Vital remains.

I FINALLY GOT TO SEE VITAL REMAINS. I missed them last year. Roche and the whole crew got to see them. I was broke or some shit. But not this time. And fuck it, I wanted an interview, too; although, in the back of my head I thought "Yeah right. Fat chance." I'm freestyle about my approach. Getting in was easy (thanks to my homies at Earache), and a good start. Naturally I walked up to the merch table and checked the prody, and then I just threw it out there to the dude working the table. "Hey, I want to interview the band for Thrasher. Can you hook it up?" "Yeah, no problem. Nice to meet you, I'm Tony Lazaro." Damn, that was easy! And so this interview begins.--Sam Hitz

You guys are about 17 years deep now. What was it like when you first started?

When we first started it was really difficult, man. It was hard to get shows in those days 'cause glam was still big as hell in New England. So what I did, in the late '80s, was basically start booking shows in Providence, RI, with bands that we liked instead of bitching and moaning. I booked Morbid Angel when Altars of Madness came out. We opened for them and that's how we gained a following. I wasn't going to wait for something to come to me. I had to say take the goat by the horns--do it yourself.

What's one show that still sticks out in your head?

Vital at the Whiskey A Go-Go, 1997. Slayer asked to be on the tour and we're like, "Of course!" Dave Lombardo--Slayer--one of our hero bands, the best thrash band of all time. So they get on the bill, but they say, "You guys got to open for us," and they bumped us from headlining. But you know what happened? After we played, half the people left. So sometimes that shit will bite you in the ass. It's funny how Satan has a sense of humor like that.

What bands did you kick it with that we might not know about, or bands that never made it?

There are a lot of bands. Like Revenant was a really big technical death metal band, but they broke up. There were a lot of good bands in the early '90s.

What about metal rests back then?

Buffalo Deathfest, Michigan, Milwaukee Metalfest.

I've been to those. I'm from Milwaukee.

Yeah, so is my girlfriend. That's where I met her, at a Milwaukee Metalfest.

Bitchin'.

Yeah, we had a lot of fun then seeing Deicide for the first time, it was fucking great! I remember being up in the balcony throwing meat with the Hoffman brothers at Sacred Riech. They were all looking around but couldn't see us 'cause we were in the balcony. We were pegging them off the head with raw meat. It was classic.

Are you guys writing any new material?

Yeah. We're recording in July; we're one song away from finishing the new album. It should be out around Halloween--and it's brutal shit, along the lines of Dechristianize. We're going for some real sick production, and this one's definitely got more hooks, too. Glen Benton said he was going to do vocals so it's going to be like Dechristianize part two.

Yeah, it seems like Dechristianize really brought Vital Remains to a whole other level.

It's definitely a result of a lot of hard work. Like I said, 17 years. A lot of sacrifices. If you listen to our albums, none of them sound the same and they've always progressed. And Dechristianize, in my opinion, is our best work.

Tell me about this guitar.

Yeah, the Crucifire, man. I had this concept idea for an upside down cross for like 10 years. Met up with my buddy who's a luthier at a restaurant and basically just sketched it on a napkin. Three or four months later he came back with a prototype. I played it, changed a few things, modified the neck, and extended the body out. That's when the concept of the lights happened, 666 and everything.

Yeah, what's with those lights? They're sick!

I had that idea; I want 666 in the cross. Something just told me one day: put lights in it. It's a first of its kind.

What's up with Tim Yeung now, is he permanent?

I've known Tim for awhile. I asked him if he wanted to come out and do a tour with us, and we ended up doing Milwaukee Metalfest. He played with Hate Eternal on the first album. When I heard that I thought he was amazing. He started jamming with us and playing shows. He lives in California but we always stayed in touch. I think he realized there was a good chemistry and we worked really well together. He's done a lot of shit for us. Recently he won the fastest feet in the country. He got up there and did like 210-220 beats per minute--and he'd been drinking that night. Go figure. I ain't tootin' our own horn, but I think playing with Vital Remains, any drummer would have a workout. We're lucky to have someone of that talent. It's killer.

Yeah! That dude is gnarly; the whole line-up is gnarly. It was an honor to witness. Thanks, we're done here.