Tuesday 8 January 2013

MABUSE INTERVIEW - NORWEGIAN DEATH/THRASH ATTACK!!

WHO ARE THEY : MABUSE
WHERE ARE THEY FROM - Oslo, Norway
FOR FANS OF : Deathhammer, Sadus, Hellhammer, Aura Noir, Death
LATEST RELEASE :- "Stench Of Death" Demo 2012. (self released)
WEBSITES:- http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mabuse/253819114688432?sk=info



I was first introduced to this band via Fenriz after his keen ear for
new extreme talent picked up on this bands music and their debut demo
"Stench Of Death" which was released old school style on cassette tape
only, I checked out the tracks streaming online and was instantly
impressed with this young Oslo based bands aggressive and manic take
on death/thrash with totally possessed sounding vocals which rival the
vocalist in fellow Norwegians Deathhammer for being purely OTT
sounding. The band's main core is currently made up of a two piece  -
Jonas on guitar/vocals and Andreas on drums/lead guitar, vocals. It
was Jonas who I interviewed to find out more about this still rather
unknown entity.Hails Jonas! Please tell us a brief history on Mabuse and who

currently does what in the band?

In short, I (Jonas) had a bunch of riffs, but no band. It came up somehow in a conversation at 2010s Til Dovre Faller festival and Andreas said he might be able to help me out. I took it up with him a few months later, and we had a few rehearsals before we (he) recorded the demo. And that was pretty much it. I do most stuff except the drums, which Andreas handles. Although he also played two of the four lead parts of Dentist Death plus some vocal parts here and there.

Your debut demo "Stench of Death" is a fine piece of aggressive
death/thrash madness...please tell the readers about about it in your
own words, is it still available? what has the overall response been
like to it so far? Are you satisfied with how it turned out overall?


I don't know if there's much to tell about it, it just straight forward death/thrash. The style is like what some bands sounded like in '87 when thrash was well on it's way moving into death metal. The tape sold out really fast, and that took me by surprise. The feedback has been really good. I'm quite satisfied with how it turned out, but I hate the bass sound. Luckily the sound of the tape is way superior to the tracks online, so somebody should rip the tape and but it online, hehe.

I know you pressed it up old school style on cassette tapes..any
chance of it being released on CD or vinyl format? Have any labels
expressed an interest in doing that?


I'm not interested in re-releasing it, on any format really. I'm looking forward and my attention is on the next release.

Your demo recieved praise from Fenriz in Darkthrone and you guys were
made a "band of the week" - how did that make you feel? Are you guys
big fans of Darkthrone?


That was pretty cool, as it makes it easier for a broader audience to discover the music. I've discovered a bunch of really good bands through that blog. Fans of Darkthrone? For sure, both old and new. Can't wait for the new album as I really like the direction they've taken with the last 3-4 albums.





The vocals are fucking MANIC!!!! Just pure aggression and insane
sounding!!! How did you settle upon such a vocal style?!


I had never done any vocals before the recording of Stench of Death, and the ending of Crushing Death Strike is the first proper attempt I did. The week before we recorded the vocals I listened a lot to early Autopsy, as Reifert has the most awesome vocals in extreme metal and I wanted to do something in that style. But when I tried I sounded like a bloated version of late '90s Max Cavalera and it sounded like shit, so I just tried my own thing and it worked pretty good. The vocals on the demo is the part I'm most satisfied with. Andreas' vocals are awesome so I wanted him to do some stuff as well.

The band recorded the demo as a 2 piece - will you remain as a 2 piece
or do you plan to expand the line up at some point? I guess it is
rather hard to play live right now as just a 2 piece or is playing

live not a big priority for the band? Maybe you do actually have some
help with gigs and have already played live?

Playing live is definitely something I've thought about, but as we like 500 km apart and we've several bands outside of Mabuse I don't think it will happen with us two. I'd have to pull together a whole live band, and that's not easy. It might happen some day.

Have you written much new material since the demo was recorded? What
will your next release be? Another demo or maybes you will do an
album? What can we expect from the newer material, is it in the same
vein?


