PRETEEN DEATHFUK - Black Metal Crust from San Antonio!!

Was Preteen a creation formed out of your other band Plutonian Shore?

- No, Preteen started while I was in Plutonian Shore. Scott (guitarist and founder) had contacted back me in 2012 asking about session work. After I left Plutonian Shore, we decided to take Preteen full force.   

Correct me if I am wrong, but was your band name was taken from the Nattefrost song?
-Yes it is.

The band definitely captures a true black metal essence but is much more crust and punk compared to Plutonian Shore. Was that a goal to go into a slightly different direction?

- The direction was already set by Scott, the crust/punk was definitely new for me. I was glad to try out something different and challenging. 

I like the video studio reports you post during the recording process. It definitely keeps your fans updated on what you are up to. What other plans to you have as for new videos and such?

- As for the band, just videos regarding the progress of our new album. As for me as a session drummer, I will be posting new videos on my other projects, as well as cover videos on my session drummer page. (www.facebook.com/bryandevastation)

From the rehearsal videos, it looks as if you practice in a storage unit. I assume you practice during the off hours. Have you ever frightened some unexpected storage tenants?

- Yes we've practiced at all hours of the day and night. As for our neighboring tenants, I would say we have shocked, if not frightened them with our practice sessions hahahah. 

I really like the cold, black and white artwork that is used for your album covers. The images definitely convey a great visual to the music. Throne of Desecration and Submit to Him have more detailed artwork but my favorites are from your first two releases I Don’t Remember and I Am Not Here. The reason being is the simplistic artwork gives me the impression that the person who created it was very unstable and ill. I don’t just mean the content, but the style. Who is the artist or artists and what are your thoughts on creating a concept?

- The artist for "I Don't Remember" was Sang Ho Moon (Misanthropic Art Productions) and "I Am Not Here" artist is Maxime Taccardi (Maxime Taccardi Artworks). Scott always wanted to capture a brutal and dark concept on the album art.

This question is similar to the previous. Who created your logo? The manic overall look definitely looks psychotic and I mean that in a good way.

- Sang Ho Moon from Misanthropic Art Productions.

A while back I saw something about Plutonian Shore getting back together. Is this true? If so, what can we expect?

- Yes it is true, however, I left Plutonian back in May 2014 and I will not be making this return with them. 

Any final greetings or future aspirations you would like to share?

Hello this is Bryan Devastation from Preteen Deathfuk. Preteen Deathfuk in currently in the works for our third Album. We’ll keep you up to date with details and videos.

Through The Never

This was actually written during the summer and forgot all out it. So finally....
As usual, I never get excited or much care about anything Metallica does these days. Like lots of people, I cherish those first 4 albums and early EPs. They never get old for me. That is an opinion that’s old news. When Through the Never was first released I wasn’t going crazy beating people down to watch it. A few years earlier I watched the DVD of the band’s film Some Kind of Monster. The movie kept my interest for sure but in the same sense it sickened me with all the childish bickering and drama. So last year when I heard about a new Metallica film it just flew passed my grasp of consideration.

The other day it was brought to my attention that Netflix was currently streaming it. A few friends told me it was complete garbage. Not one to listen to others, I had to find out for myself. Hell it was a push of a button away, so why not.

As the film started, my expectations were already low. Refreshingly, it was not just a typical concert film. The band performance is intertwined with the outlandish side story of a roadie. It very much reminds me of classic rock films like The Clash’s Rude Boy or Led Zepplin’s The Song Remains the Same.

The live footage is great, with the band cranking out great songs mostly from their classic albums. Keeping with the throwback feel, James Hetfield wears a denim vest adorned with a huge collage of patches: Discharge, GBH, Saxon, etc. All members do their best in keeping the performance interesting and animated. Of course Lars Ulrich is going wild making his “I have an egg plant ripping my anal cavity in half” pain face. With a big selling band, the stage is loaded with big budget light effects and props.

