Interview with Grindcore band Tools Of The Trade!!

Here's the interview I promised in ages. It's a great pleasure for me to interview Tiong of TOTT. Great band, great beats. Enjoy the interview!!

TerenceBelieves: Okay, how did the band start in the first place? Was it because of music, money or fame? Where did you guys meet and everything else about the band

Tiong TODD: Ok this band actually started on my local hom

e town of Kluang Johor. The main cause of t his band started is because we are very lack of a new grindcore band on that time and of course, it came from our infatuation and essence to play a grindcore and bring out our idea into the lyrics and spread to everyone. For more details about TOTT bio check out our my space www.myspace.com/toolsgrind

.This band is not about money and fame. It’s a bout passion and ideas.

TerenceBelieves: Judging from your band's name, you guys probably worshipped Carcass. Were you guys aiming to be like them or something more? What are your other influences?

Tiong TODD: Yes. We are devotees of Carcass and we are a very fanatical w

ith them. The names of the band are 400% precisely taken from one the title song of Carcass. There is no crest of making your own band to be like your sway or favorites band 100%. Yeah Carcass is our influence. And our others influence such as like Pig Destroyer, Cryptopsy, Captain Clean Off, Nasum and Nausea.

TerenceBelieves: What do you think of today's grindcore scene and all the new "genres" sprouting out of it? Most people seem to have some resentment towards genres like Deathcore or Mathcore, do you have any (or any other members of your band)?

Tiong TODD: From an open face, I can say this is a constructive expansion for bring up a good composition and message from the band. This is what we call insurgency or mutiny of the mu

sic that might be have a contradiction forcibly and misapprehension that we need to think together outside and inside .My thought is simple. Bring up good music, be yourself, make your own band, be your own mind and be yours.

Kia has a new project band that will be playing deathcore. Hard for me to describe because this is his project band and it’s still new, fresh and steady. Watch out.*

TerenceBelieves: Do you think his contribution for drums in Tools of the Trades will put a huge influence into his new deathcore band? Surely, I'll be expecting blast beats from Kia. Another thing, if you are able to collaborate with any band in this world, which band would you pick? (I'm guessing it's Carcass)

Tiong TODD: Good question but hard for me to answer. I can’t say too much about this because everything on his hand. What I can say, he will definitely give 100% commitment and pledge for anything that he loves to do in this world. OF course we would like to collaborate with good bands like Pig Destroyer, Cephalic Carnage,324,Phobia,Ion Dissonance, Cold Worker, Disfear and 1000000 names to list out here.*laughs*

TerenceBelieves: When can we expect another release from TOTD? Will it have heavy technical influences (judging from the Cephalic Carnage influence you guys have)?

Tiong TODD: The latest coming project should be ready on September o

r October. That will be a split 7 inches with a mighty southern grindcore from Jb, Damokis. It just not a heavy, it will be a fuss on our new music constituent that we try to put in our arrangement to be more fresh, severe and technically grindcore.

TerenceBelieves: What made you guys to decide to do a split with Damokis? Is it because you guys admire the band so much? Well, the band is quite well known in Malaysia and probably in Indonesia/Singapore.

The main reason is because a friendship and amity that we have with them (Damokis) and it’s not just about a band it self, I’m personally know all the line up very well and we are very admire or esteem with them (Damokis) since TOTT haven’t exist on this earth. To have a chance for make a project with them is a good experience for us to gain a new exposure from metal elevation and let our music can be heed from other side because I’m personally currently we only focus in certain vicinity .

TerenceBelieves: Any thoughts of touring overseas? If the band does

so, please explain where.

Yeah .Of course we would love to go oversea, arrange for tour around 1-2 weeks and meet all friends and gain new experience. The place that we dream for is Japan and Sweden. But for a squat phrase, we are targeting to go around south East Asia country like Philippines or Indonesia.

TerenceBelieves: Who else in the band has a side project? What other music do the band members listen? (Guessing that power violence would be in the list)

Kia plays on Mass Separation and another death core band which I’m not sure what the name is. Our guitarist also plays in other band call Innards Decay where they play Brutal Death Grind. I also play another band call Kah-Roe-Shi which we are in part of Heavy Sludge Crust Core.

We prefer to listen on extreme and excessive music like grindcore, death metal and grind death. But who cares, we also listen a lot of type of music such as like d-beat, punk, rock, reggae, jazz and any of other good music that exists on this earth.

TerenceBelieves: Can you tell me and the readers about all the troubles you people have to go through. Troubles from the government, family support, society, financial problems, commitment. Tell us (me and the readers) all about it.

Other than that; we have no issue with the government; it’s just that they have recently increased the fuel and rice price which is obviously abusing their power to control the economy of our country. There will be other things increased as well in the future; we’ve to do our parts as society!

We’ve been through lots of issue since day one the band gets started. The issue that you have highlighted are apart of them. Mostly are related to individual issue for e.g. to further studies; to concentrate on the other main band and also the mental issue that one can’t fight for his own self!

In terms of family support; all our families and the loved ones support

s us in what we’re doing – music; live shows; traveling and tours! So we’re happy about it. Society? We’re apart of the society as well; what’s the big deal? Financial problems? Yes, we would admit that we’re having financial issue especially for getting those equipments as most of us are having other commitment apart from the band as well and working with so little money to live in this place.

TerenceBelieves: Any last words for the readers out there before we end this interview? Any words of wisdom for future upcoming bands especially the ones that are going into the extreme direction. (IE: Power Violence, Death Metal, Black Metal, Deathcore, Mathcore,

Hardcore etc)

We would like to thank you for the interview. And to all the friends out there who comes to our show, buy our stuffs / merchandise; contact us directly or indirectly. We thank you so much! Without you guys we're nobody! To all the new bands out there - keep up the good works and don't just stop half way; our journey is still far away to go!

TerenceBelieves: Hey dude, thanks for everything. You've been quite friendly. Thanks for helping out!

http://www.myspace.com/toolsgrind

Pay them a visit at their website!!