What’s up Chris?! How are things and thanks for doing this interview!
Hey Eli what’s up brother? Thanks for having me! Things are great, a lot of anticipation for new music from all of my bands, and you know I love a chance to talk about myself!
For the readers that don’t know you, could you tell us a little about yourself and what bands you play in
Hailing from Long Island, NY, I’ve been on the pulse of the global metal and hardcore scene for 25 years now with my three bands. Without Remorse the og deathcore band, Missing Link the current toughest hardcore band, and Internal Bleeding which is THE original Slam band from 1991.
What got you into music and wanting to play in a band? Any particular moment in your life that made you go “I want to do that!”
My dad playing The Beatles around the house made me aware of the magic and allure music possesses. It all came together when I saw Metallica’s Wherever I May Roam music video on TV in 1992. As a kid, Hetfield looked like a lion and his guitar looked like a weapon and I coolest fucking thing I ever saw in my life- and it still is.
Who are your top five influences and what drew you to their particular style?
James Hetfield’s confidence, charisma, and sheer larger-than-life presence was huge for my stage presence and “attack” of the instrument. John Gallagher of Dying Fetus- The Riffs!!!! He has an incredible ability to get the attention of anyone in the room with just the power of the riff. Kirk Windstien- fat. Bald. Pissed. Kerry King- also bald and pissed, but his intensity and his ruthlessness also speaks to me. Sean Martin- ex Hatebreed, and currently in Twitching Tongues, combined metal and hardcore into a perfect percussive chug that spoke to me maybe more than anyone else’s riffing did. I also stole his signature double-time headbang.
You’ve played in a handful of legendary Long Island bands, could you tell us a bit about them and the scene when you were coming up?
When I was initially starting to play shows it was all bad nu-metal bands. Now I feel like we’re looking back on that era with rose-colored lenses- but make no mistake these bands were BAD. Then there were corny mall core girl pants and I wanted to be the antithesis to those genres and subcultures. Me and a few of the members of my high school band From the Ashes decided to get serious and started Without Remorse. Thanks to Internal Bleeding, Punchyourface, Suffocation, and GFY all took us seriously enough to let us open for them at their gigs. The Myspace boom helped us bring everything to the next level
How did playing guitar for Internal Bleeding come about and what’s next for the band?
Without Remorse was kind of my way of telling Pervelis I thought he was so cool- so I was always on his radar. In 2013 original guitarist Brian Hobbie was unavailable for a tour. Pervelis reached out to ex-Suffocation guitarist Guy Marchais and long-time friend Sean Bell to see if I was reliable. The rest is history!
When forming Without Remorse, what was your thought process? You guys are one of the few bands who embody how Deathcore should sound.
Originally the goal was to do the cool parts and not the corny parts of death metal and hardcore. I love Madball just as much as I love Morbid Angel, and I love Terror just as much as I love Deicide. The icing on the cake was when I realized my high school best friend (non-metal head & G-Unit fanatic) Matt Martens was able to do the “John Gallagher” voice- and the lightbulb went off in my head. I thought I was doing something great, but I’m not sure how we ended up with Whitechapel.
What’s the craziest show you’ve played or been to?
Too many to count, too many brutal injuries- too many things I don’t want to say on the internet! I can tell you that Pantera 2000 at Hammerstein was war.
Now for a fun question, what’s an album by a band you love that everyone else thinks sucks?
Metallica Load is better than Kill ‘em All!
Thanks for doing this interview Chris! Hope we meet again sometime and what can we expect from you in the future?
As of me doing this interview- Watch me Bleed by Missing Link comes out tomorrow June 7th on Triple B Records. We’re leaving for a Euro tour in a couple of weeks with Never Ending Game, Gridiron, and Magnitude. Currently, we’re tracking a new Internal Bleeding album which should come out holiday season 2024. Hopefully we’ll have some new Without Remorse music recorded by the end of the year also. I appreciate all your support and compliments over the years. Keep doing your thing homie-
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