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"I definitely had a vision of Hatchet as I was writing. I purposely tried not to just do the typical speed riffs that Thrash bands produce because I wanted something that was really gonna stand out. I really wanted it catchy and thrashy. Something that people are gonna be able to whistle in their head when they are done listening to the record or after seeing us live" |
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HK: Hello Hatchet, care to name the warm bodies in the band for the benefit of our readers?
Julz Ramos: Yeah sure. Hatchet is Marcus Kirchen, our vocalist; myself on lead guitar; Sterling Bailey on rhythm guitar; Dan Voigt on bass guitar; and Alex Perez drums.
HK: Can you shed light on the origins of Hatchet?
Julz Ramos: Absolutely! We pretty much started as a two-piece. It was just Dave, our original drummer, and I. We had left a Melodic Death Metal project we were working on to play what we were really feeling; Thrash Metal. I posted Craigslist adds for other members and soon recruited Sterling for rhythm guitar and Marcus for vocals. We went through a couple of temporary bass players before reaching out to a young bassist, Dan.
HK: How did you land a contract with Metal Blade records? When you nailed your biggest break so far (getting signed to a label) on November of last year, did you celebrate afterward?
Julz Ramos: It's a funny story actually. At that point we weren’t even ready to shop labels yet. It was soon after one of our bigger Bay Area shows at the time and we logged onto our Myspace and saw a message from 'Metal Blade' Records saying ‘Hello From Metal Blade,’ our jaws pretty much dropped and negotiations started soon after.
HK: What was the experience of recording an album like? Was it a ton of work? Did you write and jam until the crack of dawn? Did you drink beer in the studio?
Julz Ramos: The studio we worked at was very easy and down to earth. We pretty much nailed it in four days. Three days of music tracks and one day of just vocals. These were full eight-hour days, so we were pretty exhausted afterwards. All the songs had already been written prior to recording, so other than little adjustments, it was pretty much like practice for us! A couple of us had a beer here and there, but we actually try and stay pretty sober while we play. Comes out better that way!
HK: Which songs on the record have the most interesting themes or stories or history behind them?
Julz Ramos: At least from my point of view, I’d say ‘Morlock’s Tomb’ and ‘Awaiting Evil.’ ‘Morlock’s…’ is about an underground group of outcasts called the ‘Morlock’ who are secretly plotting the takeover of the human race! Haha! ‘Awaiting Evil’ to me kind of paints a picture in my mind of some evil creatures awaiting an awesome evil force to rise up and takeover earth and heaven. Kind of the same, but I like em’.
HK: Why settle on the name 'Awaiting Evil'? Were other ideas thrown around while conceptualizing the album? And what’s going on in the cover art?
Julz Ramos: I think we had pretty much just decided to name it after one of the songs as most bands do. Just seemed like the appropriate thing. ‘Awaiting Evil’ was our favorite song as a band and seemed to have the most striking name that stood out. The cover art kinda goes along with the theme of the song, in my opinion. These creatures are pulling the dead from hell out to earth.
HK: Rather than focus on Thrash, which everybody knows about, how deep into the waters of NWOBHM has the band waded in? Any cool forgotten bands you'd care to recommend?
Julz Ramos: You know, I think as a band we can definitely see the differences in the first slew of songs written from the later ones. As the main music composer in the band, I definitely had a vision of Hatchet as I was writing. I purposely tried not to just do the typical speed riffs that Thrash bands produce because I wanted something that was really gonna stand out. I really wanted it catchy and thrashy. Something that people are gonna be able to whistle in their head when they are done listening to the record or after seeing us live. Based on the reviews so far, that point has seemed to come through EXACTLY as I wanted it too and I am extremely happy about that. As far as the NWOBHM aspect, I’d have to say that it did have an influence on the band. I think it kinda popped in there by accident, but definitely a good one. Marcus especially takes a lot of influence from that era and I think it shows in his vocal style.
HK: How long has the band been paying its dues?
Julz Ramos: We have been playing for about two and a half years now.
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| Pic courtesy of: Hatchet |
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| "Morlock’s…’ is about an underground group of outcasts called the ‘Morlock’ who are secretly plotting the takeover of the human race! Haha! ‘Awaiting Evil’ to me kind of paints a picture in my mind of some evil creatures awaiting an awesome evil force to rise up and takeover earth and heaven. Kind of the same" |
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HK: Can you name some of the venues you've had the pleasure of doing shows in? What kind of audience usually congregates in front of Hatchet's stage? Any hair-raising experiences like people being electrocuted or having a bottle thrown at you?
Julz Ramos: Yes. We Headlined Tidal Wave 2007, which is an annual metal fest in San Francisco and it was on this big outdoor stage and it really felt like we were in some big arena. Plus there was a huge turnout and it was just overall a lot of fun. Haven’t been hit by a bottle yet, but I’m hoping to be soon...Hahaha!
HK: What vehicle do you use to get around on US shows? Does it have any special compartment or gadget in it? You know, like a radio?
Julz Ramos: We just recently bought a huge Dodge extended van that we added seats in and there’s plenty of room for our gear in it as well. We only toured once in it, so far no special gadgets or anything.
HK: You're touring Europe right? Is this the first time the band has played abroad?
Julz Ramos: Yes we are stoked as hell to tour Europe! It will be the first time ANY of us have been to Europe and it is on a killer tour with awesome bands like Heathen, Monstrosity, Flotsam and Jetsam and many others. It’s gonna rule!!!
HK: Aside from gear, what other essential items do you bring with you on stretches of tours? Condoms?
Julz Ramos: Well of course all the personal items, clothes, grooming essentials and all that. We all bring our ipods to keep some tunes flowing. Don’t know of anyone that brings condoms, I’m sure someone’s got ‘em though, they are pretty easy to get.
HK: Is the band bent on winning the longevity game? With cycles disrupting music outside the mainstream and trends coming and going, does Hatchet have what it takes to survive? Or will you call it a day at some point in the future?
Julz Ramos: I’m sure there will come a point when we have to call it quits, just like any band. As of now, we have just gotten our feet a little wet. We don't have any plans on being rockstars or “Making It Big.” We just wanna get our music to as many people out there and grow and continue to have fun doing it. At this point it’s a little late to just give up, especially with a record contract, which is good because it lights a fire under our asses not to just be lazy typical musicians. Besides, we are doing fairly good and seem to be going in a positive direction, all things considered. I mean, not many young new bands get the chance to go to Europe and play with the kind of line-up that we are. So as long as that positive direction is happening we will march on.
HK: Are the guys in Forbidden friends with the band? Have they ever given any indication of a comeback album?
Julz Ramos: I’ve only met Craig personally and he was pretty interested in our sound and what we are doing. Our manager also manages them as well, so that’s the extent so far, but they seem like cool guys and I can't wait to hang with them and chat it up. I do know something about comeback stuff, but I can’t really say anything. I actually am not even sure if what I know is what I know. Haha!
HK: Can you name some of the concerts you attended that made a lifelong impression among all the others you've seen? Who were playing that night and how did it become so special?
Julz Ramos: I would have to say that seeing Slayer and Testament on several different occasions definitely left an impression on me. After seeing the way that crowds got so much more insane for Thrash than other types of metal bands I’ve seen was definitely a huge inspiration for me to wanna be up on a stage and earn that kind of reaction.
HK: What else is going down in your everyday lives outside Hatchet?
Julz Ramos: Ugghhh. . . Honestly not much. Working in a job that kind of sucks and is really boring, I wish I could just play music all day ya know? But yeah, it’s pretty much work and band, work and band.
HK: Alright, thanks for this interview Hatchet, it's greatly appreciated. What achievements would tell you that the band has reached its height? Would headlining a festival do this or doing a North American tour? Or perhaps when people's lives are changed by your music?
Julz Ramos: Oh thanks for interviewing us!!! As far as achievements I’d have to say that two years ago this seemed like such a far-fetched idea to even be where we are now. And now I have people from Italy telling me how glad they are that they bought our album and they love it. That is a really good feeling and achievement in my book. Headlining is definitely down the line for us as far as a whole big tour, but yes that would be extremely awesome. Thanks again!
