Heathen Interview

Heathen's David White, ahead of the bands European Tour with Nuclear Assault, broke his silence about the bands 13 year hiatus and their hopes for the future


Hi David, how are things with you?
Life is good!
How does it feel to have Heathen back on the scene after such a long hiatus?
It’s pretty interesting actually, it has been a while. Pretty exciting though to be making new music, it kind of blows my mind. Just to sit back and listen to what’s going on with our new music, it’s definitely Heathen but different than anything we’ve done before. Still it has that ‘old school’ quality to it.
The band originally regrouped for 2001’s Thrash Of The Titans benefit concert. Then again for 2002’s Wacken festival. What made you all decide to regroup on a permanent basis?
Once we pulled it together in 2001 and 2002, we remembered how much fun we had together and I think we all felt there was unfinished business, so to speak. Finishing what was to become the “Recovered” album and writing a new full length CD.
Heathen have gone through a number of changes to personnel over the years. Can you confirm the 2005 Heathen line-up?
David White – vocals, Lee Altus – guitar, Darren Minter – drums, John Torres – bass, and for the upcoming European tour, Terry Lauderdale on second guitar. Terry is a good friend and a great guitar player, so we’ll see if that works out for the future.
What did you and the other band members do in the intervening years between the bands split and your final reformation?
Where to begin… mostly we each played in different bands and pursued our own musical outlets.
2004 saw the release of the bands long awaited 3rd full length release, “Recovered”. What has been the reaction from fans been to the album?
Fans reaction has been great. The album is still circulating through different distributors worldwide, but because there are many covers on the record – the fans are anxiously awaiting an all original full length Heathen album.
Is there any significance to the title of the album?
“Recovered” is a reference to the fact that we thought we had lost the material due to aging tape – but we were lucky to recover it to DVD format and work with it digitally to save the tracks. Also, I’d say it refers to the band coming together again.
“Recovered” sees the final release of the material originally on the “Opiate of the Masses” demo, along with a number of covers. How did you decide on the songs to include on the album?
The 4 covers were some of our favourites and the new song ‘In Memory of’ was something we were working on at the time. The last 4 songs from the ‘Opiate of the Masses’ demo, we included for the fans.
“Recovered” is only the bands 3rd full-length release in your 20 year history. Do you feel like the band has to make up for lost time?
I do think so, in a way. There’s a lot more we would like to accomplish together as a band. Hopefully, we’ll be able to continue to make records together.
Is it true the band is in the process of writing material for a new album?
This is true, some rough mixes are currently featured on our website www.heathenmetal.com and we hope to get it out sometime later this year.
What can you tell us about the new material? Is the new material in the same vein as the songs on pervious Heathen releases? Any titles bouncing around at the moment?
This new material is definitely fresh. I don’t think it’s anything like previous records. Check out “Dying Season” , “Arrows of Agony” and more to come..
Have Heathen agreed any deal with any record label for the new album?
	We’re expect to finalize the deal soon, can’t disclose the labels at this time.
	When do you expect to get into the studio? Have you decided upon a producer as yet?
	Very soon after we return from Europe, we hope to produce the record with Rob Beaton again. He’s a genius.
	What is the writing process with Heathen? Is this an individual or collective experience?
	It’s a collective experience, we all have some input and it’s helpful to work out ideas as a group.
	The summer of 2005 sees the band return to Europe with a number of summer festival appearances. Do you find the European audiences differ from the US crowds?
	Most definitely, the European crowds truly love their metal. They eat and breathe it. In the US, metal is making a comeback but the mainstream music is just the flavour of the month. So much censorship and generic programming on radio hinders the true art form that is metal…
	Do you have any plans to head out on the road in support of “Recovered” or the new album?
	Yes, we hope to tour as much as possible this year.
	As one of the earliest exponents of the Bay Area scene, do you feel any pressure when it comes to releasing new material given the heritage associated with the name Heathen?
	There’s always pressure to release original material worthy of meeting our own standards, so sure.
	In the late eighties and early nineties the Bay Area was the hottest scene in music, producing a whole crop of Thrash bands. What is the scene like today?
There’s not much of a scene at all, and few clubs to play – but a new wave of young kids are coming up into the scene, so I’m hopeful it will only keep growing.
A number of the older school Thrash bands have reformed or in the process of reforming. Do you feel Thrash music is making a come back? How do you feel about all the reunions taking place?
That’s cool, it’s great to hear and see all these guys again. Exodus, Death Angel, Testament, etc…
Knowing your love of older school Metal, what are you all listening to these days? Are you still drawn to the likes of Thin Lizzy or Tygers of Pan Tang, or have your tastes changed over the years?
I listen to so many different kinds of music, anything from Foo Fighters to new Judas Priest, In Flames, etc. I still love old school metal and rock and roll – but I also like checking out new bands to hear what’s out there.
Is there a message to all the Heathen fans out there?
Visit our website www.heathenmetal.com to stay current with what we’re doing and chat with us on the board or on email. We’ll be in the UK starting in London, on June 27th – see the website for more details and tour dates. Keep metal alive. Buy CD’s. Your support is crucial. Thank you!!! David White

All photographs and images used with kind permission of Heathen.