GIVE ´EM HELL record label interview

1. Could you tell a bit more about GIVE ´EM HELL record label ?

Hello Oli here, the one and only person behind GIVE ´EM HELL, first off all I wanna clear a little misunderstanding: GIVE ´EM HELL is the name of my mailorder / webshop, actually I have two labels called CIVILISATION RECORDS (for newer bands but a little bit inactive now) and THREAT FROM THE PAST (a label on which I re-release material from Eighties / Nineties, I´m more active there). I live in a small village in the southern part of Germany, in between Stuttgart and Munich, so I´m located in the middle of nowhere, hahahaha. I mainly release Punk, Crust, Hardcore and Grindcore but in my mailorder I distribute all kind of Underground music from Metal to Punk.

2. When did you start with GIVE EM HELL records label and are the bands satisfied with your services ?

The story goes like this: in the year 1995 I started CIVILISATION RECORDS, mainly to support my friends from GAUDY GAWKS (a local Punk band) with distribution / mailorder of their releases but shortly after that I released my first own outputs (in the beginning on tape but soon on vinyl too). In the year 2006 during a holiday in the U.S.A. (when being on tour with my friends from SECURITY THREAT, Denver Crustcore, Grind) I had the idea to start a second label on which I wanted to re-release old stuff from bands that had a big influence on my in my youth. It took me four more years to have the first release there:  the HELLBASTARD ”Heading For Internal Darkness" LP and more stuff followed sooner or later. Around 2013 / 2014 I was dissatisfied my my internet presence, I had two shitty looking webpages (CIVILISATION RECORDS and THREAT FROM THE PAST) and more and more webshop were popping up. I also wanted to have a webshop to be able to survive in these modern times but didn´t wanted to give up both labels: the end of the story is I started GIVE ´EM HELL (mailorder / webshop / distribution) and both labels became some kind of sub-business. I still do releases on both labels but they are distributed via GIVE ´EM HELL. Hahahaha complicated but true story.

I really hope the bands on my labels are happy with my service, within the years I improved my skills in all ways and networking helped me to get in contact with a lot of people doing other labels, mailorders, working in studios or doing artwork / webdesign. Saddly I´m working fulltime to earn money for living and so my time to do real good label / mailorder work is strictly limited. I try to distribute my releases worldwide and from time to time I can help with arranging shows, but i´m not a regular booker and we don´t have many venues in my area.

3. What bands can expect from you ?

Yeah at the time I mainly re-release stuff from old bands which it´s easier for me now, mostly old recordings are existing and the original artwork can be recycled. The bands of course get their royalties and I pay for needed artwork changes or possible studio time (remastering for example). I work together with the released bands and I won´t do anything without permission, the band can be creative as they want as long as it´s reasonable concerning production costs.

4. Could you give some advice to bands about the underground scene ?

At lot of bands forget that playing in a band is some kind of hard work, it´s is all about networking, playing live as often as possible and trying to find new contacts all the time. It´s not enough to sit in the rehearsal room all the time or collecting so-called friends in the internet. No-one will release your material if you´re totally unknown, unwilling to create proper sound or play live shows from time to time. The real world is outside of your home, get out and play / protest loud.


5. Could you say something at the end for the blog. All for one and one for all ?

First of all I want to finish this interview with a big thank you for getting in touch with me and sending me this nice questions.

My last words are: Support the Underground and Stay Clean !!!

Punk will never be dead when there are people that stand against the commercial and capitalist music scene.


https://www.facebook.com/GiveEmHell666/

Crust band

 Crust was built on the debris of a few local bands (Swale, G.R.I.T.H.) . Those days, six years ago, we were driven by a strong desire to create music of extreme heaviness. Our influences were Love sex machine, Primitive man and others. We first started rehearsing in the industrial area in the suburbs. It was summer time and we played outside the workshop in the factory yard. We were experimenting with a bunch of genres until we finally found our own way and sound. Time is a winged chariot and it changes shapes and essence of everything it touches.
So, after walking the path of sludge metal for several years, more and more black metal elements started to appear in our music. Moreover the line-up has also undergone some changes as our drummer left the band but somehow some way less than in a week a new one (Roman) joined us and the trio survived. So far we’ve released a couple of albums on small independent Ural labels and now in the year 2019 we‘re looking forward to release another LP titled Stoic.

