From the Dark Past: Beer Reebs of Hod, August 2010

I have definitely seen Hod more times than any other band.  I lost count years ago, but up to the point they split (mid-2015), it might even have been in the triple-digits.  One of those times was at the old Emo's in Austin in August of 2010.  This was before I knew any of the band members other than TA (bass), who invited me to my first Hod show in March of 2010.  I was standing outside a Motorhead show after they played hoping to meet Lemmy, and I remember I was wearing my Kreator "Pleasure to Kill" shirt.  Up walks TA, who handed me a flyer for another show taking place a few blocks over.  I still have the flyer, and although UtS alumni Nosferion played, I didn't actually see them (womp womp).  

But Hod fucking slayed that night, and a few months later, I interviewed their singer, Beer Reebs after a ripping set.  Again, pardon my interviewing ability as I was still learning the ropes, especially with in-person interviews.  Anyway, here's the text with some minor editing for clarity.

1. JH: I understand Hod has undergone some lineup changes since "Serpent" was released last year. Would you like to introduce the new band members?

Beer Reebs: Well, honestly, we got T [Trans-Am] on bass and that's pretty much all that needs to be said. The [previous] bass player [Derek Rivers], he had some cancer problems. As far as the second guitarist, we're working a session person right now.  [7/13/2015 - At this time, this was Dustin, formerly of Khringe, Doom Siren, and more.  He also books plenty of awesome shows]

2. JH: How is the recording process for the new album going?

BR: The recording process for the new album is still going. We're doing the drum tracks first, and it's still going, we've had a couple of minor setbacks in the fucking recording process, but it's running smoothly.

3. JH: What can fans of "Serpent" expect from the newer Hod material?

BR: Better shit. We've got nothing bad to say about "Serpent", but with the new album, we've all come together as one single unit as opposed to five motherfuckers that just killed everybody on their own anyway. So now we're five motherfuckers that kill everybody acting as one single unit killing everybody.

4. JH: Do you have any song titles planned out for the new album that you'd be able to share?

BR: We got "Walking Wounded", which is an FBI term about people who are abducted and sexually tortured, mentally abused and tortured, and you don't know what's going on. We've got "In the Den of Wolves", which is basically, "you're in the wrong place at the wrong time"...

JH: It's a very Destroyer 666 kind of vibe I'm getting.

BR: You can do that, yeah.

5. JH: Your vocals are very distinct, they seem to vary from a putrid growl to a devilish croak. What are some of your influences, and how did you develop that style?

BR: Well, fuck, man, I'm a firm believer in "if you can't do it, don't do it." We've worked with the same producer, engineer, whatever you want to call that shit, I don't know, I'm not a professional guy. We've worked with the same guy, he's worked with me in my other bands, my metal bands, and he knows how to do my vocals. Like I said, again, "if you can't do it, don't do it", but it's...[Beer was distracted and lost his train of thought here]...What was the question?

JH: Basically, what are some of your vocal influences?

BR: Vocal influences, I'd have to say Jeff Clayton from ANTiSEEN, John Tardy from Obituary, Michael D. Williams from Eyehategod, you know, any of the dead horse guys, I mean, it goes on, you know.

6. JH: How are Hod's lyrics usually written, like, [how does] the process usually go?

BR: I write all of the lyrics and vocals, and in my opinion, the lyrics and the vocals are the last thing that matter, so until I get the song down, I don't write lyrics until I feel what the song feels. It'll always be nasty, it'll always be ugly, it'll always be the bad guy, always being on the wrong side of the tracks. It'll always be fucking metal. But, the lyrics are the last thing that will be involved in any song. I may not have anything to do with the music outside of arrangement, telling them to do this or that, but the music comes first, and the music puts me in the mood for what it is I sing about.

7. JH: Texas is proving to be the home of a ton of up-and-coming true extreme metal bands, would you like to tell us about some of your favorites?

BR: Oh, I'd have to give a shout-out to Hexlust from Kileen, those motherfuckers, those are our little brothers.

JH: ...Who happen to be playing a show tonight in San Antonio, but unfortunately, we couldn't be in two places at once.

