1. First off please introduce yourselves to the hordes reading?

Jim Lippucci: Jim, Vocals
Wayne Richards: Guitar, Beerdrinker, Birthday boy

2. Tell us a bit about yourselves, cause you guys seem to have
been around for a long time?

JL: We’ve been doing Soulless for about 6 or 7 years now

WR: I’m a Capricorn who loves beer, bowling and metal… Yes, we have been around since late 96’ and we are still Thrashing!

3. So why tell us thrash metal and not say death or black?? Is
there a message you guys are putting out? What inspires your music or
your awesome riffing?

WR: We are a metal band… We do tend to Thrash, but we incorporate elements of death metal and some classic heavy metal harmony action. Primarily we are labeled a Thrash band because every tune thrashes. The only message we are putting out is that we are THRASH!!!! Many great bands (Metallica, Slayer, Kreator, Sodom, Celtic Frost, Voi Vod, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motorhead, Black Sabbath, Razor, Entombed, At the Gates, etc…)push us to be as metal as is humanly possible.

JL: We love thrash.

4. How do you guys write your music, cause it seems to blend
Thrash Metal and Swedish Death metal very well indeed?

WR: Thank You. Some riffs are total Thrash riffs, and some are Swedish sounding. Technically, the Swedes play thrash riffs, but they sound different because they come from Sweden. A lot of inspiration comes from early Swedish Death Metal, and a lot comes from early Bay Area and German Thrash. Our influences are apparent in our music and our music is an extension of what we have been listening to for so many years. Riffs just come together somehow and form songs that draw inspiration from everywhere. But in the end, it’s metal.

JL: Yes, you see, had the Swedes been from Germany than I doubt the riffs would sound Swedish. I don’t know much of this techno-geographical mumbo jumbo…I just add words when they’re done.

5. How did you guys find your true musical identity or approach so
to say?

JL: I’m not sure…I think it has to do with the beer we drink and the fact that we love thrash.

WR: Usually, riffs turn into a song and words are written later. The music defines the band, and we are a product of the metal that has come before us and has shaped us as musicians. Our identity is formed by what you hear on the record…

JL: Wait, you lost me…

WR: We are metal.

6. You guys have only recently been signed by a major label so to
say, is it that hard? Why such a long wait? What are the American
labels looking for anyways in metal nowadays?

JL: It does seem to be somewhat difficult. I’m not really sure what the American labels are looking for…I think most of them want to make money, which seems to be hard with thrash…

WR: Worldchaos Production is an up and coming metal label (far from a major label) in the metal universe. We are not making money off of this. It takes a lot of patience and saving money to get to where you want to be as a band. You have no idea how many zines, radio stations and labels we sent promos to, only to get a minimal response. It’s all about being in the right place at the right time and knowing the right people. We would record a new album every year if we had the proper financial backing, but it takes a lot of money, time, and effort to make a good record. American record labels are looking for the next Korn clone to sell to the masses of retarded teenagers looking for a reason to piss off their parents.

What do you guys think of the music business in general?

JL: It’s just as stupid as everyone always says it is.

WR: The music business is just looking for the next trend to make money.

8. How did the deal with World Chaos come about and how have they
been treating you?(King’s Evil fucking rule by the way) Were you
surprised that a Japanese label and not an American label offered you a
better deal?

JL: We had traded our first CD with WorldChaos (for Terror Squad, who also fucking rule!!) and along the way we sent them our new promo. We had just about given up trying to find a label, and began recording on our own with what little cash we could scrape up. WorldChaos really liked the promo, so we sent them the rough unmixed tracks with only about half the vocals recorded …no solos…and I think they sort of liked it. They are fucking great to us!

WR: We have absolutely nothing to complain about. Worldchaos has followed through on everything they said they would and more. We could not be in a better situation right now. We had already spent $1500 of our own money on recording costs before Worldchaos wanted to put out the record. We were prepared to release a self-financed album. I was surprised we were offered a deal at all!

9. What was recording Agony’s Lament like, was it like the album
title??

JL: Sometimes Wayne’s ass would groan and emanate foul clouds of noxious vapor. That was agony…I also almost had a brain hemorrhage. It hurt for several weeks but is better now.

WR: Leave me alone…it’s hereditary. For the most part, being in the studio is always awesome. Your music always sounds the best in the studio.

10. What do you guys think of the American Metal scene?

JL: It’s not so bad, though it seems Europe is much more receptive to what we are doing…

WR: I think it is quite weak compared to the European scene.

11. Are there still a lot of thrash metal bands like yourselves in
America? Is trash metal on a revival so to say?

JL: It doesn’t seem so, although local metal legends Destructor have been doing shows here again.

WR: I am unaware of any good thrash bands or any thrash revival.

12. What are you guys listening to now anyways? What were your
favorites of 2002?

JL: I like the new Kreator, Arch Enemy, the Crown, King’s-Evil…I lose track of what year stuff comes out…

WR: AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Centinex, Carnal Forge, Bloodbath…

13. What band or bands started you guys off on that road of metal?
What was your biggest inspiration? What made you decide this was the
life for you?

JL: I found Sabbath and then Blue Oyster Cult and Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, then Metallica, Slayer, Trouble, Exodus, Kreator, Voi Vod…you can see where I’m going…hell probably…

WR: Metallica, Slayer, Kreator, Sodom, Celtic Frost, Voi Vod, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motorhead, Black Sabbath, Razor, Entombed, At the Gates. My Dad said only 3 of his sons could be successful, so I had to be the metal son.

14. You guys have handled a lot of the admin stuff for your band
for a long time, like your demos and stuff. Did you guys ever think you
want to quit? Enough of this commercial shit from labels, what kept you
guys going?

JL: Every once in a while you get an e-mail or a letter from someone who just fucking loves your shit…so it tricks you into thinking your doing something right. Sometimes there is a lot of bullshit and hassle but metal drives us…quitting is never really an option.

WR: Jim handles everything for the band except writing the music. He is the supreme administrator of metal. Quitting is like committing suicide, you can’t live if you don’t have something to live for. Metal is what I live for.

15. What are your plans for 2003 now that Agony’s Lament is out?
Working on new stuff or is there a huge tour in the works?

JL: I’m gonna throw back some suds and brush up on my Japanese and German… by brush up I mean start to learn how to speak…and by suds I mean beer preferably a moderately priced import or microbrew.

WR: We do have some new material we’ve been working on. No tour is concrete, but we already have a few outstanding offers that will hopefully come to fruition in 2003. We will continue playing mainly East Coast shows promoting the record in the meantime.

16. Thanks again for your time Soulless and a great album, any last
words for the hordes?

JL: Check out our website, www.soullessdomain.com and www.world-chaos.com Horns up!

WR: Let metal be your guide and keep a beer at your side!