Also check out their facebook page and bandcamp profile :  https://www.facebook.com/pg/crustsludge/about/?ref=page_internal

https://crustband.bandcamp.com/?fbclid=IwAR3E8hu4N03XtphbyXlZXxN7jCGTlV047RUzhGdlrUYVRmxUYN3X0CR_MqM

Agrotóxico band

Agrotóxico is a Brazilian Hardcore band formed in the suburbs of São Paulo in 1993, influenced by the first generation of Brazilian, English, Finnish and Swedish punk.

Since then, the band has never had periods of inactivity, having toured Brazil and Europe several times, playing in the whole underground scene and in major DIY festivals such as Rebellion (UK), Obscene Extreme (Czech), Force Attack (Germany), Vive Le Punk (France), among others, being nowadays one of the most popular Brazilian bands worldwide and specially on the European continent where all of their albuns were released in countries like Germany, UK, France and distributed all over Europe by Dirty Faces (DE), Break the Silence (DE) and Pumpkin Recs (UK).

In this period Agrotóxico released 7 albums, a documentary DVD and participated in several VA records around the world.

The Agrotóxico’s lyrics talk about different social subjects, from the violence of the big cities, wars, ecology, politics, etc., always within the scene of the libertarian left wing.

The band is currently preparing songs for a new album to be released in 2020.

The current line-up of Agrotóxico is: Marcos (Guit / Vocal), Jef (Bass / Vocal), Arthur (Guit / Vocal) and Fernanda (Drums).

On the European tour 2018  and sometimes also in Brazil, Leandro from ÓdioSocial replaces Arthur on guitar.

To contact the band in Brazil:

aggromark77@gmail.com

In Europe

mary@turbo-booking.de

Social networks

www.facebook.com/agrotoxicohc  and  www.instagram.com/agrotoxicohc

Merchandising

www.redstar77.com

Cutre band

CUTRE come into being by the result of three guys desire to play fast hardcore. This desire'll decant into a 4 songs demo, registered in 2018. It was recorded and edited in tape, holding the "D.I.Y." like the only way to make things happen. The desire never ceased, then they decided to include an extra-foreign member into the band, closing the project-and finally converting it into an established band, motivated by the eagerness of unleash their project and making it take its own rhythm. In this way, Fede (Avernal, The Killing) on guitar, Leito (Motosierra, Setiembreonce) on bass, Diente (Ulcera) on vocals and Tincho (Camiones en la casa) on drum, take on a trip that's still going on... At the beginning of this current year, 2019, they're playing, composing, and recording their first studio album, that was registered in Ochava Records (the band drummer's home studio) and mastered in "Reel to reel" by Emanero, to later edit it by themselves in tape format.What's coming, is about to be written

Also check out their facebook page and bandcamp profile : https://www.facebook.com/CVTRE-1886638578313429/

https://cutre.bandcamp.com/album/inconscientes?fbclid=IwAR2Ci_WaH2OaY2jpGoqA8kARp6Ll-v6vWzNd3E_IKl7yuA6wAPgRA2Wa_U4

Rot band

 

