Heavycore

Heavycore founder Pete Altieri and Diane Demeter do most of the interviews on here. We only interview Heavycore members or those who support our cause. If you're interested in doing an interview with Diane, you can contact her at dianedemeter@msn.com or Pete at poserdisposer@heavycore.org

Chuck Billy - Testament
HEAR his audio interview (26 minutes) with Heavycore Founder Pete Altieri
April 28, 2008

Pete - So I have to ask, how did you guys come up with the name Hurtlocker and does it have some special meaning?

Tim - The name is something that Grant came up with. He grew up in Texas and I guess it is a common way of saying your about to kick somebody’s ass. I think it was a gym teacher when he was in grade school that would always say it and it just stuck in Grants head.

Pete - I see you guys have released several demos prior to your first CD, do you recommend up and coming metal bands to do the same thing?

Tim - I think that it gives bands a good way to mature, our first songs were different than the stuff from Fear in a handful of dust, but if you go back and listen to the demos you can hear a progression. It also doesn’t hurt to have demos to pass out at shows, with the band name and contact info on it, hell we would go to any big show and stand outside passing out demos to kids when they left the venues. Plus with the advancements in recording and home studios you can whip out a good sounding demo very cheaply.

Pete - I know you guys have opened up for some big national acts like Obituary, King Diamond, Anthrax, and Lamb of God. How were you able to do that - it seems that Chicago is very "political" when it comes to those coveted opening slots?

Tim - Well it’s funny you mention that because all the bands you just named we played with outside of the Chicago area. You are right about the political attitude towards opening slots, God I have been to so many shows where I just cringe at the local opener.

Pete - I read about the passing of Dan Ditella. So how has the new drummer been able to fit into the Hurtlocker formula?

Tim - Same old story for this band, Dan was a good drummer but he had issues , This band has had 2 real good drummers and everybody else is just trying to fill their shoes. Chicago has never been good to us for finding a drummer and starting over and over with new guys that are not into the band fully or have side projects get old real fast.

Pete - Are there any influences that you have that might surprise our readers?

Tim - No not really, I think when people hear us they might be able to tell what we listen to. The only one in the band that has some different influences is Grant and I wouldn’t be able to tell you what they are.

Pete - My band Low Twelve recently had the chance to open for you in Chicago, and I was impressed with the tightness of the band live. How often do you guys practice to keep that intensity up?

Tim - Surprisingly not that often, we got together 4 days before the show and ran through the set for the first time in at least a month . That’s one of the advantages to being a band that toured together, you can stay tight and not have to practice 3 or 4 times a week plus the other guys are in other bands as well and that leaves certain days out of the question to jam on, seeing as their other bands are more important than Hurtlocker.

Pete - How has the metal public accepted your latest CD, "Fear In a Handful of Dust"? Personally, it kicked my bald ass all over the place.

Tim - For the most part we have gotten good feedback on the album, but we never got a chance to tour the states and get our name out there. I think for a band on their first album it is very important to tour nonstop. Especially in a metal band that doesn’t have the means of mainstream radio as a promotion tool.

Pete - So what's up next for Hurtlocker?

Tim - Writing a new album and drinking a few beers, we are getting ready to just stop everything and write a new album. Stopping everything and concentrating on putting a new album together. We are hoping to get it done and be out touring by early summer but we will see what happens.

Pete - Is it true that Grant wants to steal my tampon throwing idea?

Tim - Yeah I think he has mentioned that, I am sure he will give you credit for it . I think it is a good way to break some ice with people that haven’t heard the band , very funny.

Pete - If you could kick the shit out of one of the following persons, which one and why? Tom Cruise, Kevin Federline, Clay Aiken, or Orlando Bloom?

Tim - Definitely that pussy Tom Cruise that guy has been pissing me off for years. I think to make it a fair fight I would have to fight them all at once, but hey if you can get them to agree, I’m in.

Pete - What do you guys think about the Heavycore concept of metal brothers helping each other out?

Tim - I think that’s what metal and especially the Chicago metal scene needs. There are too many tiffs between bands that just damages the scene. It’s all metal dude just play.

Pete - Anything else you'd like to add?

Tim - Keep an eye out for the new album coming soon .Hopefully by summertime thanks for your time and stay metal

Pete Altieri - I'm a huge fan of Death and the Individual Thought Patterns CD is one of the best. What was that like for you playing bass on that project?

Steve Di Giorgio - Who knew back then that it be what it means now? I was just returning once again to make another album with my friend that I had been jamming with since we were 18. We brought Gene in and it was one of the most cohesive line ups I have ever been privy to be part of. We were playing the new batch of Chuck inventions and just trying to make our way through the metal movement, all the while searching for our own identities. There was a sense of urgency and hunger back then that I think is hard to retrieve now. It is the sound of our youth and the sound of individuality. Not to say that things have gone stale, but the attempt to capture that vibe from that album session hasn’t been repeated by anyone since. Chuck searched for it later times, and I am always compared to that chapter of my playing. It was a mix of desire, timing and luck. But back then it was just the next one, and as much as we poured our hearts into it, no one then could have guessed of its staying power and eventual journey and unhindered majesty to classic status.

Pete - So what was it like to jam with the immortal Chuck Schuldiner? Anything we wouldn't know about him that you can share?

Steve - What is probably already known is that he had a huge inclination for music. Playing, listening and contributing. He loved cranking the tunes in the car or out on the deck for the bbq as much as he loved cranking the amps up. He really got into little intricacies of what was going on during the songs while we were playing them. When me and Gene would talk about some little part we were working out together he would listen and seem to understand. Then later in the car while listening to the rough mix he would air bass or air drum the part to show he was aware of our contributions. Stuff like that, I only point that out because I’ve worked with a lot of guys that aren’t that much analytical about parts other than their own.

