Here's a truly great conversation with two exceptional musicians, Doug Piercy (guitar) and Will Carroll (drums), about Nefarious' debut album and their plans for the near future. If you enjoy the more melodic side of thrash metal, I highly recommend checking them out and reading the interview below!!!
Welcome, Doug and Will! While listening to your debut album, "Addicted to Power", I felt like I had traveled back in time to the mid-80s. How do you see this personally? Did the structure of the songs and the sound of the album come about spontaneously, or did you have a clear plan from the outset about what you wanted to create in terms of music, style and sound?
Doug: Some of the songs came spontaneously, others had been around for a while as ideas. I've jammed on a few of them for some time with various drummers. And a lot of them I wrote and came up with in my studio. Rick was also sending me files of riff ideas, so I would learn how to play them and then incorporate them into the song structures.
There was no real clear plan about how to make everything cohesive as a unit. It just was a big collaboration of various ideas that I put together into songs in my studio. When I have the arrangements figured out, I am built them into a click tracks and follow them down to Will's rehearsal studio where we practiced working on them and getting the arrangements right.
Will: We never had a discussion about how we wanted it to sound. I mean c'mon, it's Doug Piercy. He's not going to walk into my studio and start ripping nu metal or deathcore. When he hit me up about jamming I was pretty sure we were gonna do some thrashing with melody.
Nefarious' debut album was released on CD by Relentless Records, while the vinyl version was released by your label, Hectic Records. Incidentally, there were two different vinyl editions: one contains 6 tracks and the other 8. Why was that the case? And which label do you currently consider your main label?
Will: The label is called Hectic/Bleeding Priest Records. My partner David Hecht already had a label (Hectic) that put out a record by my old band Old Grandad. I've been dj'ing in San Francisco under the name Bleeding Priest for a very long time spinning metal at shows for many different venues in addition to hosting metal nights at local bars. He had the idea of teaming up with me and making it a joint venture.
The reason we made two versions of the Nefarious debut is due to the guy who mixed our album insisting that the vinyl be only 6 songs for sound quality purposes. Doug listened to him and told Dave and I that's what he wanted. Once we put out the 6 song version there was instant backlash about the full album not being on wax. The first run of the record sold so well and we took so much heat we thought it would be wise to reissue it with all 8 songs. The guy who mixed our album was furious about the reissue. We won't be working with him again.
Doug: When we originally prepared the release for the vinyl, we did some research and talked to some audiophile people that said that the maximum amount of material you can put on each side is 17 minutes for maximum dynamic results and highest sound quality. However, most releases are up to 40 minutes, they sound fine. They're just 2 to 3 dB's quieter.
The first pressing six song version was limited to 500 copies. We call them the audiophile version. The second pressing has all eight songs, is slightly quieter and sounds fine.
Katon W. de Pena sang on the debut album, but was recently replaced by Sean Rivera. What is behind this change? By the way, how did you find Sean? Your first concert with Sean was on January 3, 2026, at DNA. How did it go? How did the audience react?
Doug: At first when we did the recordings, Katon was showing up and being professional. But as time went on, he stopped communicating and it became very problematic working with him so we had to make a decision to replace him with Sean Rivera.
A few years ago, Sean's band played at a festival in Northern California, and I realized right away that he was really powerful and sounded great! Rick and Tom were also there. So after we made the decision to fire Katon, I had already started thinking about reaching out to Sean. When we got in touch with him, he was super interested in working with the project and so we had him come down and re-record some of the vocals, and it was effortless and excellent. We had him come down to the studio for rehearsal and meet everyone and it was all very positive.
The first show with Sean was excellent and he was received really well from all of the fans. We would, we knew we were around with something. He fits a lot better than the previous vocalist ever did.
We then re-recorded all of the vocals on the "Addicted to Power" record and some more songs as well, which will be available on streaming and also as bonus tracks in the coming months.
You recently played a concert with Raven at DNA. How was it?
Will: The show was great! This was our second gig with Sean so most of the crowd knew what to expect. People love him. He takes our tunes to new heights.
So far, two official music videos featuring Sean's vocals have been released: "Day After" and "Snarler"; both songs are from your debut album. Who directed these videos, and what message do they convey?
