Interview with MOTHMAN

I went to Austin, Texas with work once and besides having some fun at Austin Terror Fest I also found a local grind gem with a creepy-ass name. As soon as the first song started blasting from Bandcamp I knew I was in for a treat so I went to see them play live of course and oh my god did they made a new fan than night. These guys are very active in the scene, but they are not super keen to use social media so I wanted to help spread their amazing music on this side of the ocean and learn a bit more of what lurks behind their killer hardcore. Ladies and gents, today we are talking with Nathan and Andy from MOTHMAN.

So Mothman is this urban legend being that will show up at a tragedy site before it happens as a bad omen, is that right? What is your fascination with this being and why did you chose this title? 

 

NATHAN: Aside from being an omen, when someone sees Mothman, they're struck with intense fear and can't look away or run. They just have to endure the deep feeling of pain and panic. I think the latter attracted us to the moniker--seeing something truly terrifying and being unable to remove yourself from it. Also the movie Mothman Prophecies (2002) scared Skiles and I real bad when we were kids. 

 

ANDY: I didn't choose the title as I was brought into this project later on, but what Nathan said sums it up pretty well. I, however, never feared the Moth as a child but rather embraced the fear and teachings within.

 

I feel like your lyrics are a mixture of political and personal stuff is that right? Are there any other topics you are trying to transmit? Are you guys into horror? 

 

NATHAN: A lot of the earlier record topics were political and religious with some personal stories here and there. The newer stuff is more personal. We're just trying to get some feelings out with no particular agenda other than making heavy music. Horror is cool too.

 

ANDY: I just play drums.

 

I can hear hardcore/sludge/metalcore/grind... How would you describe your style if we are trying to be more specific than "Aiming to bring the most abrasive music possible"? 

 

NATHAN: I like how you described our sound when we met in Austin--metalcore influenced grind. Anything technical and heavy has always intrigued and inspired us musically. We want fans of loud, angry, fast, heavy music to enjoy our songs, but more importantly we want to enjoy writing and playing them and challenge ourselves. That usually means drawing influence from a few genres.

 

ANDY: I think our style is heavily influenced by how people may respond to what we're playing. It's quite often we'll look at a part and think, 'people are going to go nuts here' or something along those lines. Our live shows, in my opinion, are integral to the success of this band and we create a lot of special 'holy $#!t' moments for fans. Rarely do we ever look at a part and go 'we can't do that, that's not in our genre', nothing is off-limits if it melts faces. 

 

 

You guys remind me of Vulgar Pigeons and later Pig Destroyer. What really are your main influences?

 

NATHAN: For me it's a lot of heavier bands that also have an all-encompassing mystique about them: Gaza, Architect, the_network... a lot of early Black Market Activities bands. It's hard to pin down a small handful. We'll hear a song by one band and be inspired to make some weird part fit into a song that was inspired by another song from a different band. Skiles doesn't listen to too much new music so he's always finding inspiration from old albums we listened to from back in the day. Andy doesn't listen to too much heavy music and that brings an interesting influence into the mix. We're all so comfortable playing music together that everything just works out. We enjoy pushing each other

 

ANDY: I don't listen to a lot of heavy music, and more-so probably not the same bands that Nathan or Skiles would draw inspiration from. However, I do still have my own bands that influence my style including Architects, Counterparts, The Black Dhalia Murder, Norma Jean, and Dillinger Escape Plan.

 

When is the new album coming out? Any chance it will have more blastbeats? 

 

NATHAN: I'd expect we get this record out in 2021. As for blast beats, there are less than the last record, but they're extremely tasteful and well executed so it evens out. 

 

ANDY: Sadly, not as many blast beats.

 

I see most of the shows take place in and around Austin. Is that right? Any tour ideas after covid?

 

NATHAN: This band has only been on one short tour. We'd love to take the show on the road, but it's difficult with life and other music projects. Hopefully one day we can make it to Europe, Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant, WV and to a Mathcore Index Fest. 

 

ANDY: Would definitely love to when appropriate. 

 

I know Nathan is in a bunch of other bands. Could we know more about it? What about other Mothman members? What other bands you are related to and what should we hear? 

