Last year unfortunately a lot of musicians passed away. One of them was Matt Vinci, the bassplayer of the USPM cult outfit Liege Lord. In of his memory/dedicated to his memory guitarist Anthony Truglio gave the answers. (Sad news: on the 10th of March 2024 guitarist Paul Nelson passed away as well.)
Tony, the band began in 1982 as a Judas Priest cover band under the name Deceiver. What was the line up and how did you get together?
I know it says we were a Judas Priest cover band, but we played a mix of Maiden, Priest, Scorpions and others. Frank (Cortese) and I are cousins, so we were always jamming on classic rock, hard rock and metal growing up. Frank met Matt in high school. They were a year older than me. The two of them were in a band together and I would always go watch them practice at Matt’s house. After they went their separate ways, I was always on Frank to get the three of us to play together. The first lineup was Matt, Frank, Andy and myself. We were always looking for the right singer and tried a few out, but not many people in our area were into metal at the time. We had heard about Andy and we hunted him down and it all worked out.
Was it the first musical experince for all of you?
As far as a real band, yes it was our first experience as a band that worked hard and had musical goals.
By the way, which Judas Priest albums influenced you at that time?
We were heavily influenced by the early Judas Priest albums like Rocka Rolla-British Steel. I’d say Stained Class was our favorite.
Did you manage to play any shows as opening band for bigger names?
We did gigs as Deceiver, and I think the biggest band we opened for was Madame X.
At which point did Matt Vinci joined the band who replaced Carlo Moscardini? What about his musical past?
So this is false information that is online, along with information that we were from Camden, CT. We originated in Stamford, CT. Matt was the original bass player. Carlo is a friend of Joe Comeau’s and played the Wacken gig that Matt and I were not present for.
You came from Stamford, Connecticut, what about the metal (club) scene those times? Can you tell us more about it?
The metal scene in Stamford was small at the time, and consisted of a lot of our friends. No metal clubs. Outdoor parking lots with beer and a large cassette player to crank our music.
What made you to change the band’s name into Liege Lord?
As Deceiver, we recorded a 4-song demo at the Carriage House in 1983 or 1984 with a Priest song, Maiden, and the first original metal song that I had written. It was mainly to get gigs. After that, we started writing more songs, so our gigs became more like 50% covers and 50% originals. We kept adding more and more of our own songs until we stopped doing covers. We felt we needed a more creative name to fit the band, and after all the ideas we had, we felt Matt’s idea of the name Liege Lord best suited us.
The demos were released in 1985, did they really represent what you wanted to achieve Liege Lord with?
I think the 1985 demo represented us well at that specific time. It was well-received by a lot of Magazines and Fanzines, which started to get us attention in the USA, Europe and other parts of the world. We felt we were becoming more of a national band and not just a local band anymore.
Before you started working on your third effort Master Control there were two member changes: instead of vocalist Andy Michaud joined Joe Comeau, while guitarist Pete McCarthy joined Paul Nelson, what were the reasons of it? What can you tell us about the musical background of the new members?
Pete wanted to go in a different direction, so we auditioned different guitarists and felt that Paul fit well with what we were doing. After recording BTMT and touring, we also decided we needed a different vocalist to achieve the sound we were after. It was a difficult decision, because we were all great friends. The first demo we received was Joe’s and it was amazing! We tried out a few others, but I think we knew right away that Joe was the guy, so we called him and asked him to join.
Did they take part in the songwriting process? How long did it take to come up the new material with?
Pete left after Freedoms Rise, so he was not involved with BTMT or MC. Paul came on after we had written all of BTMT, but he did play some great guitar parts. Both Joe and Paul did write for MC. We had been working on some songs with Andy, but did not use any of his lyrics. Joe and Matt wrote all the lyrics.
Did Metal Blade ask you to hear new material before the recording sessions?
Metal Blade asked us for a demo for BTMT, which we did in our rehearsal studio with the help of our guitar teacher, Chris Risola (SteelHeart). It was a quick low budget demo. They offered us a 2-album deal after that.
By the way, how did you get to them after you left Black Dragon and Combat Records? Did you sign only a one record offer or did they count on you a longer term?
Jim Matheos from Fates Warning suggested to Brian Slagel to check us out, and Brian offered us a 2-album deal. MB offered us a longer contract after Master Control, but we disbanded.
You entered the Carriage House Studios, how did the recording sessions go? Were you prepared to cut the new album?
David Wayne from Metal Church suggested Terry Date as a producer, so we contacted him and flew him to CT. We had been rehearsing a lot, so musically we had the songs down. Joe was brand new to the band, and he really went above and beyond in the short period of time we had before the recording started. We learned so much from Terry, it was such an educational experience.
Did you play a style of music that is deeply rooted in the aggressive side of US power?
Yes, we were obviously influenced by a lot of NWOBHM, Scorpions and so much more. We wrote songs that felt natural to us, we weren’t trying to sound like anyone.
Do you agree with, that a healthy amount of speed metal and thrash metal influence that sneak your way into the band’s sound and that’s most apparent here on Master Control?
Definitely, I think you can hear that on Burn To My Touch also. We were fans of a lot of different styles of metal.
Is there also a clear NWOBHM influence, that pops up in the melodies, riffs, and vocal deliveries?
Of course, Priest and Maiden were direct influences, but we also loved Raven, Motorhead and so many of the new bands coming out.
Does each song have its own distinct sound and personality without sacrificing any quality?
I would say so. Matt and I were always working together. We spent a lot of time coming up with ideas.
Did you offer your tightest, most polished, and riffiest effort with the album?
We always tried. I don’t think studios in our area really understood that style of music yet. We were very young and tried to do the best we could.
Is comparing Master Control to the band’s earlier albums a huge step up? Were you on your peak at this point?
I’m proud of everything we did, but I also believe we found what we were after by the time we recorded Master Control.
Do you think, that the previous two albums are both very good 80’s USPM, but they lacked the sheer perfection found in Master Control?
I would agree with that. We were teenagers when we did those albums. We enjoy playing those songs live and Joe has added a whole different sound, which we are very happy with.
What were the shows/tours in support of the record?
The tours were always amazing, but with no financial support they were hard work. We did everything ourselves. No sleep, no food, but we would get up on stage every night and give 100%.
These days you are active (since 2012), is a new record in mind? What are your future plans?
We have the songs in demo format and I think this will be our best album. It is rooted in the style of Master Control. It’s been a long process, but we hope to record this year.
How do you want Matt Vinci to be remembered?
Matt was my best friend since we were 12 years old. He was like a close brother to me, and I miss him every day. He was one of the most talented artists that I’ve ever been fortunate enough to work with. I want him to be remembered for the beautiful person he was. The new album will feature his music and lyrics and we will do our best to keep his legacy alive.
Tony, thanks a lot for the interview, any closing words for our readers?
Thank you David for honoring Matt. I look forward to giving our fans and friends new music soon.
