Interview with BITTER END

Interview questions by Tomek/Nevermore, Pure Metal magazine (Poland)

Answers by: Matt Fox (vocals, guitars) and Russ Stefanovich (guitars)

Photo: Alison Braun, Emily Rieman 

Pure Metal: Hi guys, it's high time the Polish fans remembered about you. How did your musical adventure start? What kind of music could be heard in your family home, any specific names?

Matt: Our parents were really into music from when Chris and I were both very young. Lots of Beatles, Beach Boys, Cream, Led Zeppelin, and that sort of stuff was played a lot, and they had a huge collection that included great stuff like Frank Zappa, Mountain, ELP, Focus, and a bunch of other 1960s and 1970s bands. I know that Harry's dad was a professional lounge entertainer, and encouraged Harry in his musical stuff from an early age, too.  Can't speak for Russ's early roots, but I know he was VERY into Randy Rhoads and Al Di Meola when we got a hold of him!

Russ: Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, the Stones, Thin Lizzy, Bad Company, Black Sabbath, to name a few.

PM: How did you discover heavy music? What were the first bands you listened to when you were young? What album did you start listening to metal with?

Matt: After Cream and Zeppelin, I heard Black Sababath, and really got into "Heaven and Hell" when I was in 8th grade or so. Then I heard Iron Maiden, and Chris and I started learning everything on the "Number of the Beast" album.

Russ: Well, I'd say Thin Lizzy, Black Sabbath and Bad Company really opened the door to aggressive music for me. I couldn't get enough of the guitar solos.

PM: How did you discover the world of metal? Fanzines, radio, a friend? How did you react to this style of music? What albums did you collect when you were young?

Matt: Around the time I was first hearing about NWOBHM bands, a friend of mine at school turned me on to a copy of Kerrang magazine. From that, I got a hold of Metal Forces, and I was off to the races. I had a friend with a job who wanted to know what records to buy, and he'd make cassettes for me. Got into Raven, Diamond Head, Anvil, and a bunch of other stuff that way.

Russ: Zines were great, the record store was big when I was a kid, other kids at school, and tape trading were all big in discovering new metal to listen to.

PM: You hail from Seattle, but in the late 70s you moved to Orange County, CA. Undoubtedly California had an impact on your musical education.

Matt: Yeah, for better or worse. We never much liked glam, and didn't really fit in with the punk scene there, but we did get to see bands in 1982/1983 like Metallica, Slayer, Armored Saint, Malice, early Leatherwolf, etc. So it wasn't all bad.

PM: Your musical roots reach Orange County in California. This particular state is the cradle of thrash metal, there you could witness the performances of all the big important bands. You probably saw Slayer, Metallica (with Dave Mustaine), Exodus, before they even recorded their first albums. What kind of feeling was it - to witness, even participate in the birth of this particular subgenre?

Matt: You could definitely tell that Metallica had something special going on, even if they were still a little rough at that point. I actually saw Slayer when they still had the makeup going and were doing a couple of Judas/Maiden tunes, but you could also tell that they were going places. I was about 15, and just being able to hang out in bars and see shows like that was awesome - which I really understood when we moved back to Seattle and the rules pretty much kept anyone under 18 out of bar shows entirely!

PM: Which of the shows in California had the greatest impact on you and why?

Matt: Definitely the first one I got my courage up to go to myself - Metallica at the Woodstock in August of 1982. There was a great ad for it in BAM Magazine that called Metallica the "Best, Fastest and Heaviest of the US Metal Bands", and it wasn't wrong!

PM: You were highschoolers back then. Was it then when you decided to play thrash?

Matt: We were still finding our style in high school - and were really more like a power metal band than a thrash band at that point.

PM: Did you start learning how to play already in California?

Matt: Yes - I started playing guitar in 6th grade, and Chris had been playing violin and cello for quite awhile before that with the school band, etc.

PM: What bands did you mimic when you learned to play? Did you want to be the new Kings/Mustaines/Holts?

Matt: When I started in 6th grade, I was more trying to be Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, or Leslie West where everyone around me wanted to be Eddie Van Halen.

Russ: Randy Rhoads, Yngwie Malmsteen, Al Di Meola, Jan Akkerman, Tipton and Downing, Smith and Murray are all towards the top of the list for me.

