- Hello, Jamie! Back in 1991, could you recall why did you decide to create a Death Metal band? When did you start learning to play the guitar and how did you come up with composing metal riffs? - Dana and I had always wanted to be in a band together so we decided to put an ad out in a local music rag. We put in the ad that we were seeking a vocalist, bass player and drummer to start an all female metal band. We thought it would be cool to have an all female metal band because there weren't many around. After a few failed auditions I got a call from Robin. She said that she played bass and sang and her friend Lisa played drums and they had a warehouse. Dana and I loaded up my truck and headed out to meet them and Demonomacy was born. I have had a love for music since I was very little and became very interested in playing guitar around the age of 10. I am self taught so I can't read or write music. I would come up with metal riffs and drum beats in my head and Lisa (drummer) and I would make them come to life. - The first Demonomacy demo was recorded at Morrisound studio. What was this experience like? That recording session, was it your first time? - Recording at Morrisound was a great experience. It was the first time that any of us had been in a big recording studio. We knew that Morrisound Studios was "the place" for death metal bands to record so we were very excited. - What were your feelings and thoughts when you finally got your first copies? Do you still have any of them left? - When we finished the demo and heard it for the first time I honestly have to say that I was surprised by how it sounded. It did not sound like anything I ever heard that came out of Morrisound Studios. It sounded more like something we produced ourselves in our warehouse with a tape recorder and a practice amp! I think the reason we never said anything to anyone about the production is because we were new to all of this and we didn't want to burn any bridges so to speak. We didn't want to give off the impression that we were a bunch of whiny little spoiled bitches who complained and threw tantrums when we didn't like something or didn't get our way. So we just went with it and hoped for the best. When I listen to Life of Anguish now, I shake my head in disbelief that we actually released that demo sounding the way it did. But hey, we had only been playing together for a few months when we recorded it and we were new to the whole thing so at least we knew what to do and what not to do when it was time to record our next demo. I am definitely grateful for the experience! Unfortunately, I do not have any of the original copies of the demo. I don't know if any of the other members have a copy but I'm sure there's one floating around out there somewhere! If so, and you just happen to be reading this, I would love to have a copy of Life of Anguish and Chaos Incarnated with the original cover!! Just thought I'd ask. Haha!! - Why did Robin Mazen leave the band? Did you try to find a replacement? And how did Dana decide to become the lead singer? - Robin was asked to leave the band for personal reasons. We auditioned a few people after she left but honestly it was hard to fill her shoes. We had a warehouse in the same bay as Malevolent Creation so we all used to hang out a lot. One night we had an audition scheduled and this old lady shows up. I thought she was lost or something but said she was here for the audition. So she comes in and pulls her bass out and it had peace signs and smiley face stickers all over it! Right then I knew this wasn't going to work out. Phil Fasciana (Guitarist for Malevolent Creation) came over and said, "Who's mom is that?" and we all busted out laughing!!! I honestly don't even know if the lady was good or not cause I was too busy laughing so needless to say she didn't make the cut. We decided to continue on as a three piece and just tune our guitars lower and if a bass player comes along that's fine, if not that's fine too. We all came to a mutual decision to replace Robin with Dana on vocals before Robin even left the band. I always thought Dana should be the vocalist for our band because she had that classic death metal style and didn't use or need any effects to make her voice deeper. Putting Dana on vocals was the best decision Demonomacy ever made. - In 1992, already as a trio, you entered the studio to record another demo, "Chaos Incarnated". This time the music became more brutal and aggressive. Was it due to the change of vocals or was it a natural evolution of your play-style? - When Dana and I came to audition Robin and Lisa had already came up with the name Demonomacy and had the songs written that are on our first demo. Personally I didn't like the songs much but we all clicked immediately so it felt right. After the recording of Life of Anguish, we started to become more serious about our music and that's when the changes within the band were made. We revamped all of our songs and we grew closer personally and musically. Robin left shortly after and by the time we were ready to record our second demo Chaos Incarnated our music had changed from Doom Metal to a more hardcore and aggressive style. It was definitely due to the change in vocals and the fact that we wanted to write music that would create a ton of energy and not just have people standing around staring at each other during our live shows! - Did you try to find any label? What was the feedback on your latest material? - We were always hoping that a label would pick us up but unfortunately it didn't happen for us. I think that we would've been signed eventually had the band stayed together. We were actually in the process of mixing our third demo when we split up. I strongly believe if we had released that demo, a label would've picked us up. Anyways, the feedback we received from the Chaos Incarnated demo was amazing! That demo is what put us on the map and created a huge fan base. The reviews of the demo always had two things in common: one being that they thought the music was original and brutal and the other was they couldn't believe we were girls especially when they talked about Dana's vocals! - You did several concerts together with Cannibal Corpse, Obituary, Decide. How was it to be in one company with those guys? Did you like playing live shows? What was the usual reaction when people saw a band of girls playing Brutal Death Metal? - The first time we played with those bands was at the Milwaukee Metal Fest in 1992. It was like a dream come true for all of us. They were all very nice and supportive of what we were doing. We had a great time hanging out with them and we respected each other as musicians. I got such a rush playing live shows especially after we made the much needed changes in the band. I know that people would come to our shows just to see chicks play death metal but after a while they would not only come for that reason but because they liked our music and saw that we could actually play our fucking instruments and we could be just as brutal as the guys!! We weren't some gimmick and we wanted to be taken seriously and I'm happy to say that we got the respect that we greatly deserved. - So, why did you actually split up? - When you asked me if I would mind doing an interview with you I have to say that I was hesitant at first because I knew that this question would be asked. I don't want you or anyone else that is reading this interview to feel like they were cheated out of an honest answer if I just said that Demonomacy split up because of personal problems and musical differences. That would be a very vague and lame answer! My dream since I was a kid was to play guitar in a band and I can happily say that I accomplished that dream. Not many people can say that so I'm pretty lucky. Demonomacy was my fucking life and I was living the dream! What comes along with being in a band is a lot of partying from sun up to sun down. I started drinking a lot because it was the thing to do and plus we got free drinks all night at every venue we played at. I would get drunk before our shows and if something went wrong, like a string breaking on my guitar for example, I would throw my guitar across the stage and start breaking shit and just leave right in the middle of our set. Towards the end we all started hanging out in different crowds and weren't as tight of a unit as we used to be. I became friends with the bass player of a very well known local band here in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and he was a heroin addict. To make a long story short, I tried it and have been struggling with a heroin addiction for the past 20 years. Drugs eventually became more important than the band so we came to a mutual decision to split up and that none of us would continue playing under the name Demonomacy ever again. I gave up my dream because it was interfering with my drug addiction. - The band has been inactive for more than 20 years now, but are you still staying in touch with other members? Is there any possibility for your reunion? Maybe even for a new album from Demonomacy? - Sadly nobody seems to know where Dana's whereabouts are. I've been trying to locate her for many years now but no luck. Robin, Lisa and I are all Facebook friends and check in with each other from time to time. Robin and I are both administrators for the Demonomacy page on Facebook so we control that together. People say that anything is possible but I don't see any possibility of there being a Demonomacy reunion or an album! - Thank you, Jamie. Would you like to say anything in the end of this interview? - First and foremost I would like to thank you for your interest in doing an interview with me and for keeping Demonomacy's legacy alive. I would also like to add in case anyone is interested, that I have been clean now for quite a while and I'm enjoying my life and still and always will be a hardcore death metal fan!! Check out and like our Demonomacy page on Facebook!! Thanks again \m/ |