THE END A.D. (Usa) - With Love from Phily (HardCore/Metal - Interview with Lorin SAVADOVE, Paul JUESTRICH & Ami FRIEND)
Hello dudes & dudette ! How do you feel today - ready to tell me your most hidden secrets ? Let's go ! How has been the feedback to your "Smell Of Despair" Ep released last year in 2018 and how can you compare it to your previous album "Scorched Earth" released in 2017 .. ? Musically, i think it is more varied, i mean, it looks like you don't fear to experience alot more.. In my mind, "Scorched Earth" was much more in a straight Hard-Core/Metal vein.. do you agree ?
Lorin : With The Smell Of Despair Paul and I were finally able to paint outside the lines and not have to answer anymore to the three members who left the band after Scorched Earth was released who felt there are rules when writing a song. I would totally agree about your assessment of Scorched Earth being somewhat mapped out as to The Smell Of Despair felt natural as it was written mostly by just jamming in the room and if a cool riff happens we build around that. Ami Friend who’s our Vocalist, Paul Juestrich on guitar plus Steve Rodgers who plays bass all have different backgrounds when it comes to our past bands but all have the same common love for anything that is heavy and has a good groove. Our different backgrounds and influences definitely keeps our writing style hard to pigeonhole which I like.
This "Smell Of Despair" is also your first release with new singer Ami .. my first question is - since you previously had a male singer - what has happened between the band and him ? Things could not go on ? I guess it was rather a difficult decision to take/accept, since you already had an album + EP recorded with him.. no ?
Lorin : getting a new singer was actually an easy decision as our original singer relapsed on drugs and became untrustworthy. I really wish Ami was on our first two releases too she really is so easy to work with.
And then, my 2nd question : was it a choice to go for a female singer on vocals or let's say "it just happened" ? Did you know Ami before she joined.. ? What made you say "SHE's perfect for the job" ?
Lorin : It was a choice to go with a female singer , I’ve been in a handful of bands where the singer was a female and I always enjoyed their lyrics and vocal style more than being in an all male band. Paul and I tried out a couple singers before Ami and they weren’t what we were really looking for. Ami started coming to our shows and I approached Ami about trying out while our old singer was still in the band as he was barely functioning. I knew Ami from back in the day as she was part of the old Philly punk hardcore scene and use to sing in the punk band Meth 25. Paul and I were blown away when Ami came in and belted out four of our songs with more balls than any male singer could have ever done. Ami just kicks ass.
A question for Ami : What was it like coming into a band that previously had a male as a front man and already put out two releases with him on it ?
Ami : I gave no thought to the previous singer's gender,,I was more concerned about his predilection toward verbosity and being able to spit his lyrics out quick enough. I very much enjoyed joining an established band(more about this later, it was literally The Universe granting my wish), I learned all their songs immediately so we could continue to perform while writing new material.
Still for Ami - Were you playing/singing in other bands before THE END AD ? How did you decide to go for the job ?
Ami : I was the frontwoman for "Meth25" a Philly punk band in the 90's and early 00's. Unfortunately, as my addiction and relationships imploded, I gave up an integral part of my self, writing lyrics and performing, so I could heal. I had my 2 beautiful children, I've worked on my recovery, I've rediscovered my soul, I've suffered a great deal of hardship along the way, and when I was ready, the Universe came through for me in a real and substantive form. You know, slay the dragon, get the treasure. So here we go: I went to the Fire specifically to see my friend Noelle play. She played bass in the band with me back in the day, and here I was, venturing out for the first time in 15 years, so excited, I had a few people meet me there, it was just lovely. And The End AD gets onstage. From the first song I was electrified, something woke up inside me, and I vividly recall my yearning and my thoughts. "These guys are heavy af. I want to be in a band like this. I wish I could be in this band. These guys are great!" No lie. It's also the night I met Dan Long, our good friend and the best music photographer to ever wield a camera, and I said to him "I really hope I sing again someday, and you take my picture onstage". And we agreed that he would. I mean, magic is real if you're paying attention, you know?
Do you remember the first time jamming with them ? How did you feel ?
