Updated: 06/02/04

Featuring members of the much revered hardcore band Disembodied, Martyr AD have burst open the scene once more! With a new album on Victory Records entitled On Earth As It Is In Hell, Martyr AD is ready to hit the road and about to terrorize your town with their ultra brutal music. Prior to going on tour, bassist Tara took time out to answer our inquiries on the band.

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Martyr AD, and how long the band has been together.
Well, I’m Tara and I play bass, Joel plays guitar, Charlie plays guitar, Karl is the drummer and Andy is our new singer. We’ve been together since 2000 but we’ve had a lot of downtime. We haven’t really toured for about two years so we’re really excited to get back out there and play some shows.

Where is the band from and what is the music scene like there?
We’re from Minneapolis, Minnesota. The scene here is cool. It’s a big enough scene that even at local shows there are a lot of kids, but it’s still intimate, which I like.

After losing two members, were there ever any thoughts about discontinuing Martyr AD? What kept you going?
Well, we didn’t know what we were going to do after we got rid of a couple of members. We decided to just take a break and enjoy some time off because most of us had been touring and stuff for such a long time that it was nