In a latest interview with Nikki Blakk of San Francisco’s 107.7 The Bone, Death Angel and Kerry King vocalist Mark Osegueda opened up about why Death Angel needed to pull out of its deliberate fall 2024 tour with W.A.S.P. and the way the choice fueled fan criticism of his dual-band commitments.
Osegueda confirmed that scheduling conflicts with Kerry King‘s solo venture finally pressured Death Angel to withdraw from the W.A.S.P. tour. Armored Saint was introduced in as a substitute, however Osegueda insists that he had made his availability points clear from the start.
“Since this entire Kerry band occurred, and nonetheless being a significant a part of Demise Angel, there was some backlash from a variety of Death Angel followers, pondering that [my involvement with Kerry] could be the tip of Death Angel or it is taking away from Death Angel,” he defined. “After which there was a tour that Death Angel needed to drop off of, and it was as a result of there have been conflicting dates with Kerry,” Osegueda shared.
“However when that W.A.S.P. tour was supplied to Death Angel, I had put it on the market to the powers that be that, ‘Okay, however I am unable to assure I will be obtainable for the entire tour. Simply know this prematurely. So if you happen to take it, I must do reveals with Kerry in the event that they get booked, and it appears like they very effectively might.’ And nonetheless my phrases have been taken and with enthusiasm, they simply heard, to a sure diploma, individuals thought, ‘Properly, let’s do it.’ I mentioned, ‘Okay, let’s, however as soon as once more…’ I imply, each little bit of communication we had, I’d reiterate that.”
“And we nonetheless went for it, throwing warning to the wind, and the wind blew again finally, so to talk. And I mentioned, ‘Hey, what we did not wish to occur is going on. However all of us knew this going prematurely. So that is what we will do.’ And I truly, being somebody — I do attempt to troubleshoot for Death Angel on a regular basis as a result of there’s been a few years that Death Angel has been self-managed by me, Rob [Cavestany, Death Angel guitarist] and Ted [Aguilar, Death Angel guitarist], and we have additionally had administration, however we all the time work with administration very effectively. And so I attempted to troubleshoot, and I mentioned, ‘Look, I might assume of some singers that might fill in,’ and I gave some names and whatnot, simply as an choice. ‘Trigger I did not need them to lose the tour.”
Regardless of his transparency, issues did not go as deliberate: “However the actuality is what the truth was. So finally, what got here again when that was supplied to the W.A.S.P. camp and reserving brokers, whatnot, they simply principally mentioned, ‘Properly, we do not desire a fill-in for 2 explicit instances,’ ‘trigger I’d have missed two batches of dates, they usually did not need that to be the case… That is just about the stance they took. So, then, from there on, push got here to shove, they usually acquired Armored Saint, which I believe it is an amazing invoice. I imply, who’s to say that W.A.S.P. and Death Angel would not have been an amazing invoice? Lots of people have been wanting ahead to it.”
Issues took a flip as soon as followers realized Death Angel‘s absence from the tour was related to Osegueda‘s dedication to Kerry King‘s venture. That is when criticism in opposition to him intensified.
“Previous to [Death Angel pulling out of the W.A.S.P. tour], there was not a lot negativity about me being in Kerry‘s band, however when that hit, then the floodgates opened,” he continued. “And that is when lots of people began saying destructive issues about me and my character and the way it was affecting the band they love. Unbeknownst to them, imagine it or not, I really like that band greater than they do.”
One other supply of frustration for some was that Osegueda did not inform his Death Angel bandmates about his involvement with Kerry‘s band till the information turned public. He defined that non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) prevented him from sharing particulars earlier than the official announcement in February 2024.
“I could not actually inform the fellows ‘explanation for NDAs [non-disclosure agreements I signed] and whatnot,” he mentioned. “And I do know individuals will say, ‘Properly, that is your blood. These are your bros.’ However it’s an NDA. It is a authorized, binding contract that I signed and I respect that. And wording in NDAs are form of daunting.”
