PDF version of the interview (old design).

Ripping Corpse, Dim Mak, Hate Eternal.
There’s one name which is nowadays
firmly connected with those three standout bands. Shaune Kelley. Incredible
guitarist and composer. He has been here
since the very beginning and he has been
through it all. Still rather unknown to the
‘major’ Death Metal crowd but anyone
who knows his efforts simply appreciate
those works immensely since it’s nothing
but pure mastery. If you speak of creative
originality in extreme metal you never
should forgot to mention Shaune Kelley.
This interview is something that was
dwelling in our minds for ages and it
was time to make it real and release it
out of our heads. Shaune made it happen
and answered completely & incredibly
promptly proving he is not only a guy
who has unique things to play but he has
lots of things to say as well. All we can
tell you now is: Dig up and play Ripping
Corpse, Dim Mak albums while reading
this interview along. End up the ride with
the last Hate Eternal opus magnum and
look forward to even more extreme art to
come!
Conducted by Jan & Saint.rap
much yet. It was around when I was like
15, my aunt and uncle took me to an AC/
DC concert and I saw Angus Young shred
it completely and took a liking to hard
Rock/Metal guitar playing. After that
concert I started collecting metal records
and practicing everyday... Judas Priest,
Scorpions, Accept, Sabbath, Hendrix, Iron
Maiden got me started which turned into
the heavier stuff Metallica, Venom, Nasty
Savage, Anthrax, Slayer, DRI, then on
into the heavier darker realms of Kreator,
Sodom, Bathory, Destruction, Pestilence
etc. etc. into Death Metal. It was in the
Metallica days, that I really began to
practice hard and started to realize I
wanted to be in a band seriously and did.
I think the fact that my dad was good
and always playing sparked me off early
on. He showed me my first metal riff in
Victim Of Changes by Judas Priest.
Hi there Shaune, being chosen as a victim
of our interview, we would like to start the
stream of questions with this one. You are
known for many people as a guitarist who
abounds with one of the most original
guitar styles. From our point of view, you
do belong into the league of guitarists like
Trey Azagthoth, Doug Cerrito or Denis D’
Amour. All those players have started their
paths somehow and have been influenced
& taught by other guitarists before they
have come up with a more original brand
of playing of their own. Tell us about your
beginnings, please. Since when have you
been exposed to listening to music? What
genres and bands have introduced you
to the world of music and metal later on?
Have you got any musical education? Was
guitar the first instrument you have ever
played seriously - what has fired the magic,
which has made a guy called Shaune Kelly
to go and pick up guitar?
Well, first off thanks a lot for putting me
in those leagues. It’s been a long hard
road... I was first introduced to the guitar
by my father. As I was growing up my
father was always playing loud electric
guitar. So I think he really implanted
it in my head early... He played a lot of
Beatles and Stones and some original
stuff too. Early on I was hearing what
he was listening to and not into music
how about the rest of the band’s members,
did they participate in other bands worth
mentioning after The Beast broke up?
Ah yes, The Beast... That was some fun
stuff. It was like horror speed metal
punk... Scott was more into like Rollins,
Black Flag stuff and The Misfits back in
those days. They were actually getting
quite big at one point as Johnny Z signed
them to Mega Force records. There’s a
compilation record out there called Born
As we have found out, yours and Scott’s
beginnings are connected with an
allegedly heavy-speed-punk metal band
called The Beast. Can you elaborate a little
bit on the style of the band and the band
in general? How did you met Scott? And
to metalize that they were on before I got
in the band. It was crazy because I was
just like 16 playing with these older guys.
How I met Scott Ruth... I was jamming
with Brandon Thomas as a teenager in
his basement. We were good friends...
Brandon got an offer to join a pretty
big band in the area called Dirge which
was hard core. Anyway the bassist felt
so upset that he stole Brandon from me
that he hooked me up with Scott Ruth’s
number who just happened to be looking
for a second guitarist. I gave him a call
and they gave me a tryout. We lived in
the same town so I saw Scott around a lot
at the local music store Jacks. I loved The
Beast so I was excited about it. I ended up
getting the spot and they called me ‘the
kid’. I’m not certain what the rest of the
guys is doing at this point but that was
a great start for me being able to play in
bars at 16 and get to learn from the older
cats.
It’s kinda crazy, but during the time when
you and Scott were in The Beast, we started
to attend school. How would you describe
the scene and its spirit back then to people
like us? How do you look at those times
nowadays, after all those years? Which
bands do you remember as the real mates
who were fun to play and hang out with?
It was a lot more genuine back then.
All the music was fresh and just being
created so things were more interesting.
These days I hear shit that I’ve heard
twenty years ago rehashed again and
again. It was a cool vibe. It was really
cool to actually be a part of the whole
damn thing from the very beginning of
Death Metal and still going. It makes me
proud. As far as bands that were great to
play with there were too many to name.
I think we played with all my favourite
bands at one point or another so it was
just killer all around. We were very tight
with fellow Jersey heads Revenant and
Suffocation. That’s some cool bros.
Let’s move to the Ripping Corpse chapter.
What things made you to start RC? How
did you come up with the band’s name?
According to the Kreator’s title song or
that’s just a coincidence? What were your
goals with the band in the beginning?
Well The Beast broke up in a pretty ugly
way so me and Scott decided to stick
together and make a heavier project...
