Hail K.: Wow. Barabbas! Aren’t you the coolest band in Manila right now?
Joy: Us cool? I don’t think so.
Ben: Who said that? I think we will leave the ‘coolest’ tag to those cutesy rock bands playing on mainstream radio.
Ron: No. We have no element of being ‘cool’.
Jok: Not that cool but we're cool! Does that make any sense?
Jay: I dunno, whatever, we don’t care.
Hail K.: Anyway, the band looks pretty sick onstage especially with those matching guitars. Whose idea was that?
Joy: Ron and Ben could answer that question...
Ron: Ask Ben.
Ben: It’s a long story; Ron was the first to have a seven string Peavey Predator TR-7 while I used a six stringer onstage. He got another one and lent it to me and after sometime I eventually bought it. The only difference is mine has the Philippine flag sticker on reverse and his frets are scalloped.
Hail K.: Joy, I can’t help noticing your backup vocals during performances. You have a very powerful voice. Have you ever considered singing whole songs?
Joy: Thanks! Nope. I’ve got no plans to sing whole songs though I used to sing and play bass for my previous band, but that was ages ago.
Hail K.: I know this sounds cheesy, but what is the Barabbas formula for its own brand of heavy effin’ metal?
Jok: We just call it metal, its up to you what you want to call us
Joy: I don’t think there's any formula. Personally I don’t believe in formulas. It’s all about just winging it, destroy and then whatever comes out- that’s it!
Ben: Basically it’s a sum of our influences, one of us would be into the black/death metal while the other one would listen to Jazz/Fusion and we also share some common influences like Pantera, Meshuggah, Alice in Chains and all that heavy shit.
Ron: Formula? Is there such a thing? Maybe it's because of the beer.
Hail K.: I don’t mean to sound impolite but JR’s singing does remind me of Shagrath from Dimmu Borgir, would any of you agree?
JR : Maybe because of our DIY production and recording my voice through cheap mics. I do listen to Dimmu Borgir, most of the time Shagrath's voice sounds like a dry croak and is more piercing compared to mine. Sometimes he sounds like he’s singing through clenched teeth. Well, that’s my opinion. But I do dig their music.
Ron: I disagree. I think he sings like Mariah Carey.
Joy: No not really, though I’m not really into Dimmu so hell, how should I know? Ask Ben.
Ben: Guttural singing seems to be on every genre of metal but unlike Shagrath’s troll like growls, JR’s voice is on the Carcass- Jeff walker style, which to some of you sounded so black metal and partly it is because of his outward delivery of screaming and not the usual inward inhale style common in grindcore.
Hail K.: How long has the band been paying its dues?
Ron: I've been with them since 2005 and I've been paying my dues since then, it’s all good.
Ben: I’m fairly three years into Barabbas and I think Joy has six to eight years since he's the only original member left.
Jok: I think the band is in its seventh year, though I’m not really sure. Me, I’ve been in this shit for five years now. Time flies when you’re jerking around.
Joy: Barabbas has been eating shit since 2002-2003. I don’t really remember. Who cares anyway?
Hail K.: For those unfamiliar with homegrown Filipino metal, what’s the scene in Manila like right now?
Jok: It SUCKS! Next question please.
Joy: I think the scene here is pretty healthy these days with lots of bands are popping up. I think being in a metal band is trendy right now. Everybody wants to be in one, hahaha.
Ben: The scene is alive right now with more bands putting out their CD’s and many productions carrying metal bands on their roster. As more international bands get to play here, more converts are coming so it’s high time for the metal scene right now.
Ron: The "scene" is shit.
JR: Crab METAL-ity.
Hail K.: I’m sorry but my bible trivia fails me. Who is Barabbas?
JR: Joy, our bassist?
Ben: Barabbas was a bandit held in jail at the time of Jesus' arrest. Pontius Pilate, who according to the Gospels, annually released a prisoner every Passover, offered to release Jesus, but the people demanded Him crucified instead and Barabbas be set free.
Jok: He's a thief and murderer, but we're not like that. We just DESTROY everything in our path, hahahaha.
Hail K.: Jok, you were Jason Bittner’s (Shadows Fall drummer) drum tech when they played here recently, what exactly did you do?
Jok: Our company provided his TAMA kit and I was there to assist him in the assembly and dismantling. After the concert he just gave me his whole damn set of cymbals (all of it). How’s that for assistance?
Hail K.: What did Jason have in his hands while playing?
Jok: Its nothing, just gloves to protect his delicate skin, hehehe.
Hail K.: Ben was also there. Ben, what was your favorite part? Mine was all the songs after Brian Fair took off his shirt.
Ben: Oh man, I thought that was so gay (Brian Fair taking off his shirt)! Hahaha, just kidding bro! Anyway, Jonathan Donais’ playing was superb that night but I think his killer pinch harmonics (ala Zakk Wylde) really amazed me the most.
Joy: Hahaha, you sick faggot dog you!
Hail K.: If Barabbas were one of the openers, how cool would that have been?