Ami : When Lorin called me about auditioning, I knew I'd better show up 100% prepared. He sent me the songs, and I practiced at home in my basement for a bit, and on the ride to Philly I kept the nervous jitters at bay by no shit having a conversation with my brother, who passed. When I arrived I was calm but excited, maybe with some attitude, I knew these songs. I asked that they start with the one I had some reservations about- would I be able to rip these screams or not?- and, of course, I ripped out those screams and we joined forces and now we're a juggernaut of red hot RAWK. I'll always be grateful to them for inviting me to sing, for all the shows we've played, all the songs we've recorded together. I love you guys! I get so excited when they come up with a new idea and we just run with it.
.. Well, i know you a little bit from posts on FB and I know Lorin a bit more.. so a question comes to my mind (ok, i admit, Lorin sent it to me haha !) : What’s it like being a Vegan surrounded by leather wearing meat eating metal heads ?
Ami : It's funny, one night I was making a burrito with rice and beans, and it looked exactly like maggots on meat. I wrote it down, and that eventually became a lyric for "Why Won't You Die?". I try to get my vegan message across, and look for ways to adapt my lifestyle to my ethics. I was fortunate enough recently to replace my boots with vegan Docs, next on my list is my leather jacket. I believe the future is vegan. We'll see how it goes with these guys, Steve is a good cook and makes delicious vegan food for me, maybe I'll make them some beyond burgers for The End AD BBQ this summer!
As a woman.. how do you feel in this "male" dominated-scene ? I mean I think it's usually ok.. Since the time i'm in this scene, I haven't met alot of misogynist assholes but it sometimes happens.. It's not a "perfect world"... never had any problems with such assholes ? How do you face them when it happens ?
Ami : A great deal of my closest friends are dudes, and I've almost never had any issues, even sometimes being the only chick at a sausage fest. Maybe 2 or 3 guys have offered their (unwanted and unasked for) opinions as to my appearance, and they can fuck right off full stop. That's my stage and I will look however I want. And one time only, the doorman refused to believe me the first time when I told him I was in the band. He kept asking me to pay. So I poked a little fun from onstage. I yelled "DOORMAN!" and I see him poke his head around the corner. "I TOLD YOU I WAS IN THE FUCKING BAND!" Haha. He's my buddy now and he always remembers me. (Ed. fuckin' awesome haha !!)
"Smell Of Despair" was actually released on vinyl only - and some songs were used for the split-cassette with singapore's TORMENTRESS.. why no CD version for the EP ? Was it a financial question or a deliberate choice ? Do you hate CD format that much - haha ?
Lorin : We were looking for a label and weren’t having luck with finding one that would give us the kind of distribution we were looking for so we decided to put a few of our songs out on vinyl on my own Label Kill Time Records and just have something special to sell at our shows plus we really wanted to finally get a release out there with Ami singing on it. At the same time we received great news From Kerry Kaufmann of Hellforced Records out of Malaysia. I emailed him to see if he would be interested in putting out a split with The End A.D. and absolutely one of my favorite thrash bands who I discovered through Infernö Records Tormentress from Singapore. I reached out to Mas and Asnita from Tormentress to see if they would be interested about doing a split and they said yes and Hellforced Records took care of the rest and did a great job of putting our Cassette together and releasing it . “Sermon of Violence received a lot of positive reviews in the press.
Lorin, i think it was your choice to have this split-cassette version released with TORMENTRESS... can you explain us why ? What would you say to the readers to introduce TORMENTRESS to them ? (free promotion for friends - hey !)
Lorin : Tormentress is an all Female Thrash Band from Singapore that absolutely kick ass with super catchy grinding riffs. Those girls are true metal warriors who have been grinding a metal path of their own for the last ten years. They have serious head banging songs that will make you want to drive fast if you’re listening to them in your car.
Well. back to the music itself.. I can't prevent myself from asking.. "Feel Like Death" is for sure my favorite song of the EP, it's so intense and carries so much rage/energy and despair in.. Lyrics are about drugs, right ? Can you tell more ? I guess it's no secret revealing it's from a personal experience ? Who wants to answer ?
Lorin : Ami wrote this about her experiences she had to encounter with this security guard who worked at the Methadone clinic where Ami went everyday. The guy wasn’t a good human and would belittle the people in line and would tell Ami and the others that they would never get clean and sober. Well let’s say he was wrong and Ami has proved him and a lot of other people wrong and she gets stronger every day.
