Interview by ROBEX LUNDGREN Musik Blog (SE) September.2015

R: Have any of you played in other bands?

U: I and Satoshi (Drummer) also are playing a doom/death metal band called COFFINS. And Ohkubo (bass) also is active as a noise solo artist in the name called LINEKRAFT.

R: What are your names? / Who plays what? / How old are you?
U: I’m Uchino, a guitar player, and am 43 years old.

R: Have you had other previous members?
U: No, original members of this band are current 3 persons.

R: Did you make music even when you were young?)
U: I started band activity in about 21-22 years old in earnest. I was just a metal fan till then, and not able to play a guitar as well.

R: Where are you from?
U: Tokyo, Japan.

R: What year did the band form?
U: OOZEPUS started in 2013.

R: What's your style of genre?
U: I’m not sure, but maybe… Experimental/Noise rock, I think.

R: What inspires you?
U: Old SWANS, FALL OF BECAUSE/old GODFLESH, SCORN, and all of Industrial metal, No-wave, Heavy junk.

R: How often and where do you reherse?
U: Once a month, we enter a reh-studio in Tokyo.

R: How have you developed since you started with the music?
U: Originally, I have started to contact overseas music from 80’s US pops. I came to hear Thrash metal like METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and Anthrax etc. And I sailed up the route and heard bands like Black Sabbath, Venom etc. Furthermore I dug into more underground extreme music like Napalm Death, Carcass and Death. In the process, I met heavy junk/alternate music like SWANS, MELVINS, GODFLESH etc. And the shocks are returned to OOZEPUS.

R: Do you have other interests of work outside the band?)
U: Nothing special. I spend full time except for work and child care for bands. (COFFINS and OOZEPUS)

R: Are you looking for a booking agency, and what are your thoughts around that?
U: About this band, won't need that for now. Because OOZEPUS is a young band, and isn't in the stage which can do an overseas tour using a booker yet. Because we don’t think that a band without the results in Japan can succeed in an overseas tour.

R: Are you looking for a label, and what are your thoughts around that?
U: Already we got some labels. And we will release 1st album from one of the label shortly.

R: What made you decide to make this music?
U: I play mainly in doom/death metal band called COFFINS now. The band had the long history and was a junk/alternate sound like GODFLESH and SCORN in the early days. As the band had already got on track, I wanted to play an early COFFINS sound again and formed this OOZEPUS.

R: What are your songs about?
U: I’m not sure about Ohkubo’s songs. But the lyrics of my song are the content that is negative in a private at least.

R: Who does the composing and writes the lyrics?
U: Ohkubo (bassist) and me.

R: Do you start with the music or the lyrics?
U: In the case of my song, the lyrics are added to music later.

R: Have you done any covers live?
U: Not yet. But we want to have such a chance sometime soon.

R: What language do you sing in?
U: We use English basically, but some lyrics use Japanese.

R: Do you always play the same songs live, or do you vary?
U: We change a playlist by a show. But we have trouble with 1“MAD-GRINDERS”(aka. LARGACTYL RECORDS) last year. The stock is still left a little.

R: Where can people buy your merchandise?
U: You can find our marches on the sites, check them!!
COFFINS shop site: coffins.ocnk.net
LINEKRAFT shop site: threeplugs.shop-pro.jp
MAD-GRINDERS shop site: ebay.com/madgrinders

R: What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records now a days?
U: There is various argument about this. I often talked with my friends about this while drinking as well. But…after all, I receive these current conditions and receive a benefit from the system like that more than a little. But sadly, now is such time.

R: How do you think the music industry have changed because of this?
U: I’m not sure well because we are on the side writing and playing music. Furthermore, we are in the deep deep underground scene, and are moving at a foreign place to musical industry.

R: How do you think and know that this interview will help you in the music business?
U: I’m not sure…but we won’t be able to get anything without making the most of a chance like this interview amap.

R: Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today?
U: I’m an old man, hear only old music basically. The past music is more interesting than current music for me. And I continue still coming under an influence of past music.

R: Do you have any new material?
U: We will release our 1st album in this winter from US label called “DOMESTIC GENOCIDE RECORDS”. And also will release a Tape EP from US label called “TRANSYLVANIAN TAPES”. I’m not sure when it will be released. Maybe it's going to be next year.

R: What are your web sites?
U: We have some official webs, check them!!
Facebook: facebook.com/oozepus
Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/oozepus

R: How can people reach you?
U: E-mail: oozepus@gmail.com

R: What are plans for your the future?
U: Not yet, but anyway we want to go ahead to the stage that we can do an overseas tour.

R: Do you have something to add?
U: Thanks for the support, cheers!