We first hung with Tyranis outside their practice space in Orange in 2002, swilling beers in the back of guitarist Adam Duncan's sweet El Camino. Thirteen years later, the guys are still griming up the SoCal club scene with their brand of classic thrash. We learned then that with Tyranis, nobody tells it better than they do. So we just let drummer Adam Capilouto preach the metal gospel for a bit–while taking furious notes.
]
OC Weekly (Adam Lovinus): The new record, Out On Bail, sounds great. Can you touch on the band's creative process for putting songs together?
Adam Capilouto: The band tend to be very democratic about writing songs. Basically, someone will come in with a couple of cool riffs, and then someone else might have some riffs that fit with that. Then me, being the drummer, I will tell them it's all bullshit and nothing fits together rhythmically. Then we argue about it for a few weeks until everyone is happy. Then we test it out live. If it feels good and people are spraying beer out of their mouths while we play, we know it's a keeper.
It doesn't seem like too many bands here are doing classic thrash anymore.
There are not too many legit bands out there. There never really has been. Hell, at the 2013 OC Music Awards, the band that shall remain unnamed that won didn't even know who Dave Lombardo was. Needless to say, we partied with Mr. Lombardo all night.
Guitarist Brian Stone and bassist Eddie Westre are no longer in the band?
Brian, after graduating with his music degree, wanted to move in with his lady friend and get a “real job” in San Diego. We still are on good terms with him. Eddie . . . What can I say? He is a fantastic musician and writer, but he proved incapable of functioning in a working band. He was actually in the band, playing guitar, for a few months after Brian's departure, but he was unpredictable at shows and practice, and he failed to show up to two separate high-profile gigs. That is unacceptable, and as a result, he is no longer playing with us.
Please explore how the scene has changed from skate punks to . . . whatever it is now.
It's pretty much the same. We recently played a couple of skate parties where we were rockin' and everyone was drinking and skating up a storm. And for whatever reason, a lot of people see us and tell us they can't stand metal, but they think we are fantastic. I think that has a lot to do with people having no clue what real metal actually sounds like. They hear crap bands and assume that's metal, and when they hear the real thing, their fucking face melts and their balls explode, and they don't know what hit them.
Tyranis seems pretty earnest about their music, which I like because it seems like a lot of bands are too cool to look like they give a shit.
That is what metal is about: You do give a shit. Not about what anyone thinks, but about the quality and the integrity of the music. Plus, I love metal, and I love drinking beers, and when you combine both and there is an audience ready to have a good time, it is a blast. If playing music live is a drag, don't do it.
How did you hook up with Burger Records? Your sound is pretty different from others on its roster.
Sean [Bohrman] saw us years and years and years ago. It was an interesting show. Eddie and I had taken Hell's Bells earlier that day and were a wreck. We sucked hard, but for whatever reason, Sean thought we were great. Once he got Burger Records going, he contacted us about doing a cassette, and the rest is history. I think the fact we are completely different from its other bands is a good thing. We played the Burgerama pre-party at the Observatory, and multiple people told me afterward that we were the freshest band on the bill. I'll leave it at that.
For more info about Tyranis, visit www.facebook.com/tyranismusic.
See also
10 Punk Albums to Listen to Before You Die
10 Goriest Album Covers
10 Most Satanic Metal Bands
Follow us on Twitter @ocweeklymusic. Like us on Facebook at Heard Mentality.