Pete - It always amazes me to think about how Chuck changed band mates so much but kept improving with each CD. Was he tough to work with or did he like moving the musicians around?

Steve - Neither. He was not only easy to work with, but fun and one could only be enthusiastic about it from the encouragement he pumped out. Every musician that came and went has their own story I’m sure, because the coming and going of each was unique to their own situation. Some guys went peacefully; some went through some kind of falling out - we’ll say. It is easy to see the revolving door going on, but you also have to recognize that a lot of guys lived far from Florida, and I can tell you from experience that it’s really hard to plan far into the future when you’re working so remote with all kinds of transportation all the time.

Pete - You've also played with Testament, another one of my favorites. You played on the First Strike Still Deadly CD and your tone is incredible. What was that like playing with those guys?

Steve - Not as easy going as the Death days, but a whole different trip. In Testament, compositionally things are more formulated, less room for experimentation, that sort of thing. But the history and success level, at that time, was the highest I had been around. So it was a welcome challenge to try to fit in an established, well respected metal force. And by the time we had recorded First Strike... I had already one previous album, a few semi-official videos and a lot of touring with those guys. Also I had weathered many lineup transformations too, so I felt a little more entrenched in my role with the band. Chuck saw this too and suggested that I record alone with the engineer, who was Doug Hall from Iron Maiden at the time. So working just me and Doug in the studio was basically me in charge of my tone with the guy who dialed in Steve Harris’ sound every show. I think it came out the closest to what I like to sound like, as opposed to what the “formula” usually was.

Pete - I was going through chemo at the same time Chuck Billy was, and that was the CD he recorded during that time. He must be a strong mother fucker. I know how much that kicked my butt. I will have been in remission for five years next month and hopefully Chuck is doing as well. Any comments about Chuck and his battle?

Steve – Chuck is a true warrior in personal battle. He is the most positive person I have ever met. I worry too much and usually have a dark outlook on life compared to him. To watch him take such a devastating illness and kick its ass into submission (remission) was very inspiring to me. Makes one realize that the power of the mind and a positive attitude are more than just ideas, it’s really fucking real. And when I try to agonize over bullshit now, I try to remember that things can get worse and still be conquered.

Pete - Your band Sadus just came out with a new CD. It rips! How are things going with that?

Steve - Yeah, after all this time...! We found time amongst all the side projects and things life throws at us. We found time to get together and make a new batch of songs sound new and fresh but pull ingredients from the old sound we used to make. But above all we found the page. The same page. It takes a lot more than intent to get on the same page after such a long break. It had to be something that was beyond just saying we wanted a album of new songs. I think we were feeling it at different times along the way, but somewhere in 03 and 04 we finally felt the urge at the same time and got serious. And we realized then that it takes more than just getting together and making noise to make something that not only sounds good but also has the right vibe. I think if we were forced to make that album any sooner it wouldn’t have turned out the way Out For Blood did. We’re really happy with what we’ve managed to put together. We don’t really rely on the band for financial purposes so we treat it like a hobby. But it was nice to validate all the time invested in the hobby with something that has that much heart and sweat and blood from all the time we’ve been together.

Steve - Well we finished a pretty cool tour of about 8 or 9 countries in Euroland with Darkane and Gory Blister. It was cool to play the new stuff live for the first time, and it was obvious when we played places that already had the new album. Having completed phase one, we’re looking into some offers for the US and South America right now for this winter. Nothing has solidified yet, but if any or all of these offers comes thru, we’ll be furthering the new music upon the willing ears

Pete - I know you play a fretless bass, I can tell from your tone. What other weaponry do you have in the arsenal . . as in amps, processors, cabinets? Any secret weapons?

Steve – No secret weapons man, just fresh strings, and a loud ass amp. I want to hear the inflection of the fingers on the strings against the wood. I don’t like active pickups that over saturate the tone. I use a few effects, but all are foot pedals and not some over blown processor. I’m still primitive enough to admit that electricity needs to power the sound of the instrument, and that extra computer processing is relying too much on the technology. In my opinion that takes away from the integrity of actually learning to make music, eventually it leads towards leaning on non-music making electronics.

Pete - Heavycore is all about brothers helping brothers and have helped lots of metal bands gig exchange and work together. You've been a member of Heavycore for years, what do you think about the Heavycore way of doing things?

Steve – Dude, you can tell from how long it took me to get this interview back to you that I don’t spend a lot of time tripping on this computer. I’m not really sure how my membership has realized anything. But if you say I’m a member for years, maybe you can tell me if anything cool came out of it.

Steve – Thanks to Heavycore for the attention and support. Keep up doing what you’re doing; you’re the strength of metal. Thanks to anyone who read this and has become all the more wiser. Sadus – Out For Blood has been out for a few months now, thanks so far for all the killer comments for the long overdue album. If you haven’t picked it up yet, get a hold of one, 11 brutal songs and it has a cool behind the scenes – making of – type of video to watch on your computer too. Awesome to see everyone in the countries we played over in Euroland, and hope to partake in some metal mayhem in the north and south of America soon. Check www.sadus.us for band info. Metal!

Pete Altieri: Joey, thanks so much for taking the time out to do this. I see you're in the middle of another solo CD. Can you tell us about it and when can fans expect it?

Joey Vera: The project is called A Chinese Firedrill and the record is titled “circles”. I hate trying to describe the music to people. I’m bad at it. It’s kind of Art Rock sounding to me, that’s all I can say. I was trying to have it done by the end of July but as usual it’s late. I hope to have it done and available by early September. You’ll be able to get it at my website www.joeyvera.com or at www.cdbaby.com

PA: I'm a bass player too and I really love your tone live as well as in the studio. What kinds of things do you do live as compared to in a studio to keep that tone consistent?

