Midnite Hellion: All Things Heavy Metal

We're here to chat about straight up heavy metal, drummers and dream-come-true fests with Drew Rizzo, drummer of Midnite Hellion 

 PG: Hey Happy New Years, Hellions!  Do you have any band resolutions for this year?  Did you make any personal resolutions?

MH:  Happy New Year to you too, Lindsey, and to all at Scrapyard Magazine!  Band resolutions include playing more often and in front of bigger masses, and upon release of our full-length, we hope to travel to the other side of the pond for touring!  My personal resolutions are to actually stick with a diet and exercise plan so I can get healthier and to keep the Hellion fire burning even stronger!

PG: You recently released a single Hour of the Wolf.  How has that been received? 

MH:  Most excellent!  In conjunction with our record label, Witches Brew, and our PR company, Clawhammer PR, we have all been able to get the release to a much larger audience than ever before.  Nearly everybody who has heard the new single has only praised it, and sales have been beyond our expectations.  The first week alone moved about 20% of the stock, having now largely tapped into the Japanese market, which has been relatively small for us in the past, with significantly increased European and US sales as well.  We just can’t wait to get to reconnect with all of our current supporters, meet all of our new supporters face to face, and deliver the goods to all of them live!

PG: How would you describe your sound?

MH:  All things Heavy Metal!  I’d say our sound features a strong foundation of Traditional Heavy Metal with a healthy mixture of Thrash Metal and Speed Metal on top with a light dusting of early Death Metal.  Honestly, when we write, we do not scrap any idea just because it does not fit within certain confines, and all of us listen to a very diverse catalogue of music in general, even outside of the Metal realm.  I feel that our variety of influences shine within each song one way or another.

PG: It seems like you’ve had a line-up change between recordings.  What do your new singer, PJ and your new guitarist, Nick bring to the table?

MH:  PJ executes the songs the way they should have always sounded, having brought the elements of style, class, and versatility to the helm.  As PJ is also rooted more in the older styling of Metal, her vocals add the right touch to the music, making it more of a cohesive package.  We got very lucky with Nick, as he’s not only a quick learner and has maximum adaptability, but he also adds his own signature stamp to everything he does.  While he also loves Metal from the glory days, he is more in-tune with the modern bands on the Metal scene than we are, so it is refreshing to have that approach coming in to blend with the old.  Both are writers as well, so we are able to keep with the consistency of all five members contributing to both the musical and lyrical writing process.

PG: Also saw you guys are playing Ragnarökkr Metal Apocalypse Festival, which is awesome! How did that happen?  Are you looking forward to sharing the stage with any bands in particular? 

MH:  Hell yes, this show is beyond our wildest dreams!  One of the organizers, Bob Byrne, and I have been in touch since the end of 2012, as we were attempting to participate in the 2013 edition of the festival.  Due to lineup issues at that time, we were unfortunately unable to confirm.  We secured both Nick and PJ when they were booking for the 2014 edition, so I got in touch with Bob and he invited us to participate!  I’m looking forward to sharing the stage with all of the bands, but most of all are Hallows Eve and especially Grim Reaper.  Both have been favorites since I was a kid, and I never thought that the Reaper would ever tour the States again, as they last appeared over here in 1987, so three dreams are coming true that weekend for me.  First is playing Chicago, second is opening for Grim Reaper, and third is actually seeing Grim Reaper live!!

PG: You and I met on the 70K Tons of Metal cruise, how did you get involved in that?  What was your experience like last year? 

MH:  Believe it or not, it’s always been a dream to be a professional backline technician.  Our mutual friend, Marie, had posted about the Volunteer committee online, and having been absent from it for many years, I wanted to reconnect.  The event itself was beyond my expectations and it was a great amount of fun to meet new friends and reconnect with old ones.  The hours were long and I only had a chance to snap one photograph while in Turks and Cacaos before boarding again, but nonetheless, it was great as I got to work for and see a lot of excellent bands, some of which had performed special setlists just for the cruise.  I ran into a member of one of the bands that I had worked for shortly after the cruise, and he had said that he wished it was two weeks instead of five days as he had so much fun!  From a working standpoint, I think you’d agree that the staff would have probably all died from exhaustion and malnourishment if that were to happen!

PG: Which Midnite Hellion show was your favorite to play?

MH:  It’s difficult to pinpoint just one, but I’d have to say that in recent times our most recent show was overall just such a fun night.  It was a hometown Trenton show back in November opening for Toxic Holocaust, In Defence, and Ramming Speed, and every band on the bill delivered the goods, but also, our performance went over extremely well and the Hellion faithful were out in full-force.  It was also recorded for an upcoming live release called “Bitchin’ At Champs,” which is being released on cassette on our friend Jon Norberg’s label, Contaminated Tones.

PG: Since you’re the founding member, and a drummer, was it easy to form a band?  I always feel like it’s the hardest to find competent drummers! 

MH:  It was surprisingly easy to form the band and even securing new members when old ones exited wasn’t too difficult of a task, looking back at it now.  As this is been one of many bands that I’ve built from the ground up over the years, I’d have to say that finding a competent singer was the most difficult, but when I was in a Death Metal band as a teen, finding a competent bassist was the hardest!  I think it really boils down to finding people who are on the same page in terms of goals and outlook which can be the hardest, as in my experience not many people maintain the same goals and drive throughout their tenure with a band.

PG: Does MH have plans to release new music in 2014?

MH:  Yes, first and foremost will be the live cassette that I mentioned previously.  While it does not contain any new material, it’s a fun representation of the band.  With regards to new material, we have already started preproduction on our full-length album, which is tentatively scheduled to be released on Witches Brew in the late spring or early summer of this year.  While many details currently cannot be disclosed, I can say that we plan to include 8 or 9 songs out of 14 that have been written for the album, and new recordings of both songs from our latest single, “Hour Of The Wolf” and “The Morrigan,” will be included.

PG: Where can people find out more about your band?

MH:  Our home base is at http://www.midnitehellion.com, where one can find all things Hellion, including all confirmed upcoming shows, merchandise, news, photos, and other goodies.  Come join the fun and interact with us at http://www.facebook.com/midnitehellion, http://www.twitter.com/midnitehellion, and http://www.reverbnation.com/midnitehellion.  Also, we have video footage from nearly every performance hosted at http://www.youtube.com/midnitehellion and http://www.youtube.com/strunza.  Those wishing to receive breaking information as it happens can join our mailing list by sending an e-mail to contact@midnitehellion.com, simple as that!

PG: Thanks for your time Drew, any last words? 

MH:   Thank you, Lindsey, for taking the time to conduct the interview and for the support, and I’ll see you in a few weeks on the cruise!  People like you that grease the gears of the Metal Machine keep the Heavy Metal scene alive and well!  Thanks to everybody who has supported Midnite Hellion since day one, and we hope to see you all very soon.  Keep the flames of Heavy Metal burning strong!