Fuck The Facts Interview

  1.     Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

We just self-released a new EP entitled “Amer” on 10” vinyl, cassette and as a digital download ” back in June.  We also just got back from a 3 week European tour and are now on a small tour of the Canadian Maritimes.

2.     How would you describe the musical sound of the new ep and how it differs from previous releases?

Like all our releases, we don’t really put a tremendous amount of thought into having a certain direction. We just start writing and with time we start to get an idea of how things are going to come together and what will work best for the songs and release. Being so close to it, I have a hard time really analyzing what we do, but I have heard from numerous people that think it’s probably one of our most “memorable” releases. I guess that could that the songs are perhaps a bit simpler and also shorter than our last album. Perhaps it’s more “melodic” than previous releases as well.

3.     What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new ep?

It’s a lot about desire versus happiness. Striving and working to accomplish your goals is often more fulfilling than obtaining them. Having everything does not create happiness, but the process of working towards happiness is what keeps us alive. This is a theme I see us having in our band. Creating and working on our art is often the most incredible and gratifying part of what we do.

4.     The band has been around for 14 years, what is it that motivates to keep writing music after all these days?

Sometimes I’m not motivated and I just have to put down the guitar and go do other things with my time. There was a time that I felt like I needed to constantly be pushing myself to be productive, but nowadays I’m happy to not play music and enjoy other parts of my life when the creative juices might not be flowing. Downtime can be just as important as working. When I have a good balance, that’s when I find I enjoy my life the most and when I get my best work done.

5.     What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

We play a pretty wide range of shows, from cramped basements to larger festivals and we’ve enjoyed both extremes. We just played Obscene Extreme in the Czech Republic and that was probably the highlight of this past European tour. It was a really wild outdoor festival with a lot of people dressed-up and with inflatable toys flying off the stage. Definitely looking forward to heading back there some day.

6.     Do you have any touring plans for the new recording?

After this tour we’re mainly just doing some weekends in Canada and the US for the rest of the year. We have some tentative plans for 2014, but nothing confirmed just yet.  

7.     On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to the new ep by fans of grindcore?

The feedback we’ve gotten has been positive, but that’s not uncommon. I think people that don’t actually enjoy it won’t go out of their way to let us know. It’s definitely not a straight up grindcore release, so it’s probably not a good EP for any grindcore purists to check out.

8.     Over the years you have put out music with and without record labels, do you feel the self released stuff is a little bit more creative?

No, it really doesn’t make a difference. We’ve never had a label tell us what we can or can’t do, so we’ve always done exactly what we wanted to do. We wouldn’t work with anyone that would put any sort of constraints on us.

9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

The music for our next album is recorded and we’re now working on the vocals, so I have a pretty good idea of what our next release will sound like. I found that our last album “Die Miserable” was more similar to our album “Stigmata High-Five”, but this new one I find is more in the vein of our “Disgorge Mexico” album. The songs are a bit shorter in general, and even if it’s not always grinding, I find it has a bit more of that grindcore vibe than perhaps our more recent releases.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have influenced the music of the new ep?

We’re all involved in the writing, so we get a pretty wide variety of influences from grind, hardcore, punk, rock and even some more technical metal. We’re always open to trying new things, so when ever a new idea comes up that perhaps we’ve never really tried, that’s when things get the most exciting.

11.For a long time the band was releasing new stuff almost every month but slowed down after 2011, was that because of the other musical projects?

I don’t think we ever put out releases monthly, but we have had busier periods. It all really depends. We never want to force something and we’re not in a race to have as many releases as possible, we just do what we do and when we’re ready for a new release that’s when we do it. We all have different little side-projects, but FTF has always been the priority for everyone in the band.

12.Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview? 

Just thanks to you and everyone reading this for all the support over the years. Cheers!

Infected Society Interview

 1.Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have
never heard of you before?

Infected Society was created in September 2010 by Brett (vocals) and I, Fack (guitars).

We’ve been playing together for more than 10 years in Decline Of Humanity.

Then I left the band and played with the likes of Yyrkoon, Drowning, Burgul Torkhain or Ashura… Brett played in DSK, Altered Beast, Tridus Elasticus …

But we were missing each other (Musicwise J )

So we decided to create a project that was more instinctive, minimalist and brutal !

Now, we’re playing live with Gauth (Bass) and a computer for the drum parts because we have no drummer (the message is sent out ;) )



2.How would you describe your musical sound?

 Actually, we have no bounds so it’s difficult to tell what style we play… It depends of the mood ... We’re just writing what we feel like, including death, grind, thrash, hardcore or punk influences and we try to sound intense, “fat” and clear.



3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores
with the music?

Lyrics deal with our lives, our feelings ...

