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an Interview with Steve and DJ
by Matt Smith
Lair of the Minotaur, the name conjures up all kinds of images that would be common in a Dungeons and Dragons Fantasy book for role playing geeks, but it's also the name of a powerful metal band from Chicago. Out on the road in support of their third Southern Lord release, War Metal Battle Master (see my review) I caught them live at Church in Boston and got to witness the fury that is Lair of the Minotaur first hand! I was also able to interview Steve Rathbone (guitar & vocals) and DJ (aka Donald James Barraca, bass) after their smoking set that night opening for The Ocean's first US tour. Here's how the more-than-slightly buzzed tale unfolded...
GASP: War Metal Battle Master is a kick-ass album and it's really reminiscent of of old-school thrash like (points to Steve's Repulsion shirt) Repulsion, and once I saw your shirt I said, okay, there's my first question answered for me!
DJ: (Laughs)
GASP: I mean you guys have that sound, but also a much more meatier death metal undertone that doesn't make you a straight ahead thrash metal band. I was wondering if that's an influence of what you guys listened to growing up or if it was something that kind of happened by accident?
Steve: I mean it's like a mixture of Celtic Frost, Slayer, S.O.D., and even some early hardcore stuff like Negative Approach, and even maybe some Misfits.
DJ: And that's the shit we still listen to, you know in the van on tour, old Megadeth, Misfits, you know, that kind of stuff.
GASP: That sounds like your sound. I mean I grew up listening to old school metal and 80's metal and then I got into Metallica, Megadeth, etc.
DJ: Yeah, I was just talking to the Withered guys and they were playing the new Megadeth and you know Rust in Peace got me into speed metal in junior high, you know the classic story of the older brother getting me into metal and I thought it was really cool and that's how it goes for a lot of us guys.
GASP: They (Church) were playing new Megadeth earlier and I'm saying, "put on something like Peace Sells or something!" (laughs)
DJ: (laughs)
Steve: I saw some horrible Megadeth video, really homemade looking like cam-looking about two years ago.
GASP: I haven't really bought any new Megadeth since Rust in Peace
Steve: Yeah, I didn't even buy the one with "Area 51", what one was that?
GASP: That was Rust...
Steve: I saw them on that tour.
DJ: I like that record...
Steve: (sings a line from "Holy Wars", laughs)
GASP: It is a good album, and I saw them on that tour too, the Clash of the Titans tour with Anthrax and Slayer, and Alice in Chains opened the whole show.
Steve: I was drinking in the parking lot so I missed Alice in Chains. (laughs)
GASP: (laughs) Yeah, that was before AIC were popular, 1991.
DJ: Anyway, enough about Megadeth (laughs)
Steve: (laughs)
GASP: (laughs) One of the funniest moments in that 'lica movie (Some Kind of Monster) is when Dave Mustaine is crying to Lars about how they never gave him a chance.
Steve: (laughs) Yeah, "do you know how I felt?", that was unbelievable.
 GASP: It was hilarious. Anyway, I digress. Now you guys are on Southern Lord and have been for all your catalog, do you get put on a lot of SL tours, because a lot of those bands are really doomy.
Steve: Well, there's really not many Southern Lord bands that tour. There's Earth, SUNN, Boris, and then there was Wolves in the Throneroom but they just broke up.
GASP: Wolves broke up? Aww man, that sucks!
DJ: Yeah, and when we first started out they did these shows called Dates of Darkness, which were SL showcases but there were never really any real tours. We played with SUNN...
Steve: Con8, Goatsnake...
DJ: So we played with those bands but there's not really SL tours.
GASP: It seems like a lot of the SL bands put out an album or two and break up.
Steve: I think they've really branched out from the doom stuff like putting out more Black Metal and the Jesse Sykes (& the Sweet Hereafter) record, Earth, you know stuff like that, so I mean the roster is all over the place and for the most part we were all huge SL fans even before we were on the label. So, it's like we're really humbled to be on the roster and we're kind of the black sheep on the roster and I think maybe a lot of the artists started off on the label as metal and branched off and experimented and maybe we represent the beginning of these bands and are just as important on the label as the other bands like SUNN who are doing really experimental things.
GASP: Yeah, I've noticed they've been putting out more experimental stuff and getting much more than just doom bands, which was what they started off catering to mostly.
Steve: Yeah, and in a lot of ways it kind of validated what we were doing to be picked up by such a serious label as SL you know and just to be associated with that when people see that we're on SL it adds to our appeal.
DJ: Yeah, It lent weight to it, especially coming from our previous band, 7,000 Dying Rats, we thought people would still think everything was still a joke. (laughs)
GASP: (laughs) I can imagine.
