Interview: RADIGALS

RADIGALS kicked off their music career with a 5-song demo in 2013. It was then followed with the debut selftitled “Radigals” EP released in 2015. This is an all-female hardcore unit from Singapore and they’re back in early January 2017 with astonishing 6 tracks EP “Fight To Unite”. The recordings are absolutely impressive. “Fight To Unite” was released on tapes by Dangerous Goods, and later available in CD by the band independently. Keep your eyes on these pontential girls. Here we have the bassist, Esty talking further about Radigals.

Hello Radigals. What’s up today?

Hi Noise From Hell! Nothing’s up today, just woke up from hangover for me while my other bandmates are off to work and one has to finish up her school assignment hahah.

Please share in brief regarding the band history; when and how Radigals get formed? Also, let us know little bit about background of the current line-up?

It is quite a chaotic band history we have but I will try to keep it short. We started off with a 6-piece all girl band influenced by a female fronted band, All For Nothing who came to Singapore in 2012. One day, me and one of my girl went out for lunch and suddenly thought “hey, lets try making an all girl hardcore band” She’s up for it and we started thinking of who wants to do what in the band. I chose to play the bass cos it looks easy for me to learn (I was wrong hahaha), the other two wanted to do vocal. Then we went to look for guitarist and drummer whereby we go to shows, we ask the girls if they can play any. We found a guitarist, who is now still with us, Alin hehe. We found a drummer too from the metal scene however, she’s no longer with us any more.

We went through some shits along the way and had to alter the band members which now consist of Aisyah (vox), Alin (guitar), Cheryl (drums), and me, Esty (bass).

Aisyah is 22, as student. She loves to sing, yes her voice is great honestly but usually we’ll tell her its not hahah. We love to disturb her, for no particular reason. She’s my long lost childhood friend whom I found back, because of Radigals haha. It’s a great choice to have her on board, personally because I believe she’s undergoing an unstable emotion at some point of time and I really hope she’d use Radigals as a port for her to release herself.

Alin is 23, she works in a retails store, Crumpler. For quite a long time already to think about it hahah. She’s working to support her family and also partly because of Radigals hehe. She love cats like a lot, and she used to have many cats. She loves to eat chicken, she’ll get cranky if we don’t feed her while touring or before show hahah. She’s the only straightedge in the band, who stays true and takes pride in what she stands for. I feel that its a great choice for her too to be in this band and the hardcore scene, for a lot of reason actually. Especially, to distract her from the negative things.

Cheryl is 23 too. She’s a student, she’s got a baby face and skin hahahah. Cheryl is actually the only one who kinda know what she wants to achieve or what she wants to do for a living, basically have plans for herself in time to come. Which is great. Hmm, she learned playing drums while she was with her church band last time hahah knowing that she knows how to play the drums, we approached her to ask if she wants to play. I’m glad she’s a part of us now. Funny how me, Cheryl and Alin always see each other years back at gigs but didn’t really talk much, not until we’re all in this band together. Oh yes, while all of us have cats as pet, Cheryl has a dog named Ninja, we love him!! Also, for Cheryl, I felt like its great for her to be in this scene and band, knowing how sometimes she can struggle too with her emotions and personal issues, its best to have a few factors to give her the support and strength.

Now, myself, hahaha my name is Esty, 23 too. I’m a therapist. I think the girls hates me yet loves me the most in the band hahaha. I love this band, from the start despite the bull shits and this band means a lot to me. I learned to play the bass as soon as we started this band, through youtube videos. I hope to be a better player in time to come hahah. I smile a lot, really, people who knows me knows how much I smile and laugh. Nothing much about me, basically almost the same as the rest having a reason to be here heh.

How do you feel as an all-female hardcore band in Singapore? Do you accepted well in the country? 

Honestly, it wasn’t really okay at first. One of the reason is we do not have much self confidence. After awhile, we kinda get the hang of it, and we really fuck it for every show and simply just have fun together hahaha. There are a few times where we got people calling us names, shouting unnecessary comments during our shows, mostly about our body size, and how we’re women and that they can try to get our contact number and simply just want our attention hahah. As far as we have gone, we don’t see or hear much of that comparing to before. Now, everyone is more open minded, supportive and encouraging. Plus, most women in Singapore are more independent and daring to speak up, write zines or form their own band.

Tell us further about your latest EP “Fight To Unite” (2017). How long it took you to prepare for the songwritings and recording session?

"Fight to Unite” consist of 6 songs. Lyrics in all the song in that EP talks about equality, friendship, hoping for segregation to stop and decision making in life. It took us around 3 months to finish preparing plus recording for our EP. We started working on it right after we are done with our show in Philippines, October last year. 

How do you see the band progressed and developed in “Fight To Unite” since the previous one “self-titled” EP 2015?

We as a band actually became more tight together in our relationship and also as a band. Along the way while working on “Fight To Unite”, we did go through some disagreements and miscommunications with each other which makes us love each other and accept each other’s flaws more. Personally, I feel that in this EP everyone got the chance to express themselves in every songs, which is great. Cos I believe the songs does not reflects only the vocalist, it reflects the band as a whole. 

Comparing to our previous Self-Titled EP 2015, I felt that something was missing. A soul was missing as the lyrics are mostly from our ex-vocalist and our current vocalist is the one screaming for the recording. I felt like we’re having more fun and really satisfied with what we have produced for “Fight To Unite” hehe.

What is the best definition / description for the music of Radigals? Where does the influences / inspiration come from?

I believe from our music it can reflect to our personality whereby we can be fun yet feisty at the same time. Its like, we can have fun and be crazy but if anyone messes with us, we definitely won’t hesitate to give a punch or break their face. 

The influences, firstly I am very sure it comes from our home. We have our own issues or feelings that we bottled up from home and also the surroundings. Secondly, definitely the different bands we listen/look up to. Trust me, all of us have got different taste of music and what I can say Radigals has their own sound from our mixture of influences. 

“Fight To Unite” was released on cassette tapes by a label called Dangerous Goods. How do you got the deal with the label and were they help Radigals a lot in promoting the band and tape selling?

