep It True Festival in Germany was there watching – this was in January or February [of 2015] – and he was watching Jeff get up with Tony to play the song, and he kind of looked at me like, ‘Why aren’t you doing it?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know. I’m at the bar.’ [laughs] But then he must have thought, ‘Why doesn’t it happen at my festival?’ So he made contact with Tony and made contact with me, and I thought, ‘Why not?’

The Demolition Man: Yeah, why not do it? Fuck it. Just for the fans. And it was just like that, it was just as simple as that.

Abaddon: It wasn’t a plan, it wasn’t being offered $50,000 to do a tour, it wasn’t ‘we could make an album.’ We could just play five songs at a festival and then fuck off all of you and never see each other again. Why not?

The Demolition Man: And that was really good, because that was what it was, we could just have fun. And we did a signing, there was like 25 minutes for the signing but after like an hour and a half the guy said to me, ‘You need to wrap up,’ but I was like, “Look at them!’ There was like a thousand people with all these albums and I said, ‘When they’re finished, I’m finished.’

Abaddon: The band (Venom) had split up before we had the opportunity to meet all these people and sign all these records because Venom before previously only did one gig here, two gigs there. So there were a lot of people walking about with albums they wanted signed. There’s a big difference now, two years later, that we played all these shows all over through Europe, North America, South America, and Asia, people are getting their old albums signed and it’s got that feeling of everyone coming back to the band again – it’s that give and take thing. We’re kind of getting that back, and every night people will say, ‘Fuck, you’re like 50-odd years old, and you’re doing this every night like a school-kid. Doesn’t it kill you?’ And I say, ‘Oh yes, but as soon as you get that wave back, it’s easy.’

The Demolition Man: You feed off of that, you know? And that signing at that festival, the whole event was just feeding off the fans. Because we certainly didn’t go out to make a shit load of money, and it’s long doing 35 shows with no days off.

Abaddon: A lot of bands who are our age still still have this longevity, who are still able to play these places, they’re doing flights in, hotels, taxis to and from, and we’re living like this [gestures around the tour bus], we’re living like a punk band, you know?

The Demolition Man: But we did three festivals before we started the European run, just to give you an idea. We did three festivals and got pushed back on our timing, we literally came off stage and Tony (Abaddon) in his stage clothes – wet – had his case there, put everything in his case and went straight to the airport. And that’s how we’ve been doing it. No fancy-schmancy whatever, get in, do it, and get the fuck out.

Sass: So with all the touring, the new album, and everything happening so quickly – are you guys still kind of pinching yourselves about all this?

Jeff “Mantas” Dunn: Yeah, oh, when I heard the news that Nuclear Blast had taken the album I was bowled over, you know, it’s such a prestigious label. And then the deadline came in to do it so the pressure was on. I would say it was probably the most under-pressure time I’ve felt studio wise, but I work well under pressure. We do it, we would get in there and just deliver. But the whole thing has just totally overwhelmed me. I’m still in a daze. I’m the kind of person I don’t take anything for granted, you know, because here today gone tomorrow kind of thing. Especially in the music industry.

The Demolition Man: And in the early days, Venom were an entity who did it themselves on an independent record label. So for us to be on a label the first thing they did after we did the recordings was fly us out to Los Angeles to do a week of press and signings and stuff, and Glenn Danzig phones up and says, ‘Would you do Blackest Of The Black [festival] in Silverado with me?’ and we’re not used to that – the support and belief in the record, everybody is 100% believing in it. We’ve done it ourselves, we’ve been our own engine drivers forever and so we’re trying to get used to all this and every now and then, you know, we’re just not used to it. It’s remarkable.

