Crossover Thrash act from Lahore, Pakistan. Formed as an anti-thesis to the metal scene of Pakistan, in 2009.
Download their album - http://foreskin.bandcamp.com/album/anger-management
Official Facebook Page - http://www.facebook.com/foreskinband
Hassan replies some our questions tonight.
Vishal - Can i get the story of your band and biography? What is the meaning of Foreskin exactly means to the band?
Hassan - Basically me and Amar started the band in 2009 cuz we were sick of boring music in our scene. We wanted to play some fast shit and not some boring mainstream metal that everyone else was doing. We wanted to be the Anti-Thesis of the Metal scene in Pakistan. We wanted to start a proper fucking Thrash/Crossover band!
We thought of the name in the back of our Business Studies class, just off the top of our head. It suited cuz we wanted a "WTF" kind of name that would grab attention, hahah. We recorded 2 small demos with Amar on Guitar and me on Vocals only, and they were very raw and shitty as Amar was just getting the hang of guitar and I started vocals for the first time. We did a couple gigs, 2 went cool, the other 2 pretty bad but oh well. We recorded a 3rd demo called BITP (Brawling in the Pit) which was our first demo that got some kind of a positive reaction. Had 5 or 6 songs I think and included Omair Soomro on drums as well as bass.
The band went into a reconstruction phase then. We were tired of just doing short-fast-loud kind of 1 minute 2 minute songs, and wanted to build our sound further. We got Dionysus axeman Sheraz on Lead as well as Rhythms and he took most of the songwriting duties and we've been a better and more professional band ever since. The Anger Management demo released this year in 2012 had a great response, better than we ever expected especially from South Asian thrashers. We started doing longer songs and added more influences to our spectrum of sounds. We also played a gig and were apparently the best band of the show.
Nowadays, we have upgraded our equipment and are recording our first EP called THVG, and one song from us is gonna be featured on the upcoming GHALAZAT split featuring Jugaa, Sangharsha, Urga Karma, Terrifyer, Binaash and Kali Gula.
Vishal - What are the lyrical themes you guys use in your song?gore, horror, politics, anti religion etc..
Hassan - Up until the Anger Management demo the lyrics have just been shit that's on my mind. It's sometimes funny like Kill the Principal on the BITP demo, or serious like the song Anger Management. Nowadays I'm writing some fictional, story-telling kind of lyrics to accompany my usual ranting on the microphone. The song THVG Anthem from the new EP is an example. It's about a leader of a gang giving a speech to his people before they go and fight the other crew.
Vishal - How it feels to be in a Underground Scene? And do you appreciate your underground scene?
Hassan - How does it feel like to be in a public washroom where you can smell everyone's shit and piss? And worse than that, there's piss leaking on the floor, shit stuck on the walls, and worst of all - the flushes don't work! Hahaha. That's the underground scene of Pakistan. We have disassociated ourselves from the so-called underground scene of Pakistan from the very beginning. We have our own toilet where we shit in! Hahah.
But the scene in countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka looks very good in comparison. I guess it varies from country to country.
Vishal - Which are the bands that have influenced your band most?
Hassan - Right now our influences would be Sacred Reich, Sepultura, Municipal Waste, Celtic Frost, Testament, Evildead, Coroner. Our influences now are more thrash than crossover/hardcore, but we retain the elements. We've gone through a lot of evolution musically in the last year and a half and we don't sound like most thrash bands today, I can garantee you that, and our upcoming EP will back up that statement!
Vishal - What are the future plans of Foreskin? any tours, releases etc.
Hassan - Yup as I stated before we are working on an EP, and we are always looking to play gigs. We'd also love to play in regional countries such as Nepal, Sri Lanka and India, if time and VISA regulations allow us to.
Vishal - What is your opinion on sites posting Underground Materials?
Hassan - If it weren't for such sites, I wouldn't be into a lot of the music I listen to now! But it's important to support the band by buying their actual stuff, provided you have the financial means. Here in Pakistan we don't have PayPal and other stuff that makes it easy to purchase bands CD's so we're kind of fucked. Hahah.
Vishal - How do you guys feel about the classifications in metal? like deathcore, metalcore and other subgenres..
Hassan - Classifications are there for a reason! As long as the classifications are correct I have no problem with it. Because otherwise, Crowbar and Severe Torture are both just "metal" even if their sound is completely different. Also, it is completely normal to classify. If food can be classified into different types, why not music? Hahhah.
Vishal - In general term extreme metal isn't appreciated by Society what do you have to say on this?
Hassan - In general terms, society sucks!! Society can fuck off, extreme metal and for that matter extreme punk (grindcore, crust, anarco, hardcore) does not need to be appreciated by society at all! These genres are ANTI-SOCIAL by nature, and everyone knows what happens when music is compromised to appeal to the average schmuck.
Vishal - Ok, what do you want to tell those peoples who rips off the band hard work and illegally downloads their music?
Hassan - No comment! If I state my opinion, it will turn into a long debate.
Vishal - Beside Foreskin you have any other projects too?
Hassan - Yes. Choots does Crust Punk/Grindore/Noise and I have a hip hop project called Mad Loots. Sheraz has Dionysus (Death/Doom), Marwolaeth (Death Metal), and a couple other projects such as Ilhaam (Black Metal). Me and Sheraz used to have a death/grind project called Multinational Corporations that's split up now. Who knows, maybe we'll get together again in 2013 but right now we have other priorities.
Vishal - Is it hard surviving in underground Scene?
Hassan - Doesn't matter if it's hard or easy! We're not here to reach the top or be played on the radio. We're here to have fun.
Vishal - Metal has to be underground or metal has to go mainstream, what's your opinion?
Hassan - Seeing how underground scene is pretty shit and corrupted with mainstream ideals (over here in Pakistan at least), metal and all music should just sound good first and foremost. The rest will be dealt with later.
Vishal - What is your opinion on the current state of underground metal? esp. South Asia
Hassan - From my eyes, it's doing good in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Pakistan is lagging behind way too much.
Vishal - Which is the album you want to take to your grave?
Hassan - Well, Agnostic Front's Victim in Pain. That album developed my personality a lot.
Vishal - Can you recommend us some good bands from your country?
Hassan - Yes! Dionysus (Death/Doom), Marwolaeth (Death), Myosis (Doom/Sludge), Necktarium (Black/Shoegaze), Lohikarma (Black/Ambeint), Bvlghvm (Powerviolence), Dusk (Death/Doom/Prog), Revolt (Tech Death) off the top of my head!
Vishal - Support Underground Metal, how much you agree on this quote?
Hassan - If the band is good, then support should come naturally. If they suck, and don't have any hope of improving, then chuck them in the trash can.
Vishal - Where do our readers can buy and listen your music and any other merchandise?
Vishal - How was the feeling of first Live show as a Foreskin? and how did the crowd reacted to your first show?
Hassan - The crowd was great. Real fun. I remember moshing along with the crowd during a crossover cover of Black Sabbath's Symptom of the Universe. And they shouted along with our own song Attack Of The Radioactive Posers. It was real fun!
Vishal - Ok, tell us more about the upcoming split with Binaash, Juga, Terrifyer and more?
Hassan - It's gonna kill!! Jugaa, Sangharsha, Binaash, Terrifyer, Ugra Karma, Kali Gula are some of the sickest bands from Nepal and it's an absolute honor for Foreskin to be alongside them. It's coming out in late December hopefully!
Vishal - Is there anything you hate most? like anything..
Hassan - If I started to list it would take me an eternity.
Vishal - Your dream metal fest line up?
Hassan - Hard question!! I guess it would look something like this - Exodus, Agnosti Front, Eyehategod, Entombed, Crowbar, Saint Vitus, Testament, Vio-Lence, Evildead, Celtic Frost, Sacred Reich, Integrity, Capitalist Casualties, Terror, Assuck, Ringworm, Napalm Death, Asphyx, DRI, Anthrax, Suicidal Tendencies, Autopsy, Cro-Mags, Grave, Dismember, Rotten Sound, Iron Maiden and Nasum! Some of these bands are ended now, which means I'll never see this lineup in my life! Hahaha.
Vishal - How do you look at this when Vocalist says "LOIFE" instead of "LIFE", is it a trend or..?
Hassan - I guess it depends on the person. I change pronounciation of words when I'm doing my vocals too, it's all about what makes the vocal melody stronger.
Vishal - Quick top 5 albums we must have in our collection.
Hassan - Agnostic Front - Victim in Pain. Hardore Punk classic. One of the best. Fast as fuck.
Cro-Mags - Age of Quarrel. Makes you wanna beat the fuck out of people. Great lyrics, great music, great vocals
Vio-Lence - Eternal Nightmare. Best riffset ever. Need I say more?
Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden. It's the first fucking album of one of the greatest bands of all time.
Napalm Death - From Enslavement to Obliteration. Definitive grindcore album
Vishal - Lastly, a space for you anything EUMSN have forgotten to ask you can tell us here?
Hassan - Watch out for our upcoming song from the new EP! Keep updated with us at https://www.facebook.com/foreskinband and http://foreskin.bandcamp.com/ CHEERS AND BEERS FROM PAKISTAN!! KEEP IT FUKING REAL! EUMSN rules!
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