Murder Death Kill Guitarist on the Hardcore Scene, Then and Now

Murder Death Kill lay down some of the meanest hardcore you'll find anywhere today. Formed in 2009 and featuring former members of bands like Donnybrook and Blood Stands Still, the group hails from the deserts of Southern California, a region famous for bands like Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age.

During a recent chat with Murder Death Kill guitarist Pitbull Dan, Noisecreep asked him about the hardcore scene there. "What scene? There's no real hardcore scene out here," said the six-string abuser. "Bands playing that Vampires Everywhere! type of bull---- and all that other screamo stuff is what kids care about around here. I used to work in one of the venues out here that has live music, but all you would see there were those scene kids that care more about their haircuts than real music. When I want to go see a hardcore show, I usually have to leave town."

Since Murder Death Kill's style of hardcore isn't thriving in Dan's area, Noisecreep asked him how he became a part of the scene. "I used to live in Washington, in a hippie type of college town called Bellingham. Most of my friends were older than I am and we were lucky because a lot of cool punk type of bands would come out and play near us. I was like 13 years old and I would go to see these shows with my older friends. I learned the punk lifestyle through them. It was a blue collar type of existence.

"From that punk scene I soon discovered the original hardcore bands like Agnostic Front and Warzone. I eventually moved down to California and got deeper into the hardcore scene. There was a club in Corona called The Showcase Theater that was legendary out here on the West Coast. I saw so many great shows there."

Listen to 'Hatred for Mankind'

Murder Death Kill's upcoming sophomore album, 'Instigate Infiltrate Annihilate,' will undoubtedly appeal to fans of rough and rugged acts like Neglect, Sick of it All and Skarhead. "Hardcore is so different [now] from, say five years ago," complains Dan. "Nowadays people form bands to try and become rock stars or whatever. What they don't understand is that you can't become rich playing hardcore music. That's the kind of stuff that really pisses me off. I'm talking about all these so-called hardcore bands that have pretty singing in their choruses. I'm like, you're either pissed or you're not. I take that stuff like an insult.

"When you used to go to shows, back in the day, you would have to look over your shoulder a lot. It was a dangerous thing, a feeling. That element was part of what made it awesome. These days you'll be at a show and you see kids texting each other. What the f--- is that about? It's all so watered down now. That's the kind of stuff that fuels my lyrics. The frustration of what I see in the scene today."

Murder Death Kill's 'Instigate Infiltrate Annihilate' will be out on July 5th via Mediaskare Records. The band will also be on the Over the Limit II tour alongside Bury Your Dead, Evergreen Terrace, For the Fallen Dreams, In the Midst of Lions, Thick As Blood, and Betrayal.

Murder Kill Death tour dates:

06/28 Poughkeepsie, NY – The Loft

06/29 Cleveland, OH – Peabody's

06/30 Detroit, MI – Magic Stick

07/01 Dayton, OH – The Attic

07/02 Milwaukee, WI – The Rave

07/03 St Paul, MN – Station 4

07/05 Chicago, IL – TBA

07/06 Cedar Falls, IA – TBA

07/08 Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom

07/09 Dallas, TX – Fat Daddy's

07/10 Houston, TX – Warehouse Live

07/11 San Antonio, TX – White Rabbit

07/12 El Paso, TX – Club 101

07/13 Tucson, AZ – Skrappy's

07/14 Mesa, AZ – Nile Theatre

07/15 San Diego, CA – Soma

07/16 Lancaster, CA – Pioneer Event Center

07/17 Pomona, CA – Glasshouse

07/19 Oakland, CA – Oakland Metro

07/21 Seattle, WA – Studio Seven

07/22 Boise, ID – The Venue

07/23 Salt Lake City, UT – TBA

07/24 Denver, CO – Marquis Theatre

07/25 Omaha, NE – Sokol Underground

07/27 Huntington, WV – Big Sandy Supercenter

07/28 Augusta, GA – Sector 7G

07/29 Charleston, SC – Oasis

07/30 Douglasville, GA – The 7 Venue

07/31 Springfield, VA – Jaxx

08/01 Allentown, PA – Crocodile Rock