Jim Lippucci (Vocals): The lineup really wasn’t stable. Eventually Chris (Soulless drummer) and I were the only original members left, so we decided to start fresh. We never were all that crazy about the name Bloodsick, so we decided to change the name as well.

METAL SIDE: Is there such possibility that Bloodsick will be reformed?

JL: It’s pretty unlikely. Blood, one of the founding members is on the other side of the US being a drunk and we really aren’t that excited about the prospect of ever seeing him again.

Wayne Richards (guitar): I highly doubt a Bloodsick reformation could ever happen due to all of the guitar players now being out of the music scene completely.

METAL SIDE: Could you introduce other Soulless members?

WR: Jim Corrick raging on the other guitar, Dave Johnson wrecking the bass, and Chris Dora destroying the drums.

METAL SIDE: Why did you decide to call your band 'Soulless'? Few people
could think that you were inspired by the title of Grave's third album.

WR: All of us being huge Grave fans, that record’s title was seemingly stolen by us to create our own identity as some what of an American “Grave Jr.”

METAL SIDE: You play traditional death/thrash. Many reviewers and fans
say that the roots of your music are in the 80thies. Are you really
influenced so much by classical death and thrash metal bands from those
times?

JL:: I think that is the best music ever created. My life was changed by my metal forefathers.

WR: We are definitely inspired by early 80s thrash, but also have many influences from early 90s Death Metal. Bands like Kreator, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Sodom, Destruction, Voivod, Entombed, Bolt Thrower, Dismember, At the Gates, etc…

METAL SIDE: Do you play in such style because, simply, you like it very
much, or are there other reasons, for example the will to play music
which is not a trend now as fast, technical death metal in the vein of
Hate Eternal or Vile (which is good by the way)?

JL: We really just play the music we love to hear. It doesn’t’ seem that popular these days but fuck it. Metal is about being true.

WR: It’s just something we have done since our inception as a band. We have been labeled as a thrash band since we began playing together in 1996. As far as trends are concerned, Soulless takes no part in any trend except the trend of unleashing raging, unrelenting, pissed off metal. Personally, it is my one true joy in life to be a part of this band, and I will continue to thrash as long as I possibly can.

METAL SIDE: There are more bands in Ohio who worship the tradition,
Like Spawn Of Satan, All That Is Evil, Black Trinity, Nun Slaughter (they are the tradition), Dead Of Night. It is rather unusual phenomenon that almost each important band for the scene is so strongly bounded with old school death/thrash. How would you explain this fact?

JL: Again, it comes down to bands doing what they love. Our friends in these bands share our love of old metal and believe that it’s influence can be just as powerful today as it was years ago. Plus a lot of us are just old farts

WR: With the exception of Black Trinity, I have been/or am a member of each of these bands. There is a small circle of true metal freaks and excellent musicians that reside in the Cleveland area. We are all good friends, and when the opportunity presents itself, we take advantage and do what we can to make some great metal.

METAL SIDE: What is your opinion about Ohio's underground? Are you
Happy that you are part of it?

WR: I think the metal scene has weakened greatly in Cleveland. The Death Metal boom has passed, as have many metal bands. Few bands are left from the early 90s and it seems Cleveland has moved on to the next trend. I don’t know if I am happy to be a part of the underground at this point. We have been in it for over 5 years now, and trying to claw our way out of it. But I do think the metal we are churning out will be heard by more than just Cleveland metalheads in time. With the release of Agony’s Lament we will spread the word that thrash is alive and well in Cleveland.

JL: Our scene here in Cleveland seems to be filled with many talented musicians, but not many true underground fans. We’re trying to remind these kids that there is more out there than what the bigger labels want to release. I do love the scene though. Bury me in the underground.

METAL SIDE: Recommend us please few good, talented bands from your
state?

JL: Some good bands come to mind, besides the ones you named earlier: Somnus, Boulder, Destructor, Estuary of Calamity, Descend…

WR: You have mentioned all of them.

