Here is a label interview featuring Ricky Lockett who heads Burning Dogma Records, a label some of you may have known from the end of the 90’s. It was among the very first label releasing brutal death metal and grind stuff. From the last two years, some might have thought this label was no more; in fact Ricky has been locked up and then was forced to put his activities on hold. Ricky contacted me months ago and we kept our correspondence running and here is a written conversation about his label activities and about his future projects. Yes Ricky shall be re leaving jail very soon and expect a new wave of brutality coming from Burning Dogma.
1-Hi there Ricky, hope you’re doing well actually, even if I guess things could be better because of your state of imprisonment in Texas for two years now. In fact what’s the reason of this and when will you be released? How do you manage to keep a positive state of mind?
Great to hear from you Jimmy and this is the first interview I have done for Burning Dogma Records. Yes now I have been locked up for over two years but I just got good news, I made my first parole so I will be out in the month of August as long as I behave myself. I will be on parole and not be able to leave the country, which sux but it’s better than being in this cage. As for a positive state of mind I can’t say I have much of one, I just mind my own business and I do a shitload of reading. Football season is coming up which is a very positive thing for me and now that I will be leaving I am in a much better mood. I’m in prison for some total bullshit.
2-You told me in your letters that you can’t listen to a single note of music while you’re in jail. How such a silly situation can be possible? Why can’t you have a MP3 player for example, I think you could hardly kill someone with this?
Oh I can listen to music but not death metal. We have small AM/FM radios but only bullshit commercial music comes on it. Death Metal doesn’t come on the radio so I haven’t heard my Death Metal in over two years and that’s what I live for. As for an MP3 player I don’t even really know what that is. I’m thinking you download things and if that’s the case the prison system wouldn’t let you have it for the fact that you could download things that they could not control. It’s all about control.
3-By the way, we are here to talk about your musical underground activities. You are heading Burning Dogma Records, a small underground label dedicated to brutal death metal and death/grind mostly. When did you start you nefarious campaign of spreading brutality? What were your motivations back then? What gives you the will to promote and release bands’ records?
Well I truly can’t remember the year I started Burning Dogma Records. I know it was towards the end of whenever Hound of TXDM stopped doing records. My motivation was really the music itself and it was fun as hell. I use to spend so much money on music and I would sell a lot of Hound’s CDs for him on the side and I figured man this is easy I could do this but I don’t want to be your typical label. I decided my label would do older music mainly music of bands that didn’t exist anymore or re-releases of bands that did exist but only their old music that they really didn’t focus on anymore but the fans still loved it. There are a lot of killer bands that just had a lot of recorded songs for a whole CD but never released a whole CD with that material on it such as UNNATURAL, SPLATTERED CADAVER, REPUDILATION, MENTALLY MURDERED so I kind of like to a whole band’s history on one CD if you know what I mean. I don’t do brand new CDs and don’t plan to unless it’s a licence deal. Also I gave a lot of money by doing the record label and can trade a lot more CDs instead of paying a ton of money for them but I still spend a lot of money when it comes to getting bands off bigger labels such as Century Media, Relapse, Unique Leader, Metal Blade...
4-What were your very first releases within Burning Dogma Records? Usually how did you agree to release a band’s record and how many copies of each releases were pressed?
My first release was the mighty REPUDILATION “s/t” CD then ALIENATION MENTAL “Kopferkingel”, MINCING FURY “Lamentations” CD American version which was a license deal. At the end of this interview I will give a biography of my releases. To release all CDs I offer the band 20% of the CDs and I press 1000 CDs of each release. I did want to press more but it’s up to the bands. ALIENATION MENTAL didn’t want me to press anymore “Kopferkingel” CDs because Jarda didn’t think that is the sound ALIENATION MENTAL stood for anymore, so he let me press “Four years...time full of brutality” which is cool with me, it’s really up to the bands how many CDs I press. REPUDILATION was going to be pressed again with extra stuff but I got sent into prison so it hasn’t happened and MINCING FURY also was going to be re-pressed but me and Reef were working something out and I wasn’t going to repress it until after I pressed the American version of his “7” CD but I again came to prison.
5-Did it happen you’ve been disappointed by some bands you helped to grow in the past and that turned into real assholes today to an extent they stop staying in contact with you?
