New Interview!

Mike Abominator of GRAVEHILL was kind enough to request an interview recently for a new webzine called WERKSHED. I was happy to blab about all things loud, fast and ugly. Here's an excerpt...

This guy asked me for an interview. What was I supposed to say, no?

Mike Abominator: Hails Dennis, thank you for your time, how are things going for you these days? Talk about what you are currently working on.

Dennis Dread: Hey, Mike! Things are going great these days. The new Abscess CD Dawn Of Inhumanity just came out and the new Darkthrone record will be released this month in a special limited vinyl edition so my art is out in the world once again. We're experiencing some unseasonably warm weather here in Portland this weekend so right now I'm sitting on my front porch with The Flesh Eaters blasting through the speakers. My neighbors don't seem pleased.

So let's go back to the start of your artwork. When did you start drawing seriously and what inspired you to get serious about it? Did you have any influences from other artists? And what made you decide to go with "ball point pen" art?

I've been drawing for as long as I can remember but I don't know how seriously I take it. I'm not a commercial artist and I only move my pens when the spirit to create moves me. I've met a lot of career artists who have devoted their best years to slouching over a desk in silence. Many of them are miserable. That's not me. I've had countless ever-evolving influences and inspirations over the years. Too many to name...My favorite artists are those who possess an eclectic personal vision and unique technical abilities. I would emphasize the word "unique" as opposed to, say, "talented." In fact, the ability to actually draw or paint well does not necessarily have much bearing on whether or not a work of art will ultimately engage the eye. I like art that seems charged with passion and immediacy and is imbued with something of the creator's essential nature. My relationship with music is very similar. You know that feeling you get when you hear a great Celtic Frost or Black Sabbath riff? It may not be the most complex or technical playing but you somehow feel immediately affected and connected to the musician. Art is much the same way for me. I initially gravitated to ballpoint pen because that's what was available when I was younger and I've remained true to this humble medium long after most artists discover brushes and paint because I still resonate with those heavily shaded nuances. I like to call it Horror Noir. Why waste time perfecting fancy new styles when I'm perfectly content with my cheap little pens? Like the old Sore Throat song, I'm UNHINDERED BY TALENT!

'Hitler Cock Puppet'

This one should offend just about everyone.

You have done quite a bit of art for bands and record labels over the years. How did you get into working within the underground music scene?

It probably started way back in the 80's when I was buying zines and records and constantly looking for heavier and more obscure music and art. My drawings were first published in a little zine called Scareaphanalia, which was put out by a guy named Mike Gingold who went on to become the editor of Fangoria Magazine. After that I started working for an underground t-shirt company called Mutilation Graphics and that experience provided me with exposure to a lot of different stuff that continues to influence my work. I started working for Mutilation Graphics in 1990 just a couple weeks after I graduated from high school. I was working on my own artwork while silk-screening shirts and by the time I left to travel the country I was well entrenched in the underground. My first significant metal projects were with Engorged a few years later. The Engorged guys were some of the first friends I made when I landed in Portland more than a decade ago and they remain some of my closest friends to this day. They believed in my art from the day we met and that's sometimes all it takes to propel an artist forward. If it weren't for Engorged I would still be sitting in some moldy basement drawing zombies in total obscurity. Oh wait. I still am. Well, at least I've satisfied my quota of mentioning Engorged at least four times per interview.

What bands and albums have you been blowing the speakers out with and pissing off the neighbors with lately?

I've been blasting the second Flesh Eaters LP, A Minute To Pray, A Second To Die (1981), all afternoon. Great slice of early L.A. death punk! Probably too jagged and weird for most metalheads but the diehards might recognize their song from The Return Of The Living Dead soundtrack. What else have I been blasting lately? I've practically worn out my Weapon LP! Ten years from now Drakonian Paradigm will be as revered as Storm Of The Lights Bane or some other violent but melodic classic. It's a special record. I really like the new Saturnalia Temple. Also been blasting Cloven Hoof a lot lately. "The House of God has been violated!!!!"

My daughter Kallisti with her Death In June autographs! "Heilige!"

What are some of the best live bands that you have seen in your life of going to shows?

One of the most memorable live shows I ever witnessed was actually a free Death In June performance at this little record shop here in Portland in 2005. There were like 15 people present and when Douglas Pearce asked for requests my daughter, who was 7 years old at the time, surprised us all by yelling out "Black Angel!" He was standing right in front of us and immediately launched into the most stirring acoustic version of that song that I'll ever hear. It nearly brought me to tears. That's what a live performance is all about. Eyehategod at the Dixie bar in New Orleans on Fat Tuesday in 1995 was very memorable despite the vast amounts of alcohol consumed. Bolt Thrower at Party San Fest 2008 in Germany was definitely an experience I will never forget. They played at night under an expanse of stars with fog machines casting smoke throughout the crowd and at one point a sheet of light rain fell and transformed the otherwise modest cow pasture into some sort of primeval battlefield! I had the good fortune of witnessing Iron Maiden at Wacken Fest that same summer and managed to secure a place directly front row with some very good people from all around the world. We were literally against the barrier with 70,000 rabid headbangers pressing at our backs. That experience alone made up for missing Maiden during the 80's! But the best shows are probably still to come...

Read the entire interview here and support your local METAL OF DEATH!!!!