Saturday, December 20, 2014

Acid Age Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

Jude: We started on the 7th of January 2013, It was just as my solo project for the time as me and my gf just had a baby.
Then by March Acid Age were a full band adding bassist Jake Martin and drummer Jason harkness. After a raise in interest on the internet as a result of The Cyborg Thrashterpiece E.P Acid Age were quickly signed to Northern Irish based label, "Punkerama Records" and released Enter the Zomborg.
We have a new singer Eddie and a new drummer Luke.
We also moved to Witches brew records and we are happy.

Luke: Well Acid Age is a fast as fuck band focused on The Attitude of Punk, The Hyperness of Speed, and the Violence of Thrash, Simple really.


2.How would you describe the musical sound that has been presented on the recordings so far?

Jude: By us? I would say it's what we sound like, right? I actually produced our newest recording Drone Shark Ethics which is why it's so raw.
I'm a big fan of the kind of production from the first wave of thrash and Black Metal bands. Bathory's first album and Megadeth's Killing is My Business are two of my favorite albums and I love punk so needless to say I wont have much glossy stuff on Acid Age albums. Everything is raw and violent as fuck.

Jake: The nastier production portrays our style best i think, it makes us sound like a band instead of just a few musicians.

Luke: Its an Aggressively fast Juvenile School Detention Soundtrack.

Eddie: In my opinion enter the zomborg was a statement of speed metal. Fire spitting vocals that tore through you whereas drone shark ethics embraced the previous statement but upped the game and delivered in raw as fuck form.


3.I have seen the band label themselves as 'hyper thrash', can you tell us a little bit more about this tag?

Jake: Its a very self explanatory title for our "genre".

Jude: I've been saying in other interviews that Hyper Thrash is "the only true music and every other genre is fake" just to get reactions out of people. HAHAHA!
Seriously though Hyper Thrash is very simple to understand, it's raw, heavy, punk metal with a hint of Chuck Berrys rock n roll for flare and add some grindcore speed.
We actually don't want to be a good band we just want to be the fastest band on earth. HAHAHA!


4.In the past 2 years the band has released a demo, 2 ep's and a full length, do you feel you put a great amount of time and effort into writing music?

Jude: Jake and I are constantly writing music for Acid Age, we sit up all night and just jam for hours and hours.
It's really easy for us to write songs because we just do whatever comes naturally and don't worry about it too much, once Luke gets his hands on it though he speeds it up on the ol double kicks yo!

Jake: The writing process is very much consistent, we make sure we record everything we write together, even if it means recording with a mobile phone haha!

Luke: Well i wasnt present for the demos and the digital Eps and Enter The Zomborg but i can say that Jude and Jake put the their all into those master pieces and I commend them for it, Drone Shark Ethics I had a part in on drums but i would still say Its All Jude and Jake.

Jude: That's cute Luke, heres a biscuit.


5.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

Luke: Well Jude is a fan of cult 80s movies like Toxic Avenger, Transformers, Alien, and Bruce Lee movies, and he reads a lot and is very knowledgeable of a lot of things (Full of shit) We all are but he puts a lot of that into his lyrics in a humourous way to match the insanity of the Music itself.

Jude: We try not to be pretentious, we like Sci-Fi and Zombies and usual un-original stuff but every so often our punk spirit will show in the lyrics and they're will be the odd "Fuck you" kind of song. We do have a lot of humor but we don't restrict ourselves to it either, songs on Drone Shark Ethics like F.T.P.L are more serious than jokey. We have already been talking lyrical concepts for the next album and we have something special planned.

Jake: I get to shout shit every now and again in each song, i think for a session bassist, i am very generous, and will take on tasks like backing vocals, and i wont charge the guys extra for it.

Jude: Yeah we pay Jake 3 billions pounds an hour to play in our band, he does a great job of bringing himself down to our shit level. HAHAHA

Eddie: A lot of humorous topics with hidden meanings and alot of stuff to make people aware of stuff going on around them such as the song FTPL.


6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Acid Age'?

Jude: I came up with that, I just liked it, thought it sounded cool and so that's why we are called Acid Age. To me it sounds like a thrash metal band name.

Jake: That was actually me, Jude.

Jude: Fuck off!

Eddie: Well the meaning i receive from the name is the fact of whats going on in the world today with higher powers having access to so many radioactive man made weapons. We are living in the acid age.

Jude: Yeah that sounds cool and edgy, Edward. Lets say that from now on!


7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

Jude: We all might have a different story for that one, hahaha for me it was a suicide awareness show we did in Belfast, an event called Punk for Pips.
I think we played great that night, the crowd was great too. Another one would be Hagues in Lisburn, a mosh pit broke out in the middle of our set and it got messy fast!

Jake: Wacken.

Jude: Wacken off in your bedroom Jake?

