Ladies and gentlemen it is my great pleasure to bring to you my interview with old school death metallers Throat Locust. Bon appetit! What is your full name? Gil - Gilbert Perez Jr.
Alex - Alexander Gregory
Eric - Eric Calvert
Do you have any aliases?Gil - Gil, Gilbert Demise, 6IL
Alex - Alex, A.J., Metal Santa
Eric - Eric, Frost Giant, The Wizard
What bands are you actively involved with?Gil - Throat Locust Filth Embedded Swisher Coffin I started on guitar originally and then slowly trying out everything else like bass, drums, and vocals.
Alex - Just this one currently
Eric - Throat Locust and Switchblade Jesus
What was the first instrument that you played?Gil-I started on guitar originally and then slowly tried out everything else like bass, drums, and vocals.
Alex - Alto Saxophone in the junior high band.
Eric - Viola in Elementary
Tell me about one of your first musical memories?Gil - My first time playing out of town at 17 was in Austin Texas for The Texas Independence Fest pre-party and I've always felt pretty proud of that fact.
Alex - I remember when I was about 4 or 5, I used to carry around one of those Fisher Price Cassette Tape Boomboxes with the Microphones and blast Guns N Roses; Appetite for Destruction at full volume.
Eric - Watching Cliff 'EM All and Heavy Metal on VHS
What was the name of the first band you were in?Gil - The first band I was in that actually played shows and recorded was called Desecrated Remains when I was 17. Nothing too serious before that.
Alex - I was once the vocalist of a local metalcore band called Staring at the Empty Throne. We all had differing ideas of where we wanted to go musically and broke up.
Eric - Negative Animation in middle school with some buddies
Tell me about the genesis of Throat Locust.Gil - Eric had the vision of the band's look and sound while attending knotfest last year. He came up to me after putting the songs together on a rough recording and asked me if I was interested in fronting a death metal band. The rest is history (laughs)
Eric - Yea the idea came about walking around downtown Des Moines the next day, so when I got back Alex and I started working on ideas I had and we really made something rad out of those. Approached Rob and Gil and started blending our ideas together and working tight trying to create some pit stirring music, everyone really put it all into this.
What inspired the name Throat Locust?Gil - Mainly the HM2 Clone pedal by Earthbound Audio but is also a killer band name! (Laughs)
How long did it take you to write and record Dragged Through Glass?Gil - It took about 2 months to finalize the writing process for the record. Recording the songs actually only took about 3 or 4 short sessions though.
Eric - Yea we had to come back and nail out a few adjustments, but it was pretty quick. The longest part was working the songs back and forth until we were really stoked on the songs.
If you could insert yourself into any one band what band would it be and why?Gil - I probably wouldn't wanna be anywhere else than where I'm at with the Throat Locust boys, we are making moves and leaving our own mark on heavy music!
Eric - I'm so happy to be where I am also, Throat Locust is exactly what I wanted in a brutal metal band, this is fun as hell and lucky to be with these guys.
Alex- Not that I could properly support the band as a guitar player but most definitely Carcass. They've been incredibly influential on my guitar playing. I have spent countless nights pouring over their albums and attempting to learn their songs.
Have you ever heard a song and immediately wished you had written it? If so... What was the song and artist?Gil - Honestly anything by Soreption or Necrophagist because it sounds slick as hell and always rips!!
Eric - Man everything from Toke, they're amazing and you should be listening to them.
Do you have any non-metal musical inspirations?Gil - Three Six Mafia is for sure on the top of the list for non metal inspirations. Creedence Clearwater Revival is definitely one of my non metal inspirations as well.
Alex - The Mars Volta, especially their albums Frances the Mute, Amputechture, and the Bedlam in Goliath
Eric - Freddy Gibbs, Wu Tang, Denzel Curry, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Muse, Etta James
What's a non-metal song that you'd like to do a cover of?Gil - It would be pretty cool to cover something by Dire Straits. Sultans Of Swing would sound super rad as a metal song.
Eric - The guys thought I was joking and maybe I was at first but Alanis Morissette's You Oughta Know...if not us Baptists should do it (laughs)
What band have you played with that has really impressed you with their live show?Gil - Peeling Flesh, Synapse Defect, Singularity, Vale Of Pnath, and Stabbing are all a blast to see live. Check them out live if you get the opportunity!
Eric - Eyehategod, Behemoth, Mothership, Weedeater, Goatwhore, Gwar (played with Switchblade Jesus)
Do you have a favorite venue to play at?Gil - Boozerz in Corpus Christi Texas. They always treat us like family over there. They're definitely the home for most metal shows that come through CCTX.
Eric - Lost Well in Austin Texas is definitely a favorite of mine and House of Rock in Corpus has always been good to me and others in town
Do you have a pre-show ritual?Gil - Smoke a joint and drink a beer. That's been doing the trick for years (laughs).
Eric - Same (laughs)
Alex - I will make my way to the bar and down club soda with lime until we play while watching the opening acts. My stage fright is quite real and drinking before playing makes me vomit.
What is your favorite thing about touring?Gil - Seeing new places, playing new venues, and meeting new people who will hopefully dig our tunes!
Eric - All the new buddies and meeting new people. I love meeting my internet buddies in real life, but wish we had more time to hang out.
What is your least favorite thing about touring?Gil - I think the worst part of touring is when unfortunate events happen such as an accident, broken transmission, or flat tire. That's just a small complaint though. I love being on the road
Is there a city that you love to hit while on tour?Gil - Las Vegas is for sure on the bucket list!
