Albums of Purgatory interview Neuraxis

Firstly, what’s the band up to right now?
We have released our latest CD “Truth Beyond…” on Galy Records in Canada and on Morbid Records in Europe and Japan. Neuraxis will be playing a few shows in Canada this summer and we hope to tour in other countries in autumn.

How would you describe the Neuraxis sound?
Everyone in the band listens to different styles of metal and music in general. Our influences are varied and this shows a lot in our music. I’d say we blend melodic death with extreme brutal death. We like to play with different rhythms and tempo changes and this gives some sort of a progressive aspect to our songs I guess.

How did you get involved with the band?
Steven (guitar) contacted me the day after my previous band broke up. I didn’t know much about Neuraxis back then. I tried out the following week and became their drummer.

Can you remember your first gig (how did it go)?
Yeah, my first show with this band was awful. We played in small city and absolutely no one showed up at the show so we played for the other bands that were there that night.

Are you involved in any other projects and if so how do they compare to Neuraxis?
I also play drums in Despised Icon. We have a male and female singer and mix brutal death with metalcore and grindcore. Our music contains a lot of mosh beats and the result doesn’t sound like Neuraxis at all. Our first album is out on Galy Records. I have also been part of a hardcore band called In Dying Days. We have released our third recording last month on One Day Savior Recordings but have unfortunately split up since.

The other members of Neuraxis are also in other projects. Rob (guitar) and Yan (bass) play in a trash metal band named Torn Within. Steven (guitar) plays in so many bands ranging from punk rock to black metal! Ian (vocals) has a band named Spiritual Might and plans to make a studio project out of it.

What are your favorite Neuraxis tracks?
All of my favorite tracks are on “Truth Beyond…” because I think that it so much better then what we have done on our two previous albums. “Of divinity”, “Fractionized” and “Mutiny” are the songs I like the most because of the way they blend melodies with technicality, musical aggressiveness and heavy grooves.

What are your favorite all time songs?
I don’t have any favorite songs.

What the first record you ever bought?
MC Hammer… hahaha!

Which album was it that got you into metal and can you explain why?
Cryptopsy’s “None so Vile”, Suffocation’s “Pierced from Within” and Dying Fetus’ “Purification Through Violence” are the albums that got me into death metal. After listening to these albums, I discovered that it was possible to be even heavier than the bands I used to listen like Pantera and Sepultura. I have always wanted to improve as a drummer and these albums gave me a lot of inspiration.

What’s the last album you purchased and what did you think of it?
One of the last albums I have bought is Kalibas “Product of hard living”… furious death/grind!!! I haven’t heard a band that sounds like them yet… there music is pretty original and intense.

What would be your dream band line-up?
I have no idea.

If you could do a cover for a tribute album to any band, which song of which band would you pick and why?
I’d do a cover of a non-metal song and adapt it to our style… maybe a death metal version of Michael Jackson’s “Beat it” because it’s such a cool song. Bands often play covers that have influenced them and the songs end up sounding exactly the same… that’s boring.

What do you think of the position of metal and music in general today?
I love everything that’s related to metal and hardcore. Both scenes are expanding and I think that’s cool. What I like the most is the fact that you can now go to certain shows and see metal bands and hardcore bands play the same night. I think I’ll always be a metal-head whether the style becomes mainstream or not.

Which other bands stand out for you at the moment?
Kalibas, Dying Fetus, The Red Chord, Commit Suicide, Misery Index, Internal Bleeding, Pyrexia, Cephalic Carnage, Cryptospy, Skinless, Pig Destroyer, Nasum, Harakiri, Burnt By The Sun, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Bury Your Dead, Every Time I Die, Circle Of Dead Children, The End, Ion Dissonance, Devourment, Goratory, Suffocation, Uphill Battle, Meshuggah, Mastodon, At The Gates, The Haunted, Eighteen Visions, Britney Spears and so many more.

Do you have any funny stories about the band you can share with us?
We have so many stories and some of them are even on tape thanks to Steven and is new camera! Our singer Ian was pretty drunk recently and got cock slashed when he passed out on the floor… I’ll spare you the details!! Rob also fell asleep at his birthday party and we drew a big Satan sign with a black marker on his forehead… he never realized it and took the bus home hahaha! For some reason people were staring at him in the bus and he didn’t understand why hahaha! Two weeks ago, a guy passed out on a couch and his face was successfully mooned by Neuraxis and friends. Oh yeah and Ian lit his farts in the van on our way back from Toronto last week. Nothing intelligent as you can see… don’t pass out when we are around!

And finally, what do you see in the future for Neuraxis?
Things are starting to pick up for us. We have signed to Morbid Records and are selling a lot more then before. We are also in the latest issue of Metal Maniacs. I see more shows and more albums in the future and I’ll keep on going as long as I’m having fun with my bros in Neuraxis.

Thanks again for the interview and good luck for the future.
Thanx for the support!