Interview October 1, 2018

Martin Stewart (Terror)

After more than 15 years of existence, TERROR shows no signs of slowing down. They remain one of the most active and hard working bands in Hardcore. Their 7th LP, Total Retaliation, just hit the streets this week and it is just as ferocious as anything they’ve ever released. The new songs promise to bring their trademark mayhem live on their upcoming tours.
Martin Stewart has been a pillar of the band for the past 12 years and has also been very active in the LA scene by promoting the great Sound and Fury fest. Catch TERROR out on tour this fall with Harms Way, Backtrack, Year of The Knife and Candy.

-Ben F.

Name five songs that you consider “perfect songs” and explain why or what they mean to you.
SEAL – Kiss From A Rose
Can’t really say why this song is so perfect to me other than I just personally feel that it’s one of the most well written songs in history and Seal’s vocals are top notch.

INFEST – Mankind
I love this song so much because to me it feels like the embodiment of anger. The lyrics are incredible.

EARTH, WIND & FIRE – Serpentine Fire
This has to be the most “feel good” song in musical history. The horn section in this track is wild. I can’t imagine not feeling like hitting the dance floor with this song playing.

THE DEVIL’S BLOOD – I’ll Be Your Ghost
A track basically written as a masochistic love song to Lucifer. It’s beautiful.

DR. DRE – Nuthin’ But A G Thang
One of the hardest yet laid back rap tracks there is. Every time I hear this song it still feels like the first time hearing it. Such catchy verses & hooks, crazy beat, the video is A+. Everything thing about this song is cool.

What’s the album you’ve listened to the most in your life?
It’s hard to say, but since I have to choose, I think it would be ALICE IN CHAINS Dirt. I got a dubbed cassette version of the album on a purple tape back in ‘92 when the record came out and would listen to it over & over on my walkman. I even remember secretly listening to it while in church sometimes.

Five greatest hardcore EP’s of all time?

INFEST – Mankind
Came out in 1991, 10 tracks, one of the hardest instrumental songs written, some of the most pissed off lyrics in existence. I love this record so much.
HATEBREED – Under The Knife
What more needs to be said about this one? It’s just absolutely perfect.
EARTH CRISIS – All Out War
This 90’s era of Victory Records produced some of the most important hardcore records for me. This was another one of those records I would play on repeat over & over.
WARZONE – Lower East Side
Yet another Victory Records related band. This record was probably the most played record in the car between my older brother & myself. We were equally obsessed with it.
RIGHTEOUS JAMS – Rage of Discipline
I’m probably considered a little old to be putting RJ’s in my top 5 favorites but what this band did for me was special. Lyrically, musically, visually… everything appeared so damn cool but so effortless. I’m a huge fan of most Lockin’ Out releases.

Your five favorite rappers of all time? Name one song that best exemplifies what makes them great.

CAM’RON – Boy Boy
Cam will always be my #1 “dead or alive”. His word play & delivery is unmatched, in my opinion. No one is cooler or more innovative. “cat like you? call you a ‘gladiator’, you give her oral and you happy, glad-he-ate-her” is one of the most insane things ever rapped.
DR. DRE – What’s The Difference
Whether he wrote his own rhymes or not, he delivered them like no one else could. This song is a perfect example of his GOD tier skills as a producer and vocalist.
LORD HAVE MERCY – Straight Spittin (from the Flipmode Squad “The Imperial” album)
He’s a lesser known MC that was part of BUSTA RHYME’s crew. He always caught my attention because his voice sounded so crazy, it was super deep & commanding. He was a super technical lyricist.
DMX – Get At Me Dog
DMX is one of the hardest ever. Makes me feel like a rap version of MERAUDER or something. He can be talking about anything & make it sound menacing. His music gets me real fired up.
GHOSTFACE KILLAH – Beat The Clock
Not really sure anything needs to be said about Ghostface. He’s truly one of a kind. Everything he says is like a verbal version of the finest Brazilian silk.

Do you have a favorite setting or place to listen to music? How does the setting influence the type of music you’ll listen to?
I usually prefer to listen to music in my headphones without any distractions. If I’m driving I usually like to start off with something mellow, usually something Maynard James Keenan related, and then from there I’ll usually descend into an abstract void of black metal madness. At the gym it’s pretty much strictly testosterone pumping jams. Anything from HATEBREED to BLASPHEMY or HERESIARCH.

Five hardest riffs of all time?

