SUFFOCATION INTERVIEW : Interview with Derek Boyer - Bass Interview Date: August 2006 Interview conducted by: Clare B.

RELATED LINKS : Official Homepage

After various telephone mishaps, I still got my Suffocation interview done via e-mail, thanks to bassist Derek Boyer (Criminal Element, ex-Vital Remains, ex-Dying Fetus, ex-Decrepit Birth). On the verge of two releases(their self-titled, crusher of a record plus their live album) and a massive tour, legendary Death Metallers Suffocation are busy guys. What can I say? Suffocation are one of the most emulated bands around, having influenced NYDM, Tehnical and Brutal Death Metal. With the past behind them, they seem to be entering a new time and space. Look out for these boys! They may be hitting a stage near you.
Horns Up to Betsey at Relapse Records and Derek Boyer. Thank you both. An article based on this interview will appear in the October 2006 issue of Caustic Truths Magazine

Clare B:  Congratulations on the new album! I got it the other day and I’ve been listening to it like crazy. Are you happy with it? Has there been any media response yet?

Derek Boyer:  Thank you! Overall, yes, I’m happy with the record. This was my first full-length album recording with the band. We took a little bit different approach than I had ever taken in the past but all in all, we’re happy with the product. As for media response, I have heard nothing but good things.

CB:  Would you care to tell us about the recording of the new album?

DB:  Sure. Here’s what I meant about a different approach. We wrote all the material separately (individually) then entered the studio never having rehearsed the material! It’s wild hearing some of the material for the 1st time while laying down tracks.

CB:  Who mixed and engineered album? What does this person contribute to the sound of the album?

DB:  We record with our live engineer Joe Cincotta (Full Force Studio). Joe knows us well and knows what we want to hear. If we ask for more or less of something he knows how to give it to us.

CB:  How do you feel “Suffocation” differs from previous releases?

DB: I feel “Suffocation” differs from previous releases only in the respect that the band has matured over the years and there are new elements (writing contributors). The same solid foundation still remains and will always be there when it comes to Suffocation.

CB:  Can you tell fans what to expect from “Suffocation”?

DB:  I tell fans to expect a fast, brutally aggressive, twisted Suffocation album. I feel this record will be well received by all Death Metal fans and any true musicians (regardless of style) who’ll give it a fare chance. 

CB:  Do you think the lyrics have changed at all?

DB:  I think Suffocation’s lyrical content has and will always relate to psychological, disturbing and violent topics. If anything has changed at all or is new regarding the lyrics, it would be that we touched on topics that are current events, for example, the problem in the Middle East (The End of Ends) and the BTK Killer (Bind Torture Kill).

CB:  Do you feel that the lyrics and music are of equal importance?

DB:  In my opinion, the lyrics and music are equally important. In my earlier days I thought it was all about the music and I treated the vocalists (guttural and illegible) like another instrument. In this day and age I can’t take that style of vocals seriously. Sure, it’s brutal but it gets old, fast… Death Metal has always been held back by the vocals.  Enunciated, legible, aggressive vocal styling is what we were after with this new record.   

CB:  What’s Suffocation’s writing process? Who writes the bulk of the music, or is it a group effort? There are so many parts to the songs; how does it all come together?

DB: I touched a bit on that earlier in the interview but I can break it down for you. I’d say Terrance (Guitar) wrote the bulk of the music. Everyone did their part while some went above and beyond their call of duty. Mike (Drums) wrote complete songs, beats, rhythms, lyrics, even bass lines. No drummer I’ve ever worked with has ever come close to composing that much. I was very impressed and can say I love his style of writing. While most of the material was written individually, we collaborated on some of the arrangements on the spot in the studio.

CB:  Suffocation is known for being fast, heavy, brutal, technical. When writing does the band place much emphasis on that, for instance technicality, or does that just happen?

DB:  I think in the back of our minds we intend to write that way but truly, it just comes out that way naturally.

CB:  Do you want to tell us a bit about the cover art? You got a tattoo artist to do it, correct? How did that come about?

DB:  Sure. Zig and I have been friends for many years. I was in Texas (where he lives) getting more ink and we discussed the possibility of him doing some art for Suffocation. When he presented the symbol we decided to have him do the cover. As for the covers’ concept, Terrance had a scene in mind from a horror movie that he really liked, so I stuffed the DVD in my laptop, took a screen shot from the movie, then using Photoshop, put the symbol on it and sent it back to Zig. The cover from Zig landed in our hands a few days later.

CB:  JonZig also designed the new Suffocation symbol. What’s the story behind that? What does this symbol represent?

