Jussi: Wanted
to say hello first and foremost and thanks for putting out a
great album. Was wondering how the response has been so far
with the current band release? (heard that it received some
pretty great reviews)
Damien: Hello to you too. Thanks. I’m glad you
dig it. The response has been killer.
Jussi: With
the previous releases this current self-entitled CD is more
of a combination of songs from prior albums with three new songs
and video’s. Why is that considering most bands would
create something different?
Damien: Because we were again running out of copies
of both the original Possession and
our second Salvationless CDs that
were both EP’s. We figured that it would be easier and
more economical for everyone to combine them and package them
as one instead of constantly repressing 2 less than full length
discs. Since the first CD, the music of THREE SIXES
has grown and changed. We had a few new songs we were working
on that went over well live and people wanted copies of them
too. So we figured instead of doing a third EP, we’d combine
everything and just make it into a full-length release. It worked
well because the songs, videos and even the pictures inside
the disc encapsulates everything we’ve done so far. The
band, music and direction are more focused now too. Because
we were able to put all of the old stuff into one disc as well
as giving people an idea of where we’re going with the
new, it makes it easier to move forward… and we are. Not
to mention, it saves people money when they go to buy the one
disc and they always have everything. More than a few times
people went to buy both CDs and we were out of one. That sucked.
We’re in the process of writing an all-new full length
record right now.
Jussi: With
such influences of Rob Zombie, Ministry and Fear Factory to
name a few and the element of horror added to the twist, how
does the band do it? (in contrast to the musical style that
seems to be in a league of it’s own entirely)
Damien: Thank you. We think it’s different too
and pride ourselves in that. I listen to many, many different
styles of music. I’ll listen to Venom, The Sex Pistols,
NWA, hardcore and jungle beats, D.R.I., old Kiss and The Eagles
all in one day if that’s what I’m feeling. One way
or another, those influences find their way into what I’m
thinking at the time and it’s reflected in the music.
The other guys in THREE SIXES are that way
too. Musically, we’re all pretty diverse. In the end though,
it’s always Metal based. We also all love horror movies…
and women. Speaking for myself, I’m also intrigued with
religion of all kinds. Especially so with the effect that it
has on society in general as well as it has in my personal life
from people trying to preach it to me. Take that, along with
a nice injection of aggression, throw all of that in a blender
and you have THREE SIXES.
Jussi: The
band seems to have a large fan base within the states and it
slowly rising abroad, do you think that the group has something
horrifically energizing to offer new listeners out there?
Damien: Definitely. We have a lot to offer for sure.
If you’ve never heard us before, just listen with an open
mind. We’ll kick your ass. The aggression behind what
we do is 100% genuine. Luckily, it was able to translate onto
a recording and people can feel it. The live version is even
more powerful. It sounds cliché, but you really have
to be there and see it live to believe it. It’s pretty
intense.
Jussi: Some
can label the band Pornographic Industrial Shock Metal, there
are others out there that might fall on the same view as California’s
own Meat Shits and Impaled but are more in the aspects of the
gruesome part of the musical element. Do you find that THREE
SIXES offers something entirely different considering the band
is more sexually oriented than most bands?
Damien: Thanks. I haven’t heard that one before.
I like it. Yes, I do find that we offer something entirely different.
I think the biggest compliment that we get (and get often) is
that no two people have the same ideas of what we sound like.
Sure, there are basic references. But to be more detailed is
all in the eye of the beholder. Look at the reviews on our site.
None of them mention the bands you did, yet, I’m sure
there are elements to them that sound like us. The sexual element
does add a bit of a twist to it. It wasn’t planned that
way. When I started THREE SIXES, I just put
everything into THREE SIXES that I’m
into. Sex is one of them. The music has a lot to offer as it
is. Personally, I look at the sexual element as being more the
icing on the cake though. Coincidently, people gravitated towards
it.
Jussi: Can
you tell me more about the current band video Possession
and the concept behind it?
Damien: My friend Nick Griffo who did our other videos
always wanted to do a video for that song. He loves the way
it sounds now even more than how it did when I originally recorded
it. Surprisingly, it has also become a crowd favorite when we
play live. He hit us up with the whole thing…with the
nudity, movie clips and everything else. It was all him. He
wanted us to re-record the audio, but I was against it as I
want to just move forward and write new material. So we compromised
and used the sound from a live recording. The live video footage
was taken from several shows that we played over the last 2
years. I thought the timing on it was good. It coincides with
the collection of older and newer songs on our current CD. The
most important thing of this video is that was truly done for
the fans of THREE SIXES who love that song.
We’re always being requested to play it and people dig
this version of it. It’s the least we can do for everyone
who supports us and we like it. I think it’s the only
video that we have that I would say is “fun”. It’s
heavy and all, but it has that camp, horror vibe from the movies
that I have been into since I was a kid mixed with us playing
live. It’s pretty cool.