I've got enough material for a full length album, material that was written in the same period as the demo, so it's in the same vein. We're working on an 7" EP, but with other bands and stuff like that it takes some time. I hope we'll be done with the recording before the winter. Until then my focus is on Mion's Hill, another band I have with two of the guys from Condor. We have a demo tape out now called 'Festering Curses'. Old-school metal with influences from bands such as Hellhammer, Death Strike, Mayhems 'Deathcrush' etc.

What bands fuel and shape the sound of MABUSE?

It would be easier to name records that bands. Scream Bloody Gore, Severed Survival, Black Thrash Attack to name a few. Not that we sound like those records, but they've definitely shaped our sound, altough some people have pointed out that Mabuse sounds like Mantas 'Death by Metal'.

Please explain your band name? Why did you choose that name?

I came across the caracter Dr. Mabuse in a book I read, and it seemed like a fitting theme for death metal. There weren't any bands listed on MA who'd used the name, and that helped as I wanted an original name. Like, how many bands out there are named Tormentor?

Lyrically where do you get your inspiration from?

Dreams, other death metal records, horror movies.

Your opinion on your local scene and the scene in Norway in general?
What otheer bands from NORWAY do you feel an affinty with? What bands
from your country would you recommend the metal maniacs from across
the world who will be reading this?


The Norwegian scene is fucking awesome, there's so many good bands around. Good support too, different bands go to other bands gigs. Just to get the obvious band out of the way you have Nekromantheon, Deathhammer, Diskord, Obliteration and One Tail, One Head. Then you have bands such as Black Magic, Condor, Gouge (check them out and fry your brain), Töxic Death, Execration, Reptillian, Inculter, Gravlund, Repellent, Sküll, and the list goes on.

What is your opinion on the retro death and thrash metal boom that has
literally exploded like a fucking huge musical bomb in recent years -
why do you think old school thrash and old school death metal is
having such a resurgence in recent times?


I don't know, stuff like that usually comes and goes in waves? It seems like metal in general has been peaking since the early 2000s. I'm just glad there's lots of band playing GOOD metal.

Future plans for 2012/2013?

7" EP. Four tracks. It will be released by Duplicate Records.


Last words are yours Jonas - plug merch, websites, etc....many thanks
for answering this short interview!


Don't have any merch to push on people yet. Just check out the band I mentioned earlier and buy their stuff.



CRUCIFYRE INTERVIEW WITH YASIN HILLBORG

WHO ARE THEY: CRUCIFYRE
WHERE ARE THEY FROM: Stockholm, Sweden,
FOR FANS OF: Celtic Frost, Venom, Early Slayer, Autopsy
LATEST RELEASE:  Promo Demo 2012

WEBSITE

Crucifyre are a Swedish, Stockholm based band that is made up of veterans of the Swedish extreme metal scene – featuring ex and current members of influential bands such as Afflicted, Crematory, Morbid, Maze of Torment, General Surgery, Nasum etc…Crucifyre’s metal of death is born out of the members personal love for bands such as classic Slayer, Celtic Frost, Venom etc and transcends the typical retro Swedish death metal that is currently all the rage ( early Entombed/Nihilist etc.. clones) by mixing together the sounds of raw primitive 80′s extreme heavy metal sound with old school death/thrash. The bands debut full length album “Infernal Earthly Divine” was unleashed (sic) upon the scene in 2010 by Pulverised Records and the band recorded a promo demo full of new material which I recieved earlier this year and which showcases much more of a punkier vibe in places – I contacted drummer Yasin Hillborg for a chat after he sent me their killer Promo Demo 2012.

Hails Yasin! Please give the readers a quick background history on the band and also please introduce the current line up!

Crucifyre was formed in 2006. We are about playing the purest essence of what death-, black- and heavy metal all’s supposed to be about. The line up is Erik Tormentor on vocals. He was formerly in Maze of Torment, Serpent Obscene etc, TG and Urban, both lead guitar. TG of course was in Morbid and Urband in Crematory, Regurgitate etc, Doltz, who’s mostly been in punk and hard core bands on bass, and me, Yasse on drums. 

Your debut album "Infernal Earthly Divine" was unleashed upon the world by Pulverised Records back in 2010, I must say it was one RIPPING slab of hellish Swedeath, what are your thoughts looking back on this album a couple years down the line? Are you still satisfied with it or is there anything you would like to change now?! 

