I thought it would be a great idea to get a label into the interview process since bands are usually the fart of the day.  So who better to talk to than Billy Nocera the co-founder/co-genius behind Razorback Records?  So strap on yer daisy scented adult diapers, put on a glass helmet, and read his take on everything from guitar solos, to slamming Brutal Death Metal, Job For A Cowboy, and what’s coming up for Razorback Records!!!!   

I like about 60 to 70 percent of the Brutal Death Metal out these days like Internal Suffering.  I also mostly enjoy the simple Grindcore/Goregrind stuff that is out like the 3-Way Split-featuring Cunt Grinder, Satan’s Revenge On Mankind, and Hymen Holocaust or Agathocles.  I enjoy virtually everything from off Razorback Records, and I have a guilty pleasure for spinning old CD’s by The Cure, Tom Petty, and early U2.  From the obvious perspective of a label owner, what separates art from entertainment?
Billy: That's a tough question, haha! Before I try to answer it, let me say that I think it's cool you're so open minded about music. There was a time where I was as well but as I've gotten older I find myself listening to less and less music. Sad, I know...but working in the "business" of music has really taken a lot of the "fun" out of music for me personally over the years. Getting to know how bands TRULY are really spoils everything. So with that out of the way, I guess I'd have to say that I've always been more into pure entertainment than "art". I've always loved metal music for the fun of it, and also for the fact that there's a ridiculous/comic-book/horror-movie factor involved. Music is just pure fun for me, and obviously that is a reflection of the music I've released over the years on Razorback. Some people either love what I'm doing, or they HATE it. And that's fine; I never expected the more "serious" metal fans would care about this stuff. If you want to approach music/metal as "art", then that's fine as well. I just enjoy this because it's fun and life is too short to take every thing seriously.

Actually, I agree with you that Metal music is fun and entertaining, although Old School bands are closer to being artists than those in the current scene.  If I want pure art I’ll listen to Wes Montgomery or Beethoven.  Still, whether it’s art, entertainment, or standardized tests at schools, mediocrity will almost surely prevail… How much of the average music in the Metal scene is a result of Pro-Tools, ambition, and the power of the Internet, and how much of it is just a bunch of idiots trying to do a band cause it’s youthful zeal, the idea that a band =’s pussy, and general ego gratification?
Billy: Sadly today's "scene" is worse than ever. With myspace and bands like "Job For a Cowboy" being popular, it's one sorry assed state of affairs! I think the amount of bands out there wanting to get "pussy" and ego gratification is at an all-time high. We're living in the "American Idol"/reality TV/youtube era and it's just only going to get worse I think. I do all I can to just shut all of this crap out of my life. I watch movies, I read, I keep to myself pretty much. With Razorback I always try to work with bands that do this for the fun of it and nothing more.

What the fuck, you hate Job For A Cowboy?  Bro I am one of their 163,151 My Space pals and I don’t appreciate you not liking them just cause they are popular… All right, yeah, they really do suck massive donkey balls, but that leads me to a silly hypothetical question: Let’s say you have a fetish for midget amputees with one leg.  You finally meet one and are back at her house with a roll of condoms, a bottle of whiskey, and a smirk.  She’s eager for the pounding, but she wants to hear her favorite band, Job For A Cowboy.  Do you bone up and slam her for being both stupid and an amputee, or is it back to Internet midget porn?
Billy: Internet midget porn. Job For a Cowboy is just so bad haha! I can't understand how these bands get so popular so fast? I never even heard of this band until about a few weeks ago. I'm so out of the loop with what's going on in "popular music" today. Is Napalm Death still around?

