There’s no better introduction to the South East Asian metal scene than the Filipino’s behind Intolerant. Playing Southern Metal in the vein of Corrosion of Conformity and Pantera that’s mixed with aggression characteristic to bands like Lamb of God, the quartet’s debut album “Reasons For Unrest” made quite a splash in their local scene last year. Full of groovy riffs, hoarse vocals, and ample amounts of melodic Southern Metal swagger, “Reasons For Unrest” deserved a wider audience than the one that initially embraced it—Intolerant’s homegrown fans. So here’s master axeman Joey Dizon on ruined airplane tickets, Megadeth, and which songs of theirs you should listen to first.
Miguel Blardony Interviewing Joey Dizon
ME: Hi there Intolerant, which member(s) do I have the pleasure of interviewing?
I: This is Joey, I play guitar in the band.
ME: Are you happy with your new album, “Reasons For Unrest”? Who has given the band the best feedback so far?
I: Well, first of all, it’s the musicians we know (not only in the metal scene, mind you…) who have been very supportive and generous with the kind words. Although we admit that we pretty much experimented our way through both he songwriting and studio recording and mixing work, we’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback. And of course, it’s really assuring to hear from people who go to the shows and support us when they tell us we did a pretty good job… it makes us want to do better the second time around.
ME: “Reasons for Unrest.” It’s a nice, cool, and smart name. Who came up with it? Where did you get the inspiration for most of the songs? Are you guys always in writing mode?
I: “Reasons For Unrest” was actually a band name a guitarist friend of mine (Olan Olabre) and I came up with when we were involved with another band, a hardcore group called DNYD. It was first suggested as a name, then as a song title, but DNYD folded way before we could ever write it. So when I came up with a song for Intolerant, I suggested it to be the song title again, like pay homage to my old group. Then after we finished writing all the songs for the album, the song “Reasons For Unrest” and the statement sort of represented the general feel and theme of the album.
ME: Who is responsible for the album’s angry, angry, angry lyrics?
I: Most of it, if not all, are Russell’s (Russell Dela Cruz, rhythm guitars/vocals) lyrics. As we’ve mentioned in the past, his lyrics these days tend to be more personal, more inward than outward. There’s a little input from me here and there, but mostly fine-tuning what he already got together.
ME: Is it hard to write or come up with guitar solos? How much sweat did you and Russell (Dela Cruz, rhythm guitar and vocals) put into these parts?
I: It was a bit of a daunting part when it came to my solos. Even though I’m really into great guitar playing, I don’t really feel that as a guitarist I can pull out a great guitar solo from nowhere. I’m a big fan of rhythm playing, and the last thing I want to do is play a solo just for the sake of coming up with one. So a lot of my solos were made on the spot, and really just based more on feel, rather than technique. It helped though that I got a lot of ideas from Russ and from our guest guitar player Frey Zambrano, because they did sort of challenge me to come up with something that was both blistering and, well, fitting for the songs. I’m no shredder, but I try. No harm in adding a little flavor to the meat, right?
ME: How long were you guys sitting on the material for the album? Which songs had yet to be written as opposed to those that were already finished long before (i.e. “God of War”)?
I: It’s funny because for most of the songs, it’s all a blur now how a lot of them came to be. I think a lot of the songs on the disc were put together almost instantly, as far as the arrangements went. But as with the parts and riffs, Russell and I both had stock riffs that we’ve had for the longest time, even from way back during when Skychurch (90’s Filipino Thrash Metal band) was still very active. So it’s varied… But there were a few songs like “Abandoned” and “Agenda” that sort of turned out to be studio songs, or songs that came out when we were already into the recording process.
ME: Where did you get the audio clips for the instrumental, “Santiago”?
I: Pepo (Gohu, drums) mostly had to do with that. It’s Charles Manson, I think - or well, an actor who plays him, from some documentary-flick maybe.
ME: There are probably ten thousand albums released all over the world each year that have skulls on the cover. Yours didn’t, but there was a skull inside the jacket. Huh?