That’s a tuff question as for the only band I could contact that I never heard back from that was on my label I wrote Reef twice but all his letters came back but he has a new address and I could understand how some bands could be pissed because it’s like one day I fell of the face of the earth. I did write FERMENTO a couple of times but Robert has never had good luck with labels and I happen to be one of them. The same thing that happen with Ablated happen with me but I will continue upon my releasing. There are some personal friends in the scene you fucked things off but I would rather not talk about them.
6-I am quite amazed about the prices of underground metal records in the US, usually you can get an album for 10$, so I wonder for example how much cost a pressing of 500 CD? Did you manage to get your investments back or finally you lose some money?
In my opinion 10$ is too much money for any CD unless it’s rare. I sold all my CDs for 5$, I had the best prices anywhere. Overseas I would try to sell them for no more than 8$. Yes of course I always made my money back and a lot more. I’m not sure how much 500 CDs cost to print but 1000 CDs cost around 1000 $ so you really only have one dollar into each CD, it’s the shipping cost that will cost you the money. I sold a lot of my CDs through Ebay and Ebay would take a percentage but if you set up at shows you’ll make more than enough money back. I’m about spreading the music to as many people as possible and not about making the most money at of each CD, fuck that shit! Most labels are about the money.
7-When releasing a new record, can you describe the way you promote a band? Few years ago you were getting in touch with zines, radios and gigs makers but today internet may have made things easier but at the same time sells have decreased because of downloading. What’s your position beside this? Do you think people can still buy CD even with such low prices?
I’ll be honest I wasn’t the best promoter. I always tried to let the music speak for itself. I never had a website like Sevared Records or Goregiastic Records but I sold my CDs just as fast as theirs sometimes even faster. Anytime I put music out it was older stuff that people already knew about it but also knew if I was putting it out it would be very good and extreme music and that is what I was known for. Damn near every label claims to have always the most brutal and original bands but that is not the case with any label. Hell I don’t even claim to have all original bands but they are all classics and brutal. There are only three other records labels I know of that when they release something you know what to expect and that’s Bizarre Leprous, Unique Leader and Razorback Records.
But when my label gets activated again expect to see a lot more promotion. As for the internet I think it’s a great tool for bands. A lot of people knock it but the internet is here to stay so work with it. If someone really likes the CD they will go buy the CD. The bottom line is that the music gets heard. Now you don’t have to blindly buy a CD and you know what you are getting. I remember I used to get burned on unheard of CDs like AVULSED. I put that shit in my CD player and couldn’t believe I paid 18$ for that shit. Now if I would have paid 5$ I wouldn’t have been so pissed either way, the CD got broke in half and thrown away. But that band has got better today but I will never buy their CD again.
8-The USA is probably the country with the biggest amount of bands ever. Taking in consideration you also have numerous contacts with Europe, how many requests (demos & signing requests) did you get at the active period of Burning Dogma Records? Can you name some good zines you were in contact with and about their still activities?
There really were countless requests for signings but I didn’t do brand new CDs unless I license them but another label has to put it out first. All my releases I have hunted out myself. Some bands I still can’t find on the face of this earth but I still hunt them. As for zines I was in contact with I use to send a lot of shit to South America mainly Brazil but never once did I hear back from any of them and I sent promos to the land of Australia but I got locked up so I don’t know what happen there. Antitrend Zine (Headed by Reef vocalist in MINCING FURY. He released 11 issues and then ceased his activities – Jim) did some things for me and a lot webzines. The guy from BLUE HOLOCAUST did some cool shit (Ricky talks about Braindead Zine from France - Jim) and some zines I just truly don’t remember. I don’t think too many are still active.
9-You planned to release a CD compilation of SEVERANCE’s old material such as the out of print MCD “Salvation denied” plus both early demos. I can tell you I am quite eager to get this early stuff! Since how much time did you know Jaime & SEVERANCE? How do you witness the band’s evolution since their beginnings up to now? I think they stay faithful to the Texas death metal trademark but with their own brutal and dark approach.
Yes that CD you speak of will be called “Progression towards purgatory” and the artwork is done by Torch which he is in a New Mexico prison. The artwork was originally going to be done by Sylvain Bell out of Canada; he did artwork for bands such as KATAKLYSM, WOMBBATH and AMORPHIS but Torch did such a good job we will use his artwork. I’ve known Jaime for a long time man. I was 16 or 17 when I first heard SEVERANCE now I am 27. I heard the “Salvation denied” MCD when it first came out through Hound and I wrote Jaime and bought the CD from him and from there on we kept in contact. I remember he was at Milwaukee Metal Fest one year and I think I stayed at his hotel I can’t really remember but that dude is true metalhead and he is a very busy man but never too busy for his fans. If I’m not mistaken there isn’t a longer running Texas Death Metal band. The evolution of SEVERANCE has been different because none of their releases sound the same. That band has had a lot of different member changes has their music improved well that would be up to the listener. Their 7”EP “Abysmal descent” is maybe their best stuff in my opinion but the “What lies ahead” is the most brutal but I would say the “Suffering in humanity” is the most diverse CD while “Salvation denied” is the darkest and with their next CD it will probably be something different and unique again. They just don’t throw songs together it’s well thought out. The “Progression...” CD will have something from every release including a brand new track for that CD. It should be a cool release.