 

NATHAN: Skiles and I play in Thieves, Drip-Fed and Mothman. Andy plays in Nominee. All the bands are on streaming platforms and all the releases fucking rip. Thieves dropped a new album at the end of 2019. Nominee and D-F are both sitting on new albums that will come out in 2021. 

 

Are you gear maniacs or would you play with whatever as long as it's loud? 

 

NATHAN: I'd say we're average gear maniacs. Skiles and I have played the same rigs for years. Andy has played the same kit for years. We're definitely into checking out cool weird gear, but we're definitely married to what has worked for us. We prefer to play our own gear. Andy got that spring mount clip for his china when we were in high school and that was a pretty big deal.

 

ANDY: What can I say, the spring mounted clip was exciting new technology at the time on par with when the Zil-Bel came out. I am not a gear head, I like what I like and stick with what works for me. I have plenty of friends who go and chase the 'new best thing' and that's just not for me.

 

I went to see some shows in Austin and I had an impression that every band brings their own equipment, like FULL backline. Is that common practice in the US for venues to not provide this stuff and leave it with the band? Or is it because bands care about their sound being unique so much? 

 

NATHAN: Skiles and I toured Europe in October 2019 and were introduced to the idea that the headliner provides gear for everyone and it blew our minds. In the US it's rare that bands share gear to that extent unless they're friends and on tour together. We always prefer to use our gear anyways because it's what we're used to playing with. One time I asked the bassist of Vampyre if he wanted to use my 810 and he said he likes to use his own gear and I said word and then he rolled his own 810 on stage and by stage I mean floor.

 

ANDY: I loathe having to use another person's drum kit. I will always play on mine if I have the choice as it's set up for me and feels natural. I'll never tour in Europe. 

 

Can you tell us more about TX grind/hc scene? What less known bands should we check out? 

 

NATHAN: That's a tough question. We don't have too many grind bands in Austin, let alone a scene. Mammoth Grinder is probably the best heavy band out of Austin. DSGNS are another great metal band. The Bearer are a great band with new stuff coming out soon. Insvrgence are great friends of ours who work harder than a lot of bands from Austin. Of course Fire From The Gods are big time players now and still great dudes. 

 

Do you think Texas climate is part of the rage in you? Do you enjoy constantly sweating in 3 digit degrees or would you rather live somewhere with snow and ice castles? 

 

NATHAN: I'd rather be knee deep in snow at any moment. I think Texas politics are more influential than the weather. 

 

ANDY: I'm inside 90% of the year so it never bothers me. It can be pretty brutal going to check the mail though. I don’t like snow. It’s coarse and rough and irritating… and it gets everywhere.

 

What do you guys do for a living? Any chance you could make money doing music someday? 

 

NATHAN: Skiles is an project manager and musician. Andy is an SEO admin and a musician. I'm a multimedia producer and a musician. No we'll never get paid playing music. Actually, Skiles gets paid to play music on weekends in his cover band. But playing original music? Nah. 

 

ANDY: If only, if only.

 

Do you guys like drugs? getting drunk or high? Or are you sober and that is why u so angry? What is your poison of choice? 

 

NATHAN: Just the simple stuff--weed, beer and whiskey. We're Texas boys.

 

Would you like to say something about American politics? 

 

No politics. 

 

What is your favourite thing to do in free time when you are not doing music? 

 

NATHAN: Start another band and do music. 

 

ANDY: Playing video games as that's the only way I can interact with the majority of my friends that I haven't seen in months.

 

There is someone on another continent reading this and they are about to discover your music for the first time. What would you like to tell this person? 

 

NATHAN: Thank you for listening. Turn it up to 11 and bang your head. Let us know what you think and show your friends if y’all know what’s good. 

 

ANDY: I like walks on the beach and I'm open to new things. Get me out of here.

 

Last words and thank you's? 

 

NATHAN: Thank YOU for setting up this interview. We appreciate everyone listening and enjoying what we've put out so far. It'll always be a side project, but we'll always have songs in the bank. Tell a friend and spread the word. New album coming out next year. Less blast beats, but heavier and better riffs. Mothman forever, or until one of us dies. Unless it's Andy, then we'll just get a new drummer. 

 

ANDY: Thanks for the interview and good luck to Mothman finding a new drummer.