It was no coincidence. When I heard
Pleasure To Kill by Kreator I had realized
the direction I wanted to head. A more
brutal fast way with twisted riffing and
melodies. I loved it. It’s funny, I actually
asked Mille from Kreator at a show we
played with them if it was cool to use
the name and he said yes. So I got the
stamp of approval from the main man
even... The main goal in the beginning
was to make the sickest most musical shit
possible... Evil Brutal and sick but with
some talent and skill. We were really just
doing whatever we wanted to do.
It’s interesting, where/how did you find
other band members?! After all even
Ripping Corpse demos are original
and deliver so to say above-standard
musicianship. All members were incredible
musical individuals which we suppose
were not so common at that time, was it?
Finding such people and clicking together
perfectly always seems like a miracle
anyway...
Well like I said I grew up in the same
town as Scott and Brandon Thomas was
just one town over so I knew those cats
already. Erik Rutan as well. As far as
bassists we did some searching and found
some interesting dudes and ended up
with another local Dave Bizzigotti. Dave
later left the band and we found another
killer player in Scott Hornick. Also from
Jersey. He knew of the band and liked
the music. So after trying out a bunch of
guys he was the one that stood out. He’s
the bassist in Dim Mak now. He’ll be on
the next record. I would say there was a
lot of good musical talent in New Jersey
and New York at that point which made it
easier. Bands and styles progressed fast in
a circle the past 20 years.
What is the story behind taking a second
guitarist into Ripping Corpse? How did
you met Erik Rutan and when did he join
the band? Was there anyone handling
the second guitar duties before him? Erik
somewhere said he literally came to your
rehearsal and said he is going to be your
2nd guitarist, is that for real?
Well sorta. He came to our rehearsals a
lot... At first it was just me on guitar, we
released the first 2 demos with just me
as I didn’t even know Erik just yet... I
met Erik through Brandon... They were
friends and lived in the same town... Erik
used to listen to me and Brandon jam a
lot and me and him began hanging out a
lot as well outside the jams. We became
best friends pretty much. He had a guitar
laying around so I started showing him
riffs and techniques I was learning and
he picked things up well. He finally got
to a level where he caught my eye and
expressed interest in joining the band so
I got him a tryout. At the tryout he did
great and the rest is History he was our
second guitarist.
Well, there you have all the Ripping Corpse
releases and below are special tasks
concerning more in-depth look on every
release from RC discography. In first case:
Could you, please, provide comments on
the interesting moments or whatever you
can associate with recording and stuff of
all those releases? Can you give us your
opinion on how was the band doing during
that time, how was your fan base and the
name of the band growing, how did the
relationships evolved in the band during
those periods, whatever...
Secondly: How would you comment
musical, compositional growth of
the band? How about your musical
experiences, the understanding to music
as whole, the rituals of music creation,
your first own playing techniques rising,
changing & evolving during that era? There
we go: Death Warmed Over - Demo 1987 Splattered Remains - Demo 1989 - Demo #
3 - Demo 1990 - Dreaming With The Dead
CD 1991 - 1992 Promo.
Death Warmed Over was the birth of it
all... I remember recording that demo
for like 200 bucks at some home studio
in New Jersey... It was a good time when
thrash metal was thriving and growing...
As far as our skills at that point we were
young and just forming a style so it’s a
little mixed up. It was apparent to me
that we were on to something though.
Splattered Remains was another very
cheap recording... We did that live on the
fly for like 150 bucks. I think that’s when
we started coming into our own style and
direction. It was a little more solid and
brutal. I remember the engineer stating
we were going to hell for writing that
music, LOL. It eventually got pressed to
Vinyl in some underground demo series.
We began to really kick ass at local shows
at this point. Demo 3 was when Erik got
in the band and we started becoming
pretty brutal live and people were really
starting to notice us. This was when we
also got a Manager and the ball started
rollin’... This demo got us our recording
deal with Kraze records. I think with
each recording we were getting better...
Ahh, Dreaming with the Dead... All
the songs I wrote growing up became
a reality. Getting to record with a good
budget and great studio was awesome. It
really felt good and like something better
was gonna happen. I remember many
good times around that time as we were
playing like crazy at that point. Getting to
mini tour with Morbid Angel was around
those times and the fans were just sick.
I’ll never forget that.92 promo This was
after everything was lost... The label we
were on went bankrupt and the reality
crumbled. We were shopping for a new
record deal again... I think this is our
defining moments as far as musicianship
and where we wanted to be musically
this is my favorite stuff still... Also This is
when Erik was going to school for music
engineering so he was actually an intern
at the studio we recorded at so it’s like
his first hand in production... In actuality
these times were grim as it was when
Death metal was dying due to many
bad bands. It was oversaturated with
death metal. This demo never did get us
another deal so we ended up recording
another record ourselves. There was
actually another full length album we
never finished but were in the process
of recording... I have the rough mixes of
the songs and it’s pretty disappointing
we couldn’t complete it. I’ve got 12 rough
incomplete tracks of me Brandon and
Scott Hornick in my archives. The reason
it never made the streets is the band
combusted during the recording. The
reasons were personal but lets just say it
was time to end.
Can you cast your mind to the recording
process of the album and share some
memories? Why did you decide to make
the production of Dreaming with the Dead
yourselves? What was the role for sound
engineers during recording/production
process? Could you, please, also put some
light onto the fact that despite the time
when filthy sound was behind majority
of productions your album showcases
incredibly clean, kinda dry (I call it kokaindriven sound) yet dreadful, dynamically
brutal sound? Was the production aimed
fully to sound that way or did lack of
experiences leave its spot there?