I wouldn’t agree with you that it’s typical “Swedeath”. At least not what is usually associated with the tag “Swedish Death Metal”. Crucifyre isn’t about fucking 90’s riffs! Crucifyre is all about the fucking primal merciless onslaught of Venom, Slayer, Celtic Frost and the satanic rites of Mercyful Fate and other music that I will not mention as it will only confuse the narrow mind that may read this. Infernal is a pretty close result to what we attempted to achieve. There is always something you want to change, but overall it’s pretty fucking wicked. 

Are you happy with the overall response and reviews the album got, please tell the readers a little bit about this album in your own words.

The response and reviews have been great! Infernal Earthly Divine is our debut album and it was voted 3rd best album of 2010 by the writers of Close Up Magazine, just below Watain and Kylease. That’s quite good for a debut album in my book. The record consists of, as most debut alums, of songs written in the band’s inception as well as a few tracks written just before entering the studio. I wrote all the songs and produced the album with the rest of the band co-producing. I am satisfied with the songs. The production and playing does the job. 

How did you initially hook up with Pulverised? Are you satisfied with the overall work they have done for the band? They seem like a very dedicated hard working label.

Erik had done some artwork for them previously so that was how we got in touch. I might have sent them our first demo as well. They seem dedicated to releasing new death metal bands at a rapid pace, which is a good way for new bans to get out I guess. They did a fairly good job promoting our album.

You recently recorded 5 new songs for a demo, what is the purpose of this demo? I must say the new material is sounding DEADLY! Very strong with so many deathly hooks. Where did you record the demo and how long did it take for the new material and demo recording to come together?

Actually we recorded six songs on that session. The recording wasn’t really meant to be widely spread (and it hasn’t been either). The purpose was to record new material and see how it could be developed. I am glad you like it! The session was done in our rehearsal place,
but quite properly so having mikes on each drum and so on. The basic tracking was done in a day with vocals and solos done here and there. With the pretty fucking amazing production we got at the session I kind of wish we put some more time into the recording, but hey. The songs have been written since the recording of Infernal. Except for the odd riff I’ve written all the tracks. At the moment we have more or less and album’s worth of material.  


I take it the demo is a pre production type thing for the 2nd album, when can we expect the second full length album by Crucifyre? Will you be unleashing it via Pulverised again? Do you have a title in mind for the second album? What can the readers expect from it?

Yes, I guess that’s an accurate description. I hope we will find the means and the right circumstances to record our second album soon. We have a title that will be revealed in due time. The album will have a lot of hard and raw edge with thrashing and grinding just like its predecessor, but there will also be a lot of doom-laden pieces on it. One of my all time favorite concerts was seeing Slayer the first time when they first came to Sweden in 88. (They were on their way in 87 on the Reign in Pain tour, but Dave couldn’t get a visa!). Candlemass was the support band! What a bill! Candlemass and then Slayer. That is partially a dynamic and feel that is attempted to be incorporated in the new songs – the intensity of Slayer and the weight and epic majesty of Candlemass. Add to that the atmosphere of Bathory and some chunks of Autopsy or something and hopefully you might get the picture of what we are trying to achieve with the new material. 


I am personally loving the varied tempos in the new songs, I think this new material is even stronger than the already very strong material on the debut full length. What was your thinking and aim when you set to work writing the new material, did you have specific ideas in mind that were already written or did it all just "come together"during rehearsals?.


Thank you Kat! Cool that you like the different dynamics in the tracks.  I’ll usually write a song and present it more or less finished and most of the time we’ll do the final arrangements in rehearsal. This process may vary, sometimes I’ll just have a couple of riffs and other times I’ll have an entire arrangement. I have some specific ideas that I’d like to try with the new stuff. Also I think we are more certain of what Crucifyre should be about. Not that we didn’t have a clear vision the first time around, but there might be a greater degree of consistency in the material this time round. The music that influences me most is what I’ve always listened to – the classics, the originals. I prefer listening to Black Sabbath any day than to some triggered 250 bpm Behemoth wanking. That (hopefully) doesn’t make Crucifyre’s music watered down like most music today. 

What is the songwriting process usually like for Crucifyre?

We’ll I do most of it and like I said, I’ll present new stuff to the other guys and listen to their input and usually we’ll do the arranging together. 


