Sick Drummer Magazine

Mike Ranne - Through The Eyes of The Dead - Decibel Defiance Tour Blog 2:

 

So we're heading into the final days of the Decibel Defiance Tour... What a ride! Since the last blog I submitted, we ran into a few problems. One being that our van was broken into in Pomona, california and luckily nothing was taken! Another being that Danny was shoved into the street by the bouncers at The Whiskey in LA, lost his balance, landed in the street and was run over by a passing truck that didn't even stop after he crushed Danny's hand. He has a few broken bones, but is still crushing the mic every night, a trooper for sure! 

 

Besides like 1 show, the crowds have been amazing. Everyone has been showing us a lot of love and it's truly been a pleasure getting to know everyone in the bands and crew on tour. I was lucky enough to meet up w/ quite a number of old friends on this tour as well, which is always nice when you're away from home. In NYC I got to hangout w/ my brother Todd Ranne (my bitter end guitarist). Then in Montreal (as I mentioned in the previous blog) we met up w/ the Despised Icon / Beneath The Massacre dudes and hungout... Mercedes Lander from Kittie and Jeff from ABACABB came out to the toronto show, it was so dope getting to see those guys (and girl). Salt Lake City brought my good friend Justin Stage out, as well as a few of the dudes from Chelsea Grin (that was an all nighter). Pretty much every State we went to, we were lucky enough to link up w/ someone from a band we toured w/ previously. I know Jake & Justin were hanging out w/ the guys from JFAC in Tempe AZ too, but I don't know those guys at all, so we didnt really talk.

 

I gotta admit, I was super nervous going into this tour! Suffocation have been considered living legends not only to me, but the entire death metal community. They turned out to be the coolest bunch of guys I ever met, and I seriously mean that. Terrance has been like an older brother to me on this tour. Dude is always looking out. Mike Smith is mad cool too and talking about drums w/ him is something I used to only wish I could do. He also introduced me to Pete Sandoval in Tampa... I was speechless (and also pretty hammered). Derek is the nicest dude on the planet hands down. His folks came out to a show in California and prepared this amazing feast for the entire tour package! I can tell where he gets being such a rad dude from haha... and although I didn't talk as much w/ Frank and Guy, they were always super cool when I did. 

 

We (TTEOTD) are truly privileged as a band to be able to say we toured w/ these guys. The same goes for Fleshgod Apocalypse, Decrepit Birth and The Faceless. Those guys blew me away every night, and are all the sweetest dudes ever. I'm sure I'm leaving a whole mess of details out that will probably come back to me in the next few weeks, which is why I will be dropping in for another blog once tour is over and I have had time to reflect. 

 

It all went by so fast! Probably because (aside from a select few days) the tour has been one huge party. I have drum-cam vids of each drummer from the tour that I will be uploading very soon... Just bare w/me

 

~Mike Ranne

Steve Shalaty Immolation/Vader Tour Blog - Day 22 

 

Day 22 - Houston, Texas:

 

Houston, god damn Texas! It's hot and dusty. The parking lot is a dirt and gravel mix, mostly dirt. The dust is sticking to my early morning sweat and the sun is blazing. This is what I live for. I see the tour dogs emerging from the vehicles all straggly hair and parched mouths. Most are quick to duck back into the shade. A breakfast club assembles including myself and most of Lecherous Nocturne. We greet and toast the Texas sun with the last of the water on the bus.

     