To be honest at that point I didn’t know
anything about the actual recording
process. We were young and green. We
looked at a bunch of studios and picked
what appeared to be the best one... It
turned out to be Quantum sound in NJ...
The house Engineer Bill Klatt had done
some pretty big things so we trusted
him... We just kinda went by ear as he
never recorded anything that brutal at
that time. Bill did a decent job. Recording
processes were different back then. They
didn’t have the luxury of Pro Tools to
help. The shit was all live so you tried to
get shit right fast. We did go for a brutal
but clean and clear sound yes. Of course
it could always be better but it was a good
first record. Some people love the sound
and some hate it so it’s a mixed bag. I was
happy with it at the time and it is what
it is.
In this context, could you unfold the way
you set up the guitar sound and stuff? Eric
is a great Marshall fan, which we could say
about you as well, at least on behalf of your
Marshall cap. What Marshall model do you
use and consider the best one (why)?
I personally like the artist and the JCM
2000 as far as Marshalls go. The reason
why is the crunch of the EL 34 power tubes.
They have a heavy tone.
At that point me and Erik both used the
Marshall artist heads. They weren’t very
loud heads however only 30 watts so not
the greatest live choice. They did rip in
the studio however. Now these days I’m
endorsed by Laboga amps out of Poland
and I’m very happy with the sounds I’m
getting from their Mr. Hector stack. A
very Marshall like sound with total balls.
I’m happy to be on board with them, their
amps are total metal.
Could you think of things causing an
impact on music creation, to which extent
were Ripping Corpse influenced with any
“state of mind changing” substances,
and now we don’t mean just alcohol (you
certainly drunk seas of it, ahah), but how
about LSD etc. - judging just according the
thanx list within the artwork of Dreaming
with the Dead it must have been insane
times. Which goods did you use and abuse
and what for an impact it was leaving
on exploration your music and sound?
Well, many RC riffs sound definitely kind
of three dimensionally to say the least.
John McEntee told me that Brandon could
get drunk pretty much before a gig and
perform ungodly anyway, hehe.
Ripping Corpse was all about the mind
altering experience. Insane and Twisted
Absolutely. It was made for drugged out
freaks. We all definitely enjoyed our share
of beer and pot but it reached a stage
where there was much LSD and other
things induced. We developed some of
those guitar techniques on Dreaming
with the Dead by tripping and playing
for hours just drifting off into regions
unimaginable. It became addictive just
tripping and jamming in this trance
like state. So that’s part of the whole
thing without question. I wrote 85% of
those songs under the influence of mind
altering substances. I was really able to
create some disturbing shit all fucked up
like that and come up with some original
shit. I remember we actually did a show
and we all tripped balls. It was intense.
All I remember is I saw a pack of wolves
in the crowd running wild at one point
as we were going off on stage. Seriously,
crazy shit.
How about the band’s management
during all those years? How were these
things working in the band before and
after Gunter Ford’s arrival? How did the
cooperation with Gunter Ford originated?
It’s needless to say, that G. Ford was
working for Morbid Angel in that time and
there was Altars of Madness CD released
on Earache and around for 2 years. He
certainly had enough contacts... How did
Ripping Corpse benefit from that in terms
of album’s support, promotion etc.?
Well he got us the record deal and did get
us a lot of hookups but Gunter didn’t last
but for a year or so. Having a manager
at that point really helped us no doubt
but I think it became difficult once he got
Morbid Angel too as far as what he did
for us. We still talk to Gunter on occasion
now and are friends but that’s that.
There’s not much to be said.
Finally, how was the labels’ response
towards Ripping Corpse? In the end you
signed Maze America, which showed as
quite fatal lately, have there been any
other options besides Maze America?
Speaking about Morbid Angel and your
management above, were you also
negotiating with Earache?
At first it was awesome. The label had us
come to the office and made everything
seemed great. They promoted it well
and did everything they were supposed
to except the going bankrupt part. It
seemed excellent. At that point Earache
was also interested and Digby actually
flew over to see us practice. He offered
us a contract but it wasn’t quite up to par.
It was lame... When we requested some
changes he basically backed away totally
so we ended up signing with Maze. There
was no way to tell us what sucks. Just out
of nowhere we were told Oh You’re fucked
the label went bankrupt. They ended up
paying us with CDs so for a while we all
had huge amounts of DWTD. They’re all
gone now, thanks to you sick fucks.
Just a slight turn, does Dave Bizzigotti play
somewhere these days?
Yes, Dave still plays bass. He has various
things going on somewhere in California.
He’s still playing bass. He runs one of the
Ripping Corpse pages on Myspace. I run
the other. I still talk to Dave now and then
and he’s doing well and is still curious
about what’s going on.
years crafting new things... I was feeling
deprived as a person of what I needed to
do and that was play music. I knew I had
to come back even more powerful... That
first demo was nameless and it was our
first experiment into a different sound
and style. It was another inexpensive
recording so the sound wasn’t that
good but it had some fresh elements
that sounded good. I tried to always
make sure you knew it was me playing
although the riffs and arrangements were
different than Ripping Corpse. It felt
good to get back in the game really at this
point.
We know, this is going to be some dead
horse beating for you, but we can’t omit
the theme of Ripping Corpse break up. In
fact the Promo 1992 was the last official
release done by Ripping Corpse ever.