Pic by Soile Siirtola.


  Some of the new material has a cool punked up vibe to it ("Through the Darkness" comes instantly to mind), makes a nice contrast to the very doomy morbid slowed down sounding parts. Would you say some punk music has an influence on your songwriting?.

Well yes and probably in a much bigger way and to a larger extent than you might think. I was a punk (rocker) when I was a kid sporting a Mohawk and everything. I got into punk before I got into metal. For me it was the usual punk-metal story. I first got into Motorhead and then Metallica and thrash and then death metal and the early stuff – Sabbath, Zeppelin and classical heavy metal – Priest, Maiden etc. Through the Darkness has a definite The Damned vibe to it in my opinion. When The Damned are at their best they are one of my
favorite bands. So yeah, there are some punk influences for sure. I have some ideas for a d-beat songs as well that might end up on the next record. 

Please give the readers an insight into the general lyrical concept behind Crucifyre...I guess you are not church going christians!! hahaha! Where do you draw inspiration from when it comes to writing lyrics/ Are the lyrics usually written before or after the basic music is completed?

Lyrically, a lot of the time I get inspired by stuff I read, literature. Sometimes I’ll come up with a title and draw inspiration from the concept of the title. I also write a lot about stuff that pisses me off, but if I do I make sure to use the thematic of Crucifyre and not write some mundane fucking teenage angst lyric. The song Funeral Pyre is more or less about the world coming to an end, but it is also saying how the arrogant fuckers in charge are turning everything in to shit. Rising higher this rotten mound, soon to be reduced to ash, your world will burn as I set fire and ignite your funeral pyre. We are definitely not a Christian-, or a religious band what so ever. In fact I despise most religions. There are a lot of things with most of them that I disapprove of, but most of them also entail submission, something that is very dangerous and fucked up and is one big reason to why human beings are so fucked. The satanic and sacral themes fit our style of metal perfectly and as much as I despise religion, Satan is still a pretty potent vehicle for rebellion and for us saying: - Fuck you! I Am your enemy. I do not subscribe to your values, your way of life and your fucking bourgeois, narrow little world. The lyrics are usually written after the music, but sometimes before and sometimes simultaneously. 

Describe Crucifyre in 5 WORDS ONLY!

Fire. Blood. Metal. Magic. Soul.

You are all veterans of the Swedish death metal scene, having served time in bands such as Afflicted, Maze of Torment, Crematory, General Surgery, Morbid etc...what keeps you motivated after all these years to keep on creating death metal? Have there ever been any times where you have just felt like "retiring" from the scene?. You have all seen many changes in the extreme music scene over the years, what is your opinion on the current death metal scene for example when comparing it with the late 80s/early 90s scene?

Well to be quite frank, I was “retired” from playing death metal for many years. So yes, I guess you could say that. I got bored with how death metal “developed” in the 90s and the scene that was quite vibrant around Stockholm in the late 80s and early 90s kind of vanished and everything was divided into sub genres or black metal or whatever. It’s not really fair comparing the death metal scene of today to when it first came round. As everything was new and you were in the midst of this extreme music exploding it was extremely exiting. Getting Morbid Angel’s Altars of Madness on the day it was released after having previously heard their music through tape trading. How do you compare that with browsing the Internet? However there is a scene these days and it seems to be doing quite good. On a whole the climate for live music in Stockholm has gotten a lot better compared to the late 90s or even compared to when death metal took off.  



What things do you find for the better or for the worst in the modern extreme music/death metal scene? Which other current bands do you feel an affinity with?

Metal has been around for so long now and even the extremist genres have been going for 20 or even 30 years. And to put it simple there is and has always been good and bad music.
Unfortunately the latter kind comes in a lot larger quantities, an ever escalating downward spiral I guess. That might not be the answer you were looking for. If you like me to be more specific it’s the same elements that make out any good music, be it metal, rock ‘n’ roll, punk or whatever. The first rule being – It has to be honest. If it’s not honest, forget it! Now I am getting philosophical again. But put it this way – the more you polish it, the more you tamper with the production, the more you wank about the further you’ll get from the truth, or you’ll be caught with your trousers down. DTP! Some newer and or younger bands that more or less have their shit down are: Morbus Chron, Tormented, In Solitude, Graveyard, Nifelheim. Shit, these are all Swedish bands, but I hardly ever listen to new music so…


Why the name Crucifyre? Nice play on words from my perspective! Please elaborate on why you chose this band name. Also who designed the great band logo?