We knew Paulo from Dangerous Goods as he is staying in Singapore and he’s one of those who has his own distros, always taking bulk orders from the hardcore kids or whoever if they wanna get any merchandise from any website. He has also been releasing for a few others hardcore bands in Singapore. 

So, we first released our EP on bandcamp and after that Paulo approached us asking if we would like him to release our EP on tapes under his label. Well, on our side, there’s no reason to say no to that hahaha we really appreciate and thankful that he’s interested to release this EP for us. He does know what we love and he made the tape cover of different colours (we had enough of black) hehe. Definitely, Paulo helped us a lot in distributing the tapes worldwide, promoting, and tapes we sold online, pre-order and all. He handled everything, Paulo is a really great, supportive and humble person. Shout out to Dangerous Goods, much love from RG!

We heard that the EP also available on CD released independently, right? How well the CD get distributed?

Hahaha yes, the CD was a total DIY self-released. We just felt like we need to do something ourself, since Paulo is handling everything for the tapes. Plus, not everyone likes buying a tape. Those who didn’t get the chance to get the tapes end up getting the CD. I can humbly say, the CDs were distributed equally at a great pace as the tape. Really a big thank you to everyone who supports us. 

Who come up with the “Fight To Unite” cover artwork? What does it represent for?

A friend of our guitarist (Alin) drew the cover artwork of “Fight To Unite” and it literally and exactly represents each of us. People can easily tell who is who just by looking at the artwork because of our usual features, favourite band t-shirt, favourite food hahaha. The best part is, our lovely pets are also in the cover with us. Basically, everything is purely us :)

Please share something about your experience in playing live shows and gigs?

The best experience of playing gigs is that every time we got to make new friends be it locally or overseas. Also, every show we will try different things, stupid things so that we can laugh at each other hahah. Its also great when we see the audience/our friends singing along and having fun with us too! 

Tell us your view on Singapore’s Hardcore/Punk scene? Are there any other all-female bands?

Singapore’s hardcore/punk scene is really small. Always the same faces, but what I can say now, it becoming a little bigger, there’s kids of atlas 14 years young coming to shows (quite something for us here). Plus there’s more new hardcore punk bands coming up, which is really great. Yeah we do have a new all-female hardcore band called Fuse. And we have Obstacle Upsurge that got back together with a new line up. 

Do you have any new recordings, new songs and plan for any new releases in the near future?

Owww yes we have! We’re still making more new songs and most probably we’ll record and release next year if all goes well? We actually wanna get out of Singapore to play shows more in 2018 hehe.

Thank you. Last words please.

Thank you so much Noise from Hell for this interview! We hope to see you some day. Also, feel free to check out our songs and gig updates at:

radigalshc.bandcamp.com

facebook.com/Radigalshc

*Replied on December 17, 2017

Interview: SUFFER THE PAIN

It’s no doubt that SUFFER THE PAIN is one of the finest metalpunk/deathcrust acts from Sweden. Based in Västerås, the band started with two demo cassettes, “The Death” and “The Last Massacre” in 2012. They have also released a split entitled “Nuclear End” with Bombs Of Hades in 2013, followed with an EP “Face Of Doom” in 2014. Suffer The Pain proved their capability in doing great music through the debut full-length “Midnight Sacrifice” unleashed in May 2015, on 12” vinyl by Phobia Records and on cassette by Masasiorangutan Records. The band now returned with new album entitled “Hellbound” in January 2018. We spoke to Stefan (guitars/vocals) and Johan (drums) further about Suffer The Pain, so check it out!

Hello. Please share in brief about band background, about how you guys met each other to form Suffer The Pain and who's who in the band?

Stefan: Me and Johan started the band in 2012 just to record some D-beat/metal. I was missing playing/recording some metal/crust so I asked Johan if he wanted to play the drums. We used to play in a grindcore band togther called Fromtheashes. Later on we became a live band also with Suffer The Pain and more people joined.

Today we are:

Johan - drums

Stefan - vocals and guitar

Luka - bass

Stoffe - guitar (but he has father-time away from the band so right now and on “Hellbound” we are a 3-pice band)

Where did you find the name Suffer The Pain and what does it mean for?

Stefan: Just tought the words “Suffer” and “Pain” sounded cool I guess. No meaning haha!

Johan: Wasn’t the name more a joke at first, just something over the top and very metal sounding?

Stefan: Yes that is true, a cool joke!

Punk Metal is quite general to define the band musicstyle so how’s the best description for the music of Suffer The Pain? What are the main characteristics in your music and who (what kind of bands) really influenced your music writings?

Stefan: I dont know, “deathcrust” sounds cool I guess. The idea is that we can do what ever we want with Suffer The Pain, and some of my influences are: Bathory, Tragedy, Dismember, Disfear, High on Fire, Darkthrone, Celtic Frost, Martyrdöd, Venom, Wolfpack and so on...

Johan: Old sounding metal mixed with d-beat hardcore is what I think we’re doing basically. Sources for inspiration (and a little theft sometimes) for me are bands like Shitlickers, Napalm Death (minus the grind), Misery, Anti Cimex, Slayer, Discharge and so on.

How do you see the band have progressed from a release to another?

Stefan: I don’t know really. We just play and have fun and try to record once every year and play every live gig we get asked to play. But right now it feels really good and we are happy with our next release “Hellbound”.

Tell us more about your album “Midnight Sacrifice”. How long it take to prepare the material (composings and pre-production) for this full-length? Where did the tracks get recorded and do you really satisfied with the end result especially the sound production?

Stefan: We did everything ourselfs on Midnight Sacrifice, Stoffe was head of the recording and if I remember right it took a year almost to write all the songs. Yes we were happy with it, at least I was (can not speak for the others). Wanted it to have that 80s “broken” metal/kängpunk demo sound almost. Im a happycamper.

Johan: Yeah the songs were probably being made during a year or something, and the recording was done during a weekend in the rehearsal room. Pre-production = recording the song on someones phone to avoid forgetting it. I usually don’t listen to our own records except right after the recording is done so I haven’t heard it in a while but I remember being happy with the sound. Have to listen now and compare to the new recording.

