Tommy Vext Interveiw

Tommy Vext Interview: By Craig Sternberg

SD: Take me back to when Bleed the Fifth was released, how rewarding of an experience was that for you to see the album come out and be received by the fans the way it was?

Tommy: It was great once we got on the Static-X/Shadows Fall tour. We didn't sell too many records when it first came out because we hadn't really toured or even had a band name till a month before its release. We knew we had a lot of ground to cover and a lot of work to do. But at the time we were all really excited.

SD: I knew leading up to the album you had to show a lot of patience because Dino was on tour with Asesino and Tim was on tour with Vital Remains, how did you stay on top of your game when they were out on tour with other bands?

Tommy: Well I was kind of stuck in Hollywood because at the time I was broke and I wanted to move back to New York. Dino was like, "You cant move back because if you leave then Tim will leave". So I just stayed with my best friend and we just kind of hung out, worked out and networked – I just tried to stay busy and do positive things while I was waiting. It was a big waiting game; it really felt like a hesitation of commitment to moving forward on Dino's end. But at the end of it I'm glad I had the opportunity to put out the record that we did.

SD: How often did you practice your vocals while they were on tour? Do you have a specific practice routine?

Tommy: I've been going to Melissa Cross for about five years now. I try to warm up a couple times a week. On tour I will warm up everyday, either right before I go on or right when I get up. On tour though you're on a lot different schedule then you are at home.

SD: What does the album Bleed the Fifth mean to you now personally?

Tommy: Bleed the Fifth is a song that, interestingly enough, is written about my experience living in Hollywood and dealing with certain unsavory and fake characters that for now will remain nameless. But in retrospect when people read the lyrics they'll figure out quite exactly what the song is about. My attitude has always been "Treat others how you want to be treated", and "You give what you get". For me it's an equality thing and that's how I treat people. I don't care if your up on stage or down in the crowd, everyone's equal… you can't have one without the other. Having that mutual respect for everyone around me gives me balance in my own life. It's another reason I chose to leave the band.

SD: What was it like working with the Dirty Icon Production team? Was there anything specific they made you better at?

Tommy: It was a great experience all around. Those guys are excellent people. It's great because I was always a Machine Head fan. I was really into the first two records so its cool that I get to hang out and become close friends with Logan Mader. He is also a brilliant producer/engineer. Lucas Banker is a very positive influence and opened my eyes up to choosing certain kinds of melodies and just expanding my idea about how I approach vocal writing. He added a little more of a dimension to my creative facet, which is really cool. I'm 100% sure that without those two guys producing the record and working on it the way they did that it would definitely not sound anything close to what it was.

SD: In Vext you sang completely different then you did in Divine Heresy, How was the adjustment to go into a more brutal kind of vocal in Divine Heresy?

Tommy: It's like an actor choosing his role. Whatever the job calls for, you have to deliver. Vext was something I did when I was a kid. People forget I put that out when I was like 19 or 20 years old. It was a cool experimental thing with no rules and no boundaries. But the natural progression toward a darker heavier sound was where my life was going. I guess you could say hard times make for hard music. So by the time Divine Heresy came along it seemed like a perfect fit. When I got the tracks, I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and that was be brutal, honest, and unapologetic. Without regard to what I'm capable of stylistically, I just wanted to kill it. I wanted to bring another level of vocals to that kind of music. So hopefully I achieved that.

SD: So you're not going back to anything that sounds remotely like Vext in the future?

Tommy: No and I'm probably not going to do anything that sounds to much like Divine Heresy.

SD: Do you want something heavier? What kind of sound are you going for?

Tommy: Honestly, I'm very open and as long as I find musicians who are as talented as they are good people. I would however like to keep up the brutality but with more innovative guitar work for this century. Don't get me wrong, in 1995 Dino was definitely original, but the style has been rehashed by many and mastered by others. Plus I'm really into leads and solos. I'm not really putting a label on anything, I just to make good music. Keep it interesting, do something different, something that stands out and still bring the same intensity and visceral live show!

SD: One of the cool things about Divine Heresy was all the different backgrounds that each member came from. Was the songwriting process easy? Or did you have to work out some kinks in order to get used to each other?

Tommy: Well a few songs that Dino had written musically with drummer Nick Barker (Dimmu Borgir/Cradle of Filth) such as "Savior Self" and "This Threat is Fucking Real" were complete. He had sent me demos and I wrote the vocals in NYC as part of my original audition. I arrived in LA thinking the songs were composed and I would just be adding vocals but the other material seemed to be a bit clustered. I guess Tim and Dino were just waiting for a singer to fit the puzzle pieces together. I feel as songwriters Dino and I cliqued immediately, we shared the same philosophy of trying everything. One of his greatest strengths as a songwriter is that he is a perfectionist, and we never settled for anything when we were writing. Tim took a little longer to settle in to a controlled songwriting environment but once he did it was pretty apparent we had something cool and different.

SD: With that said, do you think you guys captured the distinct sound that you wanted to as a band?

Tommy: Yeah I think we got the sound we wanted on that record. I mean right off the bat when I came into the situation I could see a clear difference and distinctiveness in the three of our backgrounds. I knew it was going to be cool and interesting to see how it effected the songwriting. At the end of the day I think everyone did a good job on writing the record I was really happy to be a part of it. If everything were as cool as it was making the music, then maybe things would be different.

SD: Any songs on that record stick out for you?