MERAUDER – Life Is Pain
I don’t think I need to explain this one.
COLD AS LIFE – All Alone
The opening riff goes head-to-head with Life Is Pain.
ONE LIFE CREW – Real Domain
When the bass kicks in by itself for the final break right before the infamous “This is for you Cleveland ooooooooh…”. It’s one of the most energizing riffs I’ve ever heard.
BORN FROM PAIN – Rise Or Die
This band seems to be slept on pretty hard in the United States. Their early records remind me of a European HATEBREED, this song especially. The opening riff is crazy & I’ve seen some wild stuff happen when they play this song live.
MAYHEM – Freezing Moon
A lot of people would probably disagree with me here but the riff that kicks in about a minute into the song sounds like MADBALL to me. It’s insane.

What are your ten favourite albums of all time? Name a standout track on each of these albums?

THE DIPLOMATS – Diplomatic Immunity: Vol. 1 – I Really Mean It
EARTH CRISIS – Destroy The Machines – The Wrath of Sanity
INFEST – Mankind – Mankind
PUSCIFER – Money Shot – Grand Canyon
ALICE IN CHAINS – Dirt – Rain When I die
THE DEVIL’S BLOOD – The Thousandfold Epicenter – Cruel Lover
URGEHAL – Goatcraft Torment – Satanic Black Metal In Hell
CRAFT – Fuck The Universe – Assassin 333
DR. DRE – Chronic 2001 – Bitch Niggaz
BEHEMOTH – Zos Kia Cultus – Horns Ov Baphomet

What were you listening to in elementary school? Then in high school? How have your musical tastes evolved since?
In my early years of life when I actually started actively listening to music (around 1989 maybe?) I listened to mostly what my parents were listening to. Lots of BOB MARLEY, MARVIN GAYE, AL GREEN, JIMI HENDRIX, COLTRANE, EARTH WIND & FIRE… mostly Soul / R&B / Jazz. I missed a lot of the classic rock stuff of the time because my parents weren’t listening to that in the home.

The first couple of 7″ I ever owned were a single of BILL WITHERS Lean On Me and a single of TEARS FOR FEARS Shout. Around that same time my older brother (2 years older) and I started really getting into the hip-hop of the time: LL COOL J, RUN DMC, N.W.A. etc. My brother also had a stint with some wild hair metal at this time also. He was really into POISON. I got into some of it but it never really caught on with me.

Somewhere between ’90-’92 while my brother & I were in junior high we heard BAD RELIGION for the first time. That had us both diving head first into punk rock. We started going to punk shows, collecting records, all that good stuff. In around ’94-’95 we made the transition which probably went something like “YOUTH BRIGADE (because of Another State of Mind) > MINOR THREAT > GORILLA BISCUITS” and that led us right into the world of Hardcore. I started listening to a lot of metal after my senior year of high school (1999), I was a late bloomer in that world. In these current times I keep up with mostly new metal (not to be confused with nu-metal), as much current Hardcore as I can, and I’m always sifting through new rap / hip-hop to find something I like.

Most memorable show you’ve ever seen? What makes it stand out?
‘97 or ‘98, Showcase Theatre in Corona, CA, SICK OF IT ALL / STRIFE / AFI / ENSIGN and maybe GOOD RIDDANCE? Either way, the fire marshal came to shut the show down because there was way too many people there. They ended up kicking everyone out but letting half the crowd back inside for one show, then once that was over they kicked all of them out and let the other half of the crowd inside for a second show in the same night. It was wild.

Do you have any songs that are meaningful to you because you associate them with important events in your life?
There’s a song by a band called KAMELOT called Don’t You Cry. It’s actually a pretty cheesy song and most people I know wouldn’t take the band themselves seriously at all because they play over-the-top power metal music, but that song really hits me. It’s about losing your father which happened to my family & I years back. I saw them play it live once in Quebec City in maybe like 2011 and almost shed some tears. It was beautiful.

What is the most impressive band you’ve toured with? The one that you just had to watch every night? Did you learn anything from them/by watching them?
BEHEMOTH. TERROR had the chance to tour with them back in 2006 on a festival tour called Sounds of The Underground. It was a crazy experience. We made friends with a lot of bands that year that I never even imagined myself sharing the stage with… CANNIBAL CORPSE, GWAR, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, MACHINE HEAD, AS I LAY DYING… but BEHEMOTH really stood out for me the most. Their album Demigod had just come out a couple of years before & it was going to be my first time ever having the chance to see them live. I watched them every single day for that entire tour. I remember after the first couple of shows I started to notice during our set that Nergal would be watching us play off the in the distance somewhere. Finally after about maybe a week he approached me & said something like “I just want to say I’m not really into the hardcore thing normally, but I really like what you guys are doing. I admire your energy.” I ended up having a couple of long personal conversations with him over the course of that tour that I feel really altered the course of my life for the better. They will always be a very special band to me. Some of the greatest lyrics I’ve ever read.

