Interview's

By: Paul Autry

Most of you who are reading this interview are probably hearing about Diesel Machine for the first time and you're checking this out to see what they're all about. Well, during this conversation with guitarist Pat Lachman, I believe he said it best. "Diesel Machine, what you hear is what you get. One hundred percent real. There's nothing contrived about it. We're not about image and we're not trying to sell you something that isn't real. The substance is there. So, we're all about keeping it real so to speak." What's real about Diesel Machine, you ask? Well, how about some heavy ass music that just doesn't grab you by the throat...it crushes your neck and leaves you gasping for more. That's the reality and this is the interview.

Paul Autry: Let's start off with a typical question. How was the band formed and did you have a clear understanding of what you were gonna do once you got together?

Pat Lachman: Well, we started back in '95-'96, A.J. and I got together. We were both in different projects and wanted to experiment with some heavier stuff. We really didn't have a pre-concieved idea of what to do. But, he's actually a drummer by trade as well as a vocalist. So, we started our early sessions back then just me playing guitar and him playing drums. It started with a heavy doom influence, like early Sabbath. We were very much into bands like Crowbar and a few other things thrown into the mix there.

Paul Autry: I really don't hear the doom thing on the CD.

Pat Lachman: Uh, no, we kinda fazed away from that, brought in some other influences later on. It's sort of an evolution of the band over the past few years. We've been though some definite changes directionally because of different influences and people joining the band, of course, that made a big difference too. After the initial sessions, I would say that the remnants of the doom days would be songs like "Rage," maybe "Sick." Other than that...what happened was A.J. got off the kit and moved up front and we brought in Shane, who obviously brought in a whole other influence and ability to the band with his skills. We're big fans of bands like Messhugga and I'm heavily into all sorts of music, but, mostly heavy stuff.

Paul Autry: Your recording history started off with a demo. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Pat Lachman: Yeah. The first demo was recorded in the rehearsal studio. Basically, we just rented a machine, like a half inch tape machine and a board and just did it ourselves. That's kinda what happened. I think we did six songs originally. We had another guitar player at the time, a friend of A.J.'s that was playing in another band with him called World In Pain and his name was Jeff Moore. He's a real good player too, into that doom style. Eventually, Jeff left and joined another project. So, we kept it at one guitar from that point on and decided to keep it heavy, but, speed it up a little bit too. So, by the time we did the second demo, we pushed the tempo a little bit, got a bit more technical.

Paul Autry: There was a second demo? Pat Lachman: Yeah. That was pretty cool too. A good friend of mine worked on that one, helped to record and mix that. He's actually a pretty big live sound engineer now, works for Kiss and Guns N' Roses and a few strange mixes like Whitney Houston and Fear Factory.

Paul Autry: Were these tapes professionally released?

Pat Lachman: No, they were never circulated other than for press and solicitation to labels.

Paul Autry: So, they are in circulation then.

Pat Lachman: There might be a few out there.

Paul Autry: So, after two demos, what led to the making of "Torture Test?"

Pat Lachman: Well, basically, we got fed up with...the reviews being good but no one really willing to take a chance and get behind it. People were skeptical back then about heavy music for some reason and I think people were considering Pantera the last of the dinosaurs and things were gonna go in a different direction. But, obviously, in the last few years especially, the return of heavy music has proven them wrong. Bands like Slipknot and Mudvein, just this new wave of aggro music has proven the critics wrong. So, I think the time is right for us. So, we just decided to get things rolling for ourselves and started the recording process. We had enough material and when we got Pat Regan involved, it really put the shine on it. We were happy. We thought this was a good enough product that we can release and be proud of it.

Paul Autry: Pat Regan is a name that I never could've imagined you guys being associated with. He's been connected to Kiss, Harlow, which was a female fronted rock band. He's worked with Ace Frehley. So, how did you hook up with him?

Pat Lachman: I believe that was a connection through our drummer Shane. He's known more for his rock 'n' roll stuff. But, in general, I think he's an excellent engineer and producer and he's got great ears. It was kind of an adventure for him to do something this extreme. So, he welcomed the challenge and he thought the music was cool.

Paul Autry: So, when you got him into the studio, did he know what he was in for?

Pat Lachman: Yeah. He had heard an earlier demo and he was ready to go. I think we provided him with some material just to prepare him, see what he was in for. But, I don't think he realized how extreme it was really gonna be until he heard the master for "Torture Test." There was a lot of laughing in the studio!

