Exclusive Interview: Electrocutioner talk “False Idols”!

The razor sharp Thrash attack of Long Island New Yorkers Electrocutioner is one within which you can feel their love of both Metal and 80’s Dystopian Science Fiction movies. Their new album “False Idols” takes those influences and finds them going back to the very roots of the genre with a combination of speed, aggression, ripping solos and frenetic energy like no other. Musing on themes of societal collapse, nuclear war and the horrors that await when you fall asleep at the wheel, it isn’t just a headbangers delight but a script for a low budget horror movie all wrapped into one neat care package. We got talking to guitarist, vocalist and synth master Mark Pursino about the bands World and the conversation went something like this…

Your debut album “False Idols” has been out since mid October, how have you found the reaction so far? What’s the strangest description of your music you’ve read or seen? “We’re extremely happy and humbled by the reaction the album has gotten so far. The reviews and coverage have been overwhelmingly positive. More importantly, they’ve been fair and accurate with a lot of constructive feedback. We avoid all of the stylistic trends that have dominated the thrash scene in the past few years, so it’s nice to read that people “get” what we are going for.  I haven’t seen too many “strange” descriptions, but something that stood out was one reviewer speculated we were Satanic, while another commenter thought we might be a Christian metal band haha! Pretty interesting that they got complete opposite messages from the music!”

Having hammered out a couple of EPs including the impressive “48 Hours ‘Til Termination“, what made you decide the time was right to deliver a shotgun blast with both barrels and go full album with “False Idols“? “My philosophy is that everything is a race against the clock and any delay in life kills momentum. I’ll mention it a million times:  Exorcist’s “Nightmare Theatre” (which influenced “False Idols in countless ways”) was written and recorded under the gun in like 4 days. I wish we could do that. If everything was up to me, I’d have Electrocutioner lock ourselves in my basement for four days, write eight songs, and record it in another four days. You lose a lot of raw energy and are at risk for overwriting songs. That being said, Rich, our bassist, is very calculated and careful about everything. I think it comes across in our record too… this feeling of being both raw and polished.

We decided it was time to just record and put it out and hopefully get some buzz in the thrash scene. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to get it out by October 2023. We definitely had plenty of reasons to delay the record. Our original drummer left the band during recording, we couldn’t afford a studio or anything like it, so it was entirely done entirely DIY in my basement. Hopefully the next record will be less chaotic”

You’ve toured the East Coast alongside the likes of Lich King, Extinction A.D. and Doomcreeper but as a young band having formed in 2020, what are your aspirations? Where do you see yourselves in the next five years? Touring Europe? Appearing on the cover of Metal Hammer Magazine? Releasing a signature guitar model with someone like Carillion or simply to be full time musicians? “Our main aspiration is just to put out the most badass New York thrash metal possible. It’s 100% about the music. It’s really important to us to represent New York with thrash metal that is pure, ferocious and completely averse to trends in any form. We also want to get up and down the East Coast and hit other cities in the US with some weekenders and mini-tours. After that, we need to scratch and claw our way into some opening slots of some small fests. Ultimate goals are to get to Hell’s Heroes in Texas, and anywhere in Germany or the UK. 

If I had a signature guitar model I would think it must be a prank being pulled on me. Currently, I have been playing these three beat-up vintage 1985 Kramer Vanguards flying Vs. One of them was in a dude’s backyard in a shed for like twenty years and when he shipped it to me, there was blades of grass in the pick-ups. I fix them up, slap a $3.00 radioactive decal on them, and make them my own.

I know Rich’s dream is to work with ESP/LTD basses and get a signature series multi scale bass… or he talks about getting a Kiesel with a custom paint job as he is sick of boring looking basses”

If we are made up of our genes and our influences, what is in your genes and who would you consider your influences? Where does your love of 80’s dystopian science fiction films come from? “The blueprint for Electrocutioner is basically Exorcist’s “Nightmare Theatre,” Megadeth’s first three records, early Whiplash (especially Tony Portaro’s guitar playing), Slayer’s “Show No Mercy,” and early Sepultura.

I was actually taught piano by Dave DeFeis from Virgin Steele. Ed Pursino, the guitarist, is my uncle and godfather, so that’s literally in my genes haha! I remember learning how to play “Noble Savage” and “Angel of Light” on piano when I was like seven years old!  They both influenced me on how I write and play a lot… hence, the connection to Exorcist’s “Nightmare Theatre.” “False Idols” was really patterned after that album. On the next album, I think you’ll see some of the other influences like Sepultura pop out more.

Tyler is a huge fan of Judas Priest. They released their single “Panic Attack” on the same day as our album and he was way more excited for that. He’s also a big Exodus fan which he wants to bring a little bit of that style to the next record. For the record he was influenced by the drumming on Suicidal Tendencies’ “How Will I Laugh Tomorrow…,” Metal Church’s “Blessing in Disguise,” Fates Warning “Awaken the Guardian,” and Slayer. Rich has a unique bass style and was really drawn to Exumer’s “Possessed By Fire,” old school Maiden and stuff like Kataklysm and Children of Bodom.

I don’t watch TV at all, so when I do it’s usually a slasher flick or some 80’s dystopian stuff. Those are the only movies I can get absorbed in really. John Carpenter’s stuff is obviously unmatched. Obviously thrash metal and those 80s dystopian movies really go hand-in-hand: nuclear war, societal collapse, dystopia. The concept of some lone renegade surviving the apocalypse while doing whatever he wants with a creepy synth soundtrack is the best”

You’ve nailed the horror storytelling on the album with cuts like “Asleep At The Wheel“, so if you got the opportunity to write the soundtrack for a low budget horror film in the future would it be something you’d be interested in? “Now that would be incredible! Yes. I couldn’t think of a cooler thing to do outside of playing with the band. It’s funny you mention a low-budget horror because we actually wrote the synth intro to Sadistic Force’s new record “Midnight Assassin” which is all based on 80’s slasher films and serial killers. James gave me a list of movies to watch to get in the zone.

“Asleep at the Wheel” is actually based on a true story. My wife was hit by a car when she was a teenager and left for dead by a hit-and-run driver. The dude was never caught, so in the song the girl kind of haunts the dude until he drives himself crazy and eventually to his own death. A lot of the album deals with the idea of severe punishment or judgment”

What’s next for Electrocutioner? “Writing the next album and playing other cities on the East Coast hopefully. We’re planning to start the songwriting for the next album in a month or so and just not waste any time at all. My attitude is to make the next album a little faster and more aggressive while still keeping the overall sound. Rich wants to improve upon production things from the last album and it will be a huge improvement to have Tyler incorporate his drumming and songwriting into everything from the start”

“False Idols” by Electrocutioner is out now and available over at bandcamp