PM: How did you decide who was to play guitar and bass?

Matt: Well, I tried playing bass in about 8th or 9th grade because I felt like I wasn't making enough progress on guitar, but Chris picked the bass up and because he was a very good cellist instantly blew me right back off of the bass and back to guitar. I had to woodshed pretty hard to keep up with Chris, because he really is just a true natural on the instrument.

PM: When did Bitter End actually form?

Matt: Chris and I played in a series of cover projects and then we started writing. Once we hooked up with Harry Dearinger that's pretty much when we decided to actually become a full-on original metal band and start writing music.

PM: In 1983 you returned to Edmonds, WA, on the outskirts of Seattle. Why did you do it? There, you hired the drummer, Harry Dearinger, and as a trio started to practice and write your own songs...

Matt: We moved to Edmonds because it had a good school district and my mom could afford a house there.

PM: Who came up with the name Bitter End?

Matt: Chris and I stole it.

PM: The first gig you played as an instrumental trio was opening for Forced Entry and Coven in 1987. How did the public receive you? And how did you feel, playing without a singer?

Matt: It was OK, and we went over pretty well with the crowd, but we definitely knew we needed a singer. It was a little nerve-racking as first shows go, because there were a LOT of people there for a first gig.

PM: In 1987 you rented The House of Deth in Seattle University District and started to throw parties every Sunday during Brain Pain - the KCMU radio station's metal program. What was the goal of those? Just fun? Almost all of Seattle's metal musicians appeared there.

Matt: Aside from the fact that I spent a couple of years in college while living in the House of Deth, it was a lot more about having a VERY good time than actually having serious goals. After I graduated in 1988 I started spending more time trying to break the band, and while there was certainly a lot of networking at the House of Deth it was definitely more a side effect of our really excellent parties!
Russ: It was a great networking opportunity, and a great opportunity to get loaded with all your pals!

PM: How long and in what ways did you search for your vocalist? Press ads?

Matt: We ran an ad in the Rocket, which was the big music paper in Seattle then. We tried word of mouth, and no one really cut it.

PM: Unable to find a singer, you decided to make Matt one. Why him and whose idea was it?

Matt: Chris and I both tried singing, and it just seemed like my voice was more suited to the material.

PM: In 1988 you recorded the demo ‘Meet Your Maker'. It's one of the most important moments in your band's history. Do you remember what kinds of emotions you experienced during the recording of your first songs?

Matt: It was a lot of fun - we had done some stuff in home studios, but working in a real one was a lot of fun (and since you're paying for it, there's a certain amount of pressure not to screw around and not to suck!)

PM: The songs from demo dazzle with the amount of solos, broken rhythm patterns and really fast guitar playing. The abundance of solos is probably influenced by the California scene, what about the other elements? In other words, what inspired you at the time?

Matt: Thanks a lot! Back then, I really wished I could play like Al Di Meola, who was just incredibly fast. Oddly enough, I think my old Anvil influences show a bit on the "Meet Your Maker" solos, and I was really into Schenker, Megadeth, and weird stuff like Mahavishnu Orchestra and prog rock like ELP.

PM: You surely sent the tape to some fanzines and radio stations. How was it received?

Matt: We didn't set the world on fire, but we did get some good reviews and I definitely filled a lot of mail orders for our stuff!

PM: You recruited your second axeman, Melcon Wagner, and recorded your second demo with him in 1989. What did he contribute and why was his tenure so short?

Matt: Melcon was a good player, but came from a more GIT/George Lynch kind of perspective, and he wasn't really a metalhead in the way we were. We just realized that we were coming from different places and parted ways amicably.

PM: How did you meet Dyana Kass from Metal Blade? Was it thanks to her that you signed with that label?

Matt: I think Jeff Gilbert may have told her about a show we were doing when she was in town. She really liked us and pushed hard for Metal Blade to do a demo deal and then a record contract with us.

PM: Before you recorded your debut album, Russ Stefanovich from Mad Hatter joined your ranks. How did he change the band?

Matt: Russ added a whole lot to our lead guitar game right from the get go, and started influencing our writing (for the better!) on the batch of songs we did after the "Harsh Realities" album was recorded. It also made it a lot easier on me since I wasn't having to do all the lead vocals and be the only guitar player anymore, too!

