By Andrew Bansal
Following the release of their second studio album ‘Revolution Rise’ via Century Media Records late last year, Los Angeles-based heavy metal group Kill Devil Hill underwent a major lineup change as drummer and co-founding member Vinny Appice vacated his seat, and they brought Johnny Kelly (Danzig, A Pale Horse Named Death, ex-Type O Negative) on board to fulfill drumming duties. Led by Rex Brown on bass and comprising Dewey Bragg on vocals and Mark Zavon on guitar, Kill Devil Hill did a short US West Coast run in April to introduce Kelly to fans, and are now gearing up for bigger things including this weekend’s Rocklahoma appearance. A couple of weeks ago, I spoke to Johnny Kelly to discuss how he ended up getting this gig, the challenges that have come with it, and future plans. Enjoy the conversation below.
Johnny, it’s good to have you on Metal Assault. First of all, how did you get the Kill Devil Hill gig?
Well, it actually happened very fast (laughs). I was on tour with Danzig in the fall, and we were breaking up a very long drive. We stopped in Burbank and I saw Kill Devil Hill’s bus parked right across the street from our hotel. I recognized the bus and later on that night I went over there to see Rex and a couple of the other guys, just hanging out and making small talk. Rex and I have been friends for over 20 years, from when Type O Negative and Pantera toured together, and we’ve always remained friends. So a few months down the road I heard that Vinny Appice was leaving Kill Devil Hill. I went out, got together with the guys and played, had a good time and they asked me to join. I guess when I saw him on that day off, it must have stayed in the back of his head!
That’s great, man. It worked out for everybody. But in terms of the drumming itself, in comparison to what you do with Danzig and the things you’ve done before that, how are you taking this challenge of playing with Kill Devil Hill?
The thing that I get off on the most is that it’s a new challenge. It’s a little bit out of my comfort zone from what I’m used to doing, and that’s one of the things that makes it appealing for me. The guys in the band, Rex and Mark, really are great players. Rex is such a phenomenal bass player, and to get an opportunity to play with him was something that I wanted to jump on. I never really played with Mark and Dewey before, so that was a little bit of an unknown variable, but once we got together and started playing, it was a lot of fun. Everybody in the band is great and they’re really good at what they do. So it’s a little bit of a challenge, Vinny is a great drummer as well and he fit the band perfectly. He was a favorite drummer of mine growing up, from his time in Black Sabbath and the stuff he did with Dio. There are a lot of things I borrowed from him throughout the years. So some Kill Devil Hill songs definitely feel more comfortable than others, but it’s definitely outside of what I’m used to doing.
A drummer first and foremost locks in with the bass player for the rhythm section, and Rex Brown is obviously a gigantic name in the genre. It must be a trip for you to think that you’re playing in the same band with him now.
I think of that when I’m not playing (laughs). When I’m playing, it’s a different story. It’s all about trying to do my job the best I can. Rex is a very accomplished player and it’s definitely helping me step up my game on my end, which is the part that I’m really enjoying. You know, when you do the same thing for a long time, you get used to it and get into a comfort zone. Sometimes you need things that really push you as a player. You don’t want to get too complacent and too comfortable. At least that’s how I feel from the outside looking at it. I have to challenge myself and find things to stimulate me playing-wise, that’s why I’ve always picked opportunities to play with different people, to step out of that comfort zone a little bit. It’s been fun for me.
In April you did a few shows with Kill Devil Hill, but before that how much rehearsal or jam time did you actually get with them to get ready for those shows?
We had a week of rehearsal (laughs). They sent me a set list to work on because I’m on the other side of the country from the rest of the guys. I’m here in New Jersey and those guys are in Los Angeles. So they sent me the set list and then when I got there, it changed! They added like five extra songs on it, so I had to work on those songs and I was definitely pulling my hair out (laughs). But somehow we got through it and of course the way things go, we learned a bunch of new songs and didn’t even play some of them. But at least now that we have them prepared and played off and on, if we want to push things up or feel like we want to change the set list, we have options. There was a lot of hard work involved, and there still is. There’s still a lot of little things, like figuring out the structure of the songs. The more you play it, the more you fine-tune it.
Even within a month, you’ve done a few club shows on the US West Coast and then you did a small tour with Killswitch Engage in Australia. So you’ve already had a pretty wild journey in such a short time.
Oh yeah, there’s been a lot of running around, that’s for sure. A lot of traveling (laughs).
Right, so Vinny was such a big part of the sound because Vinny and Rex started the band. Looking ahead, do you think you’ll also become an equally big part in the songwriting for Kill Devil Hill?
I hope to be involved in all aspects. Everybody seems to be getting along really well. They’re pretty happy with what I bring to the table. So I’m just as curious as everybody else to see what comes of it when it’s time to start working on new songs. I’m looking forward to it and curious to see how it goes. Every band that I’ve been in, basically I’ve replaced somebody (laughs). There’s been a couple of bands where I came in to something that was a part of from the very beginning, like Seventh Void. Any time a new member comes into a band, the whole dynamic changes along with it. It isn’t just about the guy coming in and replicating somebody else’s parts. So I’m curious to see what happens. It’s something I have high expectations for, and I’m hoping that my coming into the band would be a positive change instead of something that would hold the band back creatively. I think the band’s great and the two records they’ve done I really like them a lot, so I’m hoping that the dynamic that takes place with the drummer change is positive.
What plans does the band have now?
We have some US dates coming up and then in June we go to Europe for a set of shows including Download and Copenhell festivals. We’re trying to get some other things on board, possibly some touring in the summer. We’re also participating at the Rock On The Range and Rocklahoma festivals in the US. We’re talking about new material as well. The band is highly motivated right now, just trying to get things rolling and we’re just working out all of our options right now.
Kill Devil Hill links:
KillDevilHillMusic.com
facebook.com/KillDevilHillMusic
twitter.com/KllDvlHll
instagram.com/KillDevilHillMusic