Interview with Killrazer

Interview with Doug Dalton

Tell us about the band name...

Well the band name came from Mick, our original drummer. We were all in a band together previously called Dark Order. We all decided to quit at the same time as there were a lot of disagreements / problems with the frontman of that band, so we thought it best to let him go his way and us go our way. No hard feelings, just part company. We wanted an agro name, as we were all a little pissed off with basically everything. It was originally Killrazor but we changed it to Razer


How would you describe your music?

Straight up brutal Death / Thrash Metal. No trend following shit, just playing and writing what we grew up with but with a bit of a shot in the arse. Some of our songs go for eight minutes, not epic type stuff, just a shitload of stuff crammed into one song; acoustic parts, slow parts, blast parts. Just all the stuff we are into. Whereas some songs are rip your head off three minute to the point fuckers!

Doug Dalton - Vocals / Guitar

Formed band February 2005, along with Zoran on bass and original drummer Mick McCartney.

Influences: Sepultura, Kreator, Anthrax, Slayer, Metallica, Mortal Sin, Overkill, Testament, basically the whole mid - late 80's thrash metal scene along with Iron Maiden, Yngwie Malmsteen, and fuck it... at age 11 if it were not for Twisted Sister I would not of known what Metal was! They turned me onto it!

Previous bands: Crucifix, Suiciety, Grungeon, Severed Raw Nerve, Stress Related, Blown (New York), Dark Order.

What one thing do you feel sets you apart from the rest in this genre?

I think our combined experience with other bands makes us a little more relaxed when we play. We are not trying to impress anyone. Also, we are not so fuckin' serious like some bands out there now. We are serious in what we do, but we are not trying to push our personal opinions or let everyone know how evil we are and all that shit. We play Metal; we do it fast, brutal, and well!


Do you have any CD's available?

Nothing out as yet, but we will hopefully be recording soon with Astennu, previously of Dimmu Borgir producing. We have however been videoing gigs which one day we will put out on a DVD. It will have heaps of live stuff and rehearsal footage, drunk footage etc. We've all recorded albums with our previous bands. I've lost count how many Grahame has done haha!


What is the inspiration behind your latest material?

It varies a lot between songs, like Salt In The Wounds is basically saying, 'Religion?!! Come on! Grow the fuck up! Religion is the destruction of everything in this world at the moment.' Well, throughout history really. It is saying basically that it is pretty fuckin' stupid to think that an Aboriginal from 20000 years ago, or an American Indian from 5000 years ago, or any indigenous race anywhere in the world broke a mortal sin they would be eternally burning in hellfire. I mean, come on a fuckin' caveman gets in a fight and kills another caveman... They're gonna be up against the wrath of God and then face a Satan?! Give me a break!!

Whereas other songs like Sunken, are about depression, not about being sad, but about true depression and the anger that can come from it. Suicide Command is about the rejected Russian equivalent to the SAS or Green Berets who got fucked over and retaliated against the government.

The Burial Begins is about how you can't even fly a fuckin' plane today without being paranoid of some religious fuck killing you. Then again we have songs like Unleash Hell which are your classic burning in hell type of mid 80's thrash lyrics. So there is not a particular road that we travel with our lyrics, just whatever comes up at the time.

Jimmy - Guitar

Joined August 2007

Influences: Michael Angelo Batio, Jason Becker, Exodus, Marty Friedman, Mike Keneally, Tony macalpine, Yngwie Malmsteen, Megadeth, Vinnie Moore, James Murphy, Sacred Reich, Alex Skolnick, Testament, Steve Vai.

Previous Bands: Vaticide.

Won the 2007 Australian Guitar Player Magazine Of The Year award.

Any plans for a music video?

Yeah for sure, but can you still lend us that $10000 haha! We would love to and I hope we do. We will wait 'til the album comes out and take it from there.


When you go into recording mode, do you find it easy or challenging?

The challenging part is setting it all up, getting the sound, the mood, the money to find to record it is usually pretty challenging too haha! Nah... the most challenging thing is setting it all up and getting the sound. Once that's done the recording is usually not so hard. The mixing can be challenging though, as when you hear a song for the 70th time you tend to not have any idea if it sounds good or not


Is there a particular market or country you are trying to reach?

At the moment we are just trying to establish ourselves here in Australia. But obviously the next step would be Europe. That scene just blows me away! Fucking amazing!


What kind of message are you trying to relay to your audience?

There is no real message we are trying to portray. Although when we play live, we fuckin' destroy the place! But between songs we don't do the whole 'Saaaataaaann, we are your children' type thing. We destroy you live but fuck we're all there to have fun so a bit of a laugh between songs doesn't hurt.


What have you got in store for 2008?