DB:  Being a self-titled album, we wanted to create a symbol that incorporated many of the art concepts from previous releases. The symbol represents all of the elements that make Suffocation.

CB:  It feels like a new era for Suffocation: a new symbol, a self-titled album perhaps signifying a rebirth. It feels very refreshed after the band’s break. Do you feel that a break was necessary to give a renewed feeling to the band? What are your thoughts on the present condition of the band and its future direction?

DB:  To put it lightly, the break took place for a reason. This new line-up is very strong. We’re fresh and full of energy. It feels good to know others see it the way we do regarding this new era. We’ll prove this to everyone with our new product and especially our live act.

CB:  When a band who already has lots of albums under their belt releases a self-titled album, it often signifies a return to their roots, a rebirth or “this album IS us” kind of thing. Does that apply in this case?

DB:  We felt it was time to impact the industry with a self-titled release. This will make it easy for everyone to know what Suffocation stands for.

CB:  There was a large gap between “Pierced from Within” and “Souls to Deny” while Suffocation was disbanded. Do you see Suffocation releasing future records at regular intervals?

DB:  Suffocation doesn’t just sit around for 2 years then just slap a record together overnight. An average of 2 years has been the standard interval for each record to be released. As for now, expect a heavy touring schedule to follow this self-title and another album in about 2 years. Also, we just put out a “Live” album (the Close of a Chapter). Expect a different Live Chapter between each album as well.

CB:  Suffocation has been around for a long time. What have been some of the hardest battles the band has faced?

DB:  Being in a serious band is like being married. I’ve been here for 3 years now and I think some of the hardest battles are related to personal difference. We just work through these times where we have a difference of opinion and move on.   

CB:  How has the band’s attitude towards making music and music industry changed throughout the years?

DB:  I am going to say the attitude toward making the music has not changed at all. As for the industry, they’ve been overlooking Suffocation from the beginning. Some weak band will come out tomorrow, and by day break the next day their famous, and the day after that, they’re gone. Now you see the difference?

CB:  Suffocation has had a few members come and go throughout the years. When the band has been looking for replacement musicians, including yourself, obviously there’s been a requirement for a certain technical ability, but do you know what were their stipulations for character? 

DB: You can’t just pick up an instrument for the 1st time and have the advanced techniques required to play Suffocation songs. It takes many years of refining your skills and studying.

CB:  What’s something musically you haven’t done yet but would like to try?

DB:  I’ve come up with an idea to compose and collaborate with other Death Metal bass players. The idea has been well received by the bassists I feel would best complete the project. We will track individually then email the files back and forth to each other until the pieces have the necessary structure. I have done this “bass against bass” idea with myself (i.e. improve a line, then write a line that complements the initial piece, up to 4 lines at a time) the only difference is, it will be different bass players doing the overwriting the way they hear it instead of just my feel. We’ll see how it comes out. I feel that we may be able to create a very unique product. 

CB:  Suffocation is renowned for both albums and live shows. Would you consider Suffocation to be more of a live or studio band?

DB: I most defiantly feel that Suffocation is a live act. I mean the records are good but the stage atmosphere, and playing off of each other is much more powerful than sitting in a room tracking with some play back monitors.

CB:  So you guys have a live album; do you want to talk about that and when it’s coming out? How did you choose Quebec as the place for your live CD?

DB: We talked about releasing a live album so we began to record our live performances. Our busy touring schedule allowed us to have many shows to choose from. We narrowed it down to a few of the best sounding performances and Quebec City happened to win the popular vote. The Live album entitled “the Close of a Chapter” is available now. You can only get it from us at a show or through our online store at www.suffocation.us

CB:  How do you select a setlist?

DB: We come up with a different aggressive set every night. Obviously we play the classics at every show but we mix up the songs we play between them. From time to time we pull out a song from the archives to add to our live set. We have over 30 songs in our list to choose from for each nights’ performance.

CB:  I read there are two different versions or mixes of the album— what’s the story behind that?

DB: We mixed the album, sent it off to the mastering house and it came back thin (lacking bottom end) so we re-mixed it with heavier drums and bass. We then sent mix B to the mastering house and what they sent back it what we choose to release.

CB:  It is also being released as a DVD, correct? When is that coming out?     DB: We have talked about a multimedia special edition version of the album that would have video footage taken from the recording session. Other features for the special edition I am going to keep to myself to surprise to the viewer when they get it.

CB:  On your web forum you guys put out a ton of ideas and got fan feedback that way. What direction has it taken? What is the main focus of the DVD?

DB: That’s for the live DVD and honestly Mike and Guy are on that. I don’t use the forum.

