Three varying speeds: Fast, faster and slow motion. A hot mix of the classic power of Integrity, Black Flag and Poison Idea, with the crushing heaviness of newer bands Cursed, Tragedy, and yes - some Slayer. This is Pulling Teeth. Boom!!
Their debut album "Vicious Skin" received fantastic reviews from press worldwide in 2006.
In early 2007, Pulling Teeth released a split 7"EP with UK's Frightener.
“Martyr Immortal" is their latest masterpiece. Twelve songs! Twelve bombs!
In the upcoming interview singer Mike gives us a look behind this band and a lot of truth about us as audience, people and the scene…. and and and
Hey Mike, where are you at the moment?
Sitting at my desk at work. It's a slow day here.
Tell me some about the things happened on the road in Europe and the difference between the fall 2008 tour and the last European road trip.
We've been home for about two months now. The last trip across the ocean was just a UK tour so this was our first time hitting the mainland. We got to see some amazing cities, play some really cool shows and some duds, got to see a few rad Euro bands and played with our friends in Ruiner and Counting the Days a few times, and spent a lot of time with our new favorite Czech mate, Tomas. We also got to do an interview on a Czech radio show hosted by Mr. Bananas, which was a lot of fun. We saw the bone church and Cliff Burton's memorial marker as well. Oh, and we watched seasons 1 - 3 of Lost in the van. Good stuff.
What do you miss the most on the road over here? What is the best thing to take home with?
I miss falling asleep next to my girlfriend the most. The best things I brought home with me are the stories: Dom puking most of the way back to Germany after the show in Italy, Chris and Danny having to hit every coffee shop in Amsterdam, the amazing show we played in Dublin...
Tell me about the life on the road. Europe vs. the States.
No matter where we are, the van becomes home, so you've got to learn to deal with not having a lot of personal space and to create your own little area where you can feel comfortable. The main difference in Europe is that bands get treated so incredibly well, with great meals and sleeping accommodations prepared. That rarely happens in the States so we spend most of the money we make buying food or paying for motel rooms when no places to sleep are offered. In my experience, people in the States tend to react more physically if they are into the band, by dancing or even just banging their heads, while, especially in Germany, people would just watch and not move around much and it would seem that they were not into it at all, but then after the show they would tell us how much they enjoyed it, buy loads of merch, and so on. That was very hard to get used to since we're so used to feeding off of the energy from the crowd.
That is damn right. That is Germany. So especially in focus of Germany, tell me some impressions about this country.
What did you know?
I had been told by friends that had toured Germany before that that is what it was like but it's still something that's very alien to me considering that if people here in the States are into your band, most of the time you'll get some sort of physical response. Of course I knew about it's history in the 20th century and wished we would have had more time to see some historical sites and things, but time just didn't allow it. Hopefully next time. I knew to expect to be fed before the shows over there, which is something we don't get over here very often, but I didn't expect such wonderful, well-balanced and thought out meals. I ate better on that tour than I do at home sometimes.
What was completely new?
Seeing some bands that I'd never heard of that blew me away was great. I was aware of Short Fuse, so it was cool to play with them, but I'd never heard Idle Hands or Brat Pack before and both of those bands ended up being my favorites from the tour. Julith Krishun was pretty great as well. The whole youth center and squat culture is something we don't have here so that was all very interesting to me. I was amazed by how well organized most of them were. The typical squat here is basically an abandoned warehouse with poor or no plumbing and some rooms thrown together haphazardly.
What was a blast?
One of my favorite things about touring is meeting new people. Just hanging out and talking with the promoters or people that came to the shows is something I always look forward to. Everyone was so friendly and really went out of their way to help us out and that was amazing.
What was a shock?
That people would travel so far for one off shows. That happens here for things like festivals, but not very often for just one off shows on a tour. We met quite a few people that came out to a bunch of our shows and that was really nice. And again, the quality of the food at the shows was unbelievable. I could live a very healthy life touring in Europe.
Let’s talk about the lyrics on your new album.
There are several issues on “Martyr Immortal” which are not that easy to handle. There is some anger against the system, the voice for our nature, social stuff and so on.
Can you tell me some about the lyrical process in writing that album and some stuff to the lines below. Especially- what you do for yourself to react and act in those things.
For me, the lyric writing process usually begins after reading a piece in the news or hearing some moron spewing off his hate and ignorance, or witnessing or being a part of some unfortunate situation. For as long as I've been doing bands and writing lyrics, I've made a conscious decision to speak out against the wrongs I see in the world. It's what most bands were doing when I got into this scene in the mid-90s and it had a great impact on me. It's one of the main things that I think separates punk/hc from any other form of heavy music and I'm just doing my part to keep it going.
‘With Avarice’
“spreading out across
the planet with avaricious rage
self-annihilation
is the only end to this disease
too much is never enough
we take more than we need
too much is never enough”
It's about the idea that mankind is more like a plague on this earth than anything beneficial towards nature. The western world is on the fasttrack to destruction through our taking and taking from nature and it's resources, but never doing anything worthwhile to give back. This can only last for so long before all the oil wells have run dry and the forests have been cleared and turned to deserts and the water sources have been filled with chemical and industrial wastes. Reducing our wastes, buying locally made and grown products, and lessening our dependance on fossil fuels are a few things we can do to ease our burden.
