Biohazard: Reunited We Stand
Brooklyn, New York’s hardcore heroes BIOHAZARD have made a triumphant return with their original line up in rhythm guitarist/vocalist Billy Graziadei, bassist/vocalist Evan Seinfeld, lead guitarist Bobby Hambel and drummer Danny Schuler. The band’s new album Divided We Fall, is the first to feature all four original members in over a decade and it sees the band in glorious form, as if no time has passed at all. To celebrate the release of Divided We Fall and the return of BIOHAZARD, we caught up with Billy Graziadei to get the lowdown, and this NY OG has got stories for days!
We begin with Billy telling us how it feels for the original four members of BIOHAZARD to be back with Divided We Fall. “It doesn’t feel any different than it did when we started, When we got back together. I thought we were going to last for two weeks, then it was two shows, then three shows. Then we went on tour. I’m like, This is cool, then we have these offers to go on tour, and it just kept getting better and better, topping each show after show. The vibe in the band was so similar to when we first got together, it was almost like we were 22 again!”
Billy then continues by explaining how the making the new record felt for the band. “I soon realised it wasn’t reunion. It was like a restart. So that vibe has never changed. Now that we have a great record that we’re really happy with. So it’s been the same this whole time.” He then details how lucky he and the band feel to be back, doing what they do best. “We’ve been in a lucky position to be able to relive moments of your life that were glorious and fun and exciting , you don’t get those chances once, and we’ve had a couple!”
Rather than being your typical band reunion, for BIOHAZARD it has always been something more as Billy tells us. “Bands get together and they do reunions. It’s always a money grab. But when you get back together with the same energy you had back in the day when you started, that’s a whole other level of amazing.”
Divided We Fall defiantly captures the energy of the band’s first three albums (1990’s self-titled debut, 1992’s Urban Discipline and 1994’s State Of The World Address) and Billy agrees and explains the reason why. “100% bro, there’s a lot of reasons where that came from. I think being on tour for the past couple of years and playing a lot of those early BIOHAZARD songs kept us in that that energy that we all love. I remember we came up right after tour, and we went right in the studio to work on the record, and that enhanced our ability to kind of really tap in to the heart and soul of what BIOHAZARD is.”
The subject of unity then comes up as we ask Billy if that is still a big thing for BIOHAZARD. “That’s a very good and unique question. I think in a world where there’s less and less unity, more division, hence the title, that’s always been an underlying theme of survival, rising above. These themes are very common, they come in our lyrics in unique and strong ways.”
With BIOHAZARD touring with ONYX when Divided We Fall releases, Billy reminisces about the experience of working with the hardcore Queens rappers on the track Judgment Night. “It was really awesome. We got a chance to work with ONYX and Jam Master Jay from RUN DMC. I remember we got in the studio with Jay. We were jamming some songs, some riff ideas. He loved the fact that we were making music to him. In the hip hop world, it’s about capturing a moment and looping it, and he kept hearing those moments.”
Billy continues, “then we went on tour, while ONYX finished their verses. We flew out to England, and we went in and spent a couple days in Tony Iommi’s studio in Birmingham, finishing this song. We were so fucking psyched to be in Birmingham at BLACK SABBATH‘s studio, we were just like, holy shit. I wonder if Ozzy sang of this mic?! Did Geezer play off this fucking bass amp? Did Tony play on this. It was amazing!”
With that SABBATH link and the fact that BIOHAZARD played the very first Ozzfest, talk then turns to the legendary Ozzy and Billy relates an anecdote about the Prince of Darkness. “We became very friendly with him. We bumped into Ozzy in Heathrow Airport in the middle of a tour, We crossed paths and the first thing he said was, ‘did you hear about that poor boy? He’s just killed himself last night. I just heard about it’. And we’re like, ‘who?’ And he said, ‘the guy from NIRVANA‘. We had no idea. So we learned about Kurt‘s passing and suicide from Ozzy, he was so concerned, he didn’t talk about anything else other than the fact that he left his daughter without a father. At the time, I wasn’t a father. I am now, but I remember it grabbed me. I’m like, he didn’t say anything about how remorseful he was that this kid took his own life, or why he did. It was the fact that he had left his daughter without a father, Rest in peace, Ozzy. It was great to see him just go out like an OG in Birmingham.”
With BIOHAZARD returning to the UK for next years Bloodstock Festival (and hopefully more!), Billy tells us how excited he about it. “Bloodstock is a phenomenal festival. Great people, great vibe, great energy, everything about it we love. We tried to do something this year, but the album wasn’t finished, so it’s great to be able to get back there next year!”
Divided We Fall is out now via BLKIIBLK.
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