How was the response and feedback you got so far? Do you received any bad complaints? (refer to the "Midnight Sacrifice" album)

Stefan: I think we got a preatty good response, the LP still get bought at our gigs. Most of the reviews were good and they understod what we were going for alot, that is always nice.

The two tracks ‘Mass Death’ and ‘Anesthesia Awareness’ in Critical Mass vol.3 (swedish metal compilation LP) are newly & exclusively recorded right? How do you have the opportunity to involve in the compilation?

Stefan: They got recorded together with the songs for the Ashcloud split almost 2 years ago now by Johan Andersson. A compilation series with swedish underground metal/punk bands, perfect for us. Was great to be on the same record as alot of great bands.

Johan: the Martyrdöd/Kajsa Grytt song on that record is so fucking good!

We heard that Suffer The Pain is going to release new album titled “Hellbound”. Please share further regarding this. It’ll be even better album based on what we have listened from promo tracks ‘Exist? Die!’ and ‘Beheaded’. What else can be expected from this new works?

Stefan: Yes, will be released on CD, Cassette and on internet in January 2018. Thanks, yes I’m happy with it. Nice to hear that you like the new songs! It will be 10 new songs that Jonas Ekroos recorded in his studio in Surahammar, named “Hellbound”. The vinyl will be released by Phobia Records but we need more labels to join, get in contact with Phobia Records or with us if someone is interested.

Johan: It’s not really long enough to be called an album I think. Mini-album maybe. Really happy with the recording anyway.

Any important information about split 7" vinyl with Ashcloud?

Stefan: We hope it comes as fast as it can, some day.

Say something about your previous releases, from “The Death” demo to “Face Of Doom” Ep.

Stefan: I like them all, we are thinking of mabye do a 12" vinyl with the first cassette “The Death” on the A-side and the second cassette “The Last Massacre” on the B-side.

What are your lyrics all about?

Stefan: World Destruction, war, religion and every other human made bullshit. Ohh and some bad “horror fiction”.

Do you guys active in playing live, participating gigs and tour anywhere?

Stefan: We try to play all the gigs we get offerd to play. A tour would be cool to do or go away and do some festival gigs, see what happends. If any body wants us to come and play, get in contact.

How does the punk/metal scene look like in Västerås, Sweden?

Stefan: We have some good bands in Västerås for sure! But almost only one place to play at, that sucks. Would like to see more young bands, but most of the younger bands seems to sound a bit to “modern” for me.

What are recent bands/albums you extremely listen to within these days? Any personal all-time favourite band/album?

Stefan: Listen to alot of High on Fire, Solstafir, Mgla, From ashes Rise, Hypertension, Darkthrone lately. But also some AC/DC and The Blood alot. Can’t choose an all-time favourite, to hard!

Johan: Since the first Tau Cross album came a couple of years ago I have listened to that extremely much. Same thing with the second album. Such a fucking great band! Amazing live too.

Thank you! Last words please.

Stefan: Thank you! And just get in contact if anyone want us to come and play live or whatever. Cheers! (“Hellbound” Jan 2018)

Johan: Thanks!

sufferthepain.blogspot.se

facebook.com/sufferthepain

sufferthepain.bandcamp.com

soundcloud.com/suffer-the-pain-666

youtube.com/user/SufferThePain666

*Replied on December 15, 2017

Interview: TIGER PUSSY

“Energy” hardly does justice to this punk rock group TIGER PUSSY featuring Jan Sunday on vocals, Banjo Tabada on guitars, Shak Mancao on bass, and Mikhail King Villanueva on drums. With their fast-paced live performances and three full length albums in tow, the band has gained an audience in both the Cebu and Manila punk scenes, easily making them an act you just can’t miss. This interview was made with Tiger Pussy about a week before they released their third album “Residuals”. Here we go…

Hello. First off all, what encouraged you to form Tiger Pussy? Tell us a bit about the band history? Introduce us the band members?

The current line up has been together for more than 5 years now but Tiger Pussy has been around for a decade already. The band was formed out of a need to create a unique sound but still punk rock. The content came later. Here’s a run down of who we are:

Banjo – Guitars. Computer games.

King – Drums. Outdoors.

Shak – Bass. Gigs and Events.

Jan – Vocals. Visual arts.

Where did you get the nama Tiger Pussy and what does it mean for?

There’s been a bunch of stories about the name like it being a baby tiger but it’s really just a mix of some major influences. Tiger from Le Tigre. Pussy from the album Pussy Whipped by Bikini Kill. Trivia: We can’t boost posts on Facebook coz PUSSY! What is a pussy?

What have the band released so far? Are they (the albums, etc) distributed well worldwide or just in your country, Philippines?

We have 2 full lengths released locally. “All The Way” in 2010 was self produced. “People You Hate” in 2014 was under Bomba Press. Our 3rd one, under the same label as the previous, will be out on November 11 this year and hopefully, will be redistributed on other countries. [Note: Third album “Residuals” out now! – editor]

How does the Philippines punk scenes look like, especially in Cebu City?

It’s still holding up. We’re glad there are still some venues left that support local music even if it’s not the usual stuff you hear on the radio.

Well, how do you guys describe your music? What's the best definition for it and what bands that really influenced your songwritings?

We just call it Punk Rock but sometimes Riot Punk since it’s a mix of Riot Grrrl and Punk Rock though both can be quite synonymous or homogenous. Songwriting and music, it’s gotta be The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and a bit of the older AFI.

How do you see the band (Tiger Pussy) progress musically from year to year, from an album to another? 

“All The Way” was angry and somewhat pubescent. It cursed and pointed fingers at things that hurt and are disadvantageous especially to women. “People You Hate” was kind of a rude awakening. Introspective. It could easily be titled The Looking Mirror. There’s still some pointing of fingers on that one but inwards. Our 3rd album “Residuals” goes beyond recognizing. It goes to the root of things. Painful existential realizations. Our music matures with us.

What are you talking about via your lyrics? What kind of messages that the band stand for?

We’re all quite political and dig bands with socio-political stand points but our songs dwell on the self (for now) and the idea that maybe we can do more good in this world if we could understand our capacities and potential. We’re like a SWOT analysis one one’s being.

