VIRGIN STEELE's GILCHRIEST Slams 'Fake' Drummers In Metal

The official VIRGIN STEELE web site has been updated with a new interview with frontman David DeFeis and drummer Frank Gilchriest. An excerpt from the chat follows:

Q: What are your favourite moments on [the new VIRGIN STEELE album, "Visions of Eden"]? Favorite tracks? Are you satisfied with the way the album turned out? Are you pleased with your performances?

Frank: "People should buy the CD because it is different from what is currently available in the genre. It is truly an original work of music and has an interesting story that relates to all the madness in the world today.

"My favorite moment on the CD is 'God above God'. Musically and lyrically that song brings a tear to my eye every time I hear it!

"I wish to clear up any confusion about the drumming on 'Visions of Eden'. First of all, that is me playing on every song. There was no programmed drum parts used whatsoever!!

"I am very happy with my performance on 'Visions..'. However, the drum sound is a different matter. This was the first time we used a digital drum kit and I'm not entirely satisfied with the outcome. Unfortunately, they sound so perfect that people are accusing me of not actually playing the parts. Some people think Dave programmed the drums on a computer. That is very distressful to me. I worked hard to get my endurance and speed up to the task of recording those parts. I can hear my own style of attack on the drums and, my particular way of phrasing things but at the same time I understand what some fans are saying. There is a machine-like quality to due to the use of a digital drum kit instead of a real wooden one. I can't wait to satisfy the doubters when in concert I'll be ripping up those songs out on a real wooden drum kit.

"I've always prided myself on being an old-school player who doesn't rely on computer, triggers, samples, etc. to make my drumming exciting. 'Visions…' was a break from that thinking. Recording digitally is cheaper and a quicker process. Sorry to disappoint, but money was an issue, plus you can't be afraid to try new things. The problem is that triggers and digital technology enhance things so much that no one knows who is a good player and who is not anymore. With digital drums, plenty of hack drummers who have no style or technique sound monstrous in the studio. It's really the producer and not the drummer you are listening too. It makes me sick when I see some of these guys in concert and if it wasn't for all the triggers on their kit, they would sound like wimps. To my surprise, the fans don't seem to know the difference. I don't want to name names, but you'd be surprised how many guys are out there who are considered great drummers but are nothing without the digital technology. As a matter of fact I went to see a prominent speed metal band in Germany one night on an off day and when I got to the venue, the show was cancelled. I went backstage and found out that the drummer's computer crashed and that he couldn't play his parts without its aid. Meanwhile on their record the guy sounds like the second coming of Dave Lombardo. I looked at his bass drum pedals, which were rigged to barely move to impact the drumhead. What a fake! And to think, there are drummers all over the metal scene (especially in death metal) just as pathetic as this guy whom the fans think are monster players.

"For me, digital technology just gets in the way of my expression, and takes away from my power and finesse. I'd rather have a real organic sound even if it isn't 'perfect.' I hope I never get lumped into the category with all the hack drummers I've alluded too. It will really break my heart after all the work I've done to develop myself as an artist. I still say that John Bonham had the greatest drum sound in rock history. Jimmy Page used just two microphones to capture that man's brilliance and turn the world on its head. It's no wonder that producers today are beginning to go back in time to rip off all the drum sounds from the past, before there was any of this digital nonsense and things were real.

"I'm sorry to those of you who are disappointed with the sound of the drums on the new CD. However, before you doubt that I'm actually playing those parts, come out and see us on tour. When I get done ripping your heads off with my usual sound and attack, all you doubters will be silenced."

David: "Yes I am very satisfied with the compositions! They are among my strongest to date. I am satisfied with the performances. I am pleased that I could do many different types of vocal styles on the album, and I am very pleased with Frank's drumming. I have said it before, and I will say it again. He is for me... the finest drummer in rock music today. And yes... that is him playing on the album. I did not program the drums. If I had I would say so and list that in the credits. We have always been a very honest band, even to the point of leaving in mistakes on a track, as long as the feel is right. We did use a digital drum kit, which is a different sound. I find that for the slower tracks the digital sound is more than fine. Sometimes on the faster songs it can be a bit much. But I do enjoy the tom toms on this album. And I like that you can hear all of Frank's playing properly. On every album I am never fully satisfied with the final mix, and if I were not stopped... I would still be mixing 'Noble Savage'! So this album is no exception.

"There is nothing 'wrong' with this mix. All things are in proportion to what really needs to be heard. I think it is a fair and decent mix, which does not detract in any way from the ideas in the compositions, but still that being said... I would have loved to have been able to spend a bit more time on it and to take it into another studio as well. I think it could have been improved in some areas, and the potential of the songs could be even more pronounced. A mix is a very relative, subjective personal thing.

Q: What was the process by which the album came together?

David: "I do not go anywhere near a recording studio until I have a song completely worked out in my mind, on paper and on cassette. I am very primitive in my approach. On this album I composed as I always do, on my acoustic piano, using a very cheap cassette recorder to capture all my ideas. After I maxed everything out on cassette, I went into the studio and made fairly elaborate demos of all the tracks and presented them to the group. Once they learned the parts we began recording. We recorded far more music than actually appears on 'Visions of Eden', so there will be much more to come."

Read the entire interview at this location.