WARGASM Guitarist Is Blown Away By Continued Interest In Band

MetalCore fanzine recently conducted an interview with WARGASM guitarist Rich Spillberg. A few excerpts follow:

MetalCore: Can you still listen to your music and do you think it still holds up and sounds fresh today as it did way back when?

Rich: Man, I love listening to our stuff. I think "Why Play Around?" will stay fresh forever, because it was us in a very fresh place. The other albums are great as well, but I think that first one has "timeless" written all over it.

MetalCore: Since you have this MySpace page have you got a lot of old fans emailing you, etc?

Rich: Yeah, and it blows my mind how many people still show interest in GASM. I'd like to add that I at one point had an email account where I was collecting names and email addresses for anyone interested in the DVD when it comes out, but the email got corrupted, and the list was lost. If anyone is interested in getting the DVD when it comes out, please write to the MySpace site and leave your email address so we can inform you when it is done.

MetalCore: Do you ever see thrash metal making a comeback?

Rich: It seems to be making a comeback right now. I'm not an expert on all of the newer bands, but my assistant engineer, Danny Dykes (ex-TRIPHAMMER/EVERY SECOND guitarist) is up on all of the new stuff and he's played me stuff like SHADOWS FALL that sounds just like our old stuff. It's here again, bro.

MetalCore: What advice would you give to a young band starting out?

Rich: Man, I can just say to everyone out there that no matter what you want to do, study how it's done (whether in a manual, or by watching others doing it),and keep working at it. Die trying. You can never have any success if you stop working at it. No matter what it is, whether it be playing in a band, or engineering with ProTools, or ANYTHING — just learn it and do it any way you know how to, and don't stop!!!

MetalCore: How long did it take you to write songs and have you seen your stuff go for much money on sites like eBay?

Rich: For "Why Play Around?" we didn't take too long for each tune. Some of them came within a few days, while "Ugly" was really ugly... It took a long time before we were able to finish each of those songs. Too long. Then there was our last album, "Suicide Notes", which we wrote and recorded (and mixed) within two months. A huge feat for us, and a proud moment. In fact, it was really a step back towards the first record, and to me it sounds that way in the songwriting, although there are traits of "Ugly" in it. I have seen "Why Play Around?" going for over $100 on eBay. Amazing! Thanks for anyone who loves it that much — I mean that!

MetalCore: What would you like the band to be remembered by and what did you think of fanzines back in the day and do you miss the ole days?

Rich: You know I am always striving to have great things happening in my life, and GASM was one example of that. I hold that time in my life up on a huge pedestal, and I am proud of what we did. Do I miss it? I do, but it's here inside me, so I really never leave home without it, if you get my drift. How would I like the band to be remembered? Man, it *is* being remembered just as I would have always dreamed it would be. For example, someone just wrote me from a band in Florida, and he said "...check out my band knucklebath to see what guitar playing you all created", and the band is hot! That blows me away! Regarding the fanzines, I loved every one of them, they always saw us for what we were, and dug us for the most part. No major egos to deal with at all.

Read the entire interview at www.metalcorefanzine.com.