Disease Process Interview

[douchebag]

This is an interview I performed with the most righteous dudes from Disease Process for my blog: Where Religion Ends: http://wherereligionends.blogspot.com Enjoy!


I'm always excited when I find out about new grindcore. Especially Australian based bands. When I received an e-mail from Joel, I didn't know what to think except the name sounded cool. Little did I know that I was about to load the years best grindcore album into my media player. Yeah I said it. Anyway, these cool dudes took some time out to answer some of my questions....

WRE: Who's in the band and what are your duties? Since there's very little information online about you guys give us a little bit of background about the band and the members. Give us the who, what, when, where, and why of Disease Process.

Todd: The band is and will always be Joel on vocals, Jon on drums, Dave on bass and Todd on guitar. There might still be a band if one of us was missing but it wouldn't be DISEASE PROCESS.

WRE: How did Disease Process form?

Joel: Jon, Todd & I had been jamming in an avant-garde doom drone project called "Fill The Skies With Steel" but as we actually began writing songs as opposed to just improv jamming the tone took on a much more focused and aggressive stance. Needing a bassist to fill the sound out Enter Dave.. from there you have what Disease Process is today.

WRE: Have you guys been in any other bands? If so which ones?

Jon: During 2003 - 2009 I played bass then guitar for The Furor; black/death metal inspired by bands including Angelcorpse, Absu, anything crazy. I've also played in a number of other bands over the years. Cuntscrape, Hated by Humanity and Goatrapist to name a few.

Joel: Ten2Go, Agony, Death Grenade, Fill The Skies With Steel, Shotgun Wedding, Rhino Slumber.. along with many others.

Todd: Yeah like we said before Joel, Jon and I (Todd) were playing in "Fill the Skies", before that a few years earlier Joel and Dave were in a ska/crust band called "Ten2Go" (and so was Todd for about two seconds). And of course Jon was known as Killmachine in the black metal group "The Furor". Other notable bands members were in are - "Death Grenade", "Agony" and "Cunt Scrape". None of the bands we were in before touched DxP in style, this band is unique. Black metal, grind, crust punk are all on equal footing and it's evident when we gig that fans of all three styles are listening to what we are doing.

WRE: How did you come up with the name Disease Process?

Joel: It's the nature of mankind. Love or hate we are all a cancer on the face of this earth. Poisoned by greed and pride we relentlessly slaughter both habitat and self in hopes to appease the false prophets that we bow before. As a species we are flawed, weak and intolerable. We are the cancer. Humanity is the DISEASE PROCESS.

WRE: Did you ever change the name before you came up with Disease Process?

Dave: No.

WRE: How long have you guys known each other/been friends?

Jon: I've known Todd since we were very young, although I lost contact for a number of years, in 2008 I caught up with him, unaware that we played music in similar scenes with the same musicians. I met the other guys in the last few years.

Dave: I've known Joel for around 6 years and I've known Todd 5 years. Jon i met 2 years ago.

Todd: We have all known each other for fucking years. We are all mates, go out for dinner, go to each others houses and listen to music together, steal each others music!

WRE: You guys are from Perth Australia, how is the crust, grindcore, punk, and metal scenes there?

Todd: We have a really supportive scene everyone encourages everyone to get better (mostly by being amazing and everyone having to be just as good Hahah) the only thing I see wrong with anything is the fact that there is hardly any cross pollination at the moment.

Joel: Saying that there are some incredible bands like - SUFFER, WARTHREAT, MAXIMUM PERVERSION, THE HUNT, THE CRAW, NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT, HELTER SKELTER, DROWNING HORSE, FOREIGN AIDS, and LIE CYCLE.

Jon: People are enthusiastic but identity can be a struggle. It's just my opinion but I think there should be more bands like Sadistik Exekution, Destroyer666 in Australia. Having said that I should mention that I come from a black metal background; I don't know much about the crust, punk or grindcore scenes.

WRE: Your lyrical content is anarcho in nature, do you feel the lyrics or music to be more important in Disease Process?

Joel: The music is as much a vessel for the words as is the words are a reflection of the music.

Todd: It's one and the same, the vocals are another instrument! Sure they have the massive job of getting the theme of not only the song but also the band across but it's not a matter of lyrics vs music because they go hand in hand.

WRE: In correspodences between Joel and I he said a lot of lyrical content is also attacking the Proletariat, what is that exactly?

Joel: Hahaha, you must have taken me out of context. The lyrical content is not an attack on the proletariat but rather the truth and sorrow that lies in the hearts of the down trodden and disenchanted. We are the proletariat. The Working Class. The low income earners. The scum that fuel our economy.

