NEFARIOUS

The music “business” is in such bad shape that musicians need to be in more than one band if they want to survive above a subsistence level. Thus, we have an explosion of “supergroups” where the main objective is to pick up an extra paycheck. However, once in a while, a supergroup comes around that really lives up to its billing.

That brings us to NEFARIOUS. If you were a fan of the great days of California thrash metal, this is a band you simply cannot miss. It’s a collection of true thrash royalty from across the board. You may have heard of a band called EXODUS? Well, guitarist Rick Hunolt, responsible for writing many of that band’s greatest songs, is a member of NEFARIOUS. So is Doug Piercy, a mainstay of the Bay Area metal scene for decades, best known for his work in HEATHEN. Vocalist for the band is none other than Katon W. DePena of HIRAX, who I interviewed earlier this year in connection with HIRAX. And you couldn’t get a much tighter rhythm section than Tom Gears of BLIND ILLUSION and Will “The Beast” Carroll of DEATH ANGEL, HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE and CUTTHROATS 9.

Now THAT is an impressive collection of talent. And NEFARIOUS live up to their potential on their debut album “Addicted To Power”, which is 100% pure thrash metal and nothing but. I managed to hook up with Doug Piercy to get the lowdown on this chaotic conglomeration…

WORMWOOD CHRONICLES: Greetings to NEFARIOUS! When this band came together, was it something that happened quickly or did it take some time to germinate?

DOUG PIERCY: It took some time. After the last European tour with BLIND ILLUSION, Tom Gears and I left and decided to record all the music we’ve been writing. At first, I was thinking it was going to be a kind of solo Record. I asked Will Carroll if he would like to play drums on it and he was interested. So we started recording basic tracks and getting the drums down. I had been talking with Rick all the time… we’ve been friends for the last 30 years and he was interested in putting down some solos and contributing. That really got the ball rolling.

WC: Was it always composed of the current members or did it take some time to find the right pieces?

DP: For the most part, everything went really easy. Once we had three or four songs recorded, I started experimenting with different vocalists. In the end, I reached out to Katon and he was interested.

WC:. All the members of the band were part of the great California thrash metal scene. How important was 
it to keep the legacy of this great movement alive?

DP: With us, music is in our blood- we just create and have various projects and have been doing this all of our lives. We just write and create. It’s that attitude of all musicians here that keeps the Bay Area movement alive. 

WC: What was the songwriting like? Does each of the tracks have a certain “prime mover” or are they all 
a blending of ideas? Did the songs come together quickly or did it take some time to iron them out?

DP: For the most part, I was coming up with a large body of material. Rick started sending me a bunch of ideas that I could put together in my studio with ProTools. We would assemble all the ideas into click maps and I would send them to Will. He and I would then go into his studio and we bash out the songs and work on arrangements. 

WC: The performance of Katon DePena is a real eye-opener on “Addicted To Power”. I think he shows 
more singing chops with NEFARIOUS than HIRAX. He’s been such a part of thrash metal for so long. 
Tell us about his contribution to the band.

DP: When we got the idea of getting Katon involved, he started coming up and we would go to Tom’s studio we would record the vocals. I would usually lay down a guide line of how the vocals should go, and then work with Katon and produce the vocal tracks. Tom and I would always push him into new creative directions and he loved it.

WC: Who did most of the lyrical duties for the album? The lyrics seem very political and motivated by 
current events.

DP: I wrote most of the lyrics for the record. It’s the first time I’ve written lyrics for an entire album before, and it was actually interesting and pretty fun. The topics range from science fiction, addressing conspiracy theories, nuclear war, struggling and abuse of power, heavy metal, absolute horror, separation of church and state. There’s a lot of things to write about in the world if you start thinking about it. There is absolutely no shortage of topics.

WC: Is there one particular song on the album that’s your favorite?

DP: It’s hard to pick out one single favorite. There are parts all over the place that were fun to design and create. The first take solos are always fun. Experiencing the drums transform the songs into brutal reality was awesome.

WC:  With all the members being involved in other projects, were there any difficulties getting together to 
work as a band?

DP: Everyone just looks at their calendars and works carefully with the logistics of planning rehearsals and recording sessions. You make time when time permits.

WC: Are there any live plans for NEFARIOUS? I think they would be great at events like Milwaukee 
Metalfest or Maryland Metalfest!

DP: There are many interesting opportunities happening at the moment. It’s too soon to discuss them. The only one that’s totally solid is the debut show coming up this month on July 19- the record release show at the DNA in San Francisco.

WC: Do you have any tracks or ideas left over from the “Addicted To Power” sessions? Any thoughts for 
albums beyond the debut?

DP: Yes, we have a lot of leftover material that needs to be assembled into new songs. It’s really inspiring working with Rick. He comes up with all sorts of great ideas. 

WC:  The members of the band are part of the first wave of thrash metal. Do you keep up with newer 
names in the genre like ENFORCED, HAVOK and WARBRINGER?

DP: Those are great bands. I listen to HAVOK all the time.

WC: Any newer California acts that you would endorse?

DP: I like TRENCHER, HELLHUNTER and we just saw an interesting band the other night called COBWEB. 

WC: What was the last release you picked up just for your own listening enjoyment?

DP: “Reign in Blood” by SLAYER. Amazingly, I’ve never been able to get a copy until recently!

 WC: If you could have dinner with any three people from any time in history, who would they be?

DP: Richard Feynman, Nikola Tesla. I recently saw a documentary about Teddy Roosevelt. He’d be pretty interesting as well.

WC: Any final words or messages for the thrashers out there?

DP: Thank you for all your support and keeping Bay Area metal alive! Hope to see you all on tour! 💥🔥🔥🔥🔥

NEFARIOUS