From what circulates around internet, you
have put together material, which sounds
fantastic and unmatched by others even
these days. It’s how it is but what were
these inevitable reasons leading to the
band’s split? There was the fact Eric was
leaving the band, did that also make its
part in disbanding?
As of today, when one says Ripping Corpse,
what comes to your mind first? What were
the most memorable moment(s) of Ripping
Corpse career for you and what things do
you like to remember even nowadays?
I’ll be honest it’s kind of a bad nightmare
to me. To this day we’re still getting
shafted on that album. There was
supposed to be a big re-release on Relapse
records but another wrench got thrown
into
the works
by Maze
again so
All I really want to say about the breakup
is that it was just time to end it man.
It’s a touchy subject and a bummer. We
worked long and hard and got little in
return so tempers were flaring. It was
very disheartening and combustable.
As individuals we were also heading
in different directions we just reached a
point where something had to blow and
it did. There was a huge blowout and the
band broke up. That’s just how it went
and that’s about all I wanna say. We’re
all still friends now but as I say Let that
Corpse Lie.
that’s not
happening. I
feel it just never got the justice it deserved
at the time. As far as what I want to
remember it was all the great shows we
played with all the great bands and killer
fans. I’m still here now doing sick shit so
it’s just cool that people do remember it
and appreciate it for what it was. I’m glad
I could make an album with that kind of
longevity too. But people must realize I
am still here now and still playing in DIM
MAK and HATE ETERNAL. I’m still here
and more brutal than ever.
Tell us about following happenings after
Ripping Corpse break up - to which extent
were you (de)motivated in creation of new
music? What for the heaven and hell were
you going through as a
band and as a person till
you have released the Dim
Mak demo in 1996 and
album afterwards? Was the
demo entitled Cobra’s Eyes
or was it nameless?
In a way I felt freed and
reborn. Not that I didn’t
like Ripping Corpse but
I just wanted a totally
different project with a
whole new way. I was
totally motivated and
never really stopped
writing music after
Corpse. I was just
undercover for some odd
So next thing which followed was new
band, new name, different line-up. How
did you hook up with Dennis? As for
the name, was the reason for its change
the fact, that you have not reached the
deserved success with Ripping Corpse
and wanted to close that chapter or did
you rather reflect a will to move musically/
conceptually somewhere else - sort of a
cleansing process? Focusing on lyrics from
the Enter the Dragons’s song Drunk with
the Demons: The streets are my graveyard
- The gutter is my tomb - My mind it grows
weaker - There is nothing I can’t lose - All
my honor all my meaning - All my youth
all my worth - Burn me bone to cinder Release me From this earth. Could we look
at these verses as a partial expression of
your escape from the past?
It was a cleansing process... A change
was needed. A complete makeover so
to speak. It was time to move on into
the future with a new band. It wasn’t
for anyone but us. It wasn’t a sell out or
aim to please the masses. It was to me a
stronger more heavier forceful style. Less
insanity and more condensed aggression.
As far as those lyrics yes and no... All of
Scott’s lyrics can take on double meanings
and you can take them how you want. So
maybe but that song in particular I believe
was about what a crackhead whino types
life is like as he was drunk with demons.
You picked up a label Dies Irae from
Singapore for the release of Enter The
Dragon. Why such a huge jump to Asian
grounds? It had to be quite clear, that
the label wouldn’t do much flexible job
in distribution and all those things in the
US, Europe. How do you value Dies Irae’s
contribution to Dim Mak? Is there a chance
to obtain Enter The Dragon somewhere?
How about a re-release of that fantastic
album for those who were sleeping in that
time?
Well at that point we shopped that
demo around and to be honest Dies
Irae offered us the best recording deal.
It was an awesome one off contract.
We basically got everything we wanted
except the distro. They were very much
like Willowtip in that they cared about
the quality of the music.
Maybe not a big label
but one that cared. As
far as getting Enter The
Dragon you probably
won’t find it anywhere
but Ebay if you’re lucky...
I was actually thinking
of asking Willowtip to
do it as they just released
Intercepting Fist so we’ll
see what happens.
Why have you picked up
the album name according
to a Bruce Lee’s movie?
After Ripping Corpse I
started really getting into
the martial arts and reading tons of MA
books. I started reading some of Bruce’s
books and they really just started making
me think a lot and actually started
helping me in other areas of life besides
the physical aspects. I think his writings
were genius and his martial arts style
was just totally complete. The whole Jeet
Kune Do concept is a way of life really
incorporating anything and everything
that works as a means to simplify
anything and everything in life. It’s much
more than just that but you get my drift.
It was just such an awesome concept
that I decided to take this way and use
it in my music. Hence came Enter The
Dragon. The song Spirit of the Dragon is a
dedication to Bruce Lee and his works.
Also was there a special reason for picking
up gold and red colors for the booklet of
Enter the Dragon? If not, still the digipack
looks fantastic.
That’s a perfect example of why we went
with Dies Irae even the package was
nice... Actually Scott did some research
and found out what important invitations
and such look like in China. It turned out
to be Red and Gold. It just has a nice royal
look to it.
Production and sound of Dim Mak’s albums
belong to another interesting topics. First
album was produced by Stephen Deacutis,
second album by Eric Rutan and the recent
one by Stephen again. How come you
joined with Stephen together for Knives of
Ice? Anyway what was the reason of your
return back to Sound Spa Productions?
