John Tardy of Obituary
Interviewed by Dave Fonseca on 8/15/2007
Transcribed by Dave Fonseca
John Tardy recently took some time out of preparing for Obituary's upcoming U.S tour to talk about their new album on Candlelight Records, Xecutioner's Return. Tardy also spoke candidly about what inspires Obituary, the decline of Roadrunner Records, the contribution of new guitarist Ralph Santolla, and how being stuck in a rut can be a good thing.
David Fonseca: I was just listening to the album this morning for the first time and my first impression is that it sounds a lot like some of your older stuff, like Slowly We Rot, especially with some of the faster, thrashier parts and the solos. Was it intentional for you guys to go back to that sound or did it just turn out that way.
John Tardy: It was just one of those natural things where you start jamming and whatever comes out comes out. It wasn't a planned thing by any means.
DF: Either way it's good to hear. As soon as I heard the first riff from the opening song I was like, “Yeah, this sounds like Obituary, I like it.”
JT: Awesome. There are definitely some songs on there that have faster singing than anything I've done in the past. That was actually quite a blast to get to do that.
DF: Ralph Santolla [Iced Earth, Deicide] fits right in on this album. I didn't check the liner notes until about halfway through listening to the album, and I really thought it was Alan because Ralph just fits in so well.
JT: That's actually kind of surprising. The thing about Ralph is that he's so good that he can play just about anything. And, he was just so concerned and so wanting us to make the best album that we could make. He put some leads where we probably wouldn't have put in leads otherwise, because he can come up with some really interesting stuff. I thought he complimented the album nicely.
DF: When you guys go to write an album do you get influenced or inspired by other music, or do you just go into Obituary mode and write an Obituary album?
JT: We really just go into jam mode. I certainly do not listen to a lot of metal when we're writing just because I don't want any ideas to get into my head. I just don't want any of that adverse thought to get in my head. I would rather have an empty pallet for what I want to do, and really concentrate on what the music's telling me and making me feel like I want to do. It's usually a time when I listen to very little metal and instead it's sports radio in the car. Or I re-listen to what we've done in the studio to give it a second ear in the car. And, that's really how it's been since the beginning as far as we go. We just get in the garage and start picking up some guitars and start jamming and start having a good time with it. I think that's the best way to get good songs written, as opposed to trying to get some vision in your mind and trying to fight against what you should be doing, which is having fun with your music.
DF: Was there ever any point during that three or four year time period where you weren't making music, and especially when you came back and made Frozen In Time and Roadrunner just dropped the ball that you thought maybe you weren't going to do this stuff anymore?
JT: No. There wasn't ever that feeling. Before we took that extended break there we really had planned to take a three or four month break from music. Then it wound up being six months, then it wound up being a year, and then it wound up being two years. Roadrunner wasn't coming our way with anything, as normal. They certainly weren't any help with anything. It wasn't like we were having our phones ringing off the hook with people trying to get us to do things. There was really nothing coming our way and individually we all got busy doing different things. It just seemed to make more sense at the time. Some of us were still involved with music like Donald drumming for Andrew W.K., and some of us were just busy doing other things. It was just a fast six years that went by. It wasn't like we weren't talking, we'd still get together and this and that, but we just didn't feel inspired to do anything. And we just finally got together because somebody asked us if we wanted to do a show, so we decided to start jamming a little bit. All it took was that one practice to start learning some old songs again. And because we had not played together in so long and everybody just had so many ideas that Frozen In Time came together absolutely in a blink of an eye. That's carried over to the new album as well, because we have just so much stuff stockpiled from the six years off. The songs just came together effortlessly as far as the music is concerned.
DF: I saw you guys about three years ago at the New England Metal and Hardcore Fest, and I was looking around and I could see parents with their kids in the crowd. How does it feel to know that there are actually generations of Obituary fans?
JT: It's great to see fans that are our age or older that were coming out to shows when we were just teenagers. And it's great to have those kids there too who are saying stuff like, “Hey the last time you guys came around I was only twelve and I couldn't get into the show.” I think it's great to have that wide variety of kids coming to shows.
DF: It must be hard to get attention when you're on a label like Roadrunner that has huge acts on its roster like Nickelback, Slipknot, and Killswitch Engage. Is it nice to finally be a priority again on Candlelight?
JT: It is. And that's one of the main reasons we signed with Candlelight – because we would be such a priority for them. I do not understand what Roadrunner's deal is. For such a huge label for them to just shut down and focus on one band when that band starts doing good is just ridiculous.
At this point in the interview we're interrupted by Ralph Santolla, who has a few gear related questions for John. Ralph says “Hi,” to all the Metal Review readers.
DF: One more Roadrunner question and then I'll put that baby to bed.