Mantas: Particularly for Tony, it’s hard to take your hands off the steering wheel. I’ve always said in any band situation that I like to be the creative force, if that’s allowed, you know? But Tony handled all the logistics and the bookings and everything like that – I hate all that side of it. But it’s particularly hard for him to take his hand off the wheel because he’s an information freak, he wants to know everything. Communication for him is very, very important whereas for me I’m a recluse. If it wasn’t for the band I wouldn’t even have a Facebook page to be perfectly honest – I hate all that shit. But yeah, having these people behind us now, even when Jon Zazula came on board because obviously we’ve had a long association with Jon since the early days and he was the first one who took Venom to America. So when he came come board the wheels really started to turn, and Skyping him one day and he said, ‘You know, one great album is really going to change everything for you guys.’ And then you start to think, ‘Well, have we got that in us? Is it going to be there?’ But the reviews, the fan’s reactions to the album – I don’t know what to say.

The Demolition Man: It’s been amazing! And that’s a key point because him saying that, are you going to try to copy yourself, how are you going to approach that? And that itself puts the pressure on. But I think after doing all the live shows, I think personally I realized that what we had to do was be us. That was it. We didn’t have to copy anything, we didn’t have to plagiarize, we didn’t have to pretend to be something, we just had to be us. That’s what the fans wanted to see, that’s what they wanted to hear, and that’s what we had to commit to with the record. We just had to be honest and like it or don’t like it, that’s how it is and that’s how we are. Whether we to go Wacken [Open Air Festival] and play for 20,000 people, or we go to Costa Rica and play for 300 people, those 300 people want us to go. Those people have shirts and albums and the music has meant something to them. So if we can get there, we should fucking get there. When you bypass all the schmooze and commercial shit and all the money makers, and you get to down to the people, there’s where the music is – the connection – and it’s pure. And we pride ourselves on that – talking to people, listening to people. Venom always was a band for the people and that’s what we want.

Venom Inc. being greeted by fans at Chicago’s Reggies Rock Club (September 8, 2017)

Sass: Since you guys have all been around the block in life, so to speak, I’d like to hear each of your responses to this question – what is the most important thing you’ve learned thus far in your lifetime?

Mantas: [Rolls up his sleeve to reveal his forearm] Perseverance, determination, commitment, and no fear [while pointing to the words tattooed in Japanese characters]. I used to do a thing while I was still living in England for kids in underprivileged areas. Because I had the most experience with touring and all that kind of thing, they used to get me to give the kids talks on the music industry and all it entails. And I talked to little kids who were usually talented, and talent plays a part, buy it’s that perseverance and determination and sacrifice that plays a part as well. I had a martial arts gym in my hometown in Newcastle for 19 years and that was just all fucking hard work. And at the end of the day that’s what it is. I’m a firm believer in the laws of attraction and life is cyclical and all this, I have no religious beliefs but I do believe in universal intervention. And yeah, you can sit there in your little room and visualize how successful you’re going to be all day but it’s not going to help you if you don’t get off your ass and do something about it. And I think with me, with the two things that I love in my life which is music and martial arts, I’ve been very lucky but I’ve sacrificed a lot as well and I’ve been determined to do it. With the music thing, I can look back and say quite honestly I don’t think I gave it any choice but to happen. When I was in my bedroom with a tennis racket in front of the mirror rocking out to Judas Priest – I was in Madison Square Garden. I would see the audience in front of me. So that’s what I’ve learned on my journey, is the determination to get out there and do it, and like I said a lot of sacrifice. And I’ve said this a million times, I’ve got a love-hate relationship with touring, I love being on stage and I love performing, but I hate being away from home and my loved ones. And I think that’s probably the same if you ask any musician but for me in particular because I live in a very, very tiny village – if there are three cars in our village there’s a traffic jam…

The Demolition Man: It’s full of Smurfs. [laughs]

Abaddon: They recently had the whole place carpeted. [more laughter from entire band]

Mantas: But like I said I’m very reclusive at the end of the day, but when I get my head into something, it’s 150% or nothing. And I think that’s what you’ve got to do. Anyway, TED Talk over.

Abaddon: So lovely! [chuckles] For me, I’ve learned a lot about family. When I first came into the band I had a little boy and we were away a lot and I didn’t spend enough time with family then. But the backend of my life, the backend of my career, being married and expecting a new baby, so I think I’ve learned what family means to you and how you have to work with family. How you have to work things out with the band and with family and do a better job. So that’s the thing that’s been my journey alongside the band, if that makes sense.

