Hell to you guys from CATTLE DECAPITATION. Congratulations to your fist (in Germany) blast "To Serve Man". I think in Germany you're very unknown so tell us a little bit about you and Cattle Decapitation. Where do you come from? How old are you all? When did you start to play? What did you do before Cattle Decapitation?

Travis: We're from San Diego, California. We're all in our mid-late 20ies. We've been around since sometime in 1996 when our drummer and our old guitar player and some guy named Scott decided to do a grindcore band. Dave was in a band called the Locust that Gabe eventually joined. When it got too much to bear, Gabe had to quit because he had to devote to much time to The Locust and other things. We had shit we needed to take care of as well. Troy was next, he became our bass player. Josh was after that. He now plays guitar. I joined right when that guy Scott disappeared.

How it comes that you get a deal by Metal Blade?

Travis: They saw our MP3.com site and got wind that we were talking to Necropolis. They wanted something new and brutal and they liked us. A few people there dug it and I sent them some copies. They have been real supportive. Coming out to shows and such, and really helping to promote and gain the band a bigger audience.

Whats your goal with Cattle Decapitation? Travis: To take this band and our ideas as far as they can go until we either explode or die from exhaustion. That and to just make extreme music. Describe the stile from C.D. by yourself! In my opinion it's a mix between hyper speed thrash metal and typically U.S. death metal.

Travis: Sort of. I've always thought of it as "goregrind" I guess that's what people call it nowadays. It's gory gridcore/death metal. But I think it has an edge that sets it apart from a lot of bands. It has a certain feeling of panic, which I really like about their songwriting.

You can play live as often as you will?

Travis: Yeah, we play too much, actually. We play all over California and are pretty much doing it all the time. No less than one show a month.

Are you involved in side projects?

Travis: We've had a few side projects, but right now would have to be Troy and DisreantiyouthhellchristbastardassmanX. It's his Esco thrash band. Esco is short for Escondido, California where we grew up, Troy and I. That's about it. I release CDs every once in a great while on my label Attention Deficit Recordings. I did a band for a while called 5/5/2000, which was all electronic stuff.

Tell us a little bit about your lyrically concept! The lyrics sounds really gory.

Travis: haha.. yeah, they are. Every album has sort of a main theme, but it's not a concept album perse. It's got a main theme and then there are songs that have nothing to do with it. Those are the more gory or brutal usually. Songs about some weird disease or a contraption made to mutilate. I like to make humans sound very stupid.

You give only full speed ahead! Your drummer can't play slowly, haha?

Travis: No, he can't. haha!

The sound is really fat but the guitars are a little bit poor, am I right?

Travis: hahaa.. nice. If you think so. Everyone has a differing opinion on the sound of the recording. I say, what the hell do you want? Fuckin Michael Jackson? It's death metal.

What do you think: Why should anybody buy "To Serve Man"?

Travis: "It's a good death/grind album". I've seen people say that about it. If you like brutal shit, then you need this album, that's all. If you're into brutality without sacrificing songwriting and melody, it's for you.

How are the reactions about to serve man at that point of time?

Travis: Very varied. I've seen people say it's fucking awesome, I've seen people say the sound sucks and critique all sorts of other shit. But it's doing well, and that means we're doing well.

Do you know that in Germany "To Serve Man" is only available about mail-order? The big stores have a problem with the cover, hahaha.

Travis: Yeah, that's fine. Stupid, but whatever. The art really is not that bad at all. It's beautiful if you ask me and deserves to be experienced by the innocent bystander just passing by. It's brutal, yet elegant.

What can Metal Blade do for Cattle Decapitation? What are you awaiting from them? Do you know other Bands from their rooster?

Travis: They can do a hell of a lot more than anyone else has done, that's for sure. We have to work and get out there and tour, so it's not like we're waiting for a check while sitting on our asses. I've met Vehemence and Cannibal corpse, but that's about it. Oh yeah, we met Lizzy Borden, that was awesome, and some guy from FATES WARNING or some shit.

What's up with a tour? Tell us a little bit about the live gigs from Cattle Decapitation! Travis: We're busting our asses getting ready for this one we have with Gwar next month. With Gwar and Bloodlet and then we're going to head over to the Cannibal tour and see what they're up to. Our live shows are much different than recordings. Expect to get your ass kicked in a different way I guess. Fun Question: Are you into Satan, haha?

Travis: No, but if anything I'm a satanist. I don't eat meat, and I say do what thou wilt without hurting people in the process and that's what true satanism is about, not the bullshit stigma that's attached to it. It's worship of nature. That's what life is about. But no, I don't bow to any god. There isn't one to bow to until you die anyways. That's when you'll finally realize. But these organized religions of the world have it all wrong in my book. It's a moral crutch. Nothing more.

It's not easy to find a favourite track on "To Serve Man" but a real brutal fucker is "Long-Pig Chef And The Hairless Goat", can you tell me a little bit about that track, lyrics etc.

Travis: "Long-pig" is another term for a human corpse for food preparation. So is the term "Hairless Goat". So it's a very cannibalistic song, centering on anthropophagic cuisine.

I think you are all great instrumentalists. Tell us about the songwriting process in CATTLE DECAPITATION!

Travis: Troy pretty much writes the songs these days. He comes up with riffs faster than mucus inside a person with emphysema. Dave figures out the beats and Josh adds a bunch of melodic parts. I make a tape of it and write lyrics to it.

Where do you get your inspiration to play this fast stuff?

Travis: I believe from our undying love of metal. Death metal. And fuckin grindcore.

Ah, on your homepage I've read that "To Serve Man" is not your first record, you did some releases in the past ,right?

Travis: No, we have two other albums in the past. "Human Jerky" and "Homovore". Recommended if you like brutal, blinding fast shit.

Any other cool bands in your area that are worth to know?

Travis: GUTROT, DODECAMERON (from Tijuana) and WATCH ME BURN. I can't think of any more right now.

Ok my friends, your record is finished and I close the interview, haha. The last famous words are yours! Good luck for the future and hope to see you anytime on Germanys stages. Hey, are you into hockey? Cheers and stay brutal, fuckers.

Travis: We're not into sports so much, but we shall stay brutal and we shall always be fuckers.

Interview: Marcus