Tommy: A lot of them. The thing about the songs on that record is that they were written in a way so that everyone can receive them and interpret them as their own. Yet every single song on that record is about my personal life experiences and opinions. I just didn't feel it necessary to cram it down anyone's thought, I mean that's kind of arrogant and distasteful. I will say that the lyrics are negative and positive, that's what Divine Heresy is to me , Its beautiful and brutal at the same time. "Closure" was a very personal song, as was "Rise of the Scorned", "Savior Self", "Impossible is Nothing". Everything that I wrote I put my heart and soul into. I believe that good lyrics should be honest and relevant. So they all hold a close place for me as a reminder of who I was what I have overcome and who I have become.

SD: Since we're here with the God Forbid guys I wanted to talk to you about the track "Soul Engraved". How was that experience for you at that time?

Tommy: It was killer. God Forbid was doing their third record Gone Forever. Doc (God Forbid), Dallas (God Forbid), James (Vext), and myself used to jam and write songs way back. I was always a fan of God Forbid so I always thought it'd be cool if I sang on the record. They all talked about it and totally decided it was cool and we should do it. I went down, they were recording with Eric Rachel. I listened to the track and it was actually a lot longer then. I sat down with the band and we threw some ideas around and lets see how it comes out. Byron and me went to work on it after it was changed and we put our touch on it. It was a great
experience I've been friends with these guys for a long long time. It was great and very natural.

SD: Its funny I think you sound a lot different then you did back then, how much do you think your vocals have changed since back then?

Tommy: That was four years ago. My voice has gone through some different changes. That was one of the beginning steps of going in a heavier direction with my vocals. It definitely was an experience that added to what I envisioned for Divine Heresy.

SD: Do you feel it was ultimately one member that decided you should leave or did you feel it was a band decision?

Tommy: Well first off I actually quit. I knew what the repercussions would be by pushing Dino but I was so fed up I didn't care anymore. And after it was all said and done Joe, Tim and our manager were trying to get me to apologize so we could move on and go play the Metalfest. But it was to late. I was just at a point where I wasn't willing to put up with him anymore. I mean everyone knows how he is and I'm not going to be bullied were not in high school anymore. This isn't the senior vs. the freshman. I have pride and integrity and have survived far worse than the likes of a middle aged rockstar. I know that was a problem for him. He's a control freak, he needs complete control and also as Burton has said in the past he takes credit for things he doesn't do. Which is pretty sad. I was just tired of placating him. I couldn't take him seriously anymore I didn't respect him. I'm an honest man and I believe in karma. I just didn't want to be apart of it anymore. It was a disaster and nightmare being around the guy emotionally. He knows how I felt about him I mean I was totally honest. It wasn't good enough to just stay away from each other and play the shows each night. I read the Blabbermouth response, the Joe and Tim press release. By the way, Joe has personally called me after it was released to apologize. Further more the release was allegedly fabricated by Dino's lawyer and forced on the other members as a form of damage control for Dino's image. That's' fucking pathetic.

SD: But you're still cool with Tim and Joe?

Tommy: Yeah I have no love loss those guys. I think they had an opportunity to stand up for what's right but I think that having the courage to do that is hard. I mean in that environment it's a "Liability and a threat to their livelihood" as Joe explained to me and I can empathize with that. But the reality of it is Tim Yeung is the real star of Divine Heresy and I hope Dino knows that, because if he loses him at this point, he's fucked. That's all he's got left.

SD: Was there anything you could have done to save the relationship with Dino or was there anything you were at fault?

Tommy: I could have quit a long time ago. I should have when my fiancé had a miscarriage and I missed a show. She collapsed at LAX airport and I called Dino to tell him that I wasn't making the show and to please not tell anyone what was going on and he laughed at me. He told everyone in the room what had happened and I'm not making the show. That was really the last straw for our already tattered relationship. He had done many things to me in the past but that was really it. In the state of my distress I chose to take care of my family over my job and I think that's what a real man should do. I felt the deepest sense of disrespect and hurt from someone that's supposed to be on my team could respond like that. From that point on, I'd never forgive him.

SD: If you could pick any singer that could replace you in Divine Heresy who would it be? Any ideas for a good fit?

Tommy: They should get someone better then me. They should get Jesse Leech (Ex-Killswitch Engage) or Michael Bogballe (Ex-Mnemic). The only thing is that any singer who is established and well respected, there's two problems with that. They're not going to perform under those working conditions with Dino. I mean think about that, why didn't the guy call up a bunch of acclaimed rock stars at his age and "Level in the game"? He got me, who previously was virtually unknown. Tim who was very big in the death metal scene but up until the filling in the All That Remains tour and doing Divine Heresy wasn't popular, and Joe who was a fill in bass player in Nile who is also very talented but only 23. He's got a bunch of kids in the band because he can control them. I don't think that any other singer that's big is going to want to work with him. Its all about the work conditions, I wish them the best of luck hopefully they find another guy. A diamond in the rough like I was. It took Dino eight years to find a singer. People seem to think he discovered me but I was delivered to his doorstep by Robert Kamp and Mike Gitter. People in the east coast metal scene knew who I was because I've been singing in bands for twelve years now. Again, I wish them the best of luck. I want them to find a good singer who can at least sing the parts.

SD: Run down all your future projects and goals.

Tommy: There are a lot of things I can't say anything about. I'm really excited, I'm very happy. Some of my favorite artists have been sending me tracks that will currently be nameless do to legal purposes. I'm just really happy. The overwhelming support of the fans has been amazing and they've really helped me move on. It's not a big loss to me, I have nothing but time. I'm 26 years old. I'm just going to do the best I can and whatever happens happens. I'm completely fearless and I can't wait to get back on stage and do what I do. I'm going into the studio within the next month and start putting stuff down. I did say I am writing with Marc Rizzo he's going to be on tour for the next six months with Cavalera Conspiracy so we'll probably pick up again around November or December. In the mean time I'm just going to work on other stuff and put a project together and I'm really excited about it.