CB:  What do you think of this music DVD craze? Is it a cheap way for bands to make money, or is it actually pretty cool?

DB: I think if the content is good it is a great idea.

CB:  A big thing in music right now is the presence of the Internet, downloading, blogs, and so on. Would you care to talk a little bit about the pros and cons of this mp3 / blog explosion?

DB: I feel that the internet is a great tool for marketing music, especially music that is underground and use to be considered “hard to find”. You can find anything you want online. One way to look at it is the mp3 is only a preview of the song (less quality), if you like what you hear you’re going to want to own a “hard copy”. You want to hold it in your hand, read along with the lyrics, see the artwork, and the pictures of the members, etc…  I hear a lot of crybabies saying downloading is cutting into there sales. Put out a good record and people want to buy the product and support the band.

CB:  What is your reaction when you hear Suffocation rip-offs / copycat bands?

DB: Imitation is the highest form of flattery. Use of Suffocations’ sound or style, hearing what others choose to do with the formula is often bland and redundant but on the other hand can be very impressive when done with skill and ingenuity.

CB:  Some people feel metal is going in a rotten direction with nu-metal / metalcore, etc. Do you feel metal is stagnating? Is its commercialization a good or bad thing?

DB: I do feel the scene is growing stale. Although, the commercialization of aggressive music is a good for real bands like Suffocation. I feel that we are finally going to get the recognition we deserve through this sudden acceptance for heavier music.
 
CB:  What do you feel is special about Suffocation that makes it consistently appealing to fans as well as new listeners?

DB: I can confidently say that Suffocation CRUSHES on stage and the people are thrilled to see musicians performing that aggressively. Also, we are very real as people. We hang with out with our fans at every show.
 
CB:  What do you hope your listeners get from Suffocation’s music & live performances?  Is there a message to the music?

DB: A lot of what people get out of listening to Suffocation or attending a Suffocation show is a release. Our music is violent by nature. Rather than being violent themselves, they hear us, and they are able to vent and release their anger. The message in our music varies from song to song. If you can’t understand the message by just listening, follow along with the lyrics while listening.

CB:  You guys are heading out on a big tour. Where is that taking you?

DB: We finished the Strhess Tour. It was a run in the states with 5 bands (not Death Metal). It was a good way to win some new fans. Our Headlining European tour was just after the Strhess Tour. I feel that this coming year will be a big year for us.    

CB:  You broke some bones, and according to your website you will be ready to tour. Is this still accurate? Are you healing well?

DB: Well, this is accurate as far as me breaking multiple bones. As for being healed in time for the summer tours we had, I wish that was the case. The bones that connect the knee to the ankle (2 bones) were the bones that broke so I had to do the tours sitting. The injuries I sustained were severe to say the least. 12 to 16 week turnaround time for my recovery, I’m on my 11th week. and healing well.

CB:  What’s the next step after this tour, the release of “Suffocation,” live album and DVD.  Where do you see Suffocation in few years?

DB: Now that our summer tours are over we will shoot a video for “Abomination Reborn” and get ready for the FEAR FACTORY tour. Our record “Suffocation” hits stores September 2006 though the DVD will be a 2007 release. Over the next few years I see us really refining our act, releasing an album or two, being additions to LARGE tours (as a freak show to smacking the mainstreams’ so called “heavy” bands) all the while, gaining a wider fan base and furthermore solidifying Suffocation as a force. Don’t misinterpret us on BIG tours for us compromising our style or changing, we’re growing.

CB:  Are there any bands you’re currently listening to or would like to endorse?

DB: Some newer or up and coming acts… I’d say, Despised Icon, All Shall Perish, Defeated Sanity, Decrepit Birth, Severe Torture, Suicide Silence, CarBomb and Criminal Element.

CB:  Do you have any sort of personal life philosophy or genereal outlook you’d like to share?

DB: I like to remain as positive as possible in life. I get upset and off kilter just like the next guy but in the back of my mind I know I’m the only one responsible for my life being good or bad. The “life sucks” perspective is a poor way to live, and worst of all it’s by choice.

CB:  Is there any advice for some of your (younger) fans who may be wanting to start a band?

DB: Definitely. We have all been that young inspired musicians or even fans of music and thought -  “that’s what I want to do”. We are living proof that if you want it, you have to take it. Listen to you intuition and never loose sight of your goals.

CB:  Do you have any message to your Canadian fans?

DB: Canadian fans RULE!!!!!! We love Canada! Some of our best shows have been there and the crowd reactions at times give us chills down the spine!
See you all soon!   

Interview conducted by Clare B.