Ami : One of my favorite things about music is as a catalyst for transmuting pain into Art. Pure magic, pure catharsis. Quick story: in the late 90's early 00's, I was on a methadone clinic in Philly. We had to stand outside in the blazing hot sun, smelling the melting tar, just misery upon misery. When I was 27 I was interviewed by an intern, he typed up his little report on me, gave me a copy, and I forgot all about it. Years of sobriety later, I came across this grim portrait he painted of my life, and his prognosis was I would never recover. "I FEEL LIKE DEATH" rushed out of me in sensory impressions and emotion. That bit about standing by the water contemplating throwing myself in happened. That smell was real. Being imprisoned in my addiction felt eternal. Thank God, I survived and now I can mine my past for songs!
Lorin, i also know you had alot of hard times dealing with alcohol and drugs... so for you & Ami.. How do you feel today about all this ? Is it hard staying clean and sober in the environment you are in? How do you go about staying clean and sober ? I dare to say in this case, Music is more than "just" music, right ?
Lorin : when I first started playing in the Philly scene back in the mid 80’s it really did seem like everyone was doing coke, speed and drinking like a fish. A normal practice would be go buy an 8ball Of Coke a case of beer and a couple bottles of liquor then jam all night. We would usually run out of coke around midnight and then make another trip to the bad section of Philly called the Badlands to buy more coke then buy more beer usually enough to last till bars opened back up in the morning cause most likely we would still be up. Around 1994 this life style started taking a toll on my health.
Ami : Staying clean and sober in the music scene is easy. There's lots of people in recovery everywhere I go! I deal with being nervous and scared without drugs or alcohol, and I believe it's sharpened my perceptions and made me more compassionate as well. I do my best each day to do the next right thing. Music is definitely more than just music. It's my connection to other people. It's my strength in my vulnerability. It's how I release the stress and pain of life. And it's fun. I regret nothing. Everything I've done and everything that's happened, it's just a another thread in the tapestry of my life, and I love my life today!
Some regrets about this "past" life ? Do you often look back or not at all ?
Lorin : Come January 31st I will have 17 years of being clean and sober and looking back I now realize not everyone was doing drugs and drinking like I did in the Philly Hardcore Metal scene it was just the circle of friends that I choose to hang with back then. I do however look back all the time because being a music fan In general was amazing back in the 80’s. So many great bands to watch and all the clubs and venues were packed every night of the week now all the great clubs from the past have closed and it’s hard to get a crowd to come out sometimes.
Talking of "past" life.. Lorin, you're no newcomer in the scene.. you have played in numerous various bands.. one of them being the american legend FEAR OF GOD feat. the late Dawn Crosby, one of my favorite female singers.. how do you value this experience today ?
Lorin : This is a prime example of how drugs and alcohol played a part in my life of blowing what would have been an amazing opportunity for me. It was the late 80’s Detente recently broke up and Fear of God was just starting to play shows. Fear of God was playing a show in Philly at the Empire Rock Club and my buddy Chuck from Anvil Bitch/Dominance was filling in on drums for the night. After the show chuck introduced me to Michael Carlino and Dawn Crosby and they told me they needed a drummer as Chuck wanted to stay with Anvil Bitch. Fear of God were actually practicing only about 20 miles outside of Philly in Collingswood New Jersey. I was so psyched to get to try out for FOG as I loved Recognize No Authority and Vultures in Sky was my favorite song. Practices went well and things were going great Michael, Blair and Dawn were amazing and super professional. I learned four brand new songs that were to be on their next album which became Within The Veil. They booked studio time at Pyramid Sound in Ithaca New York with Alex Periales. The place was beautiful all of Overkill’s Anthrax, S.O.D ect albums were hanging on his wall. By the late 80’s my alcoholism was to the point where if I didn’t drink in the morning I would be shaking real bad like I could hardly hold a glass of water and well if I didn’t take a drink by noon I would start getting physically sick from withdrawal. I partied a little with Michael after our practices while learning the songs but no one in Fear Of God knew I had to drink in the morning just to function and here I am in the studio in the morning to set up and get going and all I can think about was what the fuck am I gonna do now. So now I’m set up but I’m on the clock I can’t say I’ll be right back so I had to try to power through it. I kept on telling myself dude it’s just