What’s punk in your point of view?

Punk is abstract concept now but the gist might just be solidarity, vigilance and self-actualization.

Tell us about your new songs, next plans and future hopes?

Shortly after our album will be out, we’ll have a split with Choke Cocoi under Violent Delights Records. No release date has been announced yet. We’d also want to tour outside the country soon. A lot of saving up to do.

Last but not least, tell us why should we check and listen to Tiger Pussy?

Just like other artists, it would please us to be seen and heard but if our songs reach hearts and change lives, that gives so much meaning and purpose to our work. That’s what drives us to press on.

facebook.com/tigerpussey

tigerpussyx.bandcamp.com

*Replied on November 2, 2017

Interview: NECK DEEP IN FILTH

This is NECK DEEP IN FILTH – a basically new formed Hardcore/Punk act from the Valley of Dust, Kathmandu, Nepal. Consisting of Vishal (vocals), Sandesh (guitars), Sushil (bass) and Sanjay (drums), the members have already played in other bands such as Squirt Guns, Jugaa, Asphyxiate, etc. Neck Deep In Filth has released their debut selftitled EP in September 2017 which gained lot of great responses and positive feedbacks. This is a band we should keep our eyes on them from time to time, especially if we look something from the South Asian punk scene. Here we have their guitarist Sandesh answered all the questions.

Hello. How’s life in Kathmandu going on?

Life in Kathmandu is pretty good right now although it’s getting colder everyday. As for the music, it’s a great time to be in a band in Kathmandu. You probably heard this many times. Nepal has the best underground scene in South Asia. Our band is getting tons of shows, the EP is getting good reviews. So, yeah. Things are great.

Please share in brief about history of the band and the line-up?

The band was formed in mid 2016. But we didn’t start playing shows until mid 2017. It took us a whole year to finally go live. Our primary goal was to record an EP right away. So we worked on the songs. I (Sandesh) used to play in a punk rock band called “Squirt Guns” (which is in an indefinite hiatus). Vishal hit me up; asked me if I wanted to form a new hardcore/punk band. He has played in a number of bands over the years. He played guitar for punk band “Inside 2 Stoopid Triangles”, very popular metallic hardcore band “Jugaa” and sludge band “Childwife”. And he wanted to do vocals this time. So, yeah.. I agreed right away. Asked Sushil, the bass player for Jugaa and Inside 2 Stoopid Triangles to join. He was in. Then we asked Sanjay to play drums. He plays in a technical death metal band called “Asphyxiate”. We have known him for years, plus he has got punk rock roots too. So, we got him on board.

What encourage you to form Neck Deep In Filth, and what the name means for?

Well, Vishal asked me to join the band. He’s the real mastermind. Haha. I grew up listening to Inside 2 Stoopid Triangles as a young angsty punk kid. So, I was stoked just to be able to play in a band with them. As for the name of the band goes.. Vishal came up with it. I wasn’t really sure about the name at first. But it grew on me. Now, I really like it. To directly quote him, “We’re living in a society filled with racists, misogynists, and hate filled ultranationalists. We’re surrounded by scum. Hence, Neck Deep In Filth.”

Please talk further about your debut s/t EP; the music writings, recordings and contents?

This how the writing process went.. I’d come up with riffs, show them to the guys. Then, we’d add drums and bass. Once we had a basic framework, Vishal would add the vocals. And, maybe tweak things a little later in the process. When we felt like we had enough songs, and they sounded good, we hit the studio. We didn’t go to a proper studio. Drums and vocals were recorded at a place called Advent, which is a practice space. We tracked guitar in another regular practice space called, Mr. Music. Our bass player, Sushi, took the recording and mixing in his hands. He had helped us record my other band, Squirt Guns’ two albums. We tracked bass in his home. And that was about it. He mixed and mastered the songs. We’re happy with the output considering the resources we had at our disposal. The artwork for the EP was made by our friend, Dib Gurung. There’s a guy from a minority group covered in bullet shells, which has the sun and moon from the national flag engraved on them.

How do your define your music style? What sort of bands really inspired Neck Deep In Filth?

A lot of people have said our music sounds like a mixture of hardcore and crust punk. Some say they can hear a bit of influence of metallic hardcore in some of the songs. There is definitely a nod to crust punk in this record. You can hear a bit of crust bands like Alpinist and Downfall of Gaia in it, which are my major crust influences. The initial idea was to form a straight forward, aggressive hardcore band like Haymaker, Left For Dead, The Swarm, etc. But I did my best to incorporate a few melodic riffs to our songs. And everyone in the band liked it. There’s a hint of blackout grind of the band called Skaarp in here too. The way we transition from the quintessential hardcore galloping beat to blast beats. We got that from Skaarp. You can also hear a bit of old school hardcore, melodic hardcore and New York hardcore here and there.

What were written in your lyrics?

Our lyrics are politically-driven. All of it is available on our bandcamp (neckdeepinfilth.bandcamp.com) with a short blurb to help contextualize the meaning for people outside of Nepal.

How’s the hardcore/punk scene in Nepal look like? Are there many bands, labels and gigs?

The underground scene in Kathmandu is dominated by metal. We a small, closely-knit network of people who listen to punk rock and hardcore. There are tons of people who like punk music. But, not too many punk and hardcore bands here. Punk bands come and go. But on the bright side, the metal community has become more accepting of punk and hardcore music in recent years. It’s a crossover scene now. A lot of kids are into grindcore these days. As for the gigs, we have one almost every week. As of now, we have played 3 shows in Kathmandu; one every month. The goal is to play more shows. And maybe, tour other cities in the future. About labels.. there are none here. Big labels won’t even dare to promote our music. Haha. We have to do everything by ourselves. And that’s how we like it too.

What do you expect from the s/t EP? Any labels interested?

Our expectation from the S/T is that it reaches as many people as possible; not just from Nepal, but around the globe. We’re doing our best to push the record outside of Nepal too, and it has been fairly well received. As of now, we haven’t got any label on our side. It would be neat if we could a record deal with a label like Epitaph records. Haha. So, yes.. if any label is interested, please hit us up.