10-Beside this release are also planned new records of MENTALLY MURDERED, FUCK THE FACTS, FERMENTO, MINCING FURY & GUTTURAL CLAMOUR OF QUEER DECAY, SUBLIME CADAVERIC DECOMPOSITION, etc… Will these be new records? I ask this because SCD just released their third album through Czech Bizarre Leprous Records, but maybe you planned a US license, right?
No, none of this music will be new music. All of this is old music resurrected. MENTALLY MURDERED had 2 demos and a split CD and one demo never seen the light of day; it will be their entire recording history on one CD. Same thing with FERMENTO and SCD. The FUCK THE FACTS was going to be a split with MINCING FURY and everything was finished but I was locked up. You may say well FERMENTO did the “Three murders” CD on Ablated but it didn’t have their 7”EP or their split songs from Spanish split they did and it’s basically 5 extra songs and the CD will be called “Murder all” with some cool artwork. I heard though that maybe Pathos has put it out and if that’s the case I will not be putting it out but that’s cool it’s all about the music being heard and it’s all up to the bands you release the music (In fact Pathos Productions actually just reissued FERMENTO “Insignia” with three bonus live tracks – Jim). I only own the rights to one CD and that’s INFERNAL DOMINION.
11-Your past releases include records of ALIENATION MENTAL, UNNATURAL, REPUDILATION, CENOTAPH, etc… Some of them have split up like UNNATURAL and others like ALIENATION MENTAL shifted to a completely different style from death/grind to mallcore, quite surprising indeed! Can you understand such behaviour?
As I stated before, most of the bands I have released have split up but I try to keep their flame burning as a fan. As for ALIENATION MENTAL well the last release I heard from them was “Psychopathicolorspectrum” and it’s still the shit I loved it. I thought it was really brutal and fast but he did throw some kind of goofy vocals pattern on one song that had a KORN sound but the brutality makes up for it. That band has always stood out and try to do different things. If they have a new CD I haven’t heard it so I can’t comment on that but every release I heard was brutal and unique. That band makes music for their own minds and I know it’s not for money.
12-Ricky, you’ve been in the scene since the early 90’s, you witness the evolution of the death metal movement, which become more and more famous, bands where popping from everywhere, good ones and shitty ones, and this movement became too fashionable. Black metal (the 2nd wave) was emerging from Europe as a response to the decline of death metal. Were you interested by this style back then? It seems there is a turnover as black metal today became a real trendy circus and death metal came back with newer bands playing in the old ways. What’s your opinion about this?
Man I hate Black Metal, I do not like it unless you call SAMAEL Black Metal. I liked them but I don’t consider it Black Metal. It is a circus with a bunch of painted retards acting like they are so evil. The shit is gay to me but hey, that’s just my opinion. As for the decline of Death Metal I think there have always been more bands than actual fans. You have a band like PROPHECY from Texas playing Death Metal but the 5 guys in the band don’t even listen to Death Metal, there are too many bands like that and most of all the bands today are clones of other bands. You have a thousand SUFFOCATION clones out there and not a one of them come close to being as good as SUFFOCATION.
You may think well I released UNNATURAL and they sound like SUFFOCATION and they do but they blend GORGUTS, IMMOLATION, CANNIBAL CORPSE together and back then it was a fresh sound with the blend they had and I also grew up listening to that band. Yes there are a lot of bands trying to get that old school sound which I’m cool with whatever the bands want to play is up to them. But I usually prefer to listen to some newer different sounds such as PSYCROPTIC, ALIENATION MENTAL, VIRAL LOAD, CEREBRAL TURBULENCY and there are some killer bands out there with the old school sound if the music is good that’s what matters. Trends will always come and go.
