Interview with HERETIC

 

Questions by Tomek/Nevermore Wozniak, Pure Metal Magazine (Poland)

Answers by: Brian Korban (guitars)

Photo: Aaron Grodin

 

Pure Metal: Hello Brian! I’m Tomek, from Poland’s Pure Metal Magazine.

Brian: Hello Tomek. Thank you for your interest in Heretic.

PM: It’s great to hear new music from Heretic once again. Good that you have returned. Whose idea was it, and what were the circumstances of Heretic reforming?

Brian: Honestly, for me it was out of envy. I was seeing pictures of my close friends and current band mates Glenn Rogers and Angelo Espino playing festivals throughout the world, and felt I was missing out. Glenn had been telling me for years that I should consider reforming Heretic, but I never really gave it much thought. Once I fired up the amps again, I remembered how much I love playing METAL. When vocalist Julian Mendez approached me about doing a few local live (California) shows, I couldn't say yes fast enough! From the beginning, we knew we had a special chemistry that was going to be something incredible. The first thing I did was start writing new songs, and before I knew it, we were recording "A Time of Crisis".

PM: You came back in 2011. Apart from you, the line-up comprised Dennis O’Hara and Julian Mendez, who were part of Heretic in the past already, also Glenn Rogers of Hirax. Besides, you went through a few drummers before finally settling with Ignazio Coppola. Why did Dennis leave?

Brian: Dennis was dealing with some personal issues at the time that I'd rather not talk about for his privacy. I love him like a brother and I wish him well with all his future projects, but we wanted to move forward. We decided as a band to replace him with seasoned vet and a close friend Angelo Espino (REVEREND, BITCH, HIRAX) as our new bass player. Federico Dupay tried out and filled in for our first couple of shows, but it turned out we needed a little bit more from our drummer than he could handle. Federico is a great guy, and he helped get Heretic back on its feet. So, I am forever grateful to him. Ignazio is a beast on drums. It took one song into his tryout for us to know he was our man.

PM: How did you meet Glenn Rogers? By the way, can you confirm or deny the information (I read it online on one of the older portals dedicated to 80s’ music) that after quite a few years since the end of Reverend you collaborated with Month of Sundays, with whom also played the former Deliverance guitarist, the aforementioned Glenn Rogers?

Brian: This is true, and I actually was the lead vocalist/guitarist believe it or not. But vocals are not for me, I had anxiety before all the shows. That's why I respect how a singer can go out and bare his soul, and befriend the crowd, because it's different than just slamming out chords and going crazy (which I enjoy). Glenn and I have been friends since childhood. We met in the seventh grade, when I told him I liked the BEATLES shirt he was wearing. Glenn and I have been friends ever since. When re-forming the group, Glenn was the first person to come to mind. He is a true professional. His contribution to the band is immeasurable. His songwriting ability and his knowledge of the music scene is the main reason Heretic has made it this far, so fast.

PM: Angelo Espino, Dennis’ successor, worked with you back when you played with Reverend. Was this fact relevant for him joining Heretic?

Brian: Absolutely! He is the best bass player I've ever played with. Angelo is a great songwriter and riff maker, as well as a band leader and motivator. We know each other so well, that when I introduce a new song, we are on the same page instantly. He was playing with Bitch and Anger As Art at the time we asked him to join Heretic. So we are blessed that we have such a dear friend on board with us!

PM: Metal fans wouldn’t forgive me if I didn’t ask about Mike Howe. Didn’t you try to convince him to return to music? I’m not sure if my info is accurate, but from what I heard Mike gave up singing years ago and devoted himself to his family. Do you know anything about it? Are you guys in touch?

Brian: As for Mike Howe, we lost touch over the years and I believe he is retired from music. I have remained close to Julian over the years, and supported him with what ever band he was playing with at the time. It was Julian who approached me about getting Heretic back together. I've always felt he was the best frontman I've ever played with, so when he asked about reforming, it was a no brainer.

