Metal Gospel

Interview with SOULLESS
(Jim Lippucci, Wayne Richards & Jim Corrick)
By: Cheryl

Brief interview done on Sunday, February 03, 2002 via email...

Ok, I want to thank you guys for taking some time with this short interview. What has SOULLESS been up to lately as far as new stuff, promoting yourselves and in general ?

JL: We're always writing new material, and right now we're trying to find a label. We're steadily going down the list and distributing promos. We've got more than enough brutal new material for a full length and will record in March.

WR: We've sent the three song to many labels 'zines etc…played a few shows & have written great new material.

I know this is old news that Jerry left the band but I was wondering why he left and how did you guys hook up with Jim Corrick ?

JL: Jerry wanted a wife, a house & a well paying job. It's nearly impossible to dedicate enough time to those pursuits and write, practice and play shows. We wish him all the best.

WR: Jerry got married & his wife didn't want him hanging around us anymore. She said ever since he quit the band he doesn't beat her anymore, so that's good. Jim Corrick was jamming with Dora and me in "All That Is Evil" and was into the Soulless material, so he was the perfect replacement.

Why the name change from BLOODSICK to SOULLESS ? Feel free to give a brief band history here if you want as well.

JL: There were such drastic lineup changes and the sound really went in a different direction. I don't know that Chris and I ever liked that name at all…

What are the main influences that each of you take into the band ?

JL: I'm heavily influenced by Ozzy, Mille (Kreator) and Blaine Fart (The Accused) WR Kreator, Sodom, Celtic Frost, At The Gates, Razor, Destruction, Voi Vod , Entombed, Slayer, Tankard, Caveman.

JC: Deep Purple, Sabbath, Forbidden, Slayer…They all rip

Please mention a few of your favourite bands (past or present) and what makes them special/meaningful to you ?

JL: My Sacred Trinity are the Teutonic thrash metal trio: Sodom, Kreator and Destruction. I'm heavily into old shit like early Slayer, Trouble, The Accused, Sabbath, Voi Vod. Newer metal would be The Haunted, At the Gates, Arch Enemy.

JC: Deep Purple, Sabbath, Forbidden, Slayer…They all rip

WR: I started playing guitar when I heard Master of Puppets. Metallica wrote the greatest and most memorable riffs. Slayer was right there along with Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Kiss, Black Sabbath & Judas Priest. All of these bands in one way or another have inspired and shaped my playing.

What country do you think has generated the most strength in the Metal scene? How is the scene where you live ?

JL: Early on Germany seemed to be a metal Mecca. Bands like the aforementioned Sodom, Kreator, Destruction, and others like Vendetta, Tankard, Coroner… so many more. Now that whole part of the world is just sick with metal…Sweden, Norway… I love it.

WR: Without a doubt Sweden has consistently had the best metal releases from The Haunted, Swordmaster, Terror 2000, Soilwork, Centinex and countless other great bands. The scene in Cleveland is weak. We're lucky to get 100 people at a show, but bands like Somnus, Spawn of Satan, All That is Evil, Dead of Night and Soulless are keeping the scene alive.

Do you ever find it difficult to come up with new material or do you ever get a case of "writers block" ?

JL: I suffer from eternal writers block. I'm usually the one holding up new material because I can never come up with good shit.

WR: I am writing new material all the time and recording riffs for new Soulless songs every week.

Is anyone currently in other bands besides SOULLESS and does involvement with other bands ever intrude on the amount of time spent with SOULLESS ?

WR: Chris Dora's involvement with Ringworm tends to pose problems from time to time but what are we going to do. They're a big time Victory band now. Who the fuck are we?

JL: Chris is in Ringworm, Dead of Night, All that is Evil, Spawn of Satan and Holy Ghost. Wayne is in Dead of Night, Spawn of Satan & All That is Evil. Corrick plays for All that is Evil and Holy Ghost. I'm way behind the pack… besides occasionally being a member of Schnauzer I'm not really in any other bands… so if you're lookin' for a singer, get a hold of me. It's killin' my ego for Christ's sakes!!

It´d be cool if you could pick a few of your favourite SOULLESS songs and maybe give some detail as to why they are your faves ?

JL: A lot of my favorites are among our new material…But I love "Devilish" lyrically and "Down Hells Path" is always great to play.

JC: "Downward", "Darkening of Days", "Down Hell's Path"... (They rip)

WR: "Suffer the Fallen" is probably my favorite song right now. I am happy with the solos, the riffs are strong and the lyrics, vocals & drumming are outstanding. "Bleeding Darkness" is a ripping thrash tune that I love also. We have a song called "Soulscythe" that thrashes out like crazy, too.

I was really surprised to find out that "Darkening of Days" is technically a "demo" because the quality is excellent. How many of those cds did you end up pressing? How do you feel that your newer material compares ?

JL: We pressed a thousand copies which are basically gone. The new material is more of a group effort and the chemistry is really starting to come together. Musically it's stronger, with tons of great leads & stuff…

WR: The new material has more technical and melodic moments but the thrash never stops! I think the new material is far superior to what we did on the "Darkening of Days disc.

Most importantly: When can we expect a new full length release ?! I loved the songs on the "Bleeding Darkness" promo !

JL: We begin recording in March… hopefully the new stuff should be out by the end of spring. IF someone decides to put it out…

I know you guys have done some songs for those Dwell tributes but I have to ask this anyway: do you ever feel that tribute albums are overdone ? What purpose do you feel they serve ?

JL It is a little silly, but I can't deny the exposure it provides us, and they even throw a few bucks our way. It's a lot better deal for the bands involved than the people who buy the CD's…that's for sure.

WR Personally, I think the tribute albums are overdone, and I would never buy one because they never put any good bands on the disc so 75% of the album's covers blow. Dwell's money gave us some studio time and allowed us to record our promo without having too much come out of our own pockets.

JC They serve to give us money.

What do you think (and why) of the statement: "Those who truly embrace Metal have usually had a lot of tough times in their past" ?

JL: Metal is what it is, in all of its ugliness and brutality. It's one of the purest, truest forms of music in existence, metal is the primal scream that soothes the soul, and the blind underdog that envelopes and enfolds anyone who truly embraces it, regardless of who you are. I think that's very appealing to those kicked in the balls by life.

Do you believe the MP3 has helped or hindered Metal ?

JL: The metal gospel (excuse the pun) has always been spread through networks of dedicated, passionate individuals exchanging their latest, greatest finds to any and all they can find. MP3's really make it a lot easier to quickly spread great sounding audio all over the world. I love it.

What's in store as far as playing live shows ? Any past performances stand out that you could tell us about ?

JL: We don't have a bass player right now and won't be doing any shows until April or May. We've played with some cool bands, but I think the best shows were some of the small local ones...

JK: Revolution, (Cleveland, OH) - Both times...We ripped.

What are your future aspirations and goals ?

WR: The usual, get signed, put out a few albums, possibly tour Europe…

JL: Make metal & get mint shit

JC: Record deal & sell out.

Thanks guys for your time and if you have any news or info that the readers should know about please say it now.

JL: Visit our site, www.soullessdomain.com if you care what we're doing. We're looking for a new bass player so if you're interested & if you're in the neighborhood drop us line & try out. Buy our merch. Anyone interested in repressing the TDOD CD should get a hold of us. We're also looking for artists for shirts and the new album cover. Raise high the horns of hell!!

[TOP]