Photos taken for a class project.
(From right) Justin Waldrop (guitar, vocals), a 24-year-old customer service representative from Mesa, Nico Depasquale (Bass), a 26-year-old sales representative from Ahwatukee open All In Agony’s set at Club Red in Mesa on September 27th, 2018. All In Agony earned a spot on the bill after narrowly losing a battle of the bands where they competed for a spot on the lucrative Summer Slaughter tour, which is one of metal’s largest roadshows. (Photo by Tim Royan)
Twenty-six-year-old guitarist Dondre Campbell (stage name “Dondre Savages), a customer service representative by day, took a breather between songs at Club Red in Mesa on Sept. 27th, 2018. Campbell leads the band, writing the music and communicating with their booking agents, Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group, who discovered All In Agony after they played a battle of the bands earlier this year. Campbell said the battle of the bands was his favorite show of his career. (Photo by Tim Royan)
Gabriel Verdugo (Vocals), 25, of Phoenix is a store manager by day. His screaming vocals and raucus headbanging while on stage help cultivate All In Agony’s “heavy” and dark image. (Photo by Tim Royan)
Bassist Nico Depasquale is the more soft-spoken and relaxed member of the group. His demeanor provides a contrast to high-energy antics of the other members. “The only reason I can stay in a band is because I really get along with the people that I make music with,” Depasquale said. “If we’re not all on the same page, then the band doesn’t work.” (Photo by Tim Royan)
All In Agony guitarist Justin Waldrop and drummer Brody Smith, play their closing song, “Ritual,” at Club Red in Mesa on September 27th, 2018. All In Agony were the opening act for the much more established metal groups Exhumed and Revocation. (Photo by Tim Royan)
Justin Waldrop let loose as All In Agony closed their Club Red set. Waldrop, the youngest member of the group, has been playing and listening metal music — which he said helped raise him — since he was a child. (Photo by Tim Royan)
(From left) Brody Smith and Dondre “Savages” Campbell take a smoke break outside SER Soundworks in Chandler on Oct. 6. 2018. Campbell asked Smith, who is notorious for his energy drink consumption, if he wanted to rehearse their live set in preparation for their upcoming show with Unearth (a childhood favorite of Campbell’s) at Club Red on Dec. 3. (Photo by Tim Royan)
In rehearsals, Brody Smith takes the drums that Dondre “Savages” Campbell writes on his computer using sampling software and artificial drums, adds fills and variations and organizes All In Agony’s live sets. Smith said he plays metal music because it is a fantastical escape from the boring and mundane routine of every day life. (Photo by Tim Royan)
Vocalist Gabriel Verdugo puts as much energy into rehearsal at SER Soundworks as he does in his live set. Brody Smith described Verdugo’s vocals as a deceptively difficult skill and challenged anyone that thinks metal vocals are “just screaming” to attempt to sing like that for whole minute, which he said would instantly change their minds. (Photo by Tim Royan)
Between All In Agony’s show in September and the rehearsal in October, Justin Waldrop broke his pinky finger. He joked that he sustained the injury fighting a bear before admitting “I punched a wall because I didn’t want to punch a friend.” Despite the injury, Waldrop was able to perform the live set without issue. (Photo by Tim Royan)
Drummer Brody Smith said he was kicked out of his former band because his drum kit was not of high enough quality. He joked that if he had a better drum kit he never would have been given the opportunity to play in All In Agony. (Photo by Tim Royan)
Dondre Campbell adopted the name “Savages” as his stage name for his DJ career and retained it for All In Agony. He described it as a play on his Native American heritage and the pejorative used for his people. Campbell also said that his father’s tattoos inspired him to get his own — which he used to represent his love of video games with a Sonic Adventure homage. (Photo by Tim Royan)
Dondre “Savages” Campbell segued from an early music career as a Dubstep DJ to his current role as a metal bandleader and producer. This painting is important to Campbell as it was created by his uncle, with whom he lived for a time when he was young. After his mother was laid off during the 2008 housing crisis, Campbell said he had an unstable childhood which led to him moving around a lot. Campbell said he was able to overcome his drug use through music and this uncle helped kindle his love for metal. (Photo by Tim Royan)
Dondre “Savages” Campbell is in the process of recording All In Agony’s first album. He writes the songs in the comfort of his home studio and gives the parts to the rest of the band to learn. “I’d rather record all my own songs,” Campbell said. “If I put my own money into my studio, I know I’m learning something at the end of the day.” (Photo by Tim Royan)
When Dondre “Savages” Campbell is not working at his customer service job or playing metal, he spends most of his time playing video games. Campbell eagerly demonstrated the new Call of Duty game as his interview drew to a close. (Photo by Tim Royan)
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