If you are in the mood for some death-inspired thrash with fresh new attitude, look no further than HEMOPTYSIS. These guys have a great thing going with their full length debut, Misanthropic Slaughter. The album is packed with aggression and reminded me of the glory days of thrash. That said, Misanthropic Slaughter integrates many other musical elements, which results in a great album that I highly recommend you check out. I had the pleasure of asking Masaki (Vocals, Guitar) and Travis (Drums) about their debut album, the underground metal scene, and some other shit, to get a feel for the band.
ATG: First off, congratulations on the success of Misanthropic Slaughter…the album kicked serious ass. HEMOPTYSIS continues to gather momentum in the metal underground. Can you talk a bit about how important the underground scene is for bands such as HEMOPTYSIS?
Masaki: The underground scene is definitely very important for bands like us. The people in the metal underground are the people who dedicatedly support real metal bands and keep metal alive. Most people in their world don't like a band unless that band is forced down their throat by big companies with lots of money. The metal underground searches for bands to listen to. The metal underground helps bands like us get started.
ATG: Can you talk a bit about coming up as a Thrash act in Arizona? Was it any more or less difficult coming out of Phoenix?
Masaki: I think there are less thrash bands in Arizona than a few years ago, but there are still many young thrash bands here that are very talented. We have more death metal bands than thrash in AZ. We incorporate death metal aspects into our music too, so we have the best of both worlds in the Arizona scene.
ATG: HEMOPTYSIS has great synergy with their music. Can you talk a bit about establishing your identity as a band, and some of the obstacles you had to overcome?
Masaki: We all have unique musical backgrounds and putting all of our influences together makes our sound different. We are not limiting ourselves to one metal genre. We write and play what we love. We have kind a unique identity because of that. It can be easy to fit on a show lineup when you have so many metal influences as long as people in the audience are open minded. As far as the obstacles we had to overcome goes, it would be touring and dealing with labels. We love playing shows, and we wish we could tour everywhere around the world, but being a band with no financial backing from a label, it is impossible to do since we have bills to pay just like everybody else on top of the cost of touring. We can only take off work so many times in the year and there is only so far we can drive back and forth on weekends. I’ve lost track of how many times some A&R guy has told me you guys are kicking ass you just need to tour more. No shit, Sherlock! But we're not just a band, we are a business. Guarantees for shows barely cover the cost of travel anymore and some A&R asshole wants me to quit my job, lose my house and all my belongings so I can sign some shit deal where I don't make any money off my hard work? No thanks! We'd gladly drop everything and stay on the road touring but we have bills to pay too and right now the deals that we are being offered from the labels are not cutting it. We do not expect to get rich from this, but we don't want to go on tour only to come back with tons of debt and no money to keep the band going, either. If we sign on with a bigger name record label, it will be a deal that keeps the band going instead of running it into the ground.
ATG: I think metal is having a great year in 2011. What are some of your favorite releases this year? Any other up-and-coming bands you guys are excited about?
Masaki: I liked new Symphony X and Devil Driver CDs this year, to name a few. As far as the up and coming band that I like, SARGON is definitely the one. Check them out on their Facebook page HERE.
ATG: Does HEMOPTYSIS plan to tour Texas any time soon? I sure would love to have you guys come to El Paso…
Masaki: We definitely want to play in El Paso. We love playing in Texas and we hope we will get to play there in 2012.
ATG: What are the primary inspirations behind HEMOPTYSIS’ lyrics? There is definitely some good, old school death metal inspiration here…
Travis: The inspirations for our lyrics are usually from daily life. We get inspired from the hate, pain and frustration of our lives then turn that anger into lyrics. Even the songs that seem like pure fantasy, like songs about mass murder or being haunted by an unstoppable beast, for example, were inspired by our personal lives. We just put creative spins on things to make them more vivid and powerful. Masaki and I write the lyrics for the band.
ATG: Can we expect a new HEMOPTYSIS release in 2012? Are you guys already in the process of writing for a new album?
Masaki: Let’s see what happens. We are currently writing new material and we hope we can record again sometime soon. Being that we are an independent band that has no funding or support from a label, a recording budget is one of the hardest things for us to attain, but we definitely want to record a solid record again.
ATG: What message would you like to send out to the metal masses?
Masaki: Thanks for checking us out! We hope you liked what you heard. If you dug it, please buy our CDs and merch to support us and help us get on the road and record another album. CDs and merch are available directly from us HERE. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook HERE. Hope to get to see you all soon!
ATG: Thanks a bunch for this interview. I wish you guys the best of luck, and again, hope you guys can make it out to El Paso!!! Take care, guys.
Masaki: Thanks! We’ll let you know when we will play in El Paso!
ATG Final Thoughts: I can only hope HEMOPTYSIS get the attention they deserve by a label and can allow these talented thrashers to grow and expand their vision. It is painfully obvious that HEMOPTYSIS are top notch, and even if they don’t get their due, those that continue to support them will benefit by having some kick ass, straight to the head metal to enjoy. Horns up!!!
Interview conducted on 25 Nov 11 by Ryan Brassard for AxesToGrind
"Misanthropic Slaughter" from the album Misanthropic Slaughter
As stated in the interview, you can purchase HEMOPTYSIS CDs and Merch direct at www.misanthropicslaughter.com. Support the band - support underground metal!!