PM: In February 1990, you recorded your first album under the direction of Randy Burns. What did it mean for you to work with such a splendid producer? What did you learn? How did the recording session in California go?

Russ: Randy is real pro and I personally learned quite a bit from him. It was great at that young age to work with such a pro. AND he had either engineered or produced some material that I was a huge fan of!

PM: You didn't have reasons to complain about the promotion Metal Blade gave you, I take it?

Matt: To be honest, promotion from Metal Blade was kind of a mixed bag. They did give us some tour support and funded the video, but it takes a long time to break new bands, and because Metal Blade puts so many records out every year (which is great in a way - as it gives a lot of new artists a chance to get their stuff out there), they tend to work records immediately after they come out, but don't really put a longer sustained effort behind them.  That said, I think they did put a good amount of effort into the record when it first came out, but we were hoping to see more follow up. I also think that having our A & R rep Dyana Kass leave Metal Blade meant that we lost our biggest champion there.

PM: You toured with D.R.I., the tour encompassed the western States, Canada and Mexico. Did you get to know those guys well? Were they good touring buddies?

Russ: Spike and I have a secret handshake that is really quite hilarious... Kind of like all handshakes known to man in a specific order ending with a spectacular over the top hi 5 miss flash ankle grab if you can picture that. Kinda dumb really, but we were drunk at the time I believe. Great bunch of guys.

PM: In Autumn 1990 you went on another tour, this time with Sacred Reich and Atrophy, bands with a style similar to yours. How were the relations between you, did you have fun.

Russ: Awesome time! Both groups were great guys, and Sacred Reich is just so good it's scary.

PM: Whose idea was it to name your debut ‘Harsh Realities'?

Matt: I can't remember if it was me or Chris - but our original art concept was sort of something like "Pictures at an Exhibition" combined with Edward Munch's "The Scream" and other images like that.

PM: Did you design the cover art by yourselves?

Matt:  Metal Blade sent us the cover image and we loved it, and we shot the liner photo(s) with Alison Braun in LA and worked with their graphics person pretty closely on the layout. I'm pretty happy with it, actually - I think it looks pretty slick for an independent label product of that period.

PM: 'Harsh Realities' contains a typical thrash sound from the end of the 80s. You made an effort to diversify the songs. Who was responsible for the riffs and song structures?

Matt: It was originally mostly Chris and me writing the riffs and then arranging them with Harry, but after "Harsh Realities" Russ had a much bigger hand in the writing, which brought a lot of new ideas to the band.

PM: How long did it take you to create your own style? Your music from the debut album is characterised by a decently exposed bass and wicked solos... you left a lot of space for Chris.

Russ: I believe if you have as skilled of a bassist as Chris in the band, your writing style will evolve around it pretty naturally. As for the wicked solos, we had a pair of hotshot lead players who were not afraid to assert themselves. When we came up as adolescents and teens, you had to be able to solo to be taken seriously. That changed in the intervening years, but that thinking seems to be having a resurgence.

Matt: I was always in awe of Chris' musicianship, so it was easy to leave space for him to do his stuff - especially when we started out as a 3 piece.

PM: What about the solos, did Matt and Russ share them between themselves?

Matt: Yup. It was nice to have Russ join the band and take up so much of the slack for me in that department!

Russ: I believe I was brought in for the over the top stuff like "Di Meola" part of "Profits of Doom". Matt and Chris had seen me in Mad Hatter, doing "Hocus Pocus" by Focus and solos with a LOT of Di Meola, string skipping, sweep picking, and all that neo-classical influence showing in them, so I think that despite putting me through auditions, they knew it was a good fit before they even had me out. I could feel it the first time we played together at the House of Death. I think that as lead players, we all agreed that it's best to have two distinct and different voices. I mean, if you're not going to have that, why carry two guitarists? Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest... All favorites of mine, ALL split the soloing between the two players. I believe this approach takes these bands to another level, and that would be a level we were shooting to achieve.

PM: As for the vocals... it's clearly audible that Matt sings a lot like Dave Mustaine. The resemblance is great. Is Dave an inspiration for Matt?