We've got a lot of gigs coming up and hopefully some major supports like last year. We'd also like to record. It has taken us some time to get a stable line-up as that has only really been solidified in the last few months. Finally we are ready to get some shit done.

Who's responsible for the bands artwork?

It was our original drummer, Mick who came up with the artwork. It sounds so cliché to say lets put our logo over a pentagram, but fuck it! I think it looks awesome and it does! We sell quite a lot of merchandise so it must be at least half decent. I totally agree with trying to get some amazing artwork that just blows everyone away but sometimes you don't know who the band is. It gels into all the other totally amazing artwork of other bands out there and sometimes at gigs your not quite sure who's who between all the shirts. So yeah, nothing like a simple logo on a fuckin' pentagram. Stands out, looks good and its fuckin' metal!


How hard has it been to get to this point?

Totally unbelievable! Some of the shit we have had to go through... fuck! Firstly, half of our original line up had to quit due to commitments with their other bands (Luke Cook was our second drummer is currently on tour with Overkill in Europe. Bloody legend!) so we got a new temporary line up as basically we only had three songs down and four weeks to go 'til going on the Australian Vader tour as well as the pre Australian tour party for Slayer. Then one week into our rehearsals, Grahame our drummer, had a massive head injury resulting in his eye being knocked out of his socket. So he was hospitalised for two weeks. After Grahame got out of hospital he could hardly walk, let alone play drums, so our first gig at the Slayer party we had to cancel. Although the rest of us got up and did some Slayer covers with the guys from Atomesquad, Murderworld, Darker Half and the mighty Inslain. A couple of days after that Grahame was ready to play again but only just. So within two weeks of five hour rehearsals a night we got our set down and went on tour with Vader.

Then a month later with the Sodom tour, we were just starting to get a buzz when Jetstar fucked us over and we missed the show. Although we did do the Sydney one. Tom Angelripper must of felt sorry for us as he wore our shirt for their set haha! Fuckin' legend! Then Andrew Lilley, another bloody legend, on guitar (Daysend, Infernal Method, Psikore) opted out as he was only helping us out for the tours so we were sort of back to square one.

Since then, we have had people leave, come, leave again. We never thought we would get it off the ground. There was never any personal issue with people coming and going it was just that it seemed such a rush job to get this band going. That it was more a 'help out' basis with each person still having commitments with their main bands. Every person who has been through Killrazer are very, very good friends and we are all happy with present and past members, that have contributed in creating this final line-up.


Where does your main fan base / support tend to lie?

Mainly in Sydney, although Melbourne and Brisbane are starting to filter through. We have sold merchandise all over Australia; even Barramundi country in far north Western Australia. We've sold a bit to Canada, USA and UK. But at the moment it is mainly NSW, Australia. Our next targets are Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra. Then once something is recorded, the overseas market will be attacked!


What is your favourite venue?

My favourite, even though I haven't played there yet, is the Manning Bar at Sydney Uni. Although it looks like will be playing there soon. The reason I like it is because at most venues, people usually go to another bar when the band on stage is someone they don't know. They either go to another bar, or outside for a smoke and miss three quarters of the night. Whereas at the manning bar, you have the stage, the pit, the standing room to watch, and the beer garden directly in front of all of it. So no one can leave while bands they are not watching are on. Basically what I mean is that no matter who is on, everyone is there for the whole night. They can be in the pit, stand and watch, or have a drink and a smoke on the balcony but still be right in front of stage. So instead of 300 people paying to get in, only 80 watching the band, and 220 at the pub next door, with the manning bar, if 300 people pay, 300 people are there, and no matter where they are in the venue, they have full view of stage.

Grahame Goode - Drums

Joined February 2007.

Influences: Soilwork, Jazz Fusion and anything techy, Psycroptic, Necrophagist, Meshuggah, Fear Factory, Cryptopsy, Suffocation, Dream Theater, Angra... you get the idea!

Previous Bands: Neophobia, Deadspawn, Cryogenic, Infernal Method, Dungeon, Dark Order, Automation and Stronger Than Hate.
Also current member of None Shall Pass and Scarblind.

What are some of your favourite local acts? And have you had the chance to play alongside them?

All of our favourite local acts we have had the privilege of playing with; Mortal Sin, Inslain, Darker Half, Atomesquad, Murderworld, Scarblind, Sanctity In Chaos, Dyssymetry etc.


What would be your most memorable gig / performance to date?

Definitely the Sodom support in Sydney at the Gaelic Theatre! It was the biggest crowd we had played to at that point and they dug it! Wasn't just dudes standing there with their arms folded. Plus as I said Tom Angelripper wearing our shirt for their gig fuckin' ruled! We all played really well and had a fuckin' blast. After all the shit of not being ready to play for Vader, then just being ready, then Jetstar fucking us over... by the time this gig came around, we were so pissed off it just went down really well for us!


