Interview with MORBID MEAT

!!!DEATH/THRASH METAL FROM MEXICO!!!

Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.

Tell us a little about MORBID MEAT (members, release year, etc.)
"Morbid Meat" was a project we carried out between November and December 2023 with demos of the songs "Kill the Witch" and "Rotten Meat" as an experiment in trying to take a band seriously. Jeyk Rodríguez (Vocals/Drums) and David Rojas (Guitar) were involved. We had already been part of some local bands, but for various reasons, the projects stalled due to financial limitations, lack of time, and real interest. From there, the idea of forming a band emerged and not just rehearsing and playing in bars. The plan? To record an album and release it physically. It was a requirement/goal we agreed on, and situations arose that have strengthened our determination and supported us from those who have taken the time to get to know us and our music. Also, the fact that we live relatively close, the experience we had in different bands, and the fact that we're fans of many good metal bands helped us a lot to get into the project in good shape and with good influences. As a note, the band was going to be called "Morbid Metal" at David's suggestion. "Morbid Meat" was chosen. The word "Morbid" is a reference to "Morbid Angel" and "Morbid Saint," two bands that changed the way Jeyk Rodríguez played extreme music.

You recently released your album "Reign of Terror." What do you think of the public and the press?
The community around extreme music is surprising to us. Sometimes you think no one is there to see what you play and publish, but there's always someone watching, searching, and sharing their comments. We've received emails from New York, Texas, Germany, Sweden, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, Belgium, and other parts of Mexico from people congratulating us on our work and our album, wanting to buy it in physical form, and THEY DO! We would never have contacted them if it weren't for our work, and it's always a pleasure and a surprise to meet people from other countries around the world. For us, who are from Mexico, it's a real blast. We're very grateful and motivated, and we hope to meet many more people from this great community. As for the press, I see that it's adapting to the media and social media dynamics. I see more and more media outlets with an impressive number of recommendations, channels, and spaces.

The cover has a great atmosphere! Tell us a little about it.
It's a tribute to zombie horror films like "The Return of the Living Death," "Day of the Dead," and sagas like "Resident Evil" or the classic "House of the Dead," giving a conceptual atmosphere to several songs on the album. Like "Rotten Meat," "The Return of the Death," and "Killing the Zombies," there are songs that are a bit off-kilter in terms of concept, but it's very representative of the style and horror we based the songs on. Blood, putrefaction, literally and metaphorically, are captured in each song. It's also a clear tribute to "Scream Bloody Gore" by the legendary band "Death," something you've mentioned to us frequently, and you're right! That means you've heard and know the album! And to "Horrified" by the great band Repulsion, of which we're huge fans!

And what about the lyrics?
As we mentioned before, from straightforward blood and putrefaction to more "poetic" or "delirious" ways of dealing with and viewing these situations, delving into the atmosphere we want to achieve or the "auditory story" we want to tell. "Rotten Meat" talks about a horde of zombies and losing the fear of wiping them all out, no matter how chaotic and suffocating the situation becomes. (The song can also be interpreted as overcoming or facing a situation you plan to escape from... or ending it.) "Acid Suicide" talks about descending into the deepest part of your mind until you lose control of it, to the point of "killing" your sanity. "The Return of the Death" is based almost entirely on the movie "The Return of the Living Death." This song was going to be an instrumental, and in essence it is. The only lyrics it has are the title of the song repeating itself over and over again. "Dismbering the Corpse" Ending a life and committing horrible acts with a body triggers schizophrenia in the killer, who hears the voice of his victim, but the lyrics also have a certain reference to experiencing remorse in general, as it eats away at your skin and mind. "Black Nightmare" Originally, it was going to be about zombies like rotten meat, with lyrics about falling into the nightmare of an infestation of that style, but at the time of writing, it took another path and a deeper meaning about what an addiction and obsession can look like that can consume you and do you no good, and makes you live in a very dark nightmare where the light exists but you don't want to see it. "The Stench Of The Cadaver" puts us in a situation where a murderer is wandering in his head about how he's going to hide a body and that if he does it right there will be no consequences. This song deals with a disgusting subject from which comes a saying like "the dead don't speak"; all you can smell is their stench. "Napalm Death" the song's concept came from the gelatinous substance known as Napalm, a powerful weapon that has been used by armies in various wars and is very controversial due to how horrible it can be to die in flames bathed in Napalm, the damage is devastating for the victims of war. "Killing The Zombies (Losing My Brain)" was based on one of the shorts from the movie "V/H/S 2" called "A Ride in the Park." This was the name that this song was originally going to have, but for reasons such as the fact that the name didn't have much relation to the final lyrics and that if you hadn't seen the film, it made little or no sense, the "chorus" was adapted as the name, inspired by the title of the song by the great band "Repulsion" "Helga (Lost her Head)", "Getting High" is a criticism of when an individual is incapable of being self-critical and "drumming" themselves with their own ideas, to the point of not distinguishing between what they think and reality. It also alludes to the fact that evil comes from the individual himself and not from something like a demon or Satan, as many like to believe. "Impaled in Death" talks about something we all share: death. We can't escape it; we're all destined to suffer it, and the agony consumes us.