Well we went through a few names in the early stages of forming this band. One was Satan I, like the Giger piece, but a misconception or re- pronunciation thus pronouncing the name as Satan, I. I as in me and not the roman number one. One early name suggestion was Crucifier, but there are of course a dozen bands with that name. So I thought of an alternative spelling and wanted something with an Anglo and medieval feel to it. You know kind of an NWOBHM wibe to it, like Witchfynde or something, that kind of spelling. So I came up with Crucifyre. Cruci being derived from Crucifix and fire spelt fyre being the old Scottish spelling. Thus the meaning of the name changed from someone who crucifies to cross of fire or a cross that is burning. The logo was designed by Urban. He’s done a lot of logos and artwork for bands over the years. The most famous example is probably the Dark Funeral logo. Erik who’s also done a lot of stuff did the cross.  


What other bands are members of Crucifyre involved with? You seem to be a very busy bunch!

Doltz, Urban and Erik are involved in other bands. Me and TG stay faithful only to Crucifyre. 

How active are you guys as a live band? Have you only played within Sweden so far or have you managed to play elsewhere in the Nordic countries or in Europe? What can people expect from a Crucifyre live show?

We are as active as we can be. We are looking for management to help matters getting gigs. On an average we play twice a year in Stockholm. Except for Stockholm and some other towns and cities in Sweden we have played Denmark and Finland. We are looking at tour possibilities with some other killer Swedish bands. You can expect satanic auditory terror at intense volume from our live show.

Have you got many live activities planned? Any tours? Are there any places in particular you would like to reach and play outside of Sweden/Scandinavia? 

We would like to play Europe and the UK (let’s talk about that Kat!). Anywhere really where their might be a decent turn out of not so decent metalheads. 

Yasin you are involved with a film documentary called "Så Jävla Metal", please tell us about that and how it came together?.

“Så Jävla Metal” means So Damn, fucking or bloody metal in Swedish and it tells the story of the history of Swedish hard rock and heavy metal. It’s a project that took me five years to make and features more that 40 Swedish bands and artists in metal – Europe, Yngwie Malmsteen, Entombed, Candlemass, Bathory the whole lot really. It has been very well
received and will be the official selection of at least one international film festival. I can not mention it yet though as their program still is unofficial. 


What are your plans for the near future? 

We are working on our new album and will play here and there, some festivals in Sweden and possibly abroad. 

How can people contact you, hear your stuff,  buy merch etc..the last words are yours, many thanks for answering my questions!

Thank you Kat for the interview and your thoughtful questions. You can contact us through our myspace.com/crucifyre or at our facebook page. We will have some new t-shirts soon. Watch out for our second album it will devastate your soul and rape your mind as we always do.

SPEEDWOLF INTERVIEW - RIDE WITH DEATH!

WHO ARE THEY : SPEEDWOLF
WHERE ARE THEY FROM – Denver, CO, USA
FOR FANS OF : Motorhead, Zeke, Venom, Midnight
LATEST RELEASE "Ride With Death" (Hells Headbangers)
WEBSITE: http://www.facebook.com/messages/1648361996#!/speedwolf303?fref=ts


I first came across the absolutley RAGING full length album by
Speedwolf earlier last year, and it was one of those records that just
made me want to repeat it over and over again, which I did, the band
mix fast paced double kick fuelled speed metal with high octane and
energetic punked up rock 'n' roll - kinda like Motorhead and Venom
having a ruckus with Zeke in some sleazy back alley bar with early
Bathory throwing in the odd punch and kick. You get the idea. I
collared vocalist Reed to find out more about what makes this band
tick and to get the latest on the bands activities and plans.


The band have snice done another tour and there are plans for them to hit Europe this year - keep an eye on their facebook/band page for dates!


Hey Reed! Hope all is well with you - Please for those who are
unfamiliar with the musical beast know as Speedwolf give people a
brief history on the band and tell us who currently does what in the
band?


