Michael Sanchez- Bass
Alan Hinojosa- Guitar
Brian Beni Torres - Drums/Percussion
Katherine Leon- Vocals
One of the members didn’t participate in the interview.
1. Hello guys introduce your self and what you do in the band.
KL: Hello, I’m Katherine Leon *In n out loudspeaker interrupts. “Guest 41 please 41” everyone starts laughing.* I’m 41… I’m Katherine Leon and I’m the vocalist of the band
MS: I’m Michael Sanchez and I play the Bass
BBT: I’m Brian Beni Torres and I play the drums
AH: I’m Alan and I play guitar.
2. So who were the founding members of the band?
AH: It was me and Michael and some other guys their names were Edgar, Aaron, and David. Which left for personal reasons.
3. How do you guys feel from the past line up how things have changed.
AH: A lot!
MS: It was the musical component, the guys we were with before they had the passion for it but not the technicality. So it has improved, sky rocketed. It’s been great.
AH: Plus less drama.
KL: Oh god yes.
MS: Less drama, less bullshit. *laughs* It helps out to stay together.
4. So obviously you guys have a new singer. Do you guys feel it was was a pretty easy transition and it was accepted off the bat?
AH: Yah, they even liked it more!
MS: You can tell the difference. Before the singer was a little bit pushy. And now people take notice. People that didn’t know us pay more attention. Kathy can really get a crowd going. So it’s pretty cool.
Me: Yah, because when I saw you guys with Possessed to me it was almost a total different band compared to now. Vocal wise and everything as a unit.
KL: Yah!
5. For people who don’t know you have a demo out. Can we expect an EP or or a possible full length soon?
Whole band: Yah!
MS: We’ve been talking about it and checking what we can do. To provide people with music they want.
AH: Now, were actually going to go into the writing process. To write new and better songs. So we can get into the studio and get something done.
6. Can we expect the same songs re-recorded or just a few songs off the demo.
BBT: Umm probably not because the song we recorded on the demo were already made and we have newer songs that we all wrote together. So probably those.
7. How do guys feel about the San Bernadino show you guys just played. How was it?
KL: Bad ass.
MS: It was cool.
BBT: It was hot!
MS: You can see Kathy’s stage presence come in. Like you were there throughout the whole show. No band (at the show) has gotten really anybody to go their stage. People are just scattered all over. We where like no one is going to watch us play because people are doing what the fuck they’re doing. But when we started people are just drawn into it. That what’s pretty cool about it.
AH: It had a back yard show kinda feel to it. So it was fun.
8. You guys have played with bands like Visigoth and Night Demon. Let’s take the riff haus for example are you able to have more like lights and stuff and customize the stage more to your liking?
MS: For us it’s just straightforward we get there do what we have to do get out or stay. And leave our stamp there.
AH: Sometimes we do the lights but…
KL: The red lights were horrible.
Ah: Yah, they weren’t that powerful so it was really hard to see. So we’re still working on that on that and stage props and stuff like that to enhance the show. Because in the end of the day it’s a show.
9. Last time I saw you guys you used the intro that Night Demon uses for the chalice. Was that like a nod to them or just by coincidence?
AH: Yah..
BBT: That was done by accident.
AH: Yah, we didn’t know. Actually, It’s from Crowley.. No, it’s from Lavey’s satanic mass and it’s like’s an album of their (black) masses. It’s just like him talking and prettying much praying and shit like that. I was listening to it and it kinda fit to the song and it sounded familiar but I didn’t recognize it from the Night Demon show. Until you pointed it out.
KL: How dare you, how dare you *laughs*
10. With the writing proess does someone come with a riff or do you guys come as a unit and jam it out?
AH: Well it’s pretty much both. Pretty much, either I or Michael or Benny or anybody can come with an idea. Someone can come to practice and do something like this or bring a riff into it. It also helps we practice outside the studio. Pretty much just guitar and bass so we can get tighter. We have been messing around with new riffs. That’s why after this show we’re going to focus more on writing. So it’s a lot of different ways.
11. Any other local bands you guys are fans of.
AH: Infinite death they are friends with us.
BBT: Plauge, Hazardous Terror
AH: Hazardous Terror are good.
BBT: Cataclysmic spawn, Chemical X, The Semiautoics
AH: A good band that just came out is Morbid Eclipse. They got a really good…
MS: They got a really good stage presence.
BBT: Madrost!
AH: Shit like that.
BBT: Exmortus!
AH: Yah, they’re not that local but yah.
12. Last show Alan we were talking about your sound do you want to be labeled just as a heavy metal band and not be labled as a “thash” or “black/thrash”. Do you want to be able to add different elements and not be boxed in.
AH: Yah, now metal is kinda getting fussy. Like the newer generation want to add a lot of elements into it. I like a lot of black metal you can kinda hear it in the riffs. They don’t like black metal but it still goes through them because of the melodies and stuff like that. So we don’t want to box ourselves into a sub-genre we just play metal! We play heavy and fast and dark we just love it.