13-Being involved in your underground activities never gives you the will to play in a band? We can see some musicians that created their own labels to release their music like Jamie Bailey of BRODEQUIN who heads Unmatched Brutality or Steve Green of LUST OF DECAY heads Comatose Music. I think guys like these want to control everything about their music, from pressing to promotion, to avoid any disappointment. Can you understand their decision?
I’m not starting a band because there are thousands of them and I don’t think there is room for anymore. As for Steve and Jamie I think it’s way better for them and last time I checked Jamie Bailey doesn’t run Unmatched Brutality, Mike Bailey does. I think it’s much better to be on a label that is ran by a band member because they will get your CDs into some shows where most people wouldn’t have the chance to buy your CDs. Bands like LUST OF DECAY, BRODEQUIN and DEEDS OF FLESH know what’s going on with their own music and no one can really fuck them over and on top of that their music speaks for itself. I’m really surprised Andreas of Goregiastic Records never released his full lengths of INTERNAL SUFFERING or GORETRADE on his own label but again I don’t think it hurts anything at all.
14-One of your hobbies, before being incarcerated, was breeding snakes, especially big ones like pythons and boas. Where this passion comes from? How many of them do you breed? It shall need some room to breed those creatures and you have also to feed them. With what do you feed those monsters?
First off we must get one thing straight snakes are not monsters. Also I don’t really breed any really big ones, nothing I breed really gets over 7 feet. Snakes are misunderstood thanks to the bible and a lot of religious topics. It’s like how people who don’t listen to Death Metal automatically label it satanic music when it’s not. Sure some bands are satanic and some snakes are big enough to kill you but it’s so rare. Dogs are a lot more dangerous than a snake and I assure dogs have killed and hurt people more than snakes. If you let a snake bite you will notice it doesn’t really hurt it’s more scary if you don’t expect it. Snakes are very gentile animals that are easy to care of. I’m not sure where the passion comes from but I love it and I am very good at it. I’ve always had a lot of animals growing up but snake was the coolest thing of them all. If it wasn’t for snakes I would have never went to other countries to look for them. It is a hobby though if I lose money that’s fine it’s not about the money. I feed them rats and I breed my own rats. The rats had their own little room same with the snakes, I had two rooms for the snakes. Very easy animals to take care of I love it.
15-Beside your passion for brutal music, do you listen to “softer” stuff, different styles, like heavy metal, doom, hard rock, stoner, sludge, Indus, etc? Are there styles you don’t want to hear about because you don’t feel concerned or you simply hate them?
There is some female vocalist I like but very few like THE CRANBERRIES and EVANESCENCE just because they are actually different and when you’re high they sound cool. I really like TOOL and A PERFECT CIRCLE. As for anything else that’s not Death Metal I love RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, HELMET, ROLLINS BAND, BIOHAZARD, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, DEFTONES, MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE, FUDGE TUNNEL, and one of my all time favourite bands is NAILBOMB. But that is really it man, everything else is on the extreme side. I can’t really stand simple music to where a band plays 30 seconds of a song and repeats it over and over it’s just boring. Nothing is really original anymore. I hate boybands and that Gangsta Rap shit is pretty gay.
16-Putrefactive Effect Zine is a French rag, so what is your knowledge about France and what bands, zines, and labels do you know from there?
Man I haven’t looked at my CD collection in years and same with my magazine collection. I can’t remember any printed zines but the dude from BLUE HOLOCAUST did a Webzine that I liked. The bands I can remember are MORGUE, BLUE HOLOCAUST, SUBLIME CADAVERIC DECOMPOSITION, DROWNING, KRONOS, SUFFEREIGN and CIRCE. Bones Brigade is a killer label. But I love the French language it sounds so cool and I hear the chicks are unique, maybe one day I will find out.
17-Let’s close this interview. Ricky, first of all thank you for replying. I hope that wasn’t too boring. I wish you to stay strong until you’ve been released. Final words are yours!
The interview was for sure not boring I tried to keep it as short as possible. Thanx for the interview and support. Anyone interested feel free to write me. Good luck to your killer zine. Keep it real!
Burning Dogma Records biography:
-REPUDILATION – S/T CD 2001
-ALIENATION MENTAL – Kopferkingel CD 2002
-MINCING FURY AND GUTTURAL CLAMOUR OF QUEER DECAY – Lamentations CD 2002
-ALIENATION MENTAL – Four years...time full of brutality CD 2004
-SEVERANCE – What lies ahead CD
-SPLATTERED CADAVER – Human stew CD 2006
-HYBRID VISCERY – The history of torture, execution and sickness CD 2006
-CENOTAPH – Voluptuously puked genitals CD 2005
Contact:
Burning Dogma Records
c/o Ricky Lockett
635 Astoria – AZLE
TX 76020 – 4101 USA
Dogmaburning@aol.com
http://www.myspace.com/burningdogmarecords
1-Hi there Ricky, hope you’re doing well actually, even if I guess things could be better because of your state of imprisonment in Texas for two years now. In fact what’s the reason of this and when will you be released? How do you manage to keep a positive state of mind?