Matt: I was very into Megadeth from the start, but Dave Mustaine wasn't what I aspired to be as a singer - I would have given anything to be able to sing like Rob Halford or Ian Gillan - but I think some of the similarities come about from squashing vocals around those kind of metal riffs, and in being guitar players who took on singing by necessity when we couldn't find anyone else. That, and the fact that I also spent time growing up in Orange County may have shaped my overall musical outlook and affected the sound of my voice/accent, too.

PM: The intros in ‘Save Us' and ‘Profits of Doom' kinda remind me of AC/DC. Am I on the right track?

Matt: Hmmm. I actually stole the opening lick on "Save Us" from Gary Moore, and "Profits" is a little spacey-sounding for AC/DC, but that's just me - I'm just glad you enjoy the songs!

PM: ‘Profits of Doom', ‘Waiting for Death' and the title track are my favorites off your debut album. What are yours and why?

Matt: Having just re-visited that stuff after a long time I think my favorite songs on "Harsh Realities" are the title track, "Profits" and "Living Hell". "Living Hell" was one of our earlier tunes, but I think it's held up pretty well.

Russ: Actually I pretty much have the same 3 that you listed. Perhaps because I feel my playing on those songs was among my best work on the album.

PM: In 1991, together with Tom Ensign, you shot a black and white clip for ‘Harsh Realities'. It appeared quite a few times on MTV's Headbanger's Ball, helping you reach a broader audience. What did that clip mean for you?

Matt: It was a lot of fun shooting it - my friend Mike Kendall played the homeless guy and we've been friends for many years, and I still like going to the part of Pioneer Square where we shot it. Me and Russ still have rehearsal space at the location the fake live footage of us was shot at, too. At the time, I was hoping Metal Blade would send it out to all of the local TV shows that were on public access cable then, and I didn't actually see it on MTV. I wish I had!

Russ: It was AWESOME to be on Headbanger's Ball, although I never did get to SEE us on the air. The program was on late night Saturdays. We either had gigs, or social functions to attend. My answering machine blew up every Saturday for a while though... "Dude, if you're home, turn on MTV! You guys are on Headbanger's Ball!!!"

PM: What caused you to end the deal with Metal Blade?

Matt: Dyanna Kass was the A & R rep who got us our deal, and when she left, we lost our main champion there, and while Metal Blade were pretty good to us overall, they always have a lot of bands they are working so it can be hard to remain a label priority. We were hoping to follow Dyanna elsewhere and there seemed to still be enough interest in the band that it looked like we could pick up another deal elsewhere.

Russ: Ultimately, I would say it was different visions of what was next for the band.

PM: As a consolation you had tours with Anvil, Heathen and Scatterbrain. You could at least play some new songs...

Russ: We got to play with some of the bigger bands in the genre at the time, and it was awesome.

PM: ...And, in 1991 and 1992, in Robert Lang's studios in Seattle, you recorded new songs, which were then mixed by Jack Endino. With new material in hand, you started looking for a label to release it. To no avail, unfortunately.

Russ: Jack Endino is a stud of a producer and a great, laid back individual. What we recorded with him was crushing, so it was unfortunate to find that we were looking at a lateral step at best once free of our Metal Blade obligations... even with such strong material. We had been angling to get with a rap label through our management, who managed a couple major rap acts at the time and had an in. Kinda like what SLAYER did when they left Metal Blade and signed with Def Jam. It just wasn't in the cards for us apparently.

PM: The grunge era came, and you were in the centre of that movement... How did it look from the inside?

Matt: It was definitely a lot of fun - especially early on.

Russ: We saw a lot of our friends achieving success and that was great. We also saw the end of an era in terms of Metal's dominance of the Seattle scene and that was not as good, being a Metal band.

PM: You were on good terms with some of grunge's greats, like Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, I guess?

Matt: We got to play with both of those groups, and we all hung out with the Alice guys a lot. I knew Kim a bit, but mostly socialized with him when I'd go to the old Foundations Forum metal conventions in LA and the Seattle contingent would hang out.

Russ: Absolutely. And, again, it was great to see them succeed. I see several from that scene to this very day.

PM: You played your last gig in August 1992, before splitting up. Who did you share the stage with? Did you feel that something ended for you?

Matt: It was a great gig, and at the time it just felt like things had run their course, so everyone was on good terms and all of that.

Russ: Geez! Uh... I think Rawhead played. My then sideline band The Family played, and I am trying to think who else played. It was bittersweet for sure. But we split on good terms personally, and have continued to work together ever since in a number of projects.