Time to load-in. The members of the tour are suffering in the heat and the one helper from the club is soaked in minutes. I feel invigorated and try to spearhead the load-in. These poor guys are just miserable inside the building and trying to assemble the amps and stage gear. Paul is drenched and finally shakes his head and says he can't focus. I tell him to go sit in the A.C. on the bus and have a drink. I finish the kit myself and set out for breakfast. The club helper guy said there was a taco truck parked a little way down the street, so I stroll down to check it out. 3 tacos to go and a giant homemade lemonade. That lemonade was so damn good after the load-in and set-up. I practically ran back to the club eager to feast. After a salty, greasy scarf session I warm up my hands a bit on the pad. It's no fun going up for sound check cold and trying to stumble your way through a fast tune. No thanks. Mikey's ready for me so I hop on the kit. We're set up on a two piece riser consisting of a right and left halves. The two halves are not fixed to each other so when you play the whole drumset dances and jiggles around. This can wreak havoc on fast bouble bass parts or even mid-paced runs where you get a pulse going. Nice. Sure enough we play a fast one for sound check. My feet are a bit messy. Even at slow tempos. Wtf? We are running short on time so we wrap it up. I stay behind and put a couple shirts on my snare so I can run some metronome drills between my hands and feet while the other bands backline and the opening band sets up. I haven't had the chance to work on my feet enough this tour. It feels good to beat them up a little in a controlled drill. The sweat is pouring at the 20 minute mark and I finish out the cycle at 280 bpm. I feel better now and decide to take my pad out back where I can catch the breeze that is swinging through the parking lot. The temperature is already starting to drop and the black shirts are multiplying. After a while I catch Ross and Bob with that "dinner?" look in their eye. A death metal drummer on tour must pay particular attention to when and what he eats. Subway is relatively clean fuel and if I relax before the show the timing should be about right. So, I accompany my bandmates to Jared's Place and eat heartily. 

     

We return just in time for me to help Lecherous get the big black Mapex up and ready. L.N. proceed to eradicate all weakness and ensnare the minds of those left standing. It may sound dramatic, but they are truly a musical gauntlet. Lecherous is not a casual listen and I enjoy observing unsuspecting first time audiences. Their ferocity is immediately apparent, but once you catch on to the haywire complexity of the riffing you become transfixed. This audience is made victim and spasmodically shouts their approval between songs. The Carolinans come off stage soaked and visibly relieved. Almost as if they were able to expell some venom from their systems during the set.

        

We move Alex's rig offstage and replace it with Ken's to get A.W. ready to roll. It's a beautiful night for a party and the crowd does just that in the open air smoking section of the club while the boys in Abigail Williams prepare themselves. Paul appears backstage smiling and looking relieved after a good rest on the bus. We talk for a minute and then I head back to my spot right outside the back of the building where my pad and sticks await me. With the sweet Texas breeze on me I rap away on my rubber tourmate and b.s. with people passing through and hanging out. These are the moments that make it for me. Beautiful weather, palm trees, and a clear sense of purpose and objective. I play along once again with Ken as he steers Abigail through their haunting and melodic soundscapes. Although more a fan of flesh shredding stuff like Lecherous, I must admit that Abigail Williams do what they do very well. They have masterfully captured an atmosphere and feel with the music that has definite artistic integrity. The dark and forlorn wails float to me as Ken marches the band towards the end of the set.

     

Its time for Vader to be tested by the heat. Paul helps me switch cymbals and blows out a few flurries of blast to make sure he's ready. The Imperial March begins signaling all pitworthy combatants to enter the building and take their places down front. After a smooth and suave address from the Polish frontman the crowd waits for the last heralding trumpets and then Vader crashes upon them with guns blazing. Bathed in infernal red light the four piece are relentless and look like a surging phalanx on stage. Piotr's soothing voice between songs is the perfect counterpoint to his demonic roars during them. " What about Sothissssss? " a hissing inquiry to a nearly rabid crowd that screams in anticipation. I am fired up myself and have to tear myself away to continue my preparation. I try to push the speed of my warm up tonight. Playing along with Paul's parts is pretty intense and gets me loose in no time. Vader finishes in grand fashion and I shake hands with them as they come off stage. Paul is soaked but happy and we exchange cymbals and snare drums quickly so he can clean up. Wow. The pedals feel like lightning tonight. I'm definitely glad I spent time on my feet today. I run quick sixteenth triplets on the kicks throughout the entire line check and then the lights go down.  I am calm and already sweating. I feel like an electrical charge is building inside me and that I must control its discharge in a precise manner. As the intro swells I count in and we start "The Purge". Its fast and calm and in the pocket. Mint. We get to "World Agony" , the second to last song before I feel the fatigue setting in. Mostly my left foot which is strange since I've been bullying my right tonight on the single foot blasts. The last song of the set is the real bitch of the new stuff and it takes all I've got to force my feet to finish smooth. Yes! Good set tonight. The party rages late after load-out in the dusty parking lot. I visit with Duane Timlin and have extended conversations with several fans before a group of us decide to walk to a local diner for a late night slob down. The stage is set for an extreme eating event with myself, Paul, Ray and the Lecherous gang being joined by Duane and some of his crew. This turned out to be one of the most hilarious and enjoyable nights on the tour. Suffice to say that Paul had his way with the menu and walked out with a $60.00 tab. No one came close to his total haul despite valiant efforts from many of us. The conversation was vile and hilarious and I found myself out of breath from laughter on more than one occasion.