Luke: My stage performace is solid i always focus on being tight as fuck to keep the band in time, if i make a mistake though... i know Jake can cover me up and vise versa for him, and i make funny faces. Best Show so far for me would be the Voodoo lounge belfast gig we played for charity...
Punks are mental you can find that on our youtube page.


8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

Jake: It will be a very busy year for us.

Jude: We have a UK tour coming up in Jan/Feb of 2015 and that will kick start us into a busy year of touring no doubt.


9.On the new album there was a cover of Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog", what was the decision behind doing your own version of this song?

Jude: Elvis was my very first musical influence. I always wanted to do a really raw thrash version of that song, it's only three chords so it's simple to speed up.
What makes our version interesting is we had Felix Griffin from D.R.I and BAT drum on the track. I love what he done on there. He's the man!

Jake: Elvis was a revolutionary player, and the pioneer of Djent.

Jude: How fucking dare you!!!


10.So far the band has been on 3 different labels, do you feel these labels have been very helpful when it comes to getting your music out there heard?

Jude: Yes we have enjoyed everything we have done with all three. We have been blessed enough to have good people helping us.
Witches Brew Records will handle the next record though, it's already in talks.

Jake: The labels and the people behind them have very much played a huge part in the growth of Acid Age in such a short space of time.

Luke: Yes the first two were very helpful for Jude and Jake, Witches Brew has been Great especially for my first Record Label Experience Cheryl is the kindest German woman i know and is Metal as fuck along with the Goat master Sigfrith.

Eddie: Witches brew have done a fantastic job getting the name out for Acid Age and really promoted DSE.


11.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of thrash?

Jude: Some love us and some hate us like every band right? HAHAHA! We have got loads of great reviews on Drone Shark Ethics though and we are really happy with that.
Some people don't really get what we are trying to do, you see by calling ourselves Hyper Thrash we are free from the limitations that we would have if we just called ourselves THRASH right? Hyper Thrash is metal punk rock n roll at grindcore speed. It's really that simple, some love it, some hate it, we do what we want... MOM!

Jake: We are very much the marmite band. I think I might even hate us. HAHAHA

Eddie: Fantastic! We always get great comments from fans overseas and they seem excited about me enjoying the insanity too which was a relief.


12.Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

Luke: I am involved in another band as the drummer called Wardomized along with Eddie who recently joined Acid Age who plays guitar in Wardomized.

Eddie: Yeah me and luke have been playing in our crossover thrash/groove metal band Wardomized for the past year, we have an EP out and currently working on our album.
Its actually how Jude found us and we have played shows together too!

Jude: Check them out they're really shit! HAHAHA!


13.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

Jude: Faster, heavier, darker... I could go on. HAHAHA! We may change things along the way but not in a 90s Metallica goes country & Western kind of way, we're always gonna sound like us. But without change there can be no progress.

Eddie: We are toying with some longer jams than usual so maybe the new songs will be longer but certainly more intense and new vocals too!


14.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Jake: A lot of jazz and The Stooges.

Jude: I love everything honestly, I'm digging a lot of Simon and Garfunkel lately, but I love this band from Dallas Texas called Electric Vengeance.
They are wacky kind of punks in the style of Iron Maiden, it's total genius what they do. The new English Dogs album has been on a lot this year too and Midnights No Mercy for Mayhem.

Luke: Speed Metal, Hardcore, Thrash Metal... Some grindcore and Death Metal, Right now i'm listen to a lot of Machine Head, Napalm Death, Overkill, Exodus and Shit Tons of Hair Metal YEEEA!

Eddie: I love thrash of course bands like sepultura, gama bomb and nuclear assault etc, i also have a love for old school grindcore the energy and sheer speed is a huge influence for me.


15.What are some of your non musical interests?

Jude: Really good question, I've never been asked that before! I like a lot of B-movies like Troma Movies and the work of Morbid Vision. I have been reading a lot about a certain warlord of yesteryear, can't say who though because he's involved in the new songs and I don't wanna give too much away. I love Bruce Lee's work too.
Not so much his films (although I do like them) I am more into his philosophy writings.

Jake: Acid Age. HAHAHA! I enjoy tattooing and drawing.

Eddie: I watch some horror films, hang with friends, used to love wrestling too and i write alot of poetry. My mums a poet and she got me into writing at a very young age (she taught english better than my actual school teachers!)


16.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Jude: Thanks very much for the interview. Hope to say ya at a show real soon!

Jake: Cheers for the interest, Thrash till Heaven! <---Christianity in full force.

Luke: Thanks for the interview i hope you have learnt something about Acid Age and its members, and that is that i hope to keep working hard with the Lads to create fast as fuck music for anyone who is mental enough to like us for a long time.

Eddie: Yes be READY for the acid age tours we will leave you needing spine surgery!

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