Albums of Purgatory interview Bumsnogger

Firstly, whats the band up to right now?
Chris: Well, we've recorded 5 tracks for an EP, but the label that's supposed
to be releasing it are having "financial difficulties" at the moment. So
we're gonna wait and see if the problem is sorted, if not, a few other
labels have expressed an interest in releasing it. We're also going to
be gigging up and down the country, including an appearance at this
year's Bloodstock Metal Festival in Derby on August 30th, with bands
such as Saxon, Blaze, Hammerfall and Paradise Lost, so that should be a
laugh.

How would you describe the Bumsnogger sound?
Chris: I'd say we combine elements of stoner, doom, metal, punk and hardcore,
but we try and make it our own sound. We're not strictly a metal band,
we're not a hardcore band, although we do have strong punk ethics as
we're involved in the d.i.y/underground scene, we like to keep people
guessing. We play nasty music, but at the same time we like to have fun
doing it. Too many metal bands are a bunch of miserable twats onstage,
we like to try and entertain the punters, but not in a pompous or OTT
way like Manowar, tat's just too much.

How did you get involved with the band?
Chris: Myself and Andy (vocals) used to be in a few bands together, and after
the demise of those, we decided to start something downright brutal
along the lines of bands such as Iron Monkey, Eyehategod and Black Flag.
The other guys were friends of ours, so it seemed natural to ask them
join the gang.

Can you remember your first gig (how did it go)?
Chris: Yeah, it was in April 2002 at a pub called The Old Angel in Nottingham,
where we spend most of our lives drinking and going to gigs anyway. It
was with Dead Inside, and their frontman, Bloody Kev, is a bit of an
icon in the UK underground scene, as he's been in such great bands as
Helvis, Hard To Swallow and 666Dead. It was pretty cool, although, the
name of the band was more interesting to people than the music in those
early gigs.

Are you involved in any other projects and if so how do they compare to
Bumsnogger?
Chris: I play bass in a band called Cape Canaveral, and it's the polar
opposite to Bumsnogger, as it's indie/emo-rock. It's not healthy to be
100% metal and wake up every morning and think "Rahhh! Another heavy
metal day!!" as you can get a bit narrow-minded musically and fearful of
change.

What are your favourite Bumsnogger tracks?
Chris: "Dutch Fisting", it was the very 1st song I wrote for Bumsnogger
and we got it nailed in an hour.

What are your favourite all time songs?
Chris: Guns n Roses "It's So Easy" and Electric Six "Gay Bar"
Richard: Iron Monkey "Supergorgonizer", W.A.S.P "Murders in the Rue Morgue (Chainsaw Charlie)"
and Carcass "Incarnated Solvent Abuse"

What the first record you ever bought?
Richard: Bolt Thrower "Realm of Chaos"
Chris: Men At Work "Down Under", I was a top 40 kid before I discovered rock music.

Which album was it that got you into metal and can you explain why?
Richard: Probably the Bolt Thrower album, I'd been listening to bands like
Slayer, Megadeth, Iron Maiden and Kreator before. This was like nothing else
I'd heard before and it got me into heavier bands like Morbid Angel.
Chris: Guns N Roses "Appetite For Destruction", I was 10 and it was the
most dangerous and exciting thing I'd ever heard.

Whats the last album you purchased and what did you think of it?
Chris: Charger "Confessions Of A Man" and it's awesome. Great
production from Billy Anderson, it really brings out the aggresion in
the songs. This band deserve a lot more recognition!
Richard: 1349 "Liberation", lo-fi old-school black metal with a capital M, the
production leaves a little bit to be desired but it's still like a kick in the face from a spiked leather boot!

What would be your dream band line-up?
Richard: Bass - Shane Embury
Drums - Nick Barker
Guitars - Trey Azagthoth and Scott Ian
Vocals - Blackie Lawless and Johnny Morrow

Chris: Bass: Peter Hook
Drums: John Bonham
Guitars: Slash and Josh Homme
Vocals: Chris Cornell

If you could do a cover for a tribute album to any band, which song of
which
band would you pick and why?
Richard: It would have to be something even more off-the-wall than our 'cover'
of "Rock Bottom" by UFO (Ultimate F**king Overdrive on the EP)... Probably
something daft like Prince's "When Doves Cry". Not sure whether we
would go for clean vocals and slow tempo or a mental-screaming blastbeat
version.
Chris: "Dazed and Confused" by Led Zep. Plenty of room in that song to spazz out and jam.

What do you think of the position of metal and music in general today?
Richard: Heh heh, what like the pathetic lineup at Donington this year, I think
that there is too much 'false metal' around these days
Chris: Proper metal has gone underground again, where it should be.

Which other bands stand out for you at the moment?
Richard: The Dukes of Nothing, I'm looking forward to the follow up to their
first record. Children of Bodom, they are like Van Halen for a new generation.
Satyricon, interested to see how they develop after signing to the majors,
Volcano" was good but it will be a shame if they can't better it.
Chris: Ooh, loads. Charger, SMILE, Eden Maine, Murder One, Instruction, Oceansize, Beecher, My War and loads more

Do you have any funny stories about the band you can share with us?
Richard: I plugged into a guitar head once by mistake, probably due to a
combination of beer and nerves, luckily Chris pointed out the mistake before I
broke anything. The band don't really have much luck with amps, Sean from My War gave
us the nickname "Ampshagger"! I cut myself on a walnut once, just leave it, it's incredibly
embarrassing!
Chris: Oh, too many tales of lager abuse, jagermeister abuse, falling over and generally being obnoxious
.... and that's just the drummer.

and finally, what do you see in the future for Bumsnogger?
Chris: More of the same I hope, release the EP, play with ace bands and to crowds that appreciate what we're doing