Interview

Des Moines, IA-based rockers Destrophy have fearless leader

Destrophy is a flat-out rock band in the most powerful, assured sense of the term. Their latest album "Cry Havoc" strips away the metallic bombast of their previous self-titled release and zeroes in on the straightforward, unpretentious emotional core of lively, melodic hard rock - proving that a great song is a great song, fashion police be damned. In the second installment of my series of interviews during the recent Victory Records promotional stop at Jaxx in Springfield, VA, my brother (and fellow fan) Will Smith and I chatted with Destrophy's founder, frontman, guitarist, and songwriter Ari Mihalopoulos.

Mike Smith (OverkillExposure): “Cry Havoc” has been out for a couple months now, and how have you gauged the reception from the fans and press?

Ari Mihalopoulos: It’s been pretty cool. A lot of people are talking about it. I know a lot of people were thrown off a bit by the departure in sound, but to be honest, I guess those people weren’t really necessarily fans of us. Because the people who are really big fans of us seem to really, really like it. It’s just more of a rock album, and I’ve told people over and over that I wanted it to be positive, uplifting, and inspiring. Not to be dark, brooding, or depressing. It does get pretty emotional, but I think at the end, it’s all about looking forward to tomorrow instead of hoping it doesn’t get here. That type of thing.

Mike: The divided reactions remind me of something Dave Mustaine said years ago, looking back on the “Youthanasia” record. He said that it split Megadeth’s fan base between people who loved them because they were heavy, and people who loved them because they were Megadeth.

Ari: Yeah, that’s a really good way to put it! Obviously I’m a huge Megadeth fan, and I always enjoy any Mustaine quote. But we’re barely heavy, y’know? I’m not a screamer or a growler or whatever those noises are. I don’t really do any of those things, or I certainly don’t do them that well. I just kind of yell in key, and then sing. For me, it’s always been about lyrics and music. Melodies, big choruses, and catchy things, stuff like that. So if somebody was attracted to us just for a certain component they may have perceived, then yeah… I can’t cater to that. I have to seek out my own vision and do that to the best of my ability, and that gives it the best chance of being received by everyone else.

Mike: I hear a great deal of integrity and power in a Destrophy song, and a lack of pretension. I think that can be attributed to your straightforward approach to music and lyrics, in wanting to write the best song possible, instead of worrying about frills – “this needs a blast beat,” etc.

Ari: Yeah, if you like a certain genre, you kind of demand that every band or every song have this part, or that part, those genre conventions. Whereas if you just like songs, it almost doesn’t matter, unless you’re thinking, “I wish I could understand what the hell he’s saying,” or that it’s so abrasive that it’s unpleasant to listen to. That’s coming more from a singer-songwriter than from a person who’s just into a particular genre. Because these splinter genres have so many rules, it’s like creating something for the torture porn market. [Laughs] You can’t really stray too far and have some nice PSA message in there. You gotta keep it torture porn, kids! [Laughs] You can’t pretend it’s something it’s not. But the stuff I’m doing is more about songwriting. It happens to have the production qualities that it does because they give it the most power, in the most awe-inspiring sense, so that you’ll pay attention to the message. If it was too meek, it wouldn’t get the point across.

Mike: Your earlier work was certainly heavier, faster, and more aggressive. In the early writing stages for “Cry Havoc,” what do you feel drove the shift toward more straightforward hard rock?

Ari: Well, first of all, the reason it got as heavy as it did was because we were opening for every hardcore band or tech metal act – or whatever – that was coming through. That was all that was coming through. And it’s only so long you can play a certain style, opening for those types of acts, before it starts to seep into you. And the way those heavy bands have moved onstage, and gotten really physically into the music, has always been an inspiration to me. As opposed to Megadeth, and as much as I love them, it’s a rough show to watch, because it’s very, very boring. It’s almost all on the fans’ part to make it exciting. Even if it’s just about the light show, or anything like that, I want to try and give the viewer more to see, more to take in. I think having a more physical performance is one way to do that. Plus, for myself as an artist, it allows me to get more into the music, and to inhabit and project whatever persona I was living in at the time I was writing it. So that’s why it was heavy, and I still think it has an aspect of heaviness, but after touring with Bury Your Dead, Through The Eyes Of The Dead, and Otep – really heavy acts – I was like, “Man, they’re doing their thing, and that’s cool, and I respect it, but they’re doing it better than I can do it.” I’d rather do what I do best, which is singing melodically over a more rock-styled type of music. And I say rock… I mean, Metallica’s obviously my prime influence, and I guess nowadays they’d probably be called hard rock, right? I used to think that was the definition of heavy metal.