JT: No, that's O.K. If you're running a label and you sign a band and you make a commitment to help them further themselves, you can't just start ignoring them when one of your other bands starts selling more records, and leave the other band hanging there. And, I don't care if that's what you're going to do, but if you are going to do that, at least tell me to go elsewhere where I'd be better off. We'd question them and be like, “Hey we're ready to do this new album if you don't want to do it and don't want to take the time we'll go elsewhere,” and they'd say “Oh no, we're gonna do it, we're gonna push it,” and promise this and promise that, and then the album comes out and they just totally leave you hanging. That's what makes it worse than anything. So, if you're gonna try and be this quote unquote big record label, then do your job. Nobody expects them to spend as much on one of their small bands as they do on Nickelback per se, but at the same time if you have that small band that you signed, that you have a contract with, and you agreed to; you owe them a minimum amount of effort. Don't just leave them hangin'. It's just not fair.
DF: That was a label I grew up with a lot of faith in. A lot of my favorite bands were on Roadrunner. Is there any point you can track where they started to lose faith in metal and start going for the bigger acts?
JT: With us it started slowly after Cause of Death. The End Complete wasn't bad, but really since then, and with stuff like Back From the Dead, it's been a steady decline in effort on their part. I'd be the first one to sit here and say, “Hey that album sucked,” but we were steadily giving them a quality product as far as Obituary and our music is concerned. I mean, you don't read about our albums where people are saying 'this album sucks' and this and that. It really seems to me that after The End Complete or during The End Complete is really where the effort ended on their part, as far as I'm concerned.
DF: Okay, no more Roadrunner questions.
JT: I don't mind. I'll just be ragging 'em the whole time. It's just disappointing.
DF: Slowly We Rot came out in 1989 and you guys have been together since 1985. Death metal has changed a lot since then. Do you have any interest in the new stuff or do you just listen to Show No Mercy and Morbid Tales and call it a day.
JT: Wow, have you been reading some of my interviews. [laughs] I think a lot of the reason this band gets along so well is that we're all kind of stuck in the past, we're all kind of stuck in a rut. We all kind of look and act the same way we always have. We don't really change that much. And musically that's true too. When I listen to music, whether it is metal or not, it is usually all older stuff. I'm not sure why, I guess when I get bored of them. I'll find something newer. Until then, my Hell Awaits record is still gonna get played.
DF: Do you like the new Celtic Frost record; are you into it?
JT: Uhhhhh, it's a better effort for the most part and it's got a couple of good songs on there, but there's still just something a little weird about it. It's definitely a lot better than the last couple of things they've done, that's for sure.
DF: I'd like to see you guys tour together, that'd be fun.
JT: We just played a festival with them. And it was kinda neat because Destruction's dressing room was on one side of us, and Celtic Frost's dressing room was on the other side of us. So, that was kind of cool.
DF: It's interesting that you say you don't listen to a lot of the new death metal, because I hear a lot of you guys in the new stuff. A lot of these bands are throwing really slow, sludgey breakdowns into the middle of faster death metal songs. Are you proud of the fact that a lot of these newer bands are using a trademark Obituary move?
JT: Of course you're gonna be proud of the fact or flattered by the fact that you influence other musicians. I didn't really pay attention to it until after the six years or seven years that we were away from the scene. It wasn't until we came back and we would play with any handful of these younger bands and they would come up to us and say stuff like, “Dude, you were kind of the reason why we started jamming,” or “You were such a huge influence on the stuff we did.” I didn't really pick up on that until after we had that long break and we came back. It was nice and it made us feel like we had been genuinely missed. It's revitalizing. You can get beat down with a lot of negativity, and it takes those things to kind of keep you going.
DF: You have some tours coming up, do you have any idea who you'll be hitting the road with?
JT: We are gonna be in the US with Full Blown Chaos, Nashville Pussy, and Hemlock.
DF: There was a time when I thought I'd never get to see Obituary play again. Is there anything that can stop you guys, or do think you've got another twenty years left in you.
JT: [laughs] I think age might be a factor when you start talking about another 20 years. But, we'll do our best. I think we have another few albums left in us. We have our own new studio where we tracked and recorded our new album, and that's vital. I wish we would have done it a long time ago. It's so easy for us now to at any given time press record button and start jamming. It's just a freedom and a luxury we've never had before. You can't put a price tag on being able to walk out of your house go into your studio at any time you feel creative and jam. It's not like you have to call a producer and set up a time on Monday night, and maybe you do not feel like jamming when that time rolls around. It's just such a freedom for this band and I actually cannot wait to start on a new record with it. We'll see. I don't think anybody expected the Rolling Stones to be playing when they were in their 60s, and God help me I don't expect that, but I think we got a handful of new records in us and running around having fun until we all decide to give up and hit the golf course.