Lazarus A.D.: The resurrection of thrash metal

3/18/09

Wisconsin's Lazarus A.D. plays riff-heavy thrash metal hearkening back to the denim-clad, bullet-belt-wearing glory days of the early 1980s. But they are also one of the first bands in the “New Wave of American Thrash Metal” to modernize the classic sound and bring it forward to the 21st century. Recently signed to Metal Blade Records, their debut album, The Onslaught (review), has just seen its official release. Produced by James Murphy (Testament), it sounds like an old Exodus or Metallica album, as played by As I Lay Dying. And with a support slot on Amon Amarth's Twilight of the Thundergod Tour, Lazarus A.D. will have its chance to be seen and heard by true metalheads. Live-Metal.Net's Jeff Maki recently had a quick chat with Lazarus A.D. bassist/vocalist Jeff Paulick about the debut album, getting signed to Metal Blade and the current state of thrash metal.

Live Metal: First off, could you explain the band's name, Lazarus A.D.?

Jeff Paulick: Well, Lazarus is a character in the Bible whom Jesus rose from the dead. I guess you could connect that to resurrecting thrash metal in some way, but just good music in general to us. We feel the current state of music is getting over saturated and we are here to bring no-bullshit metal back to the table. The A.D. was added to avoid legal issues. Call it what you want—“After Death,” “Alcohol and Drugs,” “Almost Drunk”—it don’t matter to us.

The band's first worldwide exposure came from Earache's Thrashing Like a Maniac compilation, in which your song "Last Breath" was featured. How did that all come together? How much did that play into you getting signed by Metal Blade?

We were approached by Dan Tobin of Earache to be on the compilation. We undoubtedly said yes, and we really feel it opened a few doors that were previously shut. We sparked some label interest, and ultimately Metal Blade caught wind and we signed with them. So far we have felt right at home. It's been great.

I just heard The Onslaught and I think it really stands out from recent thrash albums I've been hearing. It's not a complete throwback to old-school thrash either. You guys really put a modern edge and sound on the music. Is this something that you intentionally tried to do or was it just natural?

It was one hundred percent natural. We obviously have a lot of thrash influence, but that modern edge is what we love. We don’t want to be pigeonholed as a “thrash” band or scooped in with this resurgence. We feel we stand out and will continue to develop our sound and progress into our own.

What bands have been the biggest influence on the band and why?

Metallica is number one. I think they should be for any metal band. They did everything right (scratch off St. Anger) and had extreme commercial success. Pantera is another one. They carried the flag through the '90s and walked their own path, not to mention wrote some of the heaviest songs to this day. Others would be Testament, Lamb of God, Avenged Sevenfold, bands that take it to the next level in pretty much all aspects.

What do you think of the current thrash metal revival going on in the U.S., and in the rest of the world for that matter?

Like I previously mentioned, we really don’t want to be thrown into it. It's inevitable, but the music will speak for itself in the end. We aren’t here to hop on any train and ride it out. We are here to turn heads, kick down doors and let everyone else follow us.

Why do you think it's taken so many years for thrash metal to make a strong comeback? Why did it even disappear to begin with? After all, death metal never went anywhere since its inception.

Movements come and go, and I don’t know how long a lot of these up-and-coming thrash bands will last if they don’t develop their own sound. Death metal has always lingered, but even today it's still not huge. This new wave of death metal isn’t something we are into at all. I’ve never personally been a fan. Its hard to say what will happen. We tend to focus on ourselves and we aren’t worried.

The Onslaught was actually recorded and originally released in 2007 while you were still unsigned, correct? What is new or different with the remastered and official Metal Blade version this time around?

Well, first and foremost, the record sounds a million times better. James Murphy did a phenomenal job remixing. Everything sounds so much better, and it's like a whole new record to us. The artwork is all different; Colin Marks also did a great job with that. We are just really excited to finally have this thing properly released worldwide. It's been great so far!

The album was just released a few days ago in the U.S. So what are your expectations for how well the album will do?

I really have no idea. The industry is dying, CD sales are plummeting, but we aren’t focusing on that. We know this is a new age where we have to work twice as hard and get paid half as much. It sucks, but I’m not gonna sit around and ask why. I’m gonna go out and do it. The music will get the kids to see the show and our intense live performance will keep them coming back.

Does illegal downloading do more to help or to hurt a newer band like yourselves?

Obviously, financially it kills bands like us, but I just explained that whole concept and how we are evolving with it, not bitching about it. But it really helps to get the name out there. The more people hear this disc, the more they will want others to as well. We have had nothing but amazing responses and we really expect great things in the future.

You guys are set to go out on tour with Amon Amarth, Goatwhore and Skeletonwitch. How much are you looking forward to that and what can those in attendance expect of a Lazarus A.D. show?

We are absolutely stoked to be apart of such an amazing lineup, especially this early in our careers. We have been hard at work ensuring our live show will be the one everyone talks about night after night. People can expect to be knocked on their ass, whether by the energy of the show or the assholes forced to pit to this ridiculously heavy ass music. They can expect to walk out floored and we can expect them to return.