Singled Out: Imminent Sonic Destruction's Sick

There we were. Autumn in Detroit, in a recording studio located in a sparsely populated area of the city. Graffiti. Barbed wire. A lonely barbecue in the parking lot, waiting to be pressed into service. Roy Z had flown in from LA, and was staying with us. We had been recording, barbecuing, laughing, and playing beer pong for the better part of a week. Most importantly, we were basking in the glow of our first experience with a big name producer. Who happened to be the coolest guy any of us had ever met. Life was good. The end.

Just kidding. So. Recording "Sick." Roy had us record together, in the big room of the studio, catching the energy and dynamics of the songs. After a few run-throughs of "Sick," we had a good take going until someone made a mistake. So we stopped. Roy ran into the room saying "Why did you stop? That was great!" Apparently, he was feeling a magic vibe in that take. Thus started our epic journey...

We played that song for hours, back to back, looking for that spark that Roy had glimpsed and wanted to capture. Pat, our drummer, has the most physically demanding part in this song, and I kept waiting for his shins to break off and fly across the room. It only happened once, but we had a doctor on hand, so it was taken care of quickly and we got back to work. It was interesting, playing the song over and over, looking through the window to see if Roy was "feeling it." That sounds dirty, but you know what I mean. Shut up. We would finish a take, and think it was the one, only to hear Roy on the talkback: "That's cool, that's evil. Do it again."

Needless to say, eventually we hit a take where EVERYONE was feeling what Roy was looking for. It was a transcendent moment. At least, I think it was. I'm not sure what that word means, but it sounds awesome. And this was awesome. Roy and the engineers in the control room were rocking out, and we were just ENERGIZED while we played, after we thought we wouldn't be able to recapture that elusive vibe. Pat summoned some inner power that I've only read about, and at one point our guitarist/vocalist Tony let out a yell that was kept in the final mix. It serves as a reminder of the work we put in, and of the feeling that Roy heard, and we finally attained. It also serves as a warning. Something about the end of the world, and the soundtrack to it. Or something like that. Whatever.

Then we adjourned to the parking lot, barbecued some ribs, had a few drinks and enjoyed the rest of that beautiful, Detroit fall evening.