METAL SIDE: Soulless is undoubtedly one of the best Ohio's acts, but
your debut CD "Darkening The Days" wasn't very successful in the
underground. Of course, its musical level was high, but not too many
metal maniacs had the opportunity to listen to it. At least in my
opinion, the promotion of this album failed. Would you agree with it?

WR: Maybe it wasn’t a success in the Polish underground, but “The Darkening of Days” was a self financed demo limited to 1000 copies. It was well promoted throughout the United States and the world, and received excellent reviews. To say that the promotion of this demo failed is ridiculous. One of the best underground magazines in world (Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles) named it the #1 demo of 1999.

JL: We did everything ourselves on that album. We would have liked to have promoted it better in Europe, but it gets very expensive. In all we did mail out over 300 promos around the world. It’s very difficult to be familiar with all of the good zines on the planet, and many promos we sent out never even got a response. That CD was just a stepping stone, to quickly introduce us to the metal scene. I think it served its purpose.

METAL SIDE: You have just released second album. Tell our readers
Please what kind of music they should expect? Are the differences between the new stuff and the old tracks serious?

JL: It’s an unrelenting thrash assault. The lineup has solidified and we have grown in all areas. The first CD was very rough, written and arranged by a band that was just starting to come together. The new disk is exactly what we were aiming for

WR: You can expect one of the best thrash metal records you have heard in a long time. There is a major improvement in the songwriting and overall production if you’re comparing the two releases. If you liked the demo, you will love this record. If you love metal, you will love “Agony’s Lament.” This is a nonstop thrash assault that will make you bang your head and pump your fists and leave you wanting more.

METAL SIDE: The new album was released by a label from Japan. Why did
you choose them to release it? Didn't you get good proposals from US
labels?

WR: Worldchaos Production is a classy organization and we are delighted to be a part of the family of metal that they have conceived. NO U.S. label could match the offer we received from this Japanese Metal Powerhouse. We did receive a couple of offers, but none as attractive as the Worldchaos offer. They are truly a METAL label!

JL: I don’t think any of the US labels were very serious about us. I don’t blame them for questioning whether or not a release by this band would earn back its investment. We were somewhat surprised when WorldChaos showed the interest that they did. We were familiar with the label through trades and had seen the amount of promotion and the quality they put into their releases. When they said they were interested, we jumped at the offer.

METAL SIDE: Tell us whether your new album is available in Europe and
North America. Frankly, I haven't heard anything about it so far. How
Do you want to promote this release? Are you sure that the label from
Japan will be able to guarantee you a good promotion on US and European
market?

JL: WorldChaos is very aggressive with their promotion. I think that most people that are into metal are familiar with the label, If not people like you are out there spreading the word. As far as the US goes, Both King’s Evil, and Grimforce have been licensed in the US from WorldChaos. We’re optimistic for something similar.

WR: It was just released, but promotion of the album has already begun and licensing deals are pending. Chances are if you have any Worldchaos releases, you will be able to get the new Soulless record eventually. There are no guarantees in the world of metal, but we are positive that Worldchaos has what it takes to get Soulless where it wants to be.

METAL SIDE: Are you going to play some gigs in Japan? Not too many
foreign death metal bands had such opportunity so far.

WR: All signs point to “Yes.”

METAL SIDE: Who produced your album?

WR: Soulless (with a little antagonizing by Bill Korecky).

JL: It’s pretty much a group effort, until Dora pisses everyone off and we all just leave for a while and let him do what he wants. Then we would just sneak back in change it back.

METAL SIDE: What are the topics of your lyrics?

JL: I’m not sure; they tend to be all over the place. To sum it up they’re pretty much about how everyone’s an asshole but it really doesn’t matter because humanity’s a piece of shit that’s just going to end up destroyed, probably by stupid religious fucks for no really good reason, and how I’m really disgusted with having to be mixed up in the whole mess in the first place.

METAL SIDE: Thanks for the answers!

JL: Thanks for supporting the underground and for your time!

Check out www.soullessdomain.com
E-mail: Soulless@Soullessdomain.com
Write to:
Soulless
PO box 347417
Parma, Ohio 44134
USA