In a recent interview with Nikki Black of San Francisco’s 107.7 The Bone, Death Angel and Kerry King vocalist Mark Osegueda said Death Angel has canceled their planned fall 2024 tour with WASP. He talked about why he had to do so and how that decision fueled fan criticism of his dual role. -Band promise.
Ocegueda confirmed that scheduling conflicts with Kerry King’s solo project ultimately forced Death Angel to withdraw from the WASP tour. Armored Saints were used in their place, but Ocegueda claimed that he had made the issue of his strength clear from the beginning.
“Because this whole Kelly band was formed and was still a major part of Death Angel, there was some backlash from a lot of Death Angel fans who were wondering if[the Kelly involvement]was the end of Death Angel. Or maybe it would take away the appeal of Death Angel, “Angel of Death,” he explained. “And then Death Angel had to cancel their tour because the dates didn’t work out with Kelly,” Ocegueda said.
“But when that WASP tour was offered to Death Angel, I took it to the powers that be and said, ‘Okay, but I can’t guarantee you’ll be on the whole tour. Just know this up front. I want it.’ So if you accept it. “If I get booked, I have to do a show with Kelly, and it seems very likely that they will.” Still, my words were met with enthusiasm. , I heard people think to some extent, “Okay, let’s give it a try.” I said, ‘Okay, okay, but again…’ So every time we communicated, I repeated that. ”
“And we kept trying, throwing caution to the wind, but eventually the wind blew back against us, so to speak. And I said, ‘Hey, there’s something we don’t want to happen. It’s happening. But we all knew this was going to happen. So this is what we can do.” And in fact, as someone who always tries to troubleshoot Death Angel. Because Death Angel has been self-managed for years by me, Rob (Cavestany, Death Angel guitarist) and Ted (Aguilar, Death Angel guitarist). ) And then there’s management, and we always work very well with management. So I tried to troubleshoot and said, “Look, I can think of some singers who could stand in for me,” and I gave them a few. Whatever the name, it was just an option and I didn’t want them to miss out on the tour. ”
Despite his transparency, things didn’t go as planned. “But reality was reality. So in the end, whatever came back when it was offered to WASP camps or booking agents or whatever, they basically just say, ‘Well,’ It was. We don’t want two specific refills. Because I will be absent for two dates. And they didn’t want that to happen. So that’s the stance they’ve taken. The push came from there and they got Armored Saint, which I think is a great bill, I mean, who’s to say WASP and Death Angel were looking forward to it? ”
Things took a turn for the worse when fans realized that Death Angel’s absence from the tour was related to Osegueda’s involvement in the Kerry King project. At that time, criticism of him intensified.
“Before[Death Angel pulled out of the WASP tour]there weren’t too many negative opinions about me being in Kelly’s band, but it hit me and the floodgates opened,” he said. continued. “From then on, a lot of people started saying negative things about me, my personality, and how it affected the band they love. They may not even know it. But believe it or not, I love that band more than them.”
Another source of frustration for some is that Osegueda did not inform his Death Angel bandmates about Kelly’s involvement in the band until the news became public. He explained that a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) prevented him from sharing details until the official announcement in February 2024.
“I couldn’t tell them the truth because of the NDA (non-disclosure agreement I signed) and things like that,” he said. “And I know people will say, ‘That’s your blood. Those are your brothers.'” But this is an NDA, a legally binding agreement that I signed. It’s a contract, and the wording of the NDA is a little daunting. ”
Ocegueda once again acknowledged that keeping secrets is especially difficult in the close-knit metal community, where rumors spread quickly, stating, “The metal community is a chicken coop.” “It really is. And just, bap, bap, bap, bap, and the words just come out, and it’s just like a rapid-fire cannon. And whether it’s Blabbermas or not, it’s just one crew , you just take someone from one band and they find it and it just spreads and we had to go out of our way to basically keep this as our biggest secret. Because everyone kind of knew who was in (Kelly’s) band, but for the most part, no one knew who the singers were. It was Phil (Anselmo). And it was such a big secret that I realized it when I told them.”
Despite the miscommunication and backlash, Osegueda maintained that he had been upfront with Death Angel’s decision-makers about potential scheduling conflicts with Kerry King’s band. That’s going to be the decision for this band, and I’m one of them, so I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he reiterated. “People in power within the band, or those who don’t have the authority to make decisions within the band, may not have known that I had forwarded this story to management and the people making business decisions.
“And when it comes to this band, not every member of this band is a decision maker. And it’s just a hierarchy of how this band works. Some of us , some people have longevity and priorities, and some people don’t. And that’s always the case. Even if it’s 20 years later, Rob and I still have another 20 years of history in the band. I am.
“And that’s a better way for the band. We tried to do it as a democracy with the original Death Angel lineup, but it didn’t work. It just doesn’t work. It creates more confusion and more It just creates chaos.” (There are too many cooks in the kitchen.) So, at least with this band, you need some kind of set structure. Most bands I’ve seen that have a long lifespan tend to do so as well. ”
When asked which singers were being considered as possible replacements for the tour, Osegueda declined to name names, but admitted that he had suggested several options to Death Angel’s management. But I suggested some names and I think management and people were looking at talent as well,” he said. “And I don’t think there was any particular conflict, especially with Rob.
“Rob and I had a few conversations and he was like, ‘That’s different.’ I’m not saying it’s going to be that way for every band or it’s not going to be that way, or that it’s going to be different for every band, but it’s hard. However, I am not saying that position is important, but in many bands, position is important. It’s hard to get a fill-in singer because people are used to him or her being the front person, the way they interact with the crowd, the way they work, the voice, everything. That’s another thing that Rob was really concerned about, and it makes perfect sense.”
“And in our private conversation he said, ‘It’s easier to find a replacement for me for a few days than it is for you.’ And he said that selfishly. However, in the end, all members of Death Angel It’s a big part of Angel, but I know as a fan of another band, if you went to see Death Angel without me or Rob, at that show, you’re like, “Well, hey, hey, hey. There will be many people who will say, “I encountered this.” It sucks, that’s the nature of this band’s history, it’s like if you went to see Sabbath they were replacing Tony. Iommi, you think, “Ah.” And they are the exception. ”
“There have been bands that have changed lead singers before. Obviously AC/DC and Sabbath are the prime examples. And Iron Maiden. It’s rare for them to do it so well. is.”