PM: Bitter End vanished from the scene, but the musicians kept playing. Who did they play with after disbanding Bitter End?

Matt: I was playing in a rock band called Dr. Unknown with Derek and Ray who had been in Heir Apparent and Jeff Carrell who later worked on the first Geoff Tate solo album. I played with them until 1995, and we had a lot of label interest for a while and wound up signing a publishing deal with Polygram. We never got really big but did play a lot of great gigs and had a sizeble regional following. After that I played in two other bands with Jeff Carrell, and our band Dinsdale was managed for a time by Geoff Tate. When that didn't happen, Geoff Tate did his first solo record with Jeff Carrell and my brother Chris, and that record included a lot of re-worked versions of tunes that Dinsdale had done. Then I made a living for a couple of years playing bass (which I learned on the job) in a live music Karaoke thing called Rockaroake. I did a European tour with Camarosmith in 2003 that was incredible, and played with them until the band broke up. I also played for a number of years in a legendary local Seattle band called the Squirrels, was Ozzy for a little while in a tribute band called Diary of a Madman, and was in a band called Zombie Jihad for a period. I also have played on and off for many years with Kiss tribute Gene's Addiction (including Marty Chandler of Panic and currently the Supersuckers), and am currently in Hartwood with Russ and a metal band called Zero Down.

Russ: I continued playing with The Family until we disbanded, joined Coven briefly (93/94), and in 1994 formed an outlaw country band called Hartwood, who is still going strong, and has included both Matt and Chris at one time or another. In fact Matt has been a Hartwood for about a decade... at least! I was in the Midnight Idols (Metal On Metal Records) from 2005-2011, and have gone on to form Demon Dogs, who has just released our first EP.

PM: How did Russ meet the bosses of Metal on Metal? Was it thanks to him that the label took an interest in the band and released the 1991-92 recordings?
Russ: Long story short: Midnight Idols were going through some things internally, and were not on pace to deliver an album per our agreed schedule. Jowita and I had discussed the unreleased Bitter End stuff from the beginning, and I had even sent her a link to the mp3s, as I was flattered to learn she was a fan. When the Idols had no album to deliver, she approached me with the idea, so I contacted the rest of the band to see what our feelings were. The time seemed right, and we were able to agree on releasing the material.

PM: Who came up with the title ‘Have a Nice Death!' for the semi-compilation release?

Matt: I think that was me, actually.

Russ: It was one of our better selling shirt designs from back in the days of the original Bitter End. It seemed like a no brainer.

PM: How did the other members react when they learned that their songs will be officially released after 20 years?

Matt: I think it's great - it got me to take all of those analog reels out of my closet and get them digitally preserved before they disintegrate!

Russ: Everyone was psyched to hear a label was interested in releasing the material, and it appears the time was right. We were all pretty enthused.

PM: Six songs from 1991-92 are a continuation of your style started with the ‘Meet Your Maker' demo. The difference is that the band has clearly matured, the compositions are richer and, in most cases, more technical. Was that your direction back then?

Matt: Actually, in some ways I was trying to get less technical, in that I wanted to write parts that were easier and more logical to sing over rather than squishing a vocal line between a lot of very complicated guitar riffs. But after those simple sections, I agree that there was a lot of technique going on - especially on Russ's part!

Russ: I think we were pretty technically adept, and always willing to flex that attribute. Also, collaboration came pretty easily during this period. We were able to compose some material that I am proud of to this day.

PM: Matt's singing is different than on the debut, his voice still sounds like Dave Mustaine, but this time he sounds darker and... looser. There seems to be more lower register singing too. Was that a natural change of voice, or a fruit of Matt's efforts to improve?

Matt: I was just trying to be a better singer, and to write songs that flowed a little more naturally. My favorite metal singers were Rob Halford and Ian Gillan, but my natural voice is more in the range of guys like Phil Moog of UFO, Phil Lynott, and maybe David Coverdale. Since I was doing metal and playing guitar, though, it all still came out a little like Dave Mustaine. Hmm!

PM: Your songs from 1991-92 also sound kinda looser, more relaxed. Was that what maturing musically did for you?

Matt: I think so. It's a big cliché that you only appreciate musical simplicity as you get older, but I guess it's pretty true.