     

Thanks to Jason, Alex, Creesh, James, Ethan, Paul and Ray for keeping me in stitches all f'ing night. You guys are something else! 

 

Steve Shalaty Immolation/Vader Tour Blog - Day 17, 19, 20, 21

 

Day 17 - San Diego, California:

 

I wake up late and load in has already begun. As soon as I get off the bus I see Redline Stein, the vocalist for Lecherous Nocturne, barefoot and stumbling toward me with a shopping cart that has been equipped with a "please help" paper cup. So hilarious and politically incorrect I can't help myself but bust up. He's really getting into it and totally looks the part with his full-on, homeless, red beard. Haha.

       

I join the train of worker ants running the equipment in. Some people are using shopping carts to haul stuff. This includes Jimbo, the white haired former surfer that is working as a stage hand tonight. Once everything's in we build and tune the kit.

        

Ross and Bob have decided to change the set up a bit so we play the 2 substitute songs for soundcheck and nail both. Nice. Well see how they go over tonight. After some homemade lasagna and a little practice, too little, I head to my bunk to catch up on the tour blog. The pasta makes me very tired and after awhile I roll over and pass out. Napping is sometimes nescessary on tour when your sleeping patterns get chopped up. The waking up process sucks though and I'm usually angry for a spell afterward. I avoid humans until I get my wits about me again and then stagger in to see what's going on. Good lord. Abigail Williams is on already and Gene Hoglan is in the house. Paul comes up and is visibly nervous about playing in front of the Big Man. I assure him that he'll do fine and that I'm sure Gene will enjoy his playing. Now, its time to worry about how I'm going to play tonight. I jam on the pad for the rest of Abigail Williams' set. Ken sounds like he might be having an off night and I find out later that they wouldn't allow Ken in the club until it was time to play because he's only 20. Which means no extended warm up like usual. Sucks. 21 and over shows are rare but still happen. When I help him off stage he's a little bent but cool. It's Vader time so after getting Paul set in the drum department I head to the bus for drinks etc.

   

When I return the Imperial March is heralding the arrival of the Polish Machine. Soon Vader is gunning away at the crowd with pure aggression. Paul is blasting up in the 240s-250s like a sicko. I go to the pad to see if I can hang with him during warm up. Just in bursts. My left hand is lame but coming around lately. My hands feel nice and quick by the end of Vader's set though and my energy level is up from the nap. 

     

Prime time to take the stage. Its a quick changeover and I get right to foot warm up. I feel ready. The intro rolls then we crack into "The Purge". The subdivisions on the second triplet ruff on the bass drums are a little rushed but otherwise my feet lock up nicely and I relax my way through the first three tunes. Now I'm good and sweaty and I let loose a little on "Hate's Plague" and "Father". Its a good comfortable set. The new additions "Swarm of Terror" and "Passion Kill" are upbeat and aggresive and seem to go over very well. Two good shows in a row........ now I'm getting nervous. 

      

I pay my regards and bow low to Gene as he leaves. Such a cool guy and an amazing talent. He tells me "good show" and I tell him that he inspires every one of us to play our very best when he is in the building. I think he may have blushed a little at that, but I'm not sure. 

