Sick Drummer Magazine interview with Eric "Rick" Bastien continuation from Issue #17.
By: Noel Smart.
SDM: Out of the all the snare drums you have used, why did you use the black steel Joey Jordison (Slipknot) signature (coated emperor X) snare?
Rick: I just discovered the black steel JJ signature by mistake. At the time I was looking for a 13" snare to have more space between the toms and this snare was on sale. I think it’s the best snare I've ever played with. It sounds deep and punchy – exactly what I need for blast beats. Recently I came back with ambassador coated on my snare, because it gives more definition and it's also more availalble in drum shop.
SDM: What do you think Rob was going for with the distorted vocals pieces, such as on the song “Return of the Witch” and “Alpha and Omega”?
Rick: I think that Rob is always surprising me in the way he is creating the ambiance in songs and the distorted vocals is a good example here. You can’t ever exactly predict where he's going with the song, but at the end the results are always impressive. That guy has a lot of imagination and he can do a lot of things.
SDM: Why did you use 6 Shure SM57's on the toms and snare? Did Rick Ruben influence this? Did you use triggers on anything during the recording? If so, what drum module did you use?
Rick: Yeah well, I know Rick Ruben did that, but I'm not the one who decides to work that way. Why it happened like that, we would need to talk with the studio guy to know. The only part that was trigged is obviously the bass drums. As for the bass drum sound, we used a plugin.
SDM: Why did you choose to overdub the cymbals on the album? for more definition? Whose idea was that?
Rick: We came up with this idea because it's the best way to get definition in the cymbals. There are so many ways the record, mix and complete an album in studio and none is better than the other. It’s up to you to take one of these techniques to create the best album possible. As I mentioned in a previous answer, it often depends on the capacity of the studio, the money involved and the time you have to create your album.
SDM: Why do you use a heavier model stick, such as Vic Firth 5BN or 2BN in your playing instead of something maybe a bit lighter?
Rick: Like the multiple kinds of skins available, the sticks are not a different world. You have to try them all and be certain that they match your needs and style of playing. At the beginning I was looking for sticks that are light, precise and durable. I’ve tried so many of them that I find out that the vic firth stick was the best. Now I play with 2BN because there are longer than the 5BN and I get more precision on my blast beats. I use nylon tips to gain precision on my ride. Sticks shorter and lighter give you the opportunity to gain speed, but you don't have the punch and balance you need sometimes. You need to take your time to match your pair of sticks by rolling them on a surface to see if there are straight. You can look at them to see if the wood stripes fit together and even listen to the tone of the stick. They should have the closest tone and balance to make the "perfect" pair.
SDM: Is there much competition in Montreal these days, as there was in the past, as far as trying to be the fastest or most technical death metal/black metal band around?
Rick: There have been a lot of good bands in Montreal for a long time, but NecronomicoN has it's own sound and groove for a long time, so I can’t really call that competition. Everybody does what they have to do and it's fine like that.
SDM: Knowing that “NecronomicoN” is well known for dealing in the occult, has that ever been an issue among any of the members?
Rick: Not at all, NecronomicoN is a way of life and when you get into the band that means you understand that part of life. If you don’t understand that you shouldn’t be in the band.
SDM: As far as a new bass player is concerned, what are you looking for in a bass player and how can people get in contact with you?
Rick: We have someone already since last October, it's just not been announced officially yet.
SDM: What has the overall feeling towards the new album been like since it’s recent release?
Rick: For me it's always the same, you like it or not. But I must say that I got really good feedback in general, of course there's always people who are gonna complain about everything.
SDM: How have the fans reacted to the new material from “Return of the Witch”?
Rick: Pretty good! There is more and more of them everyday. Some are kinda shocked because of the corpse paint and others are thrilled. But music-wise, most people agree that it's our best album so far.
SDM: Is the material on this album a challenge to play live?
Rick: Some songs yeah, I don’t know why but I have this bad habit to always choose the hardest way to reach my goals in life. That’s why I love this band! It's always a challenge every day.
SDM: Has there been any talk about a new album or songs yet? or any touring to promote?
Rick: I think Rob is writing some new stuff but I'm not sure yet, that guy always have songs running in his head. I know that some tours are in planning and will be announced soon, which is all I can say for now.
SDM: What was it like working with the two female vocalists? Was it difficult for them to get the “NecronomicoN” style vocals down?
Rick: I cant really talk about that aspect of the album since it's Rob who is working with them. I know that it went really well and everyone seemed happy.
SDM: What influenced the drumming/percussion on songs such as “Lilith” and “Necropolis”? Was this direction something you always wanted to pursue?
Rick: I have nothing to do with that song, Rob played all the instruments and recorded it in his personal studio.
SDM: Regarding the themes of each album such as; “Pharaoh of God’s” being Egyptian, “Sacred Medicines” being Native American Indian and “Return of the Witch” being more (european) black metal influenced, what keeps the band going in these various directions?
Rick: I don’t think the band is going in various directions. Having been on tour for Pharaoh of gods, recording and touring for Sacred and now Return of the Witch and also working with Rob, I see the band is going in a really precise direction. I think that people saying that we lost or are changing don’t get the big picture. We haven’t changed at all, just listen at the music it's not much different from Pharaoh to Return of the Witch, it has the same drive, punch and riff style… Ok maybe a bit more 80's by part, but thats pretty much it. Ambiance-wise, there's always been EFX, sounds, k boards and female voices etc.
SDM: What have the sales been like so far on Napalm Records?
Rick: I never invested time in the band business and I don’t think I ever will. As long as we play and rock out to the world I'm happy. I just want to play, so on that question I can't say much else.
Learn more about NecronomicoN here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Necronomicon/135761297753
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