Sass: And that’s an interesting point to bring up because a lot of times music lovers will view you guys only as those guys up on that stage, but – obviously – you guys have lives too, you have all of this ‘other.’

Mantas: When people ask me about a life-changing moment, for me on the music side it was 1979 when I saw Judas Priest and to me those guys weren’t human. They didn’t go shopping. They didn’t do the normal things that we do, they were gods. And then as you get older you realize that everybody’s human. We all do the same things, we all get up in the morning and do the same things.

The Demolition Man: The most important thing I’ve learned is ust to be nice, just to respect the fans, I guess, just to try to respect people, Everybody’s different and we all have our things and whatever, and I always struggle with who I am because I’m a pain in the ass, but I’m trying to remember who I am as well and how that might reflect on someone else’s reaction towards me. But I was fortunate enough to have a little bit of a conversation with Lemmy before the very last tour, and I thought [about him]: ‘You’ve done everything, you are that legend and you always will be, and maybe this is the time you can just sit in your apartment and enjoy your game and just listen to music and not worry about it.’ But, he wanted to die with his boots on and he said, ‘This is who I am, this is what I do.’ So I said, ‘Well, what advice would you give someone?’ And he said, ‘Just be yourself, be honest, and respect your fans.’ And that’s it, that’s what I’ve learned. You know that excited guy clutching an armful of albums who might be too intense for you, you can think about what it means to him. How a piece of music, even a piece of Venom music when there’s an emotional attachment, has saved people’s lives.

Venom Inc.’s Mantas showing off his tattoo at Reggies Rock Club, Chicago. (September 8, 2017)

Sass: So not to downplay the fact that the new album is still in fact new, but is there a plan now going forward?

Abaddon: There’s still a tail end of the thing which started with people saying come on, you’ve got to play this place. You’ve still got that part of Singapore and places like that you haven’t been to, there are still people patiently sitting on the tails going, ‘Come on, come on, come on, we’ve got to get you over here.’

The Demolition Man: I guess we’re kind of looking at a map going we’ve got to go to Greece, we’ve got to go to Estonia, we’ve got to go to all the places we haven’t gone to.

Sass: So world domination, basically?

The Demolition Man: [laughs] World domination! They’re all lining up for next year.

Sass: Is there anything else that you guys would like to accomplish?

Mantas: To continue what’s been going on with the band because it’s growing. I would just like to see it continue to grow. In the early days of Venom we never did this, it was zero to hero overnight. We never did clubs, we never did anything like that, we went basically straight into arenas and who the hell does that? But as I’ve always said when people ask I think it was just the right place at the right time. The stars aligned, the world was ready for something different, and we came along. I’m a firm believer that life is cyclic, and what’s happening to us now has got some very, very strange similarities to what happened in the very early days. I don’t call them that, but if you want to call them coincidences, yeah. So two years down the line I would love to be in the biggest arenas in Chicago, you know? We’d still be packing in as many shows as possible, but maybe reach more people just to get it out there.

Abaddon: I’m personally an old school fan of the big rock and roll shows. All the big backdrops and moving rigs and lights and flames, and all that. And I think that there’s a place for that [with us], and not in a slick way but in a dirty, rock a roll way. And I think a lot of kids would come to that, and that we would be a good band to have that. And there’s nothing wrong with it being done in a slick way, the way KISS or Metallica does it, but in a dirty, rock and roll kind of way. I think that would be a very exciting stage show, it would fit the music we’re doing. I would love to see that happen.

The Demolition Man: I think for me, I think that Venom was a moment in time and wasn’t capitalized – on for many reasons – but they deserved a position…they’ve got legendary status and all that, but they deserve so much more. So I’d like for us to have respect from our peers and from the industry, as a band, as musicians, and whatever else. And to give us that place because I think we deserve it. I’m the one always under attack because I’m not Cronos, but nothing’s going to stop me from doing whatever I want to do because we’re just not here long enough. I’m going to the end of the road, whatever happens there – happens there, but every day is the same kind of motivation. If the stage show is there like Tony said, if the arena stuff is there like Jeff said, then brilliant, but if it’s not I’ll still be going on stage.