a few songs nail em on the first take I’ll be done in an hour. Also in the studio with Alex was Wacko the drummer from raven so now I’m like great I’m starting to shake and feel like shit and this famous drummer is on the other side of the glass counting me in. So I put the headphones on and I get ready to count in for Red To Grey and all the sudden I hear all this clicking in my headphones I’m like what the fuck is this. Alex and Wacko answer in unison “That’s a Metronome” they both looked puzzled that I didn’t know what it was and I felt like a rookie. Long story short , I choked the clicking of that metronome felt so unnatural to me and all I did was concentrate on not speeding up or slowing down trying to follow those damn clicks I played like shit. I embarrassed myself and I blew an amazing chance to be on an incredible album. That was the longest van ride of my life going back to Philly from Ithaca New York. Yes I was able to finally drink after failing miserably in the studio, I think everyone needed a drink as I let all of them down. Fear of God ended up going back to Pyramid Studios a couple months later and recorded their demo with Wacko from Raven. In 1992 after Michael left Fear Of God we actually started jamming together again and got a few song ideas down but it never turned into anything. When I was jamming with Fear Of God and learning their songs I never saw Dawn drunk or use drugs she was really driven and so was Michael. However I ran into Dawn several times between 93 to 95 and she was a different person she was unfortunately pretty drunk. Dawn was an amazing singer who sang with so much emotion and what seemed to be her soul bleeding onto the microphone at times.
Dawn is sadly not of this world anymore... what memory do you keep from her, as musician, person.. ?
Lorin : when Dawn passed in 1996 I was pretty upset because I thought only old people die from alcoholism young people just OD on drugs. Meanwhile I’ve Already been in and out of many rehabs, detox’s, hospital and ER’s and at this point in my life in 96 I had Jaundice really bad like I was a gross shade of yellow along with big bruises all over me as my liver was failing too. Dawn’s death I still believe played apart in saving mine because this was the first time I checked myself into a long term rehab on my own without being pressured by a family member or a girlfriend threatening to leave me. I struggled for several more years of trying to stay sober but on January 31st in 2003 I took my last drink and drug. In 2005 I started working in the Drug and Alcohol field and still work in this field today and only because I got clean and sober am I able to play in a band today.
Also.. since you've been thru this scene from the 80's... How has the scene changed from the 80’s to today ? Your opinion on the internet and all that "digital thing"... ?
Lorin : Now a days many bands seem to rely only on Social Media to promote their shows which I don’t feel is enough. I still hit the streets hanging flyers in all the record stores and skate shops. One thing that has happened is Philly fixed up many of their old falling down buildings so there is less places to hang your flyers up. Back in the 80’s we would all go out armed with a bucket of wheat paste and glue along with big brushes and a 40 oz of beer and hang posters all night. I’m not gonna lie it is nice to be able to checkout a band on your phone before I buy their cd, Cassette or vinyl. In the 80’s and 90’s I bought 90% of my albums on wether the artwork on the cover was good or not.
And when it comes to magazines.. do you prefer "online" magazines or do you still stick to the old smelly paper ?
Lorin : I’m Print all the fucking way. I even have subscriptions to metal mags from countries that I can’t read like Germany’s Metal Hammer and Legacy plus I get Metallian from France. I don’t care I’m like maybe I’ll see a band I never heard of that I can check out. America has a good metal mag with Decibel but my favorite Metal Magazine is BURRN from Japan. My wife is Japanese and my son and daughter both read and speak Japanese me on the other hand not so good. This is ok cause if I need anything translated I just bug them. Btw Japan’s metal and Hardcore scene is sick...
Back in the days.. there were BANDS.. but also reknown producers... right ? Sometimes just when reading their names on an album cover, it was enough to know about the quality of the recording... for example, i know your guitarist Paul worked with some big producers back in the 80’s, one being Jack Endino who did all the famous Seattle bands, and you with Alex Perialas who did all the big Thrash bands back in the days when you were in FEAR OF GOD.. don't you think these famous producers were a GREAT help for the bands and that was probably the reason of some successful albums 'cos they knew how to make an album really SOUNDS, while nowadays, it is technically possible and "easier" to record an album on your own.. you don't need BIG prodcucers anymore.. But in the end, the albums do not sound as particular or as original as they could do in the past ?
