It all started at Milwakee Metal Fest 5, I had met Rick previously at a Bolt Thrower show about a month or so before. I had already established a band with guitar player Jason Setvens and a few high school buddies. Rick and myself hit it off right from the start, we both wanted to do the same thing and shared many similar views on Death Metal. We called ourselves Solemn Peace, which I still think is a pretty cool name! Anyhow, we wanted to do something different, something no one else had done, and write slow agonising depressive metal and incorporate classical instruments. Keep in mind the doom scene had not began yet.
As Rick McCoy failed to mention we didn't start out as a death metal band, we were a slow melodic metal band in which Rick sang with so-called clean vocals. I won't go into grave details about what proceeded in the years to come, Rick already covered that. I guess the big issue at hand was our transformation of death vocals to harmonious vocals. We sold out and Rick seems to have blamed it all on me! He even used my purchase of a $3,500 Masarati to exploit me and render me a sellout, like my car has something to do with Avernus? He called me GQ because I cut my hair, or whatever reason it was!
The fact of the matter is that Avernus as a whole felt we reached the pinnacle of our capabilities as a death-doom band, and so we unanimously voted on cleaning the vocals. Yes, even McCoy voted to make the change, a trend that seemed to be occurring in the death-doom scene. Yes, I wanted the band to make money, there is no denying it. I wanted more than anything to make music my full time job. I wanted to live on the road, I wanted to visit places and play shows all over the U.S.
It's funny how things happen sometimes, and how easily people tend to point their finger at everyone but themselves. If Rick was the relentless ruler he claims to be, he should have insisted on keeping the growling vocals, but instead he was in complete compliance to turn around and attempt to sing clean again. He took vocal lessons every week, I must say he was a very devoted band mate and I give him all praises for his influence on the band. Rick and myself wrote the majority of the songs. McCoy wrote the lyrics while I wrote most of the actual music, yes even a drummer can write music! The chemistry was all there. Rick and me made a great team together along with the other band mates. Rick and I were best friends, at least I thought we were, as were the rest of my band mates, who despite Rick's negativity towards them in his article, were all great guys and sometimes even gals.
The big question however is did we made a mistake with the direction we chose? My answer is yes and no. I think we jumped into something we were not ready for yet, and I regret doing it so pre-maturely, because 'Of The Fallen' was an awful album in my opinion. But as I see it we were trying hard, practising 4 times a week in scorching heat to turn ourselves into a band that made music it's sole priority. Would I have done things differently if I had the chance? Probably, it's hard to say because at the time it seemed like we were going in the right direction.
Well I hope I cleared up a few issues, and brought back some of the dignity Rick robbed from my former band mates and myself. Also I would like to publicly apologise to Mr. McCoy for ruining his life, sorry! And just for the record I was never booted from the band, I left on my own will. And to all the Doom lovers in the world, I wish you the most sorrow, grief and agony this miserable world has to offer, why else would we listen to doom?
Death Metal is something that stays with you forever, it burrows it's claws deep into your soul, there is no escape, we do it all for the love of doom! It moves me from inside and takes me out into the night, it take me by the hand and brings me here to understand, this place so lonely I think I'll stay here for a while, and when I close my eyes I feel the rhythm of the Nile!
- Rick Yifrach
(23 February 2002 )
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