Actress Jessica Pimentel, known for her role as Maria Ruiz in the TV series ‘Orange Is The New Black,’ is also a talented musician in bands such as Alekhine’s Gun and Brujeria. In a recent interview with Metal Hammer, she delves into her connection with the late Peter Steele of Type O Negative, describing him as a sensitive and supportive figure when she was much younger. She said the following about Steele:
“He was a very sensitive, deep guy. To me, he was a big brother-type person and talked me through a very hard time in my life. I was a lonely, depressed kid, and I think he identified that. He made mixtapes for me and stuff. You might expect him to be a jerk or a womanizer but, if he was, I never saw that side of him.”
Jessica Pimentel’s Love Of Heavy Music
She sings and plays the guitar in her own death metal band called ‘Alekhine’s Gun’ and is a vocalist for the extreme metal band ‘Brujeria’ based in Los Angeles. She has also recorded several songs with the band ‘Black Heart Sutra.’ In the same interview she talked about her approach to metal music. She said:
“Music is one of my acting tools. It’s how I tap into whatever emotion I need for a scene. Most of the time, it was a lot of metal and goth: a lot of Nick Cave, Zeal & Ardor, Meshuggah, and Depeche Mode. But then afterward I’d put on something completely fun: dance, Latin music, hip hop – whatever was the opposite.”
In a more introspective interview with Hardcore Humanism, she took a deeper look at the matter. She said:
“I feel like metal was a real healing- and happiness-bringer in life. But people said, ‘You listen to this depressing music. It’s depressing.’ It was the opposite—it was comforting,”
When asked how she got hooked on metal music, her answer was as follows:
“I was really drawn to the New York heavy metal and hardcore community because it was a community, a scene. And the music wasn’t this fantastical, whimsical thing. It was about life now in the world we live in—expressing frustrations of urban living. It was the first music that I heard that addressed social issues.”
Jessica Pimentel has never shied away from talking about the positive impact metal music has had on her throughout her career.
Pimentel Used To Be A Radio DJ
Pimentel had a radio show called ‘Crushing Metal’ on Gimme Radio. Although they later had to end their special shows, for some part of Pimentel’s career, you could hear his voice and the songs she chose on the radio. In an interview with The Daily Crate in 2018, she talked about the importance of broadcasting for her. She said:
“Radio has been a very important part of my life. If it wasn’t for some great shows like New Sounds on WNYC and some amazing DJs, I wouldn’t be who I am today. So I felt that it was very important and kind of a coming home to pay homage to the great DJs out there that opened up the world of music to a young Latina girl from Brooklyn.”
When asked how she started broadcasting, her answer was as follows:
“I was approached by an old dear friend, kickass musician, and fellow Gimme Radio DJ Dean Rispler about having my own show where I could play whatever I wanted, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to not only share what I love but promote and support my friends who are out there making great music.”
You can listen to her bands, ‘Alekhine’s Gun’ and ‘Brujeria’ below.
