Just as a small introduction here. I asked my metal brother and life long comrade Clayton Shaver to write an article on our mutually worshipped legendary gore band Impetigo. I asked Clayton for an important reason and that is / was that Clay and front man Stevo Dobbins of Impetigo were very good friends for the duration of the bands existence. I wanted him to tell the story of their friendship to illustrate how deeply the band were dedicated to what they were doing and give a different perspective in honour of Impetigo that other tributes and articles could not. Read on the for the confessions of a follower and friend of the of the mighty IMPETIGO!!  ~ Dale

IMPETIGO story  

"Your Gory Pal", is how STEVO DOBBINS (MAINMAN, LYRICS, VOCALS, BASS) always referred too me by letter or phone as. For those not in the know, IMPETIGO were the Gods of GORE metal, and they were before their time, including CANNIBAL CORPSE and the now laughable 6 FEET UNDER types. Ask anyone. As for me, I was asked "Check out IMPETIGO, they're awesome, I'll send it (the flyer) along with the SAMAEL 7" flyer and the BEHERIT when I send out the tee-shirt." Black Winds of BLASPHEMY confided too me on the telephone during the late Winter of early 1991. I dashed to my ever-ready Metal Disc Catalogue and there it was; IMPETIGO, the album was entitled 'Ultimo Mundo Cannibale', which wasn't released until October 1990 due too the explicit cover artwork that STEVO did himself. The original had a man roped up to two tree's, crucifix style, surrounded by cannibals, and one of them was feasting on his torn off prick!     

When I finally received my ordered tape, too be honest, I really didn't know what too expect...that is until I popped it in! This was no ordinary Death/Gore/Grind. It had the old-school flavor musically, with maniacal speeds and doomy lows. STEVO possessed the greatest pipes of regurgitation's that no-one could defy or ever has, yet it was all natural. "I was disappointed with my vocal's", Stevo once told me, "so I drank down 2 Gallons of Chocolate milk. I was doing a verse and I felt this bile creeping up on me, no way too stop this mess! I covered my mouth because I couldn't do damage in the vocal box. I swallowed the acidic wash of gastric juice, Ugh! I took a small break, but was fine after that!".     

"Band's like this write the same old shit...cannibal's rule, a man eating another man. That [was] something too think about!", and how right the man was! He didn't take from ordinary movies either like everyone else does. There was "Jungle Halocaust (A.K.A. Cannibal, The Last Survivor)", Trap them and kill them" (a.k.a. Emmanueu E Gli Ultimo Cannibal), his fave, "Cannibal Halocaust", "Cannibal Ferox" (a.k.a.  Make Them Die Slowly), and "Rawhead Rex",just to name a few.     

By June 1991, we we're like Brothers, an instant friendship formed, just from sending back and forth two letters from Illinois, in-which they came. At the same time I purchased their split 7" with German Death Metaller's BLOOD. The idea was to show the fan's how much brutaller STEVO became, and the now classic song 'Boneyard' proved that (It was re-done on "Horror of the Zombies").'Zombie Apocalypse’ though, the other song on the "Antefatto" split however, never was re-done. This 7" oddly enough, never was available on his 'Lesions Of Impetigo" Distribution. "With the Blood split I wanted to show a heavier approach rather than total blasting", this will continue with the new album.", the man convinced me. No I'm not going too waste space on the band bio or earlier bands.     

Unless you need psychiatric help, no-one could go through all the Intro's without bursting out in laughter, because he took from insanity as well. He also took from very old B&W films, underground, or really rare and usually unknown films. To me, he referred it too a Dear Uncle Creepy. "The show's in the last decade, and this one, SUCK! The oldies rule though!" The comic edges in part we're maniacally intentional. Another original aspect of IMPETIGO.     

All of the attributes from the above-writ made the band so respectful, so much so in fact, the Underground made them instant classics. He gave me all the details on what IMPETIGO meant, like he enjoyed it, which was fine, it intrigued me further into this incredible band. "It's an infectious skin disease of postulating skin boils, that in the advance stages become large, scab like running sore's that begin too bleed, a process of infected rotting flesh and mass scar abrasion; turns into fucking meat, man! It falls and rots off, Yummy!"     

I pushed further about the origin's of the Intro's in late summer 1991, and he said that was the fun part, he loved too torment the fan's that way. Yet if we could figure out all of them (or at least most), then we'd receive a special gift from the scabby man; a boxful of maggot's to dine on! For a man that liked happy faces and slobbering while having to regurgitate or do artwork was due too prior drug problem's from the mid-80's, he'd later confess to me, he was the first real Underground warrior I ever knew! The song 'Harbinger of death' was a true tale Stevo witnessed firsthand." I'd be going to work and at this overpass this unshaven wild looking man would pick up and throw these huge rocks on the cars below, causing accident's all the time."           

