A new Deceased album is always something to be excited about. Although Deceased has long since ceased to be a pure Death Metal or Death/Thrash Metal band and an increasing amount of Heavy Metal has gradually crept into the band’s sound, the band around metal icon King Fowley still has a loyal legion of followers. Deceased may never have enjoyed the popularity of the greats of the American Extreme Metal scene, but judging by the tenacity and stubbornness with which the band keeps marching its own way, Fowley couldn’t care less. It is these issues I discussed with him and, of course, the new album that recently saw the light of day via Hells Headbangers Records. A nice conversation about Heavy Metal and the bountiful 80’s, in which, incidentally, it also turns out that Fowley’s memory is better than mine…
Hi King, as a long-time fan of Deceased I am happy to welcome you to these pages. Before we’re going into your new album I’d like to discuss a few things with you. First of all, although guitarist Mike Smith has already been part of Deceased since 1990, you are the only original member, yet every album in your career has a very recognizable sound and feel. How would you describe the magic that is Deceased?
Cheers and hello. Let me first say thanks for the years of support, we all appreciate it. Since the band first began we have always just did what feels right when it comes to writing music. Obviously every year we get a little more versed with everything in writing music (playing better, arrangement ideas, thinks we know work and things we know don’t etc). But I really think if there is any “magic” in what we do when we write it’s just having that passion and desire to do the absolute very best each time out. We have never cared if others like or dislike what we do, we write and play and perform music for ourselves. And as the leader of the band I always make sure everyone involved is focused and locked in for whatever is coming with the band.
When you started Deceased all the way back in the mid 80’s it had a much rawer and more extreme character. Along the way Deceased started to shift to a more Heavy Metal-tinged sound, albeit that, to a certain extent, has always been a part of the band’s DNA. Is there a point in your career that you see as some sort of tipping point, or is it been more of a natural thing to happen?
It has all been natural. We have always had Heavy Metal elements (look to ‘March Of The Cadavers’ from the first demo for example) as well as Thrash (see ‘Sick Thrash’ from the first demo) and speed, odd ideas etc. As time has gone on we have learned to play our instruments better so with it came the “hey I can play that guitar harmony thing now” or “that double bass part is easy now”. We kinda locked in around ‘Fearless Undead Machines’ with having a good understanding on how to go from a Manowar or Mercyful Fate bit to a Repulsion bit, or a Queensrÿche sounding thing to a Voivod part. We have never been scared to mix in all of our influences. We didn’t go to a corner and stay there musically. To me Death Metal is more than tuning down guitars and guttural vocals. Some say we don’t play Death Metal because of the melody or even rock ‘n’ roll moments that can and do creep in. For me it’s an overall vibe a haunting aura to the tunes from beginning to end that sets the tone. It doesn’t always work as planned but when it does those are the Deceased songs I cheer the loudest.
For quite some time it seemed that you kept your more outspoken penchant for Heavy Metal reserved for October 31, your other band, and focused on more Extreme Metal territories with Deceased. But in my perception, it seems that over time both bands have essentially grown a lot towards each other. How do you view this yourself?
The Heavy Metal stance is in both bands always. We all grew up on it in both bands while October 31 was formed just as a spit in the face to all who had turned their backs on the heavy metal sound and ways mid-90’s. Musically I think both bands just do what we do naturally. And while I can see a blast drum beat in Deceased and not October 31 for example, both bands just move along doing what we want, how we want it musically.
When I’m a part of both you will obviously get a lot of my personality in it no matter what and that’s how I feel the connection more than anything else.
To me, personally, that Heavy Metal element in Deceased came to a splendid peak on your previous album, ‘Ghostly White’. It was an album that has been widely regarded as your best ever feat, or at least in recent years. How do you look back at this album yourself? Can you relate to the wide appreciation for that album?
I really like the record. Sadly there’s always our drummer Dave “Scarface” Castillo dying unexpectedly with it so it pulls a lot of heart strings with me as well. From ‘Germ Of Distorted Lore’ and it’s lengthy delivery and not becoming stale as a “long song” to ‘Pale Surroundings’ with the female vocal things. The ideas really worked well on the record and I really enjoy playing it still. There is a lot of Heavy Metal on it for sure. We called it going in “this will be more a Heavy Metal album”. As the one before, ‘Surreal Overdose’ was a “this is going to be a very fast paced drum record” was mentioned prior to writing it.
If we listen to ‘Children Of The Morgue’ and compare it to your last few albums, including ‘Ghostly White’, where do you see the differences and progression? For the relative bystander that is me, both albums sound very much aligned with this new record being a logical continuation. It is even quite hard to point out the things that set them apart from each other.
It’s odd seeing reviews and hearing from folks a wide difference in listening for sure. some say it sounds like ‘Fearless…’, which I don’t hear. While others say they hear punk bits along with all the usual elements that are part of a Deceased record. I hear some ‘Ghostly White’ continuation for sure. We are proud at where we are in our writing prowess. It’s deceased 8 full length records in and it is locked in and strong. I have really put an emphasis on choruses as the songs keep coming year in and year out. And I feel on this new one the title track has a real strong one, almost instant! That is something I want to continue to work on as we write the next batch of songs. I am a big fan of memorable choruses and melodies that get inside your brain and stay there.
