1.Hello please introduce yourself to the readers?
Hi, we are Foetal Juice. A death metal band from North West England. We have been around since 2005 playing all over the UK and Europe.
2.When did you first get introduced to brutal death metal and who were the first bands you discovered?Who are some of the current bands that have caught your attention?
Me (Rob, drums) and Ry (guitarist) went to high school together and got into death metal at the same time with bands like Vader, Deicide, Death, Nile, Entombed, Vomitory, Kaamos etc. There are some great bands around these days. Mammoth Grinder, Teethgrinder, Scordatura, Burial, Wolfbastard, Live Burial etc. I’m personally really looking forward to the new Ulthar album too.
3.Foetal Juice was started back in 2005 what gave you all you the idea to start this band? Are you all satisfied with how things have progressed with the band over the years?
The whole point in starting the band was to write music that we want to listen to. I think we achieved that quite well, to be honest. I’m proud of everything we have achieved in the band so far and we are still hungry for more. We have managed to play a lot of cool shows with many bands that have influenced us over the years. Releasing “Gluttony” with Gorehouse Productions is another great achievement for us and we are confident it will open up opportunities to progress further.
4.What is the current line-up of the band? Who would you say are the bands biggest influences and have they remained the same over the years?
Our current line-up is: Me (Rob) - Drums and Ry (guitar) who have both been in it from the beginning. Our close friend Derek joined us on vocals in 2018 and Lewis joined us on Bass in late 2019. I would say the influences have been pretty similar over the years, and that ranges from a variety of extreme genres.
5.Gluttony is the bands second full-length being released through Gore House Productions when did you and the band first come in contact with this label?
It’s been great working with Gorehouse Productions so far. They have been on our radar for a while now. A number of our friends' bands (Scordatura, Party Cannon and Scum Pulse) are signed to Gorehouse and said very positive things about them. So far, it’s all been true. We consistently receive ideas and methods in which to progress, and it’s kept us busy and well organised.
6.How long did it take the band to write the music for the new release?Does the whole band take part in the writing process or does one member usually write everything?
We ended up writing this album really quickly actually. It’s generally me and Ry that writes everything. We were struggling to get together for many writing sessions because I’ve relocated to York. So instead of doing the usual 3/4 hour practice a week, Ry came up to York for 10 days and we ended up writing the majority of the music then. We tend to book the studio before we have written anything so that it encourages us to concentrate and produce things to the best of our ability. It’s good to have a deadline. Only this time our long-serving bass player Ben decided to quit about 2 months before we were going in. Me and Ry had to get everything written and find a bass player who was able to learn everything in time for the studio. We genuinely worked very hard to make this album, and we are thankful to the people who helped and believed in us during the whole process.
7.Who usually handles writing the lyrics for the music and what are some topics written about on the newest release?Which usually comes first the music or the lyrics?
We always write the music first, then structure the lyrics around that. Generally, we write about dark subjects that we can poke a bit of fun at. Black humour. This time I had some ideas that I told Ry about, and he wrote the majority of the lyrics, then Derek cut and edited it to fit his own style. Lyrically we have basically gone for a quite aggressive approach, singing about the greed, stupidity and cruelty of humanity.
8.Besides the upcoming Gluttony release are the bands previous releases still available for the readers to purchase?Besides physical releases does the band have any other merchandise currently available if yes what is available and where can the readers purchase it?
I think we have literally just sold out of one of our earlier EPs today - Big Trouble in Little Vagina. We have everything we’ve released up on Bandcamp either for free or very cheap download (foetaljuice.bandcamp.com). You can also get physical copies from there as well as merch. We have hoodies, t-shirts, CDs and all sorts for sale at the moment.
9.Has Foetal Juice had the opportunity to play very many live shows over the years? If yes what have been some of the bands most memorable shows and who have been some of your favorite bands to share the stage with?
We have been constantly playing all over the UK and Europe for the last 15 years. From big festivals like Bloodstock (UK), Obscene Extreme(CZ), Extremefest (DE) etc. To squat parties in Manchester as well as everything in between. We have been fortunate enough to have supported some of our favourite bands like Entombed, Cryptopsy, Wormrot, Ghoul, Exhumed etc. As well as touring and gigging with local favourites like Desecration, Famine, Scordatura and Basement torture killings.
10.When bands are able to play live again are their any plans to play live if yes where will the band be playing?
I think we have been fortunate enough to be in a position where all the good things we had planned this year have been postponed until 2021. So, we have got a great year lined up. Hammerfest (UK) Nice To Eat You fest (CZ) Fuck The Commerce (DE) Stonehenge Festival (NL) As well as a number of tours and all-day festivals in UK and Europe. We can’t wait to get on a stage again.
11.What does Underground Metal mean to you?
It’s what we have grown up with. The underground metal scene has been a massive part of our lives. We have met our closest mates through a passion for extreme music as well as girlfriends. To be honest, I think it’s that ingrained into everything we do now, it doesn’t even seem like underground metal. It’s just life for us.
12.Foetal Juice comes out of England's brutal Death Metal scene what is your opinion of the brutal death metal scene in England over the years?
The extreme music scene in the UK is really strong. We have got some really good bands in a lot of different extreme genres over here. From Grind and Death Metal to Slam, Punk and Black Metal. Bands like Desecration, Extreme Noise Terror, Napalm Death, Gorerotted, Lock up, Ingested, Winterfylleth, Fen, Necronautical, Burial, Unfathomable Ruination, Horse Bastard, Wolf Bastard, Hell Bastard, Crepitation, Party Cannon, Scordatura, Live Burial, Dyscarnate, Basement Torture Killings, Benediction, Akercocke, Pist, Discharge, Doom etc. It could go on and on.......but I just read the next question...
13.Who are your all-time favorite bands coming out of England and are their any new bands you feel the readers should check out soon?
All-time favourite English bands have to be: Gorerotted, Motörhead, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Lock Up, Napalm Death, Desecration, Benediction, The Beatles, Bolt Thrower, Queen, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. Ones to look out for: Live Burial, Burial (their new album on Apocalyptic Witchcraft is great) Scordatura, BTK, All Consumed, Deathmace, Tuscar and Gets Worse. There are loads more but I really can’t think of them right now.
14. Besides Foetal Juice do any of the members currently work with any other bands or solo projects?If yes please tell the readers a little about them?
I’m in a Black metal called Necronautical. We released our latest album (Apotheosis) on Candlelight records last year and had a great response. We are in the middle of writing our next album now. We wear corpse paint live, but I’m really shit at doing mine so Ry takes the piss. Derek plays the guitar and sings in a crusty, Black Metal, Punk band called Wolfbastard. As well as a grim frost-bitten Black Metal band named Burial. Lewis is in a Thrash band called OND.
15. When you need to take a break from working on new music or band business what do you like to do in your free time?
To be fair, when we aren’t at our jobs, most of our free time is spent playing or listening to music. We are all fans of old horror films and having a beer or 12. Ry paints models, Watches MMA and talks to walls, Derek and I collect vinyl's and Lewis is a Black belt in Jiu-Jitsu.
16. Thank you for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any final words for the readers?
Thank you for the interview and thanks a lot to all our fans who support us. Feel free to download our previous album for free on Bandcamp and share it around as much as possible. If you enjoy it, then you should check out the new album Gluttony on Gorehouse Productions.
Take care of yourselves! Cheers, Foetal Juice
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