Osegueda admitted as soon as once more, that conserving the key was notably difficult within the tight-knit steel group, the place phrase spreads quick: “The steel group is a hen home,” he remarked. “It truly is. And simply, bap, bap, bap, bap, and phrase simply will get out, and it is identical to fast fireplace. And Blabbermouth or not, it simply takes somebody from one crew, one band, they usually discover out and it simply goes round And we needed to exit of our strategy to preserve this principally the most important secret there was. As a result of everybody form of had an concept of who was in [Kerry‘s] band, however for probably the most half, nobody knew who the singer was. All of them assumed it was Phil [Anselmo]. And it was simply form of fairly a giant secret to maintain down. In order that was laborious. And I perceive that. And I defined that to the fellows after I did inform them. And there you go.”
Regardless of the miscommunications and the backlash, Osegueda insisted that he had been upfront with Death Angel‘s decision-makers about potential scheduling conflicts with Kerry King‘s band: “However once more, as I mentioned, once we took the W.A.S.P. tour, I did inform the powers that be that make the selections for this band, me being one in every of ’em, what might happen,” he reiterated. “Now say the powers that be inside the band, or individuals that do not have the facility within the band to make the selections, they may not have identified that I had prefaced this with administration and the fellows who make the enterprise choices.
“And never everybody on this band is a decision-maker on the subject of this band. And that is simply the pecking order of how this band works. A few of us have longevity and precedence and a few of us do not. And that can all the time be the case, even when it goes down twenty years from now. Rob and I nonetheless have two extra a long time extra historical past within the band. In order that’s simply the case.”
“And it is a greater manner for a band to work. We have tried with the unique Death Angel lineup to do it as a democracy, and it would not work. It simply would not work. It simply breeds extra chaos and extra rigidity, strife. [Too many cooks in the kitchen] — with all the things, from writing, to setlists, to all the things. So, there must be some form of set construction, at the very least with this band. It really works higher that manner. And most bands I’ve seen which have longevity, it tends to be the case as effectively.”
Requested which singers have been thought of as potential fill-ins for the tour, Osegueda averted naming names however confirmed that he had urged a number of choices to Death Angel‘s administration: “Properly, I do not even know… I should not go down that street, however I urged a number of names, after which I believe administration and folks have been wanting into individuals as effectively,” he mentioned. “And it simply wasn’t, I assume, jelling, particularly with Rob.
“Rob and I had a number of conversations, and he is, like, ‘It is simply not the identical.’ And I am not saying it’s or is not for any band, or it is completely different for any band, however it’s laborious, and I am not saying the significance of a place, however it’s laborious in a variety of bands to get a fill-in singer. “It’s. It’s, ‘trigger persons are used to her or him being the entrance particular person and the way they interact with the gang, and the way they work, and the voice — all the things. And in order that’s one other factor Rob was actually involved about, which makes absolute sense.”
“And in our private conversations, he was saying, ‘It would be simpler for us to discover a fill-in for me for a number of dates than it’s for you.’ And he mentioned that selflessly, however principally when it boils right down to it, everybody in Death Angel is a vital a part of Death Angel, however I do know as a fan of various bands, if you happen to went to go see Death Angel with out me or Rob for that one present, there’s gonna be a substantial amount of individuals on the market that say, like, ‘Properly, I acquired form of robbed.’ That sucks. And that is simply form of the character of the beast and the character of the historical past of this band. With all bands, that is simply how it’s. It is like if you happen to went to see Sabbath they usually had a fill-in for Tony Iommi. You would be, like, ‘Oh.’ And so they’re an exception.”
“There have been bands which have changed lead singers. Clearly, AC/DC and Sabbath are the 2 primest examples. And Iron Maiden. There is a handful. However it’s not a standard incidence that it really works out so swimmingly and efficiently.”