JV: Nothing really. I use my 1979 SVT head with an 8x10 cab live and in the studio. The only real difference is that I also record with a DI in the studio and I play with a bit more control. Lately I’ve been using Direct preamps in the studio mostly the Sans Amp PSA-1 and the RBI.

PA: I'm hard on strings and most bass players are. I see you use DR Handmade strings. Do you have any advice you can give players who have this same problem and want to keep their strings fresh without spending a fortune?

JV: I’m not really hard on my strings other than the sweat from an hour and a half show. I think the biggest problem with strings going dead is when they are put on the bass to begin with. A lot of people over stretch them when they are first tuning the bass. Over stretching the string opens the wind and makes a nice big space for things like dirt and oil from your hands. I use the self locking method of winding the string to the tuning pegs and then there is no reason to stretch your strings. They stay in tune and they last longer. Don’t over stretch your strings!

PA: So many metal bass players use 5 and 6 string basses today. I've seen you use a 4 and 5 string bass. What is your preference?

JV: I prefer 4. It’s what I feel most comfortable with. I really like my 5 too but the 4 is like being home.

PA: I didn't see speakers listed on your site and wondered if you just used an 8-10 Ampeg cabinet live or did you also use some bigger speakers for low end?

JV: I just use 8x10’s – two of them when possible. I used to have 2 Mesa Boogie 2x15 cabs but it was like “why?” – 160 inches of speaker vs 60 inches of speaker – aside from farther projection, there’s no contest.

PA: You've played (and still do) with so many bands to include Armored Saint, Fates Warning, and Anthrax. How do you fit into each but still maintain your style of playing?

JV: I don’t know. I think I play a little differently with each band but in the end it’s still me playing. I guess I make each gig my own.

PA: What bass players got you interested in playing bass and why?

JV: First it was Geezer Butler, John Paul Jones, John Entwistle. Then in 1979 came Jaco Pastorious. I was turned on to his first solo record by a friend and I never returned it! Jaco showed me (and many others) that you could groove with the drummer but also be melodic with the vocalist. Not to mention the use of 16th note grace notes. Jaco changed the way I looked at the bass guitar. I owe it all to him. I use things he influenced me with all of the time.

PA: I know you knew Cliff Burton well and have read about some of things you've said about him. He seemed like such an interesting person. What did he use to get that infamous bass tone?

JV: He used those big 2x15 Mesa Boogie cabs! His sound was part his basses, his fingers and his set up. I think he used to have all Mesa stuff. In fact he was the reason why I went over to Mesa for a while. But I could not get enough of that SVT “distortion” that they are famous for. Cliff used some kind of box to get that out of his rig. Mostly though it was Cliffs hands that made his sound like him.

PA: I've been a Fates Warning fan since they started. One of my favorites is "A Pleasant Shade of Gray". I happened to see the Champaign IL date of that tour. What was that like being a part of such an epic project like that - live and in the studio?

JV: It was pretty amazing. That was my first record with them and the way they made it was unusual for me at the time. They wrote and recorded demos bi-coastally as the members live on the east and west coasts. So, I’d get a demo with bass parts and without, along with a sort of road map with the parts, some written in notation some not. Then Mark Zonder and I would get together and we’d come up with our own interpretation of the parts but not always deviating from the demos much. We’d record our parts with a slave demo mix and send it back to Jim Matheos for a listen. He’d make comments and we’d keep doing this until we were all happy. For the most part Jim told me to go for it and write my own parts but some of the parts he had written for the song would end up winning because it’s what the song or part wanted. It was obvious what was right and what wasn’t.

By the time we were ready we all got together and had live rehearsals for about a week and right after that we went in to record. By the time I got to my parts I was pretty well rehearsed which made the recording go pretty quick for me, about 4 (5 hour) days. I always leave some parts open for improvisation though and I don’t really know what I’m playing until the record light is on. I’ve done this with every record I’ve ever made. Makes it more exciting for me.

Playing APSOG live was one of the best live experiences for me in my career. When we had those nights when everything was just right, it was truly magical. APSOG is one of my proudest recordings.

PA: I also love the Fates "Live in Athens" DVD. That crowd looked crazy! Anything you'd like to tell our readers about those Greek shows?

JV: Greece “LOVES” Fates. My first trip to Greece was with Fates and I made many friends instantly from that first trip. The Greeks are some of the nicest, most hospitable people I’ve ever met. They love their bands there too. Some of the most insane crowds in the world are in Greece. They just go nuts for the bands they like. There’s always a lot of love in the room when you play Greece. I’ve since been back about 5 times, even for a vacation or two. I fuckin LOVE Greece!

PA: I've read that you really hate the music business. Do you have any basic advice you can give a band that actually wants to do this for a living and stay out of trouble?

JV: The only reason you should do this is because you love to make music, and for no other reason. The chances are slim that you’ll make any kind of living from it so If you happen to, it’ll just be extra gravy. But the most gratifying thing will have to be the music you make. You cannot expect anything in return or else you’ll set yourself up for disappointment. For me, making music is art. Business comes into play but after the fact. First, I make art for myself. It doesn’t matter to me how much money my art doesn’t sell for. I’m forced to be self indulgent. Do it because you love to make art.

PA: I also see you're very involved with recording your own music with Pro Tools. My band took a full year to do our last CD totally by ourselves with Acid Pro - so I know how much work is involved. Any advice to our readers who want to get started recording themselves?