Have you got a favourite song you like to play? And is there one in particular you've noticed your fans have started asking for?

I think our first song, the intro 'Stations Of The Cross' which leads into 'Salt In The Wounds'. It's the first song we did together, the first song we play live, we have an intro CD with acoustic guitar and violin, then full on strobe machine lights when we come on. It's an eight minute song with classic thrash to blast beat grind in it. I think that song sort of sums us up! The first cab off the rank live really shows who and what we are as a band. It usually gets people in the mood for a thrash. The last one 'Burial Begins' we seem to get a lot of response for as well. Probably because it starts off almost with a groove but turns into probably our most brutal song, ending with some twin guitar wankery. Everyone loves 'Unleash Hell'! So most people initially ask for and get off on 'Salt In The Wounds' but by the time 'Burial Begins' comes around, that one just slays 'em!


If you were playing at a metal festival, who would you prefer was playing alongside you and where would that be?

Oh fuck, any Wacken Festival! Top 5 headline bands if we were one of 'em haha! Fuck, I will have to be democratic here. The festival would be here in Sydney our hometown, or anywhere in the fuckin' world as a matter of fact! Actually no... Hammersmith Odeon, I know its only 3000 people but 'Live After Death' (well a quarter of it), 'No sleep till Hammersmith', 'Hell At Hammersmith', 'Oedivnekufecin' or any decent live album! Fuck, Hammersmith Odeon is royalty! Bands, for me Iron Maiden, Jimmy probably would choose Testament, Grahame would probably choose Necrophagist, and I could bet you ten slabs of piss Zoran would choose Manowar. So the line-up would be; Hammersmith Odeon, Iron Maiden, Manowar, Testament, Necrophagist, Killrazer!


What kind of instruments do you use? And have you done the 'Rock Star' thing yet and smashed any equipment?

My main guitar is a custom Gibson V, Marshall Amps (Pete Wells (RIP) Old one from Rose Tattoo), Boss Pedals, Jimmy is endorsed by Ibanez and uses Marshall, Zoran uses BC Rich basses and I think Ampeg amps, Grahame is Endorsed by Tama Drums (makes it very easy to tour hehe!), Sabian Cymbals, Aquarian Drum Heads and Pro Mark Sticks.


Have you had many chances for signings?

In our past bands we have. Dunno about the other guys, but I signed a guitar once. I didn't wanna do it! It was a real nice Jackson and I didn't wanna scribble on it! Fuck, give it to me!!!


Where can people purchase your merchandise from?

You can check out live stuff on 'you tube'. You can email us for merchandise. We have shirts, longsleeves, fitted ladies tops, all sizes for clothing, as well as badges, stubby coolers, key ring bottle openers.

You can either email: killrazerinfo [at] yahoo.com
or check out our Myspace


Fame, fun or finance?

We do it because we like to play. It fuckin' rules to play with other like minded musicians! If it was for money, we would be in cover bands making a grand a week! But shit, you would have to be a dick to knock back any finance or fame for doing something you love! We would not love playing on cover bands though. I would be happy enough to make enough money to be able to actually record the stuff we write, produce the merchandise we wanna get done, then get it done, get it out there, then use that money to do the next lot. So basically we do it because were metalheads. Simple as that. That other stuff would be nice though; oh yes, oh yes it would haha!


What words of advice can you offer anyone looking to enter the music industry?

Don't do it unless you love it, have patience, have direction and are not too precious about your songs; bands are a democracy! And don't do it thinking of the cash and the chicks you're gonna get! Uh, this is Metal haha! Take it very seriously, realise it is gonna take up a lot of your time, but don't expect the rewards to be like on a behind the music special. The rewards are 'fuck yeah, that gig was fuckin' awesome!'


Anything you'd like to add or say to your fans?

Thanks for the ones that we do have, if you are into anything from Black Metal to Nu Metal, we have done gigs with both types and both types of fans have dug us. So if you haven't seen us, you will probably be pleasantly surprised.

Contact us at Myspace for merchandise. You can also go to our myspace to check for any upcoming gigs.

Any bands who wanna line up gigs, contact us and lets get it going!

Thanks to you Déa for your patience.

Boobchoogah!



End Note:

These guys are fucking amazing live and I seriously urge you all to go and check them out. I haven't heard such brilliant thrash based metal in the scene for a bloody long time. Support your local metal!

'Interview with Killrazer' by Déa di Morté © 17 March 2008
Hails! to Doug Dalton from Killrazer for agreeing to participate and taking the time to complete this interview.
All pictures courtesy of Andrew Pittman and Killrazer.