RED HILLS INTERVIEW

After a short creative leave, we continued to work on our new material and returned to rehearsals. We have a lot of plans for the near future, but it’s far too soon to speak of it. Currently, working on maxi-single or EP is of high priority.

When did you decide you wanted to be in a band?

Many people keen on music want to create a band or join an existing one. It is difficult to say when we decided to be in a band. Probably, in childhood, when we took a first interest in music or playing a certain musical instrument. In particular, if we talk about Red Hills, each musician from the original lineup decided to become a part of the band by himself. Just one day we popped up in the right place at the right time, namely, at the Iron Curtain Festival in 2000.

What is different about being a musician than you imagined?

Everything seemed much easier and more profitable . Being a musician is hard work and, unfortunately, it is frequently low-paid.

What gear do you use and why? 

As for the gear manufacturers, there are no particular favourites. Generally, we use Marshall tube amps, AKG and Sennheiser microphones. Probably, our musical idols who used the same brands in their professional life predetermined such a choice. 

 

What music do you listen to that would surprise people?

Different music − from old-school death metal or thrash metal to modern rock music. All music is beautiful whatever the style (except for pops ).

How do we find your music and merch to buy?

Our album titled Pleasure Of Destruction is sold on popular digital platforms, such as iTunes, GooglePlay or Amazon Music. If you are interested in physical media, then you can find our CD on Ebay, Amazon, or our label’s official store https://metalscraprecords.com/shop/en/store/product/view/1/4251. You can also look for it in the sound stores of your city.

How did you get a record deal? Or do you want a record deal or are you DIY?

No, we are not independent. Frankly speaking, we didn’t look for a label, or rather the label fell into our lap. We have a valid record deal with Total Metal Records, which expires in 2019. After the expiry of this deal, maybe we’ll re-record the album Pleasure Of Destruction. Well, be that as it may, but if it does, we’ll make it only after the EP.

What bands do people compare your music to?

We’ve heard a lot about comparing our music to various bands. Typically, it was compared with early musical compositions of In Flames and Dark Tranquility.

Are you pro Spotify / streaming services ? Or do you think it hurts sales?

Yes, we are pro Spotify. We believe that streaming services can help in reaching out to with a large audience.

What’s the ultimate goal for the band?

Grammy Award, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame .

Will we see you tour?

Certainly. But we can say nothing concrete about the tour for now. There are some changes in the band lineup as well as major changes in the approach to composing.

Who would you love to tour with?

We’d like to tour with Metallica. But, as a matter of fact, we don’t know how we’ll fit in with our style . Probably, also with Children of Bodom, In Flames, Dark Tranquility, Kalmah, etc.

What is your favorite song of yours and why?

The song Bitch . Read the lyrics and you’ll understand, it is real-life  (joke!)

Why should people take the time to listen to your band over the thousands of other bands?

In our opinion, we tried to create something, maybe, unusual, not like everyone else but in the Melodic Death style. Did we manage to do it? More likely yes than no. We are not here to judge. Let the listeners do it. 

 

What are your favorite music websites labels podcast etc?

Our favourite music labels are Nuclear Blast and Metal Blade Records. It’s rather difficult to answer about websites because social media are extremely popular today and that’s where everything takes place.

Is imagery important to you? Do you judge albums by the cover?

Under any circumstances you can’t judge people, music, computer games, meal, etc. by the cover. You should listen to music, and, maybe, more than once. It is music that creates the image of a musician who composes or performs it, and not the other way around. 

 

If you could choose a cover song your band mates would hate what would it be?

It would be any pop song. Because we hate pops  (joke!)

Is the record or live show more important?

Of course, live show is more important. You can estimate the skills of both the band and its musicians only during live performance. In addition, the live show atmosphere, nothing can be compared with these emotions.

Name 3 people dead or alive you would want to play your music for.

We’d like to play our music for Chuck Schuldiner, Father of Death Metal. It would also be interesting to hear the views of Ronnie James Dio as well as the musicians of such bands as In Flames, Dark Tranquility, Children of Bodom, Slayer, etc.

Lemmy Ozzy Dio and Rob Halford in a cage match who wins?

It is impossible to mark the distinction between them. They are all cool in their own way. They are all winners!