ROT was formed in 1990 by Mendigo and Marcelo, before this it was already working
in the underground, being involved with other bands and projects or doing fanzines, trading
tapes and keeping in touch with people around the world. The band has developed
themselves in the underground, however, ROT can hardly be framed within the standards of
metal or punk. In 27 years of existence - With a hiatus of 5 years old - a series of important
works: 1990-1995, 1996-1998, 1999-2002, 2003-2008, 2013 -...
1990-1995. After the recording of the first 7'E titled "Almighty God", the original drummer
and bassist has leaved the band, Marcelo da Silva and Claudinei Vieira - friends who have
always been in the rehearsals - are invited to participate, and with this formation they
recorded a cd and seven more &’EP splits with bands from around the world. In 1994, were
invited to do the first European tour our German band, Morbid Records Label. But due to a
lack of experience and internal problems within the band, they couldn’t made it. Alex Bucho
(WARHATE and BARFLY) enters the band replacing Marcelo da Silva on the bass, giving
more energy and musicality, in a short space of time, recorded the Split LP with the band
INTESTINAL DESEASE (Belgium), in which it aroused the interest of the band’s vocalist,
also holder of the Grinding Madness Label in a 1996 European Tour
Rot, 1996 – Ransgate/Inglaterra
1996 - 1998, after having settled in the style, have played in some smaller cities, the capital
of São Paulo and some others states as Paraná and Santa Catarina the band leaves for the old
world for a Mini tour, in a moment that only very few Brazilian bands had the chance to know in
practice how the local scenes worked, dates that strengthened us and encouraged our return in
1998. Accompanied by another Brazilian band - ABUSO SONORO - and with a new drummer Mané
(ex. INFERNO SONORO) were Thirty-two days and thirty gigs on European soil, mostly
accompanied by the bands: WOICZECH, ENTRAILS MASSACRE, from German, and the danish DEEPREST.
Rot 1998 - Utrecht/ Holanda
1999 – 2002. Without a drummer and no expectations to return active, the end of the year 2000, Ricardo Trassato takes on the drums, with 28 songs ready, We recorded our CD "A long Cold Stare" Recorded at the Ancients Valley's Tower Studio in June and July of 2002. In August / September of the same year, we did the tour of this last LP, considered by many to be the band's best album.
Rot – Gent/Bélgica
2003 – 2008. The band undergoes another painful process, the departure of Alex Bucho at the bass, also assuming the second voice. In common agreement, they decided to have an independent vocalist, one also known and friend of many decades Jeferson Pizone (Ex-TAPASYA),
and about four different bassists who did not get used to the rhythm of the band. With the departure of the singer and co-founder of the band, Marcelo Batista. The band recorded without his presence the Split 7 "EP with the German friends of WOJCZECH and a Split CD with the friends of Brasilia DEATH SLAM. Marcelo returns to the band, Ricardo leaves the drums and enters Rafael de Oliveira (Ex-DISPESIA). After recording more 7 "EPs, they did some gigs in Brazil, the band decided to give some time for a hiatus, with no set deadline, since the members were connected in other projects.
2013-... Mendigo and Rafael decide to do a rehearsal to rescue and create new songs without commitment, which ended in the return of the band. In addition to the return of Marcelo and Alex, they decided to call a very old friend of the scene, Marcolino Jeremias (formerly DEADMOCRACY) for the second rehearsal. Of course, the rhythm of the band was different, they did not have as much time to compose as it was in the past, with members living in differents points of São Paulo and after almost a decade without recording anything, the band came back to a studio between June and July 2015 and recorded 12 unpublished sounds that make up the ep entitled "Nowhere". This Ep definitely marks the return of the ROT as well as reaffirming the style that the band has been practicing all these years, but after some few live performances of the EP release, the band suffers significant losses in its formation, but does not discourage and returns with enough breath that remains the same to a year and to symbolize the event, they release their most recent work the Virtual Ep "worshiping their own chains" containing three songs of the good old grindcore, available for Free Download.
Rot – Centro Cultural Vergueiro – SP/Brasil

