Turrigenous: Prog-Thrash That Has What It Takes

Turrigenous: (left to right: Mark Dara, drums; Greg Giordano, vocals and guitars; Tony Caravella, bass; John Vullo, guitars)
Once you listen to the New York band Turrigenous, you will be impressed with their technical acuity as much as their heavy metal intensity. And their recently released EP, A Slight Amplification emphasizes the technical and thrash elements of the band perfectly.

The band is currently looking for a news bassist, as their bassist for many years, Tony Caravella, has left the band for personal reasons.

Powerline A.D. spoke to guitarist John Vullo and guitarist/vocalist Greg Giordano about the future of the band:

POWERLINE A.D.: How did you come about the name Turrigenous?
Greg: I wanted a band name that meant basically nothing except what it is — our band. I feel like it leaves a lot more to the imagination, and whatever the listener thinks of our sound can inform their impression of the name. If we were called "Dynamic Razor," people might end up thinking about their shaving routine or something.

POWERLINE A.D.: As a hard-working New York band, are you excited or disappointed with the NY music scene?
John: Both. It seems that most people have sort of 'given up' on local music which is a shame since there are some really great bands out there. Times are different from the 80s when going out and seeing new music was a thing to do. Now, its much more difficult, with so many more bands and the area being really over-saturated with venues to go to, but at the same time, with those number of bands, tells me that its still there and ready to break through, as long as its listeners are willing to give it a shot.

Greg: I agree, both. Some NYC bands we've played with like Hung and Martyrd are out there gigging with tons of heart and coming up with great material, and seeing those guys do it helps us keep going. But it's really hard to get any traction in New York. Also, there is a PAINFUL lack of all-ages venues, and you're lucky if you can even find an 18-and-over show.

POWERLINE A.D.: I've read that the band is known as very "technical," or called Gear heads, how do you describe that?
John: I wouldn't say our stuff is technical. Some parts are difficult but they're really just songs and progressions, and we don’t even write a lot of solos! There are some real awesome technical bands out there, like Necrophagist, who I love but think we sound almost nothing like. As for "Gear Heads", the drummer and I worked and met in a music store, so I think we just have a love and appreciation for good instruments when we see/play one.

Greg: We have some technical passages, but we try to always use them to a musical end. A lot of our music is actually story-driven, so the main focus is the overall impact, regardless of whether it's technical. And I'm not really a Gear Head, I just know what equipment I like.

POWERLINE A.D.: Recently, your bassist Tony Caravella notified the band that he will be
leaving due to work-related issues. Can you explain?

Greg: Tony is incredibly talented and a great friend; we're sorry to lose him. He's been on the metal scene in NYC for a while, and his priorities have just shifted. Unfortunately at this point, playing metal doesn't offer the income and job security that we would love.

POWERLINE A.D.: How long will he remain with the band if you do not find a replacement
right away?

John: We're not really sure. We're not booking many shows for now but he doesn't have a deadline or anything so we might have some shows lined up with him. So we're just trying to find someone so we can really continue.

POWERLINE A.D.: What are you looking for in a new bassist?
John: Just someone solid that can really groove with Mark. And they have to be like family. We're all very close. One’s talent doesn’t mean much to me if you have an ego.

Greg: But also ability to read music and backing vocals are a plus!

POWERLINE A.D.: Do you embrace the tag of Prog Metal? Would you rather be called Thrash
Metal? Or do labels restrict a band's creativity?
John: Partially. It’s hard to say. The only time you really need a “label” is if someone asks you what your band sounds like, generally, if you don’t have anything to show them.

Greg: I can't speak for what genre-labeling does to other bands, but I don't care what people call us as long as they give our music a shot. We can be called funk/reggae if it will get people to listen and enjoy. People try to invent a new sub-genre to describe every metal band that comes out - if it's at all heavy I usually think of it as metal, and that's about it.

POWERLINE A.D.: Do you think Prog Rock and/or Prog Metal gets enough recognition? IS it too
demanding for some listeners?
John: It’s not demanding for listeners if it’s done right, in my opinion. It CAN be. It’s a hard balance that I feel its one of our strong points. We can play all these crazy things and the average listener might not pick up, but still enjoy the song, regardless they know the key changes or the time signature goes from 6/8 to 7/8.

Greg: I think ALL of metal doesn't get enough recognition, especially in the US. For years all I caught in mass-media about metal consisted of caricatures of either 80's glam or how "evil" the more brutal stuff is. A huge percentage of people are left with no idea that metal offers such an incredible variety, both in tonality and in textures. And I’m sure I’m not the only metal fan out there that’s turned off radio and “music” on TV in favor of my CD player and iPod.