Steve Deacutis is actually Erik’s Mentor
as far as recording. Erik’s started his
career as an intern with Steve... The main
reason to go back to Steve this time was
just the ease of doing it as Steve was just
15 minutes away from us. We didn’t have
to travel far at all. I always liked Steve’s
sounds and knew he would do a great
job. I think we will be doing the new Dim
Mak down in Florida with Erik again
since I now live down here. At Mana
Studios.
The following album Intercepting Fist has
become much more heavier and faster
than Enter the Dragon. Overall the music
leaned towards a more extreme metal
direction than its heavily-hard-coreinfluenced predecessor, even the Ripping
Corpse legacy was breathing there much
stronger than on the previous release.
What made you to move to the more
extreme branch of expression and as said,
to a partial return to Ripping Corpse sound
and techniques? How do you personally
perceive those two albums, what does the
achieved evolution between them mean
to you?
I think it was more the recording than
anything. I did make it heavier material
but along the same lines I thought. On
Enter the Dragon I only did 2 guitar
tracks total so it wasn’t quite as dense
in the guitar department as Intercepting
where I did 4. Also you had Hate Eternal’s
Mr. Rutan making it sound heavy as fuck
so I think it just sounds heavier due to
that but still similar in style. I remember
on Enter Steve made everything clean and
clear and that’s how we wanted it but we
knew later on it wasn’t heavy enough and
made it a point to get that stuff heavier on
Intercepting. I personally like ‘em both.
They sound different from one another
and I thinks there’s a good progression
there between the two and it just showed
me we still were onto something all these
years later.
Brandon left the band after Intercepting
Fist. In which state did this act left Dim
Mak? You’ve played with each other since
the beginning of Ripping Corpse and you
must have had survived many ups and
downs together. What for the hell could
happen that Brandon left after all? But
it’s being said, that sometimes it’s needed
to clear air in order to start again, what
is you relationship like nowadays? In our
opinion Brandon was and will remain
an inseparable part of Ripping Corpse
and Dim Mak as he contributed with
his unmatchable drumming style to the
uniqueness of Ripping Corpse & Dim Mak’s
music and his return could be just a matter
of time as everything...
When Brandon left I was in disarray. I
didn’t know what I was going to do really.
Just like you said there was tons of ups
and downs with the whole band but I
think at the point where Brandon left he
needed to to clear his mind. I still talk to
Brandon on occasion but haven’t seen him
in a while. I’ll just say I wouldn’t hold
your breath to long waiting for a Corpse
comeback or even Brandon back in Dim
Mak. It’s just not gonna happen. John
Longstreth is now our drummer and will
be on the next recording.
On a musical note, what comes to your
mind immediately when speaking out
name Brandon Thomas? What is your
opinion on Brandon as musician and how
it is like to compose & play with such a
drummer behind your back?
On a musical note the first thing I think
is, Damn he’s got some drum skills. As a
drummer I always knew Brandon was
awesome since our first jam when he blew
me away totally... It was easy with such
a powerful drummer behind me to take
control of the situation so to speak and
really do it. He learned songs real easy
and had great ideas to incorporate.. At
first when he left I didn’t know if I could
get someone to replace him because his
style was so unorthodox.
Which way did you come up with the
material for Knives of Ice, were there any
differences in comparing with previous
releases? How and when did you come to
conclusion to start using drum machine
during the composing process? When you
look back at it, did this way of composing
bring you any positive elements and
experiences?
Knives Of Ice is my proudest moment
to be honest. There wasn’t much
difference in the writing style except
it was much faster. I really feel like I
finally accomplished my goal with it.
After Brandon left it left me little option
but to create some devastating shit so
I needed drum beats at my fingertips
and bought a Boss Dr. Rhythm 2 Drum
machine. It’s a great tool for writing
now and I still use it. Also because I
didn’t have a drummer handy to jam
with anymore either. Truthfully this
method is how I will always go now it’s
like pre-production at the same time.
I really get to focus on the impact of a
song and how the arrangement is going
to sound when heard instead of played.
Getting to digitally record it at home and
listen back for days sometimes is how I
decide whether a riff is worthy or not to
stand the test of time. Having the drum
machine also keeps my timing dead on.
What events have led to John’s arrival to
Dim Mak? How would you describe having
John instead of Brandon behind your back?
Like I said. I knew I had to play with a
drummer who was unreal after Brandon.
So in my mind John was the only dude I
was hearing at that point that was just out
of control good. I knew I needed John in
my mind so I had a friend email him and
ask if he would be interested... He was
and turned out loved the material and
was also a fan of Brandon. So it was to me
a dream come true. The rest is history. We
got together and jammed and we clicked
real well right off the bat so it was perfect.
To be honest having John back there is
even more explosive than ever. I think his
performance on Knives proved that and
when I let Brandon hear it he was blown
away so it has his stamp of approval as
well. Johnny’s just a beast behind his
kit. A total pro. It’s sort of like having
Brandon on steroids.
How much did John contribute to the
writing process of Knives of Ice? John is
very well known drummer especially for
his insanely fast efforts in Origin. On the
contrary Dim Mak are kind of known as
masters of groove. Knives of Ice turned out
as a hyper fast album, to which extend was
this extraordinary focus on speed intended
when you started composing with drum
machine and no bone & blood drummer in
sight?
