It is I, Maris The Great!…Which members of All Shall Perish were in the band from the beginning? How did the band come about?

Ben: Matt, Mike and myself are all original members of All Shall Perish. Before the band was born, we each had our own bands that we were involved with. I played guitar for the band ANTAGONY, Mike was in BOOF and Matt was in the band END OF ALL. All three bands did a small west coast tour together, and Mike and I found ourselves jamming with END OF ALL quite a bit after we got back. When they lost members, we joined up and decided to change the name of the band to ALL SHALL PERISH.

Chris: I played in a band called Suffokate, and I was friends with Matt and everyone at an old co-op called Le Chateau in Berkeley. Matt liked my playing, so he offered me a chance to tour and I eventually join the band.

But wait a minute! You are still playing with Suffokate! You are a sneaky mortal!

Chris: Suffokate was my first band….they are Hardcore straight-up, mostly, with maybe a lil’ Metal. When I joined All Shall Perish, Suffokate really fell apart and shit wasn’t working out. Recently our second vocalist of Suffokate, Carlos ( On A Warpath ), passed away, may he rest in piece. Because of this we kinda decided to bring it back. Long story really. They are a good band. Check em out.

Well, it’s possibly a good thing that Carlos has passed away, because the rest of Suffokate will do the same! Except it will be BY MY HAND!!!

Chris: They want you to kill them!

GOOD! I WILL!

Chris: Great!

So, what is the music scene like in California ?

Ben: Currently, its very divided. Northern California is very hit or miss with the fans. They will only come out to the BIG metal shows. It could be due to the lack of good quality venues in the area. The scene in Orangevale is really good. But other places like Oakland, or San Francisco are definitely hit or miss. Now Southern California on the other hand, is another story. I’ve never seen a more dedicated area anywhere in the US! The kids come out in droves, they rock out with us and its a blast every time we are there.

Chris: Metal in California is good mostly…..but there are a lot of fuckin awful bands because the scene is huge and everyone want to be cool ya know. It bugs me because it’s the wrong reason to be in a band. You should have love for your music and focus on that the most, not your hair or your crew…no offense.

OFFENSE TAKEN!…What is the difference between touring in Europe compared to America?

Chris: Europe is leagues better than America in so many ways i can’t describe it all very quickly. Busses, food, catering, fans, people, cities, and beer……its all way better.

Ben: Touring Europe is a whole different ballpark than the US. Take the dedication I was just describing about Southern California, times it by 100,000. Europeans LOVE Metal. It’s a way of life over there, and its a lot more popular than in the US. So in turn, you see bigger shows, more insane people wanting you to sign their armpits, more head banging… and surprisingly, less moshing!

Really?….most unusual

Ben: They prefer to really watch the band more than doing all the silly dance moves our style of music seems to get kids to do.

Is it difficult to be original in Death Metal? What does All Shall Perish do to keep it fresh?

Chris: It defiantly is hard to get an original sound in Metal and I don’t really think we’re necessarily original or really any other band for that matter.

Ben: It can be extremely difficult to be original in Death Metal, that’s why you have to experiment with other types of metal constantly. We mix things, try interesting transitions etc. At the end of the day, it’s our songwriting that makes us stand out. For us to keep things original, we like to have our music always have a great sense of urgency, with serious amount of build-up, until things just explode.

What other mortal bands do you think keep things interesting?

Chris: Right now my favorite death metal is Sleep Terror with Luke Jager. That guy is pretty innovative and fuckin fantastic at the guitar. He should be famous really because he’s so talented. Other bands like Necrophagist have also brought great musicianship into the Death Metal world….Vital Remains is a good one as well.

Ben: I think that Opeth have their own thing going, Candiria, Hypocrisy, Dillinger really stand out, Mr. Bungle, Horse the Band, Fantomas…

They will all die as well! There can be only one band and that is mine: Maris The Great and The Faggots of Death!

Chris: FAGGOTS!

Every genre of music has it’s time of trendy popularity. Has Death Metal’s time come?

Ben: Death Metal is at the top of its game. I’ve seen it come and go, countless times. Its always the black sheep, the lingering shadow behind the major trends (Nu Metal, Grundge) Now more than ever, the popular metal bands are starting to embrace the extreme genre, by taking heavy acts out on the roads with them. Or throwing in a quick blast beat or growl here or there. When you go to south America, or Mexico.. they are playing death metal on the music channels like its no big deal, I love it.

What is each member of All Shall Perish like on tour? Who is the biggest asshole?

Ben: Matt is the chill, stoned video-gamer. He’s excited about shopping – at any cost. He’s also “Ultra GPS Navigator Guy. Mike is….since he isn’t a stoner, he confides in alcohol. We can’t find him when work needs to get done. Yet, we let this guy keep track of the books!

(Laughs)

Ben: …But Mike is a Bro. Chris is constantly playing guitar on his portable amp. He is the master of shred, and has dedicated his life to the art. He is easy to get along with, but only if he has had his 6 cups of coffee. (Laughs) He never removes his Antagony hoodie… never washes it either (more laughter). Eddie…Eddie loves the box. Big ones, smalls ones, loose ones and wet ones.

Box? What do you mean…box?

Ben: Box…you know, as in vagina

Eeeewwww!…You DARE speak such an obscene word in the presence of my royal gayness!?!

(Laughter)

Chris: What? Vagina?

(Growl!)

Chris:VAGIIIINNNAA!!

(Hiss!)

(More laughter)

So, what are you like on tour, Ben?

Ben: I’m the guy who is always smiling. I don’t like to trip out on drama, so I tend to try to squash it as quickly as possible.

I think you’re like a big Teddy Bear. So…what part part of your cadaver is the hairiest?

Ben: Hmmm.. I normally have a pretty hairy sack. But I like to keep it nice for my woman… there is nothing worse that a hairy, over grown sack.

I beg to differ! Are you cuddly when you sleep?

Ben: I actually don’t really like to cuddle when sleeping, I prefer a lot of space to myself…so stay the fuck away Maris! (Laughs)