The roadie story is pretty outlandish about the adventures he has running an errand outside the venue. He sees fire in the streets, has a brutal car wreck, gets entangled in a futuristic riot, sets himself on fire, fights mobs of people…I could go on. The riot reminds me quite a bit of the similar scene from the old Charlton Heston flick Soylent Green. A motive for all the violence is never given, but then again who cares. This is an art film, plain and simple. The sequences are not original at all, but entertaining none the less.

Originally the film was released in IMAX theaters. Now after watching it in my living room, I truly wish that I saw it on the big screen. The images were gargantuan and explosive on my TV. I can only imagine how the theater experience would have been.

These days it almost trendy to hate Metallica, but I am passed that. I don’t much like any of their modern albums. However, I am glad I gave this film a chance. I can honestly say it was an enjoyable experience.

BLACK COFFEE - Houston Throwback Hardcore

I am sure this is a cliché question for you, but was your band name taken from the Black Flag song of the same title?
Yea so when Halston and I were first discussing starting this project we were going to call the band 'Gutter World', after one of our demo tracks. The name never really set well with us and 'black coffee' has always been one of my favorites Rollins era Black Flag songs both lyrically and musically, so we took that and ran with it. 

When first hearing the band’s name, my thought was that it would have a late era Black Flag type sound. However, to me, the music for the most part reminds me of Negative Approach-Government Issue style hardcore. Your thoughts?
I definitely take influence lyrically from the Black Flag song 'Black Coffee'. How it all fell together musically was basically Halston and I emailing each other back and forth on what direction musically we wanted to go with this project and what bands we wanted to take influence from. 

How so do the lyrics from the Black Flag song Black Coffee influence you? Please give some more details. Do you like the grim picture the words paint or is it something personal?
I'd say it's both. I try to be as honest and vulnerable as I know how when I'm writing lyrics, especially with Black Coffee. And I felt that was a lot of what Black Flag was doing at that time, and it really alienated them from their peers. So I don't know if I can necessarily say I like the grim picture their words paint, but I certainly respect it and at times can relate.

Throughout the Black Coffee discography, starting with the demo, your style has remained true to blistering, throwback hardcore punk. For the Livefast EP the sound changed a bit. The two tracks have a more mid tempo beat and they almost remind me of post punk. The vocals are not as aggressive and there is more experimenting with the guitars. I really liked the varied sound. Give some details on the thought process for this record.
The idea for the Livefast EP came out of our line up change at that time. Ford, our drummer at the time, was sort of on his way out and wanted to contribute more sonically before quitting. Then this Ep was also Ari, our current bass player, first recording with us. Inclusion and Mothers of the World are more of a collaborative effort. In the past it's generally been Halston bringing riffs to practice, the guys building around it, and me adding lyrics at the end. This go round each member took time to put their mark on the record.

Do you plan to continue in the direction of Livefast?
I think we're going to switch it up with the newer material. Definitely longer songs coming up, but not necessarily in the vein of inclusion or mothers of the world.

You’ve been involved in a plethora of musical projects dating all the way back to Ten Crowns. Besides Black Coffee, you are also providing vocals for Thug Boots. How did that come about and what does the future hold for this band?
Musically, Oi and RAC were definitely my first loves. I found out about hardcore through Oi/skinhead bands and had always wanted to start a meat and potatoes Oi band. Denniz and I were hanging out at a show one night and were talking about my old band Titan Blood, he said he had riffs similar to the Titan Blood demo(which was more Oi influenced) and we got together with the rest of the guys shortly thereafter. Local label Brickwall records pressed our 'elite breed' demo on CD recently and Streetrock records out of California is putting out our 7" EP 'The Justice' which should be out any day now. We're also going back into the studio late February to record our tracks for a split with Beyond Hate from Japan which Streetrock is also putting out. We're playing with Wisdom in Chains Feb 7 at the Eastdown Warehouse in Houston.

 

Doing dual duties for both Black Coffee and Thug Boots, are those both ongoing or do you take time off one project for the other?
They're both ongoing, and both fairly part time. We all have our own lives, careers, families going on and are just trying to have fun with these projects while we can.