Label or DIY, and why?
We're currently working with the label Across Infernal Wastelands. While we've always produced and recorded with our own resources, the label's people practically covered half of the album's costs and were crucial for the physical release and the organization/management of some events we've attended to promote our material. They also handle international shipping of our CD and merch. So far, we've worked well, and we hope it continues to do so, and it improves with what we do.

Are there any funny or unusual anecdotes from the recordings or from your concerts that you'd like to share with us?
Hahaha the truth is we could write a book just about that, between broken strings, songs that have been lost, very xD things within the rehearsals, once we were going to play in Saltillo Coahuila, we arrived at an airbnb that was very comfortable and had a small balcony where we went out to smoke some cigarettes and agree on how we would get there and that, where (Jeyk) came in for a cigarette that he left on the table and went out and closed the sliding door of the balcony leaving us locked outside for about 20 minutes until David's girl woke up and was able to open it for us saying: What are you doing here? ahahaha the truth is we were already figuring out how to jump without dying hahaha and Jeyk felt really stupid for slamming the door so hard he even put a lock on it that only worked from the inside xD

Do you prefer vinyl, tape, CD or digital format and why?
As a consumer, each format has its "magic": the CD for the booklet, the cassette for its distinctive covers, vinyl for its quality, and digital for the ease of discovering more and more music and bands from all over the world. Each has its function and its merit. We don't consider any way of consuming, sharing, and discovering music to be bad. As a band, we would love to release vinyl and some cassette tapes, but their cost and production are considerably more expensive than a CD and distributing digitally. A single cassette (not homemade, but professionally finished) costs up to 4 or 5 times more than manufacturing a single CD with a 10-page booklet. This, coupled with the fact that you have to produce upwards of 60 or 100 copies, has made it a bit complicated to explore this and other formats and merch, which we will release over time anyway, whenever we have the opportunity, because we want to do so and we have good material aside from our latest album.

Your musical style is Death/Thrash Metal. What are your main influences (favorite artists/bands, etc.)?
The list of each one would be endless, but the most important ones would be Slayer, Repulsion, Pestilence, Merciless, Dark Angel, Morbid Angel, Morbid Saint, Bathory, Sepultura, Death, Venom, Raped God 666, Transmetal, Judas Priest, Exodus, Black Sabbath and Ozzy, Carcass, Sodom, Violator, D.R.I., Mortuary, Possessed, hell, I've already got like 20 and I could go on hahaha, so I'll just say these are just a few.

What things do you think a band should sacrifice to succeed? Have you ever sacrificed anything in your life for a better future for your band?
Well, the normal things you sacrifice for a job or some discipline you want to develop: Time, Effort, maybe some moments (party nights, going out, dinners, or spending time with family) because you can't be in two places at once, sometimes some money, and more so if you're young and just starting out.

Describe your ideal concert as a performance band. Have you experienced it yet?
So far, our favorite show was the last one in Saltillo. The road, the venue, and the people we met left us with fond memories and great videos that we watch again and again. We'll soon be playing at Café Iguana, a very popular venue in Monterrey. We have high expectations.

