Metal-Rules.com published a new interview with guitarist Phil Demmel, who is gearing up to release new music with thrash metal act Vio-lence.

“I’m writing these five songs with the guys,” says Demmel. “Sean Killian has ideas too that we all get in and we flesh out ideas and we try stuff. Perry’s had some ideas. Sean’s had some killer ideas and notes selection. Sean being not really a musician, but having an ear for music and notes, and having this kind of weird outside. He’s actually written riffs for Vio-lence in the past. He wrote the ‘Mentally Afflicted’ riff. He wrote ‘Torture Tactics’ riff. I shouldn’t say he’s not a musician. He brings these ideas and Perry too. Perry comes up with some cool stuff. I come up with most of the rifts. I have most of the ideas for structure, but the other dudes are contributing too and it’s working out great man. These new songs are awesome. They’re super. They’re hard to play. The riffs are crazy. The lyrics are killer. The vocals are awesome, the drumming is insane. We’re really excited to get things done.”

Demmel also spoke on the pressure of putting new Vio-lence material: “Yeah, of course. Anybody who creates and most artists want their art to be appreciated. Maybe there are some that aren’t, but I don’t know any of them that doesn’t want to put it out and have people go, ‘That’s great and be appreciated.’ We’re pretty confident. Of course, we’re concerned maybe that people are going to dig it. I think that we’re working so hard on it that we’re confident that people. Especially our core fans are really going to like it. These just aren’t five songs just to push out to have a new product. These are five songs to make a statement.”

Recently guesting on the Heavy Metal Mayhem radio show, Vio-Lence frontman Sean Killian discussed the band's forthcoming EP, which is currently  slated for a 2021 release.

Kilian: "If you listen to the '93 demo that I recorded with Phil (Demmel / guitars) and the guys,  those songs wound up on the Torque album (Demmel's post-Vio-Lence project) On that demo, I recorded 'Breed Like Rats', 'Again' and 'Shooter', and if you listen to that demo you can kind of get a sense where we're headed. When we did those three songs on that '93 demo, you can hear the you-can-piss-off attitude in those songs, like, 'I don't give a shit what anyone wants to hear. This is who we are and this is what's gonna come out.' So, it's kind of bridge between Eternal Nightmare ('88), Oppressing The Masses ('90) and the '93 demo, a combination of those three."

Demmel on Vio-Lence in 2020: "It's still important to a lot of people to hear these songs and to see us playing these songs. There's songs that I wrote in the mid-'80s in high school that are still being screamed for, and we're still playing (them), and (they're) still getting messed up by certain members of the band after 30, 35 years or whatever (laughs). I just think that it's still so important to some people that we're... with the day and age, with the internet, people are getting this widespread access to the band more than they did before. Nobody outside of the Bay Area really cared about us back in the '80s."

Metal Blade Records recently announced the addition of Vio-Lence to its worldwide roster.

Vio-Lence was born in 1985 in the womb of thrash metal's inception: San Francisco's East Bay Area. With a ferocious blend of blazing guitar riffs, relentless rhythm, and an ultra-aggressive vocal style, they have an intensity unmatched in metal. After disbanding in late 1993, their music and legacy still drew metal-heads from around the world. Their return to live performances began in mid-April 2019 and they haven't looked back.

Sean Killian (vocals) comments: "My first real exposure to thrash metal was brought to me by Metal Blade Records in the form of Slayer's Show No Mercy, which turned into my first live thrash metal show when I saw Slayer at The Keystone Berkley. Today, being able to announce that Vio-Lence has signed an agreement to bring new music to thrash metal fans and future thrash metal fans around the world with our partners Metal Blade Records is a very proud moment for me and Vio-Lence. Metal Blade has been involved in thrash metal since the beginning with their compilation Metal Massacre, and they have stood the test of time because of their love for heavy music. Thank you everyone at Metal Blade Records for believing in Vio-Lence and for being fans of the music I love."

Vio-Lence lineup:

Sean Killian - vocals
Phil Demmel - lead guitar
Deen Dell - bass
Perry Strickland - drums
Bobby Gustafson - live guitar

(Band photo - James Willard)