BR: We can, but we just can't let the rest of ya'll know about it.

JH: [Laughs] If we told you, we'd have to kill you.

BR: We'd have to kill you. Actually, we're gonna kill you anyway. [Laughs before returning to the question] Hexlust, Butchered Saint's a good band, Engaged in Mutilating really puts themselves out there, and they work it. Doom Siren from Austin are good friends of ours, you know, we can go on.

8. JH: On that note, you play a lot of local shows. What are some of your favorite venues to play in Texas?

BR: Houston has always done us good, Walter's, and their promoters. In San Antonio, the Ten Eleven is awesome, it's a venue run by guys that are in a van, no, a band, not in a van, they tour, they respect everything. That's a good venue. In Austin, we've been taken care of at Emo's, we've been taken care of at Room 710 lately, we always played at...no, no, we got taken care of at Red 7, we were always taken care of at Room 710, we miss that place. It just depends on who's booking the show.

9. JH: Thank you very much, for the interview, Beer! Any last words you'd like to throw out in order to conclude this interview?

BR: Support real fucking metal!  If you do not go out to shows, they're not gonna come back!  [7/13/2015 - Truth, see Lethal Aggression: "No Scene".]

From the Dark Past: Interview with Jeff A.D. of Birth A.D., April 2010

This is another interview I did, this time with Birth A.D. in April 2010, over five years ago. I had seen Birth A.D. (and Hexlust, for that matter) for the first time four months prior and was blown away. This also has the distinction of being the first interview I ever did, being the humble age of 19. The questions are very basic and I wasn't very good at interviewing, but everyone has to start somewhere. I want to post on this blog a bit more, so consider these interviews to be some "bonus tracks" for you loyal zine-readers out there.

1. JH: First of all, where was "Stillbirth of a Nation" recorded, and who produced it?

Jeff: We actually recorded it at a home studio, a practice space, and Mark's house. The whole thing was done on a laptop. It was about as DIY as you can get, and we were very pleased with the results. Mark did the principle production, while I got the cushy executive producer role (e.g. "fix this, more of that").

2. JH: How long did the album take to record and mix?

J: I think it took a week in total. Mark tweaked the hell out of it though, so he might have a different story.

3. JH: Birth A.D. toured Japan very early on in the band's existence. How did that
tour come about, and what are your thoughts on said tour?

J: Just Rock PR set that up for us. We'd approached them about taking other bands of ours to Japan in the past, but Just Rock was most confident about Birth A.D. finding an audience. It was a great time all the way around. Tokyo really is the way you see it in movies, and I loved that. The people there are very polite and professional, and they know how to go berserk when the time is right. If Austin was more like Tokyo, I never would have written the song "This Scene Sucks"!

4. JH: "Blow Up The Embassy" is an excellent take on the Fearless Iranians From Hell classic. Are there any other songs that Birth A.D. would be interested in covering in the near future?

J: I've thought about it, but for the most part I'm more interested in continuing to write and perform original material. DRI would be an obvious choice for us, but stylistically it's almost redundant. We could stick with the Texas thing and update an MDC song or something. The Fearless Iranians song was something that fit lyrically and musically with the rest of our material, but again I'm more concerned about making my own ideas heard. [7/13/2015: I'm still lobbying for that Carnivore cover and/or Razor "Burning Bridges]

5. JH: The music video for "Parasites Die" was released in February and was filmed in Austin. Could you tell us about the experience of shooting the video?

J: It was fun and shockingly easy. It all went exactly as I planned it, which was fortunate since I had to perform and direct the video at the same time. People showed up, they got into it, they let me tell them where to stand and what to do - it was great. Everything you see was shot in two hours from start to finish. It was validating for me because I wasn't sure how close my vision would be to the finished product, and in the end it was almost perfect. The only thing we lost was a funny shot of Jason McMaster stealing my sunglasses. That shot was too hard to light and too hard to block without prior rehearsal. Headhunters really set us up nicely, and we owe a continuing vote of thanks to Billy Milano for his support of the band and arranging the shoot itself.

