Interview With Joe Nunez of Soulfly

Soulfly was scheduled to enter a studio in Los Angeles, California on 11/6/09 to begin recording their new album for an early 2010 release. The group’s bassist, Bobby Burns, writes on Soulfly’s official forum, "We’ve been playing together better than ever in recent times and we’re all really excited to get to work on the new shit!"

Craig Sternberg had the chance to interview Joe Nunez recently… Enjoy!

SDM: What’s the latest with the new Soulfly record?  How far along are you guys?
 
Joe: Max has put together the songs and picked out what he wanted to do.  Now we’re basically just listening to what ideas he has and we’re going to work from there.  We’re in the beginning phases of it, although Max is probably in the advanced stages.  We’ll put it together real soon.
 
SDM: Do you have an idea of when the album will come out?
 
Joe: No, I have no idea.
 
SDM: Is there any specific goal you have in mind for this record that you are setting out to accomplish?
 
Joe: Well, until I hear what he has in mind, I do want to venture out a little bit more.  Not do the same thing we did on Dark Ages and Conquer, they are really heavy metal albums, but for me I like to bust out of the plateaus you get into when you put out a good record.  Like Reign in Blood, they did that record and when they came out with the new record, it’s like, are they supposed to repeat and do Reign in Blood part two?  So, same thing with me, in the sense that I want to be able to do something creative and fresh, a new sound for this new record.

SDM: Do you think that means the record will be a bit more melodic?
 
Joe: No.  I never know.  It’s just a matter of putting it together, and for me, I never know what the end result is going to be like until I hear it.  I don’t have that much of a hand in the project when I’m done.  I record what he wants, put my two cents in, help him direct and produce the song, and go in and out of it, everything like that.  But then after that, it’s all him, he does what he does.
 
SDM: Is there anything you have added since your last record to your practice routine that you might use on this record?
 
Joe: Not really.  A lot of times when I commit myself to do something like add a new technique, I get really disappointed in the end.  It’s either not used, or there’s no place to put it.  I’m the type of person that’s like, "show me what you got", and if the opportunity presents itself then, sure, but most of the time I don’t commit to new practices to incorporate into the new music.  It all just comes out as we write it.  Then later when we start playing live I will add certain things.  One thing I am doing that I didn’t do on the last tour is take the hi-hat and just keep time with it.  Rather than just kick, snare, and ride, I’m adding the hi-hat in small intricate places and it keeps time.  It’s something new I’m kind of getting into.
 
SDM: Do you think that’s something we will hear more of on the new record?
 
Joe: It depends on how comfortable I am playing it.  You know, the thing is, we don’t rehearse at all.  Most bands rehearse.  With Soulfly, it’s the complete opposite.  I don’t have the opportunity to listen to the song from beginning to end because it will change in the studio.  If I have a beat, he might just scratch the song all together, or make something else out of it.  It’s always a surprise so I don’t like to commit to anything.  With my other band, we practice all the time.
 
SDM: Do you think one of the Soulfly records you did is better than the other?
 
Joe: I think with each record that comes out, I strive for not necessarily outdoing myself, I just strive for good songs.  I want to shred and everything, but I’m not into racing other drummers on the kick drums or how fast my fill goes.  My main thing is to listen to the riffs, what the song is doing, then do it.  I just don’t want to sound like my drum set is being thrown down a flight of steps in an important part of the song.
 
SDM: So whatever happened with your tryout for Slayer?
 
Joe: I already explained it.  That was a really, really incredible thing, to sit down and play with them.  The first song I played with them was Payback, then Chemical Warfare, then Postmortem.  That was probably the best fifteen minutes of my life.  Honestly, the drummer for Soulfly does not belong in Slayer.  When I’m sitting there looking at Lombardo on the side and I’m playing his stuff, no Slayer fan wants Joe Nunez to be the new drummer for Slayer when the original drummer for Slayer is chilling there.  Even as a Slayer fan, I’m like, "dude, I want Dave in the band!  He’s the founding drummer!".  They are cool guys.  At the time, I didn’t have a gig, but in the long run, playing musical chairs, it worked out.  Slayer is coming with great records,  Soulfly is coming with great records.  No hard feelings from either side, I hope.  It was really cool, though.
 
SDM: What’s your other band’s name?  Tell us what it’s like.
 
Joe: Slampede is a very thrash, punk-type band.  We like to grind on guitar, and we try to incorporate all the stuff we love from hardcore, like ’80s punk, not gay punk.  Aggressive, in-your-face kind of thing with a wild in-your-face crazy kind of thing.
 
SDM: As far as other drummers in the scene today, do you happen to look up to any?
 
Joe: No, not at all.  My favorite drummers are the ones I grew up listening to, like Lombardo, Gene Hoglan, Nicko McBrain, Sean Reinert.  Those are the guys that have made a big impact on my drumming, and they still do.
 
SDM: If you had to pick anyone to replace you in Soulfly, who would it be?
 
Joe: I’d say one off Max’s sons, Zyon or Igor.  They are like teenagers right now, they have been with us on tour since they were little.  When we play, they used to sit behind my kit and just watch me endlessly, even help set up and tear it apart.  With all that time and observation that they had, they were starting to pick up like Prophecy and Troops of Doom.  I think it’s a really cool thing to see them and their father play.