1. First of all I’d like you to fill us in on what’s happening in the HEMOPTYSIS camp at the moment. 

Masaki: We have our debut full-length album “Misanthropic Slaughter” set to release on March 8th, and we're promoting it really hard. Meanwhile, we are working on booking shows both in Arizona and other states and trying to tour as much as possible. There are a lot of things going on and we are keeping ourselves busy and moving forward every day.

Masaki: Getting this record, “Misanthropic Slaughter,” done with producer Ryan Greene (MEGADETH, NOFX, MR. BIG) was a big thing for us. It was one of our first dreams and we accomplished it, though it took us few years to get this point. We are very proud of the record we made and we hope people will give us a chance and listen to it. We hope they will dig it.

Masaki: In “Misanthropic Slaughter” you will find elements of thrash metal, death metal, melodic death metal and a touch of black metal all in one album. It's a full length album where each song sounds different and unique, while still retaining the sound of HEMOPTYSIS. As far as album highlights go, it's hard for us to say because we love all the songs. We have heard from many different reviewers and each song on the album has been called out as a favorite by one reviewer or another. I can't think of any week points.  We are very proud of this album and we don't think any of the songs have weak points.  I'm certain someone will find something they don't like because you can't please everyone. We love it, though.

Masaki: The production is completely different. We wanted to have a “real” record with top-notch production behind it. We worked so hard for it. A lot more time and money went into this album. We definitely got a lot better as musicians, too.

Masaki: At first being independent wasn't really a choice, it was just the way it was. We were pretty certain a label wouldn't pick us up with just an E.P. but now things have certainly changed. The full-length has been received really well by press, radio, and, most importantly, our fans. We are choosing to remain independent at this point until we can find a label that is willing to work with us instead of taking all the profits from our hard work and us getting nothing in return. We have submitted our material to over 30 labels world wide, so it is really in their hands at this point. But that being said, the couple of offers we have received so far basically entitle the label to almost every penny we make and give us nothing in return except for a couple of points of physical copies that are sold. We aren't going to lose all of our material, profits, or hard work just so we can say we are a "signed band". We might as well keep doing it on our own and hopefully we will be able to set a trend for the rest of the metal community and show our fellow metal bands that they don't need to sign a 360 deal with a label to make it, that hard work and perseverance pay off if you have a quality product. 

Masaki: Yes, we are already working on the new songs and they are coming out great. Lead guitarist Ryan Miller will be involved in writing on the next record, so it will be interesting and we are all excited about it.

Masaki: I have a big influence from MEGADETH and I'm a huge fan of “Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying” and “Rust in Peace.” Those records definitely got me into metal and made me want to start playing metal. Travis is into a lot of death metal but he started learning how to play the drums as a teenager while listening to thrash metal. His favorite bands include: SLAYER, HYPOCRISY and MORBID ANGEL. Ryan Miller listens to just about everything. He even plays some country music! He is mostly a death metal fan, though. His favorite bands include: ANIMALS AS LEADERS, MESHUGGAH, CARCASS, THE FACELESS and Steve Vai. Sunao listens to an even more diverse range of music than Ryan Miller. The heaviest music he listens to would probably be SUICIDAL TENDENCIES or old METALLICA.  

Masaki: I think that there are a few things that really help us stand out from the other bands in our genre. First is the quality of our sound. We didn't just rush into the studio and record with the lowest bidder. We went with a top notch producer that has a great reputation and ability to produce an outstanding album. Second, is our work ethic. We run this band like a business. We take the time to do it right the first time. To make it in this industry it isn't enough to have just a good album. We are in constant contact with retail stores, radio stations, press, and instrument companies that provide endorsements and sponsorships to move forward in the industry. We believe we can offer the metal scene a band that they can truly get behind and support. We don't sound like the cookie cutter bands that are being churned out by the hundreds. Our fans are our greatest strength and we will never offer them anything but 100% everytime.   

Masaki: A lot of times, I bring riffs to the band and we go from there, but a song like “Misanthropic Slaughter”,  was so quick, I wrote all the guitar parts quickly. I brought it to the band and they all liked it. It’s hit or miss. When you are in a creative mood, it’s coming at  you instantly, again and again. But if you aren’t in a creative mood, nothing will come up no matter how many hours you spend trying to come up with something.

Masaki: “Misanthropic Slaughter” and “M.O.D.” are the songs I think represent the whole album’s essence. Our music has a bunch of different elements from different styles of music, not only metal. These two songs showcase a lot of those elements. 

Masaki: I mostly get inspired from daily life, like pain, depression and so on. Travis gets inspired by that stuff, too, but this usually results in songs about murder!

Masaki: The lyrical content of "Misanthropic Slaughter" sums up the feeling of the whole album pretty well.  Each song is pretty negative, so this song seems like the logical title track.  After listening to the entire album you might feel a strong hatred of humankind that will make you have fantasies of killing everyone on earth!

Masaki: The artwork was done by Evil Dave at Incision Tattoo in Glendale, Arizona.  We told him a couple ideas of what we wanted the art to possibly be like, with the working title of "Misanthropic Slaughter." He combined both ideas we had and threw in his unique spin on it. It resulted in a dark piece of art that depicts the beast character, Vetis, from our EP cover, which Evil Dave also did the artwork for, killing the last person on earth while the rest of humanity dies all around him. The face of the beast is also depicted in the clouds off to the left.

Masaki: Yes, we are currently working on the tour dates for this Spring and Summer. The use of the Internet completely changed the business models in the world not only the music industry, but everything. It's much easier for bands to get their name out there, but every other band is trying that too, so it's hard for the general public to decide or even pay attention to your specific band when there's thousands in front of them. That's the biggest obstacle. It is very helpful to our band, though. We use is every day for almost everything.  

Masaki: Yes, we have been in touch with several labels, but the right deal hasn't come along. We aren't even asking for much. We just want them to distribute our album and assist with some tour support and let us keep at least some of the profits from our hard work. We're not asking them to pay for the album or video, we have our own publicist and management and we do our own radio and retail campaigns. From what we have been offered and from what we hear from other bands that have been offered anything from labels nowadays the idea of a "good deal" from a label just isn't happening. 

Masaki: Hopefully they feel energized and ready to mosh! We hope it makes them bang their head and gets all their negative feelings out like it does for us when we write and/or play the songs.

Masaki: A Buffet of Metal. Our lead guitarist Ryan Miller called us that and I think it’s the best phrase to describe our sound.

Masaki: I’m glad you know the meaning of the word and you are aware of its origin!  Travis' wife got it from her knowledge of medical terms. We wanted a one-word band name that was original and extreme and sounded like a metal band. The meaning "coughing up blood" sounded awesome and we thought the pronunciation sounded really cool, too, so we kept it!

Masaki: Thank you so much for your support and if you like our music, please buy our CDs and merch, and follow us on facebook at www.facebook.com/hemoptysis and stay updated. We hope to be able to tour worldwide and see many of you soon! Horns up!