First off, BIG shoutout to my friend Kevin Heiderich - he recorded the guitars for this cover, & frankly, if I didn't have quality guitars / bass to use with my recorded drums, I probably wouldn't have done this at all. So THANK YOU for being into this cover idea, Kevin! To everyone else reading this, show your support & SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW him (on KZfaq & Instagram, respectively!):
/ @kevinheiderich
/ kevinheiderich
AND (quick shameless self-promotion! 😂) - If you've yet to check out any of the products from Anup & I's business, RS DRUMS, please do so by clicking below!
www.rsdrums.com
On to my usual/over-the-top video description 😂👌🏼! This #DECAPITATED song, "Day 69" is from the album 'Organic Hallucinosis', released in 2006. I heard it for the first time right around then - my friend Max Phelps (guitarist of the band EXIST, who also fronts the 'Death To All' tribute band & plays live with Cynic sometimes) burnt me a CD copy of it. Max & I grew up together (in fact, Exist was our local band), & he was always showing me new music & burning me CD's back then. Frankly, I wouldn't have gotten into HALF the stuff I was/am into if it weren't for him.
Anyway - this album always stuck out to me. It quickly became one of my favorite death metal albums, & remains one of my favorites to this day. About a year after this album's release, the original drummer of Decapitated, Witold 'Vitek' Kieltyka, was killed in a bus crash in Russia (well, according to wikipedia, it says they were on their way to a show in Belarus, but were taken to a hospital in Russia). He survived the initial accident, but passed away several days later at the age of 23. The singer of the band at the time, Adrian 'Covan' Kowanek, was also severely injured, but survived. Little information can be found about him online anymore, but from what I understand, he is paralyzed from the waist down & deals with symptoms caused by Cerebral Hypoxia.
This accident would've been devastating for anyone, but I remember it hitting especially close to home for me - Vitek was a young drummer who I looked up to, & his entire vibe/feel with Decapitated was truly unmatched (even to this day!). Who knows how great he could've gone on to be. Covan as well - I absolutely love the vocals on this album. IDK, ya'll - it's just truly sad. At the very least, we are fortunate to have this RIPPIN' album that they both participated in, so if you've never heard it - I highly recommend you check it out!
Decapitated went on hiatus for awhile after that, but eventually resurfaced, & got young-drummer/fellow KZfaqr KRIMH to take over behind the kit (around 2009/2010). I remember ALSO being hellllla stoked about this, & thinking that there's no one better to take over the position. To this day, Krimh is in my Top-3 favorite metal drummers (along with Eloy & Dirk!), & he has got to be one of (if not THE) grooviest death metal drummers. I mean, nobody really has the feel & power he has, especially at the speeds he plays. So, yeah - he was the perfect replacement back then. Although he didn't stay in the band, he did record one album with them, & I was fortunate enough to see them live with him on a Summer Slaughter Tour (circa 2011).
Speaking of... I also saw Decapitated with Vitek... twice! One of those times (Jaxx Nightclub in Springfield, VA), I actually caught his drumstick at the end of the show. Still have it, too - how sick is that?!
ANYWAY, ya'll - my POINT is: I've had love for this album for a long time, & was super stoked to finally do a cover from it. So I hope you enjoy it!
KIT SPECS!
#TAMA STAR Maple
10x6.5
12x7
14x11
16x13
20x16 (x2)
14x7 JT Sig Snare
#MEINL Cymbals (from L to R if sitting behind the kit)
18" Pure Alloy China
18" Classics Custom Dual Crash
15" Byzance Traditional
12" Classics Custom Dual Trash Splash
10" Classics Custom Dual Splash
15" Byzance Dual Hi-Hats
19" Classics Custom Dual Crash
18" Classics Custom Heavy Dark China
22" Byzance Heavy Hammered Ride
#EVANS Drumheads
Toms - Clear G2s (batter), Clear G1s (reso)
Snare - Coated UV2 (batter), Snare Side 300 (reso)
Kick - Clear EQ4s (batter), Smooth White EQ4 w/ port (reso)
As per usual, mixing duties were handled by Declan White! He absolutely KILLED IT! Kevin's sick guitar tone & Declan's mixing... 👌🏼
& I'm finally doing my podcast again (regularly!). Several new episodes are already up (links below!) -
Spotify: spoti.fi/3t5j9n1
Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/RantsAndRevelations
Please feel free to follow me on your desired social network(s)!
/ alexrudinger
/ alexrudingerofficial
/ rudirudinger
/ alexrudinger
www.gumroad.com/alexrudinger
www.threads.net/@alexrudinger
www.alexrudinger.com
As always, thanks for watching & stay tuned for more!