Mike: It’s ALL rock and roll! People need an open enough mind to respect when a band wants to try something different, like the Black Album.

Ari: That was originally a tough sell on me, what with the Euro roots of the previous albums. And then “Load” was even more of a departure from that. I always looked to them because I feel like they’ve done it all before. It’s always kind of fun to frame your career in terms of where some other bands might’ve been, and say, “Maybe we should do this or that.” So who knows what our next album might sound like? We’re touring with Otep again, and getting a good five weeks in with her, so maybe we’ll feel like getting brutal again. It just depends. You have to follow your art.

Mike: If you have a strict blueprint, then it WILL get boring, and some bands do crank out the same record over and over again.

Ari: Financially, that can work, like with AC/DC and Slayer. They’re pretty good examples of giving people what they want. Theoretically.

Mike: As the sole songwriter in the band – and I know you mentioned Metallica – what are some of the broader inspirations you look toward when writing a Destrophy song?

Ari: Books, movies, relationships, and a lot of movie music. Soundtracks really inspire me. They carry me to a lot of different places and make me think about different things. Typically, I’m a philosophical person, so I like to analyze whatever situation I’m going through, maybe from more of a philosophical standpoint as opposed to just a kneejerk emotional standpoint. And this record kind of navigates, or vacillates, between those, the emotional and the philosophical.

Mike: What are some of your favorite go-to film scores?

Ari: Oh man. Well, Hans Zimmer is one of the classic guys everyone goes to. I love the stuff he did with Batman, and “Gladiator.” John Williams, of course. Can’t go wrong with him. Another one I really love is James Horner. He’s really guilty of self-plagiarism, because you hear his themes in every single movie he does, but I really like those themes, like in “Aliens.” There’s too much stuff he’s done that I really enjoy.

Mike: How about literary and film influences?

Ari: I’ve done research for certain songs… “Cry Havoc” itself is based on the idea of the Spartan stand at Thermopylae, which they obviously made the “300” movie about. I got to go there when I was little, and that made an impact on me. A really haunting book I read was “On Killing,” which demonstrates that it’s NOT human nature to kill somebody, and that you have to drill it into a human being, and almost trick them into doing it. And obviously I love reading about conspiracy theories, and doing historical research… I’m very fascinated with Communism and other forms of government that embrace enslavement, power, and corruption. There’s almost a necessity of corruption to maintain power. So Machiavelli’s “The Prince” is definitely a go-to thing, and I like to skim through that. All that stuff.

Mike: The good news is that if you’re studying power and corruption, the well of inspiration won’t ever run dry!

Ari: Right! And it’s interesting to view it as not necessarily good or evil, but almost as something that’s inherently built into a system. If you’re gonna subjugate somebody, it may actually be in their best interest to be subjugated. That whole argument fascinates me.

Mike: A little not-so-fun fact about “On Killing:” That was one of the three worn books found in the apartment of Nathan Gale, Dimebag Darrell’s killer. It’s clear he wasn’t using it for educational purposes, but to harden himself to killing so he could carry out a bloody mission.

Ari: Jeez! Oh man, that’s interesting. I can’t even remember where I read it… But I’ve always been fascinated by that act, and how people can pull it off in war. It was pretty illuminating to find out about so many non-firers in the World Wars, who would shoot at each other so people would know they were shooting at the enemy, but shoot only in the other guy’s general direction – definitely not to hit him. But something like two percent of our population is sociopathic, and they have absolutely no problem with it. They’ll kill somebody and feel just fine about it later. And in a lot of those battles, those two percent were responsible for a hell of a lot of those kills, especially in air battles.

Mike: It’s fascinating and terrifying at the same time. I guess that’s why we have so many cop-and-serial-killer shows. Just a weird part of our culture.

Ari: Right, for sure.

Mike: On a brighter and more musical note, what material are you having the most fun playing live these days?

Ari: Oh, boy. Anything the audience enjoys is a lot of fun! It’s cool to see people singing “The Way Of Your World.” We’re trying to sell “Closer,” and we’re on a thrashy heavy tour, but we’re playing an ‘80s-style, almost Bon Jovi kind of song, and we’re shoving it down their throats, and they haven’t thrown any bottles at us yet! [Laughs]

Mike: And this is your third tour with Otep. Do you foresee a long-term collaboration with her?

