Revisiting Soulfly’s “Enslaved” With David Kinkade

 

SDM:  What's it been like to work with Max Cavalera of SoulFly/Sepultura fame?

 

Dave:  Its been a total honor. The Max musical legacy has been a huge inspiration to me since I was a kid and being able to create music with him is a fantastic thing.

 

SDM:  Are you happy with the final product of Soulfly’s 8th album “Enslaved”?

 

Dave:  Absolutely. Enslaved was a completely fresh and awakening record to be a part of, as a whole of a record. Watching from both an “outsider fan” standpoint since the beginning and a new band member and composer of rhythm ideas over the works of Max Cavalera and his completely brutal style of music gave me a feeling of of wow I had better play good. Between hearing the final product and seeing that what we were able to make together was something original, organic and refreshing for the metal world to receive is truly humbling for a drummer like me. In a small 2nd reply to that answer, its almost beautiful since I love so many different types of music and so do the other guys.

 

 

SDM:  How would you describe the new Soulfly album? How would you define the drumming on it?

 

Dave:  Viral. Savage. Complete. I didn’t want to take the drums of Soulfly into some constant blast beating fury of shit. I wanted to show all of my drumming influences off in one tasteful big bowl of metal. It has a bit of everything but not to the excess. That makes me hope that someone else can appreciate it for the drumming. It has everything from the Dave Lombardo colorful fills of brutal still feels human, the Nicko McBrain groove with the splash and roll fills of a room full of dancing tennis balls in a perfectly created place of perfect tempo….lol

 

SDM:  How does it feel after a SoulFly show when a drummer like Vinnie Paul comes up to you and says, you kill it? What was your reaction?

 

Dave:  Killer haha. Its nice to play music that is so well known and respected, especially by some of my childhood idols.

 

SDM:  What exactly does your new Pearl kit consist of?

 

Dave:  Technically speaking- It's a piano black finish Pearl Masters kit with Sabian cymbals, Evans heads, Pro-Mark David Kinkade signature sticks, Axis Pedals w/ Ekits, Alesis DM10 and sampler for the gunshots and 808's. I use the full wrap around wrack as well. I have added a Pearl 13” timbale and a 10'' Timbale for the tribal stuff.

 

Bass drums – (2) 22×18

Toms – (1) 8×7, (1) 10×9, (1) 12×10

Floor Toms – (1) 16×16, (1) 18×18

Snare – (1) 14×6.5     Ultracast snare

Hi-Hat – (1) H-2000, (1) CHL-1000

Snare stand – (2) S-2000

Drum rack – (4) DR-501, (1) RJ-50 (Total of 4 sides, requires 6 legs)

Clamps – (22) PCX-100

Boom stands – (16) H-2000 or H-2000S

Tom arms – (2) TH-2000L & (3) TH-2000S

 

SDM:  What was it like to record in Tallcat Studios in Phoenix, Arizona and have the album produced by Zeuss and Max Cavalera?

 

Dave:  Great people. All of them. Zeuss is a total madman behind the console. He has ideas as far as drum sounds that I’ve never even seen and I’m a production nerd. It was really a sweet time.

 

 

SDM:  What was it like to have guests on the album “Enslaved” such as Dez Fafara of Coal Chamber and Devil Driver and Travis Ryan of Cattle Decapitation?

 

Dave:  I think Dez and Ryan both absolutely killed it. They added a flavor of brutal that couldn’t have come out better. We had the privilege to play World Scum in San Diego with Travis Ryan on vox. It was killer. 

 

SDM:  How did you manage to get the drumming position with Soulfly to begin with?

 

Dave:  I have known Joe, the former drummer, for like 15 yrs. When I heard that Joe had left, I made myself available and got in touch with Max's manager Gloria and we went from there. They then got in touch with David Vincent from Morbid Angel and he having known me from touring together previously and almost hiring me, gave me a very  nice recommendation. 

 

SDM:  Is it true that you described the new Soulfly as like "Arise on crack"?

 

Dave:  Well yea, but that was just an over excited display of fun due to the level of rage I was having in the studio. I would awaken everyday at 8am, eat breakfast in the hotel, drive to the studio with Zeuss smoking 400 cigarettes and go over everything from the session of the night before. Max and the rest of the band would arrive at 12 noon, we would start throwing riffs around and arrange the music over the next 5 hours. Then Max would leave, Marc and I would work clicks out with Zeuss to lay a scratch guitar track to, then he would track the scratches. I would then record drums for 2-3 songs from 8pm until 2am, then it would all start again the next day. haha

 

 

SDM:  Tell us about the summer of 2008 when you worked with 13 students ranging from ages 7–13 at a middle school program aimed at teaching children with autism the beginning fundamentals of drums and percussion?

 

Dave:  Man, you guys find everything. Yes, I took part in a program that helps kids with disadvantages find music. It was a really fun time. 

 

SDM:  Tell us about your foundation called the "Metal 4 Pets Foundation", which stands against animal abuse.

 

Dave:  I started than in 2007. It was aimed at bringing the metal world together to fight animal abuse. It eventually became too much for me to handle and some other people took it over for me. I would like to bring it back above water again, but it seems that other bands don’t care to get involved.

 

SDM:  How long did you have to record the drum tracks for “Enslaved”? How long did it take you to come up with the drums for the album? How were things written? 

 

Dave:  5 days. I came up with the drum ideas on the spot. The beauty of the vibe in which was lurking around us in that studio is something I’ve never felt before. I had a burrito almost everyday, sometimes twice a day haha. We arranged everything together as a band but almost all of the riffs were ideas of Max's before hand. I do believe that there might have been 1-2 songs that were formed out of thin air. It was really magical… and an honor.

 

SDM:  What was triggered on the drums in the studio for Soulfly’s “Enslaved”? What brand of triggers and module did you use?

 

Dave:  I don’t use triggers in the studio. That's the dumbest thing a drummer can do. Everything is mic'ed on both the top and bottom, the drums are tuned really well and we re-sample anything that we don’t feel is 150% perfect in the end. Everything on that record is acoustic and just blended with its own sample that we created from that drum when it was tuned perfect etc. Live I use Ekits and the Alesis DM10. I also use an Alesis sampler for 808's and gun shots live.

 

SDM:  Some say the success of the new Soulfly album is because of your drumming. What do you say to that statement? 

 

Dave:  Well I certainly appreciate the compliments. I do believe it's a great new chapter for the sound of Soulfly and the level of brutal drumming, but I can't leave out how proud I am of everyone who worked on it. It was a completely awesome record to make and I cant wait to play more of the new songs live on tour. 

 

SDM:  Did you play on the instrumental bonus track Soulfly VIII?

 

Dave:  Yes, that’s me. Congas, sea shells, some rattles and the simple drum track.

 

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