After wrapping up the interview, The Demolition Man, Mantas, Abaddon, and Sass departed the Venom Inc. tour bus and were instantly greeted by a group of fans hoping to get their albums signed and to take photos with the band. The band graciously complied with all requests as they’re known to do, and then went on to steamroll through Reggie’s Rock Club in Chicago giving fans a show they’ll never forget.

Be sure to check out their official

• Venom, Inc.

Interview by Melanie Falina

As most lovers of music will tell you, it’s at the hardest times in their lives that music matters the most. Sure, going to concerts with friends is great, as is bringing home (or downloading) that new album by a well-loved artist. And laughing and having a few drinks among loved ones with tunes ablaze can create some of the best memories in a lifetime. But it’s the struggles, the tear-shedding, anxiety ridden days and nights when we turn to the music we love as if kneeling upon an altar in prayer when we get to witness the power of music – – – how it comforts and how it heals.

And that’s one of the reasons why a group like Pick Collectors Against Cancer [PCAC] makes so much sense – taking something that offers pleasure and giving back to others through it. An idea formed around something as simple as a guitar pick – a small, music related item that has the power to grant great pleasure to its owner, with a dual purpose of helping those who have been stricken with a terrible disease like cancer.

Founded by Lee Hutchinson in September of 2015, the Pick Collectors Against Cancer group was created to raise money for cancer charities and organizations and via guitar pick collecting. Hutchinson, a guitar pick collector himself, began by auctioning off music artist’s guitar picks and then donating the winnings to various organizations, and then some national bands and artists got wind of what was happening and were more than happy to get involved. One of the first was New Found Glory bassist, Ian Grushka, who donated a slew of items for auction and then later came up with the idea for a custom-designed guitar pick which included logos from both the band and PCAC as part of the design. The initial custom pick with New Found Glory’s logo on one side and the PCAC artwork on the other instantly became a must-have collector’s item – it sold out in just six hours and raised over $1,000 alone, and thus spawning a fundamental element of the PCAC movement.

Venom Inc

Since then, multiple bands and musicians have gotten involved as well, either by donating guitar picks and other memorabilia for auction, by helping to design custom picks, or both. Thus far, Shadows Fall, Wolfsbane, Karma to Burn, Kyle Gass Band, Sandra Araya, and others have gotten involved.

Another of which is heavy-hitting, thrash metal band Venom Inc. whose members have had their own, unfortunate share of heartbreak due to this beast called cancer. Bassist and vocalist Tony “Demolition Man” Dolan and drummer Abaddon opened up about how and why they decided to get involved with Pick Collectors Against Cancer…

“My father-in-law and my young cousins died of the disease,” explained Dolan, “And although I donate and have raised money too myself this seemed like another way to contribute through my work.”

“My brother died from cancer at an early age of 54, younger than I am now,” added Abaddon,  “He was a outdoors kind of person, didn’t drink much, never smoked, very happily married. Was dead within two weeks of being diagnosed. Absolutely horrible disease.”

But why PCAC when there are seemingly so many groups and charities out there – how does one know who to trust?

“I knew the pick maker and his association with the company,” replied Dolan, “So I knew it was not only a great cause but also a real legitimate charity auction. I also knew other musicians who’d contributed [to PCAC] as well.”

“It was a very easy way of doing something meaningful if it worked, and by fuckin’ has it worked,” exclaimed Abaddon following the success of the Venom Inc. auctions. “I thoroughly enjoyed batting one fan off against another,” he laughed, “It went on all night and I kept adding things I found in my tour case – sticks, passes, all desirable to collectors of your band. It’s extremely satisfying to have a laugh with your fans and do some good at the same time.”