Me: So we shouldn’t expect a Funk album from you guys?
AH: Maybe, you never know. Probably Load and Re-load and St. Anger. You can expect that in about 10 years.
13. What gear do you guys use?
MS: I play through a Peavey TNT. And my bass just broke. It was an old bass but it was getting the job done. So I guess I’m getting an Ibanez later this week
BBT: I play Yamaha drums and Zildjian cymbals and drum sticks.
AH: I use a line 6 head amp it’s a tube a Peavey amp 5150 and my guitar is pretty much custom. It was a low end kinda guitar but it had good quality wood and It was a really good find. I have been working on it for about 5 years. So It’s my little Frankenstein. And Richie he plays a Les Paul through a Peavey 5150 and the cab is the same. We just try to play what we like and what sounds good. We don’t really focus on brands too much.
BBT: As long as it works and sounds good.
AH: And we get the tone that we want.
14. Do you think the Thrash trend of 2008 is over or is it still prominent.
BBT: Well the biggest sub-genre of metal is Thrash. The biggest band is a Thrash band being Metallica.
AH. Well they were a thrash band. Now, you can kinda see that it’s not really dying out.
BBT: What is really big now is tech-death .
AH: Yah, tech-death also the newer heavy metal the old school heavy metal is making it’s way back. With bands like Night Demon and Visigoth.
BBT: Also a lot of DJENT. Yah, DJENT is expensive
AH: But yah a lot of the newere generation is a lot of people wanting make things of their own.
BBT: We take the spirit of bands that we like and bring it to our generation.
15. Vocal wise what are your influences?
KL: Oh god Chuck (Schuldiner)! That was the only reason why. One day I was like fuck it I’m going to look up a song and just try it by myself and just did it.
16. Bass Influences ?
MS: Cliff, Lemmy, I like the style of heavy metal. I like how it encompasses everything I like the fills. I’ve been playing bass instruments since I was in Elementary school. I played the Tuba. It taught me that the focus isn’t the bass but it’s really what everyone else depends on. That’s where I push my tone into it. I find that sweet spot where everything goes together.
17. Drum influences?
BBT: Black Sabbath, Bill Ward, John Bonnam, Mitch Mitchell, Lars Ulrich, just doom. I like doom that influences me a lot.
18 . Guitar influences?
AH: For me music wise it’s a lot. I’m really inspired by a lot of classical stuff. Like Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky all of that. When I write I like to make melodies kinda of like that. But guitar wise it’s Ace Freehly from Kiss that’s the reason I started playing guitar. And you can kinda tell from my style. Also, Doyle from the Misfit. He’s really aggressive and straight to the point riffs and he beats the shit out of his guitar on stage. That’s what I picked up from.
ME: the Misfits rule!
AH: Yah
BBT: Yah, Michael Graves forever.
ME: I’m shocked I never find people who like the Michael Graves era. I think it rules.
BBT: Yah, famous monsters and freaking Pumpkin Head that is one of the heaviest Misfits songs. There is.
AH: Yah, those fucking riffs dude it’s like pretty much Heavy Metal mixed with Punk Rock.
BBT: It’s a heavy metal singer singing in a freaking punk band,
AH: But the guitar is pretty much heavy metal too.
18. Music wise what’s something people wouldn’t think you would like? Like for example the Kaiser Chiefs.
BBT: Fleetwood Mack! I love Fleetwood Mack!
AH: Me I listen to a lot of 80’s kinda pop. Like… A lot of shit like that. It’s my guilty pleasure. I don’t even want to name the bands..
KL: Do it! Just do it!
AH: OK, Okay..
KL: Don’t say Nirvana.
AH: No, that’s 90’s. Pretty much stuff like Blondie.
BBT: I listen to a lot of Blondie.
ME: Like new Wave Stuff?
BBT/AH: Yah…
BBT: A lot of Joy Division..
AH: Trans-x Living on video like shit like that. Just the melody if it has a good catchy melody that’s what I like.
BBT: A lot of Joan Jet! I listen to that.
AH: Oh yah Joan Jet!
KL: the B-52’s
MS: I listen to everything I like gangsta rap, like NWA, I also like Chicano rap.
BBT: I think Chicano rap has like the best beats.
ME: I’m kinda out of questions but thanks for your time!
Some pictures from the show below! Darkult killed it! Even though it wasn't the best stage or venue they gave it a 100%. Once they started a lot of people really gathered around their stage. Katherine during one of the songs ran into the pit. They sounded tight and the whole set was good. If you can see them I suggest you do. After the interview I came back to the venue to watch Skeletal Remains and other bands. However, the promoter would not let me back inside. He then told me there was no in's and out's (there was no signs). Even though many people were walking in and out of the venue. They tried to get me to pay a 10 dollar re-entry fee. Even though I had already payed them ten dollars before hand. So I left and didn't get to see any of the other bands. So, I'm sorry I couldn't had more of a review for you (the readers). However, it was still worth it to see Darkult! They rule!
https://www.facebook.com/Darkult