Summon: How did the band get started?
Cole: I’ve always been in bands. Metal or hardcore. I took a break for about 6 years and moved from phoenix, then joined the marine corps. As I was getting out I started jamming some death metal stuff and contacted Shawn (our first drummer) who was a drummer in an old band of mine. We set up a Jam session, and it took off from there.
Summon: What kind of music do you play?
Cole: Death Metal, or some like to call of “Blackened” Death Metal due to some of the black metal influence. Death Metal sounds a lot more easy.
Summon: How has the fan response been?
Cole: Surprisingly well. At least the praise has out-weighed the shit talking.
Summon: Where did the band name come from?
Cole: A Clint Eastwood movie called “High Plains Drifter” The town Lago is this corrupt town. At the end of the movie he paints it red and renames it hell.
Summon: Introduce the band members and what they do in the band.
Cole – guitars, lead vocals.
Garrett – Bass, backing vocals.
Andrew – Lead Guitar.
Brian – Drums
Summon: Who writes the music? Lyrics?
Cole: Music is about 50/50 me and Andrew. I write about 75% of the lyrics and Garrett does the rest.
And where do the lyric ideas come from? All sorts of places. We avoid the typical death metal, gore or Satan lyrics. Garrett and myself came up in the punk scene, so a lot of our lyrics are kind of just about dealing with getting through everyday life.
Summon: What is your view in Satanism and Occultism?
Cole: I don’t really have a view. I know there’s different views and trains of thought on Satan. Left Hand Path Church of Satan stuff. I’ve read things just out of curiosity. I fashion myself an Agnostic though. I don’t feel that the existence of any higher power can be proven. Maybe it can? Who knows, like I said most death metal bands seem to focus on those things. There’s a lot of other things in the world to think about. I don’t feel that spending my time on any of that is going to get me anywhere. That goes for any sort of religion/spiritual ideology. Not my cup of tea.
Summon: How many albums/CD’s have you released?
Cole: One EP entitled “Marianas” released in November of 2010. And our “Tyranny” demo (which is a teaser for our album) released in December of 2012.
Summon: Tell me about some the songs on the latest CD?
Cole: The latest Demo is a 2 song preview of our upcoming album. The song “The Tyranny of Men” is basically about a persons inability to take any sort of credit for any action they commit. I’m always baffled when I watch the news, or any show where people say they’re here because of god, or they’re now clean because of god, or they went off to war because god called them to do it. I feel like people don’t give themselves credit for anything. Standing on your own two feet and getting through the day is all on the individual. Not a god. There is a complete lack of balls in our society I feel like.
Summon: Do you have any side projects?
Cole: Have a thing with my buddy Rick in Connecticut A Death Metal project that’s SLOWLY (mainly because of me) coming together. Sorry Rick!
Summon: Who are some of your musical influences?
Cole: Morbid Angel, Emperor, Suffocation, Cannibal Corpse, Hate Eternal anything from Tampa Bay in the 90s!
Summon: Which current bands?
Cole: I think Aeon has been my fave the last 10 years. A smaller band no one knows about yet Isolation In Infamy out of LA are killing it!
Summon: What is the band like when you play live?
Cole: Pretty intense. We don’t just stand there. We do what we can. Obviously the instruments can hinder our live show a bit. We don’t have any live sacrifices or Dragons coming out of our PA I’m sorry to say.
Summon: Have you guys ever played in another country?
Cole: Negative.
Summon: How big of crowd shows up at shows usually?
Cole: 150 ish for local shows. We only play out 2 or 3 times a year. Out of state we’ve played from no one to about 200. Depends on the promoter I suppose.
Summon: How is the crowd response when you play?
Cole: Very well. We always jokingly say we stole the show. But yeah… everyone is always very engaged with what were doing it seems like.
Summon: What do you think of the US Black Metal/Death Metal scene?
Cole: I honestly don’t follow it like I should. I follow bands that we network with, and our local scene. Outside of that… NO IDEA.
Summon: What do you think of the Overseas scenes?
Cole: Having not played there were unsure. But it always seems like there is a bigger market for extreme types of metal. Would love to go there. I’ve been all around the world when i was serving in the military but never got the chance to see Europe. I definitely need to get on that!
Summon: What are some of new favorite black metal/death metal bands?
Cole: Isolation In Infamy, Plutonian Shore and Emperial Massacre out of San Antonio are awesome. And ID from Austin RULES!
Summon: When do you guys plan on writing any new material?
Cole: Were currently writing right now.
Summon: What does the future hold for the band??
Cole: As it stands now, were releasing our debut LP with Blood Harvest Records. Were shooting for a late 2013 to early 2014 release. We’ll see. Were going to have to get a band car wash going on Saturdays to raise money though….
Contact them at:
https://www.facebook.com/LagoMetal
http://lagometal.bandcamp.com/
