Page 15 - RockRevoltMagazine-FebruaryMarch2016

got the gig – I never really thought I’d
get it. You know, they’re a platinum
selling act. And I knew the guys for
ages, but for me it was just, “eh, I’ll
send them this audition.” I didn’t tell
them that I was doing it; it wasn’t a
freebie by any means. I figured, “I’d
send it in and I’ll know at the end of
the day that I did all I could to get it.”
And wouldn’t you know it? I got a call
back, and things snowballed, and I
got the gig. The pressure of living up
to the expectations of that catalog and
the fans, trying to do right by Dave’s
memory and his legacy,
it was overwhelming to
say the least. And, going
from Mr. Local Weekend
Warrior Guy, to “Hey,
you’re going to go do this
press in Paris, and you’re
going to be all over the
world”. It was such a
mind job. My head was
spinning, and I got a
little freaked out. And
I did have to battle my
own demons.
How did you muster
through?
Well, I mean, I channeled
a lot of it into the music
and the performances. I did some
self-medicating, if you will. Went to
the doctor, talked to the doctor; I’ve
been off and on meds. I don’t make
any secret of that. I don’t view it as a
weakness. I view it as a tool to help you
get right. So, you use the tools at hand.
Absolutely, absolutely. It’s there, so use
it. Regarding the album art, you used
Brian Mercer (CHRIS CORNELL,
LAMB OF GOD, HIGH ON FIRE) to
design the cover art. Have you worked
with him before, and tell me about
what it was that Brian brought to the
table to be able to graphically depict
the overall sense of what the album is
about?
Brian Mercer is a true artist. There is a
reason that all the big names want to
work with Brian Mercer. That resource
became available to us through eOne.
And it was a no brainer to work with
him. I remember being on the phone
with him, and he was kind enough to
get on the phone with us and ask us
for direction, and I just told him, “I’m
not an artist; I’m a singer. So, I am not
going to even pretend to tell you what
to do. You listen to the music, and
whatever inspires you to create is what
we’ll go with, and that’s how it worked.
Excellent. So, do you feel the artwork
is accurate?
Oh yeah! Sure. Scary stuff, you know, is
what we were trying to channel into the
record. We wanted it to be the heaviest
thing within the Drowning Pool sound
ever. We wanted to convey that spite
and that anger and angst. So, for us, it
was all about the scarier, the better. He
wanted to draw some demon-looking
skull guys and, you know, if I had to
visualize the music, I would say, “Oh
yeah, that’s a great depiction of that.”
“Bodies” is the song that most folks
recognize the name Drowning Pool by.
What song from Hellelujah do you feel
is the next song people will put their
ear on and say “YES – Drowning Pool!”
Uhm I don’t know. I don’t think there
will ever be a song to be stronger than
“Bodies” within Drowning Pool’s
catalog. And that’s okay. I would never
try to come near. I mean, that’s just
magic. I remember hearing the song
before they were signed here in Dallas,
and it was just knowing “that’s it; that’s
the one!” So, I mean, how do you ever
hope to recapture magic like that? I
think the guys were very fortunate to
stumble upon that and run with it, and
I don’t think there’s ever going to be
another song on the level of “Bodies”.
And really, that’s not for me to
say. Will we get close to it? I
don’t know, maybe. The fans
have to describe that. I don’t
think we’ll ever try to chase
another “Bodies”. For me, being
a fan before I got the gig, that’s
the holy grail DP song, and
you’re never going to touch that.
True, true.
I don’t bother trying.
Living the dream.
Yeah. I’m just happy to sing
the song. I don’t need my own
stamp on it. I’m not caught up
on “Drowning Pool is my band
now, and this is what I want to
do.” No man, no. I want to hang out,
sing the songs, and not piss the fans off.
Yeah, that would be bad. (laughs) Well,
thank you much for giving me your
time.
Thank you! We love the support. 