Great to hear from you Jimmy and this is the first interview I have done for Burning Dogma Records. Yes now I have been locked up for over two years but I just got good news, I made my first parole so I will be out in the month of August as long as I behave myself. I will be on parole and not be able to leave the country, which sux but it’s better than being in this cage. As for a positive state of mind I can’t say I have much of one, I just mind my own business and I do a shitload of reading. Football season is coming up which is a very positive thing for me and now that I will be leaving I am in a much better mood. I’m in prison for some total bullshit.
2-You told me in your letters that you can’t listen to a single note of music while you’re in jail. How such a silly situation can be possible? Why can’t you have a MP3 player for example, I think you could hardly kill someone with this?
Oh I can listen to music but not death metal. We have small AM/FM radios but only bullshit commercial music comes on it. Death Metal doesn’t come on the radio so I haven’t heard my Death Metal in over two years and that’s what I live for. As for an MP3 player I don’t even really know what that is. I’m thinking you download things and if that’s the case the prison system wouldn’t let you have it for the fact that you could download things that they could not control. It’s all about control.
3-By the way, we are here to talk about your musical underground activities. You are heading Burning Dogma Records, a small underground label dedicated to brutal death metal and death/grind mostly. When did you start you nefarious campaign of spreading brutality? What were your motivations back then? What gives you the will to promote and release bands’ records?
Well I truly can’t remember the year I started Burning Dogma Records. I know it was towards the end of whenever Hound of TXDM stopped doing records. My motivation was really the music itself and it was fun as hell. I use to spend so much money on music and I would sell a lot of Hound’s CDs for him on the side and I figured man this is easy I could do this but I don’t want to be your typical label. I decided my label would do older music mainly music of bands that didn’t exist anymore or re-releases of bands that did exist but only their old music that they really didn’t focus on anymore but the fans still loved it. There are a lot of killer bands that just had a lot of recorded songs for a whole CD but never released a whole CD with that material on it such as UNNATURAL, SPLATTERED CADAVER, REPUDILATION, MENTALLY MURDERED so I kind of like to a whole band’s history on one CD if you know what I mean. I don’t do brand new CDs and don’t plan to unless it’s a licence deal. Also I gave a lot of money by doing the record label and can trade a lot more CDs instead of paying a ton of money for them but I still spend a lot of money when it comes to getting bands off bigger labels such as Century Media, Relapse, Unique Leader, Metal Blade...
4-What were your very first releases within Burning Dogma Records? Usually how did you agree to release a band’s record and how many copies of each releases were pressed?
My first release was the mighty REPUDILATION “s/t” CD then ALIENATION MENTAL “Kopferkingel”, MINCING FURY “Lamentations” CD American version which was a license deal. At the end of this interview I will give a biography of my releases. To release all CDs I offer the band 20% of the CDs and I press 1000 CDs of each release. I did want to press more but it’s up to the bands. ALIENATION MENTAL didn’t want me to press anymore “Kopferkingel” CDs because Jarda didn’t think that is the sound ALIENATION MENTAL stood for anymore, so he let me press “Four years...time full of brutality” which is cool with me, it’s really up to the bands how many CDs I press. REPUDILATION was going to be pressed again with extra stuff but I got sent into prison so it hasn’t happened and MINCING FURY also was going to be re-pressed but me and Reef were working something out and I wasn’t going to repress it until after I pressed the American version of his “7” CD but I again came to prison.
5-Did it happen you’ve been disappointed by some bands you helped to grow in the past and that turned into real assholes today to an extent they stop staying in contact with you?
That’s a tuff question as for the only band I could contact that I never heard back from that was on my label I wrote Reef twice but all his letters came back but he has a new address and I could understand how some bands could be pissed because it’s like one day I fell of the face of the earth. I did write FERMENTO a couple of times but Robert has never had good luck with labels and I happen to be one of them. The same thing that happen with Ablated happen with me but I will continue upon my releasing. There are some personal friends in the scene you fucked things off but I would rather not talk about them.