Jussi: Heard
that the band is seeking a bassist? Why is that?
Damien: Aleister (Bass) has other things in his life
that he wants to do outside of playing music. He feels that
doing those things and being in THREE SIXES
would do nothing but slow the band down. So he quit. He’s
not leaving us high and dry or anything like that. If something
comes up, we’re not going to miss any big opportunities
because he’ll be there when and if we need him…
but he needs to move on. We think we found his replacement.
We’re working with a guy right now that we like a lot,
but we’ll see. If something fell in our lap right now
though, the new guy wouldn’t be ready. But Aleister would
be and we’d go do whatever it was that we’re being
offered. Once the new guy is ready, it will be time for us to
move forward without Aleister. We wish Aleister the best of
luck. I’m sure we’ll see him around after he’s
gone. We’ll probably get hammered together again with
him too.
Jussi: For
someone that has not heard of the group, what can one expect
when hearing something from the band for the first time?
Damien: Great question. The hardest thing about being
in this band is trying to describe it to someone because like
I said earlier, everyone has their own ideas and none of them
are the same. But since you’re asking, I would tell them
to expect heavy music that can be considered by many to be extremely
offensive. Expect to hear a lot of pure aggression. Expect to
feel a lot of energy. Expect to listen more than once because
the first time you hear it, you’ll want to compare it
to someone, but you won’t know who to compare us to. Expect
to read the lyrics a few times. Because you’ll shake your
head and think you’d heard something lyrically so out
of bounds and over the top that you’re imagining it. You’ll
find out that you actually did hear that, and then some. Expect
to hear something very different that you’ve never heard
before. To make matters more complicated, listen to several
of our tunes. Because once you think you have your finger on
what we sound like, another song comes up that sounds nothing
like the last-but it’s still the same band. Expect to
be blown away.
Jussi: There
was mention that the live shows of THREE SIXES is an intensity
driven musical environment filled with raw metal ecstasy. Is
this true considering the band gives a 110% of its energy to
stage performances?
Damien: Absolutely. You have to actually be there to
feel it. It gets pretty violent down there on the floor sometimes.
The live video footage of us is pretty cool, but the vibe on
the floor is just insane. No video can give you that feeling.
No way. The live shows are indescribable. We’ll blow you
away. Guaranteed. We do every time we play. We don’t just
walk onto a stage and perform, we OWN whatever venue it is that
we’re playing at and take it the fuck over.
Jussi: There
is apart of the band site that is interesting in an erotic sense
A Day With Damien, basically true stories of personal encounters/insights?
Whose idea was that to have it there? (Entries of The Mission
and Lesbians and Stray Vibrators are interesting ones :)
Damien: That’s funny. (Laughing) Yes, they are
all true. Only the names were changed to protect the guilty.
My personal favorite was the last one up there called “Stoney’s
Big Night” which has pictures of Stoney’s uh, “Lady”
of the evening (for lack of better terms). It was originally
the idea of our first webmaster, Lord Xerxes. He would follow
me around and watch all of these situations that I’d wind
up in. He said that one day he was going to write a book about
all of it and how funny it would be. Then he asked if we could
just put them up on the site from time to time and we did. I
was pretty surprised to see how popular that part of the site
has become. There have been plenty more situations that we could
put up there, but it would pretty much be just more of the same
stuff that’s already there so I don’t bother. I
do have another party I’m planning right now though. If
it goes as planned, this one will be nothing like anything I’ve
done before and will hit the site for sure. It will be wild.
Like the other stories, all of the details will be completely
true. Stay tuned.
Jussi: Any
shows planned for the band in the near future?
Damien: Nothing currently. We’re breaking in
the new guy. Once that hurdle is cleared, we’ll start
booking again. If something big finds us and falls in our lap,
we’ll be there with Aleister. Keep checking our site for
upcoming shows. There will be more soon.
Jussi: Any
band news and final comments?
Damien: Yeah, go to our site and check it out. If not
for the free music, videos, stories, info, pics of us, or the
free porn links, go for the Gross Page. It’s easily the
most disgusting video and pic page on the planet. Nothing compares
to it anywhere. I’d also like to thank all our fans and
street teamers worldwide who support us, along with of the companies
that endorse us and welcome the newest as we’ve just been
picked up by Rotten Cotton t-shirts. Check them at www.rottencotton.com
. Lastly to Metallian.com, Nocturnal Hall.com and most of all
to you Jussi for giving us this interview and helping spread
our name. You rock, thanks.
Jussi: Would
like to thank you Damien for taking the time for this interview.
Also, thank you for enlightening me of the ways of the THREE
SIXES world of horror.
Damien: Thank you. It was a pleasure. Anytime.