 

https://mothmantx.bandcamp.com/album/answers-to-no-one

https://open.spotify.com/album/2iouLsbWYtaolxLT9ZlKZz?si=H7i4oChkQn205Ix5nyFPJQ

 

 

ATTAKTIX - Contra Order [2020]

While it might seem, that the Lithuanian punk scene is not as big or active as everywhere else - this album will serve you some hope. Probably the only d-beat band in Lithuania released their first full-length album called CONTRA ORDER. And while I am not the biggest fan of crust or d-beat (unless it's super melodic like Martyrdod or very heavy like Seitan), this album speaks to me on so many levels. Its probably because to me it feels like a hardcore punk album more than d-beat (you can also hear a bit of rock'n'roll in those riffs, as well). And I think that this is great!

Seeing these bois grow in the local scene was a real pleasure, first shows were promising, but not too strong. However, after visiting the release party gig a week+ ago I was very happy to see Attaktix are now ripping a new one to everyone in the crowd (even though masked moshpit was hysterical). Line-up changes have probably played a part, but it's mostly practice that helps you master your instrument and finally achieve the sound that transmits the real power. Opening track "Snitch" is probably the weakest in the album, but after this punk rock hit it really catches up very quickly and sounds like any good d-beat band from abroad.

The whole album goes by really quick and you get the urge to play it again and again. The duration is perfect for multiple spins. Listening to it, you definitely feel the energy, the spirit - the guys from Attaktix are definitely doing what they love! Catchy lyrics with topics almost always present in D-Beat and Crust punk, amazing catchy riffs that keep playing in your head afterwards and occasional surprise blast beats, that make some songs even more brutal and fast than it should be. Just a straight forward, honest, angry and fast album, what else do you want? The band still has shirts and tapes, show some love $$$! Also streaming on Spotify.

Interview with WHORESNATION

I was lucky enough to fall in love with the genre where there are no unreachable superstars and you are able to have direct contact with your favorite bands. This is a gift that needs to be cherished and so I am super proud to share some first hand quality content with one of my favorite gXc bands! I first saw this band in Bloodshed festival 2014 and was blown away immediately. It's fast, it's raw, it's grim and there is absolutely nothing "happy" about this Besançon machinegun grindcore bunch. I am of course talking about the one and only, punch-in-the-face for a statement -WHORESNATION.

 

Tell us about the band name and some history, what made you think "I should be in a gXc band" one morning? Which country of this world you think deserves being called that (whores) and why?

 

Whoresnation started in 2009 in Besançon France. The line up was different back then and it evolved into what's now : Lopin on guitar, the only original member, Tonio behind the drums and Pibe on vocals who joined the band in 2010. But that has recently changed again with the addition of a new bass player. As individuals we have different backgrounds and I guess that we have always all craved to play in bands and make things happening and grindcore is one big love for the three of us. As a band we've always played grindcore, trying to be as fast as possible. 

 

The name that was chosen for the band has been questioned many times but the meaning is generally understood. The idea is to play with words and reasign ideas, most, if not all nation are somehow selling them self, "whoring", to capitalism, sacrifizing the wellfare of "citizens" and jeopardazing ecology and life in general. And if it's not put on the altar of capitalism it's most likely about fascism, anyways we're fucked and the concept of nation is wicked and wrong. We target most of the nations with our name, but well, mainly occidental colonial pig countries. We are rather "no borders" and "no love for a nation", states and governments are deeply unhuman and disgusting. 

 

Of course you understand that the name Whoresnation has nothing to do with sex workers, the word "whores" remains a debate that we absolutely understand, but we've chosen to go on with it. We think that this is also a linguistic debate and we've carried our name for over ten years during which we have played about 360 shows on 3 different continents and kind of grew up with the band, we play grindcore and we stand against all kinds of oppression. We've released some EPs, splits and comps but also two albums, last one which is maybe a bit more deathy was released in 2018 and recently repressed by Lixiviat records. We're actually working on the next one.

 

It seems to be Whoresnation as a band is getting more and more serious/dark/metal/brutal. Is that image true and what are your main influences?

The speed and brutal part surely comes from the fact that at some point we played a shitload of shows and we practiced a lot, that's Lopin and Tonio's work that payed. The dark and metal part is quite new for the band, Mephitism as mentioned before is rather deathy grindcore, somehow a Death Metal thing in the atmosphere and the riffage was added. Vocals also changed to more growls. That was a natural direction that was taken as Tonio comes from Death Metal and all of us we're quite blown away by the recent new bands and productions in Death Metal with bands like Spectral Voice, Anatomia, Necrot and so on. But grindcore is our main love and we'll remain a grind band. 