6. JH: On a related note, what made you choose "Parasites Die" for the video?

J: I came up with it when I was standing out in front of Room 710 about a year ago. I originally planned to be walking down Red River and shoving past people as I went. Usually if a good idea comes to me I just run with it. It could have been any song off the EP really, but "Parasites Die" had a pretty unmistakable message.

7. JH: Will Birth A.D. make any more videos from "Stillbirth of a Nation"?

J: Nothing official, no. You'll probably continue to see new live footage of us until the sun burns out, but I'm not planning anything else. The next release will have one, but ideally a label will fund that.

8. JH: Will studio versions of "Violent Retribution", "I Blame You", and "Short Bus Society" be released any time soon?

J: Soon enough, yes. We're shopping to labels right now, and as of this writing there are some promising responses. As soon as we get that sorted out, there will be a proper full-length with all-new songs and lots of touring to go with it.

9. JH: Are there any newer metal bands you've been listening to that you'd like to give a shout-out to?

J: Hod is good, and they continue to get better. Hexlust is a real blast on stage, too. Other than that I'm listening to stuff that everyone knows like the new Immolation album. It rules.

From The Dark Past: An Interview With Hexlust, January 2011

In January of 2011, I drove up to Killeen to spend a weekend with one of my favorite Texas metal bands - the mighty HEXLUST! I crashed there and watched a practice that ended in a bass-off that resulted in me getting my ass handed to me by Tarzan. After this humiliating display of four-string tomfoolery, the entire band sat with me and conducted a massive interview. Due to the length, it will not be included in any UtS issues, but I did want to share it as a glimpse to the past. I kept current commentary to a minimum but offered a few updates that were relevant.

This interview was originally published in an online publication I wrote for in college and is completely intact.

1. JH: Tony, this question was already answered by Dartanion in a recent interview with Aaron Goregrowler, but could you just give us a brief summary to how Hexlust formed and how the current lineup came to be solidified?

Tony: Well, it started back around 2005 with Dartanion and [me]. We met together and we wanted to form a thrash metal band and not just a generic metal band at all. We just wanted to play what we love. A couple of years later, after several guitarists going through our lineup we met JT at Guitar Center, and the rest is history. We had another bass player who unfortunately quit, and JT and Keith were actually in another band called Nautilus. They broke up and we asked Keith to hop in, so it's just been the four of us since 2008.

2. JH: Now, first things first, Hexlust has a new logo, how did that come about?

JT: Well, our good friend from [Austin crossover band] Birth A.D., Jeff, he's a good friend of ours and he's also a good friend of renowned tattoo and metal artist Jon Zig, and [Jeff] gave him out old logo...

Dartanion: That I drew! *Laughs*

JT: ...That Dartanion drew, and the rest is pretty much history.

JH: That's the second question in a row you've answered with "...and the rest is history"! [Everyone laughs]

JT: [When finished laughing] And yeah, Jeff actually sent us an e-mail with a logo that Jon Zig did for us, he sent us an old logo, it was a metallic-looking logo that we all didn't really like that much, and then he had him do it again, and that's the current logo we have now, and that's pretty much it there. We all like it. It took us years to decide a band logo - I mean, you don't understand how long it took us to come up with a logo - so we're really glad we have this one.

3. JH: Now, since this is the first full-band interview Hexlust has ever done, I'm gonna ask everyone to go around and cite some of their individual influences. Tarzan, you're closest, we'll start with you.

Keith: Cliff Burton [of Metallica], of course. The first song I ever learned was "Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)"...well, the first one was "Smoke on the Water", then it was "Anesthesia". Then, Steve Harris [of Iron Maiden], 'cause his fills are great. I pretty much just mock his fills every chance I can. Well, I wouldn't say "mock", copy [is what I'd say]. And Alex Webster [of Cannibal Corpse], because he's blond and awesome [laughs], and probably like eight-hundred other bassists that I can't think of, but those three are always together.

