Ed, do you still remember, how and when did you discover heavy metal/hard rock in general? What was so impressive for you in this music style?
I do remember what shifted the balance of power towards Metal. It was AC/DC Back in Black and Motorheads Ace of Spades and No Life Till Hammersmith. Those were eternal game changers for me.
What were those records, bands that influenced you and made you become a metal fan and musician later on?
Well, once again Back in Black, Judas Priest British Steel and mostly Metallica No Life Till Leather Demo and Armored Saints EP.
Were you deeply involved in the tapetrading/fanzine network, that started those times?
No, however I had friends who basically were doing the tape trading thing back when Lars from Metallica was doing it. They were the ones who would introduce me to acts such as Tygers of Pan Tang, Angel Witch, Savage, Jag Panzer and those types.
Do you perhaps remember of Bob Nalbandian’s Headbanger fanzine?
I remember the Zine however, I wasn’t into that kind of Metal for long. I got into the Metal Forces movement and Ron Quintana’s Metal Zine and a few other very obscure magazines that told me about Bathory and Hellhammer. That is what peaked my interest, the obscure incredible artist of that time. There is no comparison between the creative spirit of Metal then as to now. Bands of today for the most part Suck Bad. Sorry but that is the truth.
Being based in Los Angeles, what do you recall of the early ’80s L. A. scene when a lot of bands started popping up, such as Metallica, Slayer, Savage Grace, Shellshock (later known as Dark Angel), Malice (after they moved from Portland to L. A.), Medusa, Vermin, Abattoir, Armored Saint, Omen etc.? Can you speak detailed about it?
I can speak in detail about those bands because they rose like most bands rose back in the day, thru the underground and playing backyard parties and High Schools and hole in the wall clubs. The first time I saw Slayer back in late 1983, they played in a club that had a capacity of about 175 people and they didn’t even headline. A hrrible band by the name of Bitch with the female singer were the featured act. Needless to say Slayer demolished that place and as soon as their set was done? We left. I saw Dark Angel at a backyard party, Armored Saint actually at that time were considered the sure thing and quickly signed on to a major label. They flopped big time as far as a major act but their records were good specially Delirious Nomad and Raising Fear. Metallica during their stint in LA received much flack and even bands now who played with them back then used to talk crap about them. How they couldn’t play their instruments and so forth. You have to understand that during the early 80’s all of these underground bands felt they had to have an Yngwie, Randy, Eddie type shredder in their midst or else they couldn’t measure up. Metallica and Slayer showed all of them that you could start in the Garage and be an Epic All Time Band if you just put in the hard work minus all the Poser Shit that most of the bands were doing at the time. Medusa Sucked (horrible), Vermin? Terrible! Malice? That was an amazing group and they should have been signed to a Major Label! Sure they had the Judas Priest thing going on but somehow that did not matter. They had content and skill and they were believable (Great Band). Omen was a fantastic group (One of the best underground bands that I ever heard and witnessed) Kenny Powell left Savage Grace to start this group and they Blew Away Savage Grace! Awesome Songs and concepts and a great Singer who unfortunately died way too young. Last but certainly not least was Abattoir. This band more than any during the early days of me transitioning into a Thrasher was the band that embodied what I wanted my band to portray. They had a great image and logo and they just had this NWOBH sound that just sounded authentic and raw and real. They should have been huge and had a way better outcome then what bestowed them eventually. I and all the true Thrashers of the day, who went to the Troubadour, Perkins Palace, The Ice Hous and Radio City bowed down to them and banged the crap out of our heads. You see, we were fans first and musicians later! Only after we would go to all these shows and see how it was really done, would we have the template to not only have a foundation but to expand on. We respected those that came before us.
Would you say, that the approach/musical direction of Metallica and Slayer was energic, raw, fresh and new at that time? Did they have a kind of revolutionary approach and influenced a lot of bands later on?
