DEVILDRIVER Frontman Is Not Interested In COAL CHAMBER Reunion

The Scream Queen conducted an interview with vocalist Dez Fafara and bassist Jonathan Miller of Santa Barbara, California's DEVILDRIVER when the band opened for LAMB OF GOD at the Palladium in Los Angeles on April 3, 2009. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

The Scream Queen: Would you say that [the upcoming DEVILDRIVER album] "Pray For Villains" is your best work yet?

Dez: Well... I think we're a band with constant growth. I think, there's two things about us, is we constantly grow, we constantly mature, and we don't sound like anybody else. So that being said, I think everything is the best that we do for ourselves.

Jon: Yeah, it's definitely the best.

Dez: (laughs) Miller! Give it to 'em!

The Scream Queen: What do you think your fans are going to love most about your new album?

Jon: Dez's vocals!

Dez: Miller's bass! (laughs)

Jon: No, really, Dez's vocals.

The Scream Queen: Oh, yeah?

Jon: Yeah, Dez is doing stuff he didn't do on the last three records and it's cool, it's different for us. The band has definitely grown and you're going to hear that.

Dez: And growing into maturity is a difficult thing to do, but I think now with a fourth record under our belt, we're starting to come into it. You know, there are two kinds of bands. One that release their best record first and then everything is down hill and others that constantly grow with you and pick up fans and I think that's what DEVILDRIVER is.

The Scream Queen: How do you [Dez] balance touring with having a wife and children?

Dez: I bring them out to the gig when possibly I can, otherwise I kiss them goodbye. She has a life of a wife of a sailor. Same with Miller's girlfriend who is the singer of IN THIS MOMENT; they all understand what we do. We tour, that's what we do. We leave April, we come back right before Christmas.

The Scream Queen: The name DEVILDRIVER sounds evil, but really isn't what is your opinion on the people who refuse to listen to your music because of your name and what would you say to them?

Dez: Oh...Because they have Christian beliefs? We have a lot of uplifting lyrics, man. We are an extremely positive band and we bring people up, we uplift people, man.

Jon: All positive. Target will sell the record, Wal-Mart won't, so I guess it's a brick wall.

Dez: There you go, but if Wal-Mart would actually know what we're about and the name means to drive away evil, they'd probably start selling our shit, you know? And if they heard the kids that come up to me and Miller and everyone say, "Your music has given me the music to go on in my life, to get me through hard times," that's enough for me. I don't' care who sells it; if we get one or two of those, I'm good.

The Scream Queen: In October 2008, you said that you and Meegs [Dez's former COAL CHAMBER guitarist bandmate] had settled your differences. Could there be a possible chance of a COAL CHAMBER reunion?

Dez: You know, I don't think so. Meegs is actually here tonight, they're all here. I don't think so, the way we talked about it was just to bury our hatched and once that was buried, it was like, there was no need to go on to keep on making music. We understand what we did and who we are as friends, so I think, I don't think so. Plus I'm really wrapped up with DEVILDRIVER and I'm going to be touring with DEVILDRIVER for ten years straight. So, I'm not going to have any time.

The Scream Queen: Not even for one reunion show?

Dez: No, we've had a talk about that, and we just don't know, you know. Sometimes it's just best to leave things lying dead. You can revisit them as friends, you know? I mean, I listened to COAL CHAMBER about a week ago and it was fun. It was good to see where I came from. But, these guys, in my band now, as friends and as players, have inspired me to crazy goals, man. You know what I mean? I got off of hard alcohol, I'm fuckin focused. I got a band behind me that is killer. So now there's nothing that can touch it. I don't' want to fuck that up by diverting my attention to anything but DEVILDRIVER. I mean, on the side, I play Native American flute, and that's hardly going to mess with DEVILDRIVER. (laughs)

Read the entire interview at The Scream Queen.