Dartanion: For me, on top of everything, is Tommy Lee [of Motley Crue] and Dave Grohl [of Nirvana/Foo Fighters]. Then, as far as my direct influences for Hexlust, it's Igor Cavalera [of Sepultura], and...what's his name?

Tony: Dave Lombardo?

Dartanion: Pete Sandoval! [Everyone laughs] Igor Cavalera and Pete Sandoval [of Morbid Angel] are the main ones. I've been playing a lot of Sepultura songs, and that's mainly it in terms of direct influences for Hexlust.

JT: Me, well the reason I picked up a guitar in the first place, love him or hate him, is because of Dave Mustaine of Megadeth. I mean, I know a lot of people think he's an asshole, and he kinda is most of the time, but [he's a] great guitarist regardless. As far as a direct influence on Hexlust, definitely Trey Azagthoth from Morbid Angel, I worship the ground that he walks on for his guitar playing. Who else? Kreator, love Kreator, "Pleasure to Kill", pretty much everything up to "Coma of Souls". I love Finnish death metal, Antti Boman [of Demilich] is really good, pretty much any old-school death metal band you could think of that isn't Cannibal Corpse. [Everyone laughs]

Tony: As far as influences for playing guitar, it would have to be Eddie Van Halen, I really liked his stuff from the first three or four albums. Piggy from Voivod and Daisy Berkowitz from Marilyn Manson & The Spooky Kids. I really like his stuff because of his tones. Now, as far as the band is concerned, I guess you could say rhythm-wise, Max Cavalera from Sepultura. I really like his complex rhythms, especially on the album "Schizophrenia", "Beneath the Remains", "Arise", all those great albums [JT nods in agreement]. Also, I forgot the guitarist's name for Sarcofago...

JH: Wagner?

JT: Wagner?

Dartanion: After "INRI", Wagner took over on guitar.

Tony: Wagner "Antichrist", "The Laws of Scourge", on that album his tones are amazing. I try to mimic those tones very, very closely, that's why I have that chorus sound. That's pretty much for the band.

4. JH: How is a typical Hexlust song written and arranged?

Tony: I come up with the skeleton riffs, just whatever comes across my mind. I'll start playing and if I really like it, we'll unfortunately come across cryptonesia, which Dart will explain in a second. It's something that's plagued our band recently, so Dart, I'll let you take care of the rest.

Dartanion: Well, basically...[a puppy wanders into the rehearsal space]...Puppy! [Pets dog]

JH: I'm including that. [Everyone laughs]

Dartanion: Basically, cryptonesia is when you unwittingly rip somebody off thanks to your subconscious memory. You think you've invented something new and awesome-tastic when in fact somebody has already done it before, and that has happened to us a couple of times and it's one of our biggest obstacles when writing songs.

Keith: Like, JT wrote "Leprosy" [by Death], something from "Blessed Are The Sick" [by Morbid Angel], and just recently, "Gorgoroth" by Gorgoroth.

JT: I wrote "Antichrist", by Gorgoroth from the "Antichrist" album.

Tony: What was something you and I wrote? Bass-wise, I remember you were playing it and was like...

Keith: Sarcofago? "Nightmare"? Yeah, but it's a little different, though, and I'm going to use that riff somewhere. [Everyone laughs]

JT: Eventually, Tony writes a lot of the main chunks of riffs, and Keith and Dart usually figure out how to get it all going. I suck at writing riffs, I aLways have, apparently [laughs], but, I mean, I'm known in the band as usually giving the one or two riffs in a song where it just meshes it together and it completes the song. That's usually how it goes.

Keith: I'm trying to write a little more to help Tony come up with awesome riffs and songs.

JT: And I'm trying to come up with more riffs.

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5. JH: The Hexlust tunes that are available online and on the demo are very gritty and raw, and very reminiscent of "Morbid Visions" in terms of production...

JT: [Fist pumps] Yes!

JH: That is a compliment.

Dartanion: That is exactly what we were trying to be back then.

JH: [Returning to original question] Would you ever think to re-record those songs with cleaner production, or stick with the old, grimy goodness?

Dartanion: Yeah, [we would] absolutely re-record them. If not just to get a cleaner sound, or whatever, not just because of that, but because we can play them better now.

