Criminal Element
Wywiad przeprowadził Wouter Roemers
Vince Matthews is a staple in the Maryland death metal scene. From his earlier work in Sadistic Torment and Mucus Membrane, to his critically acclaimed tenure with technical death metallers Dying Fetus, he is a force to be reckoned with. After a few years away he is now back with Criminal Element. A band that combines his love for bone-breaking thrash metal, hardcore punk and death metal while dabbling with autobiographical elements in its lyrics. Masterful Magazine recently caught up with Vince Matthews to talk about his new band, their latest album and his past ventures in the extreme metal scene.
First of all: how are the first reactions on the new album "Guilty As Charged" doing so far?
All the reactions have been very positive. People really seem to like it.
Congratulations with your absolutely monstrous debut effort "Guilty As Charged"! For the readers who missed out on your first two limited EPs "Criminally Contaminated" and "Career Criminal" back in 2006, could you give a short description of what Criminal Element is and what you stand for?
Criminal Element is a tribute to anything I grew up listening to over the past twenty-five years; everything from Exciter, Venom, Slayer, and Metallica, to the current status of extreme music today. We're not trying to be different or do something outrageously crazy. We're just doing the music that we grew up listening to. Our lyrical content covers just about everything I've seen in my lifetime. We're not devil worshippers, nor are we political. I think politics in music sucks. We try to add every type of genre that's in extreme music in our songs.
The band was started when both you, Vince Matthews, and Sparky Voyles were a part of Dying Fetus, with Vince on drums and Sparky on guitar. The band came into full fruition in 2005. Since then the line-up has been shoved around quite a bit. Is the current line-up a solid one, you think?
Nothing in metal is solid these days. Darin Morris and I will always be the backbone of Criminal Element, but we'll have everyone else as guest performers.
The current line-up has members from Suffocation and Misery Index involved besides yourself. Is it difficult getting everyone together to write new material, rehearse and to get on a stage every once in a while?
Yeah, it can be. Both bands are national touring acts who have spent a lot of time on the road. But usually if there's a gig to play we only need about two weeks to nail the set down.
With members from Suffocation and Misery Index currently in the line-up is there any time left for Criminal Element to do some local touring? I reckon it must be difficult to fit in everyone's schedule, seeing how Suffocation and Misery Index are constantly on the road.
We don't do a lot of tours because of that factor, and sometime in the future I may need to hire session players. But I try not to do a lot of tours because of that. I like to keep the integrity of the band intact.
In the past members of Catastrophic, Eternal Ruin, Suffocation and Pyrexia have contributed their skills, business savvy and know-how to Criminal Element. Were there any reasons in particular why these line-ups lasted so briefly?
Yeah, cause they all sucked and they were in it for the money only. That's totally against what I stand for.
Is there a main man in the band - someone who writes the lyrics, comes up with the main concept, arrangements and directs the ongoing of things, or is it all teamwork?
No, it's all me.
"Guilty As Charged" was originally released in North America by New York underground death metal specialist label Sevared Records. It was recently released in Europe by Czech Republic extreme metal label Lacerated Enemy Records with two bonus tracks. Are you happy the way both labels handled the record, regarding promotion, marketing, distribution, etc?
Both labels did an outstanding job. I plan to work with both labels for at least one more release.
The lyrics deal mostly with the criminal lifestyle in current day society: murder, robbery, drug deals gone awry and life on the streets. I read in an earlier interview you mentioned that you've had experienced some run-ins with the law yourself, as far back as 1988. You've been through the juvenile detention system as well as adult prisons. So, the things described are kind of autobiographical, in a way?
You could say that, yeah. I definitely wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I've had to learn a lot of lessons the hard way. But if I were able to go back and change anything, I wouldn't. I've had to survive under the worst conditions, and the saying, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," is exactly true. People can do right all their lives, but the minute the bills aren't paid, they're thrown on the street. I make sure that will never happen to me.
"Guilty As Charged" is the first recording since 2000's "Destroy the Opposition" to have John Gallagher (Dying Fetus) and Jason Netherton (Misery Index, ex-Dying Fetus) sharing vocal duties again. Now that's certainly a monumental occasion. Was it difficult, logistically, to get everyone in the studio on time?
No, it wasn't difficult. We all live near one another. The studio belongs to Darin Morris, and he works with Misery Index and Dying Fetus a lot.
You were involved with the recording – and touring cycle for Dying Fetus' 2003 album "Stop at Nothing". Are there any particular lessons you learned while in Dying Fetus? Anything you wish not to repeat again with Criminal Element?
No, Dying Fetus was a good learning experience. I learned that the road can be rough if you're not prepared for it. All my experiences with Dying Fetus have been very positive. One thing I did learn is not to get drunk and get in fights in foreign countries, because as an American, no foreign country's government likes you.
You stepped down from Dying Fetus in 2004 due to "a number of musical, professional and personal reasons". Are you still on good terms with vocalist/guitarist John Gallagher and have you heard their latest record "War Of Attrition"?
Yeah, John and I are good friends. I'm just a little too wild for him. And yes, I've heard "War of Attrition" and that album absolutely sucks. Worst thing they ever did. But I'm sure the next Dying Fetus record will be the best they've ever done as long as John Gallagher keeps writing the music.
Do you have any idea what the "Stop at Nothing" line-up is to these days? I know that drummer Erik Sayenga has his own black metal band Warthrone. Are the remaining former members still involved in any musical projects that you know of?
No, all the members that left Dying Fetus are pretty much retired from music altogether.
Before prioritizing Criminal Element you were briefly involved with Annapolis, Maryland-based death metal band Covenance with whom you released "Ravaging the Pristine" on Emetic Records. Why did the cooperation with that band cease?
That wasn't my style of music, and I had no musical input whatsoever. I decided it wasn't the band for me.
Is it difficult to maintain a balance between your day job as a carpenter, your responsibilities as a parent to your daughter Ashley and the workings of Criminal Element?
Well, I'm not a carpenter anymore. I actually work for the Washington Capitals (NHL) now, and I love that job very much. Being a father to a beautiful young daughter is something that I love doing, as well as writing metal. It's been pretty easy to find a balance between all three of them. I'm a very lucky person.
Do you have any touring plans for the immediate future, domestic or international?
Yeah, we're going to try to do a month in the States this summer, as well as Europe. But no significant touring will be available until our second full-length is released.
Thanks for the interview! Any question I haven't asked, yet some information about the band that you want to share with our readers?
Thanks for the support and your interest in Criminal Element. We will be releasing a six song EP this summer on both labels that were mentioned in this interview that will feature four cover songs from some great bands that we grew up listening to.
Info: www.sevared.com / www.laceratedenemy.com