Stevo Dobbins and I had a deep connection, like no other. Soon after our first few letters we already started a trademark to end our letter's with, like a contest of words. I once wrote, "you infected hospital waste junkie, puke on your prick, suck the sores of Syphilis and lick the leg's of oozing mayonnaise of a dying sluts clit!". He'd retort back with, "You grave-robbing Pedo-necrophile pimp-perverted, shit snot eating ultra-lacerator of vaginal/labial cancer cyst's ,fucking molester of many aborted fetuses. Puke on your prick and force an old woman suck it! You deranged homicidal sick-fuck perverted pussy pulverizer, you fuckin' Gore-consumed Satanist, fuckin' stick your prick in sick-slick shit, and bleed the asses of syphlitic nuns! Be sure to use a fresh razor blade when you beat off!!!"; this went on for years and I wasn't going too say why don't you have a cup of shut the fuck up, either! It was bizarre, but it was us. This is where the 'puke on your prick' came from that was thrown around on both IMPETIGO and my band MORBID DARKNESS' Thank lists.           

One may not understand now but back in the early 1990 Underground scene, we treated each other freely and shot the shit because, simply, there was no competition with one-another. It didn't matter what extreme music we played, we shared and respected each other's music, side bands, and that's all that mattered was that we we're enjoying our good time's together! We were a circle, we were family. It's a fucking shame it never stayed that way, either!           

With a Rehearsal tape of 3 new IMPETIGO songs for 'H.O.T.Z.', our connection became even stronger in December 1991, after the release of our first underground ready demo (November 16th). "I'm glad that you appreciate my support of MORBID Darkness so much, but really you don't have to. You guy's are for real and I know that, I can feel it, and your music is very original, yet it (the demo) show's great respect to the originator's of Black/Death/Doom metal all combined, and that's very important to feel...I haven't enjoyed something like this since Hungary's TORMENTOR!". Hearing that from the God Of Gore himself would keep me Underground forever! It was still December 1991 and I asked Stevo that because I loved his old-school drawings so much if he could do one for my band. I said the drawing be of an Incubus rising from the pit's of Moloch in a nunnery and raping them on an altar. "You Demonic debaucher of detestable ding bat dykes!, actually, seriously, I've got Gossbumps; we must have a connection. About your request for the artwork. This is no fucking coincidence, but two weeks before I got your sadistic package, I began drawing...you guessed it...an Incubus raping a nun, rising from hell in a nunnery. It's true! What the fuck, man? We must have a mental link, our brainwaves must be connected...I suppose it was meant to be? Someday we will meet, and a huge crack will erupt from that spot!" The secret is out for the first time, only in this 'zine of how and where the artwork which gained us even more fans came from and how it came too be! If only Stevo could of seen the beautiful work DALE ROY put into it for our record re-issue on AKR, He would of been so proud! "It's no pushead or Lawrence (Pleasure to kill, Endless pain-Kreator and Celtic Frost's-Emperor's Return), but it's great!     

We soon realized how our incredible brotherhood shaped by our exact similarities in the same band's, we were the same. After my hospitalization in 1992 for surgery I wrote Stevo beforehand as an inspiration for my well being and he couldn't believe that, but sent me the FACELESS 7"EP. The problem with the Artwork was the over 3 years it took before I could use it. It tormented Stevo though, in-between because of the way of which conceived. I knew upon hearing FACELESS that 'H.O.T.Z.' would be the greatest Gore album ever released (It very well may be! ~ Dale). The Intro on 'Sinister Urge'(On "Faceless")is the voice of Joe Kallinger, the Shoemaker, a real sick fucker!, and the re-do's on 'Dis-Organ-Ized' and 'The Bloody Pit Of Horror' ruled as well. By that time STEVO already started a side band called CHURCH OF MISERY, but that's another story.        

All the members of IMPETIGO were involved in the making of 'Horrror...' this time; in the songwriting process, hell even I was after much pushing. Thus,"Horror Of The Zombies" had more grit than the debut. The Intro's were more vulgar than ever before (see 'Defiling The Grave' where Heraldo interview's a guy who murdered his own Girlfriend, washed her bones because they were smelly, letting her decompose in his apartment for 10 days!)."The pic's shall be in a cemetary, the necropolis is a cool place to get pic's. Some band's say it's trendy and whatever, I don't give a shit!", and Stevo was right. Who gave a fuck what everyone say's, feel free too exploit yourself, as long as it isn’t trendy. "We'll never sell out or pose out, we'll always be Underground where I feel comfortable!", Stevo once told me. On 'Horror...' song's ranged from 4 to 7 minutes, maturity had set in this band, they were more Old-School than ever, and it took until my side-project band before Stevo agreed on my idea. To create a totally Demonic song that would highlight the regurgitation's even more. The song was entitled 'Cannibale Ballet', all out effects on vocals that centered around the band being hunted and eaten alive by cannibals. Dan (the Drummer) sped up slowly with a ritualistic drumming, pounding faster and faster till it hit it's blasphemic climax. But before this cd came out alas in 1994, Wild Rag's kept delay after delay that infuriated the band which would lead to it's demise. So much for fucking November / December 1991!!! They were consistently adding in material while waiting for the final recording.           

