Interview with Deklan of Mutant Lion Massacre

_BAND: MUTANT LION MASSACRE
MUSICIAN: DEK HUDSON (VOCALS)
COUNTRY: ENGLAND
GENRE: 'SOUTHWEST FIGHT MUSIC'

How long has Mutant Lion Massacre been going and what does the band name mean?

We had our first practice with this line up in January 2011 and we've been the same line up since. The band name was actually thought up by an ex-guitarist who was in the band for about a week, it doesn't really have any deep or metaphorical meaning, and to be honest we haven't decided whether it means a massacre of all mutant lions OR a load of mutated lions killing everyone, leave that decision to the fans I suppose.

Using only words and no cliches or genre-tagging, describe the bands music.

Heavy as fuck music, but keeping the elements of groove and shredding that are our biggest influences. We like the idea that no two of our songs sound the same, and we like to use different styles, picking techniques etc etc to achieve this.

Where is the band based and what is the scene like?

We're based down in Cornwall and we could never badmouth the scene down here as it really did a lot for us. There isn't a huge scene for our style of metal but locals still took us on really well and gave us a chance which we appreciate a lot. We've found Plymouth is better for our style of music and we've ended up becoming a part of the scene there too which is always good.

Your releasing your upcoming EP in august, how anticipated are you for it?

We're beyond hyped to get this EP out, we all feel the music is alot more mature and the level of production and recording we can achieve is far better this time around. We're just excited to have a new record to share with our fans and hopefully get us more shows up and down the UK.

Your bandmembers all have nicknames, explain how this came about?

Ahahahaha, well... basically I'm called 'Grizzly' because of my beard and my general resemblance to a grizzly bear. Dennis is 'Long 'airs' because he's the only member reppin' luscious long locks, Brad is 'Musclecrab' because of his huge biceps and his guitar playing stance, Jake is 'Don Vito' because somewhere on Facebook there's a beautiful photo of him where he really does bear a huge resemblance to the big wonky-eyed motherfucker, and Lee is 'Newcastle Brown' because he's a Geordie and because his dick and balls are very very dark compared to the rest of his body... I really wish that last one was a lie but I'm afraid it isn't.  

Which band have you enjoyed playing alongside most with and would No Consequence be the biggest you've played with?

The most fun show we've ever played was possibly at a venue called Crasken Farm in Cornwall, but the event itself wasn't a metal show it was a Samhain (pagan Halloween) event that was mostly electronic artists and whatnot, we played alongside The Sentient and we had a ton of fun despite many pre-set fuck ups that nearly ruined the show including myself being so drunk I couldn't stand about 10 minutes before we actually hit the stage, fun times. The band we enjoy playing alongside the most is probably a band from Cornwall called She Whispered Treason (check 'em out) purely because of the instant chemistry we had, they're so easy to get on with and we've played with them 3 times now and every time has been killer!

No Consequence are a force to be reckoned with live, they absolutely blew my mind but with no disrespect to them or any other band we've played with, I'd probably say Ingested are the biggest band we've shared a stage with so far, we're playing with them again this summer and we're excited as fuck about it!

Do you feel the UK scene lacks emerging bands unlike the USA and that fans should instigate more UK unsigned bands?

I think the UK scene is just different to others. From what we've heard about Europe, bands tend to be offered more money to play, they almost always get riders and the fans seem to appreciate the band themselves more than in the UK. Obviously there's always exceptions and I'm in no way badmouthing the UK scene, I just think Europe and the US have a different way of dealing with bands. It always seems to be a case of UK promoters having to work harder to get kids down to shows, whereas alot of stories we hear about Europe tell us they don't have the same problem.

What plans does the band have for 2012 and beyond?

We just want to get our EP out there and get some new people listening to our shit, as well as looking for new shows within the UK and (should the opportunity arise) Europe. We're also planning a weekender with our boys in Wombwrecker in August so fans should get down to a show if we go local to them. In 2013 we'd love to record again (perhaps a split EP) and again just try and tour harder and harder. 

Finally, what song should new fans check out first?

Definitely "Foxhound" , it gives fans a good idea of what to expect on the upcoming EP. Our old EP is available for free online but we don't feel its the best music we can offer.