Russ Cardona: Let's hear about your history with metal. When was the deciding moment when you knew you'd be so involved in the scene?

Billy Nocera: Wow, that's a tough one. I think SLAYER's "Reign In Blood" album had a huge impact on me in the late 80's. That album was and still is perfect, in my opinion. That opened the flood gates for more extreme stuff. I started listening to DEATH, CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER, NAPALM DEATH, CARCASS, MASSACRE, and lots of other heavier, faster stuff. The deciding moments for me was when I purchased my first fanzine through the mail called "Blood-Shed". It had ads for all kinds of exciting and obscure stuff I had never heard of before. I started ordering demos and other fanzines, and underground LP's and 7" EP releases. Then, I discovered IMPETIGO and that really sealed my fate, ha-ha!! They're still my all-time favorite underground metal band ever.

RC: We recently did a feature on the history of the Florida death metal scene, but there have also been plenty other hotbeds in the genre's history (i.e. the NWOSDM, British grindcore, etc). Which region has had the biggest influence on the formation and all-around attitude of Razorback and its bands?

BN: Definitely Portland, Oregon. So many great bands from there like ENGORGED, LORD GORE, FRIGHTMARE, FORNICATOR, BLOOD FREAK, etc. All the guys there were down to earth and into cool stuff and really loved old school metal and I really had a lot in common with them. I love how those bands would mix up styles and make a sort of "hybrid metal" sound-mixing death metal with grind and thrash and doom.

RC: Obviously the fun factor is pretty high with the bands on your label. How much of a conscious effort is made to keep Razorback fun?

BN: It's really just how we are! We're fun people who enjoy what we like and love to laugh and have a good time. We grew up on horror movies, comic books, collecting stuff, listening to classic metal, etc. I always wanted to do a metal label that had a fun personality instead of the same old "dark and brutal and evil and tough-guy" image bullshit that almost EVERY other label has.

RC: Now we're all familiar with the general notion that metal tends to take itself way too seriously. Where do you suppose this notion stems from?

BN: People in general are just assholes, basically. For some reason metal attracts lots of jerks with bad attitudes and delusional dreams of becoming "rock stars". I've always hated that aspect of the music and I always try to avoid working with bands who take everything seriously. Life is too short for this kind of crap. Go buy the DVD of "Street Trash" and ENJOY it!

RC: On that subject, how much fun in metal is too much? Where do you draw the line and say, "Wait a second-these are serious musicians too"?

BN: Yeah the music always has to be high quality and GOOD for me, otherwise I don't care how "fun" the band is. I never settle for average shit and always try to find the most high quality death metal, grindcore, and thrash I can find! We've done some CD's that were a bit too "goofy" for my tastes, honestly, but overall I've been pretty happy with the stuff we've done and I think there's a nice balance now. I like how we've been able to put out really wacky, crazy grind like BIRDFLESH and then put out something really gloomy and slow like COFFINS.

RC: Tell us about how the Razorback roster came together. How many bands did you seek out, and how many sought you out?

BN: It all started with ENGORGED. They were the first band we worked with in 1999. They put out this amazing demo called "Death Metal Attack 2" that blew me away, and everything kinda snowballed with them. We also found MACHETAZO from Spain in 1999 as well and did their first album in 2000. After that, we did some re-issues of old stuff and an IMPETIGO TRIBUTE CD. For awhile after it was hard to find good bands but we eventually worked with some really killer ones like LORD GORE, GRUESOME STUFF RELISH and BIRDFLESH. Then around late 2001 the guys in IMPALED started a new side band called GHOUL exclusively for Razorback. They were big fans of the label and wanted to work with us. We were good friends and got along great and doing that first GHOUL album was a great experience. It all came together really fast and was just a total blast to put out. Then in 2003 we put out the first FRIGHTMARE album and the first BLOOD FREAK album and those 2 bands instantly became two of my very favorites on the label due to their extreme worship of old, cult horror/drive-in/splatter films! I always keep my eye out on new bands and I welcome anybody to submit demos, as long as it's old school and nothing "nü", ha-ha!

RC: How much creative input, if any, do you have on Razorback's musical output?

BN: I've been very involved since day one I think. I always try to be part of each band's release as much as I can. I always try to find the right artists to do the covers; I help out with song titles and album titles sometimes, and just general encouragement, etc. The band I've been the most involved with ever is BLOOD FREAK. I wrote 98% of the lyrics on their 2nd album and I wrote more on the upcoming new one, "Multiplex Massacre" due out in 2007. I also come up with lots of art concepts and ideas whenever I get the chance to. It's a lot of fun working with the bands and as long as they let me then I'm happy!

RC: Not surprisingly, you seem to have made allies with the underground horror movie genre. How has the conversion process there been working out, and what sort of friends have you made thus far?

BN: Actually that's been pretty hard since many horror fans don't really like underground metal, believe it or not! Most of them are into mainstream stuff and rap music. It was shocking at first but it's true. I think lots of horror fans don't like death metal because of the harsh vocals and the really fast drumming, etc. Thankfully though, there's tons of really cool horror fans that like the kind of stuff Razorback puts out and I always appreciate that. Horror fans always have a more open mind about stuff and aren't trapped by the confines of the "metal scene" with all of its bullshit "rules" and "laws" and shit like that.

RC: Now we'll let you step up on your soapbox. If you would be so kind, give us your view of the current state of horror, both underground and mainstream.