Who we are:
Mendigo : Guitarist and founder of the band
Alex Bucho: Bass - Also plays on CRUEL FACE and sometimes on SOCIAL CHAOS. He manages the label BUCHO DISCOS, which is turning 21 years old this year. Producer of underground shows. He did some tours with bands like AGATHOCLES, MOB47, ROVSVETT, INTESTINAL DISEASE, ENTRAILS MASSACRE, WOJCZECH and etc.
Emiliano Borges: Drummer - Ex bands: MIOLO DI PÃO, CAOS 64, BRAIN DEAD, INDIVIDUAL, INSANITY FORCE and LEI DE MURPHY. Currently: ROT e SKARNIO.
Henrick Dário: Vocal - Ex bandss: NOSSO ÓDIO IRÁ ATACAR, INFERNAL NÖISE, INTO THE END, FIM DA HUMANIDADE CAPITALISTA, BRAIN DEAD, FOME NUCLEAR, DEAD COPS, AGRESSÃO EXTREMA. Currently: ROT e XICO PICADINHO . Badge: BRUTAL GRIND RECS; Collective: BRUTAL GRIND ATTACK
Felipe “Leprose” Salvatti: Vocal - Ex bands: LEPROSE, SKARNIO, STENCH OF DEATH, TERMINAL FILTH, KAOS 64, BESTHÖVEN (Traveling Member). Currently: ROT e FEAR OF THE FUTURE.

Links:
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXAJJrQO6nxAIo08dF1eF1Q
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rotgrindcore/
Bandcamp: https://rotgrind.bandcamp.com/track/w...

FUCK-USHIMA band

FUCK-USHIMA was formed in 2011 by Raappanoid in Tampere, Finland as kind of a therapy project, and he's the sole original member of the group. Since then, it has evolved into a full time band, with several tape releases and probably hundreds of played shows.

(Hopefully early) next year  FUCK-USHIMA is releasing a 12" split vinyl album with another great Tampere band FOSFOROS. FUCK-USHIMA is already in process of writing totally new material as well, so there might be even two releases for next year.

Line up:
Minkkine: drums
Raappanoid: bass & vocals
Simo Psalminen: guitar & vocals
Lapsi: vocals

Also check out their facebook page and bandcamp profile :  https://www.facebook.com/sludgeordie/

https://fuck-ushima.bandcamp.com/?fbclid=IwAR2HXljXCx6NICxIhx91HL0T4DLA0IaSS7SoYEVlvO3_3Af9TJSiwq2_1vI

Amistad band

 Five people from Akron Ohio looking for the beauty in the world as it gets destroyed around us. Influenced by bands like His Hero is Gone, Alpinist, and Ekkaia.

Also check out their facebook page :  https://www.facebook.com/amistadmusic/

The boring band

 Here are The Boring, a 5 pieces punk-hardcore band from Colmar, eastern France. This is it from the beginnig: 2005-2007: two demos, lot of shows2008: our first EP 7 songs "The Masquerade", lot of shows and a european tour with their beloved friends Kazan 2009: they recorded 4 new songs they are on a split CDr with their friends I Am John Spartan released for their second tour in eastern Europe. 2010: their first LP called Let The Captain Sink, lot of shows, eurotpe tour with their crust but good friends Geraniüm 2011: they released a split with their old friends Escape, they played a lot of shows again and made a european tour alone, this time.2012: NEW LP CALLED "CRAVING FOR CHANGE" !!!

Also check out their facebook page :   https://www.facebook.com/theboringisaband/

Mental Distress band - Pas beaucoup d'avenir LP review

They started Mental Distress in 2013 and the goal has always been to write political songs against all types of discriminations, while keeping the fun side of hardcore punk. Quite soon they recorded our first demo tape, started playing everywhere they could. End of 2015 they changed their bassist before recording a 7” split with their friends from Ed Warner, and an EP along the same lines. Mid 2017 is quite an important moment for the band, as their singer comes out as a trans dude, and they have the opportunity to make their first “real” european tour. Then they took a whole year to concentrate ourselves on the writing of their first LP, and to let hormones do their job on their singer’s voice. 

This LP is different than their other records. A fair amount of their texts are now in french, because it’s easier to express their feelings without having to go through the translation stage. Of course the voice changed a lot, making their music less fast but more understandable, though they still love angry music.