It’s also about war, politics, religion, money, corruption, genocide, terrorism or ecology ...

About human stupidity ...



4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

 As said before about our lyrics, we do think that humanity is declining

That's a kind of philosophy of life J

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and
how would you describe your stage performance?

We love being on stage ! That's why we’re doing music... It’s all about sharing with the crowd, and probably the best way for us to relax and relieve pressure, not to become crazy.

We try to do at least one gig per month and even if the band was created in 2010, we have already lot of great memories.

The UK Tour early 2013 : good times on the road with Nico (Bones Brigade), VxPxOxAxAxWxAxMxC guys and Roel from Anal Penetration ... Leeds was definitly a blast !!!

April 2013, Chaulnes Metal Fest in France ... That was the first time we "worked" with our sound and light engineers and it was, I think, our best show ever, fucking intense !!

June and July 2013, great Festivals in fucking beautiful places, one in a church (The Saints Go Hell Fest), one open air in country (Essertival), etc ...

In fact, all gigs are great memories !

We just want our “stage performance” to be “funny” and intense, just a good time for all :-)



6. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

Oh yes we have a couple of gigs planned !

At the end of August, a great Festival "Les Arts Bourrins" in France, then a mini Tour in september in Belgium / Germany with UNSU and then, a Grind Festival in Paris with Yacopsae and lot of good bands !

In november, a release party in our town with our old friends of Anorak. Normally we'll have a new Split out !

And then, at the end of the year, a mini Tour with Nolentia in the South of France !



7. Recently you put a a 3 way split on Kaotoxin Records, what are your
thoughts on the other 2 bands that participated?

We didn’t known them before but I think this split is a fucking great collaboration…

F Stand For Fuck You rocks, we like the riffs and Miserable Failure really kick ass too !

We are happy to be a part of this Split, and we want to thank the bands, Nico from Kaotoxin for his work and Toto from Nawak Possee for his great artwork !

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans
of grindcore?


For now, we have good feedbacks and it's feels great !

I’m conscious that, since the beginning of this interview, I keep on telling that all is ok, beautiful, blablabla but …

Yes ! It is ! For now, everything is positive ! :)


9.What is going on with the other musical projects these days?

Gauth and Brett are playing in "Brain Rejects" (Thrash) and Gauth in "Le complot des Lepreux" (Black) too

I (Fack) have a nameless side project … Arno Strobl will sing on it … Too much "work" with Infected Society, so it will coming later :) 



10.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

We’re working on a new split for the end of the year and … Normally, we’ll have 2 new tracks and it might be a little different than what we did since the beginning ... Something with more ambient parts ...

But don't be scared, it will be violent anyway !!



11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your

music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

We listen lot of music, without limits, so we have lot of influences ...

We love rock, heavy, thrash, black, death, grind, HxC and lots of no-metal music, too many bands to mention :)



12. Outside of music what are you listening to nowadays?

Hum … Birds ? :)



13.Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Thanks for reading us and sorry for our English !! You know it now, we are french :-D

We hope see you on stage and have a few beers with you !

Cheers !!

Raving Season Interview

Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

We are a gothic doom band born in Rome in 2005. We have self-released an EP, "The brightness of my disaster" and last August My Kingdom Music has produced our first album, “Amnio”.


2. How would you describe your musical sound?

Our sound is a mixture of two kinds in particular, doom and gothic, but because each of us is influenced by personal taste, I think that our music cannot easily fit into a classic doom-gothic. The most obvious musical influences are  death and prog metal, and by the composition of “Amnio” we have tried to create a direct and complex sound at the same time, on a trip that lasts nine songs. Finally, a particular aspect of our sound is the use two female voices.

3. I have noticed that the band uses 2 vocalists, how do you feel this adds to the power of the music?

Having two singers is a way of exploring the two souls of our music, which is an image of our personalities. Good and evil, light and shadow, often are confused in the fog of life. Have an introspective look that distinguishes the two parts I think it is important on a personal level and is a great tool for making art. A voice is delicate and ethereal spirit, the other is violence, anger and despair, and together make an extreme and precise picture of the feelings that we want to convey with our songs.

4. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

The lyrics are all autobiographical. They often talk about negative experiences that despite having left a wound have taught us something about life and about ourselves. Telling about these experiences in our music means to look into the eyes of the darkest part of life and then cover it with light and turn it into something positive and that binds us to each other. In particular, some topics are the loss of someone or something and the ghosts that continue to bring in the heart after all.

5. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

The season we speak about is a new season of mind and heart in which freely express any pain, sadness, anger and hatred, turning them into something positive, and day after day reveal secrets and hidden feelings. The "raving" of the season is this: singing, growling and playing what in life can not even be whispered.

6. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance/

Two live in particular I will never forget:at  the Olden Live Club (Lonato) alongside the Esoteric and at Jailbreak (Rome), along with a few bands of the Italian gothic scene. Although some years have passed I remember perfectly the participation of the public and the thrill of playing for the first time alongside bands that we like very much. During our performance we seek above all to recreate the feelings that have allowed us to write the songs. Playing is a stage of the creative process, which allows us to donate to the public every time a part of ourself, a part that born and dies in the time of a concert.

7. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

We are organizing concerts in Italy, but we have not yet confirmed the dates.

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of gothic, doom and death metal?

We are very pleased with the feedback that we have had since the ep  “The brightness of my disaster” which has allowed us to not only touch the hearts of the doom-gothic lovers. We have a group of fans who follow us and I would like to thank, and I hope they are pleasantly surprised by "Amnio". What interests us most is not a large number of listeners but the passion with which we are listened. When I see some people live after live or following us on social networks after years I think we are on the right path, because we were able to create something that is deeply understood and that will not be forgotten.

9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

We will surely find new ways to turn our sound into something unique for the next “Season”. Regarding my voice surely I will create something very different from Amnio. I’m always looking for new influences both technical and emotional.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Each of us has a specific background that has influenced their role within the group. But there are some doom bands that have definitely influenced everyone, like My Dying Bride, Katatonia and Swallow the sun. Among the bands that I personally listen to every day there are also Forgotten Tomb, Type o Negative and some classic gothic bands, but I listen to any group of any style that contains a voice that excites me and from which I can learn something. Recently we also listen to many bands from the post metal and rock scene.


11.Outside of music what are some of your interests?

Graphic arts, from painting to architecture, literature and cinema.

12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

I would just like to thank all the fans who follow us for a long time, the new ones, the staff of all the webzine for the great reviews and of course Francesco Palumbo of My Kingdom Music for the great professionalism and for his trust in us.

Transient Interview

 

1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

 

Krysta: Hi!  We’re working hard to book a US tour for October and November which will follow the release of our debut LP on Six Weeks Records, September 10th.  We’re screen printing a lot of our own merch for the tour and shopping for a new tour van since ours was totaled in GA on our last US tour.  All of that is keeping us very busy for the moment!
Jesse: We also a have an upcoming split 3” record with Hummingbird of Death coming out soon!!

 

2.How would you describe the musical sound of the full length and how it differs from your previous recordings?

 

Krysta:  This is our first recording with the current line-up and Stefan Thompson and Jesse Shreibman are giant!  They really bring a lot to the band.  This record has a lot of clarity and precision that our EP and splits don’t have and we stayed really true to our musical roots which are vast.  I think that comes through … it’s not just straight grind.
Jesse: We really made a point to focus on getting a clear, yet grimey recording for this record. We recorded almost all analog, and really took our time writing and recording the songs. This is definitely the best recording the band has ever released.
Adam: Yeah a lot of our early recordings were rushed, we spent more time adjusting tone and critiquing tracks than ever this time. To me this recording comes closest to capturing our live sound, while maintaining clarity and intelligibility. Another thing we were able to take advantage of with the line up change, other than the obvious radness of the new guys, is the ability to clean up and evolve our tone. I think that put us a lot closer to being able to capture what we wanted, along with Brandon Fitzsimons at the helm, at Soundhouse, which was quite the privilege. 
 
3.Over the years the band put out a lot of split's, out of all the bands you worked with on these split's which one did you enjoy the most?

 

Krysta:  My personal favorite is the split 7” that we did with an Arizona band called This Runs on Blood years back.  Their side was amazing!  The label, End Theory Records, also did an awesome job putting the package together.  They pressed clear blue vinyl and the covers were hand printed and hand sewn.  That record is really beautiful.  I wish we had some left.  
Jesse: I like the split 10” with The Communion the most. Even though I wasn’t on the recording., I think its the best sounding Transient recording and The Communion fucking rules!!
Adam: Its hard to choose, both those splits were fun, Superbad split was a rad one to do I thought. The split itself with Elitist was a bit tedious getting out, mainly due to artwork discrepancies, but the camaraderie with them during the release and the tour to follow was priceless. Stoked to do a 3” split with Hummingbird of Death, a fun excuse to do a 28 second recording. 
Stefan: Even though I’m not on the recording the split with Superbad is my favorite.

 

4. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

 

Krysta:  On this record I explore relationships between predator and prey.  I make a lot of allusions to ancient literature in my lyrics.  I’ve also referenced a few topical matters on this record, namely, the presence of the car company Scion in the musical world.  It’s recent presence has caused some debate in our community.  I can see both sides of the argument and there are a few songs that observe the issue...loosely.  I like people to draw their own conclusions with my writing.  I don’t push any agenda. 
Adam: I serious loves Krysta’s lyrics, its so nice to be in a band with lyrics that are so far from contrived, and make for such an interesting mental image when read.

