Read part I HERE.
Dead Rhetoric: What do you think of the state of heavy metal in 2015? It seems like there is a boatload of more product being put out at an alarming rate, do you think it’s tough for the average fan to keep up with and discern who the best bands are?
Paciolla: Absolutely. Music in my opinion has become very disposable. I know a lot of people (are) blaming it on downloading, but I think there are just so many bands. You can go on Bandcamp and probably just spend days going through one sub-genre of heavy metal. It’s amazing to me, it’s so easy for people to record now than it was even 15 years ago. People were recording at home back then, but it’s just become so much easier and cheaper today. Anybody can do it. Personally I’ve discovered a lot of great bands that wouldn’t have existed if they didn’t have that technology but at the same time- it’s just amazing to me that there are as many musicians and bands out there as there is.
Dead Rhetoric: What are the keys to maintaining a successful band?
Paciolla: Everybody having a common goal of knowing that you are going to complete a record and it may or may not be successful, you just have to roll with it. Not having huge expectations – I know that was a big reason why Dave left the band. After Flashpoint came out and things fell through with Century Media, he just said that he needed to look for something else. He wanted to do something more with music than what we were offering him. He ended up playing in a band called Pile of Heads that was stylistically different from Enertia – more nu-metal. They put out a CD, and then he ended up joining the band Merauder on Century Media. He got to tour Europe and Japan, play big festivals and so forth. I was happy for him, when he left it wasn’t all that bitter. I didn’t believe in him staying if he wasn’t happy because it would have ruined what we had. I really respect Roman, Jeff and Scott for sticking it out all the years we spent together and although it would have been nice to see some success on the next level, it was about playing music for us, first and foremost!
Dead Rhetoric: Are you happy with Scott’s involvement with Ion Vein?
Paciolla: Yes, and I was the one who helped set that up. I had recommended it to Chris Lotesto. We had played with Ion Vein several times and we were good friends with them. At one of the ProgPower festivals I went to, I was hanging out with Chris and I knew they were having trouble finding a singer. I told him that Scott would sing pretty (well) on these new songs they had written. Chris agreed and I talked to Scott when I got back. I told him to take a listen to these demos that Ion Vein had been doing, they were working with Neil Kernon and I knew Scott had a good relationship with him when we worked with him. He liked them and continues to do that to this day, he recorded the record with them and he’s got at least 1-2 shows coming up. Chris is a great guy and a hard working musician.
Dead Rhetoric: Having overcome diabetes and gone through a number of surgeries, how is your health these days?
Paciolla: My health is very good. I’m about the same weight that I was in high school. I’m doing fairly well, my kidney/pancreas transplant has gotten me through 18 ½ years not being diabetic anymore. I know when I was in Boston, which is where I had the surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess – the last time I was over there, there was a sign in the office about a woman that had a transplant there 30 years ago. I told them that they would have a sign for me in 12 years as well.
That’s just how I view it, I’m a fighter. I watch my diet, I do my 10,000 steps a day as often as I can. Having a pedometer on my phone just rules. I have an awesome wife that’s a very good cook so it’s easy to put on weight if I don’t watch what I’m doing.