Deathrock is having a moment. In the early 80s, the music took hold at a time when the culture faced fears of apocalyptic annihilation by nuclear weapons. Four decades later, a new crop of goth and deathrock bands is creating the soundtrack to an era of authoritarianism and Orwellian manipulation.
One of the darkest lights in the bunch is New Skeletal Faces, a DIY band from San Diego that scrapped their way from anonymity to a slot on the upcoming Decibel Magazine Tour and the Peaceville roster. Their music, particularly their latest album Until The Night, is compulsively listenable and full of earworms that will remind listeners of the best deathrock and Goth: Rozz Williams-era Christian Death, Kommunity FK, Lords Of The New Church, and even dark ’80s pop bands like The Teardrop Explodes. Frontman and songwriter Errol Fritz discussed joining the Decibel Tour in the magazine’s latest issue. We tracked him down to get a deeper look at his formative years and influences.
How did this kind of darkness come out of San Diego?
There weren’t any of these sorts of bands here. I was in my early teens when I started getting into goth and death rock. I had a hunger for it and didn’t see much of it around. There were metal and punk shows here. But the stuff I was into was never accessible. I had to dig and look for it. There were goth clubs, but I wasn’t 21 and couldn’t go. But I had a hunger for this dark music I wasn’t seeing. I had to create it myself.
What about this music spoke to you?
I grew up with hard rock and extreme metal. It wasn’t that far off, but I went into more underground stuff. Maybe the way I think is pessimistic? Maybe I think too deeply about stuff? I won’t listen to pop punk or whatever people are listening to. I don’t fit in with average society, which is a bummer (laughs). I don’t see eye to eye with that world, which creates this pessimistic energy.
Ever since I was young, I have been into edgy shit like horror movies and television shows on predatory animals. I had a hunger for extreme and violent stuff. I was almost obsessed with violence when I was a kid – watching animals kill people.
Nature television?
Yes, and I was also obsessed with dinosaurs. I would always draw dinosaurs killing and eating people. I don’t know that I’ve changed much (laughs).
I love the band’s use of hooks and earworms. The music is eminently listenable. Did you also listen to a lot of pop?
You’d be surprised at how much I love pop. I grew up listening to the radio when it was still a thing. I don’t think that had much of an influence on what I am doing now. But I love 80s pop music, and it is a huge influence. Pop influences my choice of melodies, even if it’s subconscious. I love catchy and melancholy melodies. I was even into all the poppy Cure stuff. Music can be dark, edgy, and catchy at the same time. Sometimes, you might find me out at a dark 80s dance night.
Are you entirely self-taught?
I never took any lessons. I had friends with instruments, and we all fucked around. There were instruments in our house, so music was accessible. I never fucked around with tabs, and I can’t read sheet music. I didn’t like doing it. When I started playing, I almost wrote songs from the beginning. I would write melodies.
What was the blueprint for writing the music?
I didn’t know much about scales when I started playing. That stuff seemed too complicated. I figured it out by listening. I don’t know if something is in a scale. I know if it sounds good.
So you’re the classic ear player. Did you learn vocals the same way?
I started using this vocal style before New Skeletal Faces. I wanted to create something dark but not like modern metal. I wanted it to be unsettling but different from everything else. Many modern metal bands try to sound harsh or edgy, so I wanted the music to have a little more pain.
Tell me about the journey from being an unsigned band to joining the Peaceville roster.
Almost all I know is DIY. I had no connections to the industry. Before New Skeletal Faces, I made CDs and printed covers. It was all so crude and underground. I felt like no one was taking notice because no one was doing this style. I had the same approach with New Skeletal Faces. I felt kind of isolated from the industry and scene.
Could you even book shows?
We did have some club connections in San Deigo, but nothing beyond that. No labels or magazines took any notice for years. I felt isolated. A lot of bands in San Diego stay stuck here. There doesn’t seem to be a bridge out of the town. It’s hard for bands from here to get exposure. But I always stayed committed to what I was doing. I did it because I wanted to do it. I would keep shoving it down people’s throats whether they like it or not.
How did joining Peaceville change that DIY style?
Until The Night was recorded before we got signed. So we did things as we usually would do them. But they supported helping with artwork and arranging a sparkly starlight vinyl. They said yes to most of the stuff we wanted to do. We never would have been able to do those things without a label.
I have a huge weakness for albums with a roughly 30-minute run time. Is economy important to you as a songwriter?
I love short albums. Don’t give people too much – let them beg for more. I prefer to do no more than 30 minutes when I play shows. I’d even be into giving people 20 minutes. You don’t want to burn anyone out. When we did the Sextinction EP, it was two songs, but people wanted it to be longer.
Just because you can do it doesn’t mean you should do it. That’s not always best for the listeners.
When I write a song I do what is best for the music. I write a big portion of all the music. I do what sounds right for the song. I don’t care about making myself look good. It’s about the song as a whole.
People always bring up the Christian Death comparison. They are also from Southern California. But I hear other things, including the metal influence and bands like Lords Of The New Church.
We do get those comparisons a lot. But there is a lot of Celtic Frost, glam, early Mötley Crüe and Killing Joke.
What’s next for you after this tour?
I try to live in the moment. I let things happen naturally. I hope we get picked up and do a tour in Europe. We also need to work on our next album. I hope this exposure gets us a booking agency to tour more. I got a day job just like everyone else. But I can’t do many other things (laughs). I don’t have a college degree or a whole lot of skills. Music and art is what I do.
What has sticking to your vision taught you?
Sticking to your vision is always worth it. I didn’t care if I made it or not. I’d rather be proud of myself than just trying to do whatever everyone else does. It’s better to fail doing things your way than to fail like everyone else.
Catch New Skeletal Faces, along with Imperial Triumphant, Mortiis and Mayhem as part of the 2025 Decibel Magazine Tour. All dates and ticket links can be found below.
The Decibel Magazine Tour 2025 dates:
Mar 17, 2025: Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade (Heaven)
Mar 18, 2025: Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl
Mar 19, 2025: Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue
Mar 20, 2025: Chicago, IL – House of Blues
Mar 22, 2025: Worcester, MA – The Palladium
Mar 23, 2025: Reading, PA – Reverb
Mar 24, 2025: New York, NY – Irving Plaza
Mar 25, 2025: Montreal, QC – Théâtre Beanfield
Mar 26, 2025: Toronto, ON – The Concert Hall
Mar 27, 2025: Detroit, MI – The Majestic Theatre
Mar 29, 2025: Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
Mar 31, 2025: Denver, CO – Summit
Apr 3, 2025: Calgary, AB – The Palace Theatre
Apr 4, 2025: Edmonton, AB – Union Hall
Apr 6, 2025: Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre
Apr 7, 2025: Tacoma, WA – Temple Theatre
Apr 9, 2025: San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
Apr 10, 2025: Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
Apr 11, 2025: Los Angeles, CA – The Belasco
Apr 12, 2025: San Diego, CA – House of Blues
Apr 13, 2025: Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues
Apr 14, 2025: Mesa, AZ – The Nile
Apr 16, 2025: Dallas, TX – The Echo Lounge & Music Hall
Apr 17, 2025: Austin, TX – Mohawk
The post Q&A: Errol Fritz (New Skeletal Faces) on Nature Television, ’80s Pop and Short Albums appeared first on Decibel Magazine.