Interviewed by Brian Rademacher
Date: December 27th, 2005
http://www.myspace.com/mykillmayhem
Hello Mykill and welcome to Rockeyez.com. When growing up what kind of music did you listen to?
My inclinations came in phases; I suppose I'd have to say. I started out with your usual 80's variety of faves - AC/DC, Priest, Maiden, Sabbath, & Metallica, in chronological order, actually. Then I found music that was more to my liking in a friend turning me onto Venom, Slayer, & Celtic Frost. I've ever since preferred the heavier side of things with Carcass & Deicide being huge for me, too, but also listened to stuff like Zombie, Manson, & Nails.
What was the first album you bought?
The 1st one I can remember buying myself would have been AC/DC's "Back in Black."
What was the first concert you attended?
Van Halen, on one of the last tours before DLR left, what a great band, they were tight as hell, high-energy, & doin' it all live, unlike most bands today... :s
What kind of kid were you in school?
I was the kind of kid that was never in school, I usually skipped school to go home & play guitar. I was in in-school suspension for skipping & skipped in-school suspension, so they expelled me. The feeling was mutual, though I did go back & get a diploma, a GED, & went to St. Petersburg College for music here in the Tampa area, graduating in the 1st class of 2000.
Were you any different then any other kids in school?
I always knew that I had a sense of purpose that was stronger than most of my friends, & I would literally sit & play guitar for hours a day, attempting to be the best I could, so I suppose that I was different in that sense.
Did you play in the high school band?
I was in the orchestra at 10, starting out on violin, as it were.
Did you first start singing or playing guitar first?
I quit violin after a year or so, but stayed in chorus for a couple of years, & then moved on to guitar about a year later, adding keys to my repertoire starting in '96.
What was the very first garage band you were in?
AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!! Was the first attempt I made at a real band, but it never really solidified. It was speed/death metal style with philosophical & political lyrical content.
What was the first band you were in that release material?
Astaroth was the 1st band that I was in that officially released & gigged. It was a mid-to-fast paced death metal style with a wide range of subject matter, from relationships to the occult.
Have you ever dabbled in witchcraft?
I'm greatly interested in the occult & supernatural in general, but am ultimately more into music than anything else. I've dabbled in or researched many subjects, but can never seem to find enough time for other fascinations, as music always seems to lure me back from my other intellectual pursuits.
Were you always into the theatrical side of music?
I guess I'd have to say so, though I never really thought about it in those terms. I really came up from the jeans & t-shirt era, but Venom always had an extreme presence on stage, & I definitely loved that more than just 4 guys standin' around. I'll never forget the “Seven Dates Of Hell” video, when Cronos is in full leather & studs regalia, & his incessant head banging caused his spiked collar to lacerate his throat, & he all but had arterial spray flying as he belted out the lyrics to "Witching Hour," the 1st official neck-breaking song of all time, it was classic!!! I've always been a fan of Cooper's imagery as well, though not his music so much so, but always loved the depravity he conjured.
How did you hook up with Halo guitars?
Actually, Raven was the one who first started talking to Halo about their new line, & our relationship with Halo's founder, W4D, began. I hear the police in Cali are preparing experimental weaponry for our finally meeting W4D face-to-face, & they may need them, as we are all potential candidates to be the poster child for debauchery, lol!!!!
Do you have other endorsements?
Yes, we have endorsements with Hot Picks, Floyd Rose, Curt Mangan Strings, & we're currently finalizing our endorsement with Coffin Cases according to Raven.
Do you have a signature printed guitar pick?
Hot Picks needed some time to work on my signature series, as I play with picks thinner than some construction paper, but it's currently in development. It will be a nylon pick, & be .28mm thin, a full .10mm thinner than the thinnest picks available currently, so that means I don't have to file my picks down anymore, and have more time to play guitar!!!!!!
Your music is overpowering and reeks of brilliance; who writes the music?
The original plan was for the new lineup to write new material when the band moved to Florida & I entered the lineup on guitar. We got an offer to open for our good friends Nocturne & Bile within 2 weeks of securing the lineup, so we never actually got that chance. We had to pick what songs we felt were the best tracks the band was using to date, & give them a bit of a facelift, & hit the ground running. I put my personal style to most of the guitar parts, except on "Draining Away," which I took in a heavier direction, making more dramatic changes to the original composition than the rest.
What guitarist made the biggest impression on you?
Wow, that's an extremely difficult question to answer, there are so many guitarists out there that I respect so immensely, that I feel are more capable at their craft than I'll ever be. Even with technical merits considered, I'll still have to say that I'd pick Mantas from Venom. I think that he was quite an underrated player. I use the analogy here that Mozart was a superior musician to Beethoven, yet Mozart was not capable of summoning, in my estimation, the fire & passion that Beethoven possessed in his music, & possessed might be the right term, have you ever listened to the 3rd movement of "Moonlight Sonata?" It is absolutely sick!!!! Right hand scale runs that sound like Carcass leads through the whole piece, it's insane, I love it!!!!
Not to get carried away here, as I'd much rather that be by a tribe of scantily-clad nymphomaniacal Amazonian women that utilize hair-removal & cosmetic products, but I have a quote that I use to summarize this principle: "Let he who can best capture emotion be proclaimed the best musician, for some can build the most aesthetically pleasing cages & yet have not ensnared the beast."
So yeah, Mantas would be my choice. Man, he could make that guitar scream like no one else!!!
Is there any new guitarist you recommend fans to hear?
Well, the newest guitarist that I've been exposed to that I've been that impressed by is Greg Tribbet, Mudvayne's guitarist. He has a fairly diverse repertoire for the style & genre of their music, & creates some quite interesting & unique textures & riffage. I also find Paul Allender of Cradle of Filth to be a stellar example of guitarmanship, if I can make up a word, is that allowed?