JV: Just do it (to quote an old ad campaign). The only way to learn and get good at anything is with practice right? The same applies here. In recent years the tech industry has made it possible for just about anyone to have the ability to record and produce a record in your own home. The misconception is people think that having the best gear equals getting top quality results. Unless you know what you’re doing, it’ll never happen. For someone starting out, I would suggest learning about how digital recording works, miking techniques, using compressors, using quality pre amps stuff like that. Then realize that you need to start with good players, a good band with good sounding equipment. If you record poop, you’ll get good sounding poop. But it’ll still be poop. Look at it as troubleshooting. Do it and learn from your mistakes. Listen to records that were done in a similar way you’re doing yours. Don’t expect to sound like a record that cost 100,000 to make unless you have 100,000 to pay for yours. Figure out how things work, figure out your mistakes and do it over and over and you’ll get good at it.

PA: Would you like to mention anything else to our readers?

JV: Thanks for keeping us alive. For any further info or to keep in touch please visit my site www.joeyvera.com

Pete Altieri- So what is your bass of choice when playing live? What about when you're recording?

Kim Tornianen - Hehe, the "bass of choice" question is a bit dangerous, because I'm somewhat a gear addict and can get a bit excited when talking about gear...But with TK, I mainly use a Warwick Corvette Standard that I found and bought used a few years ago. It isn't the lightest of basses (bubinga body, ovangol neck) but it has a nice, dark sound with a good growl (the legendary Warwick Growl..) and gets 10 points out of 10 in reliability. I tune it before a gig, put it through a beating and still is in tune after the gig. I used this bass in the studio when recording "Swarm!" too. When I record and demo stuff home, I might also use a 6-stringed Ibanez or a Fender fretless Jazz that I just bought. But you could say the Warwick is my main bass of choice at this moment.

Pete - Strings wear out easy for me. What kind do you use and do you have any tips for our readers to help keep them fresh?

Kim - I have the same problem, my hands get really sweaty and acidic when I play and that kills the strings pretty quickly. A combination of fast fret and wiping the strings after every time I play lengthens the strings' lifespan, but even that is just postponing the inevitable. Changing the strings often seems to be the only solution. I've also noticed that GHS strings are the ones for me that lose their freshness slower than others,
when other people have said other brands work better for them. So trying different strings might help too.

Pete - Do use your fingers or a pick? What do you feel are the advantages/reasons why you choose that way?

Kim - I actually started to play bass with a pick, because I've played the guitar for years, but switched to playing with my fingers pretty soon after
that. I liked the sound of it, and it just felt more natural and "free" for me. I came to the conclusion that with my fingers I could do the same
things than with a pick, but I could also e.g slap/pop or tap more freely. But a matter of personal preference in the end, I guess. One extra benefit
is that I don't have to panic before a gig, because I've lost all my picks. Just grab the bass and start playing, hehe.

Pete - What kind of amp/processors do you use?

Kim - In my rack I have a Warwick Profet 3.2 Head, a Fender rack tuner and a power conditioner. The head goes into a Warwick 411 Pro Cab. Between the bass and the head I usually put a MXR Bass D.I+ for some grit. My "ideal" setup for TK would be just my bass straight into the head and no pedals in between. I also have some other pedals and a Line 6 bass Pod but I mainly use them for home demoing.

Pete - What bass players inspired you to decide to pick up the bass in the first place?

Kim - I actually ended up as a bass player almost by accident. The guys in TK needed a bass player, I said "I've got a bass" (a cheapo that I had used in home recording) and got the gig. After a while I realized that I liked it more than playing the guitar and started taking it seriously. I had been a guitar player up until that point.

But as bass players go, we could say that Roger Patterson, Alex Webster and Tony Levin turned me into a bassist. They all had/have their own style, which I admire. Patterson for his crazy chops, Webster for his speed & stamina and Levin for his melodic/rhythmic sense.

Pete - How did the bass tracking go for the new CD?

Kim - It was a pretty smooth deal. We figured what the sound should be, and I played the tracks in. All done in one day.

Pete - Thanks for doing the interview. Is there anything you'd like to pass on to our US readers?

Kim - Thanks for the interview and hopefully we'll see you on tour someday!

Lisiya Gori hail from Huntsville, Alabama and have been together a year, dishing out Thrash/Extreme/Death Metal, with a spiritual message. The members have come from various area bands, such as: Fleshtized, Spinecast, Temple Of Blood, Quinta Essential and Stateofdecay.

They have been influenced by the likes of Morbid Angel, Pantara, Acid Bath, Opeth, SOD and numerous other bands. The website says they sound like everything you’ve ever heard before. Done well.

Members: Eric Baumann – Vocals, Matt Barnes – Guitar, Lance Wright – Drums and

Eric Baumann: Well the new EP is something we knew we needed to rush out to get us heard. Funny thing is that when we did it we had been together for three weeks. Me living two hours away from the rest of the band, I only got up there once a week. We practiced for like three hours so really we did the CD only after about nine hours of practicing. I write all the lyrics lol and I didn’t even know all the songs. We wanted to give out a few of the mid abrasive songs we had so not to give you everything all at once, just a taste. I can’t wait till the world gets a chance to hear the full-length CD, which we are going to start in May.

DD: The band played shows in 5 states in February, what are your tour plans for the spring?