With your split EP with Forced Fem you released a promo video for the song The Critic. I really like the video and feel that it projects the song’s chaos perfectly. I see that Denniz Polk directed it. Was it his sole concept or did the band have a particular vision?
Man that was all Denniz. I feel blessed to be good friends with someone so talented. With most projects I've worked on, I throw something his way and he just rolls with it and 99.9% of the time I love the results.

Your band blogspot used to be updated regularly with lots of interesting band information. Since then it has become dormant. Any plans on picking that back up?
Hahahahaha. Halston is the internet voice of this band and he's been ridiculously busy lately. However, he's actually working on updating and revamping the blogspot.com

Ok thanks for your time. Any final details to share?
Thanks for the interview! Our full length "For the Birds" is currently at the pressing plant. It's being released on Treaty Oak/Imbalance Arts in the U.S. and Cult Culture in the UK. Lp comes with a discography CD. Split 7" with Khobretti hopefully sometime in 2015. Check our sites for info- blackcoffeetx.bandcamp.com/ blackcoffeetx.wordpress.com/ thugboots.bandcamp.com

Gamera: Legacy Collection 1965-1999

I suppose with the new Godzilla movie doing so well in the theaters, we are seeing re-issues of old Japanese Monster Movies…or Kaiju for you nerds. Several Godzilla titles have just been released on Blu-ray and I heard a re-issue of Destroy All Monsters is hitting stores as well.

So I came across this Gamera DVD collection. I was intrigued that it had the entire movie series (11 films) with the exception of Gamera the Brave. Most of the titles I already owned on VHS or DVD. Of course these were all the American dubbed and chopped up versions, basically the versions that were shown regularly on TV in the 80s.

Initially I figured this collection was the same run of the mill versions. To my delight, these were all the original Japanese versions with subtitles. In this original format the movies flow so much better. With that being said, a highlight of this Legacy collection is the uncut version of Gamera vs. Guiron. The infamous scene of Guiron chopping Gyaos to pieces is included!

RetrOmedia and Alpha Video released some of the earlier films with a terrible transfer. Also they all were under their American titles…(Destroy All Planets, War of the Monsters, Return of the Giant Monsters, etc.). Luckily the Legacy collection is unrelated to these previous versions. These movies on the Legacy Collection do not look re-mastered, but they do look pretty damn good. Especially the premier movie of the series, Gamera: The Giant Monster. The black & white images look great. My old VHS version released in 1987 by King Features Entertainment is terrible. So the $7.99 I spent on this set was worth it for that movie alone.

New Order/Joy Division

I’ve had this DVD set for a while, but re-watching it the other day reminded me of how good it is. This is an exhaustive collection covering every aspect of the band. Both discs combined are over 4 hours of viewing. It is rare that I sit down for that long to watch television but this is an exception.

One disc is a great documentary of the band, covering their beginnings as Joy Division to the transformation into New Order. Interviews are done with the band and the supporting cast as well. The band interview is done in a laid back, intimate setting. It’s more of a friendly conversation than a straight forward interview, which I find extremely interesting.

The second disc contains all the band’s promotional videos and some live footage. New Order’s videos always break that cliché mode. Their videos are simplistic yet artistic. When viewing each video I find myself sucked into it, almost hypnotized. Michael Shamberg, who directed most of their videos, brings a unique, original vision to the music. Also included is a booklet containing an insightful writing by Shamberg detailing his times working with the band, very interesting stuff.

Nirvana: 20 Years Later

Here we are 20 years after Kurt Cobain’s suicide and Nirvana’s music is still big news. Also with Nirvana’s recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, the band’s status has risen to another level. People still flock to anything associated with the group, everything from the conspiracy murder theories to the music itself. All the long lasting media attention still pales in comparison to the whirlwind of when the Nevermind album conquered the music industry. The mania was everywhere, saturating both radio and television. Complete insanity went amok as sheep-like people jumped on the speeding ship.