Paul Autry: After listening to your CD, I got the impression that you're the kind of band that people are gonna have a hard time with because you're heavy as fuck, but, you're not death metal, not thrash. It's really hard to say what you are. So, how would describe the music of Diesel Machine for all those people who would desire a label?

Pat Lachman: Well, we don't really desire a label anyway, so, I guess that's good. It's funny, we've been compared to a lot of bands and some people swear that we sound like this band and other people swear that we sound exactly like this band. So, no one can really nail it down. There's nothing common there other than the fact that it's pretty extreme. This whole thing is about pure, heavy, aggrivated metal. I guess what influenced me to write this kind of stuff, both musically and lyrically, is the fact that I've always been drawn to the heavy stuff. From my earliest influences to the modern extreme stuff. But, just working in the industry and frustration...it's the emotion that I feel when I write...anger.

Paul Autry: How would you describe Diesel Machine from a lyrical point of view?

Pat Lachman: I never really thought about that one. Pretty much everything is based on real life experience, be it personal or third person observation. It's pretty much real stuff...ourselves and/or the world around us and it doesn't always paint a pretty picture. But, it's reality.

Paul Autry: What would you say influences the band to be what you are?

Pat Lachman: I would say Messhugga is probably, between all of us, the common denominator. Not that we're trying to sound like them, I don't think anyone really could. We're a lot more structured than they are. We have a lot of respect for them, sonically, they're just brutal. The musicianship is incredible. So, I think in a very general sense we sort of admire those guys for what they're trying to do, without trying to sound like them. The Crowbar influence is still lurking in there somewhere. That was a band that was actually produced by Phil (Pantera), their first or second record I think. Actually, I bought it because of that, I never knew who they were and I saw the record and I thought, well, this could be cool. That was a very influential record for me. Other bands that I like that maybe don't play into the Diesel Machine thing as literally, influences of mine are Prong, I really like Zombie a lot, I'm sure there's a thousand more that I can't think of. There's so much good stuff out, it's hard to say what you like and what influenced this particular band.

Paul Autry: What I find interesting with all the bands you've mentioned, including your own, is that you're also the guitar player for Rob Halford. So, how do you go from playing one style of music to something totally different because Diesel Machine is a lot heavier than Rob is.

Pat Lachman: It's coming from two different places and the reason that I can do that is because Priest was one of my earliest influences. I listened to a lot of classical metal or what you'd call power metal back in the day...big fan of Priest, obviously, Maiden, Queensryche, which was great because it was awesome pretty much all of those people on the Brave New World Tour last year. Later on, I got into heavier and heavier music, so, it's just sort of a progression. I evolved to the level, musically and lyrically, that I was trying to convey with Diesel Machine and having the opportunity to play with Rob just gave me a different angle to come from with songwriting, different influences, sort of old school in a way. But, we're trying to keep it a little more modern too.

Paul Autry: Will you still work with Rob or will Diesel Machine be your main focus?

Pat Lachman: Well, I'm still working with Rob. We're actually gonna be putting out another Halford record, probably start recording in the fall. We're actually writing material and we'll go into preproduction in a few months and probably try to finish up the record by the end of the year and, my plate is full.

Paul Autry: Do you feel your work with Halford will take away from Diesel Machine and, before you answer that, I noticed that all the other band members have side projects, Mississippi Sludge, Cosmo Squad...so, how do you find time for Diesel Machine?

Pat Lachman: Well, I think that's a natural thing for musicians to just try to get out their aggressions and their influences in different ways. All of the other bands that we play in are sort of a departure from the other band. So, if you wanna call it a side project or whatever.

Paul Autry: Or, as your web page calls it, your OTHER project.

Pat Lachman: Exactly.

Paul Autry: I don't wanna dwell on Rob Halford here, but, since this interview is for Ballbuster Magazine, one of the guitar players that this publication is keen on is Mike Chlasciak. So, what was it like working with him and how does your style differ from his?

Pat Lachman: It was fun, Mike's a good guy. As for style, I think Mike likes to get into the guitar hero antics a bit more than I do. He's trying to push the speed thing. He's into the Yngwie/Steve Via kind of stuff. I like those types of players but, I'm also into things that are a bit more melodic and maybe a little more experimental. I'm a big fan of...and I hate to revert to Messhugga again...but, their guitarist is an amazing player. I'm a big fan of people like Chris Poland and Alan Holdsworth, that sort of thing.

