Hollowed Out: So how did the idea for FISSURE come about?
Dylan: Basically, Brendan (Duff, Bass) and I had been wanting to get something started for a while, even while I was living in the Coachella Valley and he was living in L.A. but that hadn't fully come to fruition until we had both moved in together in Orange County in early 2012. Immediately, we began jamming material all while trying to find a singer and guitarist to bring into the mix.
HO: Was it difficult getting started?
Dylan: Not really, to be honest with you. We got in contact with Blake and Henry by way of a Craigslist ad. We got together with them on the afternoon of Sunday, March 11th, 2012 and from there on out, we started putting together a 12 song set that really put us into motion in the beginning.
HO: When Blake (Andreas, Ex-Guitar) and Henry (Mondaca, Ex-Vocals) left the band was it difficult to find replacements?
Dylan: I don't think it was. We had known Oscar and Leo for a while just from seeing each other at shows, playing alongside their bands (Venganza and Plagues, respectively) and just toying with the idea of having them come over, jam a bit and seeing what happens with it. I think it proved to be the absolute best decision.
HO: What do you attribute the fast growing popularity of the band to?
Dylan: I think the popularity is just a measure of how much we don't try to stick to one genre. We're able to incorporate several different styles of music seamlessly and I think that's why fans of most aggressive musical genres can get behind it. I'd at least hope people can get into the changes other than, "What in the fuck are these fools thinking?" hahaha
HO: Where does the inspiration for your unique style come from?
Dylan: All over the place. We all come from backgrounds of hardcore and punk but individually, we all listen to so much different music. It stems from that and the desire to just want to push the envelope that much further with whatever we come up with. I can't pinpoint just one collective influence between the four of us other than we aren't afraid to try something new.
HO: How would you describe the difference between Grindcore and Powerviolence?
Dylan: Grindcore, to me, is much more abrasive, noisy, spastic, overall intense etc. Powerviolence, on the other hand, takes much more of an old school hardcore approach. Breakdowns, the punk beat played at an extreme pace, vocal style but the one thing they have in common is the extremely short song lengths!
HO: You have a 7" EP out on Melotov Records and Split 7" with Leeds band Gets Worse coming out soon. How did the split with Gets Worse come about?
Dylan: Brendan got in contact with them a few months back via way of email and just point blank asked if they'd be into putting a split out together. Almost immediately, they responded to him with a "Yes!" so after the confirmation, we wrote the 5 songs on that split, recorded them, sent them to the dudes in Gets Worse and it was all set to go. The European pressing of the record will be out at the end of September on Dead Heroes label and the U.S. version should be out before the end of the year via way of Murdernoise! Snag both copies and add some serious color to your record collection!
HO: I've really noticed that your guys' sound has definitely evolved and progressed since you first began. Do you guys just play however you want, or do you think about how the crowd will react in a live setting?
Dylan: For the most part, we play whatever we want and what we think sounds good. There have been times though when we come up with parts that are like, "Oh, it's cool but maybe not fitting for our particular sound." There's been times where we think "Oh man, this part is gonna get the crowd to be like 'FUUUUUCCCKKK'" and those are what we look for in each song.
HO: That's about all the questions I have for you now! Is there anything you'd like to let everyone know?
Dylan: We are going to be extremely busy in the next year with some cool stuff in the works so just stay tuned and thank you for every bit of support! It means the world to us. And thank you taking the time to interview us. Hope we weren't too boring