-Hey Kat.  Speedwolf is made up of four members, Richie- Drums, Kris- Guitar, Jake- Bass, and myself on vocals.  We formed in 2008, have put out multiple demos, 7"s, splits, and one full length since then.  We're currently on Hells Headbangers Records and have been touring none stop this year.

You guys have been active for a little while now, releasing a demo,
splits etc... but at the tail end of last year your raging "RIDE WITH
DEATH" album was released on Hells Headbangers ....please tell the
readers about this album in your own words and what they can expect
from it?


-Ride With Death is our debut of 12 songs that were written over a 3 year period.  We like to tell people if like the sound of simplistic old metal, then they will most likely enjoy what we do.

How has the overall response been like to the album? Are you happy
with the work the label has done to get the word out there about it
promowise? How did you hook up with the label initially?


-The response has been overwhelmingly positive thus far.  About 90% good and 10% talking shit, but thats the way heavy metal and the internet goes these days.  HHR has done a great job with releasing/distributing our stuff and providing what they can with tour support and other things like that.  We hooked up with them because we were supporting the label for years.  We went from being customers to employees, haha.



The album production is great, very sharp and all the instruments cut
through just perfectly (love the double kick sound too!) - where was
it recorded at?


-It was recorded by a friend in Denver666, Steve Goldberg.  He's known for playing guitar in Cephalic Carnage.  We did everything in a few days and capturing most of it live.  We do our best not to 'over-do-it' when it comes to recording.  Get in and get out.  Glad you enjoy what you hear.

Who designed the artwork for the album?

-We've done the majority of our artwork with a local Denver666 artist, Sam Turner.  He's worked with other bands such as 3 INCHES OF BLOOD, ZEKE, TOXIC HOLOCAUST, and more.  Total metal maniac and really good friend of the band overall.



Lyrically where do you get inspiration from?

-All the drugs I used to do, and the motorcycle that I ride daily.

You also have a new split out with Nekrofilth - please tell us about
that, were the recording sessions for it seperate from the album
recording?


-Yes, that kind of happened randomly.  Our friends in NEKROFILTH were working on a split with another band to be released by Doomentia Records out of the Czech Republic.  The other band fell through, and so they asked us to take their place.  We a few new songs written for a 2nd album and decided to get a quick live recording, that way we could hop on the 7".  We recorded everything live at a local theatre in Denver right on stage.  Come out sounding pretty good, so we sent Lukas (Doomentia) the tracks and he got it out quickly.  Most likely, our song recorded for the split will be re-recorded for our 2nd full length...

Vocally where do you draw inspiration from?

-If it isn't completely obvious.  Lemmy!  Haha, but I always looked up to other classic vocalists from rock n' roll and heavy metal.  Iggy Pop, Robin Tyner, Cronos, Quorothon, Blind Marky Felchtone, Paul Dianno, etc, etc, etc....

You guys are known for being a VERY HARD working and hard touring band
- you have done two USA tours this year alone, please tell us ab out
those tours? What places did you enjoy playing the most/feel you were
best recieved at? It must be quite tiring covering such a vast expanse
of land!! What can people expect from a Speedwolf show?


-Thank you.  We do work extremely hard to get on the road and bring our music all over the country.  Our inspiration comes from old metal bands musically, but also in their work ethic.  Bands like MOTORHEAD toured their asses off, and it did nothing buy pay off.  Our intentions are the same.  So far, we've received good responses in coastal towns within the US.  We've also done some dates in Canada, and those have been incredible.  As far as what one could expect from a SPEEDWOLF show, I would say a lot of fucking energy and volume.

Any plans to tour Europe in the near future? Have you managed to get
over to this side of the pond yet?


-We have wanted to tour Europe since we started the band.  We've sold quite a few pieces of merchandise over there, and would love to make a live appearance.  I email international booking agents on a daily basis begging them to book us over there, whether it be for a festival or entire tour.  Call the wolf and we will come!

What else have you got planned live for the remainder of 2012?

-Quite a bit actually.  We're working on flying out to Brooklyn, NY to play for Halloween in a few weeks.  Our tour with NAPALM DEATH, MUNICIPAL WASTE, and EXHUMED starts in November.  For 2013 we're planning on doing SXSW, MARYLAND DEATHFEST, and CHAOS IN TEJAS.