As far as writing drum beats I basically
told John to use the drum machine tracks
as a timing guide but enhance them. If he
had a killer idea we used it and he had a
lot. He had total control over what he was
going to play and played what he wanted
to. The focus on speed was intended. Not
because of the drum machine just because
I knew Brandon was gone and I wanted
to kick it up a notch. We covered the
groove and slow route so I needed a rush
of speed added. John also really made my
vision a reality just being able to hit those
inhuman speeds. His drumming is just
another level of intensity.
Speaking of the groove Dim Mak has
always had, nowadays accompanied with
the lunatic drumming velocity, would you
agree on us that you have kept the groove
on in the music even if it blasts the most
inhuman way? The use of two snares did
help this a lot, in the end, when there are
blasts going on (and not just in this case)
two snares bring in incredible catchy drum
patterns, it might be complex and hard to
regular blasting didn’t cover. John has a
lot of skill and is capable of playing lots of
different things.
play but after few listens the catchiness
and even the groove at the high speed
shines through incredibly bright. Stupid
but necessary question, are you aware of
this and was it aimed? Not many, if even
any, bands did achieved this in so extreme
branch of music...
I think the groove is still in tact even in
the speed. I’m glad you noticed. I make
it a law to make your head bob so even
in the fast stuff usually holds a groove.
I am aware of the catchiness of the dual
snare drumming. I’m not certain of its
origin however. When I met John he
had the two snares set up so it must be a
drummer thing. It was also a goal of ours
to be rememberable so we try to get some
really rememberable moments in the
studio. I told John treat it like Neil Pert
treated Moving Pictures and I think he
really did by adding all those crazy tricks.
He really laid it on the table on Knives. I
just remember laughing in awe when we
were tracking the songs because he was
just so damn intense. It was funny.
You’ve mentioned Moving Pictures by
Rush. Are you a fan? How would you
evaluate this band and overall their
musical influence/inspiration they have
had on you in a way? What you think of
Alex Lifesson’s style of playing? Which
albums belong to your fave ones and why?
Oh yeah I’m a huge Rush fan. I must
say the older stuff however. Man, the
first time I heard YYZ it just blew my
mind. The precision timing and licks
of all the instruments played on such
a clean sound is just amazing. That’s
when I started taking a liking to drums
when I heard Moving Pictures. Neil Pert
just shredded those songs with perfect
timing and sick fills and beats. They had
a huge influence on me as far as the shit
you could actually do in a song. I loved
Alex’s playing. I think he was kind of
underrated in a way... He had amazing
chord progressions and some pretty
twisted leads. I would say Exit Stage Left
is my favorite Rush record. They basically
did some of their best tunes there. And of
course Neil’s drum solo just tore it up.
As we mentioned, the two snares
incorporation was great idea but can you
tell us the complete background behind it?
I know when I met John he had two
snares. I’ve seen it a lot now. I think only
a drummer could give you the complete
background of the whole thing. I do know
John wanted to just really do some over
the top stuff utilizing two snares. The
effect was the same for me when I first
heard it even. It’s pretty mind blowing
stuff. It added a certain intensity level
Fast parts of Dim Mak music remind of
Hate Eternal to certain measure, this
similarity dwell in the way you and Eric
structure melodies and harmonies, would
you admit there’s a similarity in your styles?
In fact when Eric joined RC you did teach
him all the stuff, didn’t you? That must have
had an impact somewhere and actually
it can be heard. Which things have you
had in common with Erik as guitarists and
on the other hand in which way did you
complement each other, overall how did
the “chemistry” work between you two?
I think there’s a similarity in the intensity
level and speed no question. But I think
topic wise and Scott’s vocals make Dim
Mak a separate entity. Yes I did teach him
the Ripping Corpse stuff and he learned
it very well. We were also like best friends
so the chemistry was great between me
and Rutan. It still is now in Hate Eternal.
Basically the way we compliment each
other is by absolutely destroying together
as a unit. Just the dual guitar attack is
always killer and when you make it a
dual death metal attack it’s even sicker.
We just feed off each other live.
Admitting the influence Erik had drawn
from you and Ripping Corpse could also
refer to Ripping Corpse having a mark on
Morbid Angel’s Domination, where Eric
had been provided with enough space
to compose and he has used that space
phenomenally. Your point of view?
To me not really. If anything maybe the
leadwork. I thought Erik really tried
to write material that sounded like the
morbid angel way and accomplished
it. I thought his tunes were some of the
standouts on that record and he did
capture that morbid feel. The recording
was awesome on that one so it was great
to hear that guitar sound. Erik laid down
some nice leadwork on there and really
complimented Trey well. I think overall
that’s a Morbid Angel product.
It appears as if Dim Mak has found real
support for Knives of Ice in Willowtip. At
last! Tell us about this story. How do you
communicate with the label and how do
you feel about having finally an album
on a label which really cares and has
the adequate tools to support the band
properly? Does being under a well-running
label have positive influence on the
creative spirit within band?
Oh yes it’s a good feeling when your
label cares. Willowtip/Jason Tipton is a
very cool guy and treats us awesome.
Willowtip is a great little label. The story
is I was sending my drum machine demo
around online to some people to hear and
Jason caught wind of it and contacted me.
I sent him a copy and he liked what he
heard so he offered me a contract. That’s
basically about it. We signed a 2 album
deal so you’ll see another Willowtip /
Dim Mak product. Jason is not just some
business man he actually likes quality
music so that’s what makes it great. He
understands it.
