Blistering.com: Could be a bad management or label deal.
Miller: There’s no such thing as “good management.” CKY has been around for 15 years and I think we’ve had 15 managers. Most of them don’t work to create revenue. Most managers will leave it up to you to create revenue for your band and take a percentage of that. I want to meet a manager that comes up to me and says, “I just got you $20,000. Let’s do this. Let’s do that.” They rarely get paid for the work they brought in. I don’t even have a manager for World Under Blood because I’m not going to take anybody unless it’s someone that can bring the band revenue. It makes no fucking sense [laughs].
Blistering.com: Well, if this were 10 or 15 years ago, you’d have a better chance. Of course, the underground is much, much bigger now than it was back then.
Miller: I’m not even aware of the underground. Today when I woke up, I realized that I don’t think I like any bands that are younger than me. I don’t know why. I don’t know their ages, but it just seems that everyone is like “Have you heard Everytime I Die?” Or “Have you heard As I Lay Dying?” I’m like, “No!” And when I do hear these bands and they’re calling them metalcore and I’m obviously showing my age, I like timeless death metal, not trendy music that comes and goes. Alt-metal made sick. Grunge made me sick. Nu-metal made me sick. I’m definitely into EMO at all, that’s the worse one to come and guy so far. So no, these bands seem to be following some kind of trend or leader band. I can’t tell the difference between Black Dahlia Murder…and Trivium.
Blistering.com: Trivium has some actual singing, but the guy’s vocals [Matt Heafy] are a bit of a turn-off. And they’ve been really pretentious and made no bones about being the next Metallica, and you don’t say that.
Miller: Not only does that make you look stupid and foolish, but it’s impossible to be the next Metallica. There are no longer going to be heavy metal rock stars. You have to put that out of your head right away. No one is going to be a rock star. Lady Gaga, but she’s not metal and she’s not rock [laughs]. There’s no longer going to be a James Hetfield or a Gene Simmons or an Ozzy Osbourne. Those days are over. Trivium should know that by now by the lack of money they probably receive from their record company. They’re not going to be rock stars and they’re not going to be able to carry this on for much longer. But whatever, I just do it for fun now. It’s a hobby for me.
Blistering.com: What made you choose (Megadeth’s) “Wake Up Dead” as a cover?
Miller: Because I liked Dave Mustaine and his attitude up until like, 2001.
Blistering.com: What about when he did Risk in 1999?
Miller: I think he still had the same attitude, he was just under record company pressure. Pressure from his band to do something more commercial. That never works, for anyone to go from being a successful band that you are to changing your sound with the times.
Blistering.com: I guess Metallica could be an example.
Miller: They definitely went more mainstream after the Black Album, but remember the Black Album sound 15 million copies and Load probably sold five. There were ten million fans turned off by Metallica’s “change.” And if you look at what Queensryche is doing. Nobody understands that at all.
Blistering.com: They used to be one of the most challenging and forward-thinking metal bands going too.
Miller: And I’m sorry, but the interviews where you see them saying they’re having a good time…that’s not working. No one is buying that shit. You can’t be having a good time on tour and living it up when the whole fucking fanbase you have hates your record [Dedicated To Chaos]. You have to bring some kind of attention to it; maybe apologize and say the next one will be better. Don’t pretend to be proud of something that no one else is, you know…stay home and listen to it. Your fans aren’t digging it.
Blistering.com: Are you still doing the Death tribute album?
Miller: It’s been out of my hands…I’m not responsible for it at all.
Blistering.com: So James Murphy [ex-Death/Obituary/Testament guitarist] is doing it?
Miller: As far as I know, James Murphy is doing it. It’s frustrating for me because it was pretty much my idea, and it got out of my hands and people are blaming me for the delay of it. It’s really not my fault; I’ve had nothing to do with it. My parts have been recorded for five years. I’m done. My contributions to it are over. I think the main problem is that a lot of people backed out of it. And I remember when James Murphy asked Shadows Fall when they were at their peak and they were like, “Well, how much money are you going to give us?” It was funny because the next year, nobody cared about them anymore, so it probably would have been cool of them to be a part of it. But whatever.
A lot of people said no and a lot of people wanted money. Steve Digiorio [bass, Sadus, ex-Death] somehow turned it down and didn’t want to be involved. Terry Butler [Obituary, ex-Death], who played with James Murphy onSpiritual Healing went to James Murphy’s house and recorded…those guys haven’t talked in years. Terry went over recently and recorded on songs that he didn’t originally play on that were from Sound of Perseverance or whatever. James has had some bad luck with it. [Deceased Slipknot bass player] Paul Gray was supposed to play bass on it and one day he told James to come to his and to bring all of his recording equipment so they could work together and James came over and knocked on the door and no one answered and he waited pretty much overnight and Paul never showed up. Things like that. It will see the light of day, because legally it has to. It’s going to be awesome.