Mark Osegueda of Death Angel Interview

The slew of interviews that will be posted are old. I am sorry for this but at least they are getting put out. This one with Osegueda was done when they released their fantastic album The Dream Calls for Blood was released. If you are a huge metal fan you need to have this album. I saw bits of them when they played at the Observatory and that is where these photos are from. They were in the tiny room when they should have been in the main room but thats the venues fuck up not theirs. If you ever have a chance to see Death Angel and meet them you have to do it because they are amazing people. Heres the interview.

H.S.- I was listening to the album and I must say it is fantastic. Great job. A lot of you guys are putting out new albums like Sepatulra, Soulfly, etc how do you feel about putting out an album at the same time as everyone else and still having it stand so strong in the metal community in this day and age?

 

Mark- The one thing we have been doing for the last three years is pretty much just touring and we have been fortunate enough to tour with a lot of these people, our peers, whether it be the guys from Seputural, Anthrax, Testament, we did stuff with Exodus and Kreater, we made a lot of friends with these people and some of them were long standing friendships with.  We knew that when we released this record the likes of the people that were going to hear it we knew we could show them something we could be proud of. The response that we have gotten back from all of these people have been over whelmingly positive. I think we are on the right track with what we are doing. It has its own legs; it will defiantly be liked by the metal community no matter what.

 

H.S.- You guys do bring and tour with a younger crowd, like Bonded by Blood, do you think that it is great that you still bring in the younger crowds like kids in their teens and 20’s and still be relatable.

 

Mark- In a huge way. That is one thing that was great for us on the touring for the last record. We went over a whole new crowd, a younger generation. It’s great and if anything it has made our crowd more diverse and it has made us even hungry to write faster, technical, intense thrash. Its inspired us and lite a fire under us. We feel that us putting out this record is thanking them.

 

 

H.S.- I totally agree with you it is going to be fantastic live. Its like the new Testament album it sounds great live and this has the same energy. I was listening to it while I was waiting and it was just a great way to start my morning.

 

Mark- Alright that’s good to hear. We worked our asses off on it that’s for sure.

 

H.S.- I saw for this album you worked with the same sound engineers as your last record, do you feel that because you are so comfortable and you knew how they worked it made this album that much better.

 

Mark- Definitely. Definitetly. We were very proud with what we came out with, with the last record. We knew working with Jason again we would be even stronger. Once we started writing material for this new record we knew it was going to be more aggressive then the last record. We were comfortable working with Jason already in the studios and this time there was already this bond and he brings out the best in us. He pushed for a bit more aggression and that was great because that is what we need, we tend to lean more to malainic and he draws more towards aggressive and we find a happy medium for us. I think that it is a really great marriage of the two.

 

H.S.- I have to agree.  With song like “Succubus” and “Execution/ Don’t Save Me”

There is some acoustic guitar going on and I thought that was fantastic to add to a metal album to just break it up.

 

Osegueda- Oh yeah. We love music, all music. Some of our favorite albums ever written have acoustic introductions. It definitely doesn’t take away from how heavy the album is. It’s heavy in a different way as far as emotions go in that part and then once it kicks in it’s just a great dynamic we give you a rest for a moment then BAM it’s right back in your face.

 

H.S.- I thought it was very well done because like you said it was an in your face kind of sound. It did go from metal mellow into a thrash sound. It was a nice change. What was some of the inspiration for this album?

 

Osegueda- a lot of this album is about the perseverance of being on the road for three years. I love touring more then anything but its not all highs. You’re living on a bus with anyone from 11 to 20 people and sometimes they go without showers.  The thing that makes it worth it all is when you hit that stage its just incredible, the energy you get. But being away from home for so long puts a strain on personal relationships and a lot of the fuel for this record is the loss of being on the road for that long and just being in a band and the sacrifice you make. A lot of that can be from an angry point of view.

 

H.S.- that’s ok that’s how you get out all of the resentment towards that kind of shit, you just write about it, its just a nice kind of release.

 

Osegueda- Absolutely it’s the most cathartic experience. It is such a great way to get out aggression, its better then breaking your hand on a wall. (laughs)

 

H.S.- Definitely its not worth breaking your hand it will never be the same. You could always just through something at an audience member they won’t take it personal they will just be like “YEAH”.

 

Osegueda- It’s great. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a really upbeat person all the time and I’m always joking but I think that I can be this way because I have this amazing release that other people don’t nessorcily have That’s probably what keeps me so positive.

 

H.S.- You are very grounded for being in the industry for so long its very nice because sometimes you come across people who have been doing it for so long they are just ass holes. You just seem so happy to be able to just tour. It is so nice but it seems like the older metal bands are like that like Testament C.O.C., its so nice to hear that people still give a shit.

 

Osegueda- Oh yeah in a huge way.  I respect it and appreciate it more then anything. Music means more to me in my life, more then anything else ever has and it is something that I never take for granted. Ever day I get to play is a wonderful day. Those people will get there’s and someday they are not allowed to play and they think ‘Shit I wish I could have done this, I could have done it this way.’ Me I don’t want to look back thinking damn I should have done that. I just want to look back and think I gave it my best and I was cool doing it. And it was cool meeting nice people and I want to be a nice person while doing it.

 

H.S.- What have you been listening to lately?

 

Osegueda- Tough one, I’m all over the map I listen to everything from Patsy Kline to Slayer even to Billie Holiday  to Black Sabbath and everything in between. The new stuff that’s out, I have really been digging the new Carcass. I always fall back on my strong holds I love Black Sabbath Sabotage, I have been listening to a lot of Master of Puppets. It’s tough I have just been listening to a lot of early things mellow things. During this album I was listening to a lot of heavy things an lately I have been giving my ears a break.

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