Interview with Pete Sandoval of Terrorizer

(Obnoxiously goofy ring tone)

DC: Hello?

PS: Hellooo! This is Pete Sandoval!

Baxter (My Dog): Woooooooooo!!

Baxter

DC: Sorry that’s my dog, I’ll put him in another room.

PS: Right now, I can’t hear you. You sound like you’re under water.

DC: I’ll take you off of speaker. Can you hear me better?

PS: Yes now I can.

DC: Caustic Attack is your new album, and this incarnation of the band has been together for quite a while, can you tell me how you decided on Lee and Sam?

PS: Yes, we had other previous versions of the band, last with Anthony Reznik and Katina. At this time I had problems with my back. It still wasn’t completely healed, and it bothered me so much during the recording of Hordes of Zombies. We couldn’t tour, I couldn’t do anything. In 2014 I met up with Lee at some party and we said “hey, let’s jam some old grindcore tunes”.

We met at my house and we started creating songs, enough for an album. We were invited to play a party here in Tampa and we got Sam Molina. Sam played with Lee in Monstrosity for a couple albums, so we knew him already, and gave him vocals. We didn’t want to be called any of our band’s names so, we were going to play the party as Sandoval, Harrison and Molina, but the guy put Terrorizer featuring Sandoval, Harrison, Molina on the poster. He said Terrorizer sounds better, and I play on all the Terrorizer albums anyway, so why not be Terrorizer and e played our first show as that.

DC: How was the writing process?

PS: Yeah, we took our time, you’ve got to learn the songs. Lee has stuff, and we jam and record drumbeats. With these drumbeats, he can now take them home and write riffs around them. And I have all kinds of beats I send, blast beats, double bass, slow parts, different tempos and speeds. So, that’s kind of how we are putting songs together. We agree on some things, some other things have to be changed, it’s all in the process for us. There’s a lot of ideas, we were still writing and working on this album in 2016. I recorded new beats a year ago, this album is old to me, ugh. We are halfway done with the next one, hopefully this year for a new Terrorizer album.

DC: Let’s talk blast beats. Do you prefer a single type of blast or can you do them all? I’m getting older so the double footed blast is working for me. Can you do a Gravity blast?

PS: Gravity…Blast?

DC: Yes, it’s where you catch a bounce from the rim to the snare head.

PS: Ooooooh yeah!! Bah bah bah bah bah!! No, I never learned like that. Single hit, single foot. 1-2-3-4 dat ta dat ta dat ta dat ta. That gravity blast and the double bass blast came after.

DC: Purists love the single-footed blast and there will always be a debate on how to blast.

PS: Different styles.

DC: How many different styles of blast beats do you play?

PS: Oh, two. One is like on Stench of Corruption. You know that one! Dun Dun Dun Duuun!!! That blast beat like, brrrrrrrrrrrrrr and the one- foot blast beat, are the only two, Deron, in my stuff. The one foot blat beat is in most of my songs but there’s the other one that has a lot of double bass in it, ya know.

DC: You’re in great shape, no doubt, but as you get older, does it hurt to do the single foot, or double bass? What becomes too much physically?

PS:  Ya know…….Practice, makes you better, more than anything. The only thing that can hurt you, for instance, is  your ankle and foot or knee can start to go bad. I don’t want to say anything about anybody in this situation, but me, I have started to wear a knee brace, with a pad, for support. Now I’ve got something with my right knee, but just imagine how long I’ve been doing this, the one foot blast beat. How many years I did it with Morbid, ya know, it’s going to take it’s toll. Im 53, and when you get older, there’s things you can to do like take supplements and watch your diet. I take a lot of these supplements for your joints and have for many years and I feel they’ve worked for me. Also fish oil is really good for you.

Terrorizer - Crisis

I’ve had back issues all of my life, it even lead to the cause of my departure in Morbid. Why? I didn’t know about my back muscles, or that you have to grow the muscles in your legs and stomach more, use your core to help your back hen playing the double bass or blast beats. All along, I pushed so hard on my back and this is how I ruined it. Now I do sessions in the gym with a trainer, to build more in the legs and stomach, and to use my core. All these exercises, everywhere on you, you need strength to play this kind of music in order to be played with power. So, that’s helping and contributed greatly to this last album sounding the way it does. This thing is like a sport, ya know, you can’t eat garbage , it’s not helping with your playing. The problem for me is still there, but it’s not as bad as it used to be and I’m working on strengthening other areas to help my back more. I try not to use my back so much, but only when playing the double bass or blast beats super-fast. My back was so fragile, I got the surgery and the recovery process took six years. The only way to keep it up is, you have to find a way to keep practicing, and concentrate on what you need to be practicing.

Stay away from the bad stuff, too much drinking or smoking. So many musicians are gone early and it’s a shame, you have to be careful with drugs, there’s always danger. On tour , you drink and party and meet friends and do stupid stuff, but you don’t know what consequence it takes later on in life. Some things I wish I never did, but when you’re young you think you’re never going to die.

DC: I’m glad you, Lee and Sam are working on new material. My 10 year old loves Terrorizer and I hope you can stick around for a couple years so he can see the band live. Any current touring plans?

PS: Yeah, we have a tour planned for Europe. We would like to see people’s reactions to the new material, we know they want to hear the first album, but whatever. You can’t make money off of records like you used to. You have to tour and that’s where you can make some money.

Terror in Tilburg (Full Show)

DC: I believe there are but a very few bands playing grindcore like the old formula of 1-2-3-4 snare tom roll, blast 1-2-3-4. I’m not against branching out, I just prefer a set style that has continuity and (gasp) melody. It’s in my car right now and I’m not sure when I’m going to eject the disc.

PS: Oh man, the sound is so amazing in the car!!

DC: I am working with Soulgrinder zine as well from the US and Peru. Tell me your favorite places to visit in South America.

PS: Santiago, Chile, Columbia and Brazil. Argentina, we haven’t been to Argentina in so long. Last time, I  was there was with Morbid. Terrorizer has only been to Columbia and Brazil. We haven’t been to Peru yet. But we will eventually be in South America after the album comes out. Anybody has any interest in the band, contact us because I am waiting and ready. I haven’t done this in a long time. Since I left Morbid.

DC: So you’ve got the itch, Pete?

PS: Ohh bad! It’s time to get back to business, before it’s too late, we get older, ya know.

DC: Thanks for taking time to speak with me Pete. It’s been a great honor and privilege to speak to a musical idol I’ve listened to and watched since 1990. Good luck with all of your touring and new material writing.

PS: Thank you so much! And good luck to you, don’t give up Deron. Age will come, but keep playing until your bones or joints give out haha!

DC: I’m happy that you’re feeling better than you once did and that all the work you put in is paying off.

PS: Thanks DC. I hope to get up to Pennsylvania some time and meet you. You’ve got my number, give me a call or text.

DC: Yes! Awesome! Thanks Pete!