The street metal trio, Electric Vengeance, are a fixture of the local metal scene. Formed in 2007, the band has released an EP and two full-length albums, but are currently set to unleash their latest EP, Stories of Greed, Sex, and Murder. Merging the sounds of hardcore punk, thrash metal, and classic heavy metal, with the lyrical sensibilities of a complete lunatic, Electric Vengeance has carved their niche into the forearm of the Dallas metal scene.
The new EP consists of six tracks that will leave you with that particular afterglow of waking up in a roadside ditch covered in blood, booze, and other sundry items. Which is another way of saying, these new songs are a shit-ton of fun. Greed, sex, and murder are not just lyrical themes, but a delicate ecosystem in which each part influences the other. Serial killers, scorned lovers, and a hyperactive libido play together in a curious world animated by scorching guitars and pummeling drums. Sure, if you’ve got some anger simmering inside you, these songs will provide a vicarious release. But, if you simply yearn for top-notch crossover thrash as part of your regular diet, Stories of Greed, Sex, and Murder will provide sustenance. Stay tuned for our complete review of the EP, but in the meantime this interview with guitarist/vocalist Bran Damage will give you some insight into the insanity.
The release show is this Saturday (9/28) at Reno’s in Deep Ellum (Facebook Event Page).
First, some background: When were these songs written? Where did you record them?
Bran Damage: Most of the songs on the album were written within the last year or two. “Whorizontal Refreshment” and “Angel of Dirt” were completed in 2017. “Blood Spatter Redecorator,” “Combo Breaker,” and “Slaughter Thy Neighbor” were completed in 2018. “Holmes Made a Killing” is a song that we brought back from the dead. It was written in late 2006.
We recorded Stories of Greed, Sex, and Murder with Casey Di Iorio at Valve Studios in Dallas. He engineered, mixed, and mastered the EP. We have recorded our last three albums at Valve Studios and have had a great experience every time. Casey has worked with musicians such as Andre 3000 of OutKast, Tom Araya of Slayer, Bowling For Soup, The Polyphonic Spree, and R. Kelly just to name a few. We highly recommend Valve Studios.
Musically, is it possible that this is the most hardcore Electric Vengeance release yet?
Bran Damage: I think that this is our most punk rock release yet. It has elements of thrash metal, crossover, grind, and NWOBHM all throughout; but, its backbone is definitely more punk-driven than our other releases.
Lyrically, is it possible that this is the most depraved Electric Vengeance release yet?
Bran Damage: I would say, lyrically, it’s our most perverted release so far.
Serial killers and true crime stories are pretty hip lately. Ted Bundy has gotten a lot of attention recently. You guys wrote about a somewhat lesser-known guy, H.H. Holmes. What inspired you to write about him for the song “Holmes Made a Killing?”
Bran Damage: As far back as I can remember (Henry Hill’s voice), the band has always been interested in true crime, serial killers, and how a mind can be molded for murder. We grew up watching Unsolved Mysteries on the Lifetime channel, which seemed to sparked our interest in true crime at a young age. In the late 1990’s/early 2000’s, Trey and I discovered the murder metal band Macabre, which also greatly influenced us musically. As I mentioned earlier, “Holmes Made a Killing” was written in 2006 by Trey. I’m not entirely sure how he discovered the Holmes case, but I do know that he took inspiration from a documentary called H. H. Holmes: America’s First Serial Killer and the book Depraved by Harold Schechter. This song is special because not only did Trey write the lyrics to the song, but he wrote all of the guitar riffs, arrangements, and the drums! The same goes for “Beaten to Death for Exercise,” which is on our Homicidal Relapse LP.
“Whorizontal Refreshment” is clearly a love song. When did you guys become a bunch of sissy’s?
Bran Damage: “Whorizontal Refreshment” is definitely about love and stuff. 🖤
“Combo Breaker” has a great anthemic quality to it. I can see this as a big sing-along, fist-pumper for the live set. Has this one been played live, yet?
Bran Damage: Yes, we have played it live a few times before and it’s gotten a good crowd response. We recently released it as a single. Hopefully we’ll get some stage raiders to sing it on stage with us at the CD release show!
“Blood Spatter Redecorator” has some cool tempo changes and more of a classic metal sounding guitar riff. I’d say this is the most atypical song on the EP – in a good way! Can you tell us how this one came to be?
Bran Damage: This is another song that Trey wrote lyrically. He came to practice one day with the title and told us about his idea for the song. In a nutshell, it’s about a man who was strangled and left for dead in a shallow grave by his wife and her new lover. The man survives, claws his way out of the grave, and becomes mercilessly hell-bent on getting his revenge. He enters the house, rips both the wife and her paramour to shreds with a knife, and artfully redecorates the room with their blood. After the redecorating, he then proceeds to eat remnants of their dead flesh as he admires his work. After writing a couple of drafts of the song, Trey gave me a copy of the final lyrics. I took the lyrics home and came up with riffs and an arrangement. I showed the guys the song at practice and we jammed it. We all added in our two cents and finishing touches. Napaulm came up with some dope riffs that made the whole intro. It’s the longest song on the album at 4:30.
You got the finished album back sooner than expected and the release show got moved up to Friday 9/28 as part of the Punk-Metal Alliance Show. What can the fans expect?
Bran Damage: We are very excited to merge the CD release show with the Punk-Metal Alliance show at Reno’s Chop Shop. We will be playing the EP in its entirety along with some oldies as well.
What are your plans for promoting the release? Any out-of-town gigs? Regional tour?
Bran Damage: We have some cool shows lined up in Dallas and Denton to end out the year. We will be playing with DRI at Trees in Deep Ellum on December 5th. We will definitely promote the EP during those shows. We don’t have any out of town gigs set up at the moment, but we hope to get some booked soon – perhaps in Oklahoma City, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston.