Russ: Maybe. As an ensemble, there is some real undeniable chemistry there. When we started rehearsals for the reunion show, it was clear it still exists. We all walked out of the rehearsal studio thinking and saying "we still got it!"

PM: No two ways about that, the best one is ‘Burning Bridges' - a lot of tempo changes, diverse guitar parts and great solos. Who is the author?

Matt: Russ wrote the music and I wrote the lyrics. I had a cold when we tracked this, so I sort of have a hard time listening to it - a lot of people really seem to like it, though, so I'll just shut up about that and say thanks!

Russ: Well, the musical score would be primarily mine with the lyrics and vocal melodies being Matt's. Honestly, I am a little surprised to hear this point of view expressed. Flattered, but I think the best one on the record is "Tiny Minds" (Matt's primarily).

PM: Who wrote that amazing riff (the first one) from ‘Tunnel Vision'?

Matt: I think pretty much all of the music was Russ, but I seem to recall that the way Chris played bass had a big influence on how this one turned out.

Russ: That would be me. And I am totally flattered you would call it "amazing". Thank you very much! I am humbled.

PM: Whose idea was the heavy/speed ‘Tiny Minds'? It stands out as different from the rest.

Matt: That one's mostly mine. I think this fused my metal roots with where I wound up as a songwriter well. And Russ's theme solos kill on this tune - it wouldn't be nearly as good without them.

Russ: See? I told you it was a stand out!!! :) Classic Matt Fox riffage there. In my opinion, this song is the purest "Bitter End" song of the bunch in that it is consistent with the sound that initially attracted fans.

PM: If I were to describe the first six songs from ‘Have a Nice Death!' in one sentence, it would be something along the lines of ‘a darker, dirtier and more technical version of the thrash-era Megadeth'. Are you compared to those guys often?

Matt: For better or worse, yup. And given our technical bent, I can't say it's unfair.

Russ: All the time! I am not a big Megadeth guy, but I can totally understand the comparisons, and it sure beats the hell out of being compared to Poison or Warrant... No offense to the guys in either band, but you know what I mean. What we were going for was on the heavier side, and no one can ever take it away from Megadeth that they are a very heavy band.

PM: What subjects did you touch upon in your lyrics? Who was the main lyricist?

Russ: We dealt with politics, current events, self-awareness, and such. Matt wrote most if not all of the lyrics since he was the guy singing them.

Matt: I was the main lyricist, though Chris contributed quite a bit to a lot of the tunes, particularly the earlier ones.

PM: How did the fans receive you during your first gig after 20 years in Seattle, July 14th 2012? You shared the stage with Skelator, what do you think about them?

Russ: The fans in attendance were unbelievable! It was totally electric! The exchange of energy between the band and the crowd was like we were all one. A truly memorable night! Skelator delivered the goods, to say the least! It is good to see them advancing the cause of oldschool metal! AND they are all super nice dudes.

Matt: Skelator are excellent, and are blessed with a really awesome metal vocalist who's got that whole King Diamond/Eric Adams/Halford high scream thing down. The show really was incredible - the crowd was totally engaged and we were in really good form.

PM: Aren't you tempted to record a new album? Is there a chance for that?

Russ: Well, given that we have recording resources at our fingertips, and the chemistry is all still good, it is tempting. With Chris living so far away, it would require a lot of online collaboration to get the material written, but if this technique works for King Diamond, I would be open to it as our schedules allow.

Matt: We're planning to get together more often, but as Chris lives halfway across the country and is a college professor with a wife and young son, his travel schedules are kind of tight. We haven't started writing anything yet, but it's likely we will at some point.

PM: What, in your opinion, is the biggest success of Bitter End?

Matt: In general - that we had a great time entertaining a whole lot of people in a whole lot of places. Specifically, I guess putting "Harsh Realities" out with Warner Brothers distributing it is a real professional highlight - I still love my Music For Nations vinyl copy!

Russ: Well, I would have to say that playing rooms like the Paramount Theater, Moore Theater, or the Mercer Arena here in town were highlights. Opening for some of the bigger acts, touring, meeting some childhood heroes, are all still huge to me.

PM: If you could turn back time, what would you change in the band's career? Do you regret any decisions?
Russ: Maybe we could have stuck it out with Metal Blade for one more release and rolled the dice, but I wouldn't change anything if I could. I owe much of what/who I am today to the experiences we shared as a band.

