Internal Bleeding was touring successfully in Europe while all world was sinking to corruption as always.How was all tour for you,New Yorkers?What are your next targets?
Chris Pervelis : Even though it was filled with a lot of physical hardships (I broke my foot and Joe had a 102 degree fever for a few days), the tour was quite successful. Almost every show had great crowds, we sold a lot of merchandise and people were really happy that we came over to Europe to play for them. The bands we were with were also amazing — Sacrificial Slaughter, Fleshgore, Micawber and Voices of Ruin really brought the destruction every night. I cannot wait to come back to Europe and do it again! The highlight of the entire tour was the Netherlands Death Fest. The place was packed, and we had one hell of a good time!
Our next tour is shaping up to be a US tour in October to promote the release of our new album “Corrupting Influence,” which will be out around that time. We’ve got some really special things lined up for that tour that I cannot talk about right now, but people are going to flip out when they hear about it.
I know you just finished digging the basis and are just constructing the new album nowadays.What can you say about new songs?
Well, the new songs are in the classic Internal Bleeding vein, but there are also many more twists and turns that make the material far more interesting than what we did on our last album, IMPERIUM. We’re really trying to stretch our sound out, but not lose sight of what the band has always been about: complete, body moving slam and groove. I know long time fans of the band won’t be disappointed, because CORRUPTING INFLUENCE will chock-full of violent, pit inducing riffs that will stay stuck in your head.
Personally this one is hard to ask but I should.Unfortunately,we lost a lot of good guys,legendary musicians in a couple of years.You lost one of the original band members and your best friend,Bill Tolley.How is life going on after he passed away heroically?
Well, obviously, life can never be the same without Bill. There’s a giant void in all of us, and there’s a much less laughter and joy in the world because he is gone. I hate to even think about it because I end up crying like a baby. Sometimes I like to pretend he is still around, and occasionally I can hear his voice or his laughter — I know that’s just my mind playing tricks on me — but I like to believe he is still with all of us in spirit. He didn’t deserve what happened to him; he was a good man who loved his family, his band and the people he served. I take some comfort in the fact that I know for certain that he is always with us.
Internal Bleeding is very well known about breakdowns and of course the archaic and true slam riffings since the middle of 90’s.How did you invent that riff styles and up and down rhytms as a guitarist?What were you influenced by as a music fan and musician?
I think the style really comes from my classic rock, hardcore, blues and Black Sabbath Roots. I always loved deathmetal, but was never into the constant speed, breakneck riffs that weren’t catchy, and endless technical displays that seemed to have dominated deathmetal at the time. I wanted the music to concentrate more on hooks, grooves and catchiness rather than speeding, blasting and technical passages. That’s really how the sound developed. As a band, we were also really tuned in to hip-hop and New York street music, which gave us a very strong sense of rhythm.
As far as my direct influences as a guitarist, Tony Iommi is by far my largest influence, but I am also enamored with bluesmen such as John Lee Hooker and Robert Johnson.
What do you think about this new wave of slam bands last years?
I think a lot of it is really good, but I am getting a bit frustrated with some of the stagnation I am starting to see. It seems as though there is some kind of so-called blueprint or formula that too many bands seem to be following. I think a lot of bands don’t understand the concept of slam — they think it’s simply a type of “riff”, when it should be an all-encompassing approach defined by tension and release, constant groove and attention to arrangements that excite the listener and draw them into the song.
Do you have a contract for new album or looking for a one?
We have a contract with Unique Leader Records and are quite happy to be on their roster of bands.
As far as I know,you are not a full time touring band.What do you do in your life except Internal Bleeding?
Well, we aren’t a “full-time” touring band, but we have become a much more active band, and have toured the USA twice and Europe 3 times since 2014. That’s not too bad! I wish it could be a full-time thing, but it doesn’t pay the bills! We tour as much as we possible can. As for my life outside the band, I own a small advertising agency that does a lot of graphic design, advertising and website development. You can check out our website here: cgpcreative.com I am very lucky, because I love advertising and marketing just as much as I love being in a band.
What do you think about the present’s political chaos and agendas of USA?Fight between liberals and conservatives,republicans vs. democrats,gun laws,mass shootings,Syria,North Korea etc.?
Wow — that is a lot to answer! The fight between liberals and conservatives in the USA has been going on since the 1980s, but it just seems to be getting more and more intense as the years go by. I think this is mostly due to the political left’s aggression in social and economic policy. The liberal/democrat or left in America pretty much walks in lockstep with each other, whereas conservatives are just a mess when it comes to things, because many of them hate the current president and don’t like what he is doing, where others are happy with what he is doing. It’s just crazy, but it is a sign of a vibrant, engaged society, which, in the end I find is healthy.
As for gun laws, and I am a pretty much a second amendment absolutist, so I do not believe in excessive gun regulation or the outright banning of guns. I know that may sound crazy to many Europeans, but it is central to our founding documents and primary component of assuring our liberty — both from a real-world and philosophical standpoint.
Mass shootings are a real tragedy, but the causes of them are much more complex than tightening gun laws. There’s a giant mental health component that needs to be addressed as well as the effects that broken families have on children. Add to that the devaluing of human life in movies, etc. and you have a recipe for disaster. I don’t think it can ever be properly addressed, because the focus seems to be only on guns.
