Erik Burke is a name that resonates throughout the extreme metal scene, having been a key figure in numerous influential projects over the years. With a career spanning decades, his versatility and passion for extreme music – ranging from LETHARGY and NUCLEAR ASSAULT to BRUTAL TRUTH and his latest venture, SULLY – are undeniable. I had the privilege of catching up with Erik to discuss his love for grind, what keeps him driven to create raw music, and his future plans. Here’s what he had to share.
Hey Erik, first of all, thank you for your time. Can you tell us how you first got into music? What specifically led you to extreme metal?
Hey dude!!!!!Nice to hear from ya!!! My parents both listened to music a bunch when I was a kid. My first concert was Neil Diamond. Alotta pop and soft rock. I love that shit🙂Then I discovered VAN HALEN. The Unchained video. Life changing. I watched MTV all the time. Channel used to be awesome. Eddie was the best. He’s why I started playing.
Then all the hair metal bands with sick shredders. And then IRON MAIDEN and METALLICA. NAPALM DEATH, CARCASS, TERRORIZER, BRUTAL TRUTH, DISCORDANCE AXIS, I love grind. Those are some of my early grind heroes.
You’ve been involved in several influential bands like NUCLEAR ASSAULT, LETHARGY, BLURRING, and BRUTAL TRUTH, among others. How did each of these projects shape you as a musician? Are there any musicians or bands you haven’t played with who have influenced you? Your playing style is very versatile, ranging from technical death metal to grindcore.
I feel very fortunate to have played in these bands and the others. Playing my guitar, making sounds is my favorite. The metal scene here has a bunch of awesome players. Creating music with them is all I wanna do. I’m influenced by everyone I jam with and all I hear.
Early death metal, grindcore, thrash and a lil hardcore peppered in. Some noisy in there too. Influenced by all genres. I write grind riffs outta RnB melodies🙂
Can you share a bit about your experience recording or playing live with all these different bands? I saw you play with BRUTAL TRUTH, it was a fucking killer show.
I like recording, not mixing. Shit can be endless. Live is best. NUKE was a fun party live. I loved playing that set. BRUTAL TRUTH was crazy. I miss playing those songs. They were fast. I don’t know if my fingers move like that anymore. And thank you. That last Obscene Extreme show I did with’m was awesome. We were pretty tight.
Drumming in BLURRING and KALIBAS was sweet. Been in SULACO for 22 years. My babe. And the SULLY train has just started. Our shows have been alotta fun so far. Hope to get on some shit in the future.
LETHARGY, despite its brief existence, was known for its technical and innovative approach to death metal in the ’90s. What was the creative process like in that band, and how did it differ from your work with other projects?
LETHARGY was alotta fun. Id bring noodles to the tables and Brann would play the riff on his drums. Shit was silly. Our first demo was more death metal. Then riffs and drums sped up quite a bit. Mathy notey shit with fun rockin breakdowns. Love those tunes. We worked on arrangements together.
These days I demo songs at home and send’m to the guys and then we work on’m. When B.T. was writing, Rich would come to Rochester for a weekend. Id have some ideas. So would Dan. Pile of weed. And off we’d go🙂by the end of the weekend we’d have 3-5 new songs demoed. The cram was sweet.
Half of LETHARGY’s members went on to form MASTODON, which became quite mainstream. What made you choose to stay on the underground side of the metal scene rather than crossing over to the mainstream?
Heavy has always been my game. Slow, fast, noisy. I don’t know if I could if I wanted to.
When you’re writing new music, do you start with a riff, a concept, or something completely different?
New music starts with whatever really. I have alotta riffs in my phone. I’ll go and relearn those and piece’m together or have a vibe I’m lookin’ for with tempo and write to a click. Or to a beat on my drum machine. I rehash riffs too. Old LETHARGY or SULACO shit that I loved playing or always wanted to alter a bit. Its all the same shit.
The extreme metal scene has changed a lot since you first started. How do you think the scene has evolved, and where do you see it going in the future? Do you think the internet and social media platforms have given it a boost or caused it to decline?
I dont have a computer. Dont like’m. I record into a portable tascam. I have a vdrum kit I demo with too. Simple set up.
I think the socials help and hinder. So much going on all the time. Its annoying. There’s soooo much music. Its endless. Everyones producing. A buddy did some AI songs and one was supposed to resemble a song of mine and it was creepy. Different riffs but sounded like I wrote it. So fuckin weird man. Like, hey, yeah, I WOULD do that there. Shits gonna fuck up music. Make it so easy. Whatever. Ill be in my room. What are we talking about🤣
If you could collaborate with any musician, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
I’ve always wanted to write a tune with Mike Patton. Somethin’ upbeat with a miserable end.
What are you currently listening to?
Jammin new PYRRHON. So sick, dude.
You have a new band, SULLY, and the debut full-length album is out now. Can you tell us more about this new project and what inspired you to start it? How did you meet the other members of SULLY, and what brought you all together?
Ive been wanting to do a project with Adam (vox) for years now. Always loved the shit he did in PSYOPUS. And since BRUTAL TRUTH I’ve wanted to start a 4 piece in that vein. So when COVID hit, we started jammin.
Ed (bass) and Alex (drums) have been in bands in the scene for years. Ed also plays in 2 other bands in our jam room, one of them being my other band SULACO.
What can we expect from SULLY’s release in terms of musical direction and style? Are you satisfied with the production of the self-titled album?
Album came out great. It’s raw, a lil off in spots, perfect. Grind and rock. We’re workin on our rock classic. Gonna be sweet. Shit will always have energy, be fast. I love grind!!!!
Do you plan to take SULLY on the road after the album’s release, and if so, where can we expect to see you soon?
We look forward to bringin our party outta town. Would be great to play some fests!!! We’ll be getting out when we can🤘
Finally, is there anything you’d like to say to readers and fans or any shoutouts you’d like to give?
Thanks to anyone that’s ever enjoyed the sounds Ive made.
Thank you so much for supporting my sounds dude. Much fuckin appreciated. Hope to see ya sooner than later!
