Gus Rios of Malevolent Creation Bonus Questions – July 2010

Gus: As far as I know, they’re in hiatus, and I wasn’t part of the tv show. Would’ve been cool though!

 

SDM: What happened with the “Sickness” promo material for 1997?

 

Gus: I think that I still have a copy on tape somewhere…remember those?! We recorded it to get financing for the “Plague” album, which was never released either.

 

SDM: In your other band “Upon Infliction” you use to play with Hector Rios on bass! Any relation to you?

 

Gus: Yeah, Hector’s my brother. He plays in a great pop/rock band called Ashley Red now. I’ve done, and still do some session work with them. Great band!

 

SDM: How serious are you with “Upon Infliction”? I really like what we’re doing.

 

Gus: It’s exactly the style of metal that I love and want to be playing. I’m going to try and take it out on the road opening for Malevolent. Unfortunately it’s the only way that I can financially do it. I’m really proud of the new album. It showcases more facets of everyone’s playing than typically heard in this genre. It’s not all about bpms and more about good songs with dynamics. There’s plenty of fast double bass and blast beats, but there’s also a lot different things going on as well.

 

SDM: In Kult ov Azazel how long we’re you a member of that band? It is said that members of that band are members of the church of Satan! Are you involved with this in anyway? What was your stage name in this band?

 

Gus: I was always just a session player with them, which was for a couple of years back in 2000-2001. So I never got a cool stage name, ha! I don’t believe in any organized religion, be it Christianity or Satanism. I don’t judge others, it’s just not my thing.
 
SDM: What is your fascination with serial killers?

 

Gus: Man, I guess that I’m just a morbid kind of dude! I certainly don’t condone what it is that they do, but it’s very interesting to me, the psychology behind their actions. I mean, it’s just crazy stuff to read about. For the most part, they’ve all have had some sort of reason for their psychosis, and it shows up in their  particular styles of murder. Cool shit!

 

SDM: How has the new blood in Malevolent Creation helped keep the traditional Malevolent sound, with also adding something new and fresh to the table?

 

Gus: Well, both me and Gio are old school MC fans and have a good understanding of that “MC sound”. So when we write songs, we immediately know whether or not it’s MC material or use it for something else. The songs that I wrote on “Invidious” sound nothing like the Upon Infliction stuff. MC is more visceral and bare bones, whereas UI is definitely more intellectual and dynamic. Given that, it’s always better to have more than just one person writing everything. It gives an album some different takes on the main theme.

 

SDM: Why did you go the Erik Rutan?

 

Gus: His track record, experience, and coolness. He’s also a fan of the band and actually called us. That alone was enough of a reason. When you work with someone who cares as much about the album as you do, you can’t go wrong! From my perspective, he was 100% with me on the “no editing or sampling!” thing. We both love real drums and think that’s becoming a lost art. I mean, sure the drums aren’t as punchy and loud as sampled ones are, but shit man, that’s all me! No computer help necessary. MC has never relied on pro tools and wasn’t about to start now!

 

SDM: Tell us about your new management deal with “Extreme Management Group (Suffocation, Origin)”?

 

Gus: We couldn’t be any happier! It’s great having someone professionally deal with all your business so you can be an artist. It’s made our relationship with the entire industry better.

 

SDM: Can you tell us about “Invidious Dominion” digi-pak release that will feature bonus songs?

 

Gus: Well, that’s not really happening. That’s Blabbermouth screwing things up. I think that we were supposed to, but just got consumed writing new songs and didn’t want to damper what we were doing with trying to write more songs for the sake of more songs. Every song on that album fits perfectly..short and brutal!

 

SDM: What is the relationship like between Malevolent Creation and Massacre records?

 

Gus: This only our second record for them. They license it from NB and I’m sure that in conjunction with our management, everything will be great.

 

SDM: Are you excited about the following show at the Central Illinois metalfest, Summer Slaughter with Gigan (Ex-Hate Eternal members) and Origin?