What are your 3 favorite concert venues ever? Name a great show you’ve seen in each of them.
Showcase Theater (RIP) – Corona, CA: I saw WARZONE here with I think THE BUSINESS in probably 1996 when The Sound of Revolution came out. Raybeez was on the floor singing with the crowd for most of their set. I remember he asked what song the crowd wanted to hear & whatever song my brother shouted out was the one they ended up playing. Very cool. ADAMANTIUM’s last show here should also be mentioned. Oh, and A Call For Blood here, which was just HATEBREED playing an Ozzfest off-day show under a different name. NO INNOCENT VICTIM played too.

CBGB’s – NYC: I don’t choose this venue because it was a nice place to be, because it definitely wasn’t at all. This place actually sucked & was gross, but its incredible history is undeniable. I got to play a show here with an earlier band of mine in 2004 with INTERNAL AFFAIRS, MURDER WEAPON (Richmond, VA featuring David Wood from DOWN TO NOTHING on bass), and some others. I remember Jorge Merauder showing up for our set before we knew him, tying a bandana on his head & moshing like crazy while we played. We ended up staying the night at his that night too which was also crazy.

Public Storage Coffee House (which later became Chain Reaction) – Anaheim, CA: I saw DYSTOPIA play here several times in the late 90’s & every single one of those shows was something special. Also the early days of THROWDOWN / 18 VISIONS in this venue was some truly special stuff.

Do you have any controversial/unpopular music related opinions that you would like to defend?
I really like a big handful of DISTURBED’s music. I wouldn’t call them a “good” band by any means, but there’s a good amount of songs of theirs I listen to & think “I like these songs a lot”.

Coolest rip-off design (shirt or any other format)?
Nuclear War Now! Records doing the classic AF “Skinhead” design is so awesome to me. Instead of AGNOSTIC FRONT in the stencil letters on the back it says ANTICHRIST FRONT. That’s one of several bands that hardcore kids, punks & metalheads can all come together on and I think that’s really cool.

What band shirts do you remember wearing the most at different moments of your life?
I’m a creature of habit so I would wear the same 5 or so shirts consistently throughout high school. EARTH CRISIS “Destroy The Machines” shirt with the “I’ve Built Myself To Last” quote on the back, NAUSEA “Extinction” shirt, INFEST 7” cover shirt, ONE KING DOWN “Albany Hardcore” longsleeve, X Life Sentence X Records “Go Ahead, Keep Smoking, I Want You To Die” shirt, OPERATION IVY classic logo shirt. I also had a hooded sweatshirt I would wear almost every single day, rain or shine, with a VARUKERS patch, WASTED YOUTH patch & a homemade NAUSEA patch.

What is your most “unwearable” band shirt in public? Any stories about forgetting to think about it and ending up in uncomfortable situations?
I don’t have anything as controversial as the infamous “Jesus Is A Cunt” CRADLE OF FILTH shirt, but any of my BLASPHEMY stuff with the BLACK METAL SKINHEADS on it always turns heads. I have an URGEHAL SATANIC NUCLEAR WAR shirt but it’s not too blatant so it hasn’t made anyone too uncomfortable. I have a NEXUL shirt that says “LUCIFERIAN DEATH METAL” that also gets some reactions sometimes. I never even think about these things when I’m putting them on EXCEPT for when I’m going to a family function. I’m always respectful of the elders in my family so I’ve always made sure to keep it plain for those situations.

Do you accumulate merch constantly or purge once in a while? If you purge, is there anything that sits on the bubble and you always end up keeping?
I’m constantly accumulating new stuff & I really have a hard time getting rid of stuff. The only time I’ve ever actually been able to let things go is when moving. I never sell anything though, I just donate it all. There’s a section of stuff that I always keep though, like the shirts I mentioned before that I wore in high school. Also a bunch of stuff I got on my first full U.S. / Canada tour in 2004, shirts from Posi #’s & Hellfest. Definitely some gems in there that I’m sure people would pay money for.

Name 3 merch items that you’d never part with?
My TERROR money clip, knife and bottle opener. All custom gifts!

Top 3 demos that sound better than the subsequent album cuts? What puts them on top?

DUMPTRUCK demo vs. THE WRONG SIDE LP — I just like the more raw recording quality I guess. I don’t think there can ever be a definite reason why someone likes a demo more than album cuts other than it’s a “time & place” thing. Unless maybe the songs are completely changed or something like that.
HATEBREED Severed vs. Severed 2005 — I know the split with NEGLECT isn’t a demo, but it’s an earlier recorded version of the same song so I think it counts. The 2005 version is absolutely incredible, I just prefer the insane rawness of the original version.
JUSTICE Without Face — I don’t really remember what the original version of the song was released on, but when the song was recorded for the Elephant Skin LP they changed up a part of the song to make it sound like some kind of UNDERDOG style dub music that I wasn’t really into.

