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In Words: Forbidden



- Craig Locicero - November 1994 - Claudia Ehrhardt -










Craig Locicero - Dortmund (Germany), November, 14th 1994




At the moment Forbidden are on tour with Gorefest. In Dortmund I had the possibility to talk with guitarist Craig Locicero. At first Craig talked about the past of the band. "The history most people care about starts with our first LP that was 1988, the end of '88. That was at the tale end of the Bay Area thrash scene. So we got pigeon-hold into that whole thing. Anyway, we got in that whole thing and it was pretty cool, 'cause we got a break-through. We played some good tours with Sacred Reich and Exodus. It was the beginning for Forbidden, the beginning as Forbidden, 'cause before up to our LP we called Forbidden Evil. Anyway, that was very successful, then fight fire the guitar player Glen and gotten Tim Calvert. With that came a whole new direction, more melody and I think better songs. After that we did actually on that album a really good tour with Death Angel. We toured Europe, all the way from Finland to Spain." I remembered that Forbidden played the Dynamo festival once. "That was in '89, back at the Forbidden Evil tour." Craig told me, "I'm sorry I'm skipping things as fast as I can to get to the present. We did the tour with Death Angel and that went very well. We started to get a little credibility for being our own sound. We start getting our own thing that was still, probably more the Bay Area thrash sound than it is now. After we finished touring for the Twisted Into Form album we really wanted to tour. Our label said: No, no, no!!! Right now I hurry, go on. We fought them and our label Re;lativity Records and we fought, we fought, we fought. Finally we got off the contract that's what we really want. We thought it would be really easy to get a new contract. Which was relatively true at that time. We had negotiate something with RCA and we all planned where to go. Then Paul (Bostaph, drums) got the offer from slayer and quit the band. And left a sign riot at that point. So everything got a crumble, 'cause we didn't have anybody. But only a week later we found Steve Jacobs, our new drummer. Who is in my opinion an excellent drummer. I love working with him, I love him as a person. I think he's great and I don't miss Paul anything beside as a friend to be around all the time. That's kind of where we stand right now. We did some demo tapes, but most of the material we had with Paul, so everything we had with Paul is dropped. We started re-writing that why it's really a 4-year gap. We had written stuff for about 1½ year with Paul and after the Twisted Into Form album. We toured the States and that take time almost in '91. That was when that shit happened. So, that's why it took so long. We had a lot of time to grow up and to valuate ourselves as people that won't get a fewer record deal. Because we always concerted pressuring, so we had no pressure. Have chopping around everything, never full on chopping to our last demo with Steve. That was the Distortion demo. and it really failed in Europe and in the States it did pretty well, but there is a whole new thing out there. That's where we stand today." Then I ask Craig what he think is the difference between Twisted Into Form and Distortion. "I think the difference is finding ourselves and I think it's heavier, it's a deeper record, lyrically and spiritually to us. It expresses more where we are coming from and how we feel about certain things. It's a real expression of us and our opinions. That's something that we've been starving on for years." Craig explains. He answered my question of the most important song on Distortion that way: "Oh, they're all to me, but I think some are more important than the others. The most important song lyrically would be Undertaker. There are very few words, but very strong words to us. It's all about wishing you had a 2nd chance, not to make the same mistake you might make, e.g. sexually or drugs or what ever. Realising that life is all to precious. Once you do one incredibly stupid thing being the turning point of your whole life." Next thing I wanted to know it about the future of the band. "It's kind of open. I really wanna do Japan. It depends on the sales in Japan. We are holding on and I think that's main thing. Our album isn't released in the States yet. I think we should concentrate more on Europe. Right now it's very important to keep on going, not loose the momentum, 'cause we getting something here. On this tour we're surprising people, 'cause we are like either old man, not as going, not as balls out. But it's very untrue. We've done well on this tour." I often heart from the bands that the European fans are more loyal to the bands they like. They are following through ups and downs. Craig confirmed that "Yes, I think it takes some convincing. The album convinces a half and live convinces the other half. I think why we start the show it's the same sense. It's like: yeah, it's gonna be cool, yeah, it's gonna be intense. It turns out to be, hopefully, what they want. That's pay off for us, we no make a lot money out of this. We just starting all over again. That's our whole goal right now. Just to build it up all over again." I told Craig that I think the audience will feel why they do it. It's because they want it, not for the money. "We are heart and soul, bleeding out of this", Craig commented it. I think everyone can see it, if while watching the show. "Good, I'm glad, 'cause if you couldn't we were disappointed. It's all we are trying to do."


Claudia Ehrhardt

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