6-I am quite amazed about the prices of underground metal records in the US, usually you can get an album for 10$, so I wonder for example how much cost a pressing of 500 CD? Did you manage to get your investments back or finally you lose some money?
In my opinion 10$ is too much money for any CD unless it’s rare. I sold all my CDs for 5$, I had the best prices anywhere. Overseas I would try to sell them for no more than 8$. Yes of course I always made my money back and a lot more. I’m not sure how much 500 CDs cost to print but 1000 CDs cost around 1000 $ so you really only have one dollar into each CD, it’s the shipping cost that will cost you the money. I sold a lot of my CDs through Ebay and Ebay would take a percentage but if you set up at shows you’ll make more than enough money back. I’m about spreading the music to as many people as possible and not about making the most money at of each CD, fuck that shit! Most labels are about the money.
7-When releasing a new record, can you describe the way you promote a band? Few years ago you were getting in touch with zines, radios and gigs makers but today internet may have made things easier but at the same time sells have decreased because of downloading. What’s your position beside this? Do you think people can still buy CD even with such low prices?
I’ll be honest I wasn’t the best promoter. I always tried to let the music speak for itself. I never had a website like Sevared Records or Goregiastic Records but I sold my CDs just as fast as theirs sometimes even faster. Anytime I put music out it was older stuff that people already knew about it but also knew if I was putting it out it would be very good and extreme music and that is what I was known for. Damn near every label claims to have always the most brutal and original bands but that is not the case with any label. Hell I don’t even claim to have all original bands but they are all classics and brutal. There are only three other records labels I know of that when they release something you know what to expect and that’s Bizarre Leprous, Unique Leader and Razorback Records.
But when my label gets activated again expect to see a lot more promotion. As for the internet I think it’s a great tool for bands. A lot of people knock it but the internet is here to stay so work with it. If someone really likes the CD they will go buy the CD. The bottom line is that the music gets heard. Now you don’t have to blindly buy a CD and you know what you are getting. I remember I used to get burned on unheard of CDs like AVULSED. I put that shit in my CD player and couldn’t believe I paid 18$ for that shit. Now if I would have paid 5$ I wouldn’t have been so pissed either way, the CD got broke in half and thrown away. But that band has got better today but I will never buy their CD again.
8-The USA is probably the country with the biggest amount of bands ever. Taking in consideration you also have numerous contacts with Europe, how many requests (demos & signing requests) did you get at the active period of Burning Dogma Records? Can you name some good zines you were in contact with and about their still activities?
There really were countless requests for signings but I didn’t do brand new CDs unless I license them but another label has to put it out first. All my releases I have hunted out myself. Some bands I still can’t find on the face of this earth but I still hunt them. As for zines I was in contact with I use to send a lot of shit to South America mainly Brazil but never once did I hear back from any of them and I sent promos to the land of Australia but I got locked up so I don’t know what happen there. Antitrend Zine (Headed by Reef vocalist in MINCING FURY. He released 11 issues and then ceased his activities – Jim) did some things for me and a lot webzines. The guy from BLUE HOLOCAUST did some cool shit (Ricky talks about Braindead Zine from France - Jim) and some zines I just truly don’t remember. I don’t think too many are still active.
9-You planned to release a CD compilation of SEVERANCE’s old material such as the out of print MCD “Salvation denied” plus both early demos. I can tell you I am quite eager to get this early stuff! Since how much time did you know Jaime & SEVERANCE? How do you witness the band’s evolution since their beginnings up to now? I think they stay faithful to the Texas death metal trademark but with their own brutal and dark approach.
Yes that CD you speak of will be called “Progression towards purgatory” and the artwork is done by Torch which he is in a New Mexico prison. The artwork was originally going to be done by Sylvain Bell out of Canada; he did artwork for bands such as KATAKLYSM, WOMBBATH and AMORPHIS but Torch did such a good job we will use his artwork. I’ve known Jaime for a long time man. I was 16 or 17 when I first heard SEVERANCE now I am 27. I heard the “Salvation denied” MCD when it first came out through Hound and I wrote Jaime and bought the CD from him and from there on we kept in contact. I remember he was at Milwaukee Metal Fest one year and I think I stayed at his hotel I can’t really remember but that dude is true metalhead and he is a very busy man but never too busy for his fans. If I’m not mistaken there isn’t a longer running Texas Death Metal band. The evolution of SEVERANCE has been different because none of their releases sound the same. That band has had a lot of different member changes has their music improved well that would be up to the listener. Their 7”EP “Abysmal descent” is maybe their best stuff in my opinion but the “What lies ahead” is the most brutal but I would say the “Suffering in humanity” is the most diverse CD while “Salvation denied” is the darkest and with their next CD it will probably be something different and unique again. They just don’t throw songs together it’s well thought out. The “Progression...” CD will have something from every release including a brand new track for that CD. It should be a cool release.