 

I don't know if we are more serious but we surely sound more serious. In the band we kind of distinguish 2 eras and we're for sure prouder of the most recent and of course of our last album Mephitism. We recorded at Disvlar studio with our consigliere Steph and it was mixed and mastered by William Blackmon, their work was perfect and that was the first time we were fully satisfied with the production. So maybe all these changes happened because we are now able to do what we want, we're really excited about writing the next chapter.

 

Is Whoresnation a political band? If not just that, what are other lyrical themes? What is "Who's to Blame? What's to Blame?" about?

 

We don't really consider WxN as a political band but we surely care about this aspect, we played in many squats and autonomous places, benefit shows, of course we are a leftist individuals and the messages behind songs are politically charged and 100% anti-fascist, anti-sexist and anti-capitalist. Lyrics on the last album are a bit less explicit and darker, they reflect on the human condition in general, we can talk about drugs or work, paranoia and anxiety and so on. 

 

Who's to blame ? What's to blame ? Is some kind of tribute to the Wire, it's a song about drugs, violence, authority and cities. Lower class are always criminalized and used as scapegoat, it's about the war anti-drug and gentrification.

 

Mephitism is my favorite full lenght grindcore album from 2018. What does "Mephitism" mean and is there a concept throughout the album or rather just a collection of songs?

 

Mephitism refers to the stench, the thick and choking fuming reek. It's about the poisonous unbreathable atmosphere that our world is sinking in. We chose to remain blurry and picked a name and an artwork that are open to interpretation and let those who are curious listen to the music, check and the lyrics and make their opinion about the meaning of it.  

 

There is a very cool video of you guys playing the legendary St Vitus bar in NYC. and the list of shows you have done is... impressive. Can you tell us more about your experience in US and some of the most memorable shows outside Europe?

 

We are huge fans of live set at Saint Vitus on youtubeshit, it was super rad that Frank Huang was there to immortalized this very special moment, that was our second show ever in the USA and we had a great time. Regarding the amount of shows we played we wish we made more, it's never enough but we always managed to play as many shows as we can, it's become harder to find time with life going on but it's always been the main goal of the band: playing live. 

Unfortunately we are bit stuck with the fucked up covid situation right now: we were supposed to make our 3rd North American tour in May with No/Mas and Warfuck but it fell through and we had also to postponed our September Eurotour with Endorphins Lost. 

 

USA has always been good to us, and it's great to play there, the two coasts are really different and both are far from our European perception of things, that's also why we love playing there even if sometimes it's challenging. Bad part is to cross the border to the USA or Canada, we were always paranoiac and anxious about that, but once we were there we made great encounters and we helped by lovely and caring people. Also, weed is legal in some states and they've the best coffeeshops I've been in, that's a plus. Next year will be back there and finally do the tour with Warfuck, we're going to tour from the Maryland Deathfest to the Montreal Earslaughter Fest playing shows before and in between. 

 

Outside Europe and North America we have only played in Japan yet. It was a unreal and great experience. We will surely tour there again for the next album. Regarding our top live experiences it's a difficult one … for sure New York was a Highlight as Oakland recently was (with Ghoul and and Impaled) in this huge and amazing venue. Some shows in Japan were absolutely crazy as well with pure raw energy. Playing fest is also most of the time stimulating and rewarding, Bloodshed fest, Maryland Deathfest, Obscene Extreme, Chimpy fest etc. are always made of great memories. We love to play live, everywhere, no matter which continents. We haven't yet tour on a large zone but we hope to discover new places and scenes.

 

Do you guys get along in the band well? Any threats to kill each other after touring?

 

Of course we get along, the three of us did a lot together and we have strong bonds. Other bands sometimes describe the way we interact as dad, mom and the child. We're not always agreeing and we're sometimes discussing things but we're united. Sometimes you feel it's time to go home on tour of course, when we're tired we're a bit moody but always finish tours before it becomes a problem.

 

 

What are your favorite non-brutal bands that you find to be heavy influences?

