HERETIC
BRIAN KORBAN & ANGELO ESPINO
Los Angeles based Heretic formed back in 1985 and the band was approached by Brian Slagel of Metal Blade Records to appear on the legendary Metal Massacre compilations series (Metal Massacre VII). Flotsam and Jetsam, Sentinel Beast, Have Mercy, Deténte and Cryptic Slaughter also appeared on Metal Massacre VII.
A few months later Heretic released their debut EP Torture knows no boundary/Don't turn your back on Brian Slagel's Metal Blade. Two years later, in 1988 Heretic released their first full-length studio album titled Breaking Point. Their new album Breaking Point featured a new vocalist in Mike Howe. But Mike soon left when Metal Church offered him a chance to replace David Wayne who recently left Metal Church. Heretic then broke up and Reverend was formed
out of it's ashes. They teamed up with the recently departed Metal Church-singer David Wayne and they released a couple of records under that name. After years of silence Heretic reunited in 2011 and their second full-length A Time of Crisis was released the following year. Now over to guitarist Brian Korban & Bassist Angelo Espino...
Brian: Heretic originally formed in the mid 80’s in Los Angeles, California. We like to think of our sound as “Classic Metal” with influences by Motörhead, Armored Saint, Judas Priest, Accept, etc….. The band has four releases on Metal Blade Records, and one on Metal on Metal Records. We are currently working on a new CD for release later this year (label TBD)
Your comeback album A Time of Crisis was released in 2012. How has it been received by the media and your fans?
Brian: Very well actually. The unfortunate thing about the CD is that only a thousand copies were printed, so it didn’t have a chance to reach enough people. Live the songs go over great and mix well with our older material. Songs like “Betrayed”, “Remains”, and “Child Of War” have become fan favorites.
Brian: Once we started recording, we did want it to sound true to our roots. But when I sat down to write the songs, I had no specific sound in mind, I just let whatever was going to come out, come out. I write in an old school way to begin with, so the songs holds up to our old material, but they also have a bit of modern flavor as well.
Brian: The reason I started playing again is due to my own envy. I was seeing pictures of my dear friends Glenn Rogers and Angelo Espino playing festivals in Europe in front of thousands of people with the band Hirax. Glenn had been telling me for years that I should consider reforming Heretic, but I never took it to serious. When singer Julian Mendez came to me and asked if I would want to play a few shows as Heretic, I was all in and started writing new songs right away.
Brian: We all knew Brian Slagel from going to shows around LA. He was the go to guys for all things metal, He approached us to do a song on (MMVII) and we jumped at the chance for exposure. Back then everyone did not have a home studio like today, so going into the studio was a big deal for us.
Brian: The trendy thing at the time was to put out an EP to build interest first. A lot of the “Breaking Point” CD would have been on “Torture”. We were selling out shows everywhere we played, the scene was amazing and we were a band on the rise.
Brian: I’m so proud of everything the group was able to record, and I think the music has held up very well over the years. Especially the lyrics, they are still pretty relevant with the state of the world today. It feels great to have fans bring their copies of the “LP” for us to sign.
Brian: We opened for them at “The Country Club” in Reseda CA. It was a secret, unannounced show that was actually Jason Newsted’s first show on bass. We had just come off a small tour with Flotsam and Jetsam, so Metal Blade pushed to get us the opening slot. It was a pretty proud moment for the band. Before our set the crowd was chanting MET-ALL-ICA! And that’s all you could hear over our opening chords. But the chants soon turned to cheers, as we won them over with sheer force and adrenaline.
Brian: Yes, it’s very difficult adding in a new member. As a songwriter, I had to adapt to writing for new vocal styles and word pronunciations. If I could undo one thing from the past, it would be the revolving door of band members.
Brian: We looked for a replacement at first, but all roads started leading towards joining forces with Dave Wayne. Instead of using the Heretic name, we decided to disband and form Reverend.
Brian: It's true, he came out of retirement to play with them again. I’ve only talked with once or twice since he left Heretic, were friends on Facebook (LOL) I wish him and Metal Church all the best, maybe we could get some shows booked together. Wouldn’t that be cool? We were able to hang out and talk with Metal Church when we played with them at “Headbangers Open Air” in Germany.
Brian: He was the international man of mystery. What a voice, what more can I say? I really didn’t spend much time with him outside the band, but all I have is fond memories of Dave. Playing in Reverend was a fun time, it was the first time I got to really go out and tour for months at a time. I love the road, I wish the band would’ve spent more time on it.
Angelo: For me it was such an honor. I mean come on, it’s David Wayne. I was super stoked to play alongside a legend. He was a hard ass at times but he just wanted the best out of everyone.
Brian: They are a Classic Metal band, I love the song “Ton of Bricks” and I’m happy they are still active. Were not close, but I would like to think of them as friends, Heretic adds to our brothers in metal family everywhere we play.
Scott Ian's (Anthrax) brother Jason Rosenfeld played the drums in Heretic for a short while and he was also a member of Reverend back in the days. Did you ever share the stage with Anthrax?
Brian: No, unfortunately not- Jason probably tried his heart out to get us an opening slot somewhere. Scott never showed much interest in our band. By the way, Jason is one of the most underrated drummers in metal. To this day, he is one of the best drummers I’ve played with.
Brian: At Jezebels in Anaheim, CA probably around 1988. Great show, we added some bonus live footage to our “From the Vault- Tortured and Broken” CD. We definitely got the crowd lathered and sweaty for Megadeth.
Angelo: Way too many to list. I’ll give my top 5: Judas Priest, Sweet, Iron Maiden, U.F.O., Metallica.
What do you guys think of this thrash revival that has been going on for a couple of years?
Brian: It’s fantastic that speed and aggression still thrives. My son Jacob, who is 16, is big time metal head discovering new bands for me to check out all the time. I love to see the new generation metal fans pumping out new raw music and paying respect to the bands that paved the way for them. So many bands (like us) have reformed and are reintroducing themselves to the world. I’m having the time of my life playing again.
Angelo: I couldn’t be happier. The music I grew up listening to is still alive and well..
Brian: We have the next Heretic CD already written and we are in the process of recording right now. Some early stand out tracks titled: “DEMONIZED” and “BEFORE THE FALL”. I’m very pleased with the songs and I can’t wait to release them hopefully later this year.
Angelo: We are 7 songs in to the recording and are scheduled soon to record the final four. That’s right, 11 new Heretic songs to kick your ass!!
Brian: Early days, opening for Saxon and Armored Saint at the Santa Monica Civic. That was a huge show for the group, it really exposed us new set of fans. New history, Heretic getting over to Europe for the first time and playing Headbangers Open Air in Germany has been the biggest step for the band to date. Metal felt so alive over there, I saw it in the faces, young and old. We will hopefully continue to play festivals each chance we get.
Brian: We were pretty hard drinkers in our early twenties; we have stories with all the clichés- from destroyed hotel rooms, to being held hostage by groupies after a show. One that sticks out in my head is not necessarily funny, but painful. Reverend was to play a show in Washington, about 22 hours from Los Angeles.
The band and crew piled into a cargo van and drove there nonstop. We sat scrunched up with amps and guitars under our feet, with our knees practically in our faces the whole way. My ears we plugged beyond belief from all the altitude changes through the mountains. By the time we finally got there, we could hardly walk from being severely cramped for so long and my hearing did not fully recover for a couple of days. The things you do for love!!!!!!
Brian: Thank you for your interest in the band, and keep your eyes open for HERETIC in 2016.
(04-06-2015)
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