So here we are again. Steve Souza, singer, songwriter, band leader, legend, metalhead, sports fan, father and horror aficionado extraordinaire, is back with another record. Not content to rest on the laurels of Hatriot's recent debut "Heroes of Origin," the man known as Zetro is determined to take the nearly unprecedented step of releasing two records inside a calendar year. The always outspoken and never shy Souza sat down with me again to talk about the new record, the present stage of metal, the latest Slayer developments, the rumors surrounding Dublin Death Patrol, the quandary of Hatriot, the Oakland Raiders and as ever, horror. It was, as you might imagine, a long conversation. In an interviewing first for me, Zetro started the conversation off without prompting. Read on and enjoy!
Steve 'Zetro' Souza remains one of the biggest names in the annals of thrash, a person without whom the story of the genre's rise to fame cannot be told. Most famously the singer for Exodus, Souza has also been part of several other successful bands, including most recently Dublin Death Patrol. His unique, high-speed vocal style has become his calling card, and it will ring again as he ushers forth his new band, Hatriot. The man and I sat down and talked about...well, damn near anything. Horror, music, the state of the business, concert promotion, retirement and a bunch of other stuff. Read on for an engaging conversation.
Few names in heavy metal resonate the way Chuck Billy's does. He is and has been one of the fathers of metal, a true-to-form vocalist of remarkable consistency and dedication to craft. Chuck has been a point for fans to rally around, either to carry the banner for metal, to not forget the halcyon days, or even to give cancer the finger. Over roughly thirty years, Chuck and his band Testament have been to hell and back again, surviving the changing times and lineup changes, all the while producing the same high caliber of original Bay Area thrash. We were honored to talk to Chuck Billy about his new album (both of them,) the Big 4, microphone stands and whether or not this legend has ever thought of hanging it up.