What’s next from Neck Deep In Filth?

For now, we want to play tons of shows, and push our EP. We’re releasing a split with a fellow South Asian punk band early 2018. Really looking forward to it. And maybe, we’ll start working on new material in 2018.

Say something to end up this interview?

Do check our S/T out. It’s on bandcamp (neckdeepinfilth.bandcamp.com). You can buy it if you want to support to us. It would mean a lot to us. Also, don’t just listen to the music. Pay attention to the lyrical content too.  And if you like what you hear and read, do share it around.

facebook.com/neckdeepinfilth

neckdeepinfilth.bandcamp.com

*Replied on October 30, 2017

Interview: CUM SOCK

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Review: THE SUSE “Demo // 2017”

The Suse is basically a young band, formed in the middle of 2015 but I must say, they have a lot of goodness, talent and potential. The band has recently released “Demo // 2017” available in limited CD-R and cassette tape format, and also through their bandcamp. It consists of 5 tracks, more than 6 minutes of raw and noise Hardcore. Listen to the demo is something like listening demos recorded in the 90s. It sounds truly old school and lots of honesty inside. The Suse got inspired by Black Flag, Sex Pistols, Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat and the likes but on other way, I thought the band just plays on their own. Respect given to this DIY hardcore/punk band from Sukoharjo, Indonesia. Check it out!

facebook.com/thesuseband

thesuse.bandcamp.com

Interview: A LOT LIKE TURD

“We play catchy, all over the place, yet easy listening as fuck songs. At least that’s what we think. We don’t really know how to play any musical instrument so we might actually sound like turd.” – ungkapan ini dicatat pada pengenalan A LOT LIKE TURD di facebook mereka. Band yang dibarisi oleh Shidi Basri (vokal), Ameer Reza (dram), Iqmal Zolkefli (gitar), Farhan Abbas (gitar) dan Khairul Sabirin (bass) ini gemar mencampur-adukkan pelbagai genre; hardcore, thrash, rock & roll, punk dan sebagainya, dan mereka muzik mereka kedengaran amat chaos!! A Lot Like Turd baru-baru ini telah mengeluarkan rilisan ketiga mereka, “Self-Titled” dalam format tape pada 14 Oktober 2017 (sempena Cassette Store Day). Ikuti temubual bersama A Lot Like Turd untuk selanjutnya mengenai band ini.

Hello. Soalan pertama aku nak tanya apa yang dimaksudkan dengan nama band A Lot Like Turd tu?

Nama diberi oleh Ameer (drummer) sebab dia pandai dan kreatif di antara kami berlima, maksud nama band dalam bahasa “sebiji macam taik” nak diikutkan, kami main music pun macam taik. Tiada kelulusan atau kelas main music dan music pilihan kami pun bukan pada semua yang boleh menerimanya, sebab itu kami memilih nama itu.

Cerita ringkas tentang sejarah dan motif penubuhan band ni dan siapa line-up sekarang?

Pada tahun 2008 Shidi dan Ameer dalam UITM Perlis yang sama, mereka mendengar band dan genre yang sama pada ketika itu. Terdetik fikiran Shidi dan Ameer untuk buat satu band yang sama macam Heavy Heavy Low Low, setelah habis diploma 2010, Ameer dan Shidi decide untuk memanggil kawan Ameer iaitu Iqmal selaku guitarist The Sputnik ketika itu untuk menjadi bermain guitar A Lot Like Turd, setelah dua lagu dah siap (Shark Eat Shark More Shark dan Flashing Something Big) kiteorg pergi recording di Melaka, habis recording lepak minum di Alor Gajah, kebetulan Birin pun lepak sekali, alang-alang Birin ada kiteorg pun ajak dia untuk bermain bass. Setelah sekian lama lagu pun jadi banyak tapi kami tidak berpuas hati dengan bunyi yang hanya ada satu gitar sahaja, kebetulan juga, Paan baru berjinak-jinak dengan music hardcore ketika itu, Shidi pun mempelawa dia untuk menjadi guitarist yang kedua A Lot Like Turd. Kami tetap bersama dari 2010 sehingga sekarang tidak pernah tukar line-up.

Boleh jelaskan definasi terbaik untuk jenis muzik A Lot Like Turd dan contoh band-band yang banyak mempengaruhi penulisan lagu korang?

Kiteorg sendiri pun tak tahu kami ini dikategori genre yang mana, haha, tapi yang terbaik yang kami boleh bagi contoh Ialah Heavy Heavy Low Low, The Chariot, The Blood Brothers, dan kebanyakannya band-band dari label Three One G Records punya band, kiteorg buat lagu berdasarkan apa yang kami suka main dan dengar dan ia lebih kepada hardcore.

Setakat ni apa yang ALLT dah keluarkan? Bagi list diskografi korang.

6 Oktober 2012 – Colours Of Retardation EP (7 songs)

28 Februari 2015 – Disco Disco EP (6 songs)

14 Oktober 2017 – Alotliketurd / Self-titled (13 songs)

Apa agaknya tarikan utama produk terbaru korang tape “S/T” tu?

Tiada tarikan utama sebenarnya, tapi kami lebih menunjukkan A Lot Like Turd lebih serius dalam penulisannya, ada beberapa riff dan counting  kami tukar, dan seperti yang kami beritahu tadi, kami suka main dan dengar.

Apa persiapan yang telah ALLT lalui untuk keluarkan material tersebut (s/t tape)?

Kami record di Iseekmusic di Damansara, padahal kami berada di Seremban, setiap kali kami nak record kami perlu pergi ke sana, ia mengambil masa, tenaga dan duit untuk ke sana. Itu sahaja la persiapan yang kami buat, mental.. Shidi habis kerja selalunya pada pukul 12 malam, so dari 12 malam terus gerak ke Damansara, habis recording selalunya dalam pukul 4 atau 5 pagi, dan balik terus ke Seremban tiba pada pukul 7 pagi. Ia bukan mudah untuk kami.

Macamana boleh dapat kerjasama label Utarid Tapes dan Terr-Records untuk release tape tu?

Kami kenal taukey tu, dan kami rasa kami perlukan support dari mereka, kami pun buat proposal, dan akhirnya lulus. Haha!

