In a current interview with Nikki Blakk of San Francisco’s 107.7 The Bone, Demise Angel and Kerry King vocalist Mark Osegueda opened up about why Demise 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 undertaking finally pressured Demise Angel to withdraw from the W.A.S.P. tour. Armored Saint was introduced in as a alternative, 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 loads of Demise Angel followers, considering that [my involvement with Kerry] could be the top of Demise Angel or it is taking away from Demise Angel,” he defined. “After which there was a tour that Demise 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 Demise 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 exhibits with Kerry in the event that they get booked, and it seems like they very properly could.’ And nonetheless my phrases have been taken and with enthusiasm, they simply heard, to a sure diploma, folks thought, ‘Effectively, let’s do it.’ I stated, ‘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 stated, ‘Hey, what we did not need to occur is going on. However all of us knew this going prematurely. So that is what we will do.’ And I really, being somebody — I do attempt to troubleshoot for Demise Angel on a regular basis as a result of there’s been a few years that Demise 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 at all times work with administration very properly. And so I attempted to troubleshoot, and I stated, ‘Look, I might suppose of some singers that might fill in,’ and I gave some names and whatnot, simply as an possibility. ‘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 stated, ‘Effectively, we do not desire a fill-in for 2 explicit occasions,’ ‘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 feel it is an incredible invoice. I imply, who’s to say that W.A.S.P. and Demise Angel would not have been an incredible invoice? Lots of people have been wanting ahead to it.”
Issues took a flip as soon as followers realized Demise Angel‘s absence from the tour was related to Osegueda‘s dedication to Kerry King‘s undertaking. That is when criticism towards 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 detrimental issues about me and my character and the way it was affecting the band they love. Unbeknownst to them, consider it or not, I like that band greater than they do.”
One other supply of frustration for some was that Osegueda did not inform his Demise 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 blokes ‘reason for NDAs [non-disclosure agreements I signed] and whatnot,” he stated. “And I do know folks will say, ‘Effectively, that is your blood. These are your bros.’ Nevertheless 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 retaining 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 hearth. 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 approach 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 blokes after I did inform them. And there you go.”
Regardless of the miscommunications and the backlash, Osegueda insisted that he had been upfront with Demise Angel‘s decision-makers about potential scheduling conflicts with Kerry King‘s band: “However once more, as I stated, after we took the W.A.S.P. tour, I did inform the powers that be that make the choices 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 folks that do not have the ability within the band to make the choices, they may not have recognized that I had prefaced this with administration and the blokes who make the enterprise selections.
“And never everybody on this band is a decision-maker with regards to 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 at all times be the case, even when it goes down twenty years from now. Rob and I nonetheless have two extra many years extra historical past within the band. In order that’s simply the case.”
“And it is a greater approach for a band to work. We have tried with the unique Demise 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 pressure, strife. [Too many cooks in the kitchen] — with the whole lot, from writing, to setlists, to the whole lot. So, there must be some form of set construction, no less than with this band. It really works higher that approach. And most bands I’ve seen which have longevity, it tends to be the case as properly.”
Requested which singers have been thought-about as potential fill-ins for the tour, Osegueda averted naming names however confirmed that he had recommended a number of choices to Demise Angel‘s administration: “Effectively, I do not even know… I should not go down that street, however I recommended just a few names, after which I feel administration and folks have been wanting into folks as properly,” he stated. “And it simply wasn’t, I assume, jelling, particularly with Rob.
“Rob and I had just a few 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 loads of bands to get a fill-in singer. “It’s. It’s, ‘trigger individuals are used to her or him being the entrance particular person and the way they have interaction with the group, and the way they work, and the voice — the whole lot. 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 might be simpler for us to discover a fill-in for me for just a few dates than it’s for you.’ And he stated that selflessly, however principally when it boils all the way down to it, everybody in Demise Angel is a vital a part of Demise Angel, however I do know as a fan of various bands, if you happen to went to go see Demise Angel with out me or Rob for that one present, there’s gonna be an excessive amount of folks on the market that say, like, ‘Effectively, 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.’ They usually’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. Nevertheless it’s not a typical incidence that it really works out so swimmingly and efficiently.”
