Asian hardcore is definitely something worth more attention from the kids here in Europe or the States. Deadscore represents Malaysian hardcore and is a proof that bands over there know how to handle their shit. They started back in 2004/2005 and had their debut MCD released last year. Read the interview with the singer, xMazrix and check out what he got to say about the band, Malaysian scene, SxE and the future.
Your debut MCD came out last year. What people who haven’t heard it yet should expect from this stuff?
Yes it’s true our debut CD entitled “Built to Last” had hit the streets July last year (15 July 2008 to be specific though). It contain 5 songs & for those who haven’t heard or get it yet & planning in grabbin’ it in this near time, you guys can expect nothing bullshit but all intense heavy, pissed off & in your face beatdown hardcore music.
How was the response so far?
The response was amazing & way beyond our expectations coz its been our 1st official proper recorded release which everyone here had been waiting for quite some time already. Right now the cds all sold out & we had to let jay from Vindictive Nature Distro (US) pressing those cds there sort of like US version of it in order to help us out in fulfilling the demand which keep on comin’ each day. I bet by now the cds would be ready for you guys though. If you are from US, do contact jay Vindictive Nature Distro in order to purchase the cds aite.
How would you describe the Deadscore sound? Who are some of the bands that have influenced you musically?
Well its simple, DEADSCORE are basically a heavy, blood pounding moshcore beatdown band. Musically I can say DEADSCORE sounds are actually a combination of technical stuff (the beats & all that sort of stuff) delivered in the form of heavy, bouncy shit. Got some crazy breakdown here & there, massive sing along, plus some rap thingy goin’ on..you know..its all in DEADSCORE man & in fact all those elements mention above had been the signature for DEADSCORE now a days. DEADSCORE musically influenced mostly by those hittin’ hardcore band like BURY YOUR DEAD, RECON, AWOKEN, NASTY, BLACK MY HEART,THICK AS BLOOD, xAFBx, SIX FT. DITCH & EMMURE (just to name a few though).
How has your music evolved since you first began playing together?Well, its been quite good. At first the sound/music that we played & create are much more typical type of moshcore such HATEBREED & stuff. But these few years, as the band grown & been playing quite a bunch of shows plus exposed to other genre of music especially those heavy ones, we start to change & evolve to much more heavier thingy in terms of music wise. To make it even more for us we starting to throw some beatdown elements & apparently on our 1st cds (Built to last) we manage to pull out something fresh for which really signify DEADSCORE as a whole. In fact I can say DEADSCORE is the 1st beatdown hardcore band out of KL city. Word up brother!.
Where do you draw your inspiration from when it comes to the lyrics in your music?
- Ok when we talk about the lyrics, I personally didn’t restrict myself to focus on one particular subject/area. To tell you the truth, when it comes to lyrics, I usually wrote them based on what I fell & my very own opinion towards certain issues/thing. Its actually explain how I see things in my own way. But mostly what usually triggers the inspiration would be my daily life (anger, frustration, hope, love, etc), the surroundings issues whether in or out side the hardcore scene, hardcore itself, & many more though. Easy to say my daily life & feelings had inspired me a lot in writing the rhymes for DEADSCORE.
May I ask what inspired the lyrics for Sellout?Owh that song. I actually wrote it when I get really pissed of by those so called so ‘hardcore’ people that had turned their backs towards hardcore scene plus talking shit about the scene especially to the new kids. Breaking down the spirits of the new kids by saying shit about the scene & things like that. Condemning the scene is what they do. Now that’s bullshit brother. If you decided to pull yourself out, don’t drag others. Remember, theres always people who still embrace hardcore & believing it. So please respect that hommies. You ask me what inspired the lyrics for sellout, well it inspired by hate & anger. Sellout would never be born as one of DEADSCORE songs if it wasn’t for these shitty crap backstabbers.
What was your most memorable performance so far?
Our memorable performance? Well I don’t know other line ups but for me that would be the one that we played at art house, Singapore show called BOUND BY HONOR pt2 which we had share the stage with one most respected hardcore band out of Singapore called STOMPIN’ GROUND & also during our cd (Built to Last) launching here in KL whereby we had share the stage with one great Australian band called DRIVEN FEAR. But frankly speaking, every show that we played got its own vibes going on and the response given to us was always amazing from shows to shows. So I can say almost all of our shows are memorable though
How would you define the word “hardcore”?
Hardcore is for me personally is a life style & the place that I can express myself freely without any restriction. A life style that had inspired me to be myself & determine to be a go getter you know. I don’t know what had happen to me if I wasn’t hardcore inside. For easy interpretation, from music I know HARDCORE & from HARDCORE I know what is life is all about. That’s why DEADSCORE got 1 hardcore anthem songs called ‘hardcore for life’ whereby it depict what is actually hardcore for us which is its more then just a great music. Its life hommies!!. But we all do respect, every individual in the hardcore scene got their own definition about what is actually hardcore for them. Theres no right or wrong answer though. In fact it is basically based on your understanding towards what it is all about (the community, idea, attitude, etc) & those understanding might lead you to something brief and suits your needs as an individual plus motivated you in some sense. One way to do this is to get involved & at the same time understand it. Don’t just blindly follow others though. Create you own way & struggle to be the best in what you do. That’s hardcore enough though.