Ari: Oh yeah, for sure. Otep and I have gotten along from day one, and we have a lot of similarities in terms of being disciplined people and hard workers. I think we appreciate each other’s company, and I absolutely enjoy working with her. What I really enjoy are the small moments. Out here by the bus, we were just working out, and she executed a lift that she hadn’t been able to before. That kind of thing is really satisfying to me as a trainer, seeing her as a trainee breaking through her plateau. Of course that’s not gonna make any news headlines, though. [Laughs]

Mike: And Paul from Blackguard mentioned that you were teaming up for a fitness ad?

Ari: Yeah, I’m hoping to get this thing put through, because I did a cover last year, and I’m hoping my photographer can find a fun outlet for us to do this. I’ve been training these guys on the road for three weeks, and they’re coming along and getting really strong. So it’d be fun to kind of show ‘em off. I have a training philosophy that I think is a little bit unique, and when this is over, I’d like to dovetail into that. Fitness training.

Mike: Can you share a bit about your local music scene back in Des Moines?

Ari: Back in ’06 and ’07 it was booming. Really great crowds. It’s a little less so now, from what I’ve seen, and of course we haven’t been home as much with touring, and also you have to avoid playing yourself out anywhere – especially in your hometown. There are a lot of great bands to check out, though. My buddies in Mindrite, and Dead Horse Trauma, Index Case… bunch of hometown bands in Iowa that are worth checking out.

Mike: And in terms of national or worldwide bands, who are some of your favorite current artists out there?

Ari: I always enjoy Lamb Of God; they’re probably one of my favorites. I always dig Sevendust. I’d love to see Metallica again. Saw Megadeth a little while back in L.A. when they did the “Rust In Peace” DVD. Those types of bands.

Mike: How about the ultimate dream tour package?

Ari: Metallica. Easy question! But in terms of packages, we’d have to think financially, and who we fit well with. And I’m still kind of curious; I don’t know who we fit well with. I mean, the label put a sticker on our CD “for fans of…” Seether… Disturbed, definitely. Great guys, love them. Obviously Sevendust. That type of active rock band, we could do well with.

Mike: Tell me something else about yourself that we might not know.

Ari: Well, obviously the fitness stuff is a big part of my life, keeping in shape. I love using kettlebells, these giant Russian training implements. Other than that, I’m a pretty low-key guy. People have described me as straightedge, which may or may not be true, I don’t know exactly. [Laughs] I don’t drink, but I did have a shot last night ‘cause a friend of mine bought it for me. So am I straightedge? I don’t know. But I certainly don’t drink to run away from anything, or even for the pleasure, really. Mainly I just try to be an honorable person, and hopefully when they put me in the ground, they’ll say some good things. I guess that’s what I’m trying to do.

Mike: That’s a pretty refreshing change from the typical rock star bravado or blasphemous posturing you see a lot in heavy metal.

Ari: There’s a lot of marketing there. People go to great lengths for marketing, and I’m not very good at that. I’m a bigger fan of humility and integrity than however many records anyone’s ever sold.

Mike: Will, anything you feel like asking?

Will Smith: Ever since I started listening to your tunes, I've been pretty curious about where the name Destrophy came from.

Ari: It’s based on a Greek word. Since I’m Greek, I figured I’d push the heritage thing, and I asked my Greek history professor in high school for a list of Greek names to come up with something different. And Destrophy is a made-up word, but is based on “Diastrofi,” which means something that’s twisted or distorted, and “Diastrophe,” which is something that’s not doing what it’s supposed to, or somebody who’s living a life that they’re not supposed to, like counterculture. So I always say I’ve grown into that name a little more than the “twisted and distorted” version. But Destrophy is an arbitrary word, and we were just looking for something that sounded cool and wouldn’t totally pigeonhole us, like “SLAYER!!!” [Laughs] We didn’t want to write “The Way Of Your World” as Slayer, so Destrophy worked. It’s different.

Mike: I seem to remember someone recommending you temporarily alter your name during the Otep tour with Bury Your Dead and Through The Eyes Of The Dead…

Ari: “Death-strophy.” [Laughs]

Mike: Any closing thoughts or messages?

Ari: I always tell people if they want to get a hold of us, we’re on Facebook and MySpace. So send a message! It’s us on there, so if you want to ask a question, ask the source. And word of mouth is really the only way to get out there anymore, short of a big budget major label, or cover-of-Rolling-Stone marketing pushes. You need to rely on the grassroots, with friends telling friends.