Interview: Francesco Artusato of Devil You Know/All Shall Perish

Francesco: How’s it going? I play lead guitar in Devil You Know and I’m one of the writers together with John and Howard. I also play lead guitar in All Shall Perish, along with my own instrumental solo record out and I’m currently working on the second one.

BearlySinister: How were you approached with the idea of Devil You Know and how has your experience been with the band so far?

Francesco: It’s been an awesome experience! It started with John and I meeting in Los Angeles a few years ago and talking about writing some songs together. Once we had a good amount of songs finished, we got in touch with Howard and he showed interest in doing this with us.

BearlySinister: When writing for “The Beauty of Destruction”, did you take a different approach than if you were writing solo or for All Shall Perish?

Francesco: Definitely! We wanted to write a record that would have all the elements of heavy metal and non-heavy metal music that we love. So we only did what came natural and let each one of us experiment with our own styles.

BearlySinister: Who did you work with on the album and how was your experience?

Francesco: Logan Mader was the producer. He’s a great guy and he’s super talented. We had the “luxury” to be in the studio with him for 2 months, so we took our time and made sure that everything was done 100% the way we wanted it.

BearlySinister: Do you have a track that you prefer over others, whether to perform or record?

Francesco: The heavier songs have been the more fun to play live so far. But that’s almost always like that for me. I had a lot of fun recording and working on “It’s Over” in the studio. It has a lot of cool layers and interesting arrangements.

BearlySinister: One of my favorite tracks from the album is”Crawl From the Dark”, can you tell me the story behind this track if you know it?

Francesco: Yeah, I really like that song. It’s “different”. It changed a lot from what it used to be as a demo track. It was all crazy/thrashy and then it became one of the mellower and slower songs on the record. It has that cool mid section and outro that I have a lot of fun playing.

BearlySinister: The next two were submitted by friends of mine: 

Francesco: David Gilmour. Incredible guitarist and such a soulful voice. A legend!

BearlySinister: The second one is from Nick Fultz (and it’s ASP-related):” How did it feel to have to fill the huge shoes of Christopher Storey in All Shall Perish?”

Francesco: A lot of practicing and warming up before the shows, haha. He had a lot of crazy and challenging shredding going on!

BearlySinister: When it comes to touring with Devil You Know, versus other touring you’ve done… is the experience any different? Do you feel a stronger bond between your brothers in DYK and yourself?

Francesco: I’ve known John for a long time (6-7 years) and Roy since I moved to the States 11 years ago…he’s like a brother. Howard and Ryan are very mellow and funny people so we get along really well. Tours with All Shall Perish are also fun. I wouldn’t tour if it wasn’t with cool people.

BearlySinister: What made you ultimately decide that you wanted to be an ax-man?

Francesco: It was at the time when I started listening to all these great guitar players my brother and my cousin talked about and I fell in love with this instrument as soon as I tried it.

BearlySinister: Are you active in social networking and do you find it helpful or detrimental to a band overall? (I.E. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook)

Francesco: I use all of that. I don’t mind it but sometimes I hate it! So much going on and you need to stay connected with all that constantly now. Fans want it and love it. So you do it for the fans and because it’s a very good tool to promote your music and bands.

BearlySinister: Tons of fans state that bands save their lives/have saved their lives: Have there been any fans of yours who have stated this to you? How does it make you feel?

Francesco: It happens and it’s awesome! That is one of the reasons why I do what I do. Music and certain bands changed my life. It’s mind blowing to think that my music could cause the same impact.

BearlySinister: My final question is pretty obvious: Is Devil You Know a permanent thing and what is next for you guys after releasing this beast of an album?

Francesco: Permanent for sure. I’ve wanted to write this music and have a band like this for a very long time. We are going to be on the road a lot this year and next year…and then there’s going to be more writing and touring again!

BearlySinister: I guess that’s about all I have for now, man! Thank you once again for doing this! Is there anything else you’d like to say to your fans, our readers and the general public?

Francesco: Thank you so much for the support and the excitement shown already. We can’t wait to be playing in front of you all around the world!

Be sure to pick up “The Beauty of Destruction” on April 29th! Discover a new chapter in the history of modern metal!