EB: Well as of right now, we are doing sporadic shows through Tennessee and Alabama in the next few months. We are preparing for a full-length album that should be out sometime this summer. We are going into the studio in April and May. Once the album is ready the sky is the limit. Our goal/plan is that towards the end of the summer we are planning full on onslaught across the country starting here in the south going towards California, go north and across the northern states, pretty much a full U.S tour, all on our own .We are very close with signing with Bomb Works Records, which should take effect in the next coming months. Also March 28th Motley Crue we’ll be playing Huntsville. We and the venue (The Benchwarmer) have worked out a deal for the band (Motley Crue) to have an after show party that which we are going to be playing. So that is one big thing for this spring that we are looking forward to.

DD: Give me a glimpse of your show.

EB: Pure chaos! If one has ever seen an old Pantera show, you know the energy level. We provide that loss in the metal scene that we as metal fans have been lusting for, for some time now, pure energy! Our fan base is growing every day and as we let time take its course the crowds will grow but in our hometown Huntsville, the metal scene is thriving. It’s very much alive and strong. We will normally pull out at least 3 or 4 hundred people. And the more energy we absorb from the fans the crazier the show. One won’t be able to relax, lol. We did this one show in Little Rock Arkansas and some guys had had too much to drink and had passed out at a table in front of us playing. I took it upon myself to make sure he got his moneys worth out of the show so I got the crowd and myself to circle around and get on top of the table to sing them a lullaby. Needless to say they woke up. Which later on they actually thanked us for doing it haha. We try not to have a set list so that the show will take its own course. We like to improvise a lot. Though the songs are the same you’ll never see the same show.

DD: What kind of underground scene is in Birmingham?

EB: Unfortunately the scene in Birmingham is lacking. Unless you’re into rap or lite rock, the metal scene isn’t there. It’s really sad to be honest because there are some fantastic bands in Birmingham. It used to be such a thriving scene here but after many of the clubs shut down, and we lost every decent radio station, killing off any vessel of promotion. It’s funny we refer to the city as, boring ham. Even the great bands that have made a name for themselves in Birmingham only get maybe 70 or 80 people. It’s really kinda sad there is no unity for a scene. But we and a few other bands and promoters are trying to change that. It’s a slow process but we will bring a lively metal scene back to this dying city such as it was when we had the Boiler Room. Many a great band played there and the scene was strong as well as the music. But to be honest the majority of the band lives in Huntsville and I travel about 2 hours up there to practice .We also do a majority of our home shows there. Not playing in Birmingham too much because of the lack of support for music there. We know where home is, and we know its Huntsville.

DD: What made you think to name the band after the fictional mansion in the Tolstoy novel, War and Peace?

EB: To be honest and straightforward, Garth Lovvorn, my bass player, read the novel
and felt the name was very powerful, which the rest of us agree. It’s not your average name and depending on whom you ask in the band you will get a different pronunciation. But the over all view is that we are an Old Testament type of Christian band. And the name is such as when you die you inherit a mansion and every room is the size of a mansion and when we die, our brethren and us will go there. We are not a bible-thumping band by no means. Our quote of sorts is “WE ARE THE SULFUR AND THE LOCUST IN THE VOICE OF GOD”. We aren’t trying to convert anyone. My own view is that God is unforgiving and wants you to know you are his ant in the farm, other wise you get the locust (horns). Whatever I admire that you should know there is always something bigger and badder than you. The devil isn’t as such; he’s like a friend that always wants to get into trouble but you get all the blame. What a pussy! Jesus is the hippy that says you know I lived in their shoes, it sucks and forgives them. I like the idea of that. The overall meaning and message is, live your life well no matter what you believe. We don’t judge, it’s not our place.

DD: What has surprised you most about being in a metal band?

EB: The love you get for what you feel you are doing is right for yourself, for the scene, and for music period. The pure fucking enjoyment of it. The people that are into this scene will always make you feel you are amongst brothers in a unity even the ones who can’t stand up cause they’re to drunk. The shock value of people when they hear us, then find out what we are about; it seems to earn us more respect, we hold no punches. And being metal and in a scene that for the most part doesn’t accept our ways and to see them understand it and respect it once one of our shows are done.

EB: To take over the world. Spread the message. Sell a ton a CD's to real metal heads and infiltrate the commercial scene and take it by storm. Tour our Asses off; make the most deeply brutal metal that we can get signed to a major label. Be a household name.

EB: The Internet metal scene. We all have had bands prior to this one, which had been on

Heavy core so we knew where to turn to for support and unity we knew we had to be a part of Heavy core because you guys are the shit and growing.

This interview was conducted by Heavycore Founder Pete Altieri via email directly to Jo Bench's label, Metal Blade Records.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - I'm a fellow bass player, a huge Bolt Thrower fan, and LOVE the new CD. I noticed your bass tone is really killer and sounds louder in the mix. What did you do different this time around?

Jo Bench/Bolt Thrower - Thanks a lot, glad you're liking the album! Well with this album I spent more time working on my bass sound. I bought a couple of new distortion pedals and a duplicate set up - amp, speakers, etc. So in the end I spent 2 days or so messing around until I found a sound that I was 100% happy with. It's the best sound I've ever had and I'm really happy with it. It compliments the sound of the two guitars without being swamped or being too prominent and it really made the album sound fuller. It was quite a gamble to raise the bass in the production, but I think it paid off and hopefully we can do the same on the next one.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - You guys have been at it for so long, how do you keep the metal flame burning?

Jo Bench/Bolt Thrower - I think it's because we genuinely love what we do and we're doing it for the right reasons. We're all very passionate about the band, we don't write to order or release to make money so it's all a very natural process and I think that shows in the music. At the end of the day, we're still 5 friends making music that we enjoy, it's that simple.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - I'm sure you've been asked over and over about what it's like to be a female in a death metal band. But what do you think it's like for the guys (in your band and others you play with) around you? Does it make them feel weird to have a woman play a bass as mean as you do? You're awesome!