 

Gus: Of course, we’re excited about all the upcoming tours and shows. We can’t wait to play this new stuff live!

 

SDM: How important is it to have good timing in order to play in Malevolent Creation? What is it like having Phil Fasciana as a guitarist?

 

Gus: Good timing is at the core of any good drummer, regardless of genre. When it’s a DM band and most of the tempos are above 220, you have to be 100% every night. I NEVER drink before a show because it’s up to me to keep the train on the tracks! Being a guitar player myself, I know how important cueing the band is and keeping everyone locked in, especially during the blast parts. Phil… man what can you say? The guy’s been doing this longer than most of the younger bands have been alive! He’s an anomaly! Ha! He’s had several ups and downs man, and has still managed to keep MC a merciless death metal machine!

 

SDM: What sort of drumming exercise’s have you done to improve your speed on the new Malevolent Creation album considering it is said to be the fastest and most aggressive hate filled album the band has ever released?

 

Gus: I work with metronome almost daily. But what really helped was the constant touring last year. I listened back to a lot of shows and realized that I was playing tempos that I had thought I wasn’t capable of! So I went into the writing process pushing the metronome. It’s no doubt a fast album, but MC was never one of those 280bpm+ kind of bands. The fastest tempo on the new album is 240, but fuck it man, that’s plenty fast! I don’t really like the way blasts and double bass sounds after a certain tempo. It’s seems to lose its feel. I have a lot of respect for the guys that play that fast, but it’s just not my thing.

 

SDM: Tell us about your guitar playing with the band “New day rising”?

 

Gus: Wow, you’ve done your homework! I’ve always played guitar and really love playing, and it was way easier to find a drummer to play rock songs than metal! I would still love to play guitar in a band man. I’ve jammed with Derek Roddy a few times and had such a blast (pun intended!!)

 

SDM: Tell us about your passion for Jackson guitars?

 

Gus: To me there NO other guitar to play metal on. Since I was a kid, watching headbanger’s ball, I always wished that I could have a coveted Jackson. Chris Cannella at Jackson is the man too! Total metalhead, and MC fan.

 

SDM: What was the experience of being arrested and detained in Jakarta, Indonesia on the Malevolent Creation Asian/Australian 2009 Tour like?

 

Gus: A total horror movie, and that’s no joke or exaggeration! They could’ve kept us there forever and all to extort money from the band and promoter. I wrote a piece about it and it was posted by Sickdrummer. All touring bands should really read it and HEAD THE WARNING!

 

SDM: Tell us about what kind impact Dave Culross has had on your playing?

 

Gus: He paved the way for me to become a real player, period. Without his initial guidance, I wouldn’t have been ready to study with Sean Reinert or even understand instructional dvds (or tapes back then!) I still highly regard him and appreciate his, like you said, impact.

 

SDM: What was it like being the in-house session drummer for Mercury Studios?

 

Gus: That was a great gig. It really allowed me to hone my studio chops as well as play in a lot of different situations. Learning to take direction from producers was also a huge factor in my studio playing. Being able to walk in and listen to a song once or twice and lay down an album quality track is a skill that I’m very proud of and took awhile to nurture.

 

SDM: Tell us about how Sean Reinert, Vinnie Colaiuta, and Dave Lombardo influenced you?

 

Gus: Lombardo is the reason I wanted to play drums in the first place, Reinert made me want to be a better drummer, and Vinnie is the consummate master of the instrument and my archetype musician hero. 

 

SDM: Tell us more about another new release coming from your other band Upon Infliction-Inhuman…In Human, 2010 on Arctic Music Group?

 

Gus: “Inhuman” is sort of what I wished “Escape” could’ve been. It’s a lot more thought out and sounds better. When I did the first album, I hadn’t been playing a lot because I was actually producing a lot of bands at my studio and really just threw that album together. “Inhuman” is exactly what I wanted out of an album. I love it!