10-Beside this release are also planned new records of MENTALLY MURDERED, FUCK THE FACTS, FERMENTO, MINCING FURY & GUTTURAL CLAMOUR OF QUEER DECAY, SUBLIME CADAVERIC DECOMPOSITION, etc… Will these be new records? I ask this because SCD just released their third album through Czech Bizarre Leprous Records, but maybe you planned a US license, right?
No, none of this music will be new music. All of this is old music resurrected. MENTALLY MURDERED had 2 demos and a split CD and one demo never seen the light of day; it will be their entire recording history on one CD. Same thing with FERMENTO and SCD. The FUCK THE FACTS was going to be a split with MINCING FURY and everything was finished but I was locked up. You may say well FERMENTO did the “Three murders” CD on Ablated but it didn’t have their 7”EP or their split songs from Spanish split they did and it’s basically 5 extra songs and the CD will be called “Murder all” with some cool artwork. I heard though that maybe Pathos has put it out and if that’s the case I will not be putting it out but that’s cool it’s all about the music being heard and it’s all up to the bands you release the music (In fact Pathos Productions actually just reissued FERMENTO “Insignia” with three bonus live tracks – Jim). I only own the rights to one CD and that’s INFERNAL DOMINION.
11-Your past releases include records of ALIENATION MENTAL, UNNATURAL, REPUDILATION, CENOTAPH, etc… Some of them have split up like UNNATURAL and others like ALIENATION MENTAL shifted to a completely different style from death/grind to mallcore, quite surprising indeed! Can you understand such behaviour?
As I stated before, most of the bands I have released have split up but I try to keep their flame burning as a fan. As for ALIENATION MENTAL well the last release I heard from them was “Psychopathicolorspectrum” and it’s still the shit I loved it. I thought it was really brutal and fast but he did throw some kind of goofy vocals pattern on one song that had a KORN sound but the brutality makes up for it. That band has always stood out and try to do different things. If they have a new CD I haven’t heard it so I can’t comment on that but every release I heard was brutal and unique. That band makes music for their own minds and I know it’s not for money.
12-Ricky, you’ve been in the scene since the early 90’s, you witness the evolution of the death metal movement, which become more and more famous, bands where popping from everywhere, good ones and shitty ones, and this movement became too fashionable. Black metal (the 2nd wave) was emerging from Europe as a response to the decline of death metal. Were you interested by this style back then? It seems there is a turnover as black metal today became a real trendy circus and death metal came back with newer bands playing in the old ways. What’s your opinion about this?
Man I hate Black Metal, I do not like it unless you call SAMAEL Black Metal. I liked them but I don’t consider it Black Metal. It is a circus with a bunch of painted retards acting like they are so evil. The shit is gay to me but hey, that’s just my opinion. As for the decline of Death Metal I think there have always been more bands than actual fans. You have a band like PROPHECY from Texas playing Death Metal but the 5 guys in the band don’t even listen to Death Metal, there are too many bands like that and most of all the bands today are clones of other bands. You have a thousand SUFFOCATION clones out there and not a one of them come close to being as good as SUFFOCATION.
You may think well I released UNNATURAL and they sound like SUFFOCATION and they do but they blend GORGUTS, IMMOLATION, CANNIBAL CORPSE together and back then it was a fresh sound with the blend they had and I also grew up listening to that band. Yes there are a lot of bands trying to get that old school sound which I’m cool with whatever the bands want to play is up to them. But I usually prefer to listen to some newer different sounds such as PSYCROPTIC, ALIENATION MENTAL, VIRAL LOAD, CEREBRAL TURBULENCY and there are some killer bands out there with the old school sound if the music is good that’s what matters. Trends will always come and go.
13-Being involved in your underground activities never gives you the will to play in a band? We can see some musicians that created their own labels to release their music like Jamie Bailey of BRODEQUIN who heads Unmatched Brutality or Steve Green of LUST OF DECAY heads Comatose Music. I think guys like these want to control everything about their music, from pressing to promotion, to avoid any disappointment. Can you understand their decision?