What do you think about the rise of AI in music production?
So much has been said and we've read a lot about what this means for the music industry and independent artists like us and many others. As a band, we see AI as just another tool out there; you can use it or leave it aside. For us, it's not really that useful. Seeing the often deplorable work that has emerged from its implementation on covers and some songs, we don't see any real use or benefit. I mean, who the hell would be proud to present something poorly done that wasn't yours to do? But we understand that many artists prefer to do that just to generate content, and very bad content at that.

What attributes do you think a new death/thrash metal band should have to gain identity and be unique?
I don't really have an answer for that, but if I had to say one word, it would be "constantial." Some will tell you that it's "old school" or "following the more modern trend," but there are many variables that influence that. Do you have something to say? Write it down! Do you have something to play? Well, let's give it a go. Having an identity means not having anyone tell you what and how to play. It's in your blood, and it's forged over the years. We play with a lot of passion and try to be consistent and hard with our music. We like the speed, rawness, and power of metal. That's our style.

Do you think digital platforms help new death/thrash metal bands? What do you think is the ideal way for a band to promote their work?
They help in the sense that there are no barriers to someone listening to you, you don't have to pay shipping or a plane ticket to see bands from the other side of the world. While it's true that sometimes it's counterproductive, the industry itself has promoted and popularized this way of consuming music. All that's left is to take advantage of it to further disseminate and promote what you do.

Based on your experience in the music industry, what would you recommend to a new death/thrash metal band to avoid or what should they do?
Being talkative, having egocentric or rockstar attitudes. If you act like an idiot, you'll be seen and treated like an idiot. We rarely encounter people in bands who are like that, but I've seen that it's what has the most negative consequences, not just for one person but for the entire band, and it stops them from seeing things as they really are.

Tell us a little about the new underground metal scene in Mexico (bands, fanzines, webzines, metal clubs, etc.).
We've had the opportunity to live with, hang out with, and/or witness great bands like NEXT, Panic, Luzbel (the original Raul Greñas band), Mortuary, Transmetal, Leprosy, Thunderslave, Primal, Raped God 666, Eradication, Crimson Fröxx, Speedrippërs, Endless Torment, Bondage 666, Phantom, Panic Of Thrash, Stranger Blaze, Savage Mind, Arszenik, Cretacea, and Comando Violento. These are some of the best Spanish bands we've heard. We probably forgot to mention a few because there are so many incredible bands that have come a long way, but these are the ones I can think of right now.

What does metal mean to you? And tell us 10 metal albums that are in your blood.
Metal is one of the things I've appreciated the most and has accompanied me for much of my life, like any fan. I'll try to choose only 10 of them, although there could be many more, and it's not in order from greatest to least because it's a very sacred subject. Haha.
1. "Defenders of the Faith" - Judas Priest
2. "Thrash Zone" - D.R.I.
3. "Muerto en la Cruz" - Transmetal
4. "The Executioner" - Raped God 666
5. "Symbolic" - Death
6. "Hell Awaits" - Slayer
7. "Seven Churches" - Possessed
8. "Spectrum of Death" - Morbid Saint
9. "Dark Descends" - Dark Angel
10. "Schizophrenia" - Sepultura

Do you know anything about the Hellenic metal scene?
Regarding the current scene, I don't really know. We've heard of bands like Rotting Christ or Inactive Messiah, who have been around for a while and have been around for a while.

What are your plans for the future?
Right now, we're writing new music for a second full-length album and we plan to play in more places in Mexico and then look for ways to play in other countries. We'd love to see more places and more people to show our music to!

Thank you so much for your time, and keep it up! The closing is yours.
We really appreciate the space, as it's an important part of what we're doing to consolidate Morbid Meat as a serious Thrash Death band. We're passionate about this and we do it with great pleasure! We send you all our best and a big hug. As a good friend of ours, "Alfonso," told us, "It's Heavy Not a Hobby!".

By Steve the Filthy Dog.

MORBID MEAT CONTACT:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552107525586

https://www.instagram.com/morbidmeatmx/

https://morbidmeat.bandcamp.com/album/reign-of-terror

https://www.tiktok.com/@morbidmeat