Joy: That would have been great, it’s a great opportunity to play for a lot of people especially for those who are not that familiar with our brand of metal.
Ben: That would be killer, aside from a huge place and crowd to play in, the equipment must have been top notch. Even if we aren’t that big fans of Shadows Fall, I guess it would have been an honor to play with them.
Ron: It would be more worth watching, if we would open for Shadows Fall.
Jok: One Word- DESTROY!!!
Hail K.: “Destroy!” is Barabbas’s motto. Explain.
Ben: It’s just an expression much like the one’s used before a football team goes into action. It goes something along the lines of “Let’s kick some major ass tonight!”
Joy: Destroy, to us, means to do your best. To be heavier, to be tighter, to be meaner! Heck, it’s a great word to live by!
Hail K.: The band has this secret retreat called “The Batcave” somewhere in Manila. What goes on in there?
Ron: Rock n' roll and booze of course.
Jok: All of the secrets that have never been told are there- just kidding! It’s our hide out. An exclusive place for us and our ‘tropa’.
Ben: It’s a relaxing place where there’s no blaring techno music and vain people. You can play your CDs and if you're bored you can play with your balls, err, billiard balls.
Joy: It's just a house/bar that we all hang out in- cozy place!
Hail K.: You have this very cool emblem/mascot on the cover of your primer. How did it come to exist? Does it have a name?
Jok: I call it ‘EL TORRO GRANDE DE BARABBAS!’ Hehehe, I dont know. Ask Joy.
Ron: It was Joy's design and we all liked it, so there it goes.
Ben: It’s a representation of Barabbas. The mascot or rather the icon was a collaboration of Joy and I based on his drawing. I polished it and added the machine theme to it.
Hail K.: Will the emblem make it to the cover of your debut album or will a different piece of artwork be used?
Jok: I don’t know.
Joy: We’re gonna be doing new artworks for the album that’s for sure. But the emblem is permanently gonna be there everytime we’d come out with something. There’s actually three versions of that emblem.
Ben: We’ll see, but I have new ideas on the artworks as well. We might be thinking of it as soon as we finish the recordings.
Ron: I hope it would make it to the album.
Hail K.: Why does the band give away a primer instead of distributing a demo or selling an EP?
Ron: We're just giving them something to wait for, Hahaha.
Joy: Well the songs on the primer were the old versions, we just wanted to show people the difference from the new stuff when the ‘real’ record comes out.
Jok: Because its not our final recording, it’s just a teaser of what’s to come from Barabbas. That’s why we just gave it away. An EP if it is considered as a finished product but the ‘primer’ is not. There were changes on the songs so we had to record it again
Ben: Why? Because people love free stuff and giving freebies is a good promotional tactic.
Hail K.: If you started writing an album now how much original material would be ready and how long would it take to get the overall quality up to the band’s standards?
Jok: The quality I don’t know. It all depends on these guys.
Joy: We already play eight originals in our set, we’re polishing two, then we’ll be making one more. I can’t tell when we’ll be able to finish doing the record because we have no timetable for that, but I sure hope it’ll be out this year.
Ben: We have at least eight to ten songs that are almost ready and I think it’s not the question on time or how to make it, but rather it’s on the funding issue. We are finding ways in raising funds for this album and we work doubly hard for this to become a reality.
Hail K.: I’m sure none of you can make a living off heavy metal yet. I’d like to know what keeps the band busy when not rehearsing or doing shows?
Joy: Well I’m a 2D animator and nanny for my son, hehehe.
Ben: I work in advertising agency as an Art Director.
Ron: I study music in some asshole university.
Jok: Work, sex and sex, hehehe. I’m the Product Manager for Tama Drums here in the Philippines.
Hail K.: Barabbas is quite a seasoned live unit, which places have given the band its best reception yet?
Joy: Olongapo hands down! Best scene I’ve witnessed so far! There’s a crazy crowd everytime!
Ben: I agree, Olongapo City. Crazy as hell people in a small sleazy bar!
Ron: Yeah, Subic was good.
Hail K.: Why does Meshuggah have such dedicated fans among the ranks of Barabbas?
Ron: Because they have this distinct sound compared to other metal bands.
Joy: Two words: Original Concept.
Ben: I’ve been into the thrashy kind of riffing when I first got into Barabbas but this, I’ll tell you, it is more challenging for me to go into a Meshuggah style syncopated riffing than the former.
Jok: Meshuggah’s an awesome band. We really dig their music but we have no intentions of emulating them. Ripping ‘em off would be pointless because there’s only one Meshuggah in the world and they’re from Sweden. We’d rather be ourselves.
Hail K.: Thanks for being so cool Barabbas. For my last question, what are the most embarrassing things any of you have done while drunk?
Ben: I have none, because I’m a loser and when I’m drunk I’m more aware than when I’m sober.
Jok: Me? Nothing much happens because I don’t drink that much.
Joy: Violate Poultry! Hahaha, gone are those days