Regarding foreign affairs such as Syria, N. Korea, etc. It’s sad, but the truth is that the world is — and always will be — governed by force. The illusion of everyone being able to work together and somehow talk his or her way through problems is just that — an illusion. The world is a dangerous place, and sadly, since we’re the biggest kid on the block, we tend to get involved in things that sometimes we should — and sometimes we shouldn’t. I guess what I am saying is that the world cannot disengage from sadistic regimes, etc. They must be confronted, economically, and sometimes with force. It’s sad that it has to be this way.
Hypothetically all we are angry guys as metalheads.Are you still an angry man just like 18 years old or a calmer one or life has made you angrier after all years?
I’m actually a lot calmer and far less angry than I was when I was 18. That being said, I have a large reservoir of fear, insecurity and frustration that I can tap into any time I need to write music or perform on stage. Fear and insecurity are my muse.
How did you form Internal Bleeding?Would you like to tell us 90’s underground death metal scene and Internal Bleeding’s story?
I was in a band called Autumn Reign, and as time passed with that band, we kept growing heavier and heavier until we were pretty much bordering on deathmetal; we eventually broke up because no one really wanted to play deathmetal but me and the vocalist. I eventually went out and found some musicians who were interested in putting together a deathmetal band. I went through a few people, but we finally settled on a core of members and christened the band with the name INTERNAL BLEEDING.
From there we began furiously writing music and released our first rehearsal demo in late 1991 entitled THE ONE DOLLAR DEMO; not long after that, we released our first professionally recorded demo, INVOCATION OF EVIL, which really took off in the underground, selling more than 5000 copies. We spent the better part of 1992 and 1993 playing shows all over the US and spreading our music, (which we were calling “slam”) around as much as possible.
In 1994, we released our PERPETUAL DEGRADATION demo/EP, which really solidified our sound and set the stage for the future of the band. Not long after that release, we signed with Pavement Music and released our first proper album VORACIOUS CONTEMPT in 1995, which is considered by most to be the first slam album ever made. We followed that release up with our first US tour with 6 Feet Under and Immolation.
In 1997, we released THE EXTINCTION OF BENEVOLENCE, which I think is the heaviest, and most ugly album we ever recorded (it’s one of my favorites). Sadly, by this time, Pavement Music was falling apart and we were given no tour support or promotion for that album. This lead to a lot of problems within the band, and the first of our many lineup changes occurred not long after that album’s release.
In 1999, with the addition of Guy Marchais on guitar, we wrote and recorded DRIVEN TO CONQUER for Pavement Music. Trapped in our contract, we had nowhere else to go, and again there was no promotion or tour, although we played all over the place and did what we could to promote the album.
That about covers the 1990s, after that, we released ONWARD TO MECCA in 2004 and then in 2014 we release IMPERIUM and followed that up with a US tour with Suffocation and two European tours.
Since then, we have done a US tour with Vader and a European tour as well. Now we’re currently in the studio recording our next album CORRUPTING INFLUENCE.
The 1990s was a great time for deathmetal! There were a lot of truly unique bands, the shows were great and it seemed like a decade of just great shows and parties!
You were idle nearly 10 years in 2000s.Why did you stay silent between Onward to Mecca and Imperium ?
Quite honestly, I needed a break from the band and the music business. We spent many years struggling, getting screwed by labels, going through dramatic personnel changes, and getting disrespected by a lot of the mainstream press. At one point it just got really depressing, and I needed a break from the scene and the madness that was surrounding the band at the time. I am glad I did it, because I came back refreshed and ready to roll by 2011. It was a very healthy decision, even though it was extremely painful to step down for a bit.
I would like to ask this because you have just finished a tour in Europe.How do you identify European metal music scene if you compare it to USA?What are the best shows for Internal Bleeding all over the world?
I think the biggest difference to me is that European shows tend to feel a lot more intimate and close. I don’t know if that’s because the fans are more into it, or if it is a societal type of thing. I find that Europeans generally tend to be a lot more socially minded than Americans. What I mean by that is in Europe, shows are like big events for friends to hang out at, and in the USA, it’s not quite like that, because Americans tend to be a bit more independent minded and solitary. This is just a general observation though. Our best shows have been in Jakarta, Indonesia, Texas (USA), Germany and the Netherlands.
What are you favourite albums nowadays?What bands and old pals would you like to give fives from here?
Currently, I really am digging the new Voracious Scourge EP. If you like old school deathmetal with a strong concentration on composition, they are really a great band. I’ve also been listening to a lot of Micawber, Sacrificial Slaughter, Fleshgore and Voices of Ruin. You’d think that touring with them would have been enough, but all the bands’ material is incredibly solid and worth of listening to on CD. Other bands I have been digging on are Cognitive, Hideous Divinity and Decrepit Birth.
Some old pals and bands I’d love to say hi to are: John and Joe from Mortal Decay (my favorite band), Paul from Embalmer, Aad and Toep from Sinister, Diego from Disgorge and Bob from Immolation.
You just released a single and video last year.And now we are waiting for the new album.What would you like to say fans and our readers to finish this interview?Thank you,Chris!
Thanks for the great interview bro. I really appreciate the support. A huge thanks to all our fans who’ve stuck with us for all these years — it really makes creating music a joy when we know that you all have our back! Keep an eye out for our new album, and make sure to visit our facebook page at http://facebook.com/internalbleeding