Also check out their facebook page and bandcamp profile : https://www.facebook.com/stuckinmentaldistress/

https://mentaldistress.bandcamp.com/

Talacactus band Talacactus album review

Talacactus is a hardcore punk band born in José C. Paz, province of Buenos Aires, in the year 2014. They are trying to develop a style of their own, including the punk, rock and roll styles and the fast-paced styles. The intentions are to include new sounds in the fast music that drives them. The aesthetics are permeated by the indigenous entheogens, the changes in the perception that generalize, and the persecution by the Catholic Church of the ancestral and ritual uses of these substances in Latin America.  
From our earliest beginnings they have sought to create a space in their city, for bands of the fastest musical styles, such as hardcore punk, crust, fastcore, powerviolence, crossover thrash, etc. Unfortunately it is an underground move, and due to the damage of the bolicheros there are the extreme genres, it is difficult to achieve a growth. Amidst our other efforts, they have compiled the compilation "No Trouble: 50 Fast Bands from North and West Conurbano." They also organize recitals like the Trinchera Fest, and José C. Blast, where they invite musicians from another area, and betray the exponents of the underground.From the first to the last track, this album you're going to notice a theme with this album: guitar leads. its a dirty, thrashy, hardcore-punk album that's pushing every song for all the adrenaline it's worth. And really that's all the effort this commands. Throw in some lyrics that'll leave you shitting corn, some of the most generic drumming.

Also check out their facebook page and bandcamp profile :   https://www.facebook.com/talacactus/

https://talacactus.bandcamp.com/album/talacactus

Negativ band

 

 

NEGATIV is a new hardcore punk from Oslo. This band makes me feel that it will bring something exiting to the Oslo punk scene which is not just about Oslo punk scene but it is more involvements from punk scene in other countries. It’s maybe also by the vocalist Skunk’s own hard works for label and bookings, and NEGATIV is deeply involved in it as well. Thus this band makes me feel something will happen! . Once they started playing, the band immediately grabbed the entire atmosphere in the moldy underground space and delivered its manic primitive energy thoroughly. Their sound is based on 80s hardcore with weird mixture of Scandinavian hardcore punk, some Japanese flavor, light distorted guitar sound which sometimes sounded even rockin and the edge of thrash hardcore. Their groove is undulated with its manic groaning vocal but still has some sharp edge of thrash hardcore here and there. Their groove completely smashed the space and whole live space was undulated by the crowds and its sweaty moist heated air.

Also check out their facebook page and bandcamp profile:  https://www.facebook.com/endlessnegativityoslo/

https://negativ1010.bandcamp.com/

Nula plus band

Band ZERO PLUS (Nula plus) started to work sometime in may 2001 when the guitarist of once very popular band from Tuzla, Perryside, Demal Traki- Sicke and Saa Djoki ex Ludilo drummer joined into a project of starting a hard core band. Few months later the other people have joined them: Nermin H.- bass, vocal Mirza K. And a DJ Jesenko A. Then came years of work and search for the specific sound to be recognized by. They found a specific electro hard core sound and continued experimenting. Very soon they are off to their first BiH mini tour which made them very popular. After that one more tour, that gave them the idea to record their first material and record their five best songs. Few weeks later the band moves to Belgrade to record a maxy single of five songs in one of the best Belgrade studios. After recording, the material was sent to all radio stations in BiH and the song "Billy bad ass" became a hit on famous radio Mir.
Popularity grows bigger and they win on the biggest festival of demo bands «Moja BiH» which was organized by SFOR and radio Mir in 2005. ZERO PLUS was recognized as a band with the most energy and the band that has something new to offer. They have three videos played by every TV station in the country. They made music also for one Canadian movie and one of the videos was made by the fragments of that movie. The quality of ZERO PLUS was recognized also by the Exit fest organizers and they played there two times already. Right now ZERO PLUS is working on their new material and looking for publisher.