I: Yes, tell me about it. Well, honestly, I still think skulls are cool in a metal/rock sort of way. But I guess we unconsciously saved ours for the inside panels since we didn’t want our first album to announce and/or limit itself to metal in particular. Don’t get us wrong, we are prouder than ever to be a metal band, but there’s also a bigger picture to the music, not to mention other styles of music that we’ve incorporated to our sound. So it’d be too bad if we sort of suggested that we were just metalheads and nothing else, and limited ourselves to the stereotypical metal album art or sound. We’re musicians at the end of the day, we just happen to be very comfortable and ridiculously huge fans of the metal genre.
ME: Did recording “Reasons…” really play havoc with your schedules since all of you are working and have families?
I: Well, Russell is really the only guy who has a family of his own, but yeah, scheduling our recording and mixing sessions was a bit of a bitch. I mean, we all had time, but getting us together all at the same time and day was the really tricky part. We all have crazy-ass schedules and priorities outside the band thing, but we somehow managed to come full circle when it was really called for. To be honest, I guess time and priorities will always be an issue not only with Intolerant, but with bands in the Philippines in general, mainly because a lot of us musicians can’t really afford to live off the band thing alone.
ME: The album mellows out a bit on the closing track, “Abandoned,” and suddenly there’s all this laughter at the ending. What is Russell singing about on this song? I’d have to say it’s the best on the album. Well, that’s just my opinion.
I: Yeah, “Abandoned” is pretty trippy, I must say. It was actually intended to be some sort of a joke, something we took lightheartedly and didn’t really nitpick down to the last detail. But it did end up with a certain charm, and it was fun recording the damn thing, which was literally a guitar fest between all the band members, and again, our buddy Frey. All of us play guitar, so we just went for it. I guess a lot of people can relate to it because it was both fun to make, and well, it shows a different side of the band that’s not too left field.
ME: There’s a nice bonus track near the end of the album’s running time. Now what is that about?
I: “Shift” was actually the first-ever Intolerant song. We wrote that song when were still a three piece (sans Mic Gallegos, bass), and we rehearsed and jammed on it for literally a year, when we were still trying to figure out the direction of the band. Anyway, so we had that, then we contributed it for a bunch of compilations and other projects prior to the album’s release. So when we released “Reasons For Unrest” we figured there’d be no harm in including it as a bonus track because it sounded really different from most of the material and the recording was still a bit different. So instead of fucking up the continuity of the entire album, we figured it’d be a cool hidden bonus track.
ME: Can you tell us about the songs that didn’t make it onto the record? Are there any?
I: Well, not really songs, but there were a lot of riffs that didn’t make it on the record, especially between Russ and I. We are actually working on a lot of them now, and it’s pretty exciting. They’re as angry as ever, a lot more potent since they enjoyed the luxury of time and are ripening into songs now.
ME: Among specific circles in the local music scene, your singer Russell is known for his involvement with the thrash band Skychurch. When did Skychurch end and Intolerant begin?
I: Skychurch never really ended, it’s just inactive at the moment. Skychurch will always be about the three Dela Cruz brothers from hell (Russell, Robert and Rommell) and I was really proud of my tenure in that band. But about two or two and a half years ago, me and Russ were already coming up with a lot of music that didn’t necessarily fit the vein of what Skychurch was doing, so we figured it’d be cool to put together Intolerant. Not that Skychurch was limiting itself, but Skychurch was already an institution and had an identity, which is already loved by the fans, so we didn’t want to compromise that or anything with something left-of-center. We still do the Skychurch thing every now and then, but Intolerant is more of who we are now as individuals than as a group.
ME: You got some choice shows under your belts. You’ve played in Hong Kong with Shepherds the Weak, opened for Shadows Fall, and become regulars on the yearly Summer Slam festival in Manila. But you got fucked on the way to an out-of-town gig recently. Says in your blog you got into a spat with a local airline. Can you elaborate on this?
I: Basically, the airline overbooked flights since it was tourist season and it was the annual Sinulog* Festival. They gave away our seats even though we booked and paid for everything in advance, and refused to compensate us for their stupidity. We were there at the airport right on the dot, but you know how the Philippines can be. We missed a great show and opportunity, but it’s not the end of the world for us. We’re hungrier than ever to play shows out of town and out of the country, which is pretty much what 2009 is all about.
*A music festival held in the southern Philippines.
ME: I’m not sure if it’s Pepo Gohu or Mic Gallegos who told me this, but according to them all Intolerant has achieved so far was the sum of so many baby steps. How many baby steps did it take from day one to bring Intolerant where it is now?
