Interview with Mark from Reign of Terror by Jen

Where did you come up with the name Inkpig? Is that your nickname?
No, it's not really a nickname or anything. This is the story behind "Inkpig".... you see, our entire band is heavily into the art of tattoo and the related culture, so we decided to create this special CD/EP that relates to the whole body art scene. At first we were going to call the CD "InkJunkie", but our good friend the Reverend (lead singer for the band ORDAINED) came up with the term "Inkpig" to refer to those who sport multiple tattoos and are avid ink collectors. We all found the moniker quite catchy and as it turned out both of our bands created a song called "Inkpig" using the same lyrics, but we applied them to our different musical styles. We just took things a step further by recording and releasing our CD using the title "Inkpig" and including coupons for free tattoo work and merchandise from ourselves and our sponsors inside each copy. We can't thank Jerry Thomas and the crew at Toucan Tattoo in Gloucester Pt., Virginia, enough for their constant support...... and some great ink! How 'bout you, Jenn? Any tattoos yet?
No tat's yet…I'm waiting to you go with you and Erin! How long has ROT been around?
Believe it or not, we've been performing under the name REIGN OF TERROR (and ROT) since 1988... yep, 13 years of slamming and banging! We've had a couple of line-up changes over the years, but myself and the drummer both remain from the original line-up. Our newest member is Kevin Newburn, former bassist for CUTTHROAT, and he's definitely brought a little "hardcore" flavor to our newer songs.
How did you guys get together?
Damn, it was so long ago........ okay, let me get this right. When we first hit the scene here in Virginia all those years ago we were a three-piece outfit comprised of myself, Rob Cox on drums and our former bass player John White. It actually all started with John and myself, we met through work and started jamming and doing a little songwriting whenever we could find the time. When we recruited Rob to join us in our little "jam-sessions", things just clicked and we soon found ourselves opening for a lot of the heavier acts that passed through our area. Of course, it didn't hurt that there weren't too many other hard-edged bands around at the time! We stayed a three-piece for quite a few years, but we really didn't start taking the music thing seriously until Ernie Caltenback (former guitarist of ANGER) joined the band as rhythm guitarist in 1995. Ernie just had a tremendous desire to "make things happen!" and since he had a ton of connections in the business we soon found ourselves in the studio recording our first CD, "World of Hurt" and performing all over in support of it. And that's the abbreviated history of how R.O.T. came to be....... exciting, huh?
Absolutely exciting!! What band has been your favorite to play with?
Damn, Jenn, there's been so many! Back in the day we used to love to perform with our friends in AT WAR, we had some crazy times with those guys! In more recent memory we've tore it up a few times with ORDAINED (always a blast, guys!) and the guys in PISSING RAZORS are supercool to jam and hang out with. I'm still a little hazy after drinking all that tequila on their tour bus.... WHOA! And that was months ago!
Do you have any big shows/festivals coming up that you are playing?
We have a couple of shows on the horizon, we're playing with MALEVOLENT CREATION and MONSTROSITY next month and we're headlining a couple of local gigs here in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area as well. We opted not to do the Jersey Metalfest this year, as we're gearing up for a return to the studio and didn't want to divide our attentions (or our money.... LOL!) between the two, but we may be performing at the Milwaukee Metalfest again this year. That's the main event as far as we're concerned, we always have a blast there!
Are there any labels you are working with currently?
They all hate us...... HAHAHAHA!! No, seriously though, we still remain unsigned and relatively "underground", if that term exists anymore. We've had a few nibbles from a couple of smaller outfits, but for the moment we're self producing and distributing our music on our own label, Killsquad records. At this point we're just happy to have made our band self-sufficient, where everything we do is paid for by the money we've made performing and through sales of our merchandise. It is a lot of hard work, though... but fun as hell!
If you could be on any label, which one would it be and why?
The one who reads this interview and signs us... hehehehehe!! Actually, there are a lot of great labels out there who are promoting the hell out of their bands and metal music in general.... Pavement comes to mind, and Noise Records and Century Media are doing good things as well. And Relapse!! I'll name 'em all if it'll help! S'long as the label believes in what they are doing and respects the artists creativity and freedom then we're all for 'em... there has to be mutual respect between the label and the artist, dont'cha think?
How many CD's have you released?
Only two, "World of Hurt" and "Inkpig"..... and there is an old obscure demo titled "Great Sin" floating around out there somewhere as well. Hell, I don't even have a copy of that one! We have been featured on a couple of compilation CD's as well, one through PIT magazine and I believe we have a track on the Milwaukee Metalfest show compilation from 1999. We're currently gearing up for our return to the studio for our next full length effort, and we guarantee it'll be miles above anything we've done to date! No title for this release yet, but some of the song titles are "Dirtbag", "Sucker", "No Penance" and "Primitive Future".... good clean stuff!! HAH!!