POWERLINE A.D.: On your bio you describe Turrigenous as striving "to give the listener something more; to express a range of human emotion through music that employs both abrasive dissonance and accessible consonance, which some describe as "dynamic" metal." What is the difference between Prog Metal and Dynamic Metal?
Greg: "Dynamic" means basically energetic, but in musical terms it refers to loudness or softness, and that relates to all the other aspects of musical expression. Music amazes me every day, and as a band we try to use everything we can to achieve a sound that both reaches people on an emotional level and gives them more than they may have expected. It's a lofty goal, and I don't have the perspective to know if we're even close to it, but that's the idea behind being "dynamic."
I think “Progressive” has unfortunately come to mean a really particular sound. If I mention 70’s Prog Rock, that can be anything from bands like Yes and Rush to Jethro Tull to Gentle Giant to Genesis to Kansas, etc. John and I even consider the Beatles to be progressive in a very literal sense. Somewhere along the line in the insane push to create a sub-genre for everything, the word started referring to bands with a particular sound (I happen to love a few of those bands). But I think Opeth, Cacophony, and Tool are progressive even though they sound completely different from one another and lack keyboards and operatic vocals. Even a band like Nirvana is progressive in some ways.
Our aim in using “Dynamic” as opposed to “Progressive” isn’t to try and create a new genre, but to simply describe our own approach to metal.

POWERLINE A.D.: Your influences are vast... which is a healthy thing.
John: Unfortunately, I think most people today use the word influence instead of 'ripped off'. Anyway, I started playing guitar listening to the Beatles, who I still love. From there, it was Nirvana for a long time. I always seem to dig bands that were different, or did something first. Now, since I dont really contribute in writing, I wouldnt say theres anything that particuarly influences me on my writing. But I really enjoy bands like Opeth, Meshuggah, Necrophagist, Cacophony, Megadeth. I dont lisen to much metal, or guitar players, and even with that I dont even know a lot of their songs, just their vibe and way to approach a solo. Guys like Frank Gambale, Shawn Lane, Allan Holdsworth, Marty Friedman, Jason Becker and others. Most of the time I just use my theory geekery to figure out what sounds cool haha. Greg has also turned me on to different bands I would have never gave a chance, like Angra/Kiko Loueiro, who really has got my respect. If you haven't heard of Kiko, and you're a guitar player, I STRONGLY suggest checking out No Gravity! Insane technique, phrasing and versitilty in other genres, and I never would have known since I dont listen to "Power Metal".

Greg: Jethro Tull, Pain of Salvation, Angra, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Dream Theater, Sonata Arctica, Queensryche, Darkane, and much more. Lots of 70's prog and 80's Thrash too. For vocals, definately Ian Anderson. Also we feel a big part of our sound comes from the drums, so I think its real important to say that our drummer Mark, is very influenced by Dave Lombardo, Mike Portnoy, John Bonham, Nicko McBrain, and Steve Gadd primarily, as well as a whole bunch of other excellent drummers.

POWERLINE A.D.: What songs are you most proud of?
John: I would say “Emptiness, Darkness, Acceptance” connects more with people. It made ME join the band! But I would say for me, a new song called “For the Neverborn,” perhaps Penance.

Greg: Actually, I'd also say I'm the proudest of “Emptiness, Darkness, Acceptance.” It's one of our songs that impacts a crowd the most – as we were playing it one night I could see all these people sitting around who'd never heard of us before getting totally absorbed and then actually moved to their feet by the end. But it's not my favorite song of ours - that one we have yet to perform or record.

POWERLINE A.D.: A Slight Amplification is a strong effort. Why an EP instead of a full length?
Greg: Thanks! A full length is coming, but we are at the moment unsigned. We're not sure if we want to put it out entirely ourselves or not, but most likely not.

POWERLINE A.D.: Do you constantly write new material?
John: I don’t write a lot, if at all. I feel much happier contributing parts here and there to help make the song unique, work more as a whole, or just working on parts given to me by Greg.

Greg: No way. I write music in violent, lurching fits and starts, but on a somewhat predictable cycle. I don't know how people constantly write music - they must be very balanced. I spend the interim learning more about music and the world, and hopefully becoming better at writing when I finally do it.

POWERLINE A.D.: When can fans expect a full-length now?
Greg: Sometime next year. The music is all written, we just need to decide exactly how we're going to go about doing this one. Until then, the only way to hear it is live. So far we've performed it in it's entirety from beginning to end twice, with no more scheduled at the moment but it will definitely happen again. It's called "The Dream & the Resonance."

Interview by Pat Prince

www.myspace.com/turrigenous