‘Dead Is Dead’
“from forest to desert, a land of stress
we kill for what we do not need
yet still we justify
i see no reason for all this death
not needed to survive
cats, dogs, cows, pigs - dead is dead
you gorge on the chemicals they're being fed
satisfied with your selfishness
dead is dead is dead”
It's a simple fact that we don't need to consume animals and their by-products to survive, yet millions still do it, some out of necessity due to the lower costs because of government subsidies, but mostly out of selfishness, laziness, and a refusal to see other possibilities. Going vegetarian is a step toward reaching a more compassionate and civilized society, and it's such a simple and rewarding step to take.
‘Martyr Immortal’
"it's time to evolve ideas
the old ways no longer work
economics, religion - social control
the winds have changed
but our course has not
it's time for new destinations
let's sail off into new days
free of these ropes that hold us back"
This song is about how our worldviews and our mindsets about our existence haven't changed much in the last 400 or so years, despite significant advances in science and technology. People still believe in a supreme being despite massive evidence to the contrary. People still rely on a market-based capitalist economy despite many examples of that being a failing and doomed structure that is destined to collapse upon itself. Many people still believe that capitol punishment and prison terms are effective forms of crime deterrance while almost all evidence proves the opposite. People fear change and so we've become stuck in these roles that are destined to fail us, and we know that to be true but no one in power is doing anything about it.
What about ‘Shiteaters’?
I can't really say if this is the case outside of the US, but here we are bombarded with images of the 'perfect' body types and faces on billboards, in magazine ads, on television programs, etc., however it is not so widely known that many of these images have been doctored to erase blemishes and unsightly features, or that many of these people have had body altering surgeries, so that what we are seeing is not in any way natural or real. People are killing themselves to look like these images that don't exist in nature when we should be embracing our differences and our uniqueness. Many of the people that attempt to look or actually be healthier don't do so by eating better and exercising, but by taking a pill or having surgeries to attain their goals. Everyone is just looking for the quick fix and so few are willing to actually work for what they want. It's a frustrating cycle because these 'solutions' are never long-lasting.
Thank you so much for the liner notes. I mean the lyrics are not in a code but it is so much clearer when you read the thoughts to the songs from the man behind the ink.
You told me that you grew up the mid 90’s hardcore scene. Tell me some about your influences. Your first show and what is still left in your heart after all those years.
My first show that was somewhat related to punk rock was the Mighty Mighty Bosstones in 1993 at City Gardens in Trenton, NJ. I had never been to a show before that that had such energy. People dancing wildly, stage diving, and just having such a great time. Shortly after that, at the same venue, I got to see Mouthpiece, Prema, Falling Forward, and some others. That was my first real hardcore show. Again, the energy and passion from the bands and the audience just blew me away. The fact that people in the bands were communicating with the audience beyond just thanking them for coming to the show was really inspiring as well. The lines between performer and audience were being blurred and it really had an effect on me. Bands like Shelter, Snapcase, Earth Crisis, 108, Bloodlet, Bound, all inspired me because of the messages in their lyrics and between songs on stage, but I also loved bands like Quicksand, Shift, Doc Hopper, Weston, Black Train Jack, and others that had more of a commercial sound but didn't care about making it big or anything like that. They were just having a great time playing music that they loved. I still carry those values with me today.
What do you think about the US Hardcore scene at the moment?
I think it's probably bigger than it's ever been, probably due mostly to the growth of the internet and the accessibility it provides to getting new and old bands out to the masses. I think there are some really great bands pushing boundaries and some other great bands playing more of a classic sound but doing it better than some of those old bands, and then I think there are a whole lot of really mediocre bands that feel like maybe they deserve more than they're willing to give for whatever reason. The internet has made it so much easier to tour so a lot of bands seem to try to do it before they should, before they're really ready, and then they lose a lot of money, get frustrated, and take it out on the people and bands around them. I think it's a lot easier to be into hardcore and not be really dedicated to it because you can just download or buy all your music and clothes online, whereas in the not-so-distant past you had to really work to find out about new music and bands and what was going on.
What about the European scene?
There are some really great bands coming out of all parts of Europe and I wish that more Americans were open to checking them out. I guess it's hard enough to stay on top of all the great bands over here that people can actually see live, that it makes it less of a priority to check out foreign bands, but there's too much good stuff going on to let it slip by. I also wish that the US would adopt the same level of treatment towards bands that Europeans offer with the great meals and accommodations.
Jeff Beckman (Left For Dead) created the artwork for you latest release. Is he a friend of the band or was it just business. What does it mean to you?
Jeff is definitely a friend to the band and we've greatly appreciated the work he's done for us. We've given him free reign on all the album art he's done for us and we couldn't be happier with the results. With the artwork for 'Martyr Immortal' it seems like Jeff has taken influence from various aspects of the lyrics or the themes to the songs and sort of collaged them together to create the piece for the cover. He'll be doing the artwork again for our next record, "Paranoid Delusions / Paradise Illusions" and we're very excited to see what he comes up with for it.
That’s good to know and this one brings me to the next step: Your next record. As you said, there is a name for the album. Let us know more about that. I mean you won’t release a jazz album but….are there experiments, features…same label and so on… …
I'd like to think it's a bit of a progression for the band. We're definitely adding elements that we've never toyed with before and further exploring some other elements that we may have hinted at before, all while still being firmly rooted in what we've come to expect from Pulling Teeth songs. Deathwish will again release the CD and the vinyl will be out on A389. I'm not sure yet when it will be released but I'd assume late winter or early spring. Before that comes out we'll be doing a split with Irons which I'm pretty excited about. We're working on that stuff right now and it's coming along pretty well.
I’m curious about it.
Thank you very much for doing this one here. You’ve put a lot of time and heart in those lines. Thank you.
Last words?
Thanks a lot for the interview. Stay active. Take interest in the world around you. Be heard.
Interview by email
December 2008
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