I: A lot of baby steps! From figuring out the simplest details as to who-would-do-what in the band, up to the band’s name, and until now, the direction of the music, booking the gigs and basically making sure the Intolerant machine is up and running. Though we are aware that we do need some sort of guidance sometimes, we prefer to work at it ourselves. There’s nothing more rewarding than being able to pull off shit on our own. We work better that way.
ME: Is any member of the band seriously into video games? I must admit I’m a sucker for first-person shooters. Or are you guys just too old?
I: Well for Russ, it was a phase more or less, “God of War” was written when he bought a Playstation for his son and ended up tripping out to God of War the game. Mic’s probably the biggest gamer in the band, and me, well, I’m just really into my PSP and occasionally trip out with a bunch of buddies on the new Playstation 3 at home. If you’re asking if we’re computer geeks, I’d say most of us aren’t. Except for Mic, that’s his thing, sort of.
ME: How about cars?
I: I like cars but not enough to know shit about them. I just know I want one. Russ and Pepo are the guys you’d want to talk shop with when it comes to the perfect set of wheels.
ME: Gear? You know, effects and amps? What kind of musical hardware do you keep at home?
I: I used to own a lot of shit, a lot of analog stomp boxes and even though I hated ‘em, a lot of multi-effects pedals and hardware, which I didn’t really buy but was fortunate enough to own because of my work. But I did a lot of downgrading as soon as the gigs started to really come in, because there’s nothing I hate more than having to carry so much shit and setup all these pedals and whatever. That, to me, makes my job harder. All I need right now is a great guitar and a great amp. I prefer to plug in direct, and don’t really need anything else except a Boss noise suppressor. Amp distortion is still the best sounding distortion, and it’s all I need to rip, be it at home or onstage. Less is definitely more.
ME: What pays the bills for each of you?
I: I work as Editor-In-Chief for PULP Magazine, the biggest monthly music publication in the Philippines. PULP also puts together all these big, amazing shows. As most people know, we do the annual PULP Summer Slam which is a rock mecca of sorts with an annual attendance of 35,000 rabid music fans, and we’ve brought in acts like Death Angel, Shadows Fall, Darkest Hour and even groups outside the genre like Thursday.
ME: Who turned you on to Megadeth?
I: Myself. I was a big Metallica fan originally, but then as I grew older I started hearing all these stories about how there was a Dave Mustaine who was the original lead guitarist and how he got kicked out and shit, so I did more research and listened to their shit. Pretty cool band, even to this day.
ME: What would you want the metal scene in the Philippines to be like as opposed to how it actually is?
I: First of all, I’d like to see a lot of the bands given more opportunities and for a lot bands to surface. Honestly, I think that there are so many great metal bands especially in the RP (Republic of the Philippines) since Filipinos are generally great musicians, as most everybody in the world knows. Also, I think it’d be great if all the trash talking and narrow-mindedness would be left to the amateurs and the morons. It’s a small scene enough as it is, we’ve all got to band together and really push for the growth and flourishing of the scene, because I’d hate to see all the talent and potential go to waste. There’s a way of getting the message across without compromising what you stand for, contrary to popular belief. More can be accomplished with an open mind and a sincere drive, rather than a mouth that won’t stop yakking.
ME: Are you already thinking about the next record?
I: Yep, we are very excited about the new songs we are putting together. We are really pumped for the next one and we promise it’ll really show in the new material. It’s going to be faster, meaner, better than ever - if we may predict. We’ve learned a lot and we’ve met so many great people who teach us something new everyday, so we’re going to utilize all that and come up with a product that again, will make both us and the people who support us, proud.
ME: Mucho thanks for being so cool to us Intolerant. For all the people out there curious about your music, which songs from “Reasons for Unrest” would you recommend they listen to ASAP?
I: “Blunt Force Trauma,” because it has a little of everything in it, as with “Death Toll Rising,” which showcases the vintage Intolerant approach. But “Clenched Fist” and “Reasons For Unrest” are actually starting to really grow on me, just because they’re really fucking hostile; tracks perfect for both listening pleasure and as a soundtrack when you’re in the pit, trying to kill the guy next to you. Nothing beats that, it’s the best feeling in the world, and I’m glad we sort of made a soundtrack to that.
Check out Intolerant at www.myspace.com/intolerantmetal
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