Recourse Interview

Full-fledged intensity and aggressiveness stands at the core of the sound of Recourse. Having recently released "Weakening The Structure", their latest recording for Devil Doll Records, Recourse is set to destroy audiences everywhere with their patented brand of extreme metal havoc. Erin Fox of The Gauntlet speaks with the band's drummer Rich Schaefer in regard to the new record and the bands current agenda of annihilation.

The Gauntlet: What was the most difficult factor that you encountered while recording "Weakening The Structure?"

Rich Schaefer: Actually, things pretty much went off without a hitch during the recording of "Weakening". We always strive to have all our material well rehearsed long before it is time to enter a studio environment. All the riffs and such in the songs are sort of set in stone, that way, there is no bickering- or worse, trying to write in the studio, which is a big no-no! Boredom is a band's worst enemy when recording. There are long periods of time when you sort of sit around with absolutely nothing to do. Sitting through a few hours of hearing the same song over and over can tend to get on one's nerves, even if you did write the damn thing! Luckily, there was no crazy drama to report no screaming matches, or fistfights. Everyone just came in and set their tracks down. Hell, I think at least two of the tracks on the album were done on the first take!


The Gauntlet: How is it that John Gallagher became involved with the project? Why did you choose for him to produce the record?

Rich Schaefer: Well, a few years back, John moved to our neck of the woods in rural eastern Maryland. I guess he had heard about us from someone, because Jason received an e-mail from him out of the blue one day, asking if he wanted to hang out and swill some beers sometime! So, we quickly became fast friends with the guy. Anyway, about a week or so before we were due to go in and start recording the album, Jason was hanging with John, trying to pick his brain for advice about recording. We knew John had worked at the studio we had chosen (Hit and Run recordings) because all of the Fetus albums had been recorded there. So, after getting all this great advice from John, Jason just said "Hell man, why don't you just come on up with us and produce the damn thing!" He agreed. John was a great help in the studio! The best thing he did was to squeeze better performances out of all of us. Believe it or not, it is a good thing to have someone play the role of "ball-buster" in the studio! That is, to make sure everything is played tightly, and make us replay anything that could be tighter. He had an amazing ear.

The Gauntlet: The band incorporates elements of several extreme metal styles throughout the course of the record. First and foremost, what type of a band do you consider Recourse to be?

Rich Schaefer: Yeah, we do tend to jump around a bit as far as the different sub-genres that are represented on the album. But, if we really dig a riff, it's going in the song, to hell with labels! The thing is, we have diverse tastes between the four of us, and it can be a bit daunting to try and tie all those different bits together. The one sort of unifying factor is thrash metal. It is sort of our "go to" what we often use to tie all the bits and pieces together. But, you can't really call us a thrash band. We don't quite fit in with the death metal thing; we just aren't as fast or as technical as your average death band. No sweeping solo runs down the guitar fretboard here! For us, the death metal thing is just more of a vibe, taken from the older style of dm the slower, barbaric, and just plain bludgeoning shit the early bands did. There is a strong hardcore influence as well, especially lyrically. Troy takes a lot of his cues from the old school of hardcore-back when bands had something important to say something we feel is lost in a lot of today's so-called hardcore bands. So what does that make us? Lil' bit of hardcore, lil' bit of death, tied together with a big old heap of thrash! "Thrashcore"? "Hard-death-thrash-core"? I don't know, but I'm sure some trendy scene person will come up with a name for it sooner or later!

The Gauntlet: Have you ever envisioned your group performing a different style of music?


Rich Schaefer: Actually, all sorts of silliness goes on in the practice room! We jam on all sorts of stuff just for kicks-everything from jazz, to blues, to disco, to cock rock! But no, I don't think the four of us could set foot on stage together doing anything else but what we do. We have been changing slightly with some of the new stuff we have been writing, but if anything, it is just that we are becoming more focused and better at what we do.

The Gauntlet: When was it that you realized that making this sort of music was something that you really wanted to do?

Rich Schaefer: Well for me personally, it is not like I always "knew" I was going to be in some extreme sort of band. I think all of us are really just attempting to recreate, in some way, the music we grew up listening to. We just sort of do what we do, if that makes any sense. It's not like we got together and said "Let's start a band that mixes thrash, death, and hardcore!" It is not like I looked in the mirror one day and said "Dude, you are going to play in a metal band!" It just sort of happens when we get together in that magical place known as the jam room. That's the thing about a good band, what it is really about; is what all the members bring to the table when it comes time to write some tunes. In our case it just turns out to be screaming metal and hardcore!

The Gauntlet: Is it your intent to glorify violence through your lyrics, or is the idea to expose listeners to different ways of thinking about topics such as war? How do you perceive real world violence in contrast to the art that you create?

