Samus Paulicelli Talks About Leaving Abigail Williams

We just talked with Samus Paulicelli about his time with Abigail Williams and what else he has going on right now. Keep an eye out for some video lessons coming soon to the subscribers of Sick Drummer Magazine!

SDM: What was the recording and touring experience like with Abigail Williams, before you decided to leave?

Sam: To backtrack, it all started When I parted ways with Mutiny. Mike from RoadRunner Records approached me about Born of Fire, which had Abigail Williams members in it and asked me if i was interested in joining. I said sure, and a couple months later I ended up being in the band, with intentions of pursuing the opportunity. We were all waiting a couple months to go start recording and Ken from Abigail called me and said the project was getting dropped and they were just going to focus on Abigail and asked if I wanted to do that instead. They had things lined up, had a name and experience, so I said sure.

Recording and touring was good for the most part. The recording was fun, even though I only tracked three songs for the album, and the rest of Trym’s stuff I just tore up the best I could. The touring experience is something I will never forget and obviously want to do it again! The best part about playing in a band like that for me, is getting to play a show every single night. It’s got to be the most fun thing I could ever do.

SDM: You toured quite a bit with Abigail, what was the longest stretch?

Sam: Hmmm, the longest run was probably the most recent tour we just did with Daath, which was 60-something shows, although we had to drop off the last couple dates because we were all pretty sick. Another long tour was the Thrash and Burn last year, then went right to Europe with Summer Slaughter. That was very long… about 2 1/2 months.

SDM: How long before you left, were you thinking about leaving?

Sam: Well, there were many different reasons. The first is that we weren’t having much luck with money on the road and I have bills to pay, just like everyone else, you know. To be honest though, it was pretty close to when I actually joined the band. The first few tours were hard because none of the members were really getting along all that well. I’m sure every band has their arguments and fights, but for me it just seemed too much and made me think that it might not be the right thing, or right place for me to be. It’s never fun when the members are fighting, but as the tours went on it did get a lot better. Yet still, I never felt like I was treated as good as I should have been and it just got to a point where I decided not to deal with it anymore.

SDM: I have seen you play many different styles of metal over the past couple years. If you could pick a style to play with right now, which one would you prefer to pursue at this point?

Sam: Well, I really don’t have a preference. I just enjoy playing drums, so as long as it’s challenging I enjoy it. Oh yea, and it’s got to be heavy 🙂 Blasting and double bass are just the things I love.

SDM: I watched you play bass with Goatwhore not too long ago and it was great! Do you have any aspirations to play another instrument in a band, or would you if asked right now? and aside from drums what’s your favorite?

Sam: Sure, I guess I would. A favorite is hard to say though. Guitar, I really love playing, but it’s not my strongest and that would limit me from being able to jump around on stage and stuff. As a drummer, I find bass easier and can jump around all crazy and pretty much do whatever. I had a good time getting to play with Goatwhore… that was fun!

SDM: We have talked about and are looking forward to having you contribute lessons to SDM. Out of all the tours you have been on and different bands you have seen, what would you say is the biggest thing lacking in the drumming you have seen? From local guys to guys on a national level.

Sam: I would say cleanliness, power and even something as simple as stick technique. Obviously the technique is lesser on the local level, but I do see it on all levels to a degree. I would say that being clean is most important to me, cause if you’re not perfectly "on" and holding the band together, you probably shouldn’t be there or at least need to understand there is practicing to be done.

SDM: So now that you are home and also have your own solo project that you work on from time to time, what do you have planned?

Sam: I have a friend, also named Sam, who lives right down the street from me and we have been jamming on some stuff. It’s actually not very metal at all, yet more of an alternative rock sound. So I have that going on and I also have Eliminator, which looks promising. I think it will be one of the sickest thrash bands you have heard, cause this kid is nuts! We have like four songs done right now and are working on more, so check it out at: www.myspace.com/eliminatorus and my own solo project is: www.myspace.com/norwegianbirthdaycake. That’s pretty much just songs I write and record when I’m bored.

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