DIM MAK

DIM MAK

by Isiamon

He may be most recognizable now for his recent stint in Hate Eternal, recording 2008’s Fury and Flames and touring with Erik Rutan’s Florida based death metal juggernaut. But Shaune Kelley has been a ground breaking visionary in extreme music for decades going back to a time before there was Hate Eternal, or in fact before there was even “Death Metal” as a genre. Those of you that know your history will of course recognize Shaune as the founding member of legendary death metal band Ripping Corpse from New Jersey, and as the main man of the project that rose from the ashes of that band Dim Mak. Shaune if you could offer us a brief history of Ripping Corpse?

Ahh yes certainly.  Scott Ruth and I formed Ripping Corpse in 1987 after the demise of our previous band the Beast. The main goal was to create a horror based metal band full of sick quality musicianship and grim deep lyrics in which I think we were able to do.  We released a demo entitled death warmed over in 1987 and it was received well.  A song The Unblessed ended up getting noticed and put onto New Renaissance Records Satan’s Revenge 2 compilation along with some other bands that went on to become pretty large.  After that in 1989 we released another demo which eventually got pressed to vinyl for an underground demo series and also did pretty well in the underground. It had quite a few early versions of the songs that would appear on Dreaming with the Dead. Then in 1990 we released a 3rd demo and added a second guitarist In Erik Rutan. This was the demo that got us signed, as we were able to get enough money to go into a good studio and produce a sound that had some quality and finally got noticed as we were making a hefty buzz in the live scene in NJ. These 3 tunes ended up on Dreaming as well.  After that of course we were signed to Kraze records after shopping around and got a few deals thrown at us some were lousy and we were forced to turn down.. One of those contracts was from Earache records.After some decision making we went with Kraze records who offered us a very good budget for that time and got to go into a pro studio and record Dreaming with The Dead.  Unfortunately Kraze records went bankrupt shortly after we recorded Dreaming so in 1992 we were forced back into making another demo. It was probably our best work as a whole band.. After that in 1992 we had a lot of problems getting signed again as that style was starting to fade in popularity I suppose so we were forced to record with our own money.  The band took a hit and we called it in 1992 leaving that recording unfinished.  It floats around the underground to this day with somewhat high praise.  Its a shame but it was over in 92.

For those of us that were alongside you guys in the New Jersey/ New York scene back in those early days we always thought you guys were so ahead of your time. Seeing you guys back in the day was mind blowing. Dreaming with the Dead has stood the test of time, and become a widely popular underground album. Are you surprised at the status that one and only Ripping Corpse record holds to this day?

Its somewhat surprising yes that 20 some odd years later people still enjoy what we did that far back. But for sure our goal was to make music that had longevity and consisted of memorable music and lyrics so it’s not a total surprise.  I’m just glad it held up this long and still holds is ground.

I know at one point Relapse was supposed to re-release the album, but that didn’t pan out. Is there still a chance another label at some point may do this?

Well it actually was re-released in its original form by the original Kraze records and that’s why Relapse backed away.. They had a beautiful new package designed and it was to be remastered but Kraze records somehow stepped in and botched it…And then decided to redo it themselves with zero changes made.. So it is available at the Relapse site along with some new hoodies and t-shirts (see here) http://shop.relapse.com/store/product.aspx?ProductID=26422

What about the recordings you did with Ripping Corpse for the follow up album. Tell us about that, and if those recordings will ever see the light of day?
Well like I said earlier we went into the studio to record a second full length but it became a futile effort that never got finished and then the band broke up.  There isn’t really any chance of this record being finished or released. We are in Dim Mak now and that’s our main priority. There will however be a few surprises on the new Dim Mak record!

After Ripping Corpse ended, you’ve kept busy with Dim Mak.  And while Dim Mak is certainly its own entity, it could also be considered the successor to Ripping Corpse considering you were the guy writing the music. Not too mention Dim Mak’s original line up consisting of Scott Ruth on vocals and Brandon Thomas on drums, all guys you played with in Ripping Corpse. Tell us a little bit about the evolution and history of Dim Mak.
Well yes its essentially still the founding members of Corpse but not a continuation really. We formed Dim Mak pretty much right after Ripping’s demise and it took quite a while to get a deal at that point but we eventually released Enter the Dragon on Dies Irae Records in 1999.  We set out to make something new and fresh and original, still brutal metal but with a new vibe and new concepts.  We took on something totally different than most metal bands at that time in the martial arts and just a different more violent feel to the music itself.  I think you can still tell who your listening to however when you hear it and we haven’t lost the aggression or ferocity of Ripping Corpse at all.   Just the next step if you ask me.  Not to forget that Ripping Corpse was at the end of its time in history we just felt that something new was needed.  We have released 3 Dim Mak records so far and have a 4th lined up for this year 2010 and it will once again be extreme metal with a lot of passion and skill

While the original line up had 3 Ripping Corpse alumni, obviously the band’s themes had moved away from the traditional metal “death, evil, satan,” themes, and like the band name took on topics of martial arts and eastern philosophy. Talk about this shift in focus and topics for you and the band.
Well again we were after something that wasn’t really over used and done before so as Me and Scott are avid fans of Bruce Lee’s theories, martial arts and boxing it became a worthy idea to blend these combative elements into the music.  We never really totally dropped the horror stuff as we still do a few songs based on HP Lovecraft’ s works and a few various topics of evil such as Crowley but the Martial way became most prevalent and still is today with our new music.