WRE: You also have lyrics attacking religion for their injustices, and corrupt government and people that support this, is that a global message?

Dave: Religion has no right in governing our world/countries; government should be about what's best for THE people, NOT what's best for my people.

WRE: Who writes your songs? Is it a group effort or is there one band member that does most of it?

Jon: We all have input in the writing process. I contribute more on arrangements, but if they let me play as many blast beats as I can get away with I'm happy.

Todd: Joel writes all the lyrics, Dave and I write the riffs, and Jon pretty much writes the structure. We all contribute I walk in and say this is what I've got, or Dave says it, and we play start playing riffs, Joel sits in the corner writing lyrics and saying things like I feel that it should go in this or that direction and Jon quietly blast beats away before stopping and saying that should be longer or we can move those parts around in a different order. And the best bit is the only person who ever goes "nah that is shit" is usually the person who comes up with the riff!

WRE: I know that American government is tyrranical and corrupt is it also like that in Australia?

Todd: I don't think the Aus government is corrupt per sè just ineffectual, I mean the decision makers just seem to revolve around useless issues and stands against pointless fear, fear which they and the media build up to support themselves, case in point- refugees. The average Australian is fucking terrified of a couple of hundred people every few months turning up in old leaky boats, apparently these people are dangerous criminals, what do we do? We lock them up, no charges because really they haven't done anything, every night on the "news" someone is bleating about stopping the boats and how the current govt. (doesn't matter which govt.) is a soft touch blah blah blah, it's all bullshit, it doesn't matter who you vote for they are all useless. So corrupt probably not, pointless definitely.

WRE: What other lyrical themes do you guys use in your songs? Do you see them changing ever over time?

Joel: Some more Eco & (Anti) Humanitarian issues. It is still the Disease Process that drives the lyrics. An overwhelming disdain for the arrogance of Human life and the careless and reckless impact that we have had upon our own inhabitat. And as always the separation of church and state.

WRE: What bands are influential to you guys in the grindcore/hardcore/black metal/punk scenes? Is there any bands from other genres that you guys consider influential to your music and lyric writing for Disease Process?

Todd: I don't really know how to answer this, I don't say I want to sound like this or anything like that, I just write what I like to hear. I think you can hear touches of what I listen to, bits and pieces of guitarists and bands that I grew up with, but mostly what influences me is music I definitely don't want to sound like hahaha. seriously? I dunno I just wanna make the best music I can, the guys in the band, the bands at our rehearsal space- warthreat, suffer these are who influence me.

Jon: For Disease Process I take inspiration from a certain style of black metal drumming found in such bands as Enthral, Satyricon, early Dimmu Borgir and combine it with the aggression of grindcore and punk.

Joel: El - Ahariah. Disguster. Avulse. there is some incredible raw & punishing Black Metal coming out of the US at the moment. But locally bands like SUFFER, WARTHREAT, DROWNING HORSE, FOREIGN AIDS, and THE HUNT.

WRE: Is there any literature, other types of artwork, or people that have been influential in shaping the message that the band has?

Todd: absolutely- Richard Dawkins, Peter singer, Nietzche, Robert Browning, John Milton, Edward Munch, Marquis de Sade, Troma, David Lynch, and Reed Ghazala.

Joel: William Godwin, Louis Theroux, Emma Goldman, Aleister Crowley, Werner Herzog, Clive Barker & Virginia Bolten.

WRE: What's everyone's current favorite band?

Jon: I've been listening Taake a lot lately, their latest album 'Noregs Vaapen' has proved to be particularly enjoyable. Absu are still causing my understanding of reality to shatter in the evidence of their latest work, once again they have not disappointed with 'Abzu' this year. Faith No More have been given attention lately too. Aphex Twin, Suicide, Goblin ..

Dave: Dancehall Satan.

WRE: If you had to describe Disease Process in 5 words what would they be?

Todd: Brutal, honest, uncompromising.

Jon: I wouldn't, I'd join together 10 words as one so I could communicate my ideas with 50 words or less, it would be a lot easier.

Dave: Angst, equality.

WRE: What are your current plans?

Todd: I just want to keep writing music, get better keep pushing ourselves to go places with our music we haven't been before and to play stuff that no one has heard before! right now our next release is a split 7" with Massgrav from Sweden, which I'm really looking forward to releasing should be out fucking soon!! Then after that it's back in the studio for our 12".

WRE: Do you guys play live often? If so what was your favorite show you've played and why? What was your least favorite show?

Todd: Not as often as some bands but enough, I know that playing live is meant to almost be the be all of playing in a band but at this stage I am really happy with how we are going. But the favorite so far would be Bastardfest,Not as often as some bands but enough, I know that playing live is meant to almost be the be all of playing in a band but at this stage I am really happy with how we are going. But the favorite so far would be Bastardfest.