Rich Schaefer: No, our goal is not to promote violence. If anything, we would like to expose people to the fact that violence tends to be a very repetitive cycle. Violence and war tend to beget more violence and war! Ideally, get some folks to take a step back and recognize the fact that things aren't going to change unless they get off their collective asses and do something about it. The more political minded lyrics on some of the songs are intended to shock, yes but, hopefully through that open some people's eyes to what's going on around them. A wake up call, if you will Art imitates life. It is sort of like we are knocking on your door saying "Hey you! Yeah you! Take a look at what's going on, fool!" "Are you just going to sit there and do nothing?" "Are you so easily distracted by all the diversions in life that you are going to let it pass by without trying to make things better?!!" Troy is pissed! And you should be too!


The Gauntlet: What is the concept behind the record's cover art?

Rich Schaefer: Well, it's an interesting photo taken during a Civil Rights riot down south somewhere, I think. For starters, we thought the actual photo was cool. You've got a guy getting tackled, but still attempting to hold the flag up high. It was an interesting time in American history-and not too long ago if you really think about it. For us, it represents how civil disobedience and peaceful protest CAN bring about positive change! Not just in the government, but in society in general.


The Gauntlet: What would you say has been the greatest accomplishment of the band's career thus far?

Rich Schaefer: The last few years have been great! We have traveled quite a bit, played with a ton of great bands some of metal's finest, actually! But the biggest and best is yet to come! We are still hungry for it. We try to look ahead, there is no point is resting on your laurels!


The Gauntlet: What is the song 'Frail Existence' about lyrically?

Rich Schaefer: Well, Troy is known for using his position as frontman/lyricist as an opportunity to get shit off of his chest, so to speak. He vents frustrations though his words. I'd liken it to a cleansing for him; he takes what's bothering him and spits it back out into a microphone! So by reading the lyrics to "Frail" it is pretty easy to see he was going through a pretty dark time in his life. There are some pretty blatant mentions of suicide. Actually, the first three tracks on "Weakening" are very similar in nature from a lyrical standpoint. He was really going through some serious shit when he wrote those!


The Gauntlet: What has changed the most about being in Recourse in the past year?

Rich Schaefer: We have a new guitarist, which has changed almost every aspect of being in the band! Don (still jokingly known as the f.n.g. or fucking new guy) joined the band after the departure of original guitarist Billy this past spring. This was a huge change! Just bringing in someone new is enough of a task, but poor Don had a bit of a trial by fire. Three weeks after Billy left we were out on the road touring with Epoch of Unlight. I hardly had a chance to get to know the guy before we wound up practically living on top of each other in a van while on tour. Let's just say I certainly know him now-probably a bit too well! He kicked ass, and is still kicking some, as we are writing some wicked good new material with him!


The Gauntlet: Sum up the essence of a Recourse live performance.

Rich Schaefer: I am probably the wrong one to ask about this one, since I am trapped behind a drumkit when we play live! Between having to watch what I'm doing and banging my head all around, I tend to miss quite a bit. It's kind of funny, we will be loading out from a gig and one of the guys will say:; "Hey man, did you see me slip on that puddle of beer on the stage and almost bust my ass?" or "Man, did you see that poor fool come flying out of the pit and accidentally crack his head on my mic stand?" And, most of the time I just let out a big old sigh and say, "Nope, missed that one." I do know we are loud and reasonably tight. So long as no one gets too deep into the cups on a given night, it's gonna be damn tight! Like anyone else we might have a bad night now and then, but even then we tend to be good in that sloppy, punk sort of way. We try to entertain!


The Gauntlet: Of all of the songs that you have written, which is your favorite to play live?

Rich Schaefer: I think it's safe to say the new stuff we have been coming up with is exciting for us all to play live. It is certainly more challenging and a hell of a lot heavier than anything on "Weakening". Don has been bringing tons of great ideas to the table, and has us all excited about throwing together some new tunes! These days the live set really only consists of maybe 5 or 6 songs off "Weakening".


The Gauntlet: How long do you envision yourself playing such an extreme style of music?

Rich Schaefer: For me, being a drummer, as long as I can physically keep up with the guys. I'm still a young buck, so I have quite a few more years of playing time left in me. I do feel pretty rough every now and then though, especially when we tour. Going all out can be hell on a body when done every night! I keep telling the guys to just go and buy a drum machine. It won't bitch. It won't drink too much one night and fuck up any songs. And it would probably smell better on those long road trips! I don't think any of us are going to quit any time soon.

The Gauntlet: What are your hopes for the year ahead?

Rich Schaefer: Simply put..Tour, tour, tour. Write, write, write. Record, record, record. Repeat as necessary.