Steve: Most people have a sense of humor and can laugh at themselves. I mean we were always serious about the music.
GASP: Yeah, and from the minute I put on War Metal Battle Master I knew you guys were seriously going for that pure heavy thrash sound. It reminded me of when i was into that shit back in the late 80's/early 90's.
Steve: Yeah, and kind of what we're doing, I mean the transition between thrash to death metal happened so fast, all of a sudden it jumped over and there was never any period in between and it seemed like overnight there were all these death metal bands and thrash just sort of faded out. And I think we're like this divot in the middle of that, we're definitely not some rip off of an old thrash band, we have a fresh approach to it that is missing from a lot of music that's out there. There's just a lot of music out there that is soulless and it's so cookie cutter and it has to be under some sort of sub-genre...
DJ: ...or the death metal gets so techie, and then it becomes about the techie-ness and not about the riffs or the songs.
GASP: Yeah, you lose a lot of the feeling. Actually one of my questions is how do you feel about the state of the extreme metal? For instance, I've been reviewing new CDs and one in particular, the new Black Dahlia Murder, just sounded so cookie cutter to me, I mean it really sounded like they said, "let's go write and record a death metal album", (laughs) because that's just what it is, there's nothing interesting about it, and it bores me to tears!
Steve: I mean, you know, to each his own and some people like different things...
DJ: I don't think either of us keep up with Death Metal too much, you know what I mean?
Steve: There are a few newer bands we listen to like Craft, on Southern Lord, they're amazing, they're kinda like in between Death Metal and Black Metal, they're one of my favorites. You know there's a big Thrash resurgence and I think that's good, because it's better than a million metalcore bands or what ever.
GASP: I agree.
Steve: Some of the stuff I've heard really isn't doing anything special but there is some really cool stuff going on. I mean we didn't really think people would like what we were doing when we started the band and we NEVER imagined we'd be doing what we're fucking doing right now. I thought we were going to play a few shows and put out a demo and stay around Chicago.
DJ: Those were our expectations.
Steve: So I think there is a core amount of people out there who are looking for something different than what's being served to them and it's been pretty evident and people let us know and so we like to fill that void.
 GASP: You are filling that void and you're one of the more interesting bands bringing the old school thrash sound and making it sound fresh. You've got integrity. On to the next question, have you guys done any European tours at all?
DJ: Yeah, we did six weeks there last summer.
GASP: Was that your first time playing there?
DJ: Yeah, it was our first time there.
GASP: How did it go?
DJ: It went pretty good, the UK was amazing, we had a really good response there, we didn't know what to expect. Even France and Spain were really good, we had a good time, we're hoping to go back.
Steve: Germany, Portugal.
DJ: Yeah Germany too! It was a great experience. There were people out there who knew our music and were into us and looking forward to seeing us. We're hoping to go back this Fall. Southern Lord has a presence over there, our stuff is distributed over there.
Steve: SL is a label like Sub Pop where people really follow what's on it and are willing to check out anything on the label.
DJ: Yeah, and you can't ask for anything more than that!
GASP: Exactly! And whenever I get a SL sampler there's really not a bad track on it! Good shit! Now, do you guys think you'll keep churning out albums and touring until no one cares any more or do you see an end in sight?
Steve: Like I said before, we didn't even really see ourselves this far and we're kinda just taking it day by day and it's like whatever comes comes.
DJ: We're already in unchartered territory. 2008 is the most active year we've ever experienced so far in this band and we're just taking it step by step, you know. We don't have any grand scheme, we're just having fun and as long as we're having fun.
Steve: And as long as we have good ideas. (laughs)
DJ: (laughs)
GASP: Yeah, once you run out of ideas or you're not having fun.
Steve: Right now we have a contract for two more records.
DJ: (laughs)
GASP: Oh really?
Steve: Yeah, so we'll at least be around for two more cycles, two year cycles. (laughs)
DJ: Yeah, I was talking to a friend in another band and we were talking about how there's not too many bands where people continue to follow them over a bunch of records, I mean I'm partially amazed that people are still into us and we're on our third record! A lot of times by a bands third record they move on to other things.
GASP: Yeah, but this is metal we're talking about, fans can be pretty die hard.
Steve: Yeah, that's the thing about this kind of metal we're playing, I mean you've seen so many sub-genres come along and they're like a flash in the pan shit, I mean hair metal, grunge, rap metal, metal core and then there's bands like us that are playing raw fucking in your face metal like Slayer, who are still playing huge venues, there's gonna be an audience for this shit, I mean it's like family, you're in it for life, you listen to it your whole life.
