Three decades in, INTERNAL BLEEDING are still here – bruised, unbroken, and louder than ever. With Settle All Scores, the Long Island slam originators turn pain, loss, and defiance into fuel. Founder Chris Pervelis talks survival, groove, and the fire that never goes out.
Hi! Three decades in, through tragedy, betrayal, and constant reinvention – what’s kept INTERNAL BLEEDING from becoming another “almost made it” story?
Wait, we “made it?” I am kidding, of course. I think it comes down to a few things: First, I believe in our sound and always think that what we do is relevant, competitive, and most of all, memorable. Second, to put it bluntly, I am a pig-headed, stubborn son-of-a-bitch. I don’t quit easily, and I am a very driven person. I try to instill these values in my bandmates as well, and that helps keep us going. Finally, we have to see this thing through to the end, whenever that may be, because it is an essential part of our lives and it’s crucial to carry on Bill Tolley’s memory.
After everything you’ve been through, does simply existing as a band feel like the truest act of rebellion?
I never looked at it that way, but you are right. There have been many people who have tried to knock us down, ignore us, and pigeon-hole us, but we’re still standing and laughing, so I gather that is an act of rebellion in many ways.
You were part of the first wave that built slam from the ground up. Do you still recognize that sound out there, or has it taken on a life you never expected?
Both. I can recognize the sound, and it has taken on a life of its own, going in directions I never thought it would. I think it’s fantastic that slam has become its own “thing,” and I am delighted to know that we have been a big part of developing that sound.
The phrase “Often imitated, never duplicated” has followed you for years. What does that line mean to you now?
It means the same as it always has. People try to imitate what we do, but they really cannot do it the way we do it. We don’t have a formula that a band can copy; we have a sense of groove and rhythm that is markedly different than what people in the slam space have, and quite frankly, it’s simply impossible to duplicate. One of the key reasons for this is that our influences come from 70s metal (Sabbath) and other areas where people don’t typically look for influence.
Coming from Long Island’s underground, where toughness was survival, do you think that environment hardwired how you approach music – and life – even now?
Absolutely. Long Island and the area around it (NYC, etc.) are incredibly competitive, fast-paced, expensive, and overcrowded. With all those things working against you, a person needs to be able to adapt to these negatives and use them to their advantage. Long Island is a survival-of-the-fittest type of place, and you need to be ready to go all the time.
Settle All Scores feels personal in a way that’s almost confrontational. Were these songs written with specific people or situations in mind?
We wrote most of the songs with certain people in mind. A few songs are just topical songs about subjects I like to write about, but most of them are very personal to either me or one of my bandmates. What I hope listeners get from the songs is a cathartic release, allowing them to put themselves in our shoes and feel a sense of revenge against those who have wronged them. I hope the album gives listeners a feeling of power, self-worth, and pride.
INTERNAL BLEEDING has always had that physical, gut-level sound. When you’re writing, are you thinking about composition or about impact – the way it hits a crowd in real time?
Composition and impact are directly related. You can have a collection of great riffs, but if a song isn’t composed, arranged, and appropriately sequenced, there will be no impact. One of the biggest keys to writing a powerful song is how well you arrange it and how well you take listeners through the highs and lows of a composition.
Taylor Young’s production gives this record a brutal edge without losing clarity. What was it like working with him, and how did he shape the final sound?
Taylor was great. We told him exactly what we were looking for, and he delivered it in spades. I think he may have wanted the production even clearer than it is, but we told him we don’t mind losing a bit of clarity if the sonic impact would be increased significantly. He adjusted to us and came up with some cool ideas that we never thought of. Taylor is a very talented, very creative guy, and we are very pleased that we chose him.
Anger’s been in the bloodstream of this band since day one. Has that emotion evolved with age, or does it still burn the same way it did on Voracious Contempt?
It burns a little more now because we have experienced so much over the 30 years since Voracious Contempt came out. I may be a lot older and a lot mellower on the outside, but there’s a lot of pent-up frustration and anger inside.
The “slam groove” has been copied endlessly, but INTERNAL BLEEDING’s still feels authentic. What does groove mean to you now – a musical idea, a mindset, or something instinctual?
For me, it’s a combination of instinct and a musical idea. I say instinct because all the music I have ever loved – old blues, 70s rock, and jazz – has an incredible sense of rhythm and groove, and that’s what I grew up on. I carry this instinct to be groovy into my music, and my musical idea is to wed all my influences to the genre of extreme metal, specifically slam.
Each of your albums pushes into new territory. What were the boundaries you wanted to test or break on Settle All Scores?
I don’t know if we wanted to test or break boundaries with the album, but there were some ideas I was keen on including. For example, that extended Sabbath type ending in Enforced Compliance. I had hinted at something like this on the last album, but the idea really came to fruition on this album and is fully fleshed out. Additionally, we experimented with some broken chord structures, which we never did before. What I mean by a “broken chord” is that the left guitar will play ½ of a chord, and the right guitar will play the other half. Both sides together create a full chord, such as a diminished seventh or a minor 7th.
You brought back several former vocalists as guests this time. Did reconnecting with those voices feel like closing a circle or reopening one?
It’s more like closing a circle. I know I am not going to be doing this forever, so it was great that we could reunite the family, so to speak, and get all the guys to come back and belt some stuff out. I hope fans like it and appreciate it as much as we enjoy these guys taking the time out to help with the album. It truly makes the album feel like a family affair.
Slam and brutal death metal have exploded worldwide. Which newer scenes or bands make you feel like the torch is in good hands?
There are so many great bands out there that it would be impossible to list them all. Some of my newer favorites are bands such as Bodybox, Vomit Forth, Vulnificus, and Mutilatred. I know things are in good hands, and I look forward to watching the bands grow and mature into powerhouses.
You were fusing death metal with hardcore and hip-hop groove before anyone labeled it. If INTERNAL BLEEDING started today, do you think that same mix would hit the same way?
I think so, because as I stated before, what we are doing simply cannot be copied or imitated.
After all these years, how do you measure success – impact, respect, or simply still doing this your own way?
The most important thing to me is self-respect and the integrity of Internal Bleeding. The band has managed to keep both intact for over 30 years, which is something to be immensely proud of. We never bowed to trends to try to be popular, and we never went along with the crowd to grow our fanbase. We just did our own thing and brought fans along for the journey. You can’t ask for much more than that.
A lot of bands name-check you as an influence. Who’s been inspiring you lately, either musically or personally?
Lately, I have been listening to a lot of gothic and industrial stuff and finding new avenues of inspiration for our next album. Bands such as Vast, Skinny Puppy, and Bauhaus have been getting much rotation in my car (where I listen to most of my music).
If the title Settle All Scores were taken literally – if you could actually put every past wrong to rest – what would that peace look like for INTERNAL BLEEDING? Thank you for your time!
Peace would look like the band’s enemies vanquished, or at the very least, on their knees, groveling for forgiveness. Thanks for the fun questions. I really appreciate the time you took to reach out. And as always, thanks to our fans!
Internal Bleeding – Settle All Scores
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