At what point in your life did you get into hardcore scene?Ok.. I started to know hardcore at the age of 13 whereby it’s around 1997 I think. But at such young age, I didn’t really serious about it. Just down for it for the sake of music & the band that make me down to hardcore is STOMPIN’ GROUND (Singapore). So you see that’s why I said the most memorable show for me by far is the one that we played at Singapore whereby we managed to share the stage with STOMPIN’ GROUND. Just imagine the feeling sharing the stage with the band that had inspired you in the first place. It’s out of this world though & nothing can beat that. Such memorable achievement & something that I can be proud off personally. Back on the questions, aggressive songs had inspired me a lot in jumping into the scene in the first place. Then at the age of 15, I started to find more hardcore band in order to fulfill my lust towards hardcore. From there I managed to found a few pen pals & friends that share the same shit & established a great connection in getting infos about the local scenes as well as other places. At that point of time, its all goes really serious & interesting whereby I had tons of great hardcore stuff from cassettes, cds, zines, etc. For you information, back in the days, I had wrote a hardcore/punk fanzine called SUBZERO ZINE. But it only last until 4th issues though. Along with that I also involved in the band called INNER TRUTH & yet with the band only managed to released 1 raw recorded live demo. Then it’s off due to the lack of commitment from the line up itself including me. So that’s all about it. Got nothing interesting about it my friend & its got nothing related to DEADSCORE by the way.
Is everybody in the band SxE? What made you follow that lifestyle?
No. I bet most of you guys out there who didn’t know a thing about us might at a glance by looking at our cds cover might thought that we are SXE band. But actually we are not. Why? Coz’ the only SXE guy in the band is me (XmazriX) & if you ask me what made me end up following this lifestyle is most likely for its positive approach towards appreciating the gift from the ALMIGHTY which is our body, our health, & our life as a whole. NO smoking, NO drugs, NO alcohol, NO promiscuous intimate intercourses. Enough said its all about the positive idea & vibe which had made me the person that I’ve become today. Proud to be SXE man! I’ve lost count on how many years I’ve been SXE coz’ I’ve been busy practicing it. As for the band, we are not qualified to be claimed as SXE band. But we do cover some SXE songs though in fact might as well write one in the future. This is to show how we do encourage people to be positive & at the same time put high respect towards SXE followers, idea, philosophy, etc. Its one of the way DEADSCORE show its love to you guys out there.
If you could give a flashlight into Malaysian hardcore, what would you want to shine the light on, there are hardcore kids out there needed to know about it?
Well, most likely I would like to shine on is the whole hardcore scene itself. Wish I could shine all areas though but I think it is impossible coz he scene here is huge. As I speak, Malaysian hardcore scene is getting bigger each day & on its way get recognize on the map. The scene here had many things going on. Just named it from stuff release, merchandise, show, etc. We got it all here brother. In fact quite a bunch of great hardcore band had made Malaysia especially KL city as one of their touring places in Asia. So for those active touring hardcore band out there, you should drop by though coz its massively crazy scene we had here. Anyway, here I would like to highlight a few great bands that had made Malaysian hardcore scene stands & worth for you to check out. First off is RESTRAINT, CASSANDRA, SECOND COMBAT, ELEVEN, KIDS ON THE MOVE, INCARNATION, DASHOWN, BURNOUT, and MOUTHFUL OF AIR. Actually there’s many more but this is what I recommend for you guys to put your eyes on.
How do you think hardcore scene in Malaysia and Asia in general differs from other parts of the globe?
Gosh this is really tough one though. But I’ll try to give my view on this. Here it goes. Our hardcore scene here in Malaysia and Asia in general got its own vibes & hypes. I might miss out a few important facts if I were to list down the differences. But all I can say is that our Asian cultures / heritage had its own impact towards the scene evolvement itself which one of the facts that make us differ from other region. In terms of music wise I can’t tell much coz music is too universal. But in terms of the idea that goes along with the music, definitely we got something / issues that we want to talk about which most likely influences from our surroundings whereby it might be slightly differ from other state/region. Also the way we organize our scene / things here also might differ though. Gosh… Its hard to explain about this thing man. I suggest you guys just drop by & see / feel it for yourself. Asian Hardcore is crazy man!!!...
All right, give us the rundown, what do you have coming up? What are the plans for the Deadscore in 2009?
Its February 2009 right now & I think its still fresh new year for us to strike for some big plan though. But all I can say is we do got few things on the list for this 2009. First off we are planning on producing something even better than our 1st stuff. Yet this is still a rough planning though. At the time being, we still keep on pushing our 1st stuff (BUILT TO LAST) by the way coz its still new in some way. Planning to play more shows in & out of our own area which is KL city & probably out of Malaysia as well. Producing band merchandise & more things to come. Its all for the sake of lifting ourselves up & putting the name on the map. That’s all I suppose.
Any last words?
Ok, since this is the last one, I would like to thank my man Dloogi from OLD SCHOOL HATE for this nice interview session in the 1st place (sorry for the late reply though). Such rare opportunities for us by the way. Plus I also would like to thank the readers for your willing to spend a few of your precious time reading this interview out. Last but not least, on behalf of DEADSCORE I would like to thank the people who had supporting us since the beginning (you know who you are), those who had grab our stuff (cds,t-shirts,etc), you guys are the best!!!...remember, HARDCORE FOR LIFE!!!
DEADSCORE @ MYSPACE
Vindictive Nature Distro