Dave: Favorite place to play is 208. its a house that has had punk shows in the lounge room since i can remember.. at least 10 years, favorite show Bastardfest!

Jon: We play every once in a while. I'm not interested in gigging constantly, all the shows have been good though. Bastardfest recently was a highlight.

WRE: Was your self titled cassette self produced or did you use someone else to produce it?

Todd: We recorded the album with Brett at Sound Suite studios, our home as a band. We practice a couple of times a week there. Brett was our first and only choice. We have recorded with him so much he knows us he knows our band and he knows our sound. I know one take, home 4 track recordings are punk but I don't give a shit about that. We have up to six guitar tracks, the same amount of vocal tracks even the drums and bass have more than one track per song. When we play live it is no nonsense full speed ahead and fuck you if you get in our way, on the recording we wanted some fucking big sound so...record a big fucking sound is the answer and Brett did a great fucking job, he always does.

WRE: Is the DIY ethic important to Disease Process as a band?

Joel: Its a Punk thing at heart but more realistically its because there is no other choice. We all have full time jobs, lives, family's. There is no rock star dream just cathartic audio expression & good friends.

Todd: Of course DIY is important, we are punks hahaha, we record our own demos on the four track (even if we didn't do the album that way) in the studio and at joels place. We found out the costs to do everything, we released the album on my label Rest in Punk, Dave (bass) designed the cover layout, we even cut out the covers by hand on the kitchen table hahaha. Is there any other way to release an album?

WRE: Have you found the internet and blogs beneficial to helping the spread of your message and music?

Jon: Yes, of course. The internet has exposed everything really. I feel it is now the responsibility of the musician to focus on creating something worth downloading for free and to hope that music fans will appreciate it enough to want to make a purchase.

Joel: Very much so. the network of blogspots is incredible. Tape trading for the digital age. We as a band will always endevour to post all releases on both our offficial site : http/diseasexprocess.blogspot.com for free & on our band camp for a minimum cost : http/restinpunkrecords.bandcamp.com For digital releases but any physical releases can be purchased from Todd restinpunkrecords[at]gmail.com

WRE: Do you guys have any plans to go on tour in the future?

Todd: Fuck yes, we have already been invited to tour pretty much all of south east Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia from Johor Baru to KL up to Penang then across to Singapore) with a few friends of ours over there which will hopefully be next year fingers crossed. Also because of the split with Massgrav I'd really love to do Sweden, Finland, Norway and Russia but the cost is gonna be massive from Australia!

WRE: In e-mail correspondence Joel had told me some of the new material is going to be a little different. How do you guys approach growth and writing new material?

Todd: Our new songs are getting a lot more complex, we are really starting to push the mix of crust punk vs black metal the d beat vs the blast beat. Also whilst our old songs are fast the new ones are 50 times faster and longer. And I really think we aren't doing it consiously it's just a natural progression.

WRE: Do you guys have any advice for people wanting to start their own band?

Jon: Don't worry about fitting inside the box or emulating your favourite bands/the scene whatever. This is a distraction from your goal to create something interesting. Just keep refining your music until it sounds good, pay attention to the flow of the song structure when writing, if anything tastes bad, chances are it just needs a bit of ironing out - don't throw the baby out with the bathwater plus if all else fails, blast beats.

WRE: What are your guys thoughts on the global society we are all living under?

Joel: To the lesser extent you and I are lucky! At least our governments offer the guise of a democratic office, they lie cheat and steal but all behind closed doors baring the occasional media bating. The weight of oppression we feel bares nothing of that does someone living in a tyrannical totalitarian and sometimes hostile situation.

Todd: It's a fucking sad state of affairs we live in today. This world is fucked and let's be honest only about 10% of the world is responsible. We live in capitalist world and we are all guilty, we all buy in,... 80 dollar bullet belt! Friends in Malaysia live on less than that for a week, food rent - everything. We are destroying the world bit by bit.

WRE: I humbly thank you guys for the interview. Do you have any final words, comments, thoughts, websites we should check out?

http://suffersuffersuffer.blogspot.com
http://www.thehuntperth.blogspot.com
http://www.drowninghorse.blogspot.com
http://www.warthreat.blogspot.com
http://negforce.blogspot.com
http://www.myspace.com/thecrawsuck
http://skeltahelta.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/deathgrenade
http://www.myspace.com/filltheskieswithsteel
http://diseasexprocess.blogspot.com

WRE: Once again guys, I thank you! Keep the filth & take it sleazy!

[EverybodyLoveEverybody]

uber cool

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nice halway