Sean Peck

The Three Temors

Sean Peck is probably one if not the most underrated vocalists in Heavy Metal. He has been at it for over two decades and has dedicated himself to his craft. He has fronted the band CAGE since 1998 and DEATH DEALER since 2015. He has participated in many other projects with former members of KING DIAMOND, JUDAS PRIEST amongst countless others. Jean-Francois Poulin recently had the pleasure and privilege of speaking with the man himself.

By Jean-Francois-Poulin

• October 25, 2021

THE THREE TREMOR's Sean Peck: "Streaming services...I can't see working super hard on the record and putting all the time and effort it takes to make a kick ass album and then that Friday everyone gets it for free. Fuck that." interview

So how are you and your family doing with all the pandemic and the baby steps return to normalcy?

Well sorry for the super late reply on this I am normally right on this stuff. But with THE THREE TREMORS release and the DEATH DEALER and CAGE stuff coming it has been intense. Knock on wood everyone has been safe so far during this crazy time. It does seem like things are getting back to normal with us even being able to book a tour now in the US.

I had the pleasure of reviewing ''Masters of Evil'' by DENNER/SHERMANN back in 2016 and it's still in my top 5 of greatest albums of the last 15 years bar none. How awesome was it to collaborate with these founding members of MERCYFUL FATE? How did they approach you for the spot of lead singer?

Man that is a long story. It was insane when I first got in the room with these guys. The time we had was great and we really started becoming a wicked live act by the last show we did. Because of the way the MERCYFUL FATE "reunion" is being denied to Denner it looks like that will not happen again. It is sad because Hank and I became really good writing partners like you hear on these records. Who knows what kind of killer stuff we could have put out. But those 2 releases really will stand the test of time and the KING DIAMOND and MERCYFUL FATE fans could tell how close to the authentic vibe those songs were. I saw on Facebook that they were doing an album and I sent Hank a message not knowing if he would even see it then he responded. He hit me back a few months later with a song and I quickly recorded the chorus to ''Satan's Tomb'' and sent it to him. Him and Denner loved it and offered me the whole gig. They were going to have a variety of singers do the record and then they just told me to do the whole thing. The rest is history!

What happened to the band afterwards, I read that the band split unfortunately.

Like I said above I called Hank for a DENNER/SHERMANN US tour and he said he was going to be busy the whole year. I could not figure out with what he said it was a secret but the last thing I thought would have been MF reunion without Michael.

One of the first albums I reviewed in 2020 was ''Conquered Lands'' by DEATH DEALER and I think it was a standout last year. It felt like I was back in the ''Powerslave'' era of IRON MAIDEN, it really had that overall feel for me. What are you most proud from this album?

That album was weird because we wrote 80% of it and then let it sit there for a couple years then came back and finished it off. I like a lot of songs on it but the title track and the ballad 22 Gone are probably my 2 favorites. The fans really liked it so that's good. We have a new EP and another album already done also.

You participated on the first THE THREE TREMORS album with Tim ''Ripper'' Owens and Harry Conklin. How did this collaboration come forth? Are you guys working on a second offering and were you influenced by the rumors back in the day of a trio of singers composed of Rob Halford, Geoff Tate and Bruce Dickinson?

Yes it was my creation. I am the one that made the whole thing happen. We have done about 70 live shows together I think and now we have a new US tour to support the new album. The new album is called ''Guardians of the Void''. I took the attitude that the Dickinson Halford version was never going to happen so we decided to do the American 2020 version of it. It is a great time playing with Tim and Harry and the backing band is CAGE.

How proud are you of Sean Elg being the new drummer for KK'S PRIEST. I felt he was highly underrated and now he is an integral part of KK Downing's career renaissance.

Yeah not only does he play great he is great to watch play. He is very entertaining and a super cool dude to tour with. Since he was doing the TREMORS Ripper had a comfort level with him and that also helped him land the gig. Man he owes me ha!

How did you come up the Hell Destroyer Nickname for this awesome project?

Well I took it from the CAGE album title by the same name. I slowly started calling myself that and it kind of stuck. We all needed nicknames for the TREMORS and it worked out perfectly with the Ripper, The Tyrant and now the Hell Destroyer.

How has the state of the World affected your music and your songwriting process?

Well we ended up killing it by writing a ton of stuff during the shutdown. I think only Ripper did more songs than me probably. I just spent a lot of time in the studio cranking on tunes. I did a DEATH DEALER EP and TWO more DEATH DEALER albums, about 20 songs for the new CAGE record, the entire new THE THREE TREMORS record, a bunch of covers and a new project that is very closely related to the MERCYFUL FATE / KING DIAMOND world that I can't talk about yet. Beyond that it really did not bother me I am very lucky in that regard.

So you happen to be stuck on a deserted island, what would be the 5 albums you would bring with you?

CRIMSON GLORY - Transcendence
JUDAS PRIEST - Defenders of the Faith
SAVATAGE - Hall of the Mountain King
JUDAS PRIEST - Painkiller
WASP – Self Titled

If you decided to form this Supergroup, who would be the members of it and why?

I have it with THE THREE TREMORS otherwise I would have me Halford, Yngwie, Geezer Butler, Dave Lombardo, and maybe another guitar player like KK Downing

What is the one thing you would eliminate from the music business?

Spotify and the free streaming services. We do not release our stuff on Spotify like the old days. I can't see working super hard on the record and putting all the time and effort it takes to make a kick ass album and then that Friday everyone gets it for free. Fuck that. Only the songs we release on video get to the streaming services.

What is your earliest musical memory?

I think singing ''Bye Bye Miss American Pie'' maybe. Also early FLEETWOOD MAC too as a young lad.

You have toured with a number of bands in the genre, do you have some great road stories?

Of course we have. DEATH DEALER there are all kinds of chicks stories. The Motorboat shows we did on the cruise liner was super wild. Lots of wild ones where the bus broke down or we missed a flight and I had to pull a miracle out of my ass to make it happen, there are lots of those. I had a 3 meter long giant python snake get loose on stage when we opened for Judas Priest and get wrapped all up in KK's guitar rig too. There are lots of stories.

So in your eyes, what makes a good foundation for the dynamic of a band?

It has to be fun to get the best out of people. Most of the musicians are doing it because they love performing and creating so if it becomes a chore or not a good time it is hard to keep it together.

So what's in store for you in the near future and is there any bands you guys would love to tour with?

Well, THE THREE TREMORS are doing North America, then I need to get DEATH DEALER out there, then CAGE and then my new secret band. Lots of touring if the world will allow for it Europe seems to be in flux right now so we are concentrating on the US and Mexico.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to interview you, it's a real thrill and you are one of the most underrated lyricists and front man in all of Heavy Metal and I truly appreciate the time you took to respond to my questions and I wish you continued success!

Thanks and again sorry it took so long. I like it when people recognize the lyrics I write because I come up with lots of cool shit ha!! Really appreciate it and all the best!

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