DEATH ANGEL Guitarist Talks New Album, Illegal Music Downloading

Mark Kadzielawa of 69 Faces Of Rock recently conducted an interview with guitarist Ted Aguilar of San Francisco Bay Area metallers DEATH ANGEL. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

69 Faces Of Rock: Ted, you've been with the band for three records now. How would you say your role had changed from being only the guitar player?

Ted Aguilar: I think it's still kind of the same. At the end of the day it's still the same. Rob [Cavestany, guitar] is still the chief songwriter, and Mark [Osegueda] is still the chief lyricist. I do help out in the way of little arrangements here and there. Also, I help out a little on the business level. Other than that my role in the band is still the same.

69 Faces Of Rock: What was it like to write a new album with two new members in the band?

Ted Aguilar: It was refreshing, actually. I mean, I was there for the "The Art Of Dying" and "Killing Season", and usually Rob and Andy [Galeon, ex-drummer] would write the music, and had their say in. I was just there checking it out, and getting the vibe off it. In this sense it was kind of good. The last two records were written by Rob and Andy along with Mark and Dennis [Pepa, ex-bassist], so there was some collaboration on there, and you can hear it. Which was great. On this record, it was more focused in a sense that Rob wrote everything. Rob was just on a roll on writing these intense and killer thrash riffs, and we just went along with it. Writing of this album flowed a lot better because every time Rob brought a song in, we just jammed it. We were able to go in a more thrashier direction. We've enjoyed Rob's writing, and everyone was excited about it.

69 Faces Of Rock: I know I ask this question to everyone, but how do you go about getting your new music heard?

Ted Aguilar: Oh man...we're hoping for (pauses..) I mean there are good tools like MySpace, and Facebook, Internet in general, and you got to take advantage of it. Back in the day you had to read about new music, or hear about it from somebody, or just go into the record store and taking your chances of picking it up. Now, you could just reach to millions of people quickly, so we're taking advantage of it, and try to spread the word across. The diehard fans will buy the record quickly, and the others will download or copy it, but either way your music will be heard.

69 Faces Of Rock: DEATH ANGEL did three studio record prior to disbanding, and since reforming (and releasing "Relentless Retribution") you are now at the same point. It's like the band is approaching the crossroads of it existence once again. What are your thoughts?

Ted Aguilar: I can't speak for back then, but you're right. We are at the crossroads of our existence with this album. I mean, DEATH ANGEL established itself as a band that can do anything. They are very influential, and were able to throw all styles of music, as you can hear on "Act III". I think "Relentless Retribution" will have that type of diversion in today's terms. When you hear it, you'll notice how well rounded it is. You'll hear the initial riffs that make the band, but you'll hear plenty of other things thrown in. The album takes you on a musical journey, but still keeps it in the DEATH ANGEL fashion.

69 Faces Of Rock: We've mentioned early that two original members left the band because of life's demands. Is DEATH ANGEL a band that can make ends meet financially? Are you able to devote your lives into this art without worrying about where the next paycheck is going to come from?

Ted Aguilar: We do OK. There are sacrifices we have to make. Some of us are married, and we have to leave our families behind when we tour, and that's never easy. What makes it easier is the five of us. We really want to do this, and we want this band to happen. The support of our families and friends at home is great, and it helps us to make it happen. We do OK, but we have to keep going and going in order for us to keep going up. We have to build the band back up again. It's a different time and different era, so we need to focus on that. And with downloading the music, it's a completely different business.

69 Faces Of Rock: The downloading must be hard on every band.

Ted Aguilar: Yes, it is. People are downloading the music, and bands are selling less records. There is nothing you can do about it. You just have to learn how to embrace it, and try to work with it. And the only way to do it is to go out there and play shows. You can download music, but you can't download merchandise. I mean you can watch the performances on YouTube, but it's a totally different experience than going to a show. So we just have to go out there and keep touring. I mean you can download the music, but the MP3 form is just not as good as putting a CD into your player, and looking at the artwork, or reading the lyrics. So we hope to make an impact on the Internet, so the buy people will go out and buy the actual record, and get that feeling back again.

Read the entire interview from 69 Faces Of Rock.