Lirik lagu-lagu korang cakap pasal apa?

Kiteorg buat lirik tiada kena-mengena pada individu yang hidup atau mati, tiada kena-mengena pada politik dan isu semasa. Kami buat lirik berdasarkan fantasi, hentam keromo, paling tepat sekali ialah tangkap muat untuk menyedapkan lagu sahaja.

Korang ada rancangan untuk buat tour atau main gig mana-mana untuk promosi stuff baru korang ni?

Masih dalam perancangan, buat masa ni, tiada update apa-apa dahulu hanya rancang sahaja, masing-masing sibuk dengan hal keluarga, kerja dan masa.

Bagi pendapat sikit tentang scene muzik d.i.y kat negara kita ni?

Music d.i.y Malaysia sangat bagus-bagus, kreatif lain dari yang lain. Kami amat gemarkannya. Banyak pendedahan di luar negara, kami cukup bangga, kalau boleh kami pun nak macam mereka juga, tapi kami tak cukup power seperti mereka yang lain.

Last words lah kalau ada? Terima kasih.

Terima kasih pada Trashnoiser dari blogzine NOISE FROM HELL sudi interview kami, terima kasih pada kawan-kawan sentiasa memberi support dari awal penubuhan kami sampai sekarang. Kalau ada apa yang nak bertanya lagi kepada kami, sila la bertanya di facebook, terima kasih banyak-banyak.

facebook.com/AlotliketurD-134453996618737

twitter.com/AlotliketurD

alotliketurd.bandcamp.com

Interview: THE SUSE

THE SUSE adalah band hardcore/punk dari Indonesia didokongi Gandung (Vocal), Muhsin (Guitar), Dian (Bass) dan Ronna (Drum). Nama “suse” itu diambil dari dua nama kota dan desa tempat asalnya mereka iaitu Sukoharjo dan Serenan, di Jawa Tengah. The Suse baru sahaja (bulan Oktober 2017 ini) merilis raw/noise demo format CD-R dan kaset; berisi 5 lagu, berdurasi 6:11 minit, semuanya diusahakan secara kolektif bersama teman-teman mereka. “Demo 2017” tidaklah begitu baik dari sudut sound quality, akan tetapi The Suse harus dilihat pada kejujuran karya dan penyampaiannya. Ayo dekati The Suse menerusi interview ini.

Apa khabar? Apa latest news dari The Suse?

Alhamdulilah kabar baik, kabar terbaru dari kami bulan ini kami merilis demo yang kami record dan produksi secara mandiri.

Gimana ya terbentuknya The Suse dan apa tujuan band ini ditubuhkan?

Kami terbentuk pada pertengahan 2015, dengan latar belakang band berbeda-beda. Misalkan, drummer kami Aronna dia juga mengisi drum di band lamanya Tackle Out Hc, trus ada vokal kami Gandung, dia pernah membuat band yang memainkan lagu-lagu dari Toxic Holocaust. Sedangkan saya (Dian) dan guitaris Muhsin pernah tergabung pada sebuah band metalcore Tendencies.

Apa motif pengeluaran “A Tribute to Ramones”?

Kebetulan kami semua suka Ramones, dan sudah jarang sekali band di Sukoharjo yang memainkan lagunya, jadi kita mainin lagi deh.

Terus The Suse tampil dengan “Demo 2017” berisi 5 original tracks. Bisa ceritain tentang song-writings & recordings demo tersebut?

Untuk penulisan lagu awalnya kami menulis lirik dulu, setelah itu baru guitaris kami (Muhsin) atau Gandung mencari riff riff guitar yang sekiranya pas dengan lirik. Setelah itu kami kembangkan lagi di studio bersama drum dan bass. Proses recording kami melakukan sendiri, dan mixing dibantu oleh teman kami yang dulu juga pernah se band dengan saya, Firman Widodo.

Gimana respon pendengar terhadap “Demo 2017”?

Belum banyak yang merespon, kalau menurut temen katanya Black Flag banget. padahal sih beda jauh. Hahaha!

Jelaskan dengan baik direksi musik The Suse? Band seperti apa yang memberi inspirasi kepada The Suse?

Awal terbentuk kami ingin memainkan musik band-band hc 80s seperti Black Flag, Minor Threat gitu. Seiring berjalannya waktu kami bermain se enaknya sendiri. Karena kami tidak hanya menyukai satu genre musik saja. Bahkan kami sangat open dengan berbagai jenis musik lain.

Emangnya kamu suka sound yang raw/noise?

Kami suka band-band dengan rekaman raw, menurut kami itu natural banget. Sekarang hampir semua band bermain bersih dan bagus, tapi kami belum bisa untuk itu. Skill kami pas-pas an.

Apa ya yang tertulis dan disampaikan menerusi lirik-lirik kalian?

Kebetulan saya yang menulis lirik pada dua lagu di demo ini, 3 lainnya ditulis oleh Gandung (Voc). Kalau lirik yang saya tulis itu di lagu Bad! But, I’m Happy menceritakan tentang ketika saya melakukan sesuatu yang menurut orang lain buruk, tapi tidak menurut saya dan saya senang melakukan hal itu. Hahaha.. Sedangkan lagu Can’t Be the Best itu tentang curhatan saya ketika banyak orang di sekitar saya mulai memikirkan dirinya sendiri dan lupa akan apa yang ada di sekitar mereka.

(G): Listen to Black Flag, itu karena kami suka sound hc 80s seperti Black Flag. Who Are They?! Lagu ini untuk mereka yang suka mengatur orang lain. Feelin’ Strange saya nggak tau artinya. Haahaha..

Ceritain tentang skena hardcore/punkrock di tempat kamu?

Skena disini bagus, berjalan menurut keyakinannya masing-masing. The Suse tidak tergabung dengan skena manapun. Kami berteman dengan semua skena disini, mulai dari hc/punk/metal. Kami memilih untuk tidak terikat dan bebas saja ikut sana sini.

The Suse sering manggung?

Tidak, dalam waktu 2 tahun ini kami hanya bermain tidak lebih dari 10 kali.