Absolutely, 100% Contrary to what Lars Ulrich has said, LA had a large contingent of true Thrashers. The problem was that major labels were signing all the Motly Crue’s and Ratt’s and Wasp. Dokken, Poison, GNR. Hey some of these groups were awesome and they were influential in the infant stages of something rebellious however, once I saw Slayer Live and heard the demo No Life till Leather and witnessed Abattoir and so forth, those bands for the most part became obsolete and in short time, Adversaries and Recipients of our Hate towards mainstram and Glam. Slayer brought that Venom, Mercyful Fate, Motorhead Bathory sound but, they added the street element of LA and Dogtown, that Suicidal approach that drove the fans to want to slam till death. Their shows brought out not only the rage in the fans but it was also street and hood and black and dangerous. Their shows in the early days were true bloodbaths. Metallica’s rise was different in that hey ascended so quickly. They filled that Punk void in the bay area with their NWOBHM Underground sound. Their very accessible street sound that transitioned all of those punk rockers that were left behind and gave them new underground heroes in which to follow. A band that brought that F U approach of rebellion but that also demanded your allegiance against anyone perceived to be a Poser. They were They Band in the bay area and they influenced an enire generation of kids up their. Bands like Death Angel, Possessed, Legacy and especially Exodus. No one was doing what Metallica was doing at the time in the entire USA. They had two of the best guitar players/right handed strum masters on the planed in Hetfield and Mustaine. They were ferocious yet accessible. The greatest Metal Band to ever come out of the States! Even to this very day.
Do you consider them as the forerunners/pioneers of thrash metal?
Slayer and Metallica brought life to geners that did not exist in the USA. Both are still the two biggest influential bands of not only Thrash but of Death Metal as well. True Hall of Fame artist and deserving of everything they worked for.
What about the club scene and fanzines? Which clubs did start opening their doors for metalheads?
Radio City in Anaheim, The Country Club in Reseda, The Troubadour in West Hollywood. Those were the main joints. Boyle Heights also featured some great venues as well such as The Paramount. Unfortunately all the other venues such as The Roxy, Gazzaris and the ilk catered to the Hot Woman of the Sunset Strip so you got a steady diet of Glam Bands. Thrashers were persona non grata in those establishments. That led to many fisticuffs on the Sunset Strip between Thrashers and Posers.
Did you play in some local outfits prior to Necrophagia? What about your musical experiences as a whole?
Necrophagia or forms of that Band are all I have known other than a small stint with Robert Cardenas Band of that time known as TRUTH. I have always been the emergency Bass Player of Necro and I am also a decent Harmonica Enthusiast.
Necrophagia was formed in the Spring of 1984, by you and Joey Gonzalez what was the very first line up, since it seems, that there were some line up changes? How did you get together exactly?
It all started for me when I decided that I needed to form a thrash metal band in Boyle heights! Since there weren’t any bands whatsoever playing that style. Joey had temporarily joined a cover band who played songs from the Scorpions and Van Halen, stuff like that. I knew Joey was skillful plus he had all his equiptment and was basically clay ready to be molded into what ever syle I would offer him. He was a fast learner and to this day the Best Guitarist I ever played with. I convinced him to quit that group and start a band with me. I came up with the name Necrophagia the following day and so we began to search for members who were also into that underground thrash metal approach. Joey somehow ran into Willie Mims and his brother Wally Blazer Mims. These two guys were also into the extreme metal that we loved and maybe even more advanced as far as their knowledge. Willie was a rarity in that he had a large new Van and a killer Drum Kit so we wanted him to join our group badly. Even before we ever heard him play we wanted him in the band. He decided to join us but we also had to have his twin brother Blazer in the group. So we said yes. Tom Mukai was already jamming with us on Bass so he just continued to play with us even though he was never formally asked to join our band. Blazer Mims time with the band was short lived as he wasn’t very polished for the style that we wanted so, after a few practices and actually one gig with the Blazer, he was asked to leave the Band. Ruben was an aquaintance of mine and I knew he was an excellent skilled axe man but I also knew that he knew nothing of true underground thrash metal. We asked him to join our Band just for the mere fact that he had his own equiptment and he could really play the hell out of a solo. That was the original lineup of the group that stood together for a couple of years.
