PATRIARCHS IN BLACK

“When you start thinking too much about music, it can lose its spontaneity. I just let it happen.”

“Sometimes I can’t picture anyone else singing a particular song.”

“Maybe it’s just dumb luck – but 95% of the time we’re happy with the singer we chose.”

“I don’t think, I’d be writing this many songs with a fixed lineup.”

“I’ve put thousands of my own money into this, because I love it.”

“I just want to have fun playing music. Everything else is secondary.”

Relentless output, rotating voices, and riffs rooted in classic heaviness define the world of Dan Lorenzo and his project Patriarchs In Black.
In this conversation, Dan Lorenzo speaks with Fok ‘bs‘ about spontaneity over strategy, collaboration as fuel, honoring influences without overthinking them, and why passion – not profit – remains the driving force behind Patriarchs In Black.
Patriarchs in Black operates more like a creative nucleus than a fixed band.
Does that freedom strengthen the identity, or constantly challenge it?
“Wow, that’s a great question. I wish, I had a great answer. I never think that much about it. To me when you start thinking about music, it can lose its spontaneity. I just let music happen. Again, believe it or not, not too much talk goes into it. I write a song, I send it to John Kelly and then I think who’s next on the list of people, I haven’t sent a song to in a while. That being said, there are songs that seem perfect for one Singer or another, so sometimes I can’t picture anybody else singing a particular song.”
The guest list reads like a cross-section of heavy music history.
Do you choose voices based on tone, personality, or shared philosophy?
“Again, I don’t really think about it that much, we kind of just give songs to a singer and 95% of the time we end up being happy that we chose that singer to sing that song. Maybe it’s just dumb luck! Ha ha.”
You’ve worked with a wide range of vocalists.
When you write a riff, do you already ‘hear‘ a certain type of voice, or does the personality of the singer reshape the song later?
“Sometimes I envision particular singers singing the song, but there’s definitely been times, where the singer has reshaped this song for better or worse.”
Does collaborating with strong personalities energize you, or do you ever miss the simplicity of a fixed lineup?
“It energizes me for sure! I don’t think, I’d be writing this many songs, if I didn’t have so much inspiration from working with different people. It’s also because Johnny Kelly is passionate about this project. A fixed lineup is fine, but I don’t think, I’d be writing this much with a fixed line up.”
Doom traditionally thrives on minimalism and atmosphere, yet your arrangements can be dense and collaborative.
How do you avoid over-saturation?
“Well, we have a lot of influences and I think the bands that I was really inspired on like Aerosmith and Kiss and then later Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath didn’t do oversaturation.”
You’ve built an incredibly prolific catalog in just a few years.
Is that urgency creative overflow, discipline, or something you feel you need to prove?
“Well, the only thing I’m proving is not that many people care about my music! Ha ha. It’s just that I’ve been writing so much, so I like putting music out even though it cost me money, because the Record Label only pays for so much. I put thousands and thousands of my own money into this, because I love it.”
Dan, you’ve spoken openly about how bands like Kiss ignited your journey.
When you reinterpret songs that shaped you, is it homage, reclamation, or conversation?
“It’s basically us playing it similar to their record at least when it’s Kiss. Hopefully it just sounds a little heavier and more current.”
‘Completely Covered in Black‘ revisits canonical material.
Was there ever a moment where you felt, ‘This song is untouchable‘?
“Not really…”
When you reinterpret a classic, what is the line between respect and reinvention?
“Well it’s definitely out of respect. Johnny came up with the idea of doing the Peter Gabriel song and that to me felt more like a reinvention.”
Your covers aren’t nostalgic reproductions;
they feel heavier, almost more grounded.
Is that the weight of experience, or the natural gravity of doom?
“Thank you. I think we just tune a little bit lower so it makes it sound heavier.”
Does revisiting songs like those from Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin change the way you see your own songwriting?
“I don’t think so, but that’s a great question. I prefer all of our songs were a little bit shorter, but Johnny likes longer songs like Black Sabbath. I really prefer 3 1/2 minute songs like Kiss. So I guess, it’s a bit of a compromise in the back of my mind. I probably always want to please the musicians I’m working with in this case Johnny Kelly.”
Does honoring your influences ever risk trapping you in them, or does it liberate you to push further?
“No, I don’t even think that much about it. It doesn’t affect, how I write original music, I don’t think.”
If Patriarchs in Black had to be defined by one core principle beyond riffs and groove, what would it be – reverence, reinvention, or refusal to fade quietly?
“Again there’s not that much thought going into it. I just want to have fun playing music. I have a bit of an ego, so I like to get my name out there. I lose a lot of money during this, so if it wasn’t fun, I wouldn’t do it.”
Patriarchs In Black is not built on calculation or career strategy.
It thrives on instinct, collaboration, and the simple desire to keep creating – louder, heavier, and without overthinking what was never meant to be confined in the first place.
by Fok ‘bs‘

