MK Magazine Interviews

SJ: Alright, I want to start talking about the new album first.

DEZ: Cool.

SJ: It seems with this album that musically you guys have gotten to know each other better. I mean, it sounds tighter…. Do you agree with that?

DEZ: DEFINITLY. Definitely. I think any band should have a growth, ya know what I mean? And I think we definitely grew on this one. Plus we had a member change. And since the conception of Devil Driver there’ve been so many member changes because dudes don’t really know if they can tour like we tour. I think right now the whole band- with this album-- this is solidified without a doubt. Everybody’s got their sea-legs on.

SJ: Who was your producer for this album?

DEZ: We used Colin Richardson- who is amazing. I mean, he’s done so many things. I think the stamp of a great producer is that he can put his mark on your album without making you sound like him. He further defined us. He took the guitar sound and he took the drum sound and he just defined what we’ve got now. And we just said we wanted to be different man-- we wanted to step it up- and he really helped with that.

SJ: Why are you always touring with Machinehead? Isn’t this your 6th or 7th tour with them?

DEZ: (laughs) Well, Devil Driver has never toured with Machinehead

SJ: Well, how about you personally….

DEZ: Well, we’re on the same label and we like each other. But, in the beginning Machinehead took Coal Chamber over to Europe and subsequently broke Coal Chamber in Europe because of it. And then over here (the States) Coal Chamber took Machinehead out, and now Machinehead is taking Devil Driver out. I mean, it’s a good time when you know people and you know what their about. I just think it’s a good tour- a good package- so we keep getting together.

SJ: What was the writing process for this new album, The Fury of our Maker’s Hand? Are you a part of writing the music, or do you write the lyrics only?

DEZ: I write all the lyrics- but I do a lot of the arrangement. And I definitely have a say so in the music. I mean, they can bring me 30 songs, and I may narrow it down to only 9 or 10- that we really want to work on, so I have a big hand in that. I also say, ‘hey, this riff in this song is way better than this, let’s get it together.’ But my boys got a handle on that- they work really hard on that. If they need any help arranging then it’s just salt and pepper that I’ll give them.

SJ: Well, the arrangement was absolutely beautiful. It’s really technical. Who are your major influences?

DEZ: I think you’d have to ask these guys. Jeff! (Dez has guitar player come over) This is my lead guitar player, Jeff. Jeff, who are your major influences guitar-wise?

JEFF: Just anything from old school Metallica to Slayer to Sepultura, to Lamb of God and Machinehead. Just a bunch of bands- Pantera, obviously- Superjoint… so much stuff. You just listen to everything and then subconsciously take it in or shut it out.

DEZ: I mean the thing with this band is that there are so many varied influences. I mean I listen to everything from Johnny Cash to Satyricon, so you’re just thrown into a world of that. Same thing with these guys (points to other D.D. members). What I think this band has that’s really cool is everybody plays guitar. So on the record, my drummer and my bass player laid a lot of the guitar work. So everybody was in their doing their thing, so you’re getting a lot of different flavors. Because one guy doesn’t play the same riff the same way. These guys, what they do is pick who can play the best riff the best way and they let that person lay it down- which I think is so so cool—that it’s democratic like that.

SJ: How are the new songs live? How is the response to them?

DEZ: Good. We do ‘Hold back the Day’ and a song called ‘Driving Down the Darkness’ and we’ve also been doing an ‘Ace of Spades’ as well. Phil from Machinehead has been getting up every night jamming it with us- it’s been a good time.

SJ: Lyrically, what’s the new album about?

DEZ: Determination.

SJ: Who are your vocal influences? Because you have such a unique vocal style.

DEZ: Style-wise, obviously I love Lemmy from Motorhead. And an old band from New York called the Crumb Suckers- who was a massive influence on me vocally and if you listen to it, you can hear it. And then lyrically, it’s the blues. I’m like attached to the blues- I listen to the blues all day long… it’s the devil’s music. Johnny Cash, stuff like that- all the story tellers.

SJ: So, are you having fun on tour?