David E. Gehlke: Maybe, but there’s also a lot of metal journo-types that aren’t musicians who totally get it. I’m not a world-class musician and I’m not a musical snob in the slightest, but on some level, I’d like to think I know what goes into a good song and what works and what doesn’t. Like anything, the more you do it, the better you’ll get at it. That certainly applies to writing. I look at some of the stuff I wrote five years ago and shake my head. Same goes for some of the songs I wrote. Actually, I still do that.
How did you get started in music?
I was always into metal, going all the way back to the age of 10 and I think I just caught “the itch” and decided to start playing guitar. This was around 1997/1998, I think, so I was in high school. I didn’t get serious until I met Joe at a Shadows Fall/Lamb of God show in 2002. We quickly discovered we had similar tastes in music and decided to start a band. At the time, he absolutely destroyed me at guitar, so I had to do some serious practicing to catch-up and in fact, I’m still catching up to this day.
Was there a song or album that inspired you to want to perform music?
Not really, just a bunch of albums I latched onto when I was 12, 13 that made a significant impact on my life. Off the top of my head, albums like t In Peace, Ride the Lightning, Seasons in the Abyss,. Those were crucial.
t was your first band?
My first band was called Dead Silence, which was lifted directly from the Obituary song of the same name. I was just starting to play guitar, but we somehow landed an opening spot for Pessimist and Severe Torture. I don’t really recall how the show went. It was probably a wreck, but at least I had hair at the time.
Who are some guitarists you admire?
Dave Mustaine has always been my favorite. No one riffs like him and no one writes songs like him. He’s one of the few metal guitarists that can safely say they have their own style. Guys like Jensen from the Haunted/Witchery, Obsidian C. from Keep of Kalessin, Miika Tenkula (R.I.P.) from Sentenced, and Pepe Hansen from Hatesphere round out the bunch. All awesome rhythm players (save for Tenkula – his solos are immaculate) and guys that concentrate more on playing for the song than showing off.
What is your all time favorite album?
Megadeth’s Rust In Peace, with about 10-12 albums in close contention. I don’t think there’s a better album in terms of riffs, arrangements, and hooks than Rust In Peace. Mustaine was on fire and was pissed, which usually results in his best work. How can you go wrong with “Hangar 18,” “Tornado of Souls” and “Rust In Peace: Polaris?” We’ll never see a collection of riffs like that again. And Dave’s vocals were the perfect compliment to the music and Friedman’s solos (see: “Tornado of Souls”) are just godly.
Who are the most overrated and underrated bands?
We’d be here all day if I had to list the bands that I think are overrated, so we’ll focus on the ones that I think are underrated, like Lyxanxia, Mercenary (who might be the most underrated band in all of metal), Fall of the Leafe, Kalmah, and the Foreshadowing. Those are the ones off the top of my head, especially Mercenary, who I think have the best combination of clean vocals and melodic death metal of any band going now. How they didn’t explode in America and overseas is beyond me. Nothing they do is out of place or timely. 11 Dreams and The Hours That Remain are two of the best albums of the decade, hands-down.
What’s the metal scene like it Pittsburgh?
Not great, to be honest. Life begins and ends with the Steelers in this city and support for music and the arts is lacking. Shows in Pittsburgh rarely, if ever sell out, which explains why we get passed on all the good tours, prompting us to go to Cleveland quite a bit. That being said, there are tons of good bands in the city, most of whom we have the pleasure of playing with, but outside of a very small section of people, there’s not a whole lot of fuss around Pittsburgh metal bands, which is a shame.
Who are your favorite Pittsburgh bands past and present?
Right now I’d say some of my favorite Pittsburgh bands are some of the ones we play with and are associated with like Hollowpoint, In the Wake, Grave Desire, Icarus Witch, Circle of Dead Children, Dofka, Sacred Dominion, and Argus. There’s no one style of metal in Pittsburgh, so the bands I just referenced all sound different from one another. Plus, we’re friends with most of these bands and they’re fun to rock out with.
What do you hate?
I hate it when the Steelers win the Super Bowl, actually. I work smack-dab in downtown Pittsburgh, leaving me to be subjected to a daily barrage of over-zealous, slightly idiotic “Stiller” fans. Those people don’t know what true pain is like, rooting for a team (yes, I’m referring to the Browns) that is consistently bad. I can’t wait until it’s our time to shine. Granted, it’s not going to happen until I’m 40 (I’m 26), but I’m really going to gloat and walk around with my nose up in the air. Sad thing is that a lot of Steeler fans totally forget the Browns used to dominate them at various points in the ‘50s, ‘60s, and late ‘80s. You can’t tell I’m living in the past, huh?