Was it hard to find the suitable members/musicians, that were committed and enthusiastic?
Yes! Wew were all so young. I was 14yrs old when I started the group and Joey was 15 and Ruben was 16yrs as well as Tom. Willie was the elder statesman of the group and he was 20. Basically, anyone who was into the kind of music that we loved were already playing in groups. Also, being teenagers, you had that immature issue and the fact that we were all experimenting with alcohol and drugs. There were a ton of obstacles capturing the imagination of a potential new member living in the Hood’s of Boyle Heights and East LA. We were all poor and playing Thrash Metal during those days wasn’t exactly a money maker. Everyone wanted to hear and pay to hear the Stoner Bands playing Sabbath and Priest and those types.
Did you take the band seriously right from the start?
I was the driving force in the infant stages of the Band. I was the one who not only booked the Gigs but promoted them. I was the one who booked the studio and payed for the studio time in order to record our first demo Murder in the First Degree. Yes I was motivated for sure.
Were you aware of the Ohio based band Necrophagia, that were a death metal outfit? Didn’t you think about to change the band’s moniker?
I was aware of them but I also felt that we would outlast them. Initially we did. When It began with a Twisted Dream came out, Killjoy’s outfit ended for a time. During that phase, we were the only Necrophagia around. I wasn’t threatened by their sound or anything. I felt we were way better and head to head we would kick their ass. I had zero doubt and I had zero intentions of changing the name. I felt that we were going to ascend to height that would dwarf them.
What about the musical background of the other bandmembers?
The Mims Brothers were messing around with a gargae outfit named Massacre. They were actually the first band that I ever heard in this region that sounded like Hellhammer with a taste of Bathory. Groundbreaking for the time but it didn’t go anywhere. Tom had no back story and neither did Ruben. They were all just fresh faced kids willing to play anything rebellious and fast.
At this point, so at the mid ’80s happened the great thrash metal boom and L. A. was a kind of citadel of thrash (power) metal with starting newer bands, such as Megadeth, Archenemy, Bloodcum, Bloodlust, FCDN Tormentor, Decapitation, Wargod, Necropplis, Death Force, Detente, Commander, Agent Steel, Evil Dead, Necrophilia, Majesty/Nausea, Terrorizer, Sadistic Intent etc., what kind of memories do you have from those times?
Agent Steel were awesome, FCDN Tormentor were actually the first true Grindcore Band ever, they weren’t really Thrash at all. Bloodlust, Wargod, Commander were just power metal bands and I wasn’t a very big fan of their sounds although the dudes from Bloodlust did practice for a while at the Necrophagia LA Garage and we became better friends even though our styles weren’t similar at all. Sadistic Intent didnt’ come to be until the late 80’s and we played a few shows with them. They were energetic for sure and dedicated. Bloodcum, out of all the bands mentioned were probably the closest thing to true Thrash even though they had that crossover appeal. They were actually one of the first true crossover bands that I ever heard. The scene at that time and my memories of the scene at that time was that it was trully a dog fight every time you performed with any of these acts, like a true battle of the bands. Let’s see who can rule the stage if you will. That was fun and it made you step up your game. The competition, true competiotion without all these fake ass friendships between bands as you see today or just plain aloofness of most of these acts today who don’t even stick around to watch the other bands. Today they just show up for their slot, tear dwon and leave. The scen is bullshit compared to how it was.
Do you agree with, that the L. A. scene was divided into two parts? There were the glam/hair outfits, such as W. A. S. P., Dokken, Ratt, Motley Crüe etc. and the brutal thrash ones, such as Slayer, Megadeth, Dark Angel etc.? Would you say, that the thrash outfits were overshadowed by the mainstream, hair ones and they got less attention from the fans, press etc.?