What is your inspiration to play such a style of music, and which
bands help fuel and shape the overall sound of Speedwolf? You guys
seem to blend speed metal with a punk rock 'n' roll - how would you
personally the describe your music and the mix of genres you seem to
blend so effortlessly but which has potent results?


-Well, we appreciate it when anyone seems to understand the sound that we're trying to achieve.  Nowadays a lot of metal listeners seem to over-analyze things and overall forget to just listen to the music.  Yes, we sound similar to MOTORHEAD and VENOM, or at least they're huge influences on what we're doing.  It's fucking obvious!  Although, in the end, we're just fans of classic/timeless metal.  Ultimately our goal is create heavy metal/rock n' roll that fans talk about 10, 15, or 20 years from now...

Describe the band in 5 words ONLY!

-Motorcycles, Speed, Hell, Loyalty, and Genuine
Who came up with the band name? What are its origins and general meaning?

-Our bassist, Jake, came up with the name randomly at practice.  The name itself doesn't have a deep meaning or purpose.  It's a simple one-word phrase that resembles a lost band from the NWOBHM-era.  Or at least, thats the way it sounded to us!

Have you started to write any new material for another album, got any
other releases or recordings in the pipeline or is it too soon after
the last albumand split to even begin thinking of new material etc..?
Will you continue your affiliation with Chase and HH?


-We currently have almost an entire 2nd album written.  Other labels have sent us offers, some intriguing and others not.  We're not looking to leave HHR by any means, although we're definitely looking to pursue touring and hard-work further with every day.  Therefore, we'll ultimately stick with whomever can support us the best through our efforts.  We can't really say when a 2nd album will be released because we haven't even recorded it yet, haha.

What are your plans for rest of 2012 and into 2013 - Do you have much
in the pipeline? I know you are confirmed for the prestigious Maryland
Deathfest, what are your thoughts on that and what are your
expectations from playing such a festival? What is your fave thing
about playing such fests?


- I think I answered most of this in another question.  We have a full plate of plans for the rest of 2012 and early 2013.  To say we're ecstatic is an understatement.  We're a very new band and did not expect this kind of response and opportunity to arise so quickly.  At the end of day, we're just nerds excited to play shows with our favorite bands.  Can't fucking wait!

What is your local scene like both bandwise and venue wise? Do you
play live locally much? Or is it just once every while? What local
bands can you recommend to the readers from across the world who are
reading this?


-We love Denver666 and boast it's gifts to world daily.  We still play locally as much as we can, but are now setting up a busy tour schedule and can't do everything we always want to around town.  As far as local bands/friends that readers should check out goes:  NO THOUGHT, DEATH OF SELF, CATHETER, GRAVETORN, BLOOD POISONING, ROSKOPP, MF RUCKUS, WARHAWK, ZEBROIDS, NEGATIVE DEGREE, LEATHER SKY.  I could go on forever, haha.

What is your overall opinion on the American extreme music scene
currently- are there any other bands out there that you feel an
affinity or bond with musically or attitude wise?


-American extreme music is a widespread mix of genre upon sub genre these days.  We identify with bands that we're overall good friends with.  People like NEKROFILTH, SUPERCHRIST, WITCHAVEN, HIGH SPIRITS, RAMMING SPEED, THE HOOKERS, MIDNIGHT, and NUNSLAUGHTER.  All are good people with the same attitude as ours when it comes to being in an underground metal band.

Are any of you guys involved with other bands or is it just Speedwolf?

-We've all got loose side projects going on these days.  I personally have two other bands that I'm working on, GRAVETORN and BLOOD POISIONING.  They're both more under the death/black metal side of things.  Jake and Kris used to do a doom band called MATAWAN.  Richie is always jamming thrash with random guys when he has time.  We're all pretty busy with work and SPEEDWOLF so it's hard to put enough time into other projects for them to really take off.

Many thanks for answering this short interview...last words are yours,
feel free to plug merch, websites, gigs, tours etc...


-  Thanks again for the interview.  Fans like yourself going out of your way to ask us a few questions is what keeps the underground alive.  Feel free to contact SPEEDWOLF here: ddcbitch@yahoo.com, and find all of our merch here: www.speedwolf.bigcartel.com.  Speed and Choppers forever....