Just recently added to the roster of Unique Leader Records, here’s a brief e-mail interview with the death metal band from down under, Psycroptic.

JH: Give us a brief history of the band.
DH: We started in 1999, and released our first self funded album in 2001. We toured
around Australia quite a bit to establish ourselves within the scene. All the
while writing new material. We released our second album in 2003 through Unique
Leader records, and toured with Deeds of flesh around Australia in 2004. we are
now preparing for our first international tour in Europe.

JH: Where do you guys hail from?
DH: Tasmania, which is the island at the bottom of Australia. It is a great place.

JH: How is the metal scene there in Australia?
DH: Its not too bad. The isolation is quite a problem - most bands are unknown
outside of Australia due to the fact that they don't tour other countries.

JH: What is your latest release?
DH: "The Scepter of the Ancients"

JH: You're with Unique Leader records? How is that going for you?
DH: Its great - Unique Leader is a great label, run by dedicated and professional
people. I've always been a big fan of the label, and to finally on the label is
a huge honor for us.

JH: Describe your sound for us?
DH: Its primarily death metal based, with influences from all metal styles. Go to
www.psycroptic.com to hear us. That's the easiest way.

JH: What geared you towards this genre of music?
DH: I've been into metal almost all my life, so I think its just a natural
progression. And playing an instrument means that [metal] is the main music that
you are drawn towards. It's a challenging and very rewarding style of music for
me personally to play.

JH: Who are some of the bands influences?
DH: There are a lot of bands and styles of music that we drawn influence and
inspiration from - so to single out a few bands would be pointless. Bands we
all listen to and enjoy are Deeds of flesh, Emperor, Immortal, Opeth,
Satyricon, Suffocation, and so on. We listen to heaps of different stuff-
outside of metal as well.

JH: So you have a European tour coming up?
DH: Yes, that's right - with Dismember, Anata and Sanatorium.

JH: How many dates and in what countries?
DH: Its 25 dates, and goes through about 8 or 9 countries I believe. Germany,
France, Austria, Hungary, UK and a couple of others.

JH: Will it be a headlining tour?
DH: Dismember of course. It should be a killer tour.

JH: What other bands have you shared the stage with?
DH: A lot of Australian bands such as Blood Duster, Astriaal, Alarum, Intense Hammer
Rage, and so on. Quite a few bands. We've also played with Deeds of Flesh and
Incantation.

JH: Any talks of touring the states (U.S.)?
DH: Yeah, we hope to get over there sometime next year. I cannot wait - it will be
sick.

JH: What are your hopes for the future of Psycroptic?
DH: Just to continue to write music that we, and fellow metallers get into. And to
get out and tour to a lot of different places.

JH: You have material ready for a new album?
DH: Yes, we've working on the new material as we speak. We've got 5 songs written,
and we need about 3 or 4 more for the album to be ready.

JH: When can we expect it?
DH: Hopefully sometime in 2005. That's the plan anyway.

JH: What sort of topics inspire your lyric writing?
DH: Well, since I don't write the lyrics it's a bit hard for me to answer. I believe
they are inspired by movies, books and everyday life. Its not much of an answer
I know, but that's the idea behind them.

JH: Most of you seem to be in other bands. Do you find this difficult?
DH: No, since Psycroptic takes priority over these other bands finding time is not
hard. The time we have outside Psycroptic goes into the other bands.

JH: Are the creative processes the same or how do they differ from band to
band?
DH: Each band has its own creative process, so yes its very different. Psycroptic
has its own way which is significantly different from the others, which is why
I suppose they all sound totally different.

JH: Any underground bands that you recommend to lookout for? Besides Psycroptic.
DH: Other bands we are involved with are Ruins, MSI, and The Amenta

JH: Anything I may have forgot to ask, or you would like to add?
DH: Thanks very much for taking the time to interview us. For those who want to
check us out go to www.psycroptic.com or www.uniqueleader.com.
thanks for your support mate
--
PSYCROPTIC
70 Lochner St
West Hobart
Tasmania 7000
Australia

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