Sydney thrash metal band Sarcophaguts are back from a 3 year hiatus. Previously know as Septic they have re-emerged with a new name band name and lineup change. We had the chance to sit down with the whole band and chat to them about all things metal.

Scenezine –
Firstly what has Sarcophaguts been up to so far in 2015?

Sarcophaguts –
Pretty much just recording a new Ep. Hopefully it should be out in the next month or two. We have also just put up or old EP on iTunes. The band lineup has changed we had a few issues but now everything is solid. Our focus also is on trying to get as many gigs as possible.

Scenezine–
Your Ep Spineripper had a really cool response from Metal and Thrash fans. How will your new stuff differ from that EP?

Sarcophaguts–
The new stuff is heavier. After being on break for 3 years our tastes have changed a bit. Having new members helps us to go in a heavier direction. We have been sounding more grind where as before we were more thrash. Thrash metal has a scope and it feels like we exhausted the scope. We even have elements of black metal and death metal in the new stuff. This now feels like the band we’ve always wanted to be in. It’s aggressive, thrashy and chaotic.

Scenezine–
Previously the band was known as Septic. Can you tell the story of why the name change to Sarcophatguts and how you came up with the name?

Sarcophaguts–
The old name was causing us some issues. Septic as a band name on internet searches didn’t help our band name to stand out. We also thought it was best with the new lineup to start fresh. Also the sound has changed. The new name represents our style and gives us better branding. It’s also reminiscent of old school metal and horror movies which can be found in the lyrical themes of our songs.

Scenezine–
How does the new lineup change the song writing process?

Sarcophaguts–
Definitely in a positive way. It’s a lot easier to write with the new guys. The riffs and how we want things to sound is picked up by the new guys straight away. Nick was actually a fan of the band before joining.

Scenezine–
Guitarist Kyle spent time living in Japan during the hiatus for a few years. Did living in Japan help to influence these new songs?

Sarcophaguts–
Not the actual song writing but more of the business side. In Australia the metal scene seems to be a lot of competition and rivalry. Whereas in Japan bands help each other more it’s more of a community. So now our attitude is that we wanna network a lot with other bands. There are so many great Australian metal bands. The Australian hardcore scene currently has a great sense of community so we wanna try and emulate that here with metal. In Japan bands cover each others merch tables, trust each other, do spilt cds/vinyl together and appear in each others videos. We hope to build the sense of community they have.
Years ago we did a live bootleg EP that was very DIY and we had a great response. Our band has a punk attitude in many ways.

Scenezine–
Are there any Japanese bands you can recommend?

Sarcophaguts–
The best would probably be FastKill. They are a huge influence. Also S.O.B helped to influence the riffs.

Scenezine –
Metal and thrash seems to be a lot more appreciated outside of Australia. Especially in Europe, UK, USA and even South America. Would it make sense to target market towards those countries instead of Australia?

Sarcophaguts–
Absolutely. Interestingly enough our first video gained the most attention from Russia. Also our bootleg ended up on a Russian torrents site. We didn’t mind that someone was illegally downloading our music. We were actually just stoked that someone from Russia had gone to the trouble of creating a torrent. Australian metal bands are even travelling to places like Indonesia packing out venues. We definitely plan on taping into the international market.

Scenezine–
What bands help influence you?

Sarcophaguts–
Municipal Waste, Black Dahlia Murder and old school metal like Sepultura and Morbid Angel.

Scenezine–
Are there more music videos planned?

Sarcophaguts–
Definitely. We have a lot planned already. A lot of metal bands seem to take themselves too seriously but that’s not what we are about. Clips from bands like Black Dahlia Murder and King Parrott is the style we want to go for.

Scenezine–
The next EP will be totally released by yourselves. Did you talk about shopping it to record labels first?

Sarcophaguts–
With technology these days we don’t really need to go to a label at this stage. Possibly in the future we might look at it but for now we aren’t thinking about it. When we were younger with stars in our eyes we wanted that whole record label living the dream situation. These days we have maturated and realised we can do it independent and keep it fun.

Scenezine–
You have your first Sydney gig back coming up. Looking beyond that will fans be able to catch you interstate?

Sarcophaguts–
This is go from the Sydney show for sure. We are going to hit the ground running. We want to try and get to Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane. We want to try and get our name out there as fast as we can.

Scenezine–
If you could team up with a American band to do a dream 7 inch who would it be?

Sarcophaguts–
We are a little divided but our choices would be Nails, they have a similar vibe. Municipal Waste would also be a great fit for us.

Scenezine–
And an Aussie band?

Sarcophaguts–
There are so many awesome Australian bands. We would probably choose someone like Psycroptic. But also Dead Kelly is a great pure Australian band, so funny and great musicians.

Scenezine–
European band?

Sarcophaguts–
Aborted or Haunted would be great to work with.

Scenezine–
Since Soundwave has become the heavy music festival juggernaut in Australia. Do you consider your sound to niche to play something like Soundwave?

Sarcophaguts–
Not at all. If King Parrott can play shows like Soundwave then we definitely can. It seems like the kids are getting into way heavier music these days. Bands like Thy Art Is Murder are also really brutal. It seems like these days our sound is not as niche anymore. Our music has been described as a fusion of different sounds. It’s heavy yet contains many elements of sub genres.

Scenezine–
Would you say that your a band that doesn’t buy into gimmicks?

Sarcophaguts–
Yeah we know it sounds cliché but we like to let the music speak for itself. Things like choreographed stage moves and band fashion is just not our thing. We pride ourselves on being the best musicians we can be and just having fun. On our second gig our mate bought us a Big Mac right before we played so we asked a kid in the audience if he’d eat it before it got too cold. So we stoped mid set and start playing hoe down music while this kid chomps away. After the show everyone asked us if that was rehearsed which we found pretty funny.

Scenezine–
Lastly your first gig as Sarcophaguts is on April 4th at Captain Cook Hotel Sydney. What can fans expect from the gig?

Sarcophaguts–
Brutality and speed to the ultimate max (laughs). We are just gunna bring it. We wanna have fun and play fast. Hopefully see some heads banging. Come out to the gig and buy us a gin and tonic (with a straw).

For more about the band head over to –
http://www.sarcophaguts.com/

Watch Sarcophaguts- Necrosis video