"The wheel is not being reinvented here—it’s being reinforced" it is written on their Myspace site but maybe it should say "rock is not being reinvented here—it’s being re-born". The Resurrection Sorrow play a brand of ballsy no frills metal that crosses over many genres from grunge to sludge and its played with a passion you don't hear much anymore from straight-ahead hard rock bands. The "Hour Of The Wolf" album is as raw as it is catchy and is a remarkable effort from a band that is still pretty new. Here is a interview i did with vocalist Alex Dementia, enjoy and check out the band because you will be hearing a lot more from them in the future.
I guess I should start off by asking where have you guys been hiding? You came out of nowhere for me and have blown me away, would you consider the band one of NYC's best kept secrets?
Hell yes we do!!! We have been laying low for two years getting this project off the ground, our goal was to come out booming! We feel we have gotten a lot done so far, however, the reality is that we have only accomplished 1/4 of what we have set out to do with this release. To quote Alice Cooper "we still gotta long way to go !!"
I am sure you have heard this a million times by now but the band has so many varied influences that comes out in the songs, something for everyone you could say. Was that always the bands intention to create a sound so diverse?Who knows? We just do what we do and whatever happens, happens. We're music junkies and record collectors and grew up listening to so many different forms of rock/metal from different periods of time. All of us had the same vision of what we wanted to do on HOUR OF THE WOLF and we all have the same vision of where we want to go musically on the next record. So as a unit we created a diverse sound that represents were all of our heads are at. It may sound confusing but it's the best way for me sum it all up for ya'.
Can you give the readers a history lesson on the band, where you all grew up and previous bands?
All of us were born and raised in the metropolitan area of NYC with exception of Zak Gross who was born in NYC but raised in Shreveport, Louisiana. We have known each-other for years being in the NYC Metal scene playing in different outfits. My old band has shared the stage with both of Alex Coehlo's retired projects(Malstrom, Tides Within) as well as Louie G's old band Supervillian. I was a very big fan of Supervillain, in fact they were the first metal band I saw when I moved to NYC. Overtime we all realized that we had similar tastes in music, that's when I approached these guys about doing a full length together and they were down for it. I met Zak in Jan. 2009 when I was at the NAMM convention in Los Angeles. At that time he was actually living in NYC and was out there recording. I walked into my friends house in Hollywood and he was literally passed out on a blow up mattress with his guitar laying by his side. A couple of months went by and I dropped him a line asking him if he wanted to be a "guest solo-ist". He said he was happy to do it but wanted to know if we had found "anyone permanent". At that point we had options but nothing solid. He came down to the studio to audition and just ripped through two songs like he had been playing them for years. There really wasn't a discussion, he was the right guy.
After I did my review on "Hour Of The Wolf" I discovered the album has been reviewed all over the place. Are you happy with the promotion the band is getting?
Totally! It's an amazing feeling to see your name out there after all the time and energy we spent on this record. We are such a "new" band and our sound is a tough pill to swallow. The fact that people are digging it so much on the internet (and live)is fucking amazing! We also want to thank our amazing PR team over at EARSPLIT PR, Dave and Liz are the best public relations team in heavy metal and we are very thankful to have them on our side!
How did you get to hook up with Joe Hogan? He did a amazing job on the album.
We have known Joe from around the NYC rock seen for years. He was the only engineer that we knew in NYC who could do our sound justice. He is an extremely talented, laid back guy and it was great working with him. It's a massive sounding album and we couldn't have done it without him.
Just curious, what do you all do outside of the band?
We all lead pretty interesting lives outside of the band. My other creative outlet is film and I actually get paid to do it, haha! Go to www.alexdementia.com if you are really interested about my work. Louie" KR..1" Gasparro, our drummer, is a legendary NYC graffiti artist and now works full-time as graphic designer and commissioned painter. Alex Coelho is a private 
detective for some strange company that finds money for dead people, I'm not joking. And our guitar player, Zak Gross, is a full-time rock god who also gives lessons. In the end everything we do funds The Resurrection Sorrow, we are fully committed to making this band our lively hood while still keeping our integrity.
detective for some strange company that finds money for dead people, I'm not joking. And our guitar player, Zak Gross, is a full-time rock god who also gives lessons. In the end everything we do funds The Resurrection Sorrow, we are fully committed to making this band our lively hood while still keeping our integrity. How has the shows been for you guys?
The shows have been great! We have been hitting the road hard, spreading the word and getting the name out there.. It's tough being a new band because people are so hesitant to accept new music these days. As band we make the best of it and treat each show like we are playing Madison Square Garden and give 100 percent pure energy on stage because that is the only way know how to play. New York City always treats us good. We have a really strong fan base here and our first show was sold out beyond capacity, so we can't complain about our home town.
How do you prepare for a live show and do you get nervous at all?
I get excited! I love being on stage with my band, I feel very at home when I'm singing. I think the rest of the band feels the same way too. We can't wait to get up there and kill it! If you want more specifics, I do a half hour of yoga followed by drinking a half-a-bottle of whiskey. It seems to do the trick....
How is the venue situation for the band, it seems to me that good old heavy rock has made a slight comeback or am I wrong?
Its wild that this music has been labeled as making a "comeback". To us it never went away! But yes, a lot of the venues are accepting to heavy music these days because it is thriving in the underground. Aside from the obvious major venues we always say that the Ace of Clubs and The Trash Bar are the two best places to play in the NYC club scene.
The songs seem to come very natural for the band, is the songwriting process a easy one and how long did the songs take to write for the album?I would say so. We spent two years getting this project off the ground and because of our various schedules we were only able to meet once a week. So if you break it down it only took us less than 100 days to write, record, and release the record. That's actually not bad for an indie band with no label and being self funded. The songs came easy because we are all very passionate about this music and all of us have a great deal to bring to the table. recording was difficult because of scheduling and money. Joe Hogan was especially hard to pin down because he is so busy. In the end it was all worth it. The record sounds great and we are very proud of what we have accomplished.
Where would you like to see the band in say 5 years?
On your third record and touring the world full-time playing our music for a living. Where you expecting something less ambitious?
So what's on the horizon for the rest of 2010, any tours or more recording?
We are doing a six day tour in March and another week-long tour in April. At the same time we are playing some killer local shows with bands like HULL (the End Records) and SEVENTH VOID (Big Vin Records), people should check our MySpace page for our up to date tour schedule. And we are always writing but we still have a lot of work to do on this record, we should have a live music video out in the next month as well as a full scale music video for Soul of the Soulless done by June.
I got asked this the other day about the band. How would you describe the band's genre of music, I simply said gritty hard rock but if there is a tag you can put on The Resurrection Sorrow what would it be?
You nailed it on the head brother! Gritty, dark, hard rock! The only way it should be for a band named The Resurrection Sorrow. It's funny because people tag us as "doom" band and we feel we are anything but that. When a promoter from outta' town asks what style of music we play we usually say "heavy metal" and let them figure out what "sub-genre" we fall into.
Thanks again for the chance to put this interview together, anything else you think people should know about the band?
This is only the beginning for The Resurrection Sorrow we are just getting started with this beast we have created! We want to thank all of the people who have supported us and appreciated our music up until now.
Interviewed by Ed
February 2010