SDM: When were you approached to fill in for John Merryman, how long did it take you to learn the songs and will you be doing more with Cephalic?
Patrice: I was approached at the end of March (1 month before the tour). I took 2 weeks of intense drumming to learn 9 songs and after that I practiced the entire set list for 2 weeks, 2-3 times per day to be more comfortable in the songs. There’s a big difference between playing with a CD and playing with a real band, so I wanted to be ready as much as possible. About the future with Cephalic, I can say that we are working for some other shows like the Exhumed tour in July and another one in Quebec and Eastern Canada, but it’s not confirmed yet.
SDM: Were you out in Denver, actually learning the songs with John?
Patrice: I left for Denver 2 days before the beginning of my part of the tour for rehearsing, but the 1st show of the tour was in Denver and of course John played that show, but I was there. It was a really good opportunity to see his playing! He came to the practice with me and the other guys to give his opinion about my playing. He was really motivated about how I learned the songs, and also “relieved”, because he knew that everything was fine.
SDM: Did you find it difficult to mimic his parts? What song was the most difficult, and why?
Patrice: Hell yeah man!!! When I accepted the job, I didn’t realize how much it was complicated! After a couple times listening, I was thinking how much I was in trouble cause I knew that John was a crazy drummer, but it’s when I started to learn the songs that I understood how good he really is. I tried my best to fit my style of playing to his style, cause he plays an awesome melodic drumming style. His drums are singing man! LOL. The song that was the most difficult was Lucid Interval because it’s the craziest song structure. It’s basically like learning Math!! Complicated time signatures and time changes, so I worked really hard on this one!
SDM: Can you tell us why John is not playing with the band right now? Is this a temporary thing?
Patrice: The only thing I know is that John and his wife are having a baby, so he was not able to tour for a certain period of time. He is still in the band and will record the next album, so John is still the Cephalic Carnage drummer and I’m only a session drummer for them. I don’t know for how long, but I really enjoy it!
SDM: Are you now the permanent drummer for Quo Vadis? and how did that come about?
Patrice: I think, but things are going really slow right now for Quo Vadis. Our last show was in September and nothing really new since that. I know Bart is writing the next Quo Vadis album right now, so maybe in 2012 or 2013.
SDM: What's new with Martyr?
Patrice: Everything’s going fine man! We have 4 songs done and a lot of riffs for new songs, so I think we’ll have finally a new album for the beginning of next year! We also have a couple of shows in the next 6 months. I could be faster, but Dan is touring around the world having a great time with Voivod, so I totally understand him and I play in a couple bands too. It’s not always easy, but we’re gonna make it hahaha!
SDM: Anything else to share with us? Other projects, endorsements, plans for recording or touring?
Patrice: Yes. I was supposed to replace John Longstreth in Gorguts for a European tour (Hellfest, Brutal Assault etc.) this summer, but they canceled at the last minute. There was some problem about the release of the new album, so I learned all the songs for nothing! At the same time, it was great to learn that kind of music! Luc told me that maybe he’ll have something for me after the summer, so we’ll see! I’m also gonna record an album for a power metal band called 'Eclipse Prophecy' this summer.
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