I’m not starting a band because there are thousands of them and I don’t think there is room for anymore. As for Steve and Jamie I think it’s way better for them and last time I checked Jamie Bailey doesn’t run Unmatched Brutality, Mike Bailey does. I think it’s much better to be on a label that is ran by a band member because they will get your CDs into some shows where most people wouldn’t have the chance to buy your CDs. Bands like LUST OF DECAY, BRODEQUIN and DEEDS OF FLESH know what’s going on with their own music and no one can really fuck them over and on top of that their music speaks for itself. I’m really surprised Andreas of Goregiastic Records never released his full lengths of INTERNAL SUFFERING or GORETRADE on his own label but again I don’t think it hurts anything at all.
14-One of your hobbies, before being incarcerated, was breeding snakes, especially big ones like pythons and boas. Where this passion comes from? How many of them do you breed? It shall need some room to breed those creatures and you have also to feed them. With what do you feed those monsters?
First off we must get one thing straight snakes are not monsters. Also I don’t really breed any really big ones, nothing I breed really gets over 7 feet. Snakes are misunderstood thanks to the bible and a lot of religious topics. It’s like how people who don’t listen to Death Metal automatically label it satanic music when it’s not. Sure some bands are satanic and some snakes are big enough to kill you but it’s so rare. Dogs are a lot more dangerous than a snake and I assure dogs have killed and hurt people more than snakes. If you let a snake bite you will notice it doesn’t really hurt it’s more scary if you don’t expect it. Snakes are very gentile animals that are easy to care of. I’m not sure where the passion comes from but I love it and I am very good at it. I’ve always had a lot of animals growing up but snake was the coolest thing of them all. If it wasn’t for snakes I would have never went to other countries to look for them. It is a hobby though if I lose money that’s fine it’s not about the money. I feed them rats and I breed my own rats. The rats had their own little room same with the snakes, I had two rooms for the snakes. Very easy animals to take care of I love it.
15-Beside your passion for brutal music, do you listen to “softer” stuff, different styles, like heavy metal, doom, hard rock, stoner, sludge, Indus, etc? Are there styles you don’t want to hear about because you don’t feel concerned or you simply hate them?
There is some female vocalist I like but very few like THE CRANBERRIES and EVANESCENCE just because they are actually different and when you’re high they sound cool. I really like TOOL and A PERFECT CIRCLE. As for anything else that’s not Death Metal I love RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, HELMET, ROLLINS BAND, BIOHAZARD, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, DEFTONES, MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE, FUDGE TUNNEL, and one of my all time favourite bands is NAILBOMB. But that is really it man, everything else is on the extreme side. I can’t really stand simple music to where a band plays 30 seconds of a song and repeats it over and over it’s just boring. Nothing is really original anymore. I hate boybands and that Gangsta Rap shit is pretty gay.
16-Putrefactive Effect Zine is a French rag, so what is your knowledge about France and what bands, zines, and labels do you know from there?
Man I haven’t looked at my CD collection in years and same with my magazine collection. I can’t remember any printed zines but the dude from BLUE HOLOCAUST did a Webzine that I liked. The bands I can remember are MORGUE, BLUE HOLOCAUST, SUBLIME CADAVERIC DECOMPOSITION, DROWNING, KRONOS, SUFFEREIGN and CIRCE. Bones Brigade is a killer label. But I love the French language it sounds so cool and I hear the chicks are unique, maybe one day I will find out.
17-Let’s close this interview. Ricky, first of all thank you for replying. I hope that wasn’t too boring. I wish you to stay strong until you’ve been released. Final words are yours!
The interview was for sure not boring I tried to keep it as short as possible. Thanx for the interview and support. Anyone interested feel free to write me. Good luck to your killer zine. Keep it real!
Burning Dogma Records biography:
-REPUDILATION – S/T CD 2001
-ALIENATION MENTAL – Kopferkingel CD 2002
-MINCING FURY AND GUTTURAL CLAMOUR OF QUEER DECAY – Lamentations CD 2002
-ALIENATION MENTAL – Four years...time full of brutality CD 2004
-SEVERANCE – What lies ahead CD
-SPLATTERED CADAVER – Human stew CD 2006
-HYBRID VISCERY – The history of torture, execution and sickness CD 2006
-CENOTAPH – Voluptuously puked genitals CD 2005
Contact:
Burning Dogma Records
c/o Ricky Lockett
635 Astoria – AZLE
TX 76020 – 4101 USA
Dogmaburning@aol.com
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