Paul Autry: So, how long has "Torture Test" been out?

Pat Lachman: It just came out the end of February. So, a few months.

Paul Autry: Is it too early to ask how the press has been treating you guys?

Pat Lachman: No, I would say that the press has been very positive. There were a few not as favorable reviews. But, I think that was generally people who...typically, the press that was less favorable came from Europe and I think the reason being maybe they're not into the stuff that's in that vein. Maybe some people were also expecting, because of the Halford association, for it to be something completely different. That might color peoples judgement a bit if they were expecting melodic power metal, which we do not qualify as.

Paul Autry: I think that when you hear the name Diesel Machine, you should have at least some idea of what to expect.

Pat Lachman: I would hope so.

Paul Autry: Since you said the non-favorable reviews came from Europe, have you developed a fan base overseas yet or is that something that still needs to be worked on?

Pat Lachman: We don't know, exactly, what our fan base is yet. It's kind of early in the game. But, right now, our main concern is getting out and plugging away and doing as much press and as many shows as we can just so we can guage the reaction, see what happens.

Paul Autry: Since most people who will be reading this interview will probably be hearing about Diesel Machine for the first time, what would your statement be to them?

Pat Lachman: Well, my statement would basically be...Diesel Machine, what you hear is what you get. One hundred percent real. There's nothing contrived about it. We're not about image and we're not trying to sell you something that isn't real. The substance is there. There's a lot of bands that I personally think are faking it, they're trying to be heavy and they use a seven string guitar or a certain kind of amp and, you know, try to look mean and have the image, but, it's all contrived. That kind of shit disgusts me. So, we're all about keeping it real so to speak.

Paul Autry: Do you listen to other musical styles other than what you play in Diesel Machine and Halford?

Pat Lachman: I listen to a little bit of everything actually except for, maybe, country.

Paul Autry: Yeah, I don't see any country influence in your music.

Pat Lachman: Not that I'm against it. But, I'd be hard pressed to find something that I would actually wanna sit down and listen to in the country realm.

Paul Autry: Where do you see Diesel Machine five years from now...ten years from now?

Pat Lachman: We will probably completely dominate the metal scene.

Paul Autry: Any video plans?

Pat Lachman: Well, that's something that probably gonna be up to SPV. Right now, we're more concerned with the music. But, video is an excellent medium for getting your point across. So, until that happens, we'll just have to rely on the live show. Hopefully people will get the chance to come out and see us this summer.

Paul Autry: Since we know what kind of musicians make up Diesel Machine, how would you describe your band members from a more personal point of view?

Pat Lachman: Okay, well...Shane is the ultimate musician. An incredible player. The best drummer I have ever worked with. If there's anybody that's even close to touching him, it's Bobby from Halford. Two of the most amazing drummers that I have ever worked with. Shane is very well suited to playing with me. On a personality level, he's laid back, which you wouldn't be able to guage by the way he plays, especially on this record. Very cool guy, easy to work with. Rich is kind of the same way. He's metal to the core. He's always been into extremely heavy stuff. A very laid back person, very easy to get along with. A.J. and I on the other hand, we're the more aggrivated people in the band. A.J. is pretty laid back, mellow, on a personal level. But, you put a mic in his hand and put him on stage and he's a beast. The sounds that come out of that man's throat scare me sometimes even. Me, I'm pretty laid back. I'm sort of the spokesperson for the band, for the most part. I have good people skills but that's only because my violent nature lurks in there somewhere (laughs). But, I save that for the people who deserve it.

Paul Autry: Be nice to them until they prove themselves unworthy!

Pat Lachman: Exactly. I used to get my aggressions out by doing full contact kick boxing and wrestling.

Paul Autry: I guess it's safe to say that if you ever have an unruly crowd that you can take care of it yourself.

Pat Lachman: (laughs) Yeah, hopefully. You might pick up on a few things in there, lyrically, about that sort of stuff.

Paul Autry: So, what do you guys do when your not making music?

Pat Lachman: We're pretty much music to the core. Shane and I are career musicians. Rich and A.J. are into bikes. They're Harley heads. We basically all live for music.

Paul Autry: Final comments?

Pat Lachman: I would say go to the web page and check it out. Download some sound files, flip through the pictures and read the reviews and decide for yourself when you hear it. If you think you can handle it...go buy it!

For More Information: http://www.dieselmachine.net