JT: And faster!

Keith: We play them faster. The old recordings, when I listen to them...when we recorded them, we were like "Wow, this is the fastest we've ever played", and now I listen to it and think, "Wow, we were [in falsetto] slow!"

Tony: Like [Sepultura's] "Troops of Doom 1990" versus "Troops of Doom 1985".

Dartanion: Exactly.

JT: That's kind of our philosophy in this band, we like to slow things down, but we pretty much play fast, all the time, as much as possible.

Keith: King Fowley [of Deceased] told us that, he shook our hands and said "You're fast!"

JT: King Fowley from Deceased, that was awesome.

6. JH: And on that note, are there any plans for any future recordings? [Looks at JT, everyone laughs]

Keith: JT's been promising somebody! So what have you been promising, JT? [Laughs]

JT: I've just been promising the people that new songs are being written - which they are...

Dartanion: They are.

JH: I've heard them!

JT: ...And as soon as we polish them up we'll record them as soon as we can. I told people, and I'm teling you this now [looks at camera, everyone laughs], the reason why we're not rushing to record is, as a band, we're not worried about how many records we sell, we're not worried about being signed, we're worried about writing the best possible music we can, and however long that takes, that's just the time it'll take. If it's going to be eight songs of fantastic music we would rather have that than have eight songs of garbage. So, I'm sorry, but I'm really not [everyone laughs].

7. JH: Hexlust have quite a few songs written that haven't been recorded, and I'm going to list them and whoever wants to say some of their thoughts on them, can.

JT: I think that's going to be all of us.

JH: "Baphomet Dawn"

Tony: When we first started recording the demos back in 2008, we had like, two riffs that [were] going to be "Baphomet Dawn", and before "Fucked by Fire", that was the longest song we took, it took us a year and a half to write that song. So now, I'm more than happy to record this song, of course it's eventually going to be recorded. I think it doesn't need any further polishing, I like it the way it is.

Dartanion: Pretty much, it's our long, slow, epic song.

JT: I remember when we first started jamming on that song, we couldn't find a middle part, and one day at practice I was just dicking around, and came up with the middle part.

Dartanion: Yes, perfect example of JT being the riff-saver.

Keith: None of us can figure out how the hell it's supposed to be played...

JT: I know how it's supposed to be played! [Laughs]

Keith: Like, we tried, and we were supposed to be jamming with somebody, and he was like "Hey, why don't you hop in on this?" and we tried showing him it and couldn't.

Dartanion: We can't think about it, we just have to play it.

JT: It's one of those things. It's definitely our slowest song, and I love it.

Dartanion: [It's] very heavy.

JH: Next up, "Fucked by Fire".

Dartanion: That song has gone through a lot of different incarnations, Tony had that written back in 2008 and we thought we had a completed version of it. Then, we hated it and tried to change it up, then we got stuck. Almost two years later, Tony finally completed it and Tony added lyrics. That's the first step for Hexlust into more...I don't want to say "technical" because we're not that good [laughs]...just wackier songs. There we go, wackier songwriting with wackier riffs.

Tony: It's not linear thrash with [just] open-A...

JT: It's not shitty new Bay Area thrash metal! [Everyone laughs]

Keith: Now we'll never play the Bay Area! [Laughs]

JT: Sorry, someone had to say it. [Laughs]

Dartanion: Next song.

JH: "Meganecropolis".

Keith: "Meganecropolis" is my second brainchild for Hexlust...After jamming on [the first song] for a month...we just decided to ditch that song and move on to "Meganecropolis", I had one riff that I jammed with Tony on, and then a year later I started forming other riffs around it, then I jammed with Dart, he helped me and we showed it to Tony and JT and Tony learned the riffs and then JT came up with that melodic middle part. Dart wrote the lyrics and it is completed, or at least near-completed. I originally wrote lyrics for it, but Dart decided he could do a better job and he did do a better job, and we're deciding to go with his.

JH: Well done, Dart!

Dartanion: Thanks.

JH: Next, "Hellhammer".

