Former Oceano vocalist Adam Warren recently caught up with Gabe Mangold following a show in Austin, TX, with the pair discussing Mangold’s work with both Enterprise Earth and DevilDriver, including how the latter opportunity came about.
For Mangold, his path into DevilDriver can largely be traced back to his friendship with drummer Davier Pérez. The two had previously toured together several times, with Pérez performing in Great American Ghost while Mangold was out with Enterprise Earth.
“So the drummer, Davier [Pérez], he and I also toured together with my band, Enterprise Earth and his old band Great American Ghost, so he and I did, like, three tours in a row together, and we just naturally became good friends, ya know, hanging out and stuff and then years go by all that stuff.”
Pérez eventually joined DevilDriver in 2023, and a year later he reached back out to Mangold with an unexpected opportunity. The band was looking for someone to help with writing, production and mixing on their next album.
“And he’s like, ‘Hey! Do you wanna work on the new DevilDriver record? We’re looking for a new producer, writer, mixer, all that stuff.’”
Mangold didn’t need much convincing. Having grown up listening to DevilDriver, the chance to contribute to a new record was something that immediately caught his attention.
“And I’m like, ‘Fuck, I grew up listening to DevilDriver, that sounds pretty fuckin’ sick.’”
There was also a deeper connection between Mangold’s own songwriting and the band. As he explained to Warren, DevilDriver had been an influence on some of the material he had written for Enterprise Earth.
“A lot of Enterprise Earth’s riffs I’ve written are influenced by DevilDriver.”
When Warren expressed his surprise, Mangold explained that the band’s early albums remain particularly important to him.
“Yeah. I love those first three records, so they’re still staples in my listening whenever I listen to shit.”
What initially began as a songwriting and production collaboration soon turned into something much bigger. While Mangold was working on the new material, DevilDriver‘s longtime guitarist departed, and the band eventually asked Mangold if he wanted to officially join.
“So I started writing, and their old guitarist quit. And then everything was going well, so they were like, ‘Hey man, do you just want to join? This seems to be working well.’”
Mangold decided to take on the challenge while continuing his involvement with Enterprise Earth, something he admits he wasn’t initially sure he could balance.
“And I’m like, ‘Sure, I’ll see if I can juggle this two-band thing and see how it goes.’ And so far so good. It’s been fun.”
The experience has also carried some personal significance for Mangold. Having grown up attending shows and watching Dez Fafara and original DevilDriver bassist Jon Miller perform, finding himself sharing a stage with them years later has been something of a full-circle experience.
“Working with Dez and the guys has been fucking great. It’s been awesome. It’s definitely been a full-circle moment for me too.”
He recalled being just 16 years old when he was going to see the band perform.
“I remember Dez and Miller, Miller’s the OG bassist, like when I was 16 years old, going to shows, ya know, and now I’m on stage playing with ’em. It’s super cool.”
Mangold’s contributions to the forthcoming DevilDriver album have been extensive, although he emphasized that the record has ultimately been a collaborative effort between the band’s instrumentalists.
“It was very much a group effort between myself, Davi, Alex, and Miller, all the instrumentalists of the band.”
One of his first pieces of material for the album also came together under a tight deadline. With an Enterprise Earth tour approaching, Mangold had only a few hours to put an idea together before he needed to leave to pick up his bandmates from the airport.
That rushed session produced “Dig Your Own Grave,” which would go on to become the first single released from the new DevilDriver album.
“I immediately started writing. I was about to head out for an Enterprise tour, I had to go pick up the guys from the airport, and I had like six hours, and I said, ‘Ah, I got an idea, I’ll just piss out a song,’ and it ended up being ‘Dig Your Own Grave,’ which ended up being the first single we put out.”
Mangold said the songwriting process continued with contributions coming from throughout the group, while he also took on a role behind the boards for Fafara’s vocals.
“I wrote a bunch on the new record, the other guys wrote a bunch on the record. I recorded and helped produce Dez’s vocals.”
Working directly with Fafara in the studio proved to be another highlight. Mangold praised the vocalist’s willingness to experiment and try new ideas rather than simply relying on the same approach he’s used throughout his career.
“He was super fun to work with in the studio. Awesome guy, awesome performer. He was very open-minded to, like, everything honestly.”
During the conversation, Mangold mentioned that Fafara is now 60 years old, prompting an understandably surprised reaction from Warren.
“He’s 60?!”
“He’s 60! And he still sounds and moves like that. He’s taking care of himself.”
For Mangold, Fafara’s age made his approach to the recording process even more impressive.
“It’s awesome to see a dude who, at 60, and has been doing this 30-plus years, still be open-minded, and not be, ‘Ah, I’m just gonna do the thing I’ve always been doing.’ He was open to new ideas, and sounds great.”
The conversation between Warren and Mangold continued with the pair discussing songwriting, recording and the differences between working within Enterprise Earth and DevilDriver, as well as Mangold’s experience helping shape the latter band’s new material.
You can check out the full conversation below.
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