You’ve recorded three amazing full length CD’s. Tell us a little bit about each of those records, and what they mean to you.

Ok well Enter the Dragon was the first and somewhat experimental at that point for us. We combined some hardcore elements to the music as well as metal and tried a more groove orientated approach with hooks and lyrical flows just to break away from the years of Corpse and basically just to do something fresh.  As time would show however we started missing the heaviness and sickness that we once did so we released Intercepting Fist in 2002 on a new label and had Erik Rutan produce it at Mana studios when he first started his recording studio.  It was more death metal sounding than “Enter” for sure but still we used the martial arts concepts as the theme.  The way of the Intercepting Fist being Bruce Lee’s concept and fighting style Jeet Kune Do.  We as a band were a bit happier with the overall sound and feel of the record.  In 2006 we had a lineup change as Brandon Thomas left the band so I knew I needed to kick it up a notch and get back to the brutal business people missed so we released Knives Of Ice on Willowtip Records.  To me its the apex of our catalog for sure as we recruited John Longstreth for drum duties and Scott Hornick on bass again..  Its my favorite album for sure and pretty much crushes from start to finish.  Same themes for the most part with a few horror elements in there as well…A very fast record to say the least and was alot of fun to make as we got to work with our old Corpse producer Steve Deacutis again.

After the first Dim Mak, record Brandon Thomas left the band, and legendary drummer John Longstreth, along with former Ripping Corpse bassist Scot Hornick, joined the band. What did those guys mean to you for Dim Mak

Like I said to me it meant that it was time to go apeshit..LOL I knew when Brandon left he would be hard to replace so getting Longstreth was really what I wanted the most and when was able to do so I felt very strong.  Jr (Scot Hornick) was always a bass master so having him was also a great feeling. Those two just really brought thier A game to the table for Knives Of Ice and I think we released a monster..

After recording those 3 Dim Mak full lengths, Erik Rutan gave you a call and asked you to come down to Florida and join him in Hate Eternal. After all these years, you and Erik were finally re-united and you moved down there. You got to record Fury and Flames with him and tour. How was your time in Hate Eternal?  Tell us about the tours and recording of the record.

Well it was an amazing experience to finally get to tour the world doing some savage Death Metal Music and to record a record for Metal Blade Records. It was a blast to say the least. To record with Alex Webster of Cannibal Corpse and be a part of Hate Eternal with Erik again for my time in there was an honor and just a really awesome piece of work..  Fury and Flames was a crazy record full of crazy riffs and very brutal.  Im proud to have been a part of it.

Your back in New Jersey again, and your focus is turned again back to Dim Mak. What’s in store for Dim Mak for 2010?

Yes im back in NJ again where I grew up and with the guys again. First and foremost is a new album which well be recording this summer 2010.  From there I can’t really say but well have to see how it goes.  We mainly want to release another devastating record at this point.  Well see about tours/shows later on but that’s not the main concern at the moment, recording is. I have all the new material ready so its just a matter of when now.

Will you be recording the new Dim Mak again in New Jersey?

Yes we will be going to the Sound Spa again in Edison, NJ with our long time producer/friend Steve Deacutis the man who recorded Ripping Corpse’s final demo, Enter the Dragon and Knives of Ice.

I know Scott Hornick and John Longstreth have many other musical commitments making a Dim Mak tour with that line up pretty tough to do. But now that you’ve had a taste of touring with Hate Eternal, do you see yourself putting a live line up together for Dim Mak to go out on the road in support of the upcoming record?

Well again at this point we’ll have to see but I wont say No we wont but I highly doubt a full tour will happen.. Possibly some choice gigs but its to early to say right now.  Once the record is out and things are rolling I will have a clearer picture

Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions, and best of luck to you and Dim Mak with the upcoming record. I know there are many out there looking forward to hearing it!

Thanks alot!!  And I can give you my promise that if you enjoyed Knives Of ice and our other records you will not be disappointed. The new material is strong and brutal as always along with a few nice suprises.  So be on the lookout this summer its the same lineup as Knives of Ice so be ready=) you were warned. Thanks goes out to all the fans over the past 20 years as well! Without you guys there, this may not even be a reality…Stay sick!

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