Bassist/vocalist Phil Rind of Arizona thrash metal veterans SACRED REICH spoke to Revolver magazine about the lyrical inspiration for the band's new song "Don't Do It Donnie" , which was released in April as part of a split seven-inch single with IRON REAGAN .
" 'Don't Do It Donnie' kinda came in my sleep — the lyrics just came real fast and I thought that would be perfect," Rind said. "It's like a little punk rock song. We recorded like five minutes, you know, just, it's just more about attitude. That song is less angry lyrically, more like imploring [ Donald Trump ] not to fuck everything up beyond recognition — you know, 'Don't do it, man.'
"My feelings about [ Trump ] are conflicted," he continued. "From a pure standpoint, I feel bad for him. I have a lot of compassion because I know he's probably suffering a great deal. I mean, have you ever worked at a job where you really were in over your head and had no idea what you were doing? It's a terrible feeling. That's his life every day. But he also possesses an ego that won't let him admit that to himself. So he must have an incredible amount of inner turmoil and it's really problematic.
"We're in a very awkward time right now and everything that's going on with the investigation and how certain people characterize the findings. I made it my business to read all 400 pages [of Robert Mueller 's report on the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election] and I know what [U.S. attorney general William ] Barr said is not the truth. Hopefully we get to the truth, pay attention enough to realize what the truth is and not be swayed. It's right there, just read it for yourself if you really care.
"I have some friends that are Trump supporters who are, like, 'You hate him,'" Rind added. "I don't hate anybody, I certainly don't hate him, but I think he's a kind of awful human being. He's an example of how your life becomes when you're a narcissist and all that matters is your ego, your pocketbook and [what] you can get out of everything. This is the example of what life looks like when your only motivation is selfish things. That's the opposite of how we should all actually strive to be. The Dalai Lama always says that the best way to cherish yourself is to cherish others. And that's the thing, also in 'Manifest' — the idea is if you do things for yourself, you're limited to one thing, and if you do things for others, there is no limit to what you can do for other people."
SACRED REICH will release its new album, "Awakening" , on August 23 via Metal Blade Records . The band's first LP in 23 years was produced by Arthur Rizk , who has previously worked with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY , POWER TRIP and CODE ORANGE , among others. The album marks SACRED REICH 's first release since the return of drummer Dave McClain .
SACRED REICH will tour Europe this summer and again in November with special guest NIGHT DEMON .