Dartanion: Little backstory, after "Baphomet Dawn", which at that point was our most complex, most technical song, Tony decided to jump in the opposite direction and write the most primitive song he could think of.

Tony: I locked myself in your room to write that one! [Laughs]

Dartanion: It started off [as] he was supposed to write riffs that kinda were inspired by Hellhammer and old Celtic Frost and it ended up being just a massive tribute.

Tony: And it is not a cover!

Entire band: It's not a cover!

JT: People think it's a cover, and that leads me to believe that none of you who say it's a cover have ever listened to Hellhammer. [Laughs]

Dartanion: Thanks, JT, now we're gonna get out asses kicked! [Everyone laughs]

Keith: [As if transcribing] "Omit JT's thoughts".

JT: Again, someone had to say it! [Everyone laughs again]

JH: Next one, "Imminent Retardation".

Tony: That one was originally supposed to be an instrumental...we actually played it back in 2009. There's actually a video on YouTube of us...

Dartanion: Our "Fuck Austin" video? [Everyone laughs]

JH: That one?

Tony: [Laughs] I said that because I was [mad] at the traffic!

JH: "This Scene Sucks" [Everyone laughs]

Tony: Yeah, then Keith and Dartanion approached me and said "We need to write lyrics" and I said "You're crazy, no lyrics would fit there!" Dart came to me with this idea of lyrics. He gave me them, and I hated them! [Everyone laughs] Except for Keith's parts, I loved Keith's parts, so I wrote around that part and it came out pretty good. It's kind of something like "Idiocracy", like the musical version of "Idiocracy".

Dartanion: It's kind of our only "social commentary" song where we're just talking about our dissatisfaction with the world.

Tony: It's a warning - cherish your brain, 'cause it could go away!

Dartanion: That's why I wanted lyrics to be in it, because I feel like we actually had something to say and to not actually say something would be a waste.

JT: I think out of all our Hexlust songs, that one is probably our most technical song.

Dartanion: It doesn't help that it's non-stop fast.

Keith: That's the hardest song, I think, to play for me.

Tony: The sad thing is, we added lyrics to it, and I sang it, and was like "We sound like Birth A.D." [Laughs]

JT: But that's a good thing!

Entire band: Hi, Jeff!

Tony: We love your stuff! [Laughs]

JH: Last, but not least, "They Conjure".

Tony: That's another song I wrote, it's based off the movie "Hocus Pocus", but instead of sucking the kid's souls, it's ripping the children's hearts out and eating them, lyric-wise. When I first played the riffs, JT thought it sounded like...ah, what's that Death song?

JT: "Lack of Comprehension". [Everyone laughs]

Tony: I was thinking it sounded more like the opening to the first King Diamond song from "Fatal Portrait", "Jonah", I believe that's what it's called. Dart helped a lot and Keith helped a lot. They re-wrote some of the beginning to fit the odd timings and it just came out, and we're very proud of it.

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9. JH: All right, completely shifting away from that question, the songs that have been recorded were recorded in 2008. Do you have any notable stories from whenever you were recording?

Keith: Oh God, "Sodomy and Lust"! [Entire band laughs] See, I was never good at that song and I would follow the guitar, which I was not supposed to do, apparently, I did not know that at the time.

Dartanion: In the middle part, or are you talking about the song overall?

Keith: The whole song, that's what I was doing, and when we were recording, it was just drums and bass, so I had no idea where I was so I struggled for a couple of takes. And then, the middle part...[makes guitar onomatopoeia]...that part I could not get right. We spent an hour or an hour-and-a-half, twelve, eight-hundred takes on it, and then Dart commented on it and said "Well, you know we could get the old bass player to come in and do that"...

JH: Ouch! [Laughs]

Keith: ...And I was like [in death metal growl] "NO!" I held up my sword and shield on that like I was preparing for battle, I told him "No, we're just gonna stop here, I'm gonna go home, practice the shit out of this riff, and we're gonna come back tomorrow and do it on the first take." Came back tomorrow, did it on the second take.

Tony: This was also the song that revealed JT's Achilles Heel...