NULA PLUS now :
Almir Mulaosmanović Bagi (Ex Nečasne Sestre) – vocal
Džemal Trakić Sicke (Ex Perryside) –guitar
Jasmin Avdić Jaci (ex Elevons) –bass guitar
Ademir Bruljić (Ex Karma Guru, Bad Seasons, Holographic Human Element) – drums

Also check out their facebook page and  bandcamp profile :  https://www.facebook.com/nulaplusinfo/

https://nulaplus.bandcamp.com/releases?fbclid=IwAR0O9WvI9-evOgiRZ_4LlpmDCWBaMDLcTRLmuPBt_5-F5i3JRGy6XVKSH0U

Carry The Weight band

Carry The Weight is a 5 piece melodic hardcore band based out of Helsinki, Finland. With members coming from Panama, the USA and various cities in Finland, the band’s sound is as diverse as their line up. Combining heavy riffs of hardcore with melancholy melodies and emotional screamed vocals.
​​
​​The band was formed in Spring of 2017 and shortly after released their first stand alone single Sick Heart // Sick Head. After the release the band embarked on their first mini tour. In early 2018 the band began the recording process for their debut EP Low Points, which will available on all major streaming and digital outlets October 30th. The record was self produced then mixed and mastered by Nick Nativo (No Zodiac, Oceano).

Also check out their facebook page and spotify profile :  https://www.facebook.com/carrytheweightband/

https://open.spotify.com/album/0Uj8B9uIaiXfBLkEgRd8tI?fbclid=IwAR1rVEVA8gI9uzWOr8zhsjApbDvE1KW_NX4qWbcjsxedX6_5BikOgBIWV7c

Distrüst band

Distrüst are a d-beat, crust and punk band that is formed in 2015 with the intention of being a different project to those existing in their lives and when they are also the first band in the country (El Salvador) touch crust and d-beat. The idea was to have fast and raw music, with some libertarian and anarchist tendencies; they met in a night to play something and then the first song with Luis “Bash” Mendez, Jorge “Gino” Ayala and Leonardo Alas.

For a couple of months they have been rehearsing original songs like “Cambia Primero” and “Anarchistas” (to mention a few). They had a lot of problems in those months because “Gino”, who would be part of the beginning of the band and who was playing the bass; They were not present at the rehearsals, delaying the process, they decided to give it a hand in order to incorporate a person who in the rock / metal scene in general is very familiar; Vitelio Melara, someone who comes to give you the power and fun of the band.In March 2016 they finally debuted in a concert by friends, “Electoral Destruction”, a show very under. After this concerto the things if it would be because they decided to grab their first EP, “Don't Believe The Progess”, loaded with 10 original themes and 2 covers; fully engulfed in a self-management manner with John de Guaro Barto Producciones.
Being a d-beat / crust band in the region will open opportunities for Split with the band Mother Earth from Guatemala, to participate in the compilation “You Bleed the Oidos 2” (D-beat V.A). In 2016 we played with the Hardcore Punk band from Texas, GLUE, a show that also helped us show their noise. Throughout this time, they traveled to Guatemala to present the inauguration of the “Corazones Incendiados” producer, they traveled to Nicaragua to share with many friends from this region.
In August 2016, for the first time, they traveled to Costa Rica for an anarchist activity, an Encuentro International Punk Encuentro, which gives us a very good sympathy with all the people from different parts of the Latin American region.
In 2017 they hacked the first tour of Mexico called "FUCK WORLD'S BORDERS", with 9 performances in the State of Mexico, Puebla and Oaxaca.
In 2018 they launched a second EP entitled "Destructive Asocial Noise" with 10 themes, and in July-August this year we hacked the second tour called "Sin Return" which comprises Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia.

For now they keep on creating a new theme for the first long-lasting record, so the 2018 finale integrates Noe Velasquez with the second guitar.

Also check out their facebook page and bandcamp profile :  https://www.facebook.com/distrust1/

https://dis-trust.bandcamp.com/?fbclid=IwAR2SjHUyniFskJZX9eL-Lpu6sixLHfJmz9NLRGZJYsPBnVoeRbCQqKCom2U