PM: Why did you come back only in 2011? The good times for oldschool metal came 7-8 years ago, after all.

Brian: Honestly, I was burnt out. I did it for so many years, I guess I needed a break. Then years later, it was out of envy that I wanted to return, like I already said. After years of not playing, seeing pictures of Glenn and Angelo playing in front of thousands of screaming fans at a festival in Germany, the lightbulb finally went off. Glenn had been telling me what a great time it was to reform Heretic.

PM: Let’s get to your new album. You mix the good, old American power/thrash with a modern sound, I like it. I’ll ask perhaps a bit uncanny question, weren’t you guys tempted to, like some other bands, record oldschool songs with a purposefully dirty, raw sound?

Brian: This is a better question for guitarist Glenn Rogers, he is the sound and tone master. I'm a bonehead songwriter that doesn't know shit about sound. John Haddad and Glenn Rogers were the ears behind the production of the CD. John is brilliant, one of the best producers I've worked with. The songs are old school in spirit, so I'm sure that's what comes across in tone and fury.

PM: Why did „A Time of Crisis” become the album’s title?

Brian: It seemed to be a common theme with the songs I was introducing. Angelo came up with the title one night at rehearsal. I was working on one of his riffs at the time, so I chose his song as the title track. Our world is in a terrible state right now, so it is very relevant.

PM: You, Brian, are responsible for Heretic’s lyrics. They mostly tackle politics. Why such a theme? Are you interested in politics?

Brian: Government and politics dictate how we live our lives, but they seem to be cut off from the rest of the world and common sense. I like to ask questions, and make our fans think while they are listing. Politics will always give me something to write about (war, civil rights, climate change, recessions, personal privacy). I do not understand why mankind can't get long. We're right and left, dark and light, we are all equal and relevant.

PM: „A Time of Crisis” also seems to tackle the crisis of faith... I guess it’s this kind of crisis rather than the economic one, that those in power and in possession of wealth are bringing down on us?

Brian: It's about the world in general right now. Crooked politics, greed, war, murder in the name of God, economic disaster, you name it! Mankind seems to be in pretty bad shape right now.

PM: In the booklet it reads that the whole band is responsible for the music, but... who in Heretic composes the most, who gives shape to the songs? Or rather, who supports you, Brian, the most? How does the songwriting look in Heretic nowadays?

Brian: I wrote the majority of the songs for "A Time Of Crisis", but every song is dissected by the band at rehearsal. I will come in with lyrics, verses and a chorus, the guys will add all the bells, whistles, frills and trinkets. Every song is five band members making one great song.

PM: I won’t be too original when I state that the guitar riffs are the main focus of the album, more so than the vocals, that, in my humble opinion, are just correct and don’t stand out too much. Don’t you think that with a more charismatic vocalist this material would have been even better?

Brian: NO, ask that question again once you see us live. Julian is a beast of a frontman, and is regaining a lot of his singing prowess everyday, the more we play. He had not sung in years when we formed, and we started the recording process almost immediately. Ask me again when our next CD comes out in 2013!!!

PM: Who is the author of the instrumental marvels „The Divine Inquisition“ and „Let Me Begin Again“? They’re brilliant, their author has a great creative feel and a great playing abilities.

Brian: It is to honor my guitar hero Michael Schenker, and UFO. Each of Heretic's original records had instrumentals on them. "Torture Knows no Boundary" is the last track on our EP, and "Pale Shelter" is the last track on "Breaking Point". Thank you for the word "marvels". We will continue the tradition on our next release.

PM: Why have you recorded the song „Heretic” again?

Brian: We simply wanted to introduce a new generation of fans to our older material. "Heretic" is an aggressive, fast song that represents classic old metal. We also recorded "Blood Will Tell" during this session. With each CD, we will continue to re-record classic Heretic songs as bonus tracks.

PM: How did you find your way to Metal on Metal’s roster?

