The Metal Crypt - Lust of Decay Interview

Interviews

Interview with Steve
Interview conducted by Barbara Williams (Crowley)

Date online: October 9, 2003

Hails! How are you and what's going on?

I am doing great. Thanks for this interview. Well, the biggest Lust of Decay news is that we are hoping to enter the studio again this December to record our new CD, Kingdom of Corpses.

First of all, nice website. Great layout, well organized and well written. Who resigned it for you and how is it working for you. It looks really great!

Actually, I constructed the website. I think it looks kind of lame, but I am happy you think it looks cool. Thanks!

You have probably had the most incredible and most tumultuous background of any band I have studied. Not only were there extensive line-up changes, but you changed your name three times. How did Jay then come up with Lust of Decay -- a quite catchy name, I might say?

Yeah, we have had a rough past with our line up and name changes, but the Lust of Decay you hear now has formulated over the last year and a half after adding Jordan on Drums. That certainly made the biggest difference from the "old" LOD and the "new" LOD. As far as the name, Lust of Decay, I really do not recall exactly how that came to be, but I do remember everyone agreed to it right away.

I was introduced to Lust of Decay on Brutality Radio, a station that really just plays the most kick ass music out there right now. How did you get on the program?

We are really good friends with Laura who runs that program. She is a wonderful promoter and is doing a terrific job for us and many other bands in this genre.

I just ordered, "Infesting the Exhumed." Looks like you have had quite a hard time getting this album out and going, so I have to give you my greatest respect for all your persistence. It paid off; "Infesting" kicks major ass! In retrospect, what made you get through your darkest periods when it looked like you had more set backs than progress?

We just never gave up. We keep pushing forward and knew it would eventually fall into place for us and it did. After all the set backs it worked out in the end.

There are three Cds you put out under your earlier band names. Are these still available and, if so, how can fans get them?

No. All those CDs are unavailable now, which is a good thing 'cause they really suck. Hahaha!

Looking forward to the next one. What would be a reasonable time we can start looking for it? Could you briefly tell us a bit about your album in progress?

The new CD should be out early next year. We are finishing up teaching the two new members the material, and we are writing one additional song to make it an even ten. The music is a little more technical from our previous CD; all in all, I think everything is going to be a step up from Infesting the Exhumed. We are totally pumped up about it!

Can you give us a bit of the background about your logo and your Cd art? It looks like it is becoming progressively more brutal.

The logo idea was actually conceived by our original drummer, Brent Williams. I put it in Photoshop and cleaned it up a little and added some 3D effects. As for the artwork, I also think it is becoming a little more brutal. We are really happy with the Kingdom of Corpses art.

How important would you say is CD art?

I think it is pretty important. I love to look at a CD with really awesome artwork; it is eye-catching and draws interest.

Any plans to go on tour? I know you have a show with Deicide lined up. Be nice to see you around the Southwest. Simply dying to see you guys play live.

No tour plans as of yet, but I really hope we can put something together soon and spread our sickness around the globe!

When you play live, do you try to stay close to the studio version or do you like to change things up?

Well, we play things a little faster live. Jordan always plays his drums different from show to show, which can be a pain in the ass. Hahahaha!

Which songs do you like most playing live?

Probably "Festering Anal Vomit." That songs is just plain sick and really gets the pit spinning.

When was the first time you performed in front of an audience?

Wow. It was a long time ago... probably back in 1992 when I was in my old band called Mortal Remains. It was a huge party in an old abandoned house that we gutted out the walls and turned into a band room. There were like 80 people there and three other bands playing; it was wild!

What was your first concert you ever attended?

Holy shit! I can't even remember, hahaha!

Have you gotten any gifts from fans? Which would you say would be the coolest or weirdest?

Yeah, a really great friend of mine, Mirelle, from Sweden brought me a really nice necklace from her country when she came to the States to attend the Central Illinois Fest back in August. That was really cool!

The music scene really changed between the 70's, 80's and 90's. What would you say has been your strongest influence?

My single strongest influence to begin playing guitar would probably be the Misfits, believe it or not. As far as playing death metal, it was bands like old Metallica, Slayer, Sepultura, Cancer, Deicide, Dark Angel, SOD...shit like that.

Which bands are on your list of favorites? If I were to look through your CD collection, what would I find?

Well, considering I have over 1,500 CDs, you would be looking at my collection for a long time. I would say about 80% of it is death metal, 12% black metal, and 8% punk rock. Some of my current favorites are Dying Fetus, Lividity, Debodified, Severed Remains, Severed Savior…There are so many I cannot begin to tell you all of them, hahaha!

When did you start playing and how old were you when you became interested in metal?

Probably been playing guitar about 13 years or so. I was into metal and punk about the same time I started playing guitar.

What made you guys decide to play in a band? Had it always been a dream? Who or what inspired you?

Don't really know how I got to where I am in Lust of Decay; it just started by me and the old drummer jamming for fun and playing cover tunes. And over the years, it has morphed into what you hear now. I don't ever recall it being a life-long dream to play in a band, but it sure is fun!

Have your parents and friends always been supportive?

For the most part, my dad used to give me hell about the band thing by cracking jokes, but it was all in good humor.

Besides Metal, what other types of music do you listen to and what kinds of things do you enjoy doing?

About the only other music I listen to occasionally, besides metal, is some old punk. I also enjoy doing artwork and am trying to run my own record label.

Do you keep up with Metal Magazines? Which ones do you read or like the best?

I prefer the underground mags mostly. Some of the larger publications are starting to go a little too mainstream for me.

What kind of books do you read? Any good books or movies you would like to mention?

Not much of a reader other than magazines and shit. I can't get into reading something that requires a lot of time, hahaha! Honestly, I do not watch many movies either, but I do enjoy a good horror flick every now and then.

Some metal bands live about as "normal" as you may have it. Others decorate their homes metal. If I were to walk into your home or room, would I know that you are in a metal band?

Uhhh... probably not, hahahaha! Until you looked at my CD collection—then you might know!

Death and black metal has been getting a lot of rap from people who little or don't understand the music. During a show with Reign of Terror and Adumus, a metal fan remarked that death metal was fine (ROT) but that Black metal is really no longer acceptable because the satanic content most albums have. As an atheist he sees this as a form of religion. What's your take on this?

I really don't give a shit about what bands associate their style with; if it fucking jams, I'll like it. Whether it is blasphemous Christian-hating black metal, or goresoaked brutal death metal. My personally style is more of the death metal genre, but a band's image has no significance to me.

Some scream about satanic content and others disprove of Christian messages. Anus.com had published an article about boycotting Christian metal. What are your feelings about that? What does "Metal" actually mean to you?

Metal to me is just going fucking insane and having an awesome time doing it. You have got to have fun playing this style of music or it becomes too much like a chore.

How is the music and being Lust of Decay connected with the person you are? Is your band image a reflection of you or completely separate?

As for the music, it is a great way to release my rage from daily life. I don't feel there is really an image I must conform to, just be myself. In general, I am a pretty nice person, hahaha!

What's in store for LOD? Have you found a found a new bass player yet?

Yes, we actually just got a bass player recently and things are really looking good for LOD now.

I also saw that you offer some pretty good-looking T-shirts. How is that working for you?

The shirts are moving pretty good, I suppose. We also will be having some new shirt designs made soon. That'll look killer!

Where do you hope to be a couple of years from now?

We just want to continue playing brutal death metal and keep putting out CDs; hopefully do some tours or something.

Any last words to fans?

Be sure to get all the latest details on Lust of Decay at www.lustofdecay.com and www.comatosemusic.com. Thanks to all the loyal LOD fans around the world!