Mike Spreitzer - Devildriver

June 20 2009 (Hellfest - Clisson)

It's almost right after their gig that I took some time with DEVILDRIVER's guitarist Mike Spreitzer, to talk a little bit about his feelings of being here, the new album "Pray For Villains" and various questions about the band's philosophy.

Fab : How is your feeling after you show here?
Mike Spreitzer: Very good, the crowd was really into it. It was a lot of fun, I've had a good time playing today. There was a lot of dust spreading everywhere. That was cool.

Fab : Your new album "Pray For Villains" starts with a bone-crushing self-titled song. It's your way of saying "we're back"?
Mike Spreitzer: Yeah, we always try…the first song that we release of an album is to make sure that you get what you want but, yeah, it's definitely one of the most intense song on the record, it's catchy. It's not one of my favourite songs on the record. I love the song, but I'm telling you that there are songs on this album that are way better.

Fab: Which song is your favourite?
Mike Spreitzer: Probably the song called "I've been sober". I spent, I can't tell you how long (it was) writing that song and writing the solo at the end of it. I've been rewriting it, over and over again. And when I got the way I wanted it, I was just like…("I did it" kind of attitude). It's a big accomplishment for me.

Fab: It's fun that you mentioned that song, because I had a question on this one, I love the song, especially the beginning. Could you tell us a little bit about it?
Mike Spreitzer: That's something that we kind of wrote together, the four of us, john, john, jeff (and i). It's actually one of the songs, it's one of the first one we sat for the sake of writing. Every time that we would, you know, go down to my house, in my studio, it's one of the songs that we kept on bringing up, working on little by little, and making changes too. But, the intro was wrote by all of us, I wrote the material for the rest of the song, and then the other guys add them in, but it took a lot of time to finish (laughter). It's definitely musically one of my proudest moments, as far as a song writer, I'm really happy with that one.

Fab: What was your involvement on this album, other than this song?
Mike Spreitzer: One of my involvements has to do with engineering, the pre-production. All the guys, we kind of write the songs on our own, and then, the four of us come down to my house, and start recording in my studio. What happen with the songs is that we hand, we give the cd to Dez (Fafara : Lead Singer) and Dez write the book over. I can tell you a little bit more about the process too, cos' I've been sitting behind a computer for so long. The other guys don't really know how to do recordings but I do, so I'm the guy behind the computer, making the suggestions, arrangements, but I mean, as far as the record as a whole, it's pretty, it's a big group effort, that's not just on person. The drummer (John Boecklin) writes a lot of guitar riffs, he plays a lot of guitars on the record, and the bass player Jon (Miller) does that too. We kind of all come together…if why a lot of songs sound a lot different from another sometimes, because we've got four guitar players in the band, you know. So yeah, it's a big group effort with the writing process.

Fab: About "Pray For Villains, your latest album. Is it a kind of concept album on the celebration of all the rebels and bad-asses?
Mike Spreitzer: Maybe you should ask Dez about that, because he writes all the lyrics. I really don't have that much influence on what he does. That would be a question for him that he would have to answer to, because I don't wanna give you the wrong answer (laughter).

Fab: What were the artistic directions & inspirations for this album?
Mike Spreitzer: Personally, I kind of get away from the way I used to write, I always liked picking in Black Metal style you know, with double-bass during the chorus. I did that once on this record, but there was a song "It's In the Cards" where GOJIRA was a big influence on that one. There's also MASTODON, AMON AMARTH and let's say IN FLAMES who are some of the biggest metal influences to me, in my point.

Fab: The production is once again very good. Tell us about the recording sessions, even if you've mentioned earlier some of the process.
Mike Spreitzer: I don't do the record, I just do the pre-production. Well, there's another thing too is that it saves a lot of time before going to the studio. We did all the music in three weeks I think. I mean, John Boecklin finished the drums in like two and a half, three days. We spend so much time cutting off the fat, off the record before we go to the studio, and I'm lucky enough to be able to have my own studio. So we never really do a pre-production, the songs are like 95% done. All that we have to do, is that we have to record it again. And it takes very much less longer, knowing what you wanna do.