Brian: Glenn Rogers had this contact from his years of playing in the group Hirax. They were perfect for us. We needed a quick start, and they were very aggressive in signing us. I cannot say enough about the great job the label has done for us. Let me give a big X/O to Jowita, just look at the CD booklet, and you will see the love and effort they have put into the band.

PM: What are your concert plans?

Brian: Local California shows for now, but we plan to stretch out a little by going to San Francisco and Texas. We will be playing Germany's Headbangers Open Air in July of 2013. Hopefully we can make a small tour of our visit, by pairing up with another band playing the festival as well. Japan is on our radar as well.

PM: What songs, apart from those from the new album, are you playing live?

Brian: Older songs include: "Heretic", "Blood Will Tell", "Whitechapel", "...And Kingdoms Fall", "The Circle", "Riding With The Angels", "Let 'Em Bleed", and "Impulse".

PM: Are you thinking about new material already? I’m asking because I see a great potential in you.

Brian: YES, I have most of the new CD already written. We are just starting to get together to arrange the new songs. To me, it is very similar to "A Time Of Crisis" sound power wise. I hope that's a good thing, because I am very proud of the last group of songs I wrote.

PM: What music have you been listening to lately?

Brian: Believe it or not, what I listen to really does not translate into what I write for Heretic. What I listen to a lot of is Dead Can Dance, and The Beatles. But, Black Sabbath (both OZZY and DIO) are my main influence when it comes to riffs and METAL.

PM: 20st century’s most valuable albums according to Brian Korban are...?

Brian: UFO - Obsession, Lights Out, No Heavy Petting, Strangers In The Night

Metallica - Ride The Lightning & Master Of Puppets

Slipknot - Iowa

Iron Maiden - Killers, Number Of The Beast

Black Sabbath - Masters Of Reality, Paranoid, Heaven And Hell, Mob Rules

System Of A Down - Toxicity

Accept - Restless And Wild, Breaker

Refused - The Shape Of Punk To Come

Side-note: anything by Zeppelin, Queen, OLD Aerosmith, Scorpions, AC/DC (Bon Scott), Motorhead and Armored Saint

PM: What do you do for a living? Not play music, I take it?

Brian: I have my own recycling business, and I also teach physical education at my children's school.

PM: Heretic is back after over twenty years, so let me ask about the band’s beginnings and the first years of your musical journey.

How was Heretic formed? I recall you and Rick Halpin were the founders.

Brian: I was never good with learning cover songs, so I was forced to write my own. This turned out to be a huge advantage for me, I was younger than most of the local musicians, but I was one of the few who could write my own stuff. The first line-up was myself, drummer Rick Merrick, guitarist Rick Halpin, bassist Scott Patton and vocalist Mike Torres. We practiced in Merrick's garage until we got our first rehearsal room. Mike suggested replacing Halpin for guitarist Robert Marquez. We gained quite a name for ourselves on the LA music scene, playing as often as we could. Patton was replaced by bassist Dennis O'Hara, and we recorded "Impulse" for Metal Massacre 7.

PM: Was it hard to break through for such a classic metal group in a town dominated by glam outfits? You were one of LA’s few power metal bands, next to Agent Steel, Bloodlust, Armored Saint, or the strictly heavy metal Omen, Warlord and Cirith Ungol.

Brian: There were two scenes, Heavy and Glam. We actually did just fine, Metal Blade was reaching out to us very early on. We had a good reputation with all the local promoters, so Heretic and Armored Saint teamed up for many a classic sold out show.

PM: Why the name Heretic and whose idea was it?

Brian: I searched the dictionary for weeks looking for the right word to fit our music. I liked that it stood for standing up for one's own beliefs, and that heretics were persecuted for those beliefs. Metal music was going through its own witch hunt at the time with the PMRC and parental warnings labels, the name Heretic seemed to fit well.

PM: Do you remember what were your merits that turned Brian Slagel’s attention onto you and how did you meet him?

