Drum legend Gene Hoglan (TESTAMENT, MELDRUM, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, DEATH) is featured in a new interview with Drum! Magazine discussing the making of the new DETHKLOK album. Deathalbum 3. An excerpt is available below:

D!: What’s your favorite performance of the new album?

Hoglan: "I like all of them. My chops are up and everything, but no song titles yet. For example, 'The Galaxy' is from the final episode of season three and it’s a really glorious epic track. It’s so mighty, just thinking about it gives me shivers. The best Dethklok song ever. It’s pretty slow stuff with slow double bass. The intro is in the vein of 'Hell Awaits' by SLAYER or 'Take On All the World' by JUDAS PRIEST. All the note placement and all the riffs are pretty mighty. And it kicks into some hauling thirty-second bass drum notes with the snare on 2and 4. We have an absolutely ripping blast song called 'Wine And' … something from an episode in season three where they get a drum machine to replace Pickles The Drummer. The drum machine can do anything. I am blasting the shit out of that one."

D!: What do you practice when you’re off the road?

Hoglan: "I don’t practice all the time. And I notice as I get older -- I used to be able to go six months without playing and jump back on the set. Now it takes a day or two to get my chops back. I wear leg weights when I play and when I practice. I tracked the majority of the Dethklok record with leg weights."

D!: Why?

Hoglan: "I don’t know. My chops are up so playing with leg weights is fine. Usually if I’m using leg weights for the beginning of a live set I’ll play the first few songs with the leg weights on then pop them off when we get into the cooking double-bass material. The first songs might have hauling double-bass, but I can put everything in the general wheelhouse. I am really comfortable at 190 or 200 bpm – those are easy and simple. But when I get up to 210 to 220 bpm I take the leg weights off. With Dethklok I track one song a day. For an easy song I will track with leg weights; it’s a good thing. It gives my legs a workout. Then I’m ready for the really blistering songs. I like to work out songs with my toes and fingertips too. Then I don’t have to wave my arms around so much."

Go to this location for the complete interview.