Jo Bench/Bolt Thrower - Ha ha, good question! To be honest, I've no idea what they really think about it, you'd have to ask them! All I can say is from day one I've always tried to make the fact I'm female not an issue and I'd like to think I've succeeded. I just get on with it and I work damn hard, so hopefully the other members don't even think about my gender and just appreciate me as another musician in the band.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - Do you have any plans to come to the US ? I'm dying to see you guys live.

Jo Bench/Bolt Thrower - Well we really hope so, it's been too long since we last came over. As soon as we get a decent offer we'll be there. There are talks of a US tour later in the year with Malevolent Creation, and that would be great, 'cos we just toured Europe with them and we all had an amazing time. We'll see I guess.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - Do you have any plans to release a DVD in the future?

Jo Bench/Bolt Thrower - We filmed some of the shows on the last tour and some of the footage may end up on the website or somewhere, but whether we do an official DVD or not I'm not sure.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - Is there any way to get my hands on the double CD For Victory with the Live War CD? I've tried a few times to bid on ebay, but they go for $40 or more. I would love to get one. What do you think of that CD?

Jo Bench/Bolt Thrower - Hmm, there were only a limited amount of that CD pressed, so I'm not sure if you'll be able to get hold of one nowadays, especially for a good price. Sorry. The live recording isn't that amazing, but you get the idea, but nowadays we have a much better sound/set/tightness, etc.. Might be worth waiting for the next live release... if we do one!

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - What kind of bass strings do you use? Do you play a 4-string?

Jo Bench/Bolt Thrower - They're nothing special - Rotosound .45 - 105. I've been using them for years and never had any problems, so I've stuck with them over the years. And yeah, I play a 4-string. I'm no virtuoso and my style is pretty basic, but I get by ok.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - Have you guys discussed when fans might see the next Bolt Thrower CD?

Jo Bench/Bolt Thrower - No, we're still recovering from the doing the last one! There was plenty of blood, sweat and tears that went into recording Those Once Loyal, so we're not even gonna think about writing the next one for a year or two. We've never been in a rush to release albums, we just do it when we're ready and 100% happy with the songs. Maybe the fans are disappointed they have to wait so long, but hopefully it's worth it in the end.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - Thank you so much for taking the time out to do this interview. Do you have any parting shots for our readers and fans?

Jo Bench/Bolt Thrower - No problem at all, cheers for the interview. I'll just sign off with the usual thanks to all the Bolt Thrower fans out there, we appreciate your support over the last 20 years! We hope to come over to the US sometime soon, but until then, stay loyal. Cheers, Jo.

Unburied have been haunting the St. Louis metro area for several years now. The band formed in November of 2003 but didn’t get serious until May of 2004. Unburied has been influenced by the likes of Pantera, Slayer, Lamb Of God, Carcass, Sodom , Destruction and Death. The website says,” Sacrifice. Not a sacrifice to the great Satan. Unburied has sacrificed melody for brutality, intensity and aggression.”

Members: Joe Rabus – Vocals, Andy Beineman – Bass, Dreathus Harris – Guitar and Tim Brown – Drums

CD’s: The Revival EP (July 2004), II EP October (2004), Welcome To Your Graveyard (2005) and Blasphemy Through Dismal Actions (2005)

Diane Demeter: What's all the chaos going on in the Unburied camp (CD and line-up changes)?

Dreathus Harris: Well we released "Blasphemy through Dismal Actions" on November 12th, and that same night after the show Joe told me he was quitting the band. There was a lot going on and we thought that the band was over and done for. After a month or so we started to get back together just to jam and mess around and we decided to get the band going again since we were refreshed. We didn't know who would sing and we started looking around and Justin from Misanthropic, joined on New Years Eve 2005. Unburied and Misanthropic have played tons of shows together so we knew him pretty well and we knew how his voice sounds so we knew it was destined for destruction.

We're now releasing an EP hopefully around the first couple weeks of March called "Pure fucking Brutality", it features the heaviest most brutal shit that Unburied has done and we redid it all with the new line-up. You can pick it up from our website or at our shows.

DD: Tell me about the summer touring you have lined up.

DH: We are planning on going on a lot of road trips. We've been playing in St. Louis for almost 2 years now and we want to branch out to other areas and go crazy with other people.

DD: Give me the details; what goes down in an Unburied show?

DH: We usually play about 12 or 13 songs and we like to wear lots of the blood we drained from the posers we slaughtered the night before. Inverted crosses, pentagrams, prosthetics, and bible destroying are some other common things at an Unburied show.

DD: What's the St. Louis Metal Scene like?

DH: It's definitely improving; I started following bands and what goes on back in 2001 before I was even in a band. There are some really fuckin' heavy bands out here who don't get nearly as much credit as they deserve.

DD: What does Unburied hope to accomplish in the future?

DH: Right now this is like a rebirth of the band, in the near future we're looking forward to our new release, and playing lots of shows everywhere we can. We have a lot of plans for 2006.

DD: How did you hear about Heavycore?

DH: I found it on midwestmetal.info when I was checking out other bands from the Midwest, I think around late 2003.

DD: Random Thoughts...

DD: None of us can wait to play shows again. It's been about 6 months since Justin has been on a stage and about 5 for the rest of us. Our new EP "Pure fucking Brutality" really rips, definitely something to check out if you like metal, its only going to be about $5 so there's no reason why you wouldn't have it!

Unburied Live schedule:
March 11th @ The Great Skate (troy IL)
March 25th @ Just Bill's (www.chunksofmeat.com)

Heavycore Member # 220
www.unburied.i8.com

This interview was conducted by Heavycore Founder Pete Altieri via email directly to Mille Petrozza.