Doug: Those videos were created by Tom and I. He's been doing a lot of video work in his studio lately and we started playing around with ideas. He came up with and filming some live footage and incorporating both live and created from AI. We tried to keep the AI as interesting as possible, and not blatantly obvious. In the end it's just another creative tool at your disposal to make visuals so it's up to you to make the choices so they become appealing and are interesting to watch.
The first video, "Day After", addresses the lyrics of the song which are basically about nuclear war and survival after the fact with the wreckage, carnage, militias, destruction and ultimately rebuilding society.
The second one, "Snarler", is all about an idea I had about a terrible monster that prays upon you when you sleep. It was Tom's idea to place it into a Victorian setting so that it is around late 1800s which added a cool vibe to the whole visual experience. There are gas lamps, candlelight, old school clothing, and weaponry. And the snarler monster is about as horrible as you could ever imagine it – a bloodsucking nightmare that you never want wake up to!
Will: Our bassist Tom Gears was the creative force behind those two videos. The "Snarler" video is a horror story so there's really no message at all. "Day After" is your good old post-apocalyptic, the world's going to shit fare. You know, kind of like modern day.
Regarding concerts, I see that Europe is also part of your plans for 2026. Could you share more details with us about this? Where and when can we see you here? Are you focusing exclusively on performing your own songs, or are you also planning to include some special covers in the repertoire for your upcoming concerts?
Will: I'll be in Europe with Death Angel for a month leading right up to the Nefarious tour of Europe, literally. The last show of DA's run is at the Dynamo festival in Eindhoven and the very next day Nefarious start their tour with a show at a great metal bar called The Jack also in Eindhoven. In fact, a week or so before the DA tour ends I'll be doing double duty at the Alcatraz festival in Belgium. DA plays on the main stage and 45 minutes later I'll be in the party tent with Nefarious. We're playing a number of festivals and club shows. One of the festivals will be with the Sebastian Bach fronted Twisted Sister. That's in Spain I believe.
Doug: We will be coming to Europe in August, first show is that the Alcatraz festival August 9 after that we'll be playing various festivals and club shows when we can during the week. We're going to Spain for a big festival there called the Sun & Thunder festival in southern Spain. It's actually supposed to be on the beach from what I understand.
We will be playing in Belgium, Luxembourg, Deutschland, Czech Republic and Spain.
As for the set, will be playing the complete album and a couple of surprise songs that we've already played live several times. It's gonna be really raging!
I know it might be too early to ask, but have you and Sean started writing new songs yet? If so, could you tell us a little bit about your ideas and plans for the new songs, like what direction you're going in this time? By the way, how often does the whole band rehearse?
Will: We haven't worked on any new material per se but we do have a single coming out that was recorded when doing the record. Katon didn't want to sing it so we put it aside. But with Sean, he was more than stoked to lay down some vocals. It's a tune that Doug wrote before he was in Heathen. It turned out rad.
We haven't sat down and worked on any new songs yet but you can bet the new material will be a bit faster, more aggressive and a tad more technical perhaps. I turned Doug onto Coroner recently so you can bet that type of stuff is going to creep into the song writing.
As a full band we only rehearse usually the week of the show. All the members are pretty spread out over Northern California with Doug and I being the only two members who live in San Francisco proper. Doug and I are planning on getting together soon to start jamming on new ideas.
Doug: I have about five new songs that I'm putting together slowly but surely now that I have more time before the tour. I'm gonna have Sean come down and figure out some vocal parts in the next few months, we should have a lot hashed out. We usually have a pretty regimented rehearsal schedule right before shows – meaning we play three or four times in a row. We all practice a lot at home to the record. Rick has a bunch of crazy stuffy's about to record and send them to me as well so let me make up some quick tracks and take them down to Will's studio and we can arrange everything just like last time!
What equipment (guitars, amplifiers, cabinets, strings, cables, etc.) do you use at concerts, in the studio, and in the rehearsal room? Do you have several options, or do you use the same equipment for everything?
Doug: For this record I used an Engl Savage 120 for all the rhythm parts and most of the solos. Rick used his Quad Cortex with one of his lead tones for his solos. I have a little iso room with a Marshall cabinet loaded with G12 80s and Vintage 30s that's miced up real nicely. Rick used his Siggi Braun guitars and I used flying Vs and Stratocasters. These guitars are pretty much all stock. The only thing I change out are the pickups in the strats for Duncan hot rails. Some of the straps are scalloped, but it's not necessary if they have big frets. The vibratos are stock and I beat the shit out of them so they stay in tune. Just keep everything lubricated.