Not really. I know that sounds weird but we were happy to have our own thing our own Cosa Nostra as the MOB says. We weren’t in it for the fame or money. I was in it to be the best I could be at the genre and to kick the asses of the other bands. If these Glam outfits wanted to just have all the groupies and wear makeup and look like girls? Then that was their lot in life. Fuck them and their music! I didn’t care! I wanted to play fast and ferocious real Thrash Metal and I felt that we were one of the best at it. If in the end it didn’t come with the brass ring? Then that is just how shit goes. No one was forcing the Major Labels to sign all these Glam Bands! that was where they wanted to allocate their money and time. They didn’t see Thrash and Death Metal as posing much of a threat. They thought it was just a fad and it would die out. Well, Glam Rock died hard and Thrash and Death Metal still live and have huge audiences worldwide to this very day.
Was there a healthy club/underground scene?
YES! We used to promote shows independently! Teenagers booking big halls and drawing over 1,000 thrashers! We did that! All these other desperate acts were doing the Pay to Play Hollywood thing back then but I was promoting underground shows with FCDN Tormentor, Archenemy, Sadistic Intent, Terrorizer, Bloodcum and paying the Bands to play instead of them paying to play. What a concept huh? paying the artist to perform! To this very day, most of these bottom feeding promoters want you to pay. Most are just a bunch of no talented scumbags. Once again, I said most, not all! There are a few decent people out there but rare.
How about your rehearsals? Were you playing mostly covers or did you start writing own material right from the start?
Necrophagia from the very beginning was an original music group. Sure, when I first started before we were called Necrophagia we played covers from Metallica and Omen and Abattoir and Armored Saint. That period however did not last long at all.
Is it correct, that your first demo was Murder in the First Degree in 1985? Can you tell us more about it?
That demo consisted of 3 tracks that were our first songs we ever created. Murder in the First Degree, Killer Instinct and Figure Four. Those songs made the rounds in 1985 during the hey day of the underground tape trading movement and became well known enough that the fans would show up at our gigs and request these songs.
Was this material spread around in the tapetrading circuit? Did you try to make a name for the band with this demo?
As a matter of fact I did and it got us signed with Wild Rags Records. I hate to take credit for leading us to getting some well needed exposure through a new label however, the rest of the members never showed the initiative or drive to ever do anything that would advance the band in notoriety, Never!
Around ’86 you bass/vocals were joined by drummer Peiroy, guitarist Jerry Battle, how did they get in the picture exactly?
Jerry Battle was a High School friend and he was very well known in underground circles and he seemed to have his pulse on what I was trying to really do with Necrophagia. When the Band started having all these issues with Joey and his spiraling downhill lifestyle and the fact that I wasn’t really happy with the EP, I decided to take the Necro name and join ranks with Battle. The other remaining members were somewhat caught off guard but it shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Jerry was the perfect band member and guitarist for Necro and his ideas and song writing ability fit perfect with my style. We wrote 3 songs quickly without a drummer, just Jerry and I and when we had them complete, we knew exactly who to ask to play Drums. Pearcy was drumming with Seaizure who by the way now had Wally Blazer Mims doing the vocals and bass. He decided to help us record the demo. We practiced litteraly twice with Pearcy and then just headed into the studio. We had put some very scarce funds together and had just enough for 8hrs of studio time. We used Joe Romersa who was the same guy who was the engineer for the Wild Rags EP. He gave us the ultimate bang for our buck and made our 3 song demo sound polished and mature and raw and awesome. We knew we had just done something very unique and we knew that it was the perfect interpretation of the true Necrophagia sound. He captured that for us all in 8hrs with all songs basically done in one take.
I read, that guitarists Adrian Villian and John Browning were in the band too…
Yes, we weren’t shy about having different musicians give an attempt to be a part of what we were doing. Adrian was a good guitarist and he actually even played a show with us. He eventually left for whatever reason (musicians can be very flaky). John was a fan of the band after hearing It began with a twisted dream and so we auditioned him and he was good. He played one live show with us as well and it can actually be viewed on you tube. A show we played way back in 1987. He eventually left because Jerry and I were just taking it slow with the band and we really weren’t in a hurry to move forward on just any wim. We were being strategic in a way.
At which point did drummer Willie Mims, guitarist Ruben Alvarez and bassist Tom Mukai get in the band? What about their musical past?
