Hellbastard


"When I look at today's bands and the MTV Generation, I ask myself the same question again. And again. And again. 'Yes, I'd like to see a massive gaping wound. Please. Why, I'll even let you make it with a blunt instrument,'" Hellbastard's outspoken guitarist/vocalist Malcolm 'Scruff' Lewty told Noisecreep. "Arguably, there are too many bands, too many individuals, making music, in my opinion, for the wrong f---ing reason. This just gives me the s---s." But rather than bitch and moan for the sake of bitching and moaning, Scruff re-assembled Hellbastard, the grind/crust band he fronted, and re-recorded some old tunes for the 'Eco-War' EP on Selfmadegod Records.

"We had rehearsed tracks for the current American tour of the East and West Coasts, and we found that because the band had two guitars again, we could evolve the older material into a labyrinthian sound of power and undeniable force, kind of like having the weaponry to flatten its predecessor. The old stuff is so damn good to play live." Scruff is happy with the new lineup of Hellbastard, a band that represents the old and cherishable guard of music.

"Everybody in the tape-trading, underground metal, punk and hardcore scene has a copy of the first demo, 'Ripper Crust,' and maybe even the first album, 'Heading for Internal Darkness,'" Scruff said. "So, we are quite pleased to play that older material that gathered the band so many fans across the world. Imagine going to see Motörhead and not hearing 'Ace of Spades.' It's unthinkable. Having the benefit of better musicianship and 'better' technology for production values has got to be a good thing."

Hellbastard also fashioned a Slayer cover for the'Eco-War' EP. "We used to play 'Die By the Sword,' and it was always welcomed by our audience," Scruff said. "We made it different, though. There are a few bars in a couple of sections that don't stay true to the original. We actually recorded it from memory, and none of us even bothered to listen to the actual track itself. We are just fans of early Slayer stuff ... period."

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