Lorin : This is a good point and great question! I remember the first time I heard the Cro-Magsalbum Best Wishes it blew me away cause it sounded huge especially for a Hardcore band. I saw that the Cro-Mags recorded this album at Normandy Sound in Rhode Island and was engineered by Tom Soares. Now I started seeking out other bands that recorded at Normandy Sound or that had Tom Soares turning the knobs or both. I soon fell in love with these other bands that recorded at Normandy. Such as Judge, Leeway, Prong and Gang Green. Moving to today with The End A.D. once Ami joined the band Paul and I had a lot more freedom and it was very important to us to pick out the right person to record and mix us. For “The Smell Of Despair “ album we went to Oblivion Studio in Maryland to have Mike Bossier record and Mix us. Mike has worked with ( Pig Destroyer, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Deceased and October 31). Mike did a great job and was a blast to work with as we like to record live then build on top of our live tracks. For our new album which will be released on November 29th on CD and Digital format via Fastball Music/Soulfood and a special Cassette version via Infernö Records we went to a great studio in Cherry Hill New Jersey OX1 Sound Studio to record with the great Jason Ruch who has a great ear for metal and totally helped keeping us on track with great advice. This time around however we decided to have our album mixed and Mastered at Tower Studios in France by Brett Caldas-Lima . Brett has worked with the likes of ( Septic Flesh, Sacred Reich, Cynic and Ayreon) The title of our new album is “Badlands” and it came out great. Many different types of songs on this album but you can tell it all came from The End A.D.
Paul : Definitely a plus having Jack Endino produce Deadspot’s album Built-in Pain for CZ records. Deadspot was a raw sounding band, a rough kind of thick buzzsaw guitar sound, a finesse quick footed double kick drummer, precision pick attack Bassist and huge screaming Vocals. My guitar solos were compared to “spaghetti in a wind tunnel”. Not sure that was a compliment, ahhh! I’m sure we were somewhat of a challenge to produce. Jack brought a couple of his favorite $20 mics, he loved the way they sounded on certain drums. He was such a professional, I can’t believe he put up with us for 3 days. We were very fortunate. Oh yeah and the best part… our Bass player thought we were getting 2 engineers, Jack and Dino !
So another question ... Did you prefer to record in the studios of today or did you like it better back in the 80’s or 90’s ... Tape or Pro Tools.. ?
Lorin : The 80’s was tuff if you made a mistake you would have to start from the beginning of the song and play it all the way through again. Now you can go piece by piece if you like. I’ll still start over but it does spoil you when you realize you did make a mistake that rather than playing the whole song again you can copy and paste to correct some errors. Lol !
Paul : Great question. I am playing pretty much the same rig/setup I recorded with Deadspot and Rupert Speed (1985-94). Those albums I used a 74 Marshall Plexi, MXR mustard Distortion, MXR EQ and a Boss Octave slightly turned to deepen tone, Celestion 75s, 84 Les Paul, EMG pickups. My current setup is similar, it’s a struggle to find that warm chunky room sound I used to get with tape. I’m not a technical person, so it’s maddening for me sometimes. I prefer my tone to sound like it does live or at practice, pushing air with the cabinet thumping through your chest. Ahh the days when you heard one chord and knew immediately Hendrix, Blackmore, Brian May, Eddie Van Halen, Angus Young, Johnny Ramone... oh well a lost art for sure.
Speaking of recording... You're currently recording... what can we expect and when ? Some words on the content ? How has your music evolved ? Do you feel confident about the new material ?
Lorin : We definitely have some heavier and catchier riffs plus we changed the running on a couple songs. Ami really phrased her lyrics with the music to give it another shot of adrenaline and Steve is pounding out the notes on his bass like a percussionist.
Paul : Exciting times for The End A.D. right now! Like you mentioned earlier, our new material will continue to stay varied. I think we are best when there is no template for writing, for us it’s whatever feels heavy and honest at the time.
Oh well.. Btw - a question I forgot.. Your 2017 album was released on MASSACRE Records.. but not the "SMELL OF DESPAIR" Ep.. was the label not interested in this Ep or it was your choice to go working with KILL TIME Records which seems to be a way smaller structure, right ? Will you also work with KILL TIME Records for the new release ?
