rattlead.hu
Sid, how did you get in the picture being the new drummer of Over Kill? Were you the band’s first choice or did they audition other drummers as well?
Well, my prior band, Paul Di’Anno’s Battlezone, did a US tour. After the tour ended, in January or February of ‘87, I decided to stay in the USA instead of going back to London, with the band. The Tour Manager on that tour, Ricky Lathrop, was also Over Kill’s tour manager. So when it became time for Over Kill to find a permanent replacement for Rat Skates, Ricky suggested to Over Kill that they get in touch with me. I met Bobby “Blitz” a couple of times for drinks and fun in NYC, and in November of ‘87, he asked me to audition for the band. I don’t know if I was a first choice, at least initially, but during the audition, besides obviously jamming a couple of the old songs, they threw some new riff at me (which turned out to be Shred) and asked me what I’d play of off the top of my head. I guess they liked what i came up with, as well as how receptive I was to their comments/suggestions, so after a couple of weeks, Blitz called me, and offered me the gig.
What about your musical background?
Well it’s quite varied hahaha. Started out learning flute then piano.. got bored with that.. started playing bass then guitar, and eventually found my love for drums. Musically, I played mostly Rock Fusion / Funk Fusion, then moved into more of a Hard Rock type of music. Around 1978 (I think) I came across Rainbow: Live On Stage, and pretty much from then on, had no real interest for anything besides Hard Rock / Metal.
To which extent were you familiar with Over Kill’s materials?
When I was offered to audition, and subsequently, to join Over Kill, I was not familiar with neither their material, nor the Thrash / Power Metal genre at all. It was all virgin territory for me, and I quickly came to realize that there was a whole lot more, to the genre, than most people gave it credit for.
At which point did you start working on the new album?
I officially joined Over Kill the first week of January ‘88, and we immediately started to work on the material for UTI. By early March, we entered Pyramid Studios in Ithaca, NY, and at that point, i’d had about 8 weeks to not only learn the material, but also, indeed, I had to learn a genre of music that was extremely different from anything I’d ever done prior.
Between March-April 1988 you entered the Pyramid Sound Studios, how did the recording sessions go? Were you prepared to record the material?
From my perspective, the recording of the drum tracks, were very tense / intensive. As much help as everyone offered, I felt completely out of my element and “safe zone”. In the end, I guess I wasn’t as terrible as I felt I was, but although it’s a very well written and recorded album, I still have issues listening to it to this day. Definitely my least favorite Over Kill album, all due to my playing.
Would you say, that a third album is a crucial point in every band’s career?
In many way it seems that way. I think to old standard was, that everybody felt that by the time you recorded your 3rd album, you should have become experienced enough, to show your full potential.
Did you step away from the traditional, punk-driven attitude/approach compared to the previous releases? Did it mark a huge evolutionary step from the speedy heavy metal of your two previous albums to a thrash metal band?
Well, that’s a little hard for me to comment on, since I assume that you are referring to Feel the Fire & Taking Over, neither of which I had anything to do with. From an observers point of view, I think that, Over Kill had evolved many fold, from where their first Two album were at. It was almost like, all of the sudden, the realized that, It was OK to step a little outside af any genre specific rules.. Like it was OK to put a lot of thought into was they were writing.
How do you see, that with Feel the Fire there was a balance between the outright thrash side and the melodic one, while Taking Over felt like the melodic side took over, with Under the Influence you turned into a more technical direction?
As I said, I think Gustafson, Blitz & D.D. had evolved ten fold beyond their first two albums. Sure, there was a lot more technical stuff going on, a lot more intricate stuff going on. But to me, I think the biggest change was that, they started realizing that power is generated by more than just speed and volume. They had really grown tremendously as musicians, by the time they started writing the material for UTI
Is it less traditional thrash than your last records, but it doesn’t veer off from the path much?