Going back, it was now late 1993 when it finally came out. I reviewed every second of it and Stevo read it to the rest of the band who were very satisfied at my dedication to the band and for the health of the band, they were part of the Rhode Island Deathfest (Around 600 maniac's). "My voice is harsh!", "It was a killer night. VITAL REMAINS and REPULSION didn't play, I fear they will break up! But we sold more at our tables than Relapse did!!! Fifty people were at our table at all times, it killed! What a killer show! In 'Red Wigglers' I spit the blood and worms upon the audience, as usual, but I also vomited during the 'Larvae Possession' part. It was so sick I was freaking out and getting into it, like I usually do, and the thought passed through my head, as I was possessed by the larvas that Hmm, I should puke here. Then I felt my stomach preparing too explode and I somehow willed the expulsion of chunks, right on cue! I hurled three jumbo jets of vomit into the sky and all over me and the front row. It was sickening but we won the crowd!". Stevo, I wish that I was there!           

A new contest began between Stevo and myself, this time on the phone along with our still 20 page letter's in-between. Sure we shot the shit, but after that it meant business. A growling/regurgitation contest! How could I win this? After ten to twenty minutes of endless growls, screams, and regurgitations, Stevo Dobbins always came out the victor, and Goddamn, was I so proud of him every time he won. Of coarse between my mom and his wife who always asked. "What are you two Psycho's doing?", we never stopped! This, though was short lived.          

Sometime before I myself hit the studio in April 1994 for my band, a part of my world died. It was around then that I heard Stevo in a way I never heard of him before-hand that crushed not only me, but the entire Underground. He phoned me and tried too hide the sorrow he felt, but I knew otherwise. Mark, the guitarist and main song-writer was fed up with all the Business Bullshit had left IMPETIGO, even selling his metal collection and leaving the Underground (as a side note here, Mark was still around or re-entered the scene in the late 90s, Mark organized some Impetigo re-issues, he also ordered a copy of Canadian Assault and said he loved it and actually remembered me as the fan boy I was writing him back then ha ha ~ Dale). IMPETIGO was over, and Mark knew that by betraying the band. I too fell into a long saddening sorrow. Scheduled for the Milwaukee Metal-fest that year, Stevo asked me too fill in for Mark which I could do, easily, as long as I did VITAL REMAINS as well, which would of been quite the challenge, but I was willing. I learned 'War In Paradise', "Of Pure Unholiness", and 'Frozen Terror' in a few days. That was a solid 20 minutes there. I was asked though too late too take the bus, I couldn't afford a plane, it was the end of IMPETIGO as Blood, who didn't have a fucking clue what to do, showed up for no reason.     

But by April 1994, my band created the best release ever, and ready to take on the world we had conquered! Little did I know my own band would die before me, and me with it, but, once again, that's another story I leave DALE too interview me someday and tell all of you how and why.         

The death of IMPETIGO still breaks my heart today. A band with such promise, such dedication, the best there ever was in the genre, we shared his loses together. "I can't go on without Mark, Clay and that's it!", Stevo Dobbins, told me. Well, thing's were not going well in my camp either, so I'd take a couple of years off, take Mark's place, and give IMPETIGO new life. I said I'd be down in Normal, Illinois via bus, and both Stevo and I will make the goriest and deathliest album in our carrerrrs, ever. It was all too late by Stevo, who began a doom band, INSOMNIA, and a 'zine called GLOVES OF METAL. I was sent some question's for an interview, but Stevo Dobbins had disappeared from the scene forever by then.     

This still ache’s my heart today. Come home Stevo and at least say hello, you don't need an invitation. We don't care whether your now from Illinois or Antartica. Do you remember my words back in the day?" Let's get together and see the scabby man tilt his maggot ridden hat, one last time, And you said, "Your god man, you said the most incredible thing about IMPETIGO since we've known one-another!" And I replied back "Let that rim tilt, of corpse, so what do you say?" I never got a reply...         

This is for you Stevo Dobbins. I Look forward too May as RAZORBACK RECORDS will be re-issuing both IMPETIGO albums with lot's of Bonus Tracks, including 7" records as well on CD, this! The problem with band's like IMPETIGO, BLASPHEMY, and so on wasn't the band's, it was the fucking label. That being WILD RAGS...even though it is now a label no more, Richard C. should be hunted, stalked, and slain STILL! Or else IMPETIGO may just exist till this day. Curse His Blood ~ CLAY.