As far as we know, you and Scott are big
Bruce Lee fans and all what concerns
eastern martial art maybe. What has made
martial arts and stuff appealing that it fired
a deeper interest in you? Do you find the
wisdom useful for the daily routine one
has to undergone everyday? Are you so big
fans that you started to practice Do Jeet
Kune?
As I was saying earlier yes it does.
Bruce’s writings have helped me bigtime
in regular everyday life. His self help
theories and insight has been very
useful for me. When I become in doubt I
always turn to Bruce’s writings. It’s very
empowering. I think the overall challenge
and competition is what draws me to
it. Just overcoming obstacles in essence.
Not to mention I like fighting. But Bruce
Lee was way more than just kicking
your ass. I like the way he wrapped so
much knowledge into his way. It’s deep
stuff. I have practiced some Jeet Kune
Do techniques on my own time at home
but not in a Dojo. I have a heavy bag to
pound on at home.
And overall how about the balance of your
physical and spiritual sides, spiritually
you may fulfil yourself with Dim Mak a lot,
but physically are you any active in some
sport, gym or whatever? How do you keep
yourself in shape physically and spiritually?
Well luckily I’m in good shape from
working manual labor for 15 years with
Scott. I do some working out at home
with weights so I feel strong but I’m not
bodybuilding or anything. I’m not much
into sports except MMA and Boxing...
Playing live onstage with Hate Eternal is
a whole body and mind workout. Shit’s
very intense and takes some serious
stamina to stand onstage while going off
like that for over an hour in those lights. It
can be grueling. To stay strong spiritually
I usually read Bruce’s teachings or other
Martial arts books. One I can recommend
is called fighting spirit by Bruce Thomas
one of Bruce’s students. It’s a great read.
Here’s a link to that: Bruce Lee by Bruce
Thomas.
Mentioning martial arts, do you follow
some ultimate fights too?
I’m a huge fan of UFC and most MMA. I
watch it all the time. At this point though
there’s so many new fighters that I don’t
follow as closely as back in the day. But
I do still follow some choice fighters like
Rampage and Fedor. I’ll always watch
ultimate fighting and boxing just for the
competition of it.
Can you describe your attitude and access
when playing guitar and composing?
What comes sooner a riff or the idea?
You have evolved a very original style of
playing, which is simply distinct and easily
recognizable from other players. After the
years is it hard to come up with something
still fresh and not repeat yourself? Shaune
“ghost hands” Kelley, I’ve read that
somewhere and it immediately got stuck in
my mind.
My attitude would be explosive,
deceptive and dangerous like a ninja. I
try to let everything I possess out when I
play.. All energies positive and negative.
Usually The riff comes first as I write most
of my stuff right off the cuff. I usually just
play and when I hear things I like I record
them and keep them safe. Sometimes I get
a whole song in one shot other times I just
get a couple riffs. But I never sit there and
plan out a riff ahead of time I let it come
naturally while jamming. It’s not hard to
stay fresh for me luckily I utilize so many
techniques that I always got something
up my sleeve. I try to treat it like a 20
year long song that way I’m always on
the right path continuing the journey.
Actually Ghosthands is one of the many
forms of Dim Mak the martial art. It’s one
of the more dangerous styles. A buddy of
mine started calling me Ghosthands and
it just stuck.
It’s often being told that as man gets
older, gets more mature and calmer. We
don’t know how much it relates your
personalities but musically you seem to go
whole different way, album from album,
it turns out all more extreme. Could you
give us some thoughts about it, think of all
those stimuli that are not letting you down
so you keep coming back with even more
savage music?
Heh, Heh damn right!! I made it a goal
of mine to never write pussy shit and be
a poser. To get more and more explosive
and sick, faster and heavier and just
more skilled in doing so just like a fighter
would. I always wanted to be that one
MFR that never sold out and remained as
brutal as it can get. Why??? I don’t really
have an answer except that I’m kind of
a pissed off serious type person all the
time that likes violent and brutal things.
Maybe I need anger management... Who
knows but I’m keeping that shit as sick as
possible until I stop. The way it should be.
Enter the Dragon derived lots of musical
aspects from hard core, as time went your
metal dedication has overruled, do you
have any explanation for feeling it this
way? Hard core and metal differ yet they
can be cross-overed to benefit from each
other. How does these genres inspire you
and what asset do you think these ways
of expression have brought into music as
such?
I love hardcore music as well as Extreme
Metal. The (real) live power and energy it
holds. I’ve seen some awesome hardcore
shows in my time where the energy in
the pit was just fever pitch. There’s a raw
real attitude in there that I dig. I wanted
to add some of that into the sickness
of death metal and see what my blend
sounded like. I’m a fan of a lot of old
school and new hardcore so it was not
really to out there for me to add some to
my style. After all I started out in a speed
punk band. It actually brought in a whole
new crowd of guys that like both styles of
music so it’s beneficial.
Why Dim Mak has never had a second
guitarist?
I really just wanted to show what I could
do alone on this project. I just feel the
material doesn’t require dual guitars. It’s
straight forward and personal and allows
me to do what I instinctually know needs
to be done for my music.
What’s next for Dim Mak, Shaune? You
said you have some material together
even before joining Hate Eternal. Is there
something to come out any soon?
Yes we’re recording another record for
Willowtip at the end of the year. So
you will see another Dim Mak album
hopefully early 2009 I have all the
material written and I feel confident
that it will deliver a powerful, exciting
musical attack. It will be the same lineup
in depravity in New Jersey and really had
no band just a project. As he said certain
things happen for a reason. Now that I
made the choice I’m down in Florida, I’m
loving life. Playing with Hate Eternal has
been an honor and just a killer experience.