Brian: We all knew Brian as our metal guru, he was at all the shows. We were snot nosed brats, and he would introduce us to all the latest metal bands coming out of Europe. Brian was way ahead of his time, and still is.

PM: How was the cooperation between you and Brian Slagel?

Brian: Great.

PM: Would you have any chance to break through on LA’s metal scene if it wasn’t for Slagel’s support and the contract with Metal Blade?

Brian: Sure! We were a great band, we opened for every great band that came through town. We had good management, who felt Metal Blade would be a great stepping stone to get our music out there. Major labels were basically only signing commercial rock or glam bands at the time, so we chose to sign with MB.

PM: You debuted with „Impulse“ on „Metal Massacre vol. 7“ released by Metal Blade Records. Soon after your first vocalist, Mike Torres left the band. Why did he do it?

Brian: Mike left the band to join the group Abattoir. He felt they had a better record deal, so he left. We replaced him with Julian Mendez.

PM: What bands did you play with in the mid-80s?

Brian: Motorhead, Metallica, Saxon, Plasmatics, Armored Saint, Megadeth, Metal Church, Lizzy Borden... to name a few.

PM: On the EP „Torture Knows No Boundary“ Julian Mendez made his vocal debut. Were you happy with his parts?

Brian: Julian was very sick (flu) when we recorded the EP. Back then you recorded when they told you to. He fought through it like a trooper, but management and MB were not overly pleased with the final result. They ultimately forced us to replace him with Mike Howe. I stayed tight with and supported Julian when he formed the great band Stone Soldier. Julian is a great singer and an even better live performer.

PM: The title of your EP provoked comparisons with Slayer’s „Evil Has No Boundaries” from „Show No Mercy”. This helped the band’s popularity, I guess?

Brian: How could it not? LOL I bow to their greatness!

PM: „Torture Knows No Boundary” was produced by Bill Metoyer, another metal scene icon. What did you learn from him?

Brian: We were very lucky to work with Bill early on. We were young idiots recording for the first time, so he showed us how to act professional and focus. He has made it out to see us play now that we've reformed, and it is always great to see him.

PM: How did you find Mike Howe and how was the cooperation with him? What was his creative input into Heretic?

Brian: Mike played in a band called Snair when we recruited him. He probably saw us as a stepping stone for his career and we played a lot of great shows, but I really only saw him at band rehearsal. As far as input, we decided everything as a band. I wrote the songs, he sang them.

PM: The producer on „The Breaking Point“ was... Kurdt Vanderhoof, the leader of Metal Church. What were the circumstances of your meeting and who came with the offer of cooperation?

Brian: Our management was also representing Metal Church, and they recommended Kurdt. In my opinion, he did nothing to give us the guitar tone we wanted, and used the album as a demo to steal Howe from the band.

PM: How did the opinions in media affect you, especially those that compared you to Metal Church and Armored Saint? (Actually, the German edition of Metal Hammer explicitly called you a copy of the latter)

Brian: We looked up to Armored Saint, so I don't have a problem being compared to them. I wanted to sound like Accept or Metallica, if they said I copy them - so be it.

PM: What’s your favorite track off „The Breaking Point” and why that particular one?

Brian: "Time Runs Short" or "Let 'Em Bleed". I love the lyrics in "Time". My house had just been robbed, and I was a little cynical about humanity at the time.

PM: Bobby Marquez and you were a great guitar duo, you created many cool riffs and beautiful solos. What kind of musician and friend was Bobby?

Brian: Bobby is a fantastic guitar player, in fact he just played a few songs with us on stage at a local show we did here in California. We are still really good friends.

PM: Why did he leave right after recording „The Breaking Point”?

Brian: He wanted to try something more commercial sounding with our first vocalist Mike Torres. He left on great terms.

PM: How did you react when Vanderhoof enlisted Mike Howe into Metal Church before your LP was released? You must have been pretty mad?

