Ex-HADES Guitarist Discusses THE CURSED Project

TheMetalWeb.com recently conducted an interview with former HADES guitarist Dan Lorenzo about his new band THE CURSED, also featuring OVERKILL vocalist vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

TheMetalWeb.com: What was the writing sessions like for "Room Full of Sinners", as the album is quite different musically from what any of the members have done in past or current projects?

Dan Lorenzo: I initially mailed Blitz a few riffs/song ideas from my home recording unit. He came cover to my home to show me what he had in December of 2005 and I was floored by what he wrote to "All's Right and One Time". He knew exactly where the vocals should go. All music is opinion, but in my opinion, there are "right" spots to put the vocals. Jerry Cantrell is one of my favorite songwriters, but he writes chord progressions, which are much easier to write over. I write riffs. I think they are much harder to write over, but Blitz doesn't seem to have a problem with it.

TheMetalWeb.com: You recorded the album at Crystal Studios with Mike Koenig. What were the recording sessions like, especially being that both you and Bobby are used to producing most of your music in your other projects? Were there compromises?

Dan Lorenzo: None. We did whatever Blitz said and then we spoke bad about him behind his back! (Laughs) Not really "compromises." More like, different ideas/interpretations. Sometimes Blitz would give me an idea on guitar that I wouldn't have thought of, maybe I would tell him the chorus to "Native Tongue" works better if I stop playing guitar here.

TheMetalWeb.com: When thinking of a concept for the album, where or should I say, "who" was the inspiration? (Laughs)

Dan Lorenzo: It's not a concept album. If you mean stylistically, Blitz told me we should be less diverse than my solo stuff. We wanted more of a hard rock, bluesy, metal vibe. We had this one song, "Luicifiction", that was actually one of my wife’s favorites, but Blitz thought it was a little too "metal." I think in my mind, we were going for something that sounded like SABBATH meeting old AEROSMITH, like the first four AEROSMITH CDs.

TheMetalWeb.com: Where do you foresee THE CURSED in the future?

Dan Lorenzo: Impossible question to answer. Either people will buy it, and we'll do another CD or people will download it for free illegally or reject it and I'll go back to playing basketball after work. Either way, I'm happy.

TheMetalWeb.com: Besides THE CURSED, are you working on any new material for your solo stuff?

Dan Lorenzo: I always have riffs and song ideas. I hope to release a "best-of" with my three solo CDs. I recorded a new song recently called "What I Like". It has Scottie LePage age 13 playing all the guitars. His dad Scott LePage played on the first HADES CD "Resisting Success". They live in Dallas now. I go visit them every year. I was amazed the last time I saw Scottie play. I invited them up to Crystal Studios back In January. My wife just had bought me a harmonica for my birthday two days prior. You know I had to sneak it into my newest song. The bass player from the AMISH OUTLAWS played bass on the song, and I just sang. I used an electronic drum machine. It came out cool! Hopefully, I'll land a deal for my "best-of" CD.

Read the entire interview at TheMetalWeb.com.