This interview was conducted by Heavycore Founder Pete Altieri via email directly to Tom Angelripper. For anyone who doesn't know, Sodom is a great thrash metal band from Germany that has been pounding it out since the early 1980's and has been a huge influence on many bands.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - When you write songs, do you write the music first - then vocals? Or do you write vocals then music? Or both at the same time? Basically - how does Sodom put a new song together?

Tom Angelripper - That is always different, but usually we first have a couple of guitar riffs, than I start writing the lyrics.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - Many modern metal bands seem to have forgotten the importance of melody in the vocals. You can still be brutal, but melodic? I think many of the Sodom vocals have a memorable melodicness to them. Would you agree with that?

Tom Angelripper - Yes, you are right. That is always important to Sodom and the big difference between Sodom and all the other “Metal” bands. I have to sing aggressive and scream it out but the most intense is coming from the musically vocal lines.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - One of my favorite Sodom songs is "Napalm in the Morning" off the "M-16" CD. What interests you so much about the US military? It seems to be a common thread in many of your songs. I'm a US Army veteran, so I'm honored by your attention to our armed services!

Tom Angelripper - I just use the Vietnam theme cause everybody knows what I am singing about with all of the movies about this war. I try describe how bad a war is, or could be, but always in a lyrically way and based on historical facts. I can't write lyrics about World War II, because I am a German. I did it in 1987 (Bombenhagel) and got misunderstood. Its just a song against war. You'll never find any political opinions in the songs. We hate war and thrash music gives me the chance to scream it out!. My dream is a peaceful world without wars and conflicts!

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - Your bass sound on the live "One Night in Bangkok" is incredible! What kind of bass amps and speakers do you use? Do you use any effects?

Tom Angelripper - I just use a Marshall amp (EL34), but the sound is coming from my Pre Amp “SANS AMP”. I prefer Ampeg 8x10”.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - I know you have a new DVD that just came out, but I can't find it here in the US yet. Do you know when it's coming here (I don't know how much longer I can wait - ha)? Can you tell us something about what US Sodom fans can expect from it?

Tom Angelripper - It will be a double DVD. The first DVD contains the complete Sodom History from the year 1982 `til 1995. You'll see hundreds of unreleased pics, interviews will ex-Sodom members and people who are involved into the metal scene. This documentary is about 3 hours long, so if you are a Sodom fan you will miss nothing. The second DVD is a concert movie which we recorded in Bulgaria (Sofia) and a couple of festivals in Germany. It contains 22 Songs and some backstage and travel clips. I heard that this DVD will be released on February 21st.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - What about a new CD from Sodom? What's the status of that? (I can't wait for that either!)

Tom Angelripper - It's already recorded. We start mixing at the end of January. This is a real thrash killer! Its important to say that our Ex guitar player Andy Brings produced it. He has his own studio near my hometown.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - I see from your website that you're coming the US in 2006, but there are only a handful of dates. Will you add more dates to the tour and who will you be touring with? If you come to Chicago or St. Louis - I'll be there!

Tom Angelripper - We will see! If we find a serious promoter in US we want to go for a bigger tour, why not? We never got the chance, and that is really sad. We know that we have a lot of Sodom fans over there and they are waiting to see us live for more than 20 years! Now the time is right!

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - I missed seeing the Sodom/Kreator/Destruction tour - is there any hope you'll ever do that again? I love German thrash metal!

Tom Angelripper - I talked to Schmier from Destruction, and he is really interested in to do it again. I'll although try to get Mille, but I think that he wants to go his own way with Kreator. The tour was successful and the fans enjoyed it. So, there is no reason not do it again.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - Your webmaster was kind enough to put a link to Heavycore on your website and we've added Sodom as honorary members for your incredible contributions to metal. Had you ever heard about Heavycore before this?

Tom Angelripper - NO, this is the first time I got in contact with you, but its important to get more support for our band with great websites like Heavycore!

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - I know you're a big Motorhead fan - have you ever thought about recording a song with the immortal Lemmy? Was he a big influence on your bass playing and vocals?

Tom Angelripper - Yes, Lemmy was a big inspiration for me at the beginning of the 1980's, but when we started in 1982 we where more into the Venom album “Welcome to Hell”. We tried to create our own style, which has to be heavier than Venom and faster Metallica (haha!) I like Lemmy's bass sound, that really kicks ass. When we toured with them in 1993 I always tried to find time to visit his sound check, and that was HELL !!!

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - I really love the live version of "Sodomized" on "One Night in Bangkok". What kind of crap have you had to put up with having the name Sodom as your band name and a couple of songs with sodomy in the title?

Tom Angelripper - When my mother came into my room when I was a little child, she always said the words: “It looks like Sodom and Gomorrah”. That I will never forget. Sodom is a short band name with historical background and nobody had the idea to use it, so we did it !!!

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - Do you have any final words to pass on to our readers?

Tom Angelripper - Hope to see you on tour! The DVD is coming out in USA at February 21st and we are working to come for a bigger US Tour next year. Thanx for your support all over the years….TOM

This interview was conducted by Heavycore Founder Pete Altieri via email directly to Matt Bishop. Some of you may know of Matt as the guitar player/singer of Lividity. Now he plays in Human Artifacts.

This 4-man band, from Blythe, (Southern) California offends a lot of people and organizations and as a result continually is banned. Obviously they could care less and just want to play their music. Music is very much a big part of their lives and being in one band can’t satisfy the lust for more metal.

