Just after Your Demise’s performance at The Powerfest in Amsterdam, guitarist Ozzy Porkchop and bass player Jimmy Sampson speak with Legends Arising about breakthrough record “Ignorance Never Dies” and their upcoming album.

So guys, you broke into the scene with the very much praised “Ignorance Never Dies”, but can you tell me something about how you guys started out?

Jimmy: Well both me and Ozzy joined the band later. I joined in 2007 aaand..

Ozzy: and me in 2006, but the band before was just a group of mates and it all started as a joke really. It progressed from there: they got more serious, started touring.. We played shows anywhere, everywhere, did tours all around the country and it progressed when we got more of a serious band.

What inspires and influences you to the lyrics that you write and the music that you make?

Jimmy: Musically, everyone listens to bands like Jimmy Eat world and just hardcore, but we try not to limit it to one style. Lyric wise, you should ask Ed, haha. It’s probably everyday standard: stuff being on tour a lot, etc.

Can you tell me something about the individuel music taste in the band? How did you guys get to the idea to mix dubstep with hardcore?

Jimmy: Well dubstep was our old singer’s idea. None of us actually like dubstep. We have it now, because it gives us a chance in the set to cheer up and have short break, but no one actually likes dubstep. But individually we all kinda listen to the same stuff like..

Ozzy: ..pop music..

Jimmy: ..yeah! Like in the van, we listen to stuff like Lady Gaga, Ke$ha, french electro. Ofcourse everyone likes hardcore, but we all got an eclectic taste.

About the new album..

What’s the biggest difference between “Ignorance Never Dies” and the upcoming record?

Jimmy: The new album is a more a punk rock record.

Ozzy: More melodic..

Jimmy: Yeah way more melodic, faster, way less metal.. It’s pretty much what everyone always wanted to write, but our old singer limited us with what we could write. But now he’s gone we can do whatever the f**k we want.

Ozzy: It’s a fantastic process, writing.. It was really good fun being a month in California. It really helped us to lay back and write what we want to write and now we’re really proud of the album.

Do you already have a favorite song on the new record?

Jimmy: I got a couple..

Ozzy: Yeah the thing is, we played one of my favorite songs today

– What’s it called again? –

Jimmy: Well they don’t have titles yet. We just give them a name during the writing process. Most of the time we name them after band, because it sounds like that band. That’s why the song we called today is called “Miles Away”, because it’s sounds a bit like the Australian band Miles Away. We also have a song called Weezer, Terror.. Just stuff it sounds like.

Your debut album got raving reviews. You’ve been called “The Shape of Punk to Come”, etc. Do you expect the reviews for the next album to be this good again?

Jimmy: I hope it’s gonna be better! I didn’t really like the last cd..

Ozzy: ..Yeah, there are only two or three songs I like.

Jimmy: For me, there are only three songs I like, and the rest was failure. But we spend a lot of time writing this record and putting different ideas in it.

Besides the release of the new album and the Never Say Die tour, what are your plans for the future?

Jimmy: That’s pretty much it for this year [laugs]. We have been touring almost non stop from January till three weeks ago. We’re touring this summer for two and a half months in America, and then we come back for a month and tour Europe for one month and that’s it for this year. But hopefully next year’s gonna be Australia, Japan, places we never been before.

And my final question: are there any EU bands you can recommend to our readers?

Jimmy: True colors, Justice, Rise and Fall, Breaking Point..

Ozzy: ..and Lower Than Atlantis

Oke thanks for the interview guys! We’re looking forward to hear the new album and see you at the Never Say Die Tour!

More information:

http://www.myspace.com/yourdemise
http://www.myspace.com/neversaydiefestivals