And, continuing on the previous question a bit, on a more general level, how would you describe the creative and artistic process surrounding the creation of a Deceased song or even entire album?
We just get in a room and start putting riffs together. With me behind the drum kit I’ll tell Mike or Shane what I need for the idea of a part/song and we’ll find it when we find it. We don’t zig zag and toss it all to the wall and see what sticks. It is thought out and then dissected again and again by me. Once a song has its direction we build from it. Things might pop into one of our heads to expand on something or we might get inspired to take it into an off kilter direction that feels right. We keep coming back to songs and bits for the duration of the writing of a record. Things might never change in a song or completely change in a song. It’s a case by case thing.
You are well known for your elaborate way of talking and storytelling. You always seem to have something to say and tell. Your lyrics on ‘Children Of The Morgue’, again, are no exception. In interviews over the past few years, you’ve already hinted that many people have died around you. Can I assume then that this is the overarching theme for ‘Children Of The Morgue’? So does this also feel like a more personal album and do you feel like such a “child” or is there a certain amount of storytelling on top of that?
Yeah, it’s full on about death and how me and really the world over has to deal with it. We are all children of the morgue, brought to earth to live a very short while then die. Is there more? Do we go on? Have we been here before? It’s the zillion dollar mystery with no answer for now. Yes this record is very much a dark journey into death and dying. It is personal as well for everyone else too. To live inside an aura the band has created with our music this time around. I have had people tell me how a certain part or thing on the record takes them to a place in their mind. And it’s not a happy place. There’s no fun in dying. And THAT’S my version of Death Metal. To take you into an uncomfortable zone lyrically/topic wise and get under your skin and in your blood.
Browsing through your back catalogue, you notice that your lyrics seem to increasingly take on a personal touch. From the more standard horror and gore in the early days or even sci-fi-like stuff that came up later to the more tangible nightmares and themes around death in your most recent works. Is this also true in your experience and was this shift a conscious choice?
Absolutely. Yeah grave robbing and end of the world ideas were the forefront early on. “What rhymes with death?” nothing special lyrics. I feel that has been my greatest strength as years go on, mass improvement in the lyrics. As well as the vocals, being able to become the victim or the antagonist in a song or even jump back and forth to both. It’s almost acting. This all kind of started when my mom died in 2002 and with the ‘As The Weird Travel On’ record. There’s more real horrors and less fictional stuff. After ‘Children Of The Morgue’ and it’s intense study of death I feel I will take a step back a bit going forward and kind of hark to a few fictional tales or play on morbid things for a bit.
Just something completely off topic in passing, something light-hearted of a personal nature. When I was much younger I was always trying to figure out the bands on the shirts you were wearing on various pictures. Besides digging out thank lists etcetera, this was a good way to discover new bands. Through your shirts I got into bands like Tora Tora and Cutty Sark. So you’ve unknowingly had some influence on the records I’ve picked up over the past two decades. What was that like for you when you were younger? Can you share a similar story?
Well I never wore a Tora Tora shirt haha. One of my poser metal glam girlfriends might of at some point. But I love me some Cutty Sark.
Yeah as a kid I would study any and everything endlessly. Maybe it was the back of the “Kiss Alive” record by Kiss. See the crowd on the back. look at every face in the crowd and their expressions. Study every word or pic in a magazine etc. Always wanted to wear the shirts and cheer those bands that I got brought up on. Cutty Sark as example went pretty much unknown in America. That ‘Die Tonight’ record is a fave of mine back in the day. Glad it helped a little, cheers to you!
But it’s certainly not just the shirts. Deceased is also quite well known for the large amount of covers you guys have recorded. From metal essentials like Venom, Slayer and Motörhead to Punk/Hardcore classics like Cryptic Slaughter, The Accüsed and The Buzzcocks. You clearly have a very broadly developed taste. How do you make the choice to cover something?
I/we just love a lot of music. Sometimes it’s an easy obvious choice like a Venom or Voivod. And at others it’s off the cuff and “let’s see how this goes” one like The Clash, The Buzzcocks or Stone. It’s fun to do them. I really had a blast on the ‘Thrash Times At Ridgemont High’ trying to recreate all the vocal styles of the bands on hand. Doing the Larry Portelli of Blessed Death high screams or the broken English of some of the European bands. Most everything has been something chosen by the band and occasionally (The Doors ‘Not To Touch The Earth’ as example) being asked to do it for a tribute record.
As a whole, you are still very much a metal enthusiast, at least so it seems. But on the other hands you have always stated that you couldn’t care less about trends and hypes. Does this also mean you are just stuck to your old records or do you also keep an eye on newer acts and the current state of the metal scene?