       

After a long and grueling load out we relax awhile and socialize with everyone on the tour before it's time to head out. Special thanks to Gene for bringing out the best in us and to Jimbo for all his help. I can only hope to be as spry as he at his age.

 

Day 19 - Show cancelled, Day off... Gay

 

Day 20 - Day off

 

Day 21 - Austin, Texas:

 

What a cool town. We're playing on the main strip which is loaded with restaurants, stores and clubs. Another gorgeous day. The venue is running two shows in two different rooms tonight. The headliner in the big room is IWrestledABearOnce with Chelsea Grin and a few other bands I forgot. Sorry. I have never heard any of the bands on the bill and my tourmates have said everything from Gay to Christian to Emo. There was a rainbow. I am curious to see the mix of crowds in the main courtyard between the stages tonight. Whatever's going on over there I don't know, but our side is going to be metal. 

 

Anyway, we load in and set up. More damage to the set. Its like gremlins take my drums out in the trailer and beat them with tiny hammers. The backstage storage area is cramped but there is enough room for all the drums on the tour. The stage is too small for 2 kits so we strike mine after a decent feeling soundcheck. Decent is not leaving me satisfied and I set up my pad backstage and go to work. After a good session I head out to explore food options with Paul and Ray from Vader. The sun is already hanging low and the strip is getting busier by the minute. We settle on a pita shop and pig out. Paul's eating prowess has become legendary on the tour and I, who am considered quite an eater even by Immolation standards, have been bested by him time and time again. He doubles me tonight and handily I might add. Once again I am amazed and alarmed. 

 

We head back at dusk and stop a few times along the way to check out some shops. We roll in just in time to catch Lecherous as they kick it off. Woohoo! Those tender minds next door wincing and wilting from the aural battery. The thought of it makes me grin uncontrollably as I bob along with the thrashing machine on stage. "Blood for Plastic" is a boldfaced half-bribe, half-dare delivered nightly to the crowd by a crazy eyed Jason Stein. Tonight's edition incites a lop sided pit that if maintained for the full 2 minute song will see it's most enthusiastic participant receive a copy of L.N.'s new disc " The Age of Miracles Has Passed ". I plan on winning that disc before the tour is up but not tonight because there is a crazed behemoth orbiting the poles in the middle of the room and deflecting all comers like a runaway planet. Planet behemoth wins the disc and a round of applause before Lecherous lapses back into violence. When Alex and the boys are finished venting I help switch the drum kits to get Abigail Williams ready to go. 

 

After Ken is assembled, I head through the courtyard to the other stage. The courtyard is lit up in a cool and subtle way and has a perfect vibe for the mixing crowds. I catch a few minutes of one of the bands and they have a breakdown thing going on at the end of the song that isn't nearly as heavy as they are making it out to be, but is decent enough to hold me for a minute. After some well rehearsed banter they launch into a "new song" which is nothing like what they were just playing and after a few seconds there is some harmonized vocal bubblegum that repels me back to our side of the venue again. A.W. starts and I duck into the storage area for some sporadic pad beating. During the 2 days off I played for a 2 hour block, hands only, on the first night in El Paso. In the parking lot of the most bootleg WalMart I have ever seen from about 2 a.m. to 4 a.m.. That's about it, so I'm laying into it today and I'm anxious to rip. 

 

After about 20 minutes I head back to one of the shops we passed earlier to grab a blue Mountain Dew. Voltage baby! So delicious and it rips down my throat like a raging blue river. Haha. Back to the club to prep Paul and Vader. Paul is chomping at the bit as well and he let's loose a little on the cans before line check. The kid is fast! AND a hammer. Sheesh. Back to the pad for me. I play along with Paul for most of the set, at one point popping out to see my friend Mark from Averse Sefira and Birth A.D., also a skinsman, nodding along with the necksnapping pulse of the Vader Tank's engine. Its a good crowd and I see some kids from the show next door are checking out some no nonsense Polish death metal as well. Who better to bring them over to the dark side! All too soon it's over and my time has arrived. Paul is drenched and claims to have had a few slip ups but I assure him I heard nothing. He shakes his head. I know the feeling. A handshake and a slap on the back later and the kit is mine. 