Fab: I saw your title track video directed by Nathan Cox, it's very cinematic and zombie-western oriented. It's very nice, I personally love the end sequence with the card-launching. Who's responsible for the story line?
Mike Spreitzer: Oh yeah, yeah (laughter). I think, some of this has to do with Dez, he's always been into westerns. And I think the rest of us were just for parts ideas from the lyrics for "Pray For Villains". But I'm sure Dez's love for westerns has a graphic play on this idea.

Fab: Was it fun?
Mike Spreitzer: Oh, you know, shooting videos is not the most glamorous thing in the world. I mean, I don't hate doing it, but it's not like "Yes! We're shooting a video". Basically, it's jut being in front of a camera, headbang your head and by the end of the day, your neck feels like it was about to fall off…But, all our videos, we've all done them in one day, so, it's not like we're there for like a week shooting the video. So it's just one day, we hang out, drink some beers, bang your head around, just wait for your turn and that's it. Nathan gets what he needs, and he takes it back to the editor.

Fab: You've been nominated for the Hammer Golden Gods 2009 for best live band. A comment about this?
Mike Spreitzer: Oh, we didn't win, but (laughter) which I was pretty sure is gonna happen, you know what I mean 'SLIPKNOT' Nine guys in the band and one of the best live band on the face of the earth…It's hard to come close when you go against a band with nine dudes. But it was very cool that we've been nominated again, and the highlight for us is when we play the show: that was very cool, we've got really good response. That was probably one of the most nerve-wracking show that I have ever had, because you know, it was all televised, we only had three songs, the guys from MACHINE HEAD were watching, too many people to name, it's a little bit intimidating. But I think it went very well. I didn't see the performance yet, but we were happy when we get off (the stage).

Fab: And it was not especially your own audience.
Mike Spreitzer: Yeah. But, usually the first couple of rows are. Our fans will fight their way to the front. But it was good, I was happy.

Fab: Apparently, as I read press articles, you're competing for the biggest circle pit with LAMB OF GOD as some magazines are claiming that is you, and other press people, them. What do you think about that?
Mike Spreitzer: (laughter) Really? They're really good friends of ours, we've toured with LAMB OF GOD more than we tour with any other band. No need for competition.

Fab: Are you still gonna stay away from the "clean voice/grow voice" recipe used by a lot of metal bands?
Mike Spreitzer: We're never really going to embrace this, I don't think Dez has an interest in doing that, I mean there's just a little bit on "I've been sober". But I don't ever see us having a like a chorus or anything like that with clean vocals, I don't think that's what our fans want. That's one of the reason why they're listening to us. I can't imagine Randy (Blythe: Lead Vocals) from LAMB OF GOD doing that, it wouldn't sound right. We've got something that works, and we're going to stick with it.

Fab: What's your plans for the next future?
Mike Spreitzer: We've got about two more weeks in Europe, and then we go home for two weeks, and then start another tour in the States "Trash & Burn". And we're coming back in Europe in October (ndlr: 27 Octobre à la Loco) with Behemoth and I think Scar Symmetry. I believe that after that, we're going to Australia in December I think. So, another tour with LAMB OF GOD (laughter). It's like the 8th time we tour with them, I love those dudes.

Fab: As it will be a club show in Paris, do you prefer to play in clubs or in festivals like this one? As a musician.
Mike Spreitzer: I like to do both, I like to mix it up. It's cool when you're in front of a lot of people, and it's good to do, like you said, more intimate shows. I don't prefer one or the other. To tell you the truth, I'm far less nervous for these shows (in festival, in front or larger audience) than for headlining shows where every body knows your music so well, and if you little mess up, they're going to hear it. A lot of people here (in festivals) will hear us for the first time, so they won't notice us (doing a mistake). So, I guess I stress myself a little bit more when headlining. But festivals are fun because you wanna build a bigger fan base, and if you can tell by the end of the show if you won them over or not. But it's that we usually do.

Fab: A last word for the readers of Bspix?
Mike Spreitzer: New record, "Pray For Villains", release date July 14th, if you like our three last records, I can guarantee you will love this one. We worked really hard on this record. Hope everybody likes it.