Example: Doh, Jay and Braedon are in the band Vesuvius (Death Rape Records/Fearless Prod.). Doh and Braedon are also in the band, Born Without God (Death Rape Records). Braedon is no longer a member of the band. Doh and Anthony are in, Lustmord (formerly Metal Blade Records). Anthony was in Axe Murder Boys (formerly Relapse Records) and Murders Inc.(formerly Pavement/Crash Music Inc.).

Members: Anthony Lustmord – vocals/lyrics, GoreHorror aka Doh – Bass, Slay aka Jay – Guitar/Drum Prog., The Virgin/Braedon – 2^nd Guitar

CD’s: Decimation Of The Diseased Womb – Demo, Torn From The Womb – full length, Split CD’s: Womb Raiders/Vesuvius, Womb Raiders/Daughter Of Lust and Womb Raiders/Speculum

Website: www.wombraiders.us

Diane Demeter: Hey Congratulations for going so far in The Core Wars!

Anthony Lustmord: Thanks. We are happy that we made it as far as we did; we thought Unburied was going to take us down but we narrowly escaped that one. We give it up to the winners though, as all the bands in this were cool and they've gained our crew and us as fans.

DD: You recently released your first full-length, TORN FROM THE WOMB, how's it doing?

AL: Pretty good. It's released on Death Rape Records. We're all very happy with the quality of the album and so far its getting great reviews. It is climbing the charts; we were at #87 in the Death/Black Metal genre out of over 6,500 listed so I think that’s a good thing...

DD: You describe your music as gore, porn, rape, grind! I bet you get tons of censorship (such as getting banned from PayPal, again)?

AL: ha ha yeah. We've been banned from PayPal like 4 times. They keep letting us back on and then banning us within a month. The laws in other countries are odd because it is against the law for people in countries like France, Australia, and Tasmania etc to sell our music, however we are able to sell in from here in the US. But shipping it can be a problem as customs will open the mail and look at the CD cover and lyrical content and if it violates the laws they can arrest the person buying it. So a lot of the more brutal gore stuff has to be sold on CD-R with a blank disc face and no lyrics (which is one reason the underground scene in Europe does so well.)

*** A short time after this interview was conducted, Anthony told me he had spent most of the day on the phone with Homeland Security because the French government said Womb Raiders were sending in illegal stuff, assuming weapons or drugs.

We've been banned from playing places here in the US also. It's a long story but certain bookers are dumbasses and cannot take a joke so they ban us and tried to ruin us, but that’s what one should expect when your songs offend people to the point of crying and attempting to cause bodily harm to you. We've also stepped away from the grind part for the most part so now we just say we're brutal and obscene Gore/Rape Metal: P

DD: Womb Raiders music is featured in the film, "The Day The Dead Livened Up", any other film credits?

AL: We've submitted music to lots of people. We have some early music in the film, Goat Of Mendes, and we have been talking to Vamping You Productions and Brain Damage Films for a while about having our music in some future releases. Darrin Ramage of Brain Damage is a really cool guy, and he’s a total metal head so doing music for his movies would be great and its something we're looking forward to very much. I'm not sure if the music is actually in any porno but I have some friends who do porn and they've played our music while doing live cam shows, and some vids for their websites.

DD: Tell me about your stage show; is it as gory as your music?

AL: Well our stage show depends on where we're playing. We do not play a lot due to being banned almost everywhere, but when we do it is something special. At our first show we did, it shocked everyone because it was at a backyard party and there were a bunch of kids running around and I spit blood at people. We use blood, rotten meat, maggots, bleeding girls (female fans we cut open on stage) We’re in talks with the bookers of Fall Fest (rock on the main stage (Kottonmouth Kings, Bad Religion and metal on the second stage) should be a couple thousand people there, we plan on fucking people up for life at that show! Going to go old school mayhem style and toss around pig heads and shower in blood. We have a song co written by Dennis Rader (BTK) called Blood Soaked Visions, that song is perfect for a bloodbath and ritual killing of virgins.

DD: How's the Underground music scene in Southern California?

AL: Honestly I'm ashamed of it! There are a lot of really cool bands but they're lazy fuckers and won’t play shows, and when shows are done the venues here like to fuck bands over and make them pay to play or just refuse to pay at all. The few saving graces here are I.E.Death, Graverot Promotions, and Dan Dismal/Church Of The 8th Day. All of which are great for the scene here in Cali. Were proud to be members of the IE Death Crew. All the bands hang with each other, tour with each other, and help each other out everyway possible. Dan Dismal is also a great bro. He is in Crematorium and runs the Church Of The 8th Day which books tours, shows, does flyers, and merch. He is a super cool guy and he is one of the best things to happen to the California metal scene for a long time!

DD: What are some future goals, of the band?

AL: Well we are going to be playing with Obituary, and Cannibal Corpse in 2006. We made out stuff available to members of both of those bands and they liked what they heard and told us who to contact and we did and thankfully those people liked our shit also. So playing with bands that have directly influenced not only Womb Raiders, but also the extreme metal scene, as a whole was a goal that we will get to do. We also want to do tours in other countries which again we have been lucky enough to connect with the right people and we're currently set to headline The Extreme Assault Fest in Malaysia in 2006, and we are working out details for a tour in South America in Feb./March 2006. We also would love to win CORE WARS NEXT YEAR!!!!!!! IT WILL HAPPEN! We just want to keep playing and getting our music out to everyone we possibly can. We would love to get out to the Midwest and play with the Heavycore bands in that area. Roast some posers. We would also like to have our stuff in more movies, and win some awards (a Grammy would be nice) but we'll take anything we can get. We also want to make Sadistic Intent stop being such lazy

Tom Angelripper - I just use a Marshall amp (EL34), but the sound is coming from my Pre Amp “SANS AMP”. I prefer Ampeg 8x10”.