Apa ya rencana The Suse seterusnya?

Project selanjutnya kami akan split demo dengan Nerv (Wuppertal-Germany) yang akan kami rilis sendiri secara kolektif.

Last words?

Kami membuka pertemanan dengan siapapun, selama tidak merugikan satu sama lain. Terima kasih untuk Noise From Hell Zine!

facebook.com/thesuseband

instagram.com/thesuseband

thesuse.bandcamp.com

Interview: ROUND OFF

“Pathetic Crisis” merupakan judul demo pertama dari Round Off, band Oi! dari Kuantan. Demo CD ini keseluruhannya memuatkan sebanyak 9 buah lagu, dikeluarkan pada penghujung September 2017 yang lalu. Round Off mungkin pada dasarnya boleh dilihat sebagai sebuah nama baru, akan tetapi beberapa anggotanya adalah gabungan bekas ahli band The Stompers yang pernah bergiat cergas di awal era 90an dahulu. Tanpa membuang masa, berikut diadakan sebuah temubual bersama pemain dramnya saudara Ajeeb mewakili pihak Round Off.

Apa khabar Round Off. Camne sambutan dan respon pendengar ke atas demo “Pathetic Crisis”?

Alhamdulillah.. Berkenaan persoalan respon dan sambutan demo CD “Pathetic Crisis”.. kami sukar untuk nyatakan kerana buat masa sekarang demo CD ini kami edarkan secara percuma dan dana adalah datang dari line-up Round Off sendiri.. jadi dengan kekangan dana ini, edaran masih lagi dibuat melalui rakan-rakan terdekat untuk diedarkan kepada semua berdasarkan kemampuan yang ada buat masa ini.. mungkin masih ramai yang belum dapat demo CD kami.. Walaubagaimanapun.. untuk memastikan kesemua yang berminat dengan track-track kami boleh mendengarnya.. kami telah mengambil inisiatif dengan meng‘upload’ keseluruhan track-track ke dalam Youtube dan link bagi keseluruhan track boleh didapati dari FB Page rasmi kami ‘Round Off Mania’.. berbalik kepada sambutan dan respon pendengar buat masa ini.. kami masih belum lagi menerima komen-komen yang negatif dan dengan ini kami harap ianya boleh diterima dengan hati yang terbuka.

Aku tengok banyak lagu ada dalam demo tu.. masa bila lagu-lagu tu ditulis dan dirakam? Round Off sendiri puashati dengan penghasilan demo tersebut?

Kesemua lagu di dalam Demo CD “Pathetic Crisis” ditulis dan dirakam dalam tahun 2017. Lirik-lirik lagu adalah ditulis oleh line-up Round Off dan sahabat-sahabat seperjuangan yang lain.. Hendra Revolt Squads, Deriq Stompers, Kong Stompers dan Zuraimi. Berkenaan persoalan adakah kami sendiri berpuashati dengan demo CD kami.. secara amnya kami berpuas hati dan syukur kerana diakhirnya demo CD ini berjaya disiapkan.. memang diakui, masih terdapat banyak kekurangan dalam demo CD kami tetapi inilah yang termampu dari kami buat masa ini.. apa yang penting bagi kami adalah hasil yang ikhlas dari kami untuk semua.. dan diharapkan ianya dapat diterima oleh semua walau dalam keadaan mempunyai kekurangan.

Jelaskan lebih lanjut kepada pembaca tentang jenis muzik Round Off dan apa influence utama korang ni?

Round Off membawa muzik Street Oi! / Punk.. influence kami lebih kepada band-band British Oi! dan Punk era 70an seperti Sham 69, Cockney Rejects dan The Cocksparrer.

Kenapa pilih untuk rakam dan muatkan lagu cover ‘Cum On Feel The Noize’ dari The Slade?

Tiada apa-apa tujuan spesifik kenapa kami masukkan cover track ‘Cum on Feel the Noize’ dari The Slade melainkan kerana lagu itu sendiri di mana tajuk lagunya pun seolah menyeru pendengar untuk menghayati apa yang ada pada kami.. apa yang disampaikan dan juga sekadar hiburan semata mata.

Apa mesej-mesej yang ditulis dan nak disampaikan nenerusi lirik-lirik lagu korang?

Lagu-lagu kami tiada mesej spesifik.. terpulang kepada pendengar sendiri untuk menilaikan apa yang didengar.. cuma lagu-lagu kami sekadar karya yang menyatakan apa yang kami rasa dan hadapi, apa yang kita semua lalui dalam kehidupan dunia hari ini, sistem pengurusan dan pentadbiran hari ini.. dan juga seruan agar kita sentiasa bersatu.. juga terdapat lagu yang menceritakan kisah yang kami lalui di awal perjalanan scene pada era awal 90an di Kuantan, Pahang.

Apa pendapat korang tentang nazi punks / nazi skinheads?

Pendapat kami tentang Nazi Punks dan Nazi Skinheads... terpulang pada individu yang memegang prinsip itu sendiri.. kerana mereka yang memegang prinsip itu sendiri semestinya lebih arif tentang prinsip yang mereka pegang, memang mempunyai pandangan yang berbeza-beza dalam setiap sesuatu terutama sekali apabila berkaitan dengsn prinsip.. cuma apa yang perlu kita ingat adalah kita perlu tahu di mana limit kita, di mana cut off point kita.. apa yang sebenarnya yang kita mahu dan apa sebenarnya yang kita cari.. dan yang penting sekali kita perlu tahu di manakah rujukan sebenar kita.

Dah banyak main gig? Share sikit gig-gig paling best korang pernah join?

Performance pertama Round Off adalah di South East Asia Street Music Festival di Cherating, Pahang pada 31st December 2016... tapi mungkin ramai yang tidak tahu kerana pada masa itu kami perform sebagai gantian band Revolt Squad.. Festival masa tu amat meriah dan sambutan dari crowd juga amat baik.. sahabat-sahabat kami dari band-band lain seperti Rough and Cause, Roots N Boots, Rentenir (Indonesia), Generation 69 (Singapore) dan beberapa band-band local yang lain turut serta perform dalam street music festival tersebut.. dan semestinya festival tersebut merupakan gigs yang paling memberi kenangan kepada kami.. Selain dari South East Asia Street Music Festival kami juga masih aktif dan kebiasaannya perform di gig-gig sekitar Kuantan.