 

I feel like pushing tonight. I want to push my feet especially. I rev them throughout line check to be as loose as possible. The start is good. I'm a little relaxed and casual through the first song but start to get my heart rate up and swing a little on the next two. I'm pushing the throttle more tonight and the boys are responding well and holding it together right to the edge. The last song on the set list is a burner and it felt like my right foot was dogging a little but that was the barrier I wanted to hit so I felt satisfied. The crowd was strong throughout and enthusiastic converts from next door introduced themselves and further investigated the merch tables. As I said the vibe is sweet and the tour hangs late and celebrates Paul's birthday in the courtyard. 

 

Afterward we head down the street to Billy Milano's club "Head Hunter". After a beer and a toast with Billy, who apparently checked out the set tonight, we go upstairs to the patio and hang. I talk to John Zig from Sarcolytic and Smitty from Dead Sea and Billy some more. He tells some stories about Immolation shows he's seen and we all feel a little starstruck by our host. Soon he has to throw us out and close down so we say goodbye and hurry to snap some pictures before heading back to the vehicles. We all swap our own Billy Milano stories on the way back and laugh like little kids.

      

Thanks to Billy for his hospitality and razor sharp memory. And thanks to all my Texas friends who found their way out to the show tonight. Brazos. Brazos.

Mike Ranne - Through The Eyes of The Dead - Decibel Defiance Tour Blog 1:

 

So, the first week of tour is finished and we've had some great times already! I Went into this tour thinking there were going to be tons of egos, and man was I wrong. Everybody from crew to band members are all super legit people. Suffocation are some of the coolest dudes on the planet, and they are destroying every single night! Truly a time in my life I will never forget. 

 

Francesco Paoli (fleshgod apocalypse) has been using my kit for the tour and if anyone thinks that band can't pull off what they do live... All I have to say is come out and see for yourself. Being a drummer, I've obviously become friends w/ the other drummers on the tour first and I already knew quite a few people on this tour prior to being on it. Samus from Decrepit Birth and Lyle from The Faceless and super nice dudes! Talking drums and watching these guys perform each night has been so sick. 

 

We opened the tour in worcester MA @ The Rock and Shock Festival. So many dope bands played, it was seriously one huge party because I pretty much knew 75% of the people there! (haha) Suicide Silence co-headlined the fest and on tour with them was The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza, Molotov Solution and Conducting From The Grave, who all are our homies. We partied on the SS bus all night, and it got pretty rowdy. As Blood Runs Black, For The Fallen Dreams and Stick To Your Guns also played, and it was a pleasure to see those guys again as well. (I also met Bill Mosley and George Romero) 

 

The 2nd day of tour was in NYC! Great show, but the rain sucked. We spent the next 4 days in Quebec and although the language barrier was at times a pain in the ass, I got some amazing poutine and some gnarly dank buds too. We also got to party w/ Alex Grind and Steve from Despised Icon at the Montreal show, and we crashed at the Beneath The Massacre house. It was my first time meeting those dudes and I hope to tour with them asap. 

 

Once we got back to the States, we played in Poughkeepsie, NY at The Chance which is pretty much my hometown venue. My Bitter End played our first show ever there and many others as well. Lots of fond memories of that place! 

 

Detroit was last night... It was a Deatfest of sorts, as we met up with Cattle Decapitation, Burning The Masses, Devourment and more. I got so hammered, I definately blacked out. I did however see Zach Gibson, Bart Williams, Trevor Strnad, and their homies in tow. A sweet surprise for sure, since I've now known the dudes in Black Dhalia Murder for almost 7 yrs and only get to see them when they're on tour (usually haha). Brian actually left some medicinal nugs for me w/ Dave from cattle;) Love that dude for that! 

 

We're in West Dundee, IL tonight, which is right outside Chicago. Gonna have some video footage posted within a few days. 

 

Rock ~ Mike Ranne