Interview With Suicide Silence Guitarist Chris Garza
Mayhem Fest may be all said and done but SUICIDE SILENCE left a lasting impression to all the crowds they played for. The music from their debut album THE CLEANSING made there live show stand out from all the bands on the stages of the festival this year. They are riveting, demanding and totally insane. Incorporating a savage mix of death metal, grind core, black metal, hardcore and doom gives them a huge canvas to intrigue and capture true metal fans.
I had a chance to speak with guitarist Chris Garza and see how the festival treated them, his playing techniques and how they think album number two is going to shape up.
ON YOUR DEBUT ALBUM “THE CLEANSING” IT SEEMS YOU WROTE AN ALBUM FULL OF DIVERSITY. HOW DO YOU FEEL THAT YOUR MUSIC IS BEING CATERGORIZED IN A GENRE?
It’s okay with us. We wanted a heavy, somewhat focused record, that’s also able to hold your attention for its duration. Categorization has been around forever. It’s never really accurate, because everyone hears something different for themselves.
HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING ON NEW STUFF FOR ALBUM NUMBER TWO?
Yes, we spend the little time we have off locked in a practice space jamming out to the new shit.
ANY IDEAS ON HOW FAR MORE DIVERSIFIED THE NEW SONGS WILL BE?
There are lots of ideas flying around and the album is already halfway done. These songs are a lot heavier than “The Cleansing” and are definitely meant to pummel some eardrums.
ANY NEW IDEAS OF STORYLINES FOR SONGS?
Nothing is set in stone yet although I’m sure Mitch has some morbid ideas in his head.
AS A GUITAR PLAYER WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO PUSH FURTHER WITH YOUR PLAYING ON THE NEW ALBUM?
The last record was recorded live with “natural” takes and no doctoring. We hope to make this next record more solid and spend some time creating the sound that we feel is necessary to carry the record.
DO YOU HAVE ONE GUITAR THAT SUITS YOUR PLAYING BETTER IN THE STUDIO VS.ON TOUR?
Yeah, I have a bunch of 7-strings, I play live but there’s that one special baby I would only use in the studio. We will see how that works out in a few months when it’s actually put to the test. ESP has been great to me & these 7-strings do not disappoint.
WHEN WRITING MUSIC DO YOU TEND TO LOOK AT WHAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO PLAY LIVE OR DO YOU WRITE WHAT YOU WANT AND THEN CONTEND WITH THE LIVE PERFORMANCE WHEN ITS NEEDED?
We definitely write with live performance in mind. I want to play the heaviest music possible, whether it is something simple or complex. I want to have fun with it and create a sound that’s synonymous with a high energy response.
HANDS OF A KILLER IS MY FAVORITE TRACK. WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE STAGES OF WRITING FOR THAT TRACK FROM THE FIRST DRAFT TO THE FINAL ON THE DISC?
That was one of the first tracks written for the album, but it was the last one we finished. We definitely gave it time to run its course and we played with the structure a bit. We’re stoked on how it turned out and it’s definitely different than the other songs on the record.
TOURING HAS BEEN A BIG PART OF WHAT YOUR BAND DID TO GET YOUR NAME OUT THERE. HOW HAS IT BEEN TRYING TO CONTEND WITH OTHER METAL BANDS OUT THERE?
We just leave for tour with the straight mindset of destroying every night haha. Regardless of what anyone else is doing, we’re always looking straight ahead. We do our own thing and the fans seem to enjoy it.
HOW WAS THE MAYHEM TOUR?
Unbelievable to say the least. This is something I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid. All the bands have been awesome and the crowd has gone crazy for the entire lineup, which is something you rarely see these days. Easily the best tour we have ever done…
WHAT CAN FANS LOOK FORWARD TO AT YOUR SET ON THIS TOUR?
They can look forward to seeing a bunch of longhaired hippies going insane for about 30 minutes.
ANY LAST COMMENTS?
Rock and Roll! See everyone on Mayhem!
links: Suicide Silence on myspace | videos
August 31st, 2008 at 11:39am
The Cleansing is some proper heavy shit
Don’t play it to your grandparents hahaha