Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
We're an American heavy metal band from the desert of Phoenix Arizona formed in 2013. Our band name was vocalist Richie Jano’s Xbox Live gamer tag and was suggested as a joke. However, it caught the ears of the other members and we became what is now known as Murkocet. A substance directly attributed to the aggressive and often times violent actions of it's user; which in essence would be our music. Murkocet’s lineup consists of vocalist Richie Jano, guitarist Nate Garrett, drummer Mike Mays and bassist Brandon Raeburn. The band has released one EP, one full length album and one music video to date. We have played with such national acts as Exodus, Attila, The Word Alive and more.
How would you describe your style? Which bands influenced your music?
We would describe our sound as highly aggressive core style metal with a melodic groove. Our main objective has always been to write material that would not only be exciting musically, but have a strong emphasis on crowd involvement. A lot of focus is placed on heavy downbeats that arrive from anticipation building rhythms. We have been described as sort of a "gateway band" in the sense that our music compels even fans of other genres to appreciate and love metal as much as we do. We all have our own individual musical influences but collectively we are heavily influenced by Lamb of God, Slipknot, Hatebreed, etc.
Why should a metalhead buy your demos/albums?
Because we're building a wall of death and they need to pay for it.
What have you released so far and how were your releases received by the public/media?
On January 14th, 2017 we released our debut album “Digging Mercy’s Grave”. The record consists of eleven tracks, two of which have been aired on Phoenix’s 98KUPD “Into The Pit” and another that was chosen by indie horror film director, Bob Clark of Reel Bloody Films to be the title track of his movie, “Strip Club Massacre”. We are honestly overwhelmed with the amount of positive responses we've received since the release of "Digging Mercy's Grave". It's funny to us because although we are very proud of our album, the nostalgia from it being both ours and something that everyone enjoys so far is truly rewarding.
Do you play live as well? How's your live activity so far?
Well, it's funny that you ask that, because we do. This is the best question that I've ever been asked. Like, seriously out of all the questions I've ever been asked this could be the best one. I look forward to more totally vexing questions, and I hope that you think this is the best answer you've ever gotten to this question. Oh, and the activity...yeah there's some activity.
What should labels/zines/promoters know about your band? Why should they be interested in it?
Our band is fortunate enough to have an extremely strong work ethic due to the fact that each member is 100% dedicated to the band. We are a highly motivated and driven group of musicians and we are constantly seeking out new opportunities and challenging ourselves and each other to get better everyday. No half-assers in this band! I guess the only thing that labels should know is that whether or not we end up signing to one, this band will continue to go full force into the industry. We have a ton of ideas and plans for the future of Murkocet and we aren't stopping anytime soon.
What plans do you have for the near future as a band?
In the future, we are excited for the release of our first studio produced music video. Shortly after that video is released we will also be releasing a brand new single in May. Obviously scattered between these two events there are a handful of fun shows that we are currently booked for, so there's always that. 2017 looks to be a promising year for us, and we plan on taking full advantage of all of the opportunities that come our way.
Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
Our music is available on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, YouTube, etc. and we have merch for sale on our website www.murkocetband.com
February 2017