BN: Simply put...I hate it! I hate crappy looking shot-on-video bore-fests. Why can't people shoot on film anymore? Even if it's just 8mm, it's better than that crappy looking "digital" shit or cheap video look. Just because something has gore doesn't mean it's worth watching. I'd rather watch a low budget horror movie from 1981 that hardly has any gore in it than some boring splatter movie from 2006 that was shot on some guy's camcorder. It's all in the feel/atmosphere/vibe/setting for me. I just can't relate to modern film making at all. It's filled with stupid in-jokes, self-aware nonsense, hip hop culture, plastic breast implanted "actresses", nü-metal, and other crap that I can't stand. The mainstream is just as bad. I don't like any of these newer films like "Hostel", "The Grudge", or any of these terrible re-makes directed by MTV video directors and lame WB Network "stars". It's like watching "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" or something! It's a total joke. I don't care how "gory" they try to make the films, they just don't have the flavor and vibe that the horror films from the 60's, 70's and 80's had. I call it "Hot Topic Horror", yuck!!

RC: On this subject, who makes better horror these days-the US or Japan?

BN: Neither, ha-ha! I hate all those boring "Ring"-style films coming out from Japan as I hate all the lame remakes that Hollywood keeps cranking out. Though, there's been some pretty fun gore films from Japan in the past few years. I really like that movie "Junk" a lot. It's a goofy throwback to 80's gore and Lucio Fulci films mixed in with some over the top craziness. I highly recommend that as far as "newer" films go I guess.

RC: Now I'd like to bring up a topic that could have (and probably someday soon will have) its own feature on our site. Every Razorback band has its own MySpace page. How have you guys been utilizing MySpace, and how has it been paying off?

BN: I have a love/hate relationship with MySpace. I think it's great for promotion, but it's also a hotbed of ass-kissing and has given a home to all kinds of fake posers and total assholes. Seems like everybody can have a band now! Hell, you don't even need a song anymore! Just make a page, slap a cheap logo up and BAM...you have a "band"! It's like the "fast food" version of the underground now. Everybody wants instant gratification and tons of useless media crammed down their throats or in their ears. I'm kinda worried about it...but like I said, it's a good way to promote and I've had fun on there sometimes and have met some cool people and heard some decent bands as well. It's also fun to hook up with old people you haven't heard from in years. So it definitely has its good side which is why Razorback and its bands use it.

RC: Now getting back to the music, do you think that CARCASS-inspired dueling vocals are a prerequisite for gore metal?

BN: I don't think it has anything to do with CARCASS. It just sounds cooler to me and makes the music more intense and interesting. It's "ear-candy", basically. I hate boring monotone generic growling vocals that sound the same throughout the entire song or album. I like when bands mix their vocals up and add tons of crazy stuff to them. If it ends up sounding like CARCASS, then oh well...CARCASS was a great band! I'd rather a band be compared to them than SUFFOCATION any day!

RC: Speaking of CARCASS, what do you think about the rumors of a possible reunion? Is it actually going to happen, and perhaps more importantly, should it happen?

BN: I hope it never happens. The last CARCASS album was a joke. Those guys totally lost it at the end and I don't believe they could ever record anything good ever again. Those guys don't even listen to metal anymore I think. Didn't one of them just record a country album? Ugh!

RC: Now let's talk about the distribution department of Razorback, or the "Chopping Mall". How many other labels are involved, and what sort of profit are you able to see from this?

BN: Distribution is almost impossible to get these days. Nobody wants to take a chance on a label like Razorback. We rely on what we can I guess-underground labels that we trade with and then sell their stuff in our mail order. We sell our stuff wholesale to anybody that wants to buy! We don't have an "exclusive" deal that gets our stuff in chain stores or anything like that and we probably never will. Direct orders are always the best and help keep us in business, so thanks to anybody who orders right from us! We've still never made any profit from this, only enough to keep it alive and to get the next release out. I've worked various jobs to keep it going also. Razorback does not pay the bills. I do this label for the love of it, basically.

RC: From the looks of things, both the Razorback website and the Chopping Mall are being revamped-a process we here at PDM are quite familiar with. What sort of changes are you planning to unveil?

BN: Jill (my partner and girlfriend of 8 years and counting) is in charge of all that and she does a great job. She works with various other cool people who contribute to the design of it and I'm really happy with how it's turning out. I'm not picky when it comes to web sites so I'm usually pretty satisfied with anything she comes up with. It's a lot of hard work and takes hours to do but it's always worth it in the end.

RC: What other kinds of music do you dig, and is Razorback ever going to expand to incorporate them?

BN: Razorback will always be metal, no doubt about it. I used to like Skinny Puppy and harsh electronic noise and experimental kinda stuff but not really that much these days. I pretty much just listen to metal and all it's various sub genres.

RC: How much exposure is right for extreme metal? How important is it for Razorback to maintain an underground cult status?

BN: I just like being able to get the next release out, that's really all I ever cared about. I love putting CD's out and having people buy and collect and enjoy them. I never really think about anything else but that, honestly. As long as I have fun doing this then I will continue. If the fun ever dies out then I will definitely stop.

RC: Lastly, what can Razorback legions look forward too in the not-too-distant feature? Any new signings, releases and tours you can let us in on?

BN: I'm really proud to be able to re-issue the classic albums of IMPETIGO! We just put out their first one "Ultimo Mondo Cannibale" and in the spring of 2007 we'll be celebrating the band's 20th year anniversary by re-releasing their 2nd album and masterpiece, "Horror of the Zombies". I'm also really excited about the 3rd album from BLOOD FREAK, "Multiplex Massacre" and the FONDLECORPSE/FRIGHTMARE split CD that's been in the works for awhile now. As for new bands, I have my eye out on a few but I'm still not 100% sure yet. I'm also looking at doing a few follow up albums possibly with bands we've worked with in the past. I also want to repress some albums that have been out of print from us for awhile now.

RC: Thank you for your time and for giving us the opportunity to support some kick-ass metal!

BN: Thanks for the really thought out interview! Thanks again and if anybody is interested in Razorback, please check out our web site at: http://www.razorbackrecords.com/

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