I remember being a senior in high school and my thoughts the first time seeing the “Smells like Teen Spirit” video. I could hear a genuine underground punk rock ethos within the music. Did I foresee it exploding in popularity? No not at all. I figured they would be one of those cool bands that would be trapped on MTV’s 120 Minutes time slot. Of course I was quite wrong. Once the momentum grew, every idiot around was listening to Nirvana. That alone left a bad taste in my mouth. Suddenly I completely despised the band. Anytime someone spoke about them, I countered with a negative rebuttal. Something along the lines of, “fuck that weak shit, listen to Pungent Stench.” I voiced pure venom for all their singles. Looking back, I know now my juvenile hatred was mostly directed towards the majority of Nirvana’s mainstream fans. That section in time was a grand example of how the corporate train picked up on something special and completely crammed it down everyone’s throats with exhaustive promotion. When Cobain killed himself, I had just graduated Marine Corps boot camp. I was immune to his passing. He was just a pathetic junkie that killed himself. I thought it was moronic how all these people were crying as if they had known him personally. Graduation from boot camp was all that was on my mind. Upon my arrival home, I was shocked to see punk band Greenday on MTV. They were just a punk band on independent label Lookout Records that had just jumped to the big leagues. No question that Nirvana’s success had opened the door for more “punk” bands to take a stab at the limelight. That is a whole other story.
It’s funny how a person’s tastes and thoughts change with age. All these years later, I now truly appreciate the band’s work. Their discography is filled with artistic brilliance. From the early singles and the Bleach LP to the major label releases, all great material. Their songs have pop hooks but still a rough edge. They paid their dues early on with touring and living in terrible conditions. Then almost over night the band became immortal. Did the success and fame come too quickly for them to handle? Yes I think so. Were they mentally equipped for the responsibility? No, they were not. In my eyes, they were an honest, underground band that idolized the Melvins. They had a catchy sound and hoped to put out a few records. Unfortunately their ascension to the top left some casualties, but then again that’s standard practice in mainstream music.

Cassette = Crap?

Here of late there has been a growing interest in cassettes. The demand for old tapes on the Internet is surprising. Also, more and more underground bands are doing cassette only releases. Is it for budgetary reasons or nostalgia? Will it return to a prominent medium? Absolutely not, however it is an interesting trend that has taken hold.

The cassette is a unique format that can make it cumbersome for the listener to skip around searching for their favorite song. This creates an atmosphere were the listener is almost forced to experience the entire album. The argument can be made that in the past this method forced bands to create a great album from beginning to end. From personal experience, yes with a cassette I would listen to it in that manner. I did so to hear the album as a whole, but also because I hated fast forwarding.

Another point I’ve heard is the appreciation of the cassette sound. It is said to have a unique warm sound not found on CD or vinyl. I’ve talked to some who enjoy the flat tones with the fuzzy, hissing background noise. In their mind it is said to give character the same way the popping sound does for vinyl. Yes that sound may bring the listener back to years past, but it does not enrich the quality of the listening experience.

Honestly, I am not a fan of the cassette. I was glad when its mainstream format went extinct years ago. It’s not a reliable source to preserve music. Besides regular degradation, you have to be on guard watching for your player to “eat” the tape. If you grew up with cassettes you definitely know the aggravation of an “eaten” tape. Even if you’re able to repair it, the sound quality will never be the same. With that being said, I don’t think it had a great sound in the first place. Of course an unworn cassette definitely sounds better than an Mp3, but that still doesn’t win the favor of being a zenith of listening.

As mentioned earlier, lots of independent bands are going the cassette route. They like the low fidelity feel. Plus it’s way cheaper to press cassettes versus doing vinyl. I like it in the sense of it being collectible and nostalgic. These types of releases are a hot commodity to collectors that must have all the limited edition releases: color vinyl, picture discs, special booklets, etc. Collectible music items are meant to be just that, collectible. So I feel the same way about bands doing limited cassette releases. This may seem hypocritical approving of these types of releases because earlier I completely belittled the cassette format as a whole.

My final thought is the cassette is a fun novelty for limited releases but I do not understand the collectors who scour the earth searching for old tapes. Who am I to judge? If it brings them pleasure, then so be it. Who knows, maybe next the 8 track will make a comeback…..