Well, like I mentioned before, they were all in the band in 1984. They were all compotent musicians but they weren’t going to be a part of the next phase of Necrophagia which became Necrophagia LA.
Did it mean, that you could concentrate only on the vocals and you don't need to handle the bass duties?
I am a strange guy in that I never really practice playing instruments or in this case, Bass. I could just wing it and pick it up quickly and naturally at times. So, I was always a back up plan in that sense. In no way was I an accomplished player though. With practice? Absolutely. I just liked creating songs and taking the vocals to crazy places and experiment with big lyrical concepts and get out of my comfort zone while still keeping it brutal and heavy.
How were the songs penned, that made up on the It Began with a Twisted Dream demo and the Necrophagia Ep?
On the EP, I wrote all the lyrics during school time when I would get inspired to think. The Final Solution and Tear off Your Face on the EP for example, I wrote those in the studio while we were actually creating them on the fly on the day the song was going to be recorded. Jerry Battle wrote all the Lyrics and Music on It began with a twisted Dream. I didn’t mind that at all. He was bursting with creativity and I just rode along with him.
How did the recording sessions go with these materials? Tell us please everything about those materials?
Well, the EP was 50% on the fly because Joey was no longer with the group and he was the creator and master of the songs that we did not use (such as Murder in the first degree, Figure Four, Killer Instinct). Those 3 songs were way better than the material we wound up using because we were down one guitarist and Ruben unfortunately, could not play those songs properly in a studio setting that would detect all the nuances of the proper picking and solo work that Joey had mastered. That was a big disappointment! and a shame that we weren’t able to use our A* material and instead, settled for B- C* stuff! If that. The sessions for It began with a twisted Dream were smooth because Jerry was the sole guitarist and also the creator of all the riffs. All I had to do was just concentrate on vocals and proper delivery and that was it. That is how the EP should have been done. We were proud of every song on the demo and I hated all but one song on the EP. Fans who heard both have almost unanimously been in favor of the demo as the far superior work. I know it was confusing for most to know which came first. The EP WAS FIRST AND THE Demo was second, odd I know but very necessary in order to set the record straight as to what we really sounded like. And it worked because it got us a record deal with Alchemy.
Would you say, that the tracks on the Ep are pleasingly catchy while remaining on the more chaotic and frantic side of thrash’s tracks?
Frantic? Yes. As far as the chaotic side? Well that is because we wrote 2 songs on the actual day that we were to record in the studio. They were done like I said on the spot! Everything was done on the Fly. We only went into the studio with 2 songs Bloodshed and Feel my Knife. Those were original songs that we had rehearsed and played live many times. Tear off your Face and The Final Solution were concocted in the studio so that we would have enough material for an EP. Like I said, it was unfortunate that we lost Joey as our main guitarist just prior to the sessions. He would have made our sound 100% better in every way. It would have been a great debut release instead of an obscure, mediocre effort.
Were they a good representation of the band?
The EP was not a good representation of the Band. The Demo was and the following release was the finished product of what we truly were meant to become.
In your opinion, did these materials help the band to increase a fanbase or getting new fans, to draw the fans attention to the band?
It began with a Twisted Dream to this day still gets great responses and many, many have said that it is one of the best True Thrash Demos Ever! That has come from the fans voices. Obviously I agree. It was a bit of redemption after the disappointing EP release on Wild Rags.
The Ep was released by Wild rags Records, is it correct, that it was the label’s first release?
Yes. Richard the head of the company was a crook, liar, thief and con man. He screwed the band big time and many others who he signed after that.
While a lot of L. A. bands appeared on compilations, such as Metal Massacre, Speed Metal Hell, Thrash Metal Attack etc. why didn’t you get the chance/the opportunity being featured on one of those compilations?