Matt: I'm with Russ - I guess we could have tried to put this stuff out on Metal Blade rather than looking for a better deal, but given the way the industry went at that time, I don't think it would have made much difference for us in terms of the bigger picture. I also got to do a lot of very interesting stuff in Dr. Unknown and other parts of my life that wouldn't have happened, so no regrets here...

PM: How often do you play as Bitter End now?

Matt: Not enough! I think it's looking like we're probably going to mostly be a summer project given Chris's schedule!

Russ: Well, so far just the one reunion gig, but there are rumblings. Again, the mileage between us, and our belief that ¾ Bitter End isn't Bitter End enough keep us from performing as much as we'd like to. But now that we know it's still there, we are all about doing it when we can.

PM: What do you think when you see other groups returning after their 20 years' hiatuses? Such as Sanctuary, or guitarist Larry Barragan and the reborn in the nearly classic line-up Helstar...

Matt: It's great - I think people are having a good time with realistic expectations about what it all means, so why not? Especially with all of the crap music that's out there these days (says a grumpy old man!).

Russ: SANCTUARY!!!! FUCK YEAH!!! I am a big fan of all of it... My only complaint is no Forced Entry reunion happening yet, and not likely any time soon, as Brad is in Sanctuary.

PM: Where do you think metal is going now? Do you think there will still be place for its traditional forms, or will the scene be taken over exclusively by the modern forms, so popular in the States?

Russ: I see the NWOBHM, Bay Area thrash, Crossover, and all the styles I grew up on having a resurgence, and I am thrilled. SO many of the modern metal bands have great chops as players, but many have the "cookie monster" singers, which I think undermines how heavy the riffing is. I like singing in my metal, I guess.

Matt: I'm so checked out on new stuff in terms of what is being released. I play out a lot in Seattle and I go to a ton of shows, so I see what's going on at that level. Seems to me that there are a lot of younger folks today who are getting into older school rock and metal, so I think that's a lot better than when they were listening to Limp Bizkit!

PM: What do you think, how long will metal remain relevant in the music industry? Since about 10 years the times for the genre are good. Don't you think there will come another new movement (akin to grunge 20 years ago) that will push metal back into the underground?

Matt: I think metal will always be there, and that the level of popularity it experiences comes and goes in terms of how it is selling in the mainstream market. It's kind of like country music in that way - there's always the fanbase, and every few years it becomes a larger fad before it cycles back to the hardcore fans.

Russ: Metal is a great serpent. Surfacing and submerging again and again. I do not think it will fade away or go out as a relevant style, although I could see it submerging again once the next big thing comes along, only to return even more dominant.

PM: How is the Seattle scene today, what metal bands are worth knowing?

Matt: Seattle's mostly not been a huge metal town, but there are a lot of great live bands of all kinds of genres. Of the metal bands, Skeletor are great, Midnight Idols awesome, Witchburn are very powerful and are doing really well, Russ' new band Demon Dogs is excellent, and I'll go ahead and plug Zero Down because I really do think we kick a lot of ass.

Russ: Quite a bit of Metal in Seattle these days. Skelator, Gravenloch, Toe Tag (Ex-Accused), Severhead, Blood and Thunder, and I hear METAL CHURCH is reuniting again! AMEN!

PM: What do you guys do for a living?

Russ: I work at Microsoft, teach guitar, and produce radio and television adverts when the work is available.

Matt: I'm the Director of Operations for a nonprofit that runs a homeless shelter and meal program. Chris is a professor of philosophy at a small college in Wichita, and Harry runs a property maintenance/cleaning/hauling business.

PM: Do you feel you still have something to prove on world's metal map?

Matt: I actually think that Russ and I are doing that now in our current bands, though Bitter End might just still have a trick or two up our sleeve, too.

Russ: I would like to get the cover of Guitar World just once. Perhaps the next Demon Dogs release will achieve this for me... If not, I'll continue to play metal because it is what I know.

PM: Many thanks for your time and for the interview. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for new Bitter End songs.

Matt: Thank you so much for giving this opportunity and for your thoughtful questions. It's great to know that folks remember Bitter End and still follow our work!

Russ: Thank you for your time, Tomek!