Mungkin ramai gak nak tau sejarah penubuhan Round Off dan siapa-siapa line-up band ni.. so ceritakan sikit?

Line-up Round Off terdiri dari JZ Cancer (lead guitar), Ejat Stompers (bassist), A.K (2nd guitar), Ajeeb Stompers (drummer), Meo Stompers (vocalist) dan Zai (2nd vocalist). Sejarah penubuhan Round Off.. boleh dikatakan di sini yang Round Off telah ditubuhkan pada tahun 2016 di mana ianya merupakan kesinambungan sebuah band The Stompers iaitu sebuah band Oi! yang aktif bermain di gig-gig sekitar Pahang juga di luar Pahang pada era awal 90an.. tidak dinafikan line-up Round Off sekarang adalah terdiri dari gabungan beberapa orang anggota The Stompers dan juga beberapa sahabat-sahabat seperjuangan yang lain.. semua line-up Round Off berasal dari Kuantan, Pahang... pada asalnya kami pernah terfikir untuk terus membawa nama The Stompers tetapi setelah memikirkan dengan lebih mendalam.. kami membuat keputusan untuk mewujudkan nama lain bagi menghormati nama The Stompers yang mempunyai sejarah dan kenangannya yang tersendiri.

Korang tengok scene Oi! kat negara kita sekarang ni camne?

Pandangan kami terhadap scene Oi! di negara kita masih aktif, masih meriah dan masih releven.

Okay ada apa lagi nak bagitau sebagai penutup kata?

Akhir ucapan.. kami ingin mengambil kesempatan untuk mengucapkan jutaan terima kasih kepada semua yang mampu menerima kami dan sentiasa memberi sokongan secara langsung atau tidak langsung.. Strength thru unity, fight the real enemy.. Assalamualaikum.

facebook.com/roundoffmania

dengar lagu-lagu yang lain di:

youtube.com/channel/UCNh54KRVpeTg864D8lxuq3A

Interview: CONTUSIÖN

I know this band from Cali, Colombia since their debut “Arroja la Bomba” EP 2014. “Energetic, destructive and forceful bound of Hardcore Punk aggressions.” is among what I wrote on my review for the EP [read more here]. Since then, Contusiön grows up and much better in “Invaden y Matan” (2016) and recent release “Demo-17”. Consists of Jhon (vocal), Mauro (drums), Annalisa (vocal), Marvin (bass) and Oscar (guitar) [refer the above photo], Contusiön is a Hardcore Thrash/Punk band that must always in your mind and looks forward for them. They are extreme noise from CaliHell, they are part of destruction!. Here’s an interview with their drummer (Mauro) for more about Contusiön.

Hello Contusiön. Let us know briefly history of the band and the current line-up?

The band started around 2010 with 3 members, the only original member is Oscar, the guitarist, they began very influenced by d-beat, but when two of the original members left the band, Oscar decided to reform the band with a new concept but whith the same name, so nowadays is more hardcore, crust, with thrash and some grindcore influences. Today we have five members; Oscar (guitar), Jhon Jairo (screams), Annalisa (screams), Marvin (bass) and myself, Mauro (drums).

Tell us more about your recent release “Demo-17” (2017) including the songwritings, recordings and the contents?

This demo is more aggressive, we like to play fast and very noise and we decided to do a self produced demo with a lot of tracks that we didn’t record before, there also new versions of old songs and the lyrics ares based in the fraud of religion, the capitalism in our country, the war in our country, the social and political reality of Latin America, and Oscar made all the lyrics.

How do you see the band progress in the new demo since previous releases?

With two voices is more like a disrupt sound and we like it, specially cause is a woman and a man, so sounds very cool, the most important thing is that we have a new bass player, that gives more power to the songs and we try to play more fast. We also try to put more work in the creation of songs and incorporate more stuff.

Say something about “Arroja la Bomba” (2014) and “Invaden y Matan” (2016)?

Arroja la Bomba is a ep made by a friend of us, he has all the equipaments in his house and was more punk, more raw, very simple but powerful songs, was the only record with our previous bassist before he left the band, the second ep (Invaden y Matan) is more professional, the sound is more clear and has more complex and long songs, but the lyrics follow the same path of Arroja la Bomba ep.

How do you define the music of Contusiön? What kind of bands that influenced you?

Contusiön is speed, rage, insatisfaction with the modern society, we are like “play fast or die” but we also like density, we have a couple of slow songs but our line is hardcore, punk, grind, some metal, all the crap that we like and enjoy that’s our influence.

Since you’re singing in your language, what were written for the lyrics?

We can’t escape the reality of Colombia as a country and we want to spread the message in our language, the songs are about war and the desolation of the victims, the religion, the mass media, we also have a lot of interest in our ancestors as a culture where the money wasn’t the only thing that matters.

Being DIY is so powerful. How DIY benefits you?

Basically we do all by ourselves in every aspect, rehearsals, demos, t-shirts, etc, it’s all by ourselves, so that’s all.

Please describe Contusiön while on stage?

On stage we try to give people the energy we have, all the anger and the fast riffs with fast drums, it’s the moment when all the rehearsals are materialized in a fuckin noise with the stench of the war.

Share with us some good things about hardcore/punk in Cali?

The punks in Cali are not too many, and that makes union and friendship. There are no great divisions between the punk group, there are only a variety of musical styles converging within the movement. For example punk hardcore, crust, metalpunk, power violence, grindcore, etc.

Thanks for replying. Any last words?

We just want to thank all those who have supported us by sharing and buying our material, and have made us leave our city to make our noise known. Fuck religion, fuck institutions, fuck the police and politicians, support the underground noise and open their minds, kill the divides within the DIY noise, appreciate their nuances. We will continue working on new songs with the corrosive style that characterizes us so prepare your dirty and stinking ears!

facebook.com/ContusionRuidoExtremo

facebook.com/contusion.ruidoextremo.7