First of all, we never had management. The scene even in those days was geared more to who you knew and not how good your band was. We were every bit as good as any of the bands that appeared on Metal Massacre on other compilations. Sure Slayer was once on Metal Massacre and I am in no way saying we were ever better than them and maybe a few others. What I am saying is that there were many bands on these compilations wh o sucked but, they had connections or money or kissed ass. Whatever the case may be. We were poor, teenage kids from the hood of Boyle Heights and we were street, and hardcore and spoke our minds and we never kissed ass or asked for favors. Sure we knew people but we never begged to be featured in anything unless they came to us and asked us to be a part of something. To us or should I say to me? I preferred the mutual respect and earning it with the music and nothing more. That is why we never made it to be quite honest with you. We just never had the representation to go to bat for us and to help payroll what we needed, NEVER! We spent every scarce penny we had into the band and did the best we could. Unfortunately, history doesn’t remember the woulda, coulda, shoulda! Many bands released records during this time and most of them Sucked Balls. Sure the legends who came out during this time such as Sepultura, Dark Angel, Possessed, Kreator, Destruction, Exodus, Morbid Angel, Terrorizer etc... They deserved everything they got and we bow down to them all but there were some crappy bands also releasing records that never cut the mustard or measure up.
Did you split up in 1987 or did you rename the band Nekroholcaust?
We didn’t officially break up until 1989. Nekroholocaust never existed during our period of activity which went from 1984-1989. We had transitioned to a sound that no longer was the true Thrash Sound of vintage Necrophagia LA once we had our ideal line up that featured the additions of Memo Mora (Infamy, Nocturnal Fear, Dark as Death) and Jimmy Sotelo (Bloodcum). These two became permanent members in late 1987 and stood with the band until we broke up in 1989. We recorded our live rehearsal in 1988 and one track in our Garage in 1989. Those songs were going to be on our debut record with Alchemy Records. The album was going to be titled Bleeding Incubus. Sadly that record never saw the light of day due to financial reasons, on our behalf. We faced theft from a promoter asshole who’s name escapes me. This piece of Garbage stole over $1,200 dollars of our hard earned funds and left the band broke! You see, when you are from the hood and are a band that is part of the fabric of a place like Boyle Heights, you are going to have some of the shadiest cat’s lurking around, smelling an opportunity to get over on a fellow brother. That is how it was in the gang infested, drive by shooting era of the 1980’s in our barrio. It was part of the backdrop in which we wrote are most brutal and best work ever.
Drummer Jimmy Sotelo and guitarist Memo Mora became the new members, was Jimmy a session or a permanent member, since he was involved also in Bloodcum?
Jimmy had quit Bloodcum in 1987 and we swooped in and took him immediately. It wasn’t a popular move with some of our fellow competitors out there like his former Band and others but we didn’t care. He was superb for what we needed at the time and he was a very creative guy and built some of our live stage aparatus. Memo was a youngster from East LA and he played for an excellent death metal band by the name of Nocturnal Fear. Jerry had everything to do with bringing him aboard. He was an amazing addition and he was also the youngest in the band. He is till very prominent in the scene hear in LA and has an awesome band by the name of Dark as Death.
What made you to turn with Nekroholocaust into a more brutal, heavier direction? What kind of newer musical influences did you have or discover at this point?
Well like I mentioned, the band while we were active, was never called Nekroholocaust! That was done much later by Jerry Battle. With the addition of the new members and the fact that we were filled with rage and hate because of our environment and what we perceived the world to be at the time, our natural progression was to become a Black Monster Machine. We never calculated this change, it just happened organically and thru our minds. Also, our songs had become more like stories and concepts and our horizons had broadened like never before. Some of the Posers in LA didn’t like our new direction but most loved our new path and supported us like never before. People who hear thease songs now can’t believe that we created them in 1987-1989. Even to the point of calling it a fraud. To them I say FU! There isn’t a shred of doubt in my mind that if that record had seen the light of day during that time? They would be mentioning us with the likes of Terrorizer! As pioneers of different genres. I get so frustrated when I hear and see bands taking credit for that sound. Bullshit! It’s funny but they even ripped off ideas from those recordings because as you now know, we were broken up as a band, so who would ever know. Even some other LA band by the name of Nokturn or whatever ripped of the concepts of those recordings. Sure I sound like a bitter old has been right now but the people who were there and know what they heard and saw will testify and that is all that matters to me. I don’t owe anyone any kind of apology or explanation for the FACTS.