I think there are definitely stuff that goes beyond just traditional Thrash / Power Metal. Songs like Drunken Wisdom and Mad Gone World are far from traditional anything hahaha.. Drunken is so heavy, that it’s balls are scraping the ground, and Mad Gone is so quirky and intricate that its hard to call it Thrash.
The biggest change in Overkill’s sound was how technical you became and Under the Influence is an important stepping stone for the band as it shows off your technical prowess, how do you explain this?
Again, it all comes down to the growth of the guys in the band. Their skills and growth as musicians and as songwriters was really way ahead of where it was with the prior albums. Obviously, I’d like to think I contributed as well hahaha, but truly, I think, as far as UTI, the biggest contribution I made, was the fact that, overall, I was a very disciplined “Old school” drummer, and I think maybe that gave the other guys the confidence to push the limit a little more, without having to worry about the song would come tumbling down like a house of cards in a storm because it could become a “free for all”, with everyone going crazy at the same time. I also think that I maybe made the songs a little more accesable to people who might not be completely familiar with the genre.
Do you think, that it’s just very unique in the band’s discography as it’s probably the band’s most technically crafted in terms of writing and execution?
Well, no not really. Is it a unique album? Absolutely! But I think that the albums that followed, at least in places, can be considered way more technically written and played, than UTI. However, I do believe that the reason for that is, the confidence gained during the UTI cycle.
Did Under the Influence develop the somewhat groovy sound more known as Overkill, slowing things down and spending some quality time on the guitars?
Well, naturally Bobby and Alex Periales, spend time on the guitar tone. I also think that Michael Wagner, who mixed it, had a lot to do with that.
The album has many standouts, such as Shred, Hello from the Gutter, Never Say Never or End of the Line…
I agree hahaha
Do you agree with, that the most immediately noticeable difference are the changes in the production department, which finally caught up with that of your peers; the whole album generally sounds clearer and better?
Oh absolutely. As I mentioned, Michael Wagner mixed the album out in Los Angeles, with Blitz, Bobby & D.D., as well as Alex. And I think the album definitely benefitted from that.
D. D.’s bass lines/parts were very audible and dominant, weren’t they?
Yes the were haha. But I think they are on All the Over Kill albums. Very much as much of a part of Over Kill~s identity as is Blitz’s Vocals. I think that D.D. is a very under rated bass player in general.
Did the album really help the thrash scene peak in the late 80’s?
I think.. well I know that Over Kill was one of the pioneer bands in the genre, and I think that both Taking Over and Under the Influence, very much was a part of why Thrash Metal became more accepted as more of a mainstream music genre. But it would be criminal not to mention that little band called Metallica.
How about the shows and tours in support of the record as a whole?
The UTI tours were fantastic and a lot of fun. Obviously, according to the other 3 guys, the venues got bigger, the crowds got bigger everywhere compared to the previous tours. The band was tight and really, just underscored that, while Over Kill was quite proficient in the recording studio, I think few other band were / are as powerful live. You really haven’t experienced Over Kill until you’ve been to one of their concerts.
Can you tell us about your time as a member of Over Kill? What were the highlights/ups and downs?
Well, it’s like anything else; there are ups and downs. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the band. The ups obviously were, that I learned a new genre, I got to be part of a couple of kick ass albums, I got to travel the world, and I’d say the downs were a lot fewer that the ups.
Who was your best friend within the band? Are you still in touch with ’em?
Hahaha well, it wasn’t really like “hey lets be besties” hahahaha. I’d say we were all friends. We all had different personalities, just like in any other part of life. I guess you can say that Blitz is the bands official “Welcome to the band..anything, just let me know” guy. So I spent a lot of time with and around Blitz, and I guess you could say we became close/good friends. But that doesn’t mean that, that wasn’t the case with the other guys. Later on, I also became very close friends with Rob Cannavino. And yes, we’re still all very much in contact with each other.
Sid, thanks a lot for the answers, any final words for the Hungarian readers?
You’re very welcome. Thanks for still remembering and for still keeping the Old School Bands close to your hearts!
