The Rotted - Ben McCrow gives a stinkin' good interview to Music Trespass!!!

Joe Denby catches up with Ben McCrow of the band The Rotted!

Joe Denby catches up with Ben McCrow to talk about the bands new single!

Also they talk about music and generally putting the world to rights!!!

Music Trespass: How are you today?

Ben: (who by the way has injured his back) Well better then i was yesterday, I found out I've just strained it. I haven't burst it like i thought i did. I should be alright in about four weeks.

Music Trespass: How did you manage that?

Ben: Dead lifts, heavy dead lifts and squats at the gym basically. I go pretty heavy and this is a warning really I've done myself an injury and I've just got to take it easy from now on. A friend actually managed top pop one of his discs and he had four months of recovery. I'm lucky really so I'm just taking things easy at the moment! (laughs!!!)

Music Trespass: Tell us about the new single 'Rotted F**king Earth'!!!

Ben: Basically we got an opportunity to record a song and we.. I don't have to tell you what going on in Metal at the moment with ridiculous time signatures, everything so over polished, over the top shredding and we've never been interested in that as a band. We like good riffs and catchy chorus' So we just wanted to do a really stripped down, Punk type track. You know, a lot of the old songs you hear the chords are the same for the verse as they are in the chorus. We've never done that before so we thought we'd try it. It's pretty much three chords for the whole song. A middle section and a screamy double time ending. The lyrics are a reaction against Throwaway culture and the now,now,now gimme, gimme, gimme culture that's out there.

Music Trespass: I was quite interested in the statement on Facebook used to launch it could you expand a little on that?

Ben: Well I'm sure most people are aware a band of our size, although we have a label behind us which really helps. It's unlikely we're going to be able to give us the full amount for what it's going to cost to record the next album. So we've called it an anti pledge single we've done it in reverse, rather then you paying out money and waiting for ages for something, you buy the single and any money that we make from that it's going to go straight into recording something else. So depending on how it sells you'll get a full album, EP, single in the near future. So people can help us and be part of it again. we're very lucky as a band. We've got a loyal bunch of people. They do want everything we do, they come to all the gigs. We've started to know them by their names and have a drink with them afterwards. It's great it's what it's all about. It's great they can be a part of putting out something new.

Music Trespass: Tell me your take on the music industry at the moment.

Ben: It's not sustainable really, I don't really consider myself that much in it, We're not a band like Slayer who have problems with our drummer because he's not earning his full amount. We don't have lawyers and shit like that, We're a small DIY band. we don't really see the ugly side of it. But it's not sustainable. CD's are not selling, tours are loosing money and depending on sponsorships from energy drinks. On the other hand you've got this "get in the van" ideology with a lot of bands. The DIY aspect is less of a badge of honor and more a necessity and it's a lot easier to do, that's the great thing, you can get people to help you. You can reach people via Facebookand twitter. It removes the barrier from the band and their audience. It's basically down to you to do things your way.

Music Trespass: What advice would you give?

Ben: Getting signed to a label shouldn't be your priority, you can do a lot of it yourself. If you want any sort of backing your better off getting on a booking agent and the only way to do that is to be a great f**king band. Be good, connect with your audience. Play shows, be energetic. Don't follow what everyone else is doing. We don't need another melodic Deathcore, beatdown band we don't need another one of them. Do what you want to hear, f**k what everyone else is doing do exactly what you want to hear and hopefully other people will want to hear it as well. Use social networking to your advantage but don't rely on it 100% . Get out there, hand out flyers. If your hear of a band from France or Holland set some gigs up for them and they do the same for you. It's a way of reaching people. It's the way we have always done things.

Music Trespass: what changes have you seen over the years?

Ben: Well the first Gorerotted shows we ever did abroad we were invited by letter. We had one band email address between us. We did not have MySpace or Facebook we had a very basic website. we got a letter asking if we wanted to play three shows. we wrote back and we did not phone them till we were in the country. We did not have the euro then so it was harder. It's so much easier over the internet now it's a piece of piss. On the other hand with that comes complacency and laziness. Some of the magic has gone but I don't think people should dwell on that. Just do the music you want to hear. There's new ways that come along, embrace them if their for you but don't forget the old ways.

Music Trespass: What's in the pipeline for The Rotted in 2013?

Ben: we've got some festivals. we have got metal days in Slovenia. We have also got a Black Metal festival in Germany, Barther Metal open air. we're quite high up in the bill so i don't know how it's going to work out! We'll be playing to corpse painted, leather clad Black Metallers. We're either going to bomb or their going to like that they have got a stripped down, salt of the earth, street level band that break up the theatrics.

Darkthrone (Pictured Above)

Music Treaspass: I don't think you'll be that out of place theres a element of Black Metal in your sound. If you look at Darkthrone their quite punky nowadays and they can't put a foot wrong.

Ben: Yeah that's right. A lot of Black Metallers are into their Crust and stuff like that. There an element of it, as teenagers we would listen to Emperor, early Cradle of Filth, Mayhem, Darkthrone. I was into Black Metal and Punk as a teenager. I did not really get into Death Metal till i was about eighteen. There's an element of it to our sound but i find a lot of it ridiculous, I mean, A fully grown man pretending they worship the devil! I find it absolutely ridiculous, i can't connect with it at all

Music Trespass: Yeah I think certain elements are to be enjoyed or ignored. Don't look too deep into it.

Ben: yeah exactly. My favorite album last year was Knuckledusts album. I can identify with everything Pierre is saying. It's in your face, aggro Hardcore I cannot identify with a man in face paint screaming about Satan!

Music Trespass: What else have you been listening too?

Ben: Knuckledust's Bluffs,lies and alibis. I listen to a lot of 70's Punk like the Stiff little Fingers and The Ruts. A lot of 80's Hardcore like Discharge, GBH, Agnostic Front, Bad Brains, Black Flag and Circle Jerks. I prefer that stuff.Metal wise I'm getting a bit bored, i was flicking through a magazine and it looked like a parody like someone is making a joke out of it. saying that I liked Voivod's new album and I'm looking forward to Clutch's new album. I liked Hatebreed's new album they seemed to have moved closer to the punk side of Hardcore.

Music Trespass: What do you think of the Black Flag reunion?

Ben: Well I knew they wouldn't get Henry on board. Have you heard Keith Morris'snew band off!? If you like Black flag and Circle Jerks you'll love it because it's everything he's done combined. I'd rather see off! then a reunited Black Flag but if i had the opportunity of course I'd see them. I've got a Black Flag tattoo on my neck! But i wont be going heavy festival to see them.

Black Flag (Pictured Above)

Music Trespass: Have you got any new material in the pipeline? I see things are getting more Punky.

Ben: I don't think the new single should be seen as a new direction. it's a stand alone track. I think you'd say we're Napalm Death meets entombed with Discharge meets GBH meets Motorhead.

Discharge (Pictured Above)

Music Trespass: I think that's the best sentence anyone has ever said!

Ben: well that's the staple diet really!

Black Sabbath (Pictured Above)

Music Trespass: Your five favorite desert island discs?

Ben: You know this changes everyday! I don't know about particular albums but Black Sabbath, Discaharge, Bad Brains, Motorhead and some Agnostic Front. But ask me tomorrow I'll say something different!