Line Up:
Jason McMaster On Vocal
Dan Lorenzo On Guitar
Jimmy Schulman On Bass
Ron Lipnicki On Drums
Well,Friends of Aristocracy!
We speak again of our newsroom, where in a little while, we will have in all its emotions, the interview 201 of the Aristocracy.This time, we talked to a band that makes a beautiful marriage of Hard Rock and Classic Doom.Something that pulsates with intensity, strong riffs and nebulous and strong songs. But, fortunately, this path already has a path covered since this is the second album. Everything starts with the mind of Dan Lorenzo, but the project gains more strength and complexity.For that reason and thanks to people that Dan himself judged competent, this project gains muscle and becomes what we know as Cassius King and this is their second work called Dread The Dawn. We really want to thank the band for their work and for responding our humble but important questions and Italian producer The Metallist for introducing us to this powerful work.Let's go to a song for this unprecedented interview to happen!
A1:Good morning guys. Let’s talk about the composition work in “Dread The Drawn”?
Dan Lorenzo:I write the music, Jimmy actually wrote the music to Doomsday….anyway, I go to the studio and record most or all of my guitar parts first. Then I send that to Ron and Jason and Jimmy. Ron records his parts next and then Jason will write his melody lines and then Jason writes lyrics and sometimes Jimmy will give Jason some lyrics to try and fit in.
Jason McMaster: I let the riff and the tone of the song influence what I will write,both vocal melody and lyrics. Sometimes it can be a challenge for either of those. The song, “Back from the Dead” is very bouncy,and some of us seemed concerned about maybe how “happy” the riff sounded. I made sure the song had a dark enough theme to take it away from the possibilities of it being too bouncy for a Cassius King song.The lyrics ended up being really fun, about the ghost of a friend or enemy that now hangs around and makes you cringe, or affected in some way.
A2:I really liked the mix of Doom and Hard Rock that the band performs. But, how does this work?
Dan: I grew up on hard rock then metal and I didn’t get into Black Sabbath until after high school. When I was in Non-Fiction I really got into Sabbath and Zeppelin. Since then I just write. Not a lot of thought.
Jason: Maybe the theme of my lyrics help decide the doom side, and then sort of lift that into a lighter side on a few songs. It is never planned out either way. Dan just writes riffs that come to him. Some are very strong and can have me singing melody lines before I have any lyric ideas. Sometimes, I will have to dig deep to find something that works and the riff will not have the same effect on me as the one before.
A3:This is a direct question. Therefore, I will say the name of the person in question. Dan, at what point did you realize that your particular project could become the current band?
Dan:I’ve been writing and playing with Jimmy and Ron since the year 2000. I got Ron into Overkill I think around 2004 and for the ten years Ron was in Overkill I didn’t play with him too much. After Ron left Overkill I drafted him for Vessel Of Light. Vessel of Light recorded three albums in 2 years. During the Covid shutdown I wrote the music to 2 more albums. Vessel Of Light Last Ride and what would become Field Trip. Jason McMaster had already recorded some cover songs with me and Ron and Jimmy as Cassius King so we knew he would be perfect to write original material with Cassius King.
A4:Why do you say that this band is a feeling?
Dan:I don’t remember ever saying that!
A5:Some literature or film inspire the band?
Jason: Sometimes a lyric comes from a phrase or a line from a scene in a film. Sometimes I will read something, and it will make an impact. It does not always come from that. I trip and fall into my choruses or verses without any influence, they just come to me on a whim. Sometimes, it can be tough, and you get stuck.
A6:Dan, do you consider yourself a workaholic?
Dan:My wife does. I just think I move efficiently. I work 50-60 hours for my job-a tattoo supply company called Painful Pleasures, I play basketball, I write for a few magazines and I still find time to write 25 new songs a year.Jason moves quickly like me as well.
A7:Why do we feel a hair metal vibe in the song Abandon Paradise?
Dan:I think that’s a question you’d have to ask yourself! ( laughs) I don’t hear that.
Jason:The lyric is quite dark. Not sure about that feeling either.The chords are in a minor key and the song has a galloping up tempo phrasing that falls into a half time rowing feel, very uncomfortable,hence the lyric speaking of losing everything and into dark days of despair.Just to be clear for people who have not heard the song “Abandon Paradise”.
A8:How did the band arrive to MDD Records?
Dan:I was looking for a record deal for my project with Johnny Kelly for Patriarchs In Black and I had 5 labels offering deals for about the same money. Markus from MDD knew a lot about my bands and I liked his enthusiasm.
A9:-What kind of subject doesn't deserve a Cassius King Song?
Dan:Turtles. ( laughs) Cooking shows. Armadillos.
A10:Why does the band have this name?
Dan:My grandmother had a husband who loved money. He always told me Cash Is King. Get it?
A11:How to make a slurred melody?
Dan:Drink alcohol and sing. I don’t drink though.
Jason:This is an interesting question.A slurred melody, seems to be influenced by what the lyric is dramatically insisting, maybe even the tempo can drag insistently enough to make the vocal line be performed in a confused emotionally disturbing way. The words could have distorted vowel shapes, to create a deliberately uncomfortable situation. Singing can be like “acting” sometimes.
A12:Is this album conceptual?
Jason:Not at all. Jimmy’s lyrics are very dramatic and go to places that are very interesting. If you read his lyrics, they taste slightly different than mine.
A13:What does the band mean with a realistic riff?
Jason:I like this question. I have never heard anyone address a musical “riff” as “realistic”.I feel like this would be a riff that is strong and has no doubting moment in it. For example, the riff in “Breaking the Law” by Judas Priest, that is a ‘realistic” riff. There is no doubt or uncomfortable moment in it at all. It is very quantized and mapped out.Not “stale” but stands like a pillar. Using one of our songs, “Doomsday Hand”, the riff in that song, written by Jimmy, is very disconnected. This might be my opinion.The riff is very concerning, and long and winding, like a crooked road. Once you hear it a few times, you understand it, but yet still feel how it can confuse you. I love songs like this, that have this eerie feeling of emotional distraught. A realistic riff could be “Back from the Dead”.
A14:The band feel differences between “Field Trip” and now in “Dread The Dawn”?
Dan:Sure. Just growth.You want to remain in the same general style, but not be fearful of trying new things.
A15:Can you explain the song number eight, please?
Jason:Song eight.the title seems to be “How the West was Won”.This was an unplanned lyric that developed after I came up with the title.There are films and books that use this somewhat generic title, I am very aware.This took me on a bit of a journey, and tested me a bit on lore and knowledge of the native American indian culture. What truly happened to them is still in need of some concerns. parts of history are usually so dark, they get muddy and unclear as to how bad they had it.Other cultures descended upon their peaceful lives and destroyed their beliefs, introduced gunpowder, machine made artillery, alcoholism and overall greed. It is not hard to figure out.Basic murder and onslaught of an entire culture.