Eric - Yea let's get to Vegas this year! Someone tell Psycho Las Vegas we're looking for them (laughs)
What's the weirdest experience you've had on the road?Gil - Having to stay in Idaho for 3 days while they fixed our van. That was a pretty weird experience.
Eric - The random gas stops are always a trip, but the stops in Arizona are brutal, it's like a whole other hot as hell kinda world
The year is 2010. Where are you at and what are you listening to?Gil - I'd be in 8th grade jamming Whitechapel and Suicide Silence
Eric - That's when me and my buddies started Switchblade and it was a lot of Sleep, Black Cobra, Kylesa, Mastodon, Baroness and a lot of Relapse Records.
What advice would you give young musicians that are just starting out in the music business?Gil - Don't stop and keep grinding no matter what!
Alex - Focus on writing killer songs, if you choose to play for free be sure you make money from merch, and make friends with the bands you play with.
What is an absolute band killer?Gil - Ego is always a factor in that kind of thing.
Eric - That and hard drugs, both will sink bands for sure.
Have you ever recorded a song that you really didn't like, but somebody else in the band really did?Gil - Not really, I'm pretty open to all kinds of music so as long as it flows then it goes.
Eric - I'm the same, all killer no filler and everyone just needs to have good communication
If you were to start your own music festival what would be the name of that festival and who would be the three headlining bands?Gil - GilFest would probably be the name (laughs). The headliners would be Visceral Disgorge, Thy Art Is Murder, and Dying Fetus
Eric - I'm down for that one! (laughs)
What's the longest time you've gone without bathing?Gil - Probably 3 days. That's one thing about being on the road, you better shower whenever you get the chance cause nobody knows when the next one is (laughs).
Alex - As a crusty teenager I once went two weeks without bathing. Never, ever again.
Eric - I'd say a week when on the road, but you have to keep your live clothes separate from your day clothes and you'll be good.
What's one thing that most people don't know about you?Gil - I love skateboarding and playing pool
Eric - I make toys under the name Lazy Sunday Designs
Is the Fistful of DOOM show in the top 10 of your favorite music podcasts?Gil - I don't listen to many podcasts but Fistful of DOOM is definitely a must for all podcast and metal lovers alike!
Eric - You're damn right it is!
Do unicorns sleep standing up?Gil - I would imagine they sleep like horses (laughs).
Eric - I like that answer
You're driving cross-country and you can only listen to one album the whole time. What album will it be?Gil - Fit For An Autopsy - Hellbound Banger after banger on that LP
Alex - Tears for Fears - Songs from the Big Chair
Eric - Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill to convince the guys about that cover (laughs)
You are writing a book about your life thus far. What is the title of that book?Gil - I feel like I'd just name my book "Gilly" if I had an autobiography.
Eric - " Life; The Extended Drawn Out Version"
What is your favorite song by Taylor Swift?Gil - Honestly don't really know the names but the riffs ain't half bad
Eric - What? All of them you heathen.
Slipknot or Rammstein (if you had to choose)?Gil - Slipknot because they have that heavier/ crazier style that influenced me as a child getting into metal.
Eric - Slipknot 1000%
Doobies or Boobies (if you had to pick one)?Gil - Doobies are the way to go man. Nothing beats a blunt of some medical grade to chief on.
Alex - Boobies
Eric - Boobies
Waffles or Pancakes (if you had to pick one)?Gil - Pancakes, waffles could be a little rough sometimes.
Alex - Pancakes
Eric - Pancakes as well!!
Star Wars or Star Trek (if you had to choose)?Gil - Star wars for me. Star Trek has always been sorta boring to me.
Alex - Star Wars
Eric - Star Wars, what kind of question is this...
Favorite band t-shirt you own?Gil - Probably my Sanguisugabogg longsleeve. That thing is clean!
Eric - Uzula is one of my favorites
Favorite meal?Gil - Pizza or any kind of pasta.
Alex - Fried Sushi
Eric - Korean BBQ, stop asking me food questions and making me hungry (laughs)
Favorite book?Gil - Johnny Got His Gun
Eric - Every one of those old Conan books, I read the hell out of those as a kid
Favorite movie?Gil - Half Baked, Tenacious D, Nacho Libre, and the Friday series are some of my favorites.
Eric - Hellraiser is the best, well up to 3...cause then they just get off track. All of those Post Apocalyptic 80's movies, those are the best ever adding Tromaville into that. Also the Alien series is my favorite of all time.
Alex - Mallrats
Favorite album?Gil - Monolith Of Inhumanity by Cattle Decapitation or Sun Eater by Job For A Cowboy
Eric - Pantera's The Great Southern Trendkill will be my end all forever. Those were great times in HS and that album just hits all the spots I love
Favorite video game?Gil- Grand Theft Auto, Guitar Hero, or Smackdown Here Comes The Pain.
Eric- Man that's tough, but SNES games of course. Shadowrun, Contra, Castlevania and Act Raiser always stick out. Oh and Nemo's Dreamland was a fun one.
Favorite Wrestler?The. Ultimate. Fucking. Warrior.
Massive thanks to Throat Locust for taking the time to answer my questions.I appreciate you all.If a savagely good EP sounds like your cup of tea, then you should use the link conveniently provided below and introduce your ears to Throat Locust's brand of old school death metal.The world will be a much better place if you do.~El Pedo Caliente
https://throatlocust.bandcamp.com/album/dragged-through-glass-demo