Who are some of the bands you have played with?
Oh boy, here we go...... okay, ready? Some of these go a way back...... PISSING RAZORS, CRO-MAGS, NILE, DRI, AGONY COLUMN, CONFESSOR, NOSFERATU, CHEMI-KILL, CUTTHROAT, CHRONIC DISORDER, THE KRYPT, SUBJUGATOR, AT WAR, SKINLAB, GWAR, UNDEAD...... just way too many to list, Jenn! 13 years of shows, ya know?
13 years?! My god that is a long time! How is the scene in VA? Are there places to play on the beach??
Well, to be honest the scene in Virginia comes and goes..... clubs open up, run shows for a year or two and then shut down. We've played many shows down at the Virginia Beach oceanfront over the years (there's a slew of clubs right on the resort strip), but at the moment there aren't too many right on the ocean that are allowing the heavy bands in. City council is trying to maintain that "wholesome family" image for the tourists and all, ya know.... bastards! But there are quite a few venues right off the main drag that support the harder-edged stuff, and as a matter of fact there is supposed to be a huge tattoo expo/show in the works for the near future that we've been invited to perform at. That should be a riot! Other than that, Norfolk and Richmond are the two main cities in Virginia for the killer shows. Virginia Beach is still learning..... and we're trying to teach 'em!
What are you listening to these days and be honest!
Me personally? I listen to a lot of off the wall stuff, most recently I'd have to say Slapshock (hardcore stuff from the Philippines), Kill II This (good stuff!), old Black Sabbath, Poe's new album "Haunted" is good, and a lot of celtic music..... Clandestine is great! But as a band collectively we have all kinds of different tastes..... Hatebreed, Blood for Blood, Static X, Slayer, Bio-Hazard, Criminal..... once again, the list goes on! There is so much good stuff out there, and we just try to soak it all in...... but Ernie and I are the weirdos of the band! We'll listen to just about anything.
Favorite show you have ever been to, and one you didn't play on and why?
My personal favorite was the Milwaukee Metalfest in 1999... we had such a great time, and in the local newspaper the following day we were the only band to have their picture published in the review of the show... a half page of Ernies mug with his best mean-face on for the masses! Now that was a Kodak moment, I tell ya! Plus we had amazing crowd response to our set, and we got to hang with some of our favorite musicians (Billy and Dan from S.O.D. were cool as hell, they were just there for the show!), it was just too much! Milwaukee is definitely the fest to play at or go to, if you're so inclined...... but I know I don't have to tell you that! You go to 'em all! And we try to play as many shows as possible, within our means. The only one we didn't play on that we wished we had was the Ohio Deathfest that followed the Metalfest that year.... due to a prior engagement we were unable to make that one, and I heard from the Pissing Razors guys that it was a crusher! Ah well, there's always next time!
How was playing the Metal Fest last year in Jersey?
Ah, the Meltdown in New Jersey..... thought you'd never ask! Actually, we have mixed emotions about that show. Although we had a good time, we didn't think it was as well put-together and managed as some previous events we've done. We didn't care much for the way the two stages were set up side-by-side in the middle room with only a curtain for a divider, the sound just bled through from one stage to the other and created a lot of confusion for both the bands and the fans. And some of the bands just got up there and basically did whatever they felt like without any regard for the other bands that were scheduled to follow. One crazy band screwed things up so bad that the entire show was shut down for 3 hours....actually, they almost got the whole show completely canceled for the whole weekend. And don't get us wrong, we have nothing against a band wanting to pull out all the stops for exposures sake, but not at the expense of other bands who had their performance schedules totally screwed up and their time slots cut short because of it. Of course, this is the screwy world of metal music and nothing ever goes off as planned. You just gotta do what you can with what you've got..... until your mind begins to rot! Hey, I'm a poet! But all that aside, we did manage to put on a solid performance at the show, and once again we met a lot of killer bands and cool people who were giving their all to support the scene...... I met this one girl named Jenn there who was really nice..... Ya know her?
I think I know her, I heard she was a real bitch. Okay, final question, who is better, Britney or Christina?
Ah, you had to ask! I like Britney myself, but I brought it up with the boys and here's what we decided .... we agreed that we'd all just like to watch both of them wrestle each other naked in the ring to settle their differences, no holds barred! Of course, we'd have to be installed as special "guest" referees for the bout! And we think Britney would definitely pummel the little latino, but is there really a loser in this situation? Not for the refs or spectators, that's for sure! You're a wrestling fan, Jenn, what do you think?
Any final comments, plugs or anything else?
Well first and foremost we want to thank you, Jenn, and all the girls at Metal Mafia for your interest in our band and your undying support of the metal scene. You have an honest and down-to-earth approach to your style, and we find it both refreshing and intriguing! Hopefully we'll meet up again soon at one of the fabled 'fests and have a grand ole time!
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