Interviews

 

Ripper  -  With a new album of classic material (originally written in 86/87) to be released in late 2008, Ripper mainman Rob Graves comments on how it feels to finally record and release these songs after a 22 year wait, as well what the future holds for the band.

Militia -  Militia co-founder / bass player Robert Willingham endured our marathon grilling session to bring forth a definitive look at one of Texas' most enduring underground metal bands.  Robert lays out the history of the band, the intense  live shows, and his personal take on that elusive $1300 EP.  He also was generous enough to open his personal scrapbook and allow us to publish never-before-seen live and promotional shots in an exclusive gallery.

 

Oblivion Knight -  Bassist Steve Sexton sheds some light on the somewhat murky history of Oblivion Knight, a band definitely worthy of its cult status in the underground.  Sexton also fills us in on his time spent in Texas during the spring of 1987, his personal connection to the classic Texas scene and the people in it, and his current musical endeavors.

 

Alex Robles -  Exclusive interview with Final Assault / Vengeance vocalist Alex Robles (aka Alexander III).  Final Assault, with their power metal styling and stellar musicianship, has long been a favorite of fans of classic underground Texas metal.  In our exclusive interview Robles details the history of the band and offers a glimpse into the life of a metalhead growing up in South Texas in the 1980's.

Morbid Scream -  Active from the mid 1980's through the early part of the 1990's Morbid Scream was an amazing Dallas-area thrash band that concocted its own blend of killer riffs, speed, and crunchy groove.  Drummer Jimi Bowman gives us his thoughts and recollections on the band and the classic 1980's Texas metal scene.

 

Warlock / Gammacide / Puncture  -  Long time Texas metal veteran Rick Perry lays out his personal history of involvement in the venerated Dallas-area scene.  As far back as 1982, Perry was involved in the birth and shaping of what was to become the legendary classic Texas metal era.  In a surprise move, Perry has announced his intention to gather the forces of Gammacide once again to record two new songs for inclusion on the much anticipated CD release of Victims Of Science.  Read on...

 

Desecration / Scythian Oath / Sentinel - David Jancha, Buddy Forsythe, and Steve Larsen collaborate in this great interview to shed some light on the intertwined relationship of these three bands and their enduring legacy in the classic Texas metal scene.  Rare band photos and scans of a 1986 interview that originally appeared in the legendary Dallas based zine Cerebral Devastation can be viewed in our Scythian Oath Gallery.

 

Steve Murphy   -   Steve 'Metal Murph' Murphy was an enduring figure on the Texas metal scene throughout the mid 1980's to mid 1990's.  As bassist for Eldritch Rite, Rotting Corpse, and Process Revealed, Murphy spent many years contributing to and advancing the barriers of the classic Texas metal scene.

 

Wicked Angel   -   Wicked Angel was a great San Antonio band that formed in early 1985 when most of its members were still in high school.  Nearly twenty years later, guitarist Joseph Valdez and bassist Mark Zamarron take us on a journey back in time for a look at the band, the infamous San Antonio metal scene, and their continuing devotion to heavy Texas rock.

 

Necrovore   -   Recently TexasMetalUnderground.com had the opportunity to interview guitarist Bjorn Haga and bassist Ross Stone of the hugely influential and genre defining Texas metal band Necrovore.  Both provided us with great insight into the past, present, and future of the band.

 

John Perez  -  John Perez has been a fixture of the Texas metal scene since it's inception.  From his earliest days of growing up amid the mighty San Antonio scene, to his days playing with Dallas thrash originators Rotting Corpse, to his  formation of Doom Metal pioneers Solitude Aeturnus, Perez has stayed true to himself and his ideals of how metal should sound.  In this epic-length interview Perez touches on all the above topics and more.

 

Robb Chavez  -  Robb Chavez is the man behind San Antonio's incredible weekly metal television show Robb's MetalWorks.  In our exclusive interview Robb shares his thoughts on the past, present, and future of Texas Metal.  He also announces for the first time anywhere the complete lineup of the 2nd Annual Robb's MetalWorks Showcase in San Antonio featuring Austin progressive metal legends WatchTower in the headlining slot.

 

Rodney Dunsmore  -  Rodney Dunsmore was the vocalist for Corpus Christi, Texas based thrash band Devastation.  One of the most successful thrash bands to emerge from the 80's Texas scene, Devastation released three albums of blistering metal during their too short career.  Read our exclusive interview to get Dunsmore's take on the 1980's Texas metal scene.

 

Rob Graves  -  The guitarist, vocalist, and lyricist of the classic 1980's Houston based 'Horror Metal' band Ripper gives his perspective on the band, the 80's Texas Metal scene, and the excitement surrounding the re-release of their classic 1986 album '...And The Dead Shall Rise'.

 

Jesse Villegas  -  Jesse Villegas was one of the original guitarists for Austin metal legends Militia and a collaborator with drummer Mike Botello in a late 80's Christian metal project called Awake.  Read our exclusive interview with Villegas and download audio samples from the 1990 Awake release 'Spiritual Warfare'.

 

Mike Soliz  -  Mike Soliz lent his incredible vocal talents to such  legendary Texas Metal bands as Militia, Assalant, Oblivion Knight, and WatchTower.  Read our new exclusive interview with Soliz and check out the never before seen photos direct from Mike's personal collection.

 

Syrus  -  Read Part 2 of our in-depth interview with Syrus!  Syrus was a great San Antonio based power metal band.  Our interview with guitarist  Al Berlanga and vocalist Michael Vasquez offers insight into the history of the band and a glimpse into the mid-80's San Antonio metal scene.

 

Syranax  -  Syranax deserves credit as one of the originators of extreme metal.  Their 1985 demo is one of the earliest recorded examples of a raw, fast, and aggressive music that later came to be known as Death Metal.  Bassist Sean Ross gives us his thoughts and recollections of the Texas Metal Underground.