All About The Rock recently conducted an interview with former SOILWORK and current MEGADETH drummer Dirk Verbeuren. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. All About The Rock: MEGADETH have had some amazing drummers in the history of the band. How was it learning the songs ready for a live audience? Dirk: They sure have! The current live set is based on "Dystopia" and the early albums, from Gar Samuelson to Nick Menza. These guys really had their own style. Nick was actually one of my influences as a young drummer. Anyways, I had ten days to study eighteen songs. I tried to capture the intention behind the drum parts in order to respect the band's vision. Gar and Nick have a more old-school swing whereas Chris Adler's approach is more contemporary. I stay true to the originals while injecting some of my own groove and flair. Chris was very helpful in guiding me as to what the band would expect from me, which is super cool of him. It made the rehearsal and first shows a lot easier. All About The Rock: Has your new position affected your personal relationships with the other members of SOILWORK? Dirk: No. Our friendship is stronger than that. We spent twelve years together and I've been playing with Sylvain in SCARVE since way before then. I've got nothing but immense respect those guys as musicians and human beings. Leaving SOILWORK was obviously not a light-hearted decision but I think they understand my choice. I've been working hard my whole life trying to make a living as a band member, studio musician and drum teacher. MEGADETH came into my life at a perfect time. I didn't realize that until it actually happened but I was ready for a new experience. To have the support of the SOILWORK guys really means a lot to me. I'll forever be proud of everything we accomplished together. All About The Rock: Apart from the last track of the set, what's the most fun/fave to play? Dirk: I really like the drum grooves in "Wake Up Dead". It's quite seventies-influenced with some cool accents and fills. "Tornado Of Souls" and "Poison Was The Cure" are a lot fun to play… In fact, anything off of "Rust In Peace" is a blast. The songs from "Dystopia" have enough double-kick action to keep me on my feet. We've also been adding some tunes from "Killing Is My Business"; they're pretty intense with that old-school thrash vibe. But I enjoy playing more straightforward stuff like "A Tout Le Monde" or "Trust" as well. We usually play around twenty songs and every song has its place in the set. Read the entire interview at All About The Rock.
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