JT: Oh yeah, let me tell you this story! I was playing "Sodomy and Lust" for what, six, seven months before we recorded the song? But the [bad] thing about that was, I was playing it wrong the entire time! So instead of [sings riff], I was going [sings different riff]. I was playing it wrong the entire time and it took me about...how many tries? Twenty, thirty?

Dartanion: A bunch.

JT: Maybe thirty or forty tries before I finally had to do the Keith method and say "fuck it, I'm just gonna go home and practice."

Tony: I think my most memorable parts of the recording is when we were doing our solos, I did all my solos in one take, and JT took...how many takes? [Laughs]

JT: It was like, twenty. Another moment: When I was doing my solo for "Toxic High", Dart was [in the bathroom] and he came out and was like, "DUDE! That was amazing!"

[Everyone laughs]

Tony: I think all three of them would agree that the defining moment was when I did vocals, and that was the first time I ever did a falsetto scream, and they didn't think I could do that. You can just imagine a guy standing in a hallway with just headphones on and all of a sudden you just hear [makes falsetto scream].

JT: It sounded terrible when he was recording it!

Keith: Like, he did that the first time, just the vocals, and I hung my head down and was like "Oh no, are we really going to put that on this song?" And we played it back and were like "that is amazing!"

Tony: So many Slayer comments when we posted that...

10. JH: JT, you've been living in San Antonio for the last few months, how has that affected the band?

JT: I've been living in San Antonio since August of 2010, and I'm not gonna lie, it's been brutal. It's been really hard, 'cause I mean, I've been with this band over three years now and these guys are like my family, so it's like...I don't get to play music that much anymore, I only play guitar by myself, and I mean...these guys are the best musicians I've ever played with or will play with, 'cause I'm going to be with this band as long as I can be. But it's been tough and I only get to go down [to Killeen] every two or three months. And like you saw tonight, when we all practice together, it's like we're playing a show. So that high energy we have during shows [is also there] when we get together and practice. And I think...do y'all do the same thing when I'm not here? What is practicing like when I'm not here?

Keith: Sometimes we get into it, but...

Dartanion: For the most part it's very relaxed.

Keith: Yeah, 'cause that's when we're crunching out the hard stuff and we're concentrating on whatever new material we're doing.

JT: But thanks to [software] Guitar Pro, and Keith's recording equipment, they can send me the new stuff that we've been writing and I learn it.

Tony: It's pretty hard, though, having a guitarist who's two hours away...you're playing and you look back [in the practice space] and there's no sound coming from that corner, you're not seeing anything.

Keith: I feel ya.

JT: It really sucks, man.

Tony: We miss him.

JT: I'm just glad I'm in the band still. [Laughs]

Keith: The only good news is that now, when we play in San Antonio, we have somewhere to crash and we don't have to drive back at four in the morning to crawl in bed and die.

11. JH: Now, you're from a town that, historically, is not rooted in thrash metal. What are some advantages or disadvantages to this?

Dartanion: Advantages: No real competition! [Laughs] Everything's really laid-back, and of course, when we do play shows around here, it ends up being kind of a mixed bag in a good way. Another advantage is that it bonds us, it keeps us together, like sometimes I wonder if we were in a big metal and thrash scene would one or two of us have strayed long ago when they got tired of all the humd-kery with writing songs? [Everyone laughs] Not being in a good thrash scene, the glue that holds us together is; we're all we've got. Disadvantages...

JH: You're all you've got!

JT: If someone were to quit the band, we'd be fucked.

Dartanion: That's pretty much it. I mean, it was hard putting the band together in the first place, but if someone were quit, or move to Sweden, or die, it would be bad.

Keith: And no one knows our covers. When we play "Open Casket" [by Death"] or "Agent Orange" [by Sodom], no one's heard those songs.

Dartanion: Dear Cyanide knew "Agent Orange".

Keith: That's true, there are a couple, but not a lot of people who have heard of that.

Tony: You can replace people in this band, but you can't replace the chemistry in the band.

Dartanion: Exactly.