It is a real shame/sham that Job For A Cowboy has grown popular for being nothing more than rubbish… Hearing them makes me think of a song called “Chickenshit Conformist” by the Dead Kennedys.  Let’s get back to music; Razorback Records puts out music with a high replay value due to creativity, dynamism, and the artwork is exceptional.  By contrast the scene has gotten flooded by overproduced music that has a slightly generic vibe (Evil Darkness), what is your perspective on drum triggers, massive technicality, uber brutal vocals, gore lyrics, band names written in blood, and album covers featuring a raped girl strangled by her own intestines?
Billy: First off, thanks for the nice words about the label! I really appreciate that. I've tried really hard and agonized over the quality of the releases. I've always wanted to put out albums that people would still listen to years from now instead of just dumping them on a pile of other crap and never heard again. I hope I've been successful. (though I'm sure there's TONS of people who consider our releases pure crap haha! oh well!). Anyway, drum triggers sound really shitty and I hate that clicky-clicky sounding kinda stuff. Most bands don't know how to play real blast beats, the kind perfected on old classic NAPALM DEATH albums, ASSUCK albums, and TERRORIZER's "World Downfall".  I fucking hate those shitty hyper-blasts that sound totally weak and sloppy. Being totally technical simply means being totally BORING, in my opinion! But whatever, if bands want to play like that they can, there's definitely a fan base for it. I just like real traditional metal sounding stuff, that's all. I hate frog croaking vocals and think they're not "brutal" but embarrassing. I hate bands that sing about "gore" but don't even like horror films! Bands that are trying to be "brutal" for the sake of it or trying to be the most offensive are all boring to me. It's already been done and just makes the scene even more overcrowded with boring crap that nobody will care about years from now. I still think one of the most "brutal" albums with shock lyrics/art is CANNIBAL CORPSE's "Butchered At Birth" and that album has still never been topped in a lot of ways. It seems like for the past 2 decades everybody has tried to copy that album, basically. And they've all failed.

I have gotten to the point where I almost feel it’s a shame that bands put out entire albums that are devoid of the guitar solo.  Do you think its cause they can’t create an above average solo, or are they so intent on the one dimensionality of being “Extremely” brutal, grimly Black Metal, disgustingly Goregrind, or spastically Grindcore that they don’t realize an occasional solo can be a vicious component of a composition?  By extension do you think slamming Death Metal has entertainment value or is it another genre of simple music disguising unoriginality? 
Billy: It's because everybody is so obsessed with being "ULTRA FUCKING SICK AND BRUTAL" that they forgot the most important thing, making metal that is actually good and fun to listen to. I guess I'm in the wrong era since I grew up loving Metallica's "Kill 'em All" album and Slayer "Reign in Blood" and still love Iron Maiden and bands that played real metal music. Guitar solos are awesome, especially if they're played well. Some bands can overuse them, but generally I think it's great when a band uses them. And slamming death metal has entertainment value...because it's great to LAUGH at it! To me all that stuff just sounds like PANTERA or BIOHAZARD but with death metal growling. Fuck that shit. Quit rapping and play real death metal already.

A reasonable debate could be made that an over saturation of mediocre bands is good for the market.  One reason is that the proverbial/theoretical cream of the Metal crop will rise to the top making it possible for smart label owners to maintain success, although major labels will probably always be able to propagate trends due to fat wallets, which is why Metalcore, Nu-Metal, and generally anything in M-TV is popular.  What is your take on this theory?
Billy: That makes some sense I think. I never really think about any of this stuff though as Razorback is really "under the radar", if you know what I mean. I don't even really know what's "popular" anymore, though from what I've seen it's pretty awful! I just do my own thing with Razorback, stay home and watch movies, listen to older classic stuff, and pretty much just avoid whatever is going on with the "bigger" scene. I think it's just all nonsense and bullshit and I sometimes wish I had a time machine to go back when Metalcore and Nu-metal never existed!

Do you see a future in music where downloads and printable CD booklets are tied together for a fee with most of the profit for labels coming from merchandising, tickets sales, and a cut of the revenue from concessions and parking at concerts?
Billy: Damn I hope not! But I have a feeling it might be moving towards that. But I think that might apply only to bigger labels, the underground will still be here I think.

Is there ever going to be a Razorback Records festival of some kind?
Billy: There was supposed to be one in 2006 but some of our bands totally fucked it up and didn't want to play it, which is a huge reason why I'm not working with certain bands anymore. Would I try to do one again? Probably, I've already been thinking about it. It would most likely have lots of bands that I'm a fan of that aren't exactly "on" Razorback to help mix it up.