I also use a Mezzabarba MZero and a Marshall jubilee reissue. Great amps! Rick is using the EVH Stealth 5150 EL34 heads. He's got a Quad Cortex as well. The main thing is we used real amps and microphones, warm tube preamps, and then it went into Protools.
And yeah, it's pretty much the same stuff we use live so it's all legit!
Will, you're quite an active drummer. I mean, you play in dozens of bands. How do you manage to juggle all that, and how do rehearsals work in that case? While we're on the subject, which of your bands is expected to release a new album in the near future?
Will: Being in multiple bands can be challenging. Not musically or even physically, although I do drum myself into the ground sometimes. The real challenge is scheduling and not pissing people off from the various bands I'm in. I have a bit of a photographic memory when it comes to music so I can handle the music workload. But the real problem is double booking myself, something I'm guilty of from time to time. In fact, I had to back out of a gig I had with the AC/DC tribute band I'm in with Zetro because it was the same night as the Raven/Nefarious show. I felt terrible about it but Nefarious is a band I'd like to see go places so I had to go with the Raven gig.
The next release from one of my bands will be Deth Provider. It's a death metal supergroup of sorts. I drum on every track with a revolving door of musicians doing their part. It features members of Exhumed, Insanity, Deathgrave, Molten, Necrot, Floating Goat and Ripped to Shreds. It's coming out in June on Hectic/Bleeding Priest Records. We're already taking pre-orders at: www.hectic.com.
Speaking of musical taste, what kind of music are you listening to these days? Do you stick to old bands/albums, or are there new artists whose music still impresses you today? If so, please list them here.
Doug: I listen to lots of different types of music but lately on the heavier side I've been listening to a lot of Coroner, some newer bands like Havok, the new Megadeth, much much more. I listen all sorts of different other types of music as well. Everything from death metal to Latin pop from South America, sometimes house from Ibiza. Lots of crazy stuff I find on my app called Radio Garden. It tunes into every radio station that has a website in the world. You can find amazing stuff!
Will: I listen to lots of metal and rock new and old. With the label now I'm checking out lots of new or young bands in the Bay Area such as Mortal, Hellenistic, Phantasmal Abyss and of course Trencher, whose album we released late last year. I listen to a lot of new wave as well. I'm fascinated by keyboards and would to be proficient enough at it to play in a new wave band. At the very least I'd like to be the drummer in a new wave/dark waveband one day.
I recently acquired a friend's record collection and I'm currently checking out early Ted Nugent, back in his The Amboy Dukes days. He may be a raging asshole nowadays but his early music is fantastic.
Since "Addicted to Power" has been out for a while now, what kind of reactions have you gotten from fans and the media? Are you satisfied with the feedback?
Doug: The response we've gotten from this record is pretty overwhelming. We did a pretty large push with radio and media to help expose the band because it was new. And the response was amazing. We've done so many interviews and radio shows, podcasts, and all sorts of promotional stuff. It's been excellent. People have really responded well to the record, which means everything.
Sales and streams are up pretty high too, so we've had to re-press the record as well as ordered tons more CDs. We'll have them available for sale on tour as well as a standard part of the merch. We have about six different T-shirt designs as well. Hoodies and various other kinds of merch.
I'm just glad we're able to get over the vocalist change early on and get it behind us. We are super happy with the way things have been going with Sean Rivera as our vocalist – now it's been incredible. He's a much better fit.
Will: Very satisfied. The response has been overwhelmingly positive.
Okay, that's all I wanted to ask. Thank you very much for the interview. The last visions are all yours.
Doug: We can't wait to come out and blast your eardrums in wherever you are! After our 2026 August/September European shows, we will be trying to put together a new tour in Europe in spring. Probably gonna hit Italy, Greece, Slovenia, and more! Thanks for all your support and can't wait to see you on tour! Cheers!
Will: See you out on the road. Keep a lookout for new releases from Hectic/Bleeding Priest Records and check out my blogs/vlogs on metal shows and classic Bay Area metal releases at: www.sanfran666co.com. I'm was born in SF, I live in SF and I'm proud.