Name 3 venues that you wish you had experienced? What attracts you to them? Have you ever talked to people who have been?
There’s only two I can really think of. One is the Wetlands in NY. I had just heard of so many cool shows that happened there and there was a CANDIRIA set from there I would always watch. They play the song Work In Progress that features Jamey from HATEBREED & Phil from IRATE. Both guys are there at the show & get on stage to perform their parts. It’s awesome. The other would be Castle Heights, also in NY. I don’t really know anyone that went there but I would see those Guerilla Warfare Video Fanzine videos & I’m pretty sure a ton of the crazy footage is from that venue.

Which hardcore scene from what era produced the best bands?
I’m partial to California in the 90’s-00’s because I lived it. SUICIDAL TENDENCIES (if you want to consider them to be a HC band), STRIFE, AFI, GOOD RIDDANCE, IGNITE, EYELID, MEAN SEASON, NO INNOCENT VICTIM, FOCAL POINT, HOODS, ADAMANTIUM, THROWDOWN, 18 VISIONS, CARRY ON… the list is massive.

Name 3 inactive and overlooked bands?
CANDIRIA — They’re not completely inactive but I feel like they’re overlooked. One of my personal favorite bands.

18 VISIONS — A lot of people I’ve met outside of the California area over the years have a lot of negative opinions about this band. I can’t say I’m the biggest fan of them musically in their later years although I do like a lot of the songs they made in that time, but I feel they were very important at one point. Their first LP Lifeless is flawless & I really love the next to LP’s & EP, but aside from that they were such a positive force in the HC scene at the time. They were involved in booking local shows, always playing local shows with touring bands bringing all their friends to support, making zines, running labels, so many different things. I’ll always ride for them.

VICTIM — They’re a band from Virginia Beach that never even really played too many shows from what I remember. I know they played kinda recently after being inactive for a pretty long time, probably at United Blood. They played extremely Victim In Pain influenced hardcore. Pretty sure they had members of IRON BOOTS. Anyways, I really like them but never really heard too much talk about them.

Which instrument (vocals included) makes or breaks a band for you? Give some examples. Any exceptions to that rule?
I’m pretty much down with anything. I listen to so much stuff that either has obviously or intentionally sloppy musicianship or over-the-top, strange vocals. I don’t discriminate.

What albums have been on heavy rotation lately?
Been listening to this dude from NY called CRIMEAPPLE a lot. Kinda GHOSTFACE KILLAH influenced hip-hop. He has a new record called Aguardiente that I’ll listen to on repeat a few times. That new JAY ROCK record Redemption too. And Cocaine Beach from HUS KINGPIN. Oh, and everything from CONWAY THE MACHINE & WESTSIDE GUNN, 2 grimey ass dudes from Buffalo. They got a dude named BENNY THE BUTCHER in their crew that’s really good too.

As far as hardcore goes, I’ve been listening to a lot of Time Is Now from ECOSTRIKE, the DETAIN LP, the new unreleased (note: at the time of the interview) TERROR record Total Retaliation A LOT. I can confirm that it’s great for listening to while at the gym.

Aside from that I’ve been jamming the recent HERESIARCH LP a ton, the most recent OCCVLTA, and always listening to THE DEVIL’S BLOOD TONS.

What are some up and coming artists that you would recommend?
I think the best thing to do for someone looking for the answer to this question as actual advice would be go to soundandfury.la and check out the line-up for the last 3 years. A lot of current bands being given an opportunity to show what they’ve got.

Who are the best live bands right now?
TURNSTILE are a band that brings a unique live energy. I really enjoy watching DETAIN to see what the pit looks like during their set. The same goes for KING NINE, I really love to watch them live. Living in LA I get to see a lot of the local metal bands pretty often too. ARIZMENDA, VOLAHN, SKELETAL REMAINS… they all put on killer shows. I’m a huge fan of live music in general, so to dub someone the “best” isn’t really in my nature.

What are you listening to right now, while answering these questions?
While reading this question I had on the new (and currently unreleased) INNUMERABLE FORMS record. Highest quality American Death Metal. I hope people love this record when it drops.

Is there anything (new album, tour) you would like to promote?
TERROR has a new record that just came out called Total Retaliation. CRIMINAL INSTINCT released a new 7” on BBB Records a couple of months back called Sweet Dreams. Sound And Fury Festival (www.soundandfury.la / IG: @soundandfuryfest / twitter: @sound_and_fury) the past 3 years has been one of the most fulfilling projects I’ve been a part of. I’m really proud & excited about what we’ve accomplished. Looking forward to next year’s festival. My alter ego has a band called Like It Or Not a.k.a LION CREW that will be in the studio next month for the first time since the demo in like 2003? Should be fun.