 

SDM: How long did it take you to write the songs for Upon Infliction’s new album “Inhuman…In Human”? What majority of the songs did you write? What sort of approach did you use when tackling the drums for the songs? What inspired the lyrical content of the album? When will the album be released and who will distribute it?

 

Gus: We had been writing for a couple of years. Me and Seth would get together and write very sparingly, which kind of allowed for us to really dissect each song and come up with thought out parts and transitions. I wrote 4 out of 9 songs. As far as the drums on the album, I didn’t care about any of the dm standards. If a jazz groove sounded cool to me, I used it. An AC/DC rock beat? Bring it on! Sure, there’s plenty of fast double bass and blasts, but there’s also a lot of my “regular” music influence going on too. DM drumming has become a sport somehow, and I honestly don’t care one bit to join in! I’m very comfortable and confident in my own shoes these days. I may not be the fastest gun in the west, but that’s not what I’m out to prove. I just want to play what makes me feel good, and hopefully people will dig what I’m doing.  I like natural drum sounds on my records, because I play with dynamics. I hope that someday that  natural sound will be “cool” again. Lyrically the album was up to me, which put me on the spot. I had no idea what to write about. Then I saw a documentary on how religion affects politics, and that got my anger going and I was on a roll for a few days. Did some research on serial killers, watched some ghost hunters, and got creative. The album will be released in August and will be available for download at itunes, Amazon, etc as well places like Best Buy.

 

SDM: What is the difference between the first album of Upon Infliction “To Escape is to Suffer” and the new album “Inhuman…In Human?

 

Gus: Everyone played 100% better on this new album. The songs are better and more intense and of course we got Kyle Symons to do the vocals, which he was excited to do and his performance shows. The first album was kind of like “eh, lets record an album, fuck it” and this one we really wanted to record and put a lot into it. It’s easy one of my best performances on disc, in my opinion.

 

SDM: Is the title of the new Upon Infliction album have two meanings philosophically?

 

Gus: The title actually came from an article on serial killers that I read where back in the day people thought that mental disorders where demons and devils inside the criminals committing these horrible things. Then eventually science caught up and they realized that the “Inhuman” was actually in the human. I thought it sounded cool.

 

SDM: What was it like help co-write and record Malevolent Creation’s “Doomsday X” even though you don’t play drums on it? How did that work out with you and Dave Culross? Did you write much of the drums?

 

Gus: That's how every album since “fine art” has been done. I write the songs with Phil, which means he writes the riffs and I help with the arrangements and come up with the drum parts. On “Doomsday” it was great. As a producer/engineer you always want a good drummer to do the session and Dave was killer. Me and Phil always record demos and Dave learns the songs from those demos. He plays basically what I wrote, but of course puts his style into it.

 

SDM: Enough about metal influences let’s talk about non metal influences! What are some of the music that listen to outside the metal realm and why? What does this non metal music do for you on a drumming level?

 

Gus: I listen to most every style of music. When I wanted to get into studio drumming, I knew that I not only had to be familiar with whatever came through the door, but also had to play that style like I owned it. I study music A LOT! Personally I’m really into 40’s era big band and pop/rock. Sting records are a huge influence on me as well. They’re veritable bibles on studio finesse and wizardry on the drums! I guess that word really sums up what I really like about guys like Vinnie and Reinert, their finesse and grace coupled with power and command behind the kit. That what I strive for in my playing. I remember when I started studying with Sean Reinert, he would have me just listen to a lot of different music and of course the drummer, and I would just be blown away and think “man I suck!”. I haven’t even scratched the surface of what some of these guys are capable of. I make a living playing drums full time in a lot of different situations and having a wide palate of influences has allowed me to sustain myself doing something that I love! I may not be rich, but I’m happy.

 

SDM: Tell us about your influence from Josh Freese?

 

Gus: Josh is what I eventually want to be. A top notch “A list” studio musician. It’s a dying industry, but there will always be a need for good musicians to produce good music. He has a great attitude and is easy to work with. And he loves Disney, and that makes anyone cool in my book! Thanks!!