Getting to see the world was amazing and
getting to brutalize Europe was awesome.
The fans over there were incredible and
really made it a good time for us. It really
makes it all worth it and I see now why
it is my path. I’m very appreciative that I
got to experience this in my lifetime. As
Bruce Lee said: The key to Eternal life is first
one must live a life worth remembering.
as Knives with Me, Scott Ruth, Scott
Hornick and John Longstreth. I took a
new approach in my writing style this
go around. I laid down a solid rhythm
foundation first for every song. Then went
back and finished all the harmonies for all
the songs I have. It was like structuring
a pyramid. It kept it totally fresh for me
and just was a lot of fun. So I’m totally
looking forward to recording it and I’m
glad Willowtip is putting it out. I have
a few surprises in store as well. So keep
your eye out for that next year.
You are also doing the vocals on stage with
Hate Eternal, how come and how much
difficult is it to handle those duties for you?
You also were doing some backing vocals
in Ripping Corpse, so it’s not completely
new to you, but still... Are you planning
to do some backing on the new Dim Mak
eventually?
Actually I did do some background
vocs on Knives of Ice, the title track to
be exact. That’s me and Hank Veggian
(ex-Revenant’s singer) doing the
This interview was done before you joined
Hate Eternal, which is still just incredible
for us! Why did you refuse to join so long?
Anyway, how are you enjoying all the
intense touring and travelling, playing,
getting known to new places, visiting
Europe?
backgrounds. With Hate Eternal I have
quite a few spots live. Sometimes we’re
playing so dam fast that it can be difficult
to concentrate on the two things at once
but it comes pretty natural to me. With
Hate it’s also about making the live vocals
sound sick so it’s just fun to let loose on
the mike. There’s a lot of double tracked
hi/low vocal spots in Hate Eternal so
it was somewhat required of me. I do
enjoy it and we’ll see about the Dim Mak
it depends on whether Scott writes any
background spots.
It was always a tough decision to join
Hate Eternal just because of the move,
job, friends and family etc.etc. It was a
big choice to make. Just very tough. I just
finally reached a point where I wanted to
really do music professionally and tour
and do what I was meant to do. Dim Mak
became more a project than a playing
live band so it was just time to make it
happen. Mr. Rutan would call me once
a year with the offer and this time just
happened to be the time. I was struggling
We’ve been talking about how it’s like to
play with drummers like Brandon Thomas
and John Longstreth behind your back but
we kind of omitted Jade Simonetto. What is
he up to as a drummer? How would you say
he’s different to the other two drummers
and what they have in common? In fact
everyone of these drummers represents a
different generation at least by age...
Jade is a phenomenon. His skill level for
his age is pretty uncanny. He’s really got
something going on with the combination
of death metal and grindcore. He’s pretty
much the perfect drummer. He’s young,
he’s hungry and he’s got a lot of talent
without being a prick about it. He’s
really not that far off from Johnny meets
Brandon. He treats drums like an athlete
would and constantly practices endurance
techniques and ridiculous double bass
footwork. It’s pretty impressive. Jade’s
already rather devastating at 24 so he’s
got so much to bring to the table in
the future and he’s very humble. He’s
definitely a machine like John but has
tons of groove like Brandon. That’s how I
would put it. Another awesome drummer
in the making.
As for the real life. What is the person
Shaune Kelly like in daily life? What do
you do for living, what things inspire and
motivate you to survive and continue in
fighting with life?
I’m just a regular guy in real life and
onstage. I make sure not to act like an
asshole to people. As far as what I do for
a living right now I clean movie theatre
seats for a chair company. It’s great money
and probably the best job I’ve ever had.
Before that I worked with Scott Ruth in
New Jersey doing landscaping for over
25 years planting trees and shrubs. It’s
nice to not have to totally bust my ass
anymore where I’m at now in Florida. As
far as what motivates me. I don’t need
much I’m pretty motivated by nature but
if anything I think it’s mostly music and
art. I really love being able to create sick
twisted music. I feel lucky to have this
skill and plan on writing much more.
In the end, Shaune, there is not enough
words to thank you for the interview and
the effort you had to make in order to
answer all our questions which have been
stuck in our minds for ages. Nevertheless
all we can do is to thank you gratefully
for everything, for the patience, for the
talent and for the incredible music, which
especially nowadays means much more
than “music” as you display a pure creative
spirit of your soul in its great essence and
strength. Only few are capable of that.
Keep it coming. The last words are yours.
THANK YOU!
Well I wanna thank you back for the in
depth interview and say it’s refreshing
to me that someone is still listening. I’ve
been here doing this stuff in the shroud
of secrecy practically for 20 years now yet
it still finds its way through the cracks to
people like you. I’ve been doing this for
you guys all along and I’m glad I never
gave it up and either did you. Thank you.
I’ve still got plenty in store for you all
don’t worry about that. The new tracks
I have are more furious than ever and
we’re gonna deliver another beast to you
all soon. Thanks for all the support over
the past two decades and I’ll see you out
there.
Ripping Corpse @ Myspace (run by Shaune)
Ripping Corpse @ Myspace (run by Dave)
Dim Mak @ Myspace
Hate Eternal @ Myspace
Dim Mak Interview w/Scott @ Metalreview