You recorded some demos, that actually were never saw the light, but how happened, that Mercenary Musik released the In Memories of Fire compilation? Can you tell us everything about it?
As I have mentioned but will elaborate here, Jerry Battle held on to the recordings for 16 years and then released it on his label Mercenary Musik in 2005. Initially, it was not released as a compliation but as a full length LP. It came with a shroud of mystery as to hide the identity of the musicians involved (as if somehow the rest of us had a choice). It said that it was recorded by some prominent underground musicians who wanted to keep their identity hidden? Hell No! I came across this release in 2005 while I was doing a search of some old Necro stuff. When I read the titles of the songs and the Necro Logo from It began with a Twisted Dream my jaw fucking dropped. I was very upset and felt cheated and ripped off by my own ex band mate. I felt stabbed in the back and disrespected. He screwed over the Necrophagia LA legacy by doing a selfish prick move and hid behind it with the guise of obscurity. Make no mistake about it, that badly produced monstrosity of a release was 100% Necrophagia LA. I have spent time on the internet defaming those acts by him and gladly most people have come around to accept that was us, me! That music was never intended to be a LP release, it was a live demo of the songs that would eventually become Bleeding Incubus. Can you imagine who fucking brutal and epic that shit would have sounded like with a great engineer/producer manning the board and with a budget? We did those songs all in one take with nothing more than our fucking balls and will. I loved those songs because they were the epitome of defiance for me, a coming of age to a more darker time ahead. That to me was and has been my biggest regret and disappointment during my time as the front man for Necro all those years and my biggest regret in all my time doing the music thing. It still bothers me.
Did you have some songs written, that didn't make up on the record?
No, those were all the songs. Burning Galleries and Deny the Cross from the IBWATD demo were there as well. Anyone who ever wanted to put two and two together and find out the identity of this so-called Nekroholocaust need not have looked any further than that, geez.
-Have you ever thought about to release all of the Necrophagia songs on a proper cd or vinyl with informative linernotes, sheets etc.? Yes, as a matter of fact I am doing a Quorthon kind of thing and I am going to release Murder in the First Degree, Killer Instinct and Figure Four soon. I also have some Nekroseizure songs that I will include as well. It will be done this Year and it will give me a good sense of finality to all things NECRO.
In your opinion is the name of Necrophagia still in the fans minds?
Absolutely. If I could get back together with the 3 other guys (of course that is no longer possible) but if I could we would come back with a great triumph. I would have loved to have gone head to head with Killjoy and his set and see who could rule the stage and see who really is the best Necro! That day however will never come and that is too bad. Too much time has passed and I am no longer interested in performing live. I am interested in recording and sending out some old obscure songs of mine and getting it out to the World, jsut for fun and I guess a little pride.
How about your early bandmates, such as Willie Mims, Joey Alvarez, Jerry Battle etc. these days? Are you still friends and/or in touch with them?
I am in touch with Willie but the other guys are dead to me now.
Do you still follow whats going on in the metal underground? How much did the scene develope/change compared to the 80s?
Sure I am. I even made a short comeback with my project band Nekroseizure. It was fun but the scene has really changed a lot and I no longer have interest in it. The 80’s were a time for ideas and risk taking and pioneering. Today, I think most of the older bands/old school bands to me, do it more for the love of it, like playing semi pro baseball over the weekend or shit like that. Like a weekend warrior. That is what I see anyway, my opinion and nothing more...
Ed, thanks a lot for your answers, anything to add, that I forgot to cover or to mention?
Well, I definitely said a lot but I don’t regret a single word. It is my interpretation of what I lived and breathed. A time in my life when I believed I could conquer the World! Just some Homies from Boyle Heights who had some Big Dreams. Thank you for the platform, I appreciate your interest and I hope I gave an insight to the tumoltous times of the 1980’s when all Hell broke loose.
Interview by Leslie David
February 2018