 

5. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

 

Krysta:  Transient is synonymous with impermanence.  Our songs are short, fast bursts of sound.  Like each song, the drama of life and the human race is all very transient.  Here today, gone tomorrow.  As self important as humans can be … we’re just a blip in time; a wave of sound.

 

 

 

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

 

Krysta:  One of my favorite shows ever was in Portland, Or at Satyricon with Unholy Grave and Magrudergrind.  The show killed and then there was the annual naked bike ride going on outside.  So, when all the bands were unloading and the crowd was dispersing, we were surrounded by thousands of naked people.  It was pretty cool.
Jesse: My favorite show was the show with Pig Destroyer, Elitist, and A Storm Of Light. It was our first show back after our accident.  Krysta and Adam were both still in casts. We were all really nervous, but it turned out amazing, and the amount of support we got from our friends that night was absolutely amazing.
Adam: There’s been some epic ones, Pig Destroyer was quite memorable, the only show I've ever done a cast slide on the bass, AND OUR FRIENDS WERE AMAZING. We played a house show in LA after Discord Fest was shut down by the cops, with Magrudergrind and Theories. We just happened to be the three bands there, shared gear, and a good 100 or so people filled someones house. The spirit of everyone during the sets that night was insane, i'm sure it was rad to see a house show after being so discouraged by the fest being shut down, crowd piled us over, at one point I was leaned on someone and then a photographer was shielding me while we played.
Stefan: Yeah the LA house show with Magrudergrind is high on the list for me, also we just played Dead Fest in Oakland and the lineup was awesome. Another memorable one was with spaceghostpurrp in Portland. Definitely the most mixed bill I’ve been on.

7. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

 

Krysta:  Yes, we’re planning a full US tour for October/ November 2013.  We’ll hit Southwest Terror Fest in Tucson, AZ on October 11th.  On November 8th and 9th we’ll be in Oakland, CA for Six Weeks’ 20th Anniversary show.  The rest of the tour should be announced very soon. 

 

8.The new album came out on Six Weeks Records, how did you get in contact with this label and how would you describe the support they have given you so far?

 

Krysta:  We were always fans of the label.  We showed them our recording and they got back to us saying they’d be down to put it out.  We’re really stoked to be working with Six Weeks … they’re awesome people.
Adam: It was pretty awesome to hear back from them, they were the only label we had contacted and were crossing our fingers a little longer before making more contacts.
9. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to the new album by fans of grindcore?

 

Krysta:  We’ve previewed a couple of tracks.  We want to get overseas soon and play for an international crowd.  I’m excited to see what they think of the record once it’s released. 

 

 

 

10.Are there any other musical projects going on besides this band?

 

Krysta:  I started singing for Landmine Marathon in 2012.  Jesse (drummer) is in a punk band based out of Seattle called Murmurs and Stefan (guitar) is in a band called Shitty Weekend. 
Jesse: I’m also in another grind band called Black Hole of Calcutta. This project is actually how I met Transient and got to join this awesome band!

 

11.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

 

Krysta:  We’re getting more and more cohesive and I’m really excited to see what we generate for a follow up. 
Jesse: I’m really looking forward to exploring the vast influences of all our members. We have taken a little break waiting for the record to release, but this winter it’s on!!
Adam: I'm excited to write new material for sure, I think another full length (if 20 mins counts as one) is in our future, but splits are always fun. It seems like with the later songs we wrote on this record are the shape of some interesting things to come. I’m never worried that trying new things and letting in our most natural influences will compromise “our” sound, which can totally happen.
Stefan: It’s been a pleasure to collaborate and write with these guys. Every single member contributes riffs or structural ideas consistently, which is an aspect of the band that makes me really happy. Tons of different influences.

 

12.Outside of music what are some of your interests?

 

Krysta:  I really like being active and outdoors.  I love exploring the Pacific Northwest as I’m native to Arizona.  I read and write and make visual art often. 
Jesse: I love camping, walking my dog, cooking, read as much as possible.
Adam: Bikes, Camping, Knives, Cooking various types of Flesh, woodworking, Hot sauce, Weed.
Stefan: Traveling, biking, reading, regrettably I’m kind of a news junkie. 
13.Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

 

Krysta:  Thanks to all the supporters.
Jesse: This band is a pleasure to be a part of. without all of our friends we wouldn’t have been able to make it this far. I can’t wait to see what people think about this record!!
Adam: Grind is family.

 

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