Brian: Of course. It was very unfair to the band, our album was dead before it ever got released. Mike simply showed up to rehearsal, told us he was leaving the group, and walked out of our lives.

PM: Did you think about continuing under the name Heretic? Did you want to look for a new vocalist?

Brian: We auditioned a few, but ultimately decided to form the band Reverend.

PM: Correct me if I have the wrong information, but... Reverend came to being as an idea of David Wayne’s, right? Wasn’t it ironic that your vocalist joined Metal Church, and their just-fired frontman joined forces with the orphaned Heretic? It was perhaps metal’s only such a spectacular exchange of singers.

Brian: It was a weird swap, but it worked out good for both bands. Reverend was Dave's name idea, all he needed was songwriters. He hit the jackpot with Dennis and I.

PM: What were your feelings when Wayne came with the proposition to form Reverend? Was there no chance to work under the moniker of Heretic? Of course it’s understood that Reverend’s only boss was David, hence the new name and the deal that it’s you, Heretic’s musicians, that were to join the band that Wayne wanted to form?

Brian: He did not want to be Howe's replacement, so we formed a new band, simple as that. It was sad, but it was easy to leave the name Heretic behind and start a new chapter.

PM: How do you remember the years with Reverend, what did you gain from them as a musician, how was the cooperation with Wayne? I have information (confirmed by the music also, stripped of good solos) that on the LP debut, „World Won’t Miss You”, David didn’t leave much space for guitarists to fill.

Brian: Not sure what you mean, Stu and I shred on the CD. Dave left all the writing and arranging up to us. He would show up out of a puff of smoke like a wizard, and magically sing.

PM: What kind of man and musician was Wayne?

Brian: Dave was very mysterious, He would be gone for weeks, then suddenly show up ready to hear what we had for him. I remember his great sense of humor most, we had some good laughs.

PM: How do you view your albums with Reverend?

Brian: I'm proud of them. it's where my head was at, at that time. I finally got to tour the States for the first time. I'm made to be on the road, it's not for everyone. It's harder than you might imagine. But I could tour for years given the chance.

PM: Which one are you more fond of, the debut or „Play God”?

Brian: "World..." is produced better, but "Play God" fell on my shoulders as main songwriter. "B.O.B.", "Play God" and "Far Away" are three of my favorite Reverend era songs.

PM: What was your creative input in Reverend’s songs?

Brian: Business was all Dave, he left the music to us. I wish we could have had more input into the band's decisions (publicists, tours, Europe shows, record labels, $$$$) but Dave wanted total control of that side of things. I just sat in my apartment and hammered out songs to show the group.

PM: The beginning of 90s was marked by the expansion of grunge. Reverend shared the fate of many other metal bands and stopped playing. What did you feel back then?

Brian: I don't blame grunge, I blame computers and the fall of the record industry as we knew it. Labels were stripped down to nothing, and no bands were getting signed. A&R people were to scared to sign a band and have them fail. The music industry was changing, and we just got caught in the tsunami!!!

PM: What were you up to when Reverend dissolved?

Brian: The remaining members of Reverend (minus Dave) formed the band SEED with vocalist Chris Roseberry. In my humble opinion, this is one of the best projects of my career. Some of the songs from this group may trickle into future Heretic CDs.

PM: One single unfulfilled wish of Brian Korban would be...?

Brian: Europe!!!!! And we play HOA in Germany in 2013. I'm having the best time in my musical career, so I have plenty to be thankful for. It is so nice to see all the interest in Heretic and I plan on adding to the band's legacy.

PM: Have you guys ever played in Europe? You probably have the most fans in Germany and Greece, here in Poland there aren’t many fans of the oldschool power/thrash metal - but some fanatics are to be found for sure... can you pass them your life’s motto? Many thanks for the interview!

Brian: Stay true to your beliefs and people will come around to you. But most of all, make friends not enemies!

Cheers, thank you for your well thought out questions.