I just love me some heavy metal. I am stuck in my listening ways and most all in metal I feel has been done. It’s now rehash of rehash of rehash of rehash. So, getting excited for a band sounding like, say, Acid in 2024 is hard to do. I cheer for the state of metal and wish them all well. But I’d be a straight up liar if I said “I listen to all new music daily”. As for the scene itself, I am active as I can be in trying to better things and kill the viruses that are part of the scene. Greed, egos, etc. all need to stay away from the underground, these “big ships in a little sea” type. Fuck off to that! I will always scream from my loudest lung on troubles in the scene while cheering those doing their part to keep it healthy and right.
Speaking of doing things the old school way, I once read that you are still rehearsing on a regular basis and keeping things mostly into your own hands. You are also taking the time to answer interviews for smaller and more underground oriented media and fanzines. How important are such things to you?
Absolutely. That is music for me. We are all in this together. I haven’t separated myself from anything. I am proud to be part of the Heavy Metal underground. Supporting old timers and new timers alike that are in this for the right reasons. Yes, we still get together and rehearse and we still give it 100% every time out whether writing, playing live or anything else that comes with it all. And that will NEVER change.
Something that always really intrigues me in a general sense is how it is that some bands become “big” and others stay a bit in the wings. Although that sounds more negative than I mean I never got the impression from you that it did much to you that some of your contemporaries with whom you started this Death/Extreme Metal movement together became bigger than Deceased or got more credits. You always just kept doing your stuff. How do you yourself view this?
I have never cared to be the Hit Parader centrefold of the month. There are plenty of angles and pie charts that can improve your place on the conveyer belt towards the front if you choose to go that route. But that’s not mine or Deceased’s route. We just want to write music and do live shows year in and year out. We don’t cause problems but we don’t run from them either. We speak up when needed and we help out when necessary. Bands of the month come and go and I’ve seen plenty. But again, not in this for a pat on the back! We do this for us and if anyone else likes what we do that’s an added bonus. We cheer and thank those for the support and we just drive around the ants at the picnic when needed. As well as confront those same ants if they get to close to our picnic basket. This is about fun and good times. I may write about death and dying, but life is for living and having a blast in whatever anyone choses to do in life.
In the obvious follow-up to the above discussion, there always remains a bit of bickering about who invented the term “Death Metal”, who started grunting first and with whom the foundations of Death Metal lie. This not infrequently leads to, and with all due respect, somewhat pitiful statements and schoolyard-level conversations with people like Paul Speckmann and Jeff Becerra. How do you feel history and lore treat Deceased and you as a person? How do you personally see your role in the development of the genre?
I was right there talking on the phone to Mike Torrao back in the day or Evil Chuck in pre-Death days. We had a phone pirates thing in 1983/84 and my pal would get these multi-conversations going with people all over the world through a phone system his dad had. It could be Les from Cryptic Slaughter or Bobby G. from Overkill. There would be tape traders on there. Just die hard metal fanatics of all walks of life and places. We all were just young and wild and talking metal. So my place in it all is whatever. I could care less to be acknowledged or not. For me the Death Metal grunts and all who started them are all over the place. Wendy O Williams was screaming and gurgling in The Plasmatics like a crazed maniac long before Jeff Becerra was, even had the pentagrams before Possessed. But it’s a hybrid of many that got it all going. Lemmy, Cronos, Tom Warrior, Scott Carlson, Paul Speckmann etc etc. So, for me no one person did it first. As for Death Metal itself as a kid I got mags calling Mercyful Fate death metal, even Metal Church. And as I said earlier it’s more to me than down tuned guitars and blearghh vocals. I find ‘King Of The Dead’ by Cirith Ungol much more deathlike than say an Obituary or Cannibal Corpse record. But you won’t ever hear Cirith Ungol called death metal.
You are working on a 40 anniversary double CD with a couple of new tracks as well as some more covers. Do you have any details to share? And what about October 31, any news on that too maybe?
Well, first October 31 is no more. Sadly our guitarist and band co-founder Brian Williams hit a big health problem about 5 years ago when he got Parkinson’s disease. It has escalated and he is retired so we put the band to rest. As for Deceased and the ‘March Of The Cadavers’ 2CD-set, it will come out in 2025 on Hells Headbangers Records and will be a musical history all the way back in time and all the way to the present. It will include 2 new tunes exclusive to the set as well as a Venom and a Black Sabbath cover (our first Black Sabbath cover ever). We will record a couple old demo tunes for fun and just have a nice special packaging for it. Very proud of this band and to be going 40 years on strong it’s time for celebration.
To wrap things up a bit, a question of my own interest. Deceased has played a fair amount of concerts over the past few decades, but has rarely if ever been seen in Europe. May that ever change?
It needs to and we are working on it. We hope to get over in August 2025 to celebrate and smash with pals over there. It’s long overdue and a must do. If we can time it all right it should fall into place then.
I want to thank you for sharing your time with me. I asked what I wanted and would now like to give you the opportunity to conclude the interview in your own words…
Many thanks for the interview. I really enjoyed the questions and again thank you for the support. To anyone reading. Stay wild and sincere. Chase your dreams and never settle for anything short of what you want out of life! All the best! UP THE TOMBSTONES! King Fowley
