Johnny Kelly arguably is one of the most important drummers of the last few decades. From working with Type O Negative, Glen Danzig, Quiet Riot, and an assortment of various bands, Johnny has left a important mark on the landscape of rock. His latest band, the Grammy nominated Patriarchs In Black recently released their latest album, My Veneration. The album has been garnering multiple 10/10s with various news outlets and radio stations.
Johnny sat down with John The Ninja to discuss My Veneration, the writing process with his cohort Dan Lorenzo (Non Fiction, Hades), how he learned from AJ Pero (Twisted Sister), his love for Type O Negative, his thoughts on hip hop, his dog charity with his wife, and more.
On Type O Negative
Johnny: "I played in a band with Kenny (Hickey / guitar) for years before Type O was even formed. I was playing with Kenny when they put Type O together. I was familiar with the band before the (debut) record ever came out. Hearing that first record (Slow, Deep And Hard), especially around that time in 1991, there was nothing like it. To me it had everything; it was really heavy, aggressive, and had a lot of melody. The song structures were great. It was everything that I thought would be great about a band. I never thought anything would come of it, me joining the band. I was just a big fan of the band."
"I would say the first thing that really grabbed me from them was the song 'I Know You're Fucking Someone Else'.The lyrics were really funny, they were sarcastic, there was a lot of humour in it. I come from the same area as everybody in the band, so I got the humour. It was really unique, especially for the time. They were a category unto themselves. And I'm saying that as a fan, not because I was in the band and here we are 30 years later."
On October 6th, 2013, MDD Records released My Veneration, the second album from Patriarchs In Black. Once again, the two warhorses are supported by a whole bunch of guest musicians. The complete list, which you can find below, reads like a "who's who" of the rock, doom and metal scene.
With "Dead Or Dying" there is now also a musical taste of the opener, with Karl Agell (Corrosion Of Conformity) on vocals. Here's what Dan says about the song:
"I played 'Dead And Dying' to a couple of my friends after Karl finished it, and they all said the same thing; 'Karl is singing better than ever'. I agree. Karl has been touring with Legions Of Doom and Lie Heavy. and I guess instead of that hurting his voice, it's actually making it stronger. I wrote the music for this song, but Karl wrote all the lyrics and melody."
Karl Agell comments: "Death is the great equalizer. It comes for every living thing. Life is short and precious. It's up to us to make the most of it. The countdown begins the moment we are born. We're either 'dead or dying."
Dog Eat Dog's Dave Neabore is the guest bassist on the track.
Guests on the album include:
Karl Agell (COC, Blind) - vocals
John Kosco (Godsmack acoustic) - vocals
Mark Sunshine (Unida, Riot God) - vocals
Rob Traynor (Black Water Rising) - vocals
DMC ( RUN/DMC) - vocals
Gianni Pontillo - vocals
Kelly Abe (TV Show Search for Ozzfest) - vocals
Bobby Jensen (Paul Stanley hair fire guy) - vocals
Johnny Araya - bass
Eric J. Morgan (A Pale Horse Named Death) - bass
Dave Neabore (Dog Eat Dog) - bass
John "JD" DeServio (Black Label Society) - bass
Eddie Heedles - (A Pale Horse Named Death) - guitar solo
Check out a brief video teaser:
