December 2008


Los Angeles sludge thrash metallers Watch Me Burn got their start sometime in the 2000 era in which they went on to release two LP's a series of splits, and a few demo recording's their last release before their split-up in 2009 was "At The Stake" in 2007. Since then frontwomen Sawa has done her modeling gig as a Suicide Girl the remaining members Russ, Rusy, and Kevin have gone on to other activities. R.I.P. Watch Me Burn.

1. Introduce yourself, and what is the hidden symbolism behind the name?

My name is Rusty. I play drums for Watch Me Burn. I don't think there is a hidden message in our name. I will say there are a ton of ways to use our name.

2. Do you feel you are portraying a message to the masses that we can all relate to?

I am sorry but I don't think we have a message. Besides music is love. Being happy entertaining our fans and doing everything in our power to put on a good show.

3. How are the holidays treating you guys? Any New Year's Resolutions?

The holidays are always a bitch. Spending money you don't have. Seeing people you would rather not see. Watch Me Burn is getting ready to play a ton of shows for 2009.

4. What are the future plans for Watch Me Burn?

We will be releasing our 3rd full length album. Playing as many shows as possible. Trying to get some label attention.

5. How did the process and development of "At The Stake," come about, do you think it has defined you guys as band?

That album took forever to finish. If anything it mad us stronger as a band. The recording process was spanned across about 8 months. First drums, then bass, then guitar and then vocals. The entire record was recorded at LMU by our good friend Christian. It was also mastered by Scott Hull from Pig Destroyer. The record is really polished. I don't think it defined us, I think it is what we were at the time. We are always growing and trying different things.

6. What is music for you? Does it bring you some new emotions or it helps you to get rid of some negative emotions?

For me...music is a release. It helps me get rid of negative feelings I tend to hold on to. I feel like a million bucks for about 10 minutes after a set. Then I have to start moving my drums for the next band. Playing live is the greatest!

7. Why do you think the 80s has enjoyed such a huge comeback?

Everything comes back around. The next thing you know..Death Metal and Grind will be back in the spot light like it was in the early 90's. Then Watch Me Burn might have a chance for global domination...for a few months.

8. So, how would you describe your sound to a stranger in three words?

Fast, Funky & Tight

9. What was it like playing the Los Angeles Murdefest for the passed 3 years I believe. Are you going to make it a tradition?

Playing the Murderfest is the best. Kevin (Guitar) & I have been friends with Dan from Church of the 8th Day since high school. He has been a friend and a fan of Watch Me Burn since we started. He knows we can draw a good crowd and loves us as we love him. I hope we get invited back for version 5.0.


10. And finally to wrap things up, anything else you'd like to mention we haven't covered?

I would just like to thank you for this interview. I would like to tell everyone to stay tuned and watch for our 3rd release, due out in 2009. If you or someone you know does booking, please contact us through our MySpace page. www.myspace.com/watchmeburn. Thanks for everything. See you in 2009.


1. Introduce yourself, and what is the hidden symbolism behind the name?

Hi, my name is Cult and I play in Deathchain. My stage name is referring to my other side, to put it brief. “The side that is hidden.”

2. Do you feel you are portraying a message to the masses that we can all relate to?

Yes, we have a message, definitely. But not everyone can or will relate to it, since the majority of the human race is very ignorant. The message is: Don't accept ready doctrines, think for you and only Metal and Death are real.

3. Do you have any favorite tracks off any of your albums?

My all time favorite Deathchain song is probably "Return of the Nemesis". The energy level on that one is just amazing! I enjoy playing to all Deathchain material, though and I think the best songs are yet to come. The new album has the strongest overall selection of songs.

4. What's the process behind "Death Eternal"? Are you satisfied with its final artwork, song work etc.

Actually, we are very satisfied with "Death Eternal"! Personally, it was my first album with Deathchain, so this whole year has been a process of becoming used of being a part of Deathchain. The recording itself went great, the atmosphere was very good all the time, maybe because we recorded the album out in the woods in the summer, down by the lake, away from distractions hehehe. The artwork is amazing as you might have noticed, I love it! I think "Death Eternal" shows the condition of Deathchain in the year 2008 very well.

5. I was listening to your musical style and the band that came to my mind was Katakylsm have you heard of them? I think the vocals really nail it right on. Especially with "Serpent of the Deep," this sounds similar to Katalysm’s “Slither”.
No, I haven't heard of them before, maybe the name of the band is familiar to me? I hope they sound great, haha!

6. What is music for you? Does it bring you some new emotions or it helps you to get ride of some negative emotions?

It's both of those things and more. Of course, music is a channel to get rid of frustrations and negative things. You can let off steam instead of keeping it all inside, you know? And music can be used as a tool, also. As a ritual.

7. Why do you think the 80s has enjoyed such a huge comeback? Have you had a chance to listen to the new AC/DC or Metallica albums, opinions on them?

You could already see the 80s coming back almost a decade ago. Many metal genres such as black metal, death metal and thrash metal were born in the 80s, so I guess it is a "back to the roots" thing, the aggression and the feeling was more pure, rawer back in the old days. I've heard the new Metallica album, and I really dislike it. But it don't bother me at all, I've given up on them ages ago anyway.

8. You guys recently did the video for "Serpent of the Deep," how did that work out and who did you shoot that with?

The video was made a little bit before I joined the band, so I don't know that much about the making of it. Our video crew did a great job, 'cause I think it's a very good music video! I always prefer the videos where they just show the band playing the song, instead of cheap effects or a cheap plot. Special effects and storylines can be impressive also, but they have to be done with good taste and with effort.

9. Noticed that "Death Eternal," hit number 13 on the Finnish charts what were your reactions? Especially the number, being "13".

Well, it's of course a great thing to know that people are actually listening to our music. And in Deathchain history, this was the best chart position so far, so I could say that things are going in the right direction. Hehe, lucky number "13", hopefully it's a good omen....
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10. When do we plan to see DeathChain hit the U.S.?

Ohh how I'd like to visit California! We hope to go touring Europe and the States, as soon as possible and as much as possible! Lot of things is still open concerning next year, so let's see if we could hit the road soon again. We certainly are ready!

11. How are the holidays treating you? Any New Year's Resolutions?

Unfortunately I have to say that "no rest for the wicked", since I'm very busy with a million practical things. I try to relax a bit while doing cool stuff, like right now; I'm having a cold can of Budweiser while doing this interview, hehe....

12. I noticed your list has some major hitters on it ranging from Cannibal Corpse to Slayer, have you had a chance to tour with them or anything? What do these bands you listed mean to you?

Last year Deathchain supported Nile on their Finnish tour, and in 2005 Deathchain was touring Europe with Destruction and Candlemass. It's always great to meet someone who has influenced you musically or otherwise. For example, Rotting Christ from Greece has been one of my favorite bands for me since the 90s, so it was great to perform in the same festival with them and to talk a little bit with Sakis.

13. What do you think about the economy and recession we're currently facing right now, I'm not sure if your terrain is but I know the U.S. is going through it and it’s really rough right now during the holidays?

I think the recession will hit other parts of Europe harder than the North. The structure of economic and society everywhere is meant to go to a certain direction, big corporations taking over. And there's not much we can do individually, except to resist it. Unless you wanna believe that your vote counts, maybe it does, who knows?

14. If you could describe your music to a stranger in 3 words, what would they be?
Aggressive, painful slaughter.

15. Any other final thoughts or comments?

Yeah, LIFE INFERNAL, DEATH ETERNAL! Have a great year 2009 and hope to seeya on gigs someday! Thanks for the interview!

http://www.deathchain.com/



Set List:

The Flood
Reverse This Curse
There's No Sympathy for the Dead
Not Good Enough For Truth In Cliche
On To The Next One
My Apocalypse
You Are So Beautiful
The Webs We Weave
We Won't Back Down
The Guillotine
This War Is Ours (The Guillotine 2)
Situations
Dragging Dead Bodies In Blue Bags Up Really Long Hills


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SO LOCK AND LOAD! Your heads off because Las Vegas has emerged heavy metaler rock and rollers Escape The Fate onto the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, CA for Ernie Ball's 12th Battle of the Bands competition. The night rolled off around 7PM with the first act battling it out From Aphony which got the crowd intensely awaken for the rest of the night! Next arrived Red Car Wire kicking it rock and roll style all the way jumping up and down across the stage as the crowd clapped along to each tune sung out loud. The two remaining acts Settings, and The Scenic were the main spotlights as Settings won the competition for the night but also gets to rock out alongside The Scenetic on the 2009 Vans Warped Tour on the Ernie Ball stage for 2 weeks this coming summer! After the battle had died down a war had broken out which only mean one thing, "THIS WAR IS OURS" as Escape The Fate appeared on stage rocking out old and new hits off their classic LP "Dying Is Your Latest Fashion," breaking out tunes such as "The Flood," Onto the Next One," "Reverse This Curse," The Guillotine Parts 1& 2," and "Situations," among others. The set lasted a good hour having the band diving and jumping all over the place fans were being thrown up onto the stage like bullets being shot out of a shot gun, one fan grabbed a hold of the microphone singing some of the lyrics then got thrown off the stage as the crowd in the pit danced the night away pushing and shoving kicking everyone in sight. When Escape The Fate broke out into "This War Is Ours (The Guillotine 2)," guitarist Bryan "Monte" Money was hooked up onto this flying equipment and got flown above the club as he broke out into a killer guitar solo that got the crowd so wrapped up in the atmosphere it was unbelievable! The intensely overall experience was rough and wild and one crazy ride that should be ridden again and again.