My most highly recommended new band to listen to is one that I had the fortune of catching at Gothstock, Hartford's own local boys at the show, Circus of Dead Squirrels, they are eclectic, heavy, & hilarious simultaneously, definitely worth checking out!!!!!
Tell us what it was like at the 2005 GothStock and do you plan to attend the 2006 GothStock Festival?
It was a great experience, as I met a lot of great people there that I'm still maintaining friendships with to date. I would love to do it all again, the carpet cleaner races, the nudity, the fights, good times, good times... ;)
Fans who have never seen your show, what can they expect? Does the band have any stage props or blood?
We've gone through some phases with this band, so you never quite know what to expect from us. The one thing that I can say to expect from us is a LIVE show. I can't stand the fact that most bands now use tracks onstage, & fake their way through their sets, or play at a reduced volume under the canned tracks. That's disgusting to me!!!! When I go to see a show, I want to see someone actually playing, I can watch them jump around to their own songs on video at home, I go to a show to see a LIVE band, & you generally don't see that anymore, unless you come to our show, especially within our genre. I think most REAL metal bands, play live, I at least hope I'm right in my assumption, or metal bands aren't living up to the standard set by their predecessors.
How long is your set?
Almost an hour currently, so when we start adding some more of the new material, we should have about an hour & 1/2 by then.
Who would you like to tour with?
Another tough question. We're talking about touring currently with Rikets, & I hope that comes together, but some great bands for us to tour with that we incorporate genres of would be Dope, Ministry, Manson, or NIN.
You have a goth/fetish modeling site - BeelzeBabes.com. That makes me drool. Where can I get one of those girls?
Well, I certainly know where to find them down here, but the best way to find them in your area, if they are particularly hard to find, is to leave a trap near your local goth nightclub with a bottle of jager, some really high platform boots, & a pack of cloves under a box, & when they grab for your booty, you catch theirs, voila, goth girl in a box!!!! I might start shipping them next week; I'll just have to have you fill out the proper paperwork, hehe... ;)
Is Sister Kill Cycle working on any new material and when will it be released?
We are currently finishing the composition of our next CD, with the new tentative title of. "Only The Sick Survive." You can never be too sure on a release date, but it should be out by late spring/early summer, I would conjecture.
Tell us, what's the wildest thing a groupie has done to you?
It might not be considered to be the 'cool' thing to say or whatever, but I'm not really into 'groupies.' I've maintained for some time that I'd rather talk to a girl who said to security that she wanted to discuss the philosophical meaning of our lyrical content, than one who simply showed her tits. Not that I have anything against tits, other than various parts of my anatomy, hehe, but I prefer a woman who's a bit more refined in her debauchery, lol!!! ;)
An anecdote that may be of interest, on an unrelated topic, though, is that when I was in Germany in the army, I saw Slayer, and Tom Araya stopped the show in the middle of "Angel Of Death," and told everyone to, 'Quit moshing, moshing is punk, this is metal, you bang your fuckin' head!!!' I went completely ballistic, because that is the way I've always felt myself, & to have it reaffirmed by one of metal's finest was a great feeling, not that I didn't already know I was a metal mother fucker or anything...
What kind of woman turns Mykill crazy?
Dominatrix really do it for me. I like women who are as confident about themselves as I am. As I said, most 'groupies' want a quick-fix esteem boost, & that is a turn-off to me. A woman who exemplifies intelligence, confidence, & beauty turns me on more, especially when she knows how to take what she wants from me... ;)
Will the band be playing any dates on the East Coast near New York?
I certainly do hope so, though we're just now starting to explore our options with putting the tour together, we’ll be sure to have more details posted as it all comes together...
What are your feelings about downloading?
If you get it for free, & you like it, buy it!!!! I have friends burn me CD's if I want to check out a new band, & if I like it, I go buy it then...
What is a typical day for Mykill?
Lately, it seems to consist more of correspondence than anything else, it's becoming all-consuming. It's really too greatly varied lately to say, though. One day we're doing a movie shoot, the next we're playing a show, but I usually try to workout daily, practice both guitar & piano, & try to write new material daily as well.
What are your feelings about the current state of the world?
I find it very difficult to fathom how we still have such bloodlust & hatred for one another in the 21st century that we live in; shouldn’t we be a bit more civilized & advanced beyond that by now?!? It's just so barbaric & needless, I can't understand it. The worst thing is that our governments will blatantly lie to us about these atrocities that they commit. It's become so rampant; they don't even seem to try covering anything up anymore... :( Can we sue our government for 'breach of social contract?' )
If you have one dream come true. What would that be?
I'd have to say that it would be realizing my dream of being in an internationally recognized band, but that would be to obtain my ultimate dreams of being able to influence as great a number of minds as I can to aspire to a higher ideal, & to continually strive for improvement in all areas of your life.
What are the future plans for Mykill?
Shit, I'm not even sure what tomorrow will bring, but I'd like to have an influential career in the music industry, that would obviously be most rewarding. Maybe moving on to writing books or something else later, I've always wanted to write a novel, though I'm sure I'll never leave my one true love - music!!!
Mykill it has been a pleasure to talk with you. Would you like to say any words in closing?
I appreciate you taking the time out to put this interview together with me, & I wish you nothing but success in your endeavors with Rockeyez. We musicians have to thank you & others like you for caring enough about your music scene to devote your efforts as you do!!!!! Have a kick-ass new year, everyone, & remember to be at your best when you're at your worst, it's always worked for me!!!!!!!
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