Death To All is a unique opportunity for a new generation of metalheads to experience the genius of Death and Chuck Schuldiner first-hand.
The Scream of Perserverance Tour features unique two-night stints in multiple cities, where the first night will be an old-school, brutal night featuring, in its entirety, the album which started the Death legacy, Scream Bloody Gore, as well as classic tunes from Leprosy and Spiritual Healing.
The second night will feature the finishing touch in Death’s history, The Sound of Perseverance, as well as timeless classics from the technical and more melodic era of Death, Human, Individual Thought Patterns and Symbolic.’Also, in certain cities, the sets will be From First To Last, where Death To All play the mightiest bangers from every Death album.
Ahead of the two shows in Berkeley, CA later this month, Gene Hoglan spoke with Capital Chaos TV. An excerpt from the chat follows...
Capital Chaos TV: The upcoming shows in Berkeley will be celebrating two different Death albums. What are the greatest attributes of the different drumming styles? Any harder than the other to reproduce?
Gene Hoglan: "We tend to lean a little more to the technical stuff, but both albums are extremely challenging in their own right. That is especially the case trying to rehearse with and play along to Scream Bloody Gore as I am doing my best to emulate a very young person. I was no great drummer when I was 18 and I think Chris Reifert might have been around 17, so that album poses its own challenges. There are definitely some meter issues. I had them when I was a kid, so I totally understand trying to go back and play something that is 37 years old. As a matter of fact, I believe May 25th was the 37th anniversary of Scream Bloody Gore. It has its own challenging style because it’s more brutal and caveman-esque. There were no rules back then, so you were just trying to play as hard, fast and tight as you could. Chris did a great job and it’s a classic record. We got to see Richard Christy a couple of nights ago and that was really amazing. Richard has a completely different approach. He said, 'I had some real big shoes to fill with yourself and Sean Reinert (RIP), so I just tried to do my best versions of you two.' We (all Death drummers) all went overboard on our own albums, but Richard has a very outside of the box approach to his drumming, so that makes his stuff pretty challenging. I try to pick up all the nuances and just do the best I can. I pay homage as much as I can to both guys’ styles. They’re both challenging in their own regard."
Capital Chaos TV: Your tenure in Death was legendary. Which of the records was more difficult and why?
Gene Hoglan: "I wouldn’t say either were difficult. However, the actual physical recording of Symbolic was challenging for me because I threw my back out the day before we started. I have no idea what I did. I was in the shower and bent down to get my bottle of shampoo and all of a sudden my back was out. Chuck and my drum tech at the time, Steve Good, carried me to and from the drum kit. I had one arm on one guy’s shoulders and one arm on the other’s and they would help carry me to my throne. When we were checking out songs afterwards, I had to sit in this really strange position in a chair to be comfortable. Individual Thought Patterns was put together in about three weeks or so and we didn’t have a lot of time. I remember being really proud that we put this album together so quickly. Sometimes, I have to learn material overnight to be in the studio the next morning. Other times, I learn the songs as I’m in the studio laying tracks down. One major difference between Individual Thought Patterns and Symbolic was we had about nine months to put Symbolic together. Individual Thought Patterns sounds very rushed and kinda like a bull running through a China shop. Symbolic had a little more polished feel and groove and sunk into the pocket a little bit more. We took quite a long time to craft the songs, hone them, work on parts, bring parts in, and toss them out."
Read more at Capital Chaos TV.
The Scream Of Perseverance Tour dates:
June
11- Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Music Hall ***
13 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre *
14 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre **
15 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile *
16 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile **
18 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre *
19 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre **
21- Berkeley, CA - Cornerstone *
22 - Berkeley, CA - Cornerstone **
23 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst ***
25 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick *
26 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick **
27 - Los Angeles, CA - The Regent Theater *
28 - Los Angeles, CA - The Regent Theater **
29 - Phoenix, AZ - The Nile Theater ***
* Scream Bloody Gore in its entirety plus old school Death classics from Leprosy and Spiritual Healing
** The Sound Of Perseverance in its entirety plus the new school Death classics from Human, Individual Thought Patterns and Symbolic
*** From First To Last - the Greatest classics from every Death album
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Founded in 1984 by Chuck Schuldiner under the original name of Mantas in Altamonte Springs, Florida, Death was among the more widely known early pioneers of the Death metal sound, along with California’s Possessed. Inspired by Nasty Savage, Death was among the first bands in the Florida Death metal scene. In the late 80s, the band was both a part of and integral in defining the Death metal scene which gained international recognition with the release of albums by a number of area acts.
Death To All operates as a tribute band to the original Death, which dissolved in 2001 following the passing of the group’s founder and frontman Chuck Schuldiner. The backbone of Death To All is singer/guitarist Max Phelps (Exist, Cynic), drummer Gene Hoglan (Dark Angel, Testament, Dethklok), bass beast Steve DiGiorgio (Testament, Sadus) and Bobby Koelble (Death).
(Photo - Alex Solca)