Tony: If we lose JT to another guitarist, he wouldn't have JT's antics, he wouldn't know JT's jokes...

Dartanion: He'd be boring!

Keith: Or if we got some bearded guy to play bass!

Tony: It's just stuff like...we grew up as musicians, and that's a really strong chemistry, and I would hate for that to fall apart.

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12. JH: Coming up on the end here, are there any Texas bands that you really like? Playing with, listening to, basically anyone you'd like to give a shout-out to?

Keith: Hoood! Hod, the Holy Hod! Birth A.D...who else do we play with, guys?

JT: Are you saying people we would love to play with or have played with?

JH: Both.

JT: Oh, I would kill to play with Absu. I would die if we played with Absu. I would want to play with Imprecation from Houston, Divine Eve is really good, too. Jeff A.D. from Birth A.D. got me into that band. P.L.F. is amazing, we've only played with them once but I would really like to play with them again. Aaron Goregrowler's band, Engaged in Mutilating, they're awesome! I saw them at Rites of Darkness, and I would love to play with them. And if Pyrosis ever gets going...[7/13/2015 - gee, I wonder who was in that band - Ed.]

Tony: Apart from all the bands that he just mentioned, I'd love to play with dead horse. They're probably one of the best bands. Gammacide, one of those bands who came from Texas.

JT: Oh yeah, I don't know what happened to them.

Keith: We played with Ripping Corpse.

Dartanion: No, you're thinking of Rotting Corpse.

JH: Ripping Corpse is from New Jersey, I think.

JT: Militia, I want to play with Militia from Austin again, they were really cool.

Tony: Or Watchtower, if they still play.

Dartanion: I guess as long as we're on the thing of Texas and referencing the whole "not being from a thrash scene", I would like to say "thank you" to bands around here like Painfilled Silent, Dear Cyanide, and Downsiid, who are probably the kings of the Killeen scene.

Tony: Hands Down, too.

Dartanion: And Hands Down!

Tony: Zero and Falling.

Dartanion: We've played shows with them, and they were always really nice to us and really accommodating and supportive, so even if we aren't necessarily cut from the same cloth...just, thanks to you guys for being so supportive.

Keith: Shfux are always a blast!

Dartanion: Big old thanks to Walter from Shfux.

Keith: And anyone else we may have forgotten.

13. JH: Now what about non-Texan bands? Do you have any recommendations for our readers?

Entire band: Exmortus!

Keith: Vektor! Vektor, Vektor, Vektor!

JH: What's the vector, Victor?

JT: Deceased! I would play with Deceased any day of the week. King Fowley's always been a pleasure, we've played with him three times.

Keith: Always fun, always fun.

JT: Witchaven! [Entire band echoes]

Dartanion: Those are pretty much our favorites.

Keith: There are others, I know there are others...

Tony: Shout-out to any of the Fort Worth bands, really. Insinnerator, those other black metal bands we played with...

Dartanion: Live by the Sword...

Keith: Live by the Sword! Oh my God they were so fun! [7/13/2015 - They are now the mighty Steel Bearing Hand - Ed.]

Dartanion: Preacher.

Tony: Yeah, Preacher were good.

Keith: And Amoricide, I think that's what they're called.

Tony: I wish we could play with Irony, but they unfortunately broke up.

Dartanion: Oh, and Sacrificial Blood!

Tony: They got back together and want to come to Texas! Big shout-out to Mike from Sacrificial Blood.

14. JH: Any last words, gents?

Tony: Thrash 'till Alzheimer's!

JT: And remember to keep it Hexcellent!

Tony: Come to our show, have fun!

JT: And I'm not gonna promise merch any time soon!

Tony: And when Dartanion is setting up his drums, do not talk to him! [Laughs] You don't come up to him and say [in high-pitched voice] "Dude, can I have your autograph?"

JT: He's not antisocial...

Tony: He's just really focused on his job.

Keith: Also, don't try to punch us in the face.

JH: That's good advice.

Tony: And if you want to feed us after the show, we love Lunchables!

JT: If you want to book a show, get into contact with us, because we're looking for more shows.