Interview with Whipstriker done by Patrick
1.Hails please introduce yourself to the readers?At what age did you first start listening to metal music?
Victor: Hey! I am Victor. I play bass and vocals on Whipstriker and others bands like Diabolic Force, Atomic Roar, Farscape, Kuld and Virgin´s Vomit. I remember I was 8 years old when my cousin introduced me some bands but to be honest I didn´t understand that noise very well. So I think I became a true metal fan in 1996/1997, when I was 11/12 years old.
Victor: I´ve started with the legends. Iron Maiden, Metallica, Misfits, Motorhead, Manowar, Slayer and then I got ready to Kreator, Sodom, Venom, Morbid Angel etc. There are a lot of killer bands nowdays. Some of them are Ravencult, Nocturnal Witch, Midnight, Hellish Crossfire, Nocturnal Graves, Venefixion, Witchtrial, Grave Desecrator, Bunker 66, Terrorhammer, Apokalyptic Raids, Flagelador, Cult of Horror, Power from Hell, Trench Hell, Excoriate, Agressive Perfector,Savage Master, Negative Vortex, Perversion, Nuke, Shitfucker, Baphomet´s Blood, Beastiality, Incarceration, Quintessenz, Nocturnal, Division Speed, Inepsy, Toxic Holocaust, Children of Technology, Condor, Deathhammer, Insane, Insurgency, Cruel Force and many more. These are bands from my generation (from 1998 - Present).
3.Whipstriker was formed in 2008 what gave you the idea to start this band? Who would you say are Whipstriker's biggest influences?
Victor: Back in 2008 I had more than 20 songs ready to be recorded. So I´ve decided to record them but I din´t stop and we´re here today. I wanted to make a one-man-band because I din´t want to depend on other people to play live etc. Our main influences are Venom, Bathory, early Kreator, Warfare, Motorhead, early Destruction, Tank and many NWOBHM bands, English/Swedich Crust Punk bands and 70´s bands like Thin Lizzy and UFO. We have no rules for music.
4.Whipstriker recently signed to Hells Headbangers Rec. How did you come in contact with this legendary U.S label?
Victor: I know the label since their early days and I´m a fan of their work. I had a pleasure to be on Hells Headbash Fest in 2015 and it was awesome. Three days of pure fucking metal madness. Before Whipstriker we signed with our other band Diabolic Force. I just sent the songs to Chase in first hand and asked him if he wanted to release the new album. He said yes. The release date is sheduled to March,09 / 2018.
5.Merciless Artillery is the upcoming new release from the band. How long did it take the band to write the music for this release?
Victor: I really don´t know. We released our third album in the middle of 2016. So I think the answer is one year or less because we started the record session of the new album in October/01/2017. And I remember in our brazilian tour
(july 2017) the songs were ready.
6.Besides the upcoming Merciless Artillery release are any of the bands past splits and EPS still available? If yes where can the readers buy your releases and merchandise?
Victor: Yes, there are a lot of splits available. You can buy a lot of them in the Hell´s Headbangers website or you can go directly to the websites of the labels that released these stuffs. For 2018 there are four 7´´EP splits comming. With Terrorhammer from Croatia, with Bunker 66 from Italy, with Hellripper from UK and a 4-way split with Hammr, Steal Bearing Hand and Weaponizer (all from USA).
7. I know Whipstriker will be doing a U.S tour in March where are some cities the band will be playing?
03/15 San Diego - CA
03/16 Los Angeles - CA
03/17 oAKLAND - CA
03/18 sACRAMENTO - CA
03/19 Eugene - OR
03/20 Portland - OR
03/21 Seattle - WA
03/22 Detroit - MI
03/23 Chicago - IL
03/24 Lexington - KY
03/25 Hyattsville - MD
03/26 Philadelphia - PA
03/27 New York - NY
8.Who are some bands you will be touring with?
Victor: We will be playing the whole tour with Negative Vortex from Oakland, California. We will play with many good bands at the Blood of The Wolf Fest (Kentucky). Some other local bands are Perversion, Throatt, Raw Dogs, Powerthrone, Cemetery Lust, Bewitcher, Kommand, Oxygen Destroyer, Defecrator, Mysticism and others that I don´t know yet.
9.Besides the U.S tour are the any plans for a European tour in 2018? If yes where will the band be playing?
Victor: Unfortunelly we can´t play Europe in 2018. I have only 30 days in a year to be touring. We played like 20 dates in Europe in 2016 and probably we will be back in 2019.
10.What does underground metal mean to you?
Victor: I live for the underground since 1998. So it´s my life. I like to play tours, talk to local bands, discorver new bands, new labels, new fanzines etc.
11.Whipstriker comes out of Brazil's thrash, speed metal scene what is your opinion of Brazil's metal scene?
Victor: I like the scene. Brazil is very big and tehre are a lot of good cities to play. My favorite bands are Apokalyptic Raids, Grave Desecrator, Velho, Flagelador, The Unhaligast, Cult of Horror, Power from Hell, Nuclear Frost, Beast Conjurator, Murdeath, Violator, Tyranno, Sepulchral Whore, Carrasco and others I don´t remember now. Since we´re a shit country we have many problems with equipaments, good venues etc. Everything is fucking expensive. So here the metal lives in the very deep underground. We do what we can.
12.Who are some of your all-time favorite Brazilian bands? And are their any new bands you feel the readers should check out soon?
Victor: Some of them are Sarcofago, early Sepultura, Holocausto, Chakal, Vulcano, Mutilator, Taurus (only the first album) and Ratos de Porao. Check the new bands I said above.
13.Besides Whipstriker do you or any of the members currently work with any other bands or solo projects?
Victor: I play i Atomic Roar, Diabolic Force, Farscape, Kuld and Virgin´s Vomit. I played tours/shows with Apokalyptic Raids and Power fromk Hell. The other members play in bands like Cult of Horror, Apokalyptic Raids, The Unhaligast and Flagelador. And there are our international brothers. Kevin is french and he plays in bands like Venefixion, Necrowretch, Perversifier and also live gigs with Destroyer 666, Trench Hell and Assaulter. Tony is american and he plays in NUKE from Detroit, Michigan.
14.When not working on new music or band business what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Victor: To be honest I basically like to spend my time with some metal shit. You know. Meet friends and listen to some bands, drink beers and talk some bullshit. I live very close to the beach, so sometimes we spend our time drinking beers on the beach.
15.Thank you for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any final comments for the readers?
Victor: Thanx you for support the band. Underground people will always have our support. Keep your web-zine alive and spread the madness.
Our Contact / Links
www.whipstrikier.bandcamp.com
whipstriker@yahoo.com.br
cheers !
Band Contacts
https://www.facebook.com/whipstriker
https://whipstriker.bandcamp.com/
Label Contacts
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/
https://hellsheadbangers.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/hellsheadbangers
https://twitter.com/hellshead666