And in an effort to maybe ‘pay it forward’ in a way and get other musicians involved, the guys from Venom Inc. were asked who they’d like to see become involved with PCAC, and while Abaddon offered up Metallica‘s James Hetfield, Dolan replied in earnest, “I would have chosen Lemmy but imagine someone like Jimmy Page or Ritchie Blackmore, Glenn Tipton, Zakk Wylde – many, many should, could, and would be great! James Hetfield too.”

Dolan then added: “Who do I think would be interested? Everyone!”

Be sure to visit Venom Inc. via Facebook and their official website. And check out Pick Collectors Against Cancer for more information. Whether you’re a musician, a pick collector, or simply a music lover and you’d like to aid in the fight against cancer, PCAC is a great place to start.

Venom Inc. Website | Venom Inc. Facebook | Venom Inc. Twitter | Venom Inc. Instagram | Venom Inc. YouTube | Venom Inc. @UnRated Magazine

Pick Collectors Against Cancer (PCAC) | PCAC Facebook | #PickCollectorsAgainstCancer

* Black and white Venom Inc. photos by Theodore R. Teets

Armed with both heavy hitters and haunting, tender ballads, from the first note of the first song and for the next 41 minutes-and-change of play time Stryper had without a doubt delivered something that would not only stand the test of time, but be revered as an exceptional musical achievement. The first Christian metal album to achieve platinum status ever, To Hell With The Devil was released on October 24, 1986 and very quickly propelled the band into mega-rock star status. Producing massive hits like the songs “Free,” “Honestly,” and “Calling on You,” with this album Stryper also became the first band to have two songs in MTV’s Top 10 simultaneously.

So now with 2016 being the 30th anniversary of this iconic, multi-platinum, and Grammy nominated album, Stryper has taken to the road to celebrate this significant anniversary in style. Performing the To Hell With The Devil album in its entirety and then playing several additional fan-favorites from other albums as well, Stryper’s Michael Sweet, Oz Fox, Robert Sweet, and Timothy Gaines will even be donning their original To Hell With The Devil tour outfits as well, transporting audience members back into this very exciting time for the band.

We spoke with Stryper vocalist, Michael Sweet, about the anniversary tour, and one of the things he’d noted mirrors how a lot of fans feel right now – how it’s hard to believe that it’s been three decades now since the album’s release…

“It doesn’t feel like 30 years, it feels like half the time – 15, maybe 20 years. Not 30,” explained Sweet in earnest, “I can’t believe how quickly the time passes here on Earth and that’s why we all know it’s important to savor every single second, and I try to do that. I really do.”

In regards to just how special of an album To Hell With The Devil is to many fans, Sweet explained that the band feels the same about it as well.

“It’s definitely a special album. There are albums that are recorded really well and written really well and they’re really good, and then there are those albums that have that special something that you can’t really explain, and this album obviously has that. And I remember that that was the sense when everyone listened to it for the first time, we went to the label and played it for them and you could just see it, people were coming out of their skin. They were like, ‘Oh my god, this is going to be big!’ And those were the feelings that were expressed and it wound up being really big.”

Sweet went on to say: “We didn’t sit down and plan it that way, it’s not like we said, ‘Ok, we’ve got to write a big album,’ those songs just came from the heart like any album and everything fell into place. We got the right studio, we got the right sound, we had the right songs, we had the right mix, everything just worked. The title, the artwork, everything, and the timing of it. We were in the right place at the right time.”

Having kicked off the tour on September 29 and running through November 21, Stryper brought this must-see tour to the Windy City on Halloween night, October 31 at Chicago’s House of Blues. And being on Halloween it creates a fun opportunity for some concert goers to wear some special outfits themselves – maybe even some devil costumes for fun? Sweet laughed at this, “I actually hope we see that, yeah. I mean, we love to have fun, we laugh a lot, we’re all clowns. I think that would be great.”

Then Sweet said: “And if there are going to be people dressed as the devil then we have to have some dressed as angels too.”

So grab your halos and horns and head to the House of Blues on Halloween night for Stryper’s “To Hell With The Devil Anniversary Tour.” Stryper Tour Dates.

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