TESTAMENT Guitarist ERIC PETERSON On New DRAGONLORD Album - "There's Violas, There's French Horns, There's The Bass Licks; My Producer Was Going 'Dude, Why Do You Do This?'"
August 6, 2018, 6 years ago
In the Heavy New York clip below, Testament guitarist Eric Peterson talks about the band's tour with Slayer, Lamb Of God, Anthrax, Behemoth and Napalm Death, the differences between playing with Testament and his Dragonlord project, gear, and so much more.
On the new Dragonlord album:
Peterson: "When I listen to it, I'm very happy with everything. There's so many, at one point, there's 50 things going on at once. Like, in the chorus, you should focus on the vocals and the main part, but there's violas, there's French horns, there's splishy-splashies, there's the bass licks. It's like, 'How do you do all that at once?' My producer was going, 'Dude, why did you do this?' I'm like, 'I don't know! Sorry!' I wrote the music first. I wrote the music first to be very epic and I do the vocals last because I'm a musician first. Once I got the storyboard and explained what the music is about through the lyrics, that became very important. Then, it was like, 'How do I fit all of that on top of that beautiful landscape I got?' I put it there, then everything else was gone. I'm like, 'You can't hear that.' He goes, 'Yeah, but you're doing this!' I was like 'Oh my God!' But, I think I got it right on this one."
The first DragonLord album in 12 years, Dominion, is out September 21st via Spinefarm Records. Pre-order the album and merch here. A second "making of" video has been released. Find two segments below.
A decade after the release of Black Wings Of Destiny - the most recent full-length release by DragonLord, the passion project of Testament guitarist Eric Peterson - the wait is finally over for fans of the high-fantasy symphonic black/death metal project. Peterson is thrilled to reveal details regarding the long-awaited third album, which will feature eight tracks of devastatingly unrelenting black and death metal assault.
Eric Peterson says: "I'm super stoked for you all to finally hear "Dominion"! This song has all the arsenal to engage any metal appetite! From the first drum cannon-walloping performed by Alex Bent, to the melodic discorded sounds of my guitars and haunting choirs performed by Celtic singer Leah, entering in my lyrical blackened satanic tongue followed by unholy orchestrated strings and violas performed by Mr. Livingston - this song has it all! A beautiful violent storm whirls your way! Breaking down to two old school influenced guitar solos voiced before and after some cleaner melodic singing, only to be sucked back into the vortex... Enjoy!"
Dominion features Eric Peterson on vocals, guitar and bass, Lyle Livingston (Psypheria) on orchestrated keys and pianos, Alex Bent (Trivium) on drums, and notable fantasy metal singer Leah - who has performed/recorded with members of Blind Guardian, Nightwish, Delain and others - on female vocals and choirs.
As aural the gates to Dominion creak open on the first track, "Entrance," you descend into the dark world of DragonLord and there's no turning back. Dominion explores themes of darkness owning and influencing these times we now live in, and things that have come to pass. It also delves into other eras, real and imagined. The pummeling begins with the title track, "Dominion", welcoming all who dare enter into an eternity of misfortune. Then it's into "Ominous Premonition", which Peterson likens to "the soundtrack to the gates of hell". The track "The Northlanders" is about brutal 11th century Northmen, while "The Discord Of Melkor" will thrill Lord of the Rings fans with an untold tale - "my take on Tolkien's Silmarillion, the first age of the Lord of the Rings saga genesis," says Peterson. Then there's the surprise of the slower, Black Sabbath-influenced duet with "my amazing Celtic vocalist friend and collaborator Leah," Peterson explains about "Love Of The Damned," an abstract piece that still explores a love story - with the devil, of course. "Almost like a switch-up story of if Beatrice from Dante's Inferno did fall for the Prince of Darkness!"
Dominion's eight songs create a deep and heady musical journey rife with meaning and menace, from the blackest and loudest recesses of Eric Peterson's mind.
Tracklisting:
"Entrance"
"Dominion"
"Ominous Premonition"
"Lamia"
"Love Of The Damned"
"Northlanders"
"The Discord Of Melkor"
"Serpents Of Fire"
Making of Part 1:
Making of Part 2:
"Dominion" lyric video:
Recorded at Trident Studios near Peterson's Northern California home, Dominion took about four years to complete, between Testament tours and albums. Peterson produced the album with an assist from engineer/mixer Juan Urteaga (Testament, Machine Head, M.O.D.), and mastering by famed producer/engineer Jens Bogren of Fascination Street Studios in Sweden.
If the road to Dominion was long, it's only because Peterson strives for perfection. He says, "The biggest obstacle was getting the vocal patterns and lyrics right; telling the story of the music. Maybe I was a little too picky, but at the end of the day I'm glad we didn't settle for things that I wasn't feeling right about."
Eric Peterson is tuned to E Flat on Dominion, and used his two favorite Les Pauls for rhythm and some solos; his Ritchie Blackmore Fender Strat for other solos, as well as his signature Dean Old Skull Flying V. "I used a lot of different guitars to get various sounds. I didn't want my tone to be too close to Testament, but wanted to still maintain my signature sound. I really felt I needed to lay down the kind of stuff I do on my own - but not necessarily on records," he explains. "I'm pretty stoked of the outcome on the soloing end."
Peterson formed DragonLord in 2000 as its singer and guitarist (with keyboardist Lyle Livingston and now-ex-members Steve Di Giorgio of Testament and Jon Allen of Sadus), and notes that the growth from DragonLord's first two records to the cinematic triumph and brutal blast-beats of Dominion has been immense. Dominion's stellar, complex, brutally symphonic metal is triumphant in its execution, bringing together layers of meaning and musicality into an unholy whole.
Dominion will more than satisfy the legions greedy for DragonLord's beautifully pulverizing metal. Within the highly detail-driven but heavy-as-hell band, Peterson has total dominion.
(Eric Peterson photo - Richard Haick)
