Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
The band started in 2009 when some of our bands at the time were splitting up and/or kicking us out - hence the name Survival. But until 2011, there was a revolving door of band members circling me being messed up on drugs. The first demo from 2009 was recorded when our drummer was a fugitive (and before our bassist overdosed and passed). Since 2011, the band has been drug free and the same lineup has been consistent- myself, Nick Noro on vox/guitar, Roland Sayn on guitar, George Lallian on bass and Mike Tappero on drums.
How would you describe your style? Which bands influenced your music?
The aim is always metal/punk/hardcore, but a lot of other influences come out unintentionally
Why should a metalhead buy your demos/albums?
Metalheads should buy our stuff if they like the songs and dig the message. The riffs are crazy and the music is from the heart.
What have you released so far and how were your releases recieved by the public/media?
We have released three professional records, "Love God" (2012), "Unity" (2013) and "Shayda" (2015) independently. I self-released a rare digipack of demos titled "Survival" in 2010. In 2011 I went crazy and produced about 200 home recordings under the Survival moniker, most of which are available on youtube. An English label, Merdumgiriz, recently released "Happiness" (2015), a compilation of some of these demos.
Do you play live as well? How's your live activity so far?
We have toured CA before and are playing some small West coast dates (Portland, Olympia, SoCal) in June/July 2015. Some live shows are crazy - warehouse shows and living room sets have been our funnest and most violent.
What should labels/zines/promoters know about your band? Why should they be interested in it?
Throughout the transitions (ups and downs) I've always released music under this moniker - for over 5 years. We've garnered a loyal following where we're from, have pandora exposure, records etc. but more importantly this is where the fire burns for me and it isn't going out anytime soon.
What plans do you have for the near future as a band?
Right now I'm doing summer press for "Shayda" (2015) and doing some more old demo releases through Merdumgiriz. We are playing in June and July on the West Coast. I've got a lot of new Survival that I'm going to record this Summer and Fall.
Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
Listen / Download: http://survival1.bandcamp.com, http://pandora.com/survival-metal
Like: http://facebook.com/survivalbayarea
Subscribe: http://youtube.com/user/survivalbayarea
Buy: http://merdumgiriz.org
May 2015