 

Regarding the lyrics (Pibe), French Hiphop and French Punk Rock have always been two big influences, And of course books, movies, series, cultural content that are not metal, but sometimes it's also brutal. Most of the time there are references to these in the words. Musically speaking (Lopin), I would say everything with a guitar in it can be influential. You won’t hear me tell "this riff has been stolen from Neil Young" but somehow we are all classic rock made and its may show up in tiny pieces in our music.

 

Can you tell us more about Deaf Death Husky records, what has it been up to, what is the main driving force behind this?

 

Deaf Death Husky is my (Pibe) records and tapes label. I try to help out friends as much as possible and to put out records I love. From the age of 15 I started to run DIY label and it's a part of my life, it's a very intense hobby and at the moment it's a bit slowed down but still, I just got my copies of the Satan Album called Toutes Ces Horreurs a band with which WxN made a split with long ago. But since I have moved to Paris my activity with the label is not hectic, but the husky never dies, it takes a nap.

 

What are other French bands our readers should check out?

 

Magma that's for sure! Well in the DIY scene we have many friends and luckily quite a lot of great bands ! If you're into grindcore and angry music check Warfuck and Satan that were mentioned before but also Blockheads, Doomsisters, Chiens, Deletär, Strong as Ten, Vomi Noir and all related projects. The French scene is wide and various, luckily if you want some help to understand it Romain from Terminal Sound Nuisance blog wrote an awesome guide the French Punk Scene if you guys are interested just google "French DIY Punk Scene: The Definitive Guide" !

 

What is in the near future for Whoresnation, Will you come play Lithuania again??

 

We are supposed to play some shows in autumn (mostly domestic) but we won’t be surprised if the covid situation will make it fell apart. Hopefully we’ll be able to play our postponed North American and European tours next year. The main information is we are slowly writing songs for the new album which should be released in 2021. 

 

I (Lopin) would have think the mandatory home containment would be a great amount of time to work on new songs but I’m afraid I have to face my daily intereaction with our cruel world to get inspiration. Anyway you can expect something angrier, darker and lower. Lithuania was a really good moment last time, we would love to come back and play in Vilnius and other cities and with Faršas it would be a plus!

https://whoresnation.bandcamp.com

https://www.facebook.com/vvhoresnation

INTERNAL ROT - Grieving Birth [2020]

When someone who has no idea but is legitimately interested asks you what is "grindcore" and you start explaining that it's this super fast combination of punk rock and death metal, you probably want to show them something like this, as INTERNAL ROT from Australia is probably the perfect example. And what a treat it is to get a full length album that is closer to half an hour (±24mins) rather than some 4 minute split, almost a challenge to fill your journey to work with something else, but a perfect match for my ride. Even though all songs are only about a minute long.

Internal Rot is pure old-school grindcore at it's best with maybe a hint of gore suggested by song titles only. Very heavy, always fast (almost no slow parts) and the composition of songs is just chaos all over, with all kinds of possible rhythm combinations, but always brutal and relentless regardless of what is happening in the structure. The whole experience feels like a massive train that crushes an unfortunate car left on the railway and drags it for 24 minutes without slowing down.
Internet helps me learn the band is a 3 piece (no bass), from Melbourne and playing for 10 years now. This is their 2nd full length album and members have played in Die Pigeon Die, Super Fun Happy Slide and countless other well known names.

As for the sound - guitars are as heavy as it gets and I never felt there's no bass so it's a compensation that works. Love the occasional part-of-a-second squeaks of the strings heard after they are muted and the next riff begins. The vocals are mostly deep growls without much variety, which is something I enjoy in grindcore most of the time, because it emphasizes the extremity of it's nature. The only possible criticism I have is probably that the snare could be a bit louder, because when the blastbeat starts, the whole thing is so heavy I lose the snare in the overall mass. But it might also be a matter of taste as I usually prefer ridiculous over-the-top snares that sound like empty metal buckets.

I wonder who the sad girl on the cover is, reminds me of some actress (which is probably the case as it looks like a photographed TV screen), but I always love the contrast where harsh music meets beautiful images or lyrics (think Inalienable dreamless) or vice versa. This album should become a modern classic built by the best time-tested standards. There are so many great bands coming from Australia, but this stands out in my head a bit due to how pure and simply crushing it is, very good without a need to "re-invent the bicycle". I will play it on repeat until it hurts.