GASP: Yeah, metal is in our blood and we're always looking for that pure shit! Metal was my first really music love! It's good to see a lot of the old schoolers are coming back with killer albums. Now GASPetc is a half horror half metal site, I was wondering if you guys have any favorite horror movies or directors?
Steve: Have you seen our video yet for "War Metal Battle Master"?
GASP: No (I have since seen it and it is ALL they are saying it is!)
 Steve: If you check out our myspace page or website you can see it or on youtube. We've been haggling with MTV and it looks like they're going to take a really easy edit, once you see the video you'll know what I mean. It's got a lot of gore, and boobs, and blood.
GASP: Sweet, sounds perfect! (laughs)
Steve: It's been called the best metal video ever! (laughs)
DJ: (laughs)
GASP: Now how did the whole thing come about, were you working with a particular director?
Steve: Yeah, we met the director at the Murderfest in LA last year and he had approached us and wanted to do a video, we just started talking and I told him about the idea I had and he was really into it. He's done videos for High On Fire, Goatwhore, Exodus, he's had a bunch of stuff on MTV.
GASP: What's his name?
Steve: Gary Smithson And we got a lot of help from a lot of friends and it was really low budget but we got what we wanted to achieve. There are just so many lame videos out there and we wanted to make a video for all hardcore metal fans, all hardcore horror fans, and we're actually all huge fans of horror and we actually played a 24 hour horror festival in Chicago and they just screened the video at Sci-fi Festival in this historical theatre in Chicago called the Music Box. You know sometimes I think I'm more interested in horror than in music! (laughs)
DJ: (laughs)
GASP: Then you're talking to the right people, because GASPetc is exactly what you're into! How about directors, any favorite horror directors?
Steve: Obviously John Carpenter, I'm also a big fan of a lot of the Italian horror like Ruggero Deodata, Cannibal Holocaust...
DJ: Argento...
Steve: Argento, Fulci, stuff like that, you know a lot of the really gory stuff, some of the newer stuff coming out that's really cool like the Toe Tag pictures stuff, like the Mordum and August Underground. Inside this French movie just came out is fucking unbelievable. (check out our review)
 DJ: I think Dimension Extreme put it out. One of the best horror movies I've seen in awhile.
Steve: Frontiers (review here) , another French movie is really good, it seems like there's this whole new horror heyday.
GASP: There is! Mike Baronas, the founder of this site, just put out a DVD all about Lucio Fulci and it's got interviews with the people who worked with Fulci talking about working with him, it really is a labor or love for him! He's a huge fan of European Horror.
Steve: Yeah, European Horror is really kicking ass now. I mean there was some cool American Horror, Devil's Rejects, the first Hostel, Descent, Doomsday, have you seen Doomsday yet?
GASP: No, I haven't seen it yet. I love horror, but I'm more a fringe Horror fan, I don't get as rabid as the writers for the Horror side of the site do. I stick to the metal side of the site, I stick to what I know best! (laughs) Anyway, any thing else you want to add? A message out to the fans.
Steve/DJ: (laughs)
Steve: Not really, just fuckin'...
DJ: Come see us on tour!
Steve: Watch our video, catch us on tour!
GASP: Now this tour goes until when?
Steve: This tour (w/ The Ocean) goes until the middle of June, then we go on tour on our own to Chicago and up to Seattle and come back and then three weeks later we go out with Boris and Torche on the West Coast and after that we'll tour with with Torche in the South/SouthWest and then we'll meet up with MOD and come back through Boston.
GASP: Sweet, that'll be fucking great! I haven't seen MOD since Gross Misconduct.
Steve: That's actually the last MOD album I bought.
GASP: Me too, although I did think the SOD reunion, Bigger Than the Devil was pretty cool!
Steve: Yeah, it was okay, I'm pissed I missed them on that tour.
GASP: Yeah, I missed it too!
Steve: Yeah, that's a HUGE influence to me, SOD! They're fucking shit is just...
GASP: Yeah, Speak English or Die was probably one of my first favorite extreme metal albums, it just kills from the first track to the last!
Steve: I ran into Charlie Benante last year at a Fangoria convention, he was all bummed out about Joey leaving.
GASP: They should just get Neil Turbin back!
Steve: Yeah.
GASP: Anyway, I appreciate you guys taking the time for this interview, it's been fun!
Steve: Yeah man, it was cool!
DJ: Thanks man!
GASP: Okay, let's go drink and watch The Ocean! (laughs)
Steve/DJ: (laughs)
DJ, Matt (and his ever present TEETH!), Steve, and Chris.
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