Blistering.com: Because you have a clean singer and aggressive music, do you see this as some kind of continuation of Control Denied?
Christy: Definitely. All the bands I’ve played with were a huge influence. Chuck was a massive influence on this, moreso than anyone. I’m a huge Death fan and there’s probably more of a Death influence than a Control Denied influence because of that. When I first heard Human, I was blown away. Here was this band that was death metal but had catchy and melodic songs…I thought they were the perfect band. Same thing with Iced Earth – I loved the music and Jon [Schaffer’s] songwriting.
Blistering.com: Is your first encounter with Chuck still fresh in your mind?
Christy: I was in Burning Inside at the time, based out of the Springfield, Missouri and we decided to move to Orlando to do more shows and meet more people. The first thought I had was that Chuck Schuldiner lived here and I just dreamed of meeting him and jamming with him. Soon enough, a buddy of mine and I were in Altamont Mall at a Waldenbooks and sure enough, there’s Chuck reading a gear magazine. I couldn’t believe it. We walked past a couple of times, hung out in the corner, just to get the courage [laughs]. When we finally got to talking to him, he was so nice and since this was about 1996, we asked him about Control Denied and talked for about 30-40 minutes. I was so psyched that I had to call all of my friends.
As it turns out, we had this mutual friend Joey, who used to have these house parties that Chuck would be at and we would end up talking. I told him that I was a drummer and have been practicing along to Death forever. He probably thought I was blowing smoke, but I knew those albums – I had been practicing to them every day for years. So this was the summer of 1997. I found out through a friend that he was looking for a new drummer, so I auditioned and it went great. One of the best days of my life.
Blistering.com: Was it just you and Chuck in the room?
Christy: Just me and Chuck. This was a little before Scott [Clendenin, bass] and Shannon [Hamm, guitars] had joined.
Blistering.com: Then a year later you went and played Dynamo. What do you remember about that experience?
Christy: I think it was my fourth gig and man, I was intimidated at the sight of 40,000 people. It was like, “Wow, I’m not in Kansas anymore!” I remember Phil [Anselmo] from Pantera standing at the side of the stage air-drumming while watching us. They were right after us, so during their set, he brought up my drumming to the crowd. I still have the tape of that somewhere. We spent about two weeks in Europe and I ended up partying with Dimebag and Rex. It was a dream come true.
Blistering.com: Even with all of the efforts to do another Control Denied album, do you think at any point Chuck would have brought back Death?
Christy: I know at the time he was just looking to do Control Denied. He was excited to have Tim [Aymar] as a singer because on tour, his voice bothered him a lot. He didn’t like to sing all that much. But he was excited to move forward with Control Denied and it looks like we can, as all of the legal stuff has been cleared.
Blistering.com: So who owns it? Hammerheart [who initially owned the rights – Ed.] is defunct, so did it go back to Chuck’s family?
Christy: Yes, Chuck’s family has it now.
Blistering.com: Any possible label suitors at the moment?
Christy: It was always important for Chuck to be able to walk into the record store and be able to find his albums, so I think someone who can do something like that will be our choice. Right now, we need to get the thing finished. Just the drums and rhythm guitars are done. Steve still has to do bass and Tim needs to lay down his vocals.
Blistering.com: Any tidbits as to how the album is going to turn out?
Christy: It sounds amazing. I’d say it’s more technical than Fragile Art of Existence. There’s one song where Chuck had this riff that had no time signature and while playing it, we looked at each other and laughed. It’s a crazy riff. The guitars slow down, then speed up [laughs]. I’d say it’s little more experimental and melodic, but the fans should be happy.
Blistering.com: Have you finally adapted to waking up at ungodly hours every day?
Christy: Never [laughs]. I get up at four and I’ll never get used to it. Sal [Governale; Christy’s on-air partner] and I still work when the show is on break, but when I’m off, I can only sleep in until seven or eight. It’s worth it, though.
Blistering.com: Have you become a coffee connoisseur?
Christy: Oh yeah…I’m addicted to Splenda. I know it’s not good for you, but it goes great in your coffee. My fiancée and I just bought this machine that makes the k-cups and that really comes in handy when you’re playing guitar and need to get the juices flowing.