AS THE ELDRITCH APPARITION STRIKES BACK...

Mere hours before our interview with Jerry Mortellaro was to be unveiled online, we received an email from his fellow Unholy Ghost guitarist Kelly:

“Hello Evilution Mag, a killer web site, I must say!

The main reason for writing, however, is to express disgust at the amount of bullshit written in the Blastmasters interview! Anyone who really knows Aantar knows how much trash he talks and that there’s little truth to most of the things he says.

This has become a problem recently, and Jerry and I, along with Paul Ouellette, will be posting the truth to the Unholy Ghost web site very soon. We have tried not to engage in a lot of negative comments after kicking Aantar out of the band, but the truth is that he was kicked out of Unholy Ghost, for the same reasons he was kicked out of Diabolic and any other band he has been in.

I would like to have the chance to set the record straight.  If you want to do an Unholy Ghost interview, you can interview me directly.

Thanks for your time; I look forward to hearing from you soon.”

Naturally, since we often have limited or no chance as interviewers and writers to tell the difference between fact and fable, there was little editorial debate as to whether or not we would let Kelly voice his view on the split between Aantar and Unholy Ghost, as it was announced on July 3, 2004. Here are his words on the matter as well as a fresh-cut update on all things related to the fearsome foursome from The Sunshine State – read on.

# In an interview with Blastmasters featured elsewhere on our website, Aantar Coates claims that he was ousted from Unholy Ghost due to elbow injuries. What is your perspective on the circumstances behind the split?

“We have no idea where that rumor about ‘elbow injuries’ was started. None in this band ever posted anything to that effect. The only press release that was ever made by Unholy Ghost relating to Aantar’s departure was that he was asked to leave the band due to ‘ongoing personal and professional differences’, following our appearance at Gathering of the Bestial Legion LA Metalfest. This info was posted to our website as well as the Olympic Recordings website. We think he made up that rumor himself so he wouldn’t have to face the fact that his playing was suffering, and on a personal level we were sick of dealing with his non-professional attitude. We had at least two tour offers in the US that we had to turn down because the booking agents refuse to work with him because of his attitude. That is why we kicked him out of the band – and nothing else.”

# Back in mid-September, rumours told that Jerry Mortellaro had joined Blastmasters as their second guitarist. However, this was later refuted in an official statement posted on the Unholy Ghost website, which further maintained that he was only interested in helping the band until a full-time member could be found. What are the facts behind it all, past and present conflicts considered, and would a fresh collaboration between Jerry and Aantar even have been realistic?

“Jerry had said that he would help out Aantar’s new band Blastmasters, since they did not have a guitarist at the time. We didn’t have a problem with that, as Jerry said he was just killing time until we found a new drummer, even though he had a problem with Aantar’s playing. Obviously Aantar was just trying to save face once again by posting news that Jerry had ‘joined the band’ and was ‘putting Unholy Ghost on hold’, which was simply not true. Eventually, Jerry did jam with Blastmasters a few times, and I think he may have even helped write a couple of new songs.  But, he was always a full-time member of Unholy Ghost – and once we recruited our new drummer, Jerry simply told Aantar he wasn’t interested in jamming with him anymore. That is the end of the story.”

# How is everything working out with the new Unholy Ghost drummer David Breazeal, and has he introduced any new musical perspectives to the sound of the band?

“It’s killer to have a drummer like Dave in the band. He is a much more precise and dedicated drummer than Aantar, he has learned all the songs from our first release and plays it better than on the CD! Just ask anyone who saw us on the Reigning Florida Tour. Dave and I go way back; we had jammed together in Cauldron (FL) back in 1992 and he’s one of the best drummers I’ve ever played with.  Dave has a more brutal and technical style, and he’s a total pro. The songs we are writing for the new album are sicker than ever.”

# Could you provide us with an update on the writing process for the next full-length album from Unholy Ghost?

“We are currently writing songs for the new Unholy Ghost album, and things are going great! Some of the song titles we are working on include “Venomous Habitation” and “The Suffering Church”. We have lots of killer new riffs, killer lyrics and more song titles. The new album will be a lot more brutal and a bit more technical than our debut CD.”

# According to news sources on the internet, ex-Eulogy bassist Mike Bearden received a prison sentence for the theft of a Jackson Warrior guitar, belonging to Jerry Mortellaro. What is the full story behind that?

“Jerry’s Jackson Warrior guitar was stolen from his house by Mike Bearden, who had played bass in his previous band, Eulogy. This is the guitar that Jerry used to record Torrential Reign, as well as his main axe for live shows. Additionally, this same Jackson Warrior was previously owned by Deicide guitarist Eric Hoffman, and was used to record Deicide’s classic debut CD. Mike Bearden had already been arrested on unrelated charges at the time the guitar was found in a local pawn shop, and is currently incarcerated for bank robbery.”

# Any news on a possible DVD-release from the band in the future?

“Well, our first video ever for “Under Existence” is currently available on the Visual Rebellion compilation DVD on Century Media Germany. We had previously released this video as a limited-edition DVD, which is now out of print. We have also been collecting video for release on a home DVD, which would include material from live shows and fests and backstage footage as well as the “Under Existence” video and a 20-minute video documentary of the history of the band.”

# Unholy Ghost will embark on the aptly entitled Reigning Florida Tour with Council Of The Fallen and The Classic Struggle as well as a bunch of support acts on New Year’s Eve. What is the next step for the band in 2005 after the completion of the tour?

“We completed our first headlining mini-tour, the Reigning Florida Tour, which was killer! The tour kicked off New Year’s Eve near Daytona, FL and ended the following weekend in Anniston, AL. This tour did a lot for the band as far as showcasing our new drummer, and also by creating some strong alliances with the support acts in our area; basically just to let everyone know that Unholy Ghost is stronger than ever! In that regard, the tour was a huge success, and we achieved exactly what we were hoping for.”

>>> Last-minute press updates as released on Blabbermouth <<<

(1) Unholy Ghost founding member/lead guitarist Kelly McLauchlin has announced he is leaving the band, in order to continue on with Pessimist and other musical interests. Kelly has been an integral part of Unholy Ghost since its beginning in 2003, and the band wishes him future success with Pessimist!

(2) Unholy Ghost have announced the addition of former Deicide guitarist Eric Hoffman to the group’s ranks. ‘Eric is an amazing guitarist and we are all very excited to be working with him!’ reads a posting on the group’s web site. Hoffman joins the band as the replacement for founding member/lead guitarist Kelly McLauchlin, who left the group last month in order to continue on with Pessimist and other musical interests. Unholy Ghost are currently in pre-production for their sophomore album, tentatively titled Blasphemy of the Grand Devine. New songtitles include “Venomous Habitation” and “The Suffering Church”.

Yeah, things are indeed brewing and boiling in the Unholy Ghost control center… Trust Evilution Magazine to monitor their every sinful stride to world domination even closer henceforth!

Conducted and written by Misereion.