track-list:
Supertzar
Strange Ways
Destroyer
Immigrant Song
Hotter than Hell
The Chase is Better than the Catch
Snow Blind
Dragon Attack
The Ocean
Almost Human
Games without Frontiers
Kashmir
Dead or Dying
This Damn War
Left Behind

discography #2:

Barely a year after ‘My Veneration‘ reaffirmed their instinct for heavyweight groove, Patriarchs in Black return with another statement of intent.
Titled ‘Completely Covered in Black‘ and released on February 13, 2026 via NoLifeTilMetal Records, the new album shifts the spotlight toward the band’s deep-rooted love of classic rock and metal – without losing the crushing identity they’ve forged since day one.
Once again driven by the tireless riff architect Dan Lorenzo (known for his work with Hades and Non-Fiction) and powerhouse drummer Johnny Kelly (Type O Negative, Danzig), Patriarchs in Black continue to operate as a creative hub rather than a conventional band.
Since forming in late 2021, the duo has built an impressively prolific catalog – four full-length albums and an EP – each shaped by a rotating cast of vocalists and collaborators.
That collaborative spirit remains central here, but this time the focus is crystal clear:
honoring the songs that shaped them.
‘Completely Covered in Black‘ delivers 11 tracks that balance reverence with reinvention.
Rather than offering note-for-note reproductions, Lorenzo and Kelly reinterpret material from giants such as Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Peter Gabriel, Twisted Sister, Motorhead, and Queen through their own doom-laden, riff-heavy lens.
The result is less a nostalgic exercise and more a conversation across generations – classic hooks filtered through modern weight and grit.
The standalone single ‘Left Behind‘, co-written by Lorenzo and former Sixty Watt Shaman vocalist Daniel Soren, offers a bridge between tribute and originality.
It underscores that even while celebrating their influences, Patriarchs in Black remain songwriters first, channeling vintage spirit into fresh material.
The guest list once again reads like a roll call of heavy music stalwarts, including Mark Sunshine (Unida), Karl Agell (ex-Corrosion of Conformity), Kyle Thomas (Exhorder), Rob Dukes (Exodus), and Bobby Jensen (Hairball).
Each voice brings a distinct shade to the album’s palette, yet the production and the unmistakable Lorenzo/Kelly backbone ensure cohesion.
It’s a testament to their chemistry that such a diverse cast can inhabit the same sonic world without diluting its impact.
Lorenzo has been candid about the personal roots of the project, particularly his lifelong devotion to Kiss – a band that sparked his own journey into guitar playing in the late ’70s.
That passion is palpable throughout the record, not as imitation but as ignition:
the same spark that once inspired a teenager to pick up a guitar now fuels a seasoned musician revisiting the music that shaped him.
Pressed on heavyweight opaque orange vinyl – with limited copies aimed squarely at collectors – and accompanied by deluxe packaging, ‘Completely Covered in Black‘ is both homage and hammer blow.
It reinforces what Patriarchs in Black have demonstrated since their debut:
whether delivering original doom-infused bruisers or reimagining canonical anthems, Lorenzo and Kelly approach every riff with conviction, respect, and an undiminished love for rock ’n’ roll’s enduring power.