Lorin : It was very unfortunate that all this shit happened with our old singer a month before the release of Scorched Earth and I had to tell Massacre Records we got a new singer. They weren’t to happy as they just did our ad campaign. I sent them pics of our new line up with Ami but they wanted to use our old photos in the magazines as they thought it would confuse the reader if they heard a male vocalist on the release but then saw Ami in our new Press photo. We asked Massacre to put out Smell Of Despair but they were on the fence and we wanted to get our new songs out fast with Ami singing so people would now understand that we have this new incredible beautiful lady now singing for The End A.D.. when I couldn’t find a label that wanted to put it out as fast as we liked I decided to start my own label naming the label after one of the coolest underground warehouses to play at back in the late 80’s early 90’s Kill Time. So we decided let’s do something special to celebrate the new beginning of this band and put out a color vinyl ep.
Well.. this is almost the end of the interview.. THE END AD is in my opinion a band to be seen "live".. can you describe us a typical THE END AD show ? Lots of sweats, madness & energy, right ?
Lorin : exactly and just a shitload of fun....
Paul : Absolutely. Ami is a powerhouse, a very physical singer from beginning to end of set! Most likely she’ll either be on her back screaming or jamming along with the audience. Just a total blast to be on stage with her. We have fun, for me performing is no doubt the best part of being in a band.
Ami : We are definitely best experienced live. Something about that connection with a room full of people, heterodyning energy, incandescent moment. Plus we've got gang vocals in WHY WON'T YOU DIE, and who doesn't love some rousing gang vocals?
How easy is it to play in your area ? Are people interested in shwoing up at local shows ? I'm asking you this, 'cos in France for example, the situation has gone bad lately..
Lorin : Philly is starting to get better our last four to five shows were packed which has restored some of my faith in our scene.
Paul : Hit or miss for local bar gigs, some are extremely painful. I’d rather book an entire tour playing in peoples’ basements, back yards and living rooms, I’ll bring beer !
Some words on your local scene.. any good bands you're friends with that you'd like to promote here ?
Lorin : Great punk band called Battalion Zośka, Less Dead and Power Theory who I played in from 2011 to 2014 . Power Theory have a new album coming out this Fall I believe. Rob from Power Theory played a big part of me getting back behind my kit again. In the late 90’s early 2000’s every time I would join a band I would relapse after getting some clean time under my belt I had to walk away from music all together just to get healthy. I had 8 years of sobriety when I joined Power Theory and I was honest with Rob about my past and he took a chance on me and because of his patience with my rusty ass he made me a way better drummer. I got to do an amazing tour with Power Theory too when we went on the road with Vicious Rumors and soon discovered wow, like no one does drugs anymore and everyone who was around me drank normally. Actually the musicians who care about their craft and want a career just leave that shit alone and I’m surrounded by good people in my life now. Paul, Ami and Steve are the best.
Paul : Band called, Empire Rock Club.
Ami : I'm fortunate to be rich in friends and a part of a very caring music community. I've been a part of the Philly scene since I was a baby punk going to see bands in the 80s. I had a blast fronting Meth-25 in the 90s and 00s. And when I returned fronting the end ad I was welcomed, profoundly, genuinely, with open arms, by our scene. Some of the best memories of my life and some of my lifelong friends are an abseloute gift of this scene, and I feel 100% loved and supported. And I'm grateful. I get to see very talented cool people get up onstage and do their thing. I'm giving a shout out to the raddest chick ever, Noelle, bass and lead vocals in GIBBOUS MOON. They rocked my socks off at the last show I was at. I love those guys!
Do you think we can hope to see you on some EUROPEAN Stages on day ? Let me know your thoughts ?
Lorin : My biggest goal is to come over to Europe to tour and play festivals and will not rest till I do. I’m very fortunate that I got a second chance with my Music after fucking up so many times I have to take advantage of every opportunity that comes up..
Ami : I so look forward to coming to France and other places abroad.
OK.. I guess that's all for now.. last words are yours.. THANK YOU VERY MUCH for your time !!
Lorin : Thank you so much Fabien for all you do you rule... (Ed : Awwwh, so nice !!)
Ami : Thank you, Fabien, you are a sweetheart of a man and I appreciate your friendship and encouragement ! (Ed. Awwwh.. again !)
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