Whoretopsy Interview

G’Day Lachy, thanks for taking the time to answer the following questions for the Ruination readers. First of all for those who don’t know you, would you like to introduce yourself?

Sure, I’m Lachy, I play bass in Whoretopsy.

You guys just released ‘Isn’t She Lovely’ which is the follow up EP to your debut album ‘They Did Unspeakable Things.’ Tell us about the difference and growth between the two releases.

There definitely has been a lot of growth between the two releases! I think the biggest difference was the addition of real drums. As you may or may not know, we used a drum machine for TDUT. Around the time of recording, we had just parted ways with our drummer and decided using drum machine was the best decision for finishing the album. We still wanted to have a real drummer though, and we were lucky enough to have Matt Giles join the band around the time the album was finishing up. We played some shows local and interstate and as new material was quickly being written, we were eager to get another release out showcasing the new line-up. I personally feel the songs on ‘Isn’t She Lovely’ are a much better representation of where the band is at now. It is much more a band effort, with of course the addition of real drums, and the songs further develop on the ideas we had started on TDUT; More brutal, more twisted. It’s all been a very natural progression really, and the current material we are writing improves upon those foundations again. 

How was it recording at Complex Studios with Roman? The production on the EP sounds top notch, are you and the rest of the band happy with how everything turned out?

Recording at Complex Studios was a lot of fun. Roman is a great guy, and we are very pleased with how the EP sounds and couldn’t be happier to have recorded it with him.  It was great having an experienced musician there to throw around ideas and give us advice, on not just the songs, but the band itself. I was completely blown away when I heard it played back to me for the first time, I couldn’t believe it was us. I enjoyed the fact that I could hear the bass for once as well!

When did you start listening to Extreme Metal and who were some of the bands that caught your attention?

Probably around the age of 15. I had previously been listening to the classic heavy metal bands and old school thrash and wanted to delve into something more heavier. There were several bands that I listened to at that time, stuff like Cannibal Corpse, Death, Deicide, etc but I claim it was Morbid Angel got me into death metal with ‘Altars of Madness’. I was always more into the old school death metal stuff, I only got into the real modern brutal death metal shortly before I joined Whoretopsy.

Whoretopsy are a Brutal Death Metal band. It seems more and more bands are taking the heavier approach. What’s the scene like for this type of music in Australia at the moment? Is it growing?

Australia does have a great metal scene, especially Melbourne, however I’d say it’s quite temperamental. The scene is pretty divided between sub-genres. Crowd numbers vary gig to gig, I guess it is slowly growing though. We are lucky that there are a handful of loyal supporters of brutal death metal out there. I attend a lot of local gigs and it disappoints me when there’s an international gig on and suddenly several hundred people I’ve never seen before come out of nowhere. I think we have some of the best metal (or should I say music in general) right here in our own country, people need to get out more and support their local scene!

Name 3 bands you’d love to share the stage with at some point in your career.

Death
Pantera
The Wiggles

Unfortunately for me none of those are a possibility…

Whoretopsy recently played a show in Thailand along with Death Metal legends Cannibal Corpse. Tell us what it was like spending time with those guys and being around such respected pioneers of the genre.

Life changing. I’m a big fan of Cannibal Corpse and to actually meet them and spend time with them was a dream come true. They are such great guys, and it was an honour that we got to be a part of their first ever trip to Thailand. Alex Webster is definitely one of my main inspirations as a bassist, and for me to hang out with him at our hotel’s rooftop pool is something I’ll never forget. We all had a great time with Corpsegrinder and particularly Pat O’brien, who stayed up drinking with us both nights we were at the hotel. They are all absolute legends in every way. We ended up learning a lot from them, on both a personal and professional level. Lots of fun, lots of laughs, definitely one of my most memorable experiences!

What’s your favourite album of 2012?

I’ve been really slack with keeping up with new releases, especially death metal stuff. That being said I really enjoyed the new Nile album which seemed to get a lot of mixed reviews, Anaal Nathrakh’s ‘Vanitas’ didn’t disappoint and new Pig Destroyer is up there for one of the best of the year. There was a heap of good local stuff as well, A Million Dead Birds Laughing’s ‘Xen’, The Mung’s ‘Showering in Shit’ to name a few. But if I had to give it to one band it’d have to be Gaza for ‘No Absolutes in Human Suffering’. Amazing stuff.

The lyrics in your music are violent, funny, strange and full of gore. Do you all put into the writing process to come up with these? Or is it all purely the work of your front man?

All our lyrics are written by our vocalist Storma. As a group we might suggest a rough idea here and there, but it is Storma who crafts it into the twisted story-telling style that we are appreciated for. Some people have said stuff like “Are these guys serious?!” as if we actually commit the acts depicted in the lyrics. It’s all for fun, it’s BRUTAL death metal. Some people need to lighten up and have a sense of humour.

Who are some brutal local bands that we should check out?

Disentomb from Brisbane are the leaders of the brutal death genre in Australia having recently toured with Cannibal Corpse nationally. The Mung and Iconic Vivisect are two of my favourite Melbourne brutal death bands who I’ve been lucky to share the stage with numerous occasions. Plenty of good stuff out there, turn up to a gig with an open mind, might stumble upon your next favourite band.

What’s your favourite horror movie?

Not a huge fan of horror at all to be honest, at least not in the traditional sense. I really enjoy modern French horror films such as Martyrs, Irreversible, Haute Tension.

Finally, what’s in store for Whoretopsy in 2013?

2013 is going to be a very busy year for us, lots of things in the works. We definitely are going to be pushing the boundaries of our genre with our new material. You’ll most likely see a second full length later in the year. Already the new songs we have written are a big step forward from ‘Isn’t she Lovely’. I’m hoping to tour around Australia, especially to the places we haven’t played yet, it’s all just a matter of time and money! Nothing concrete just yet though, however we do have some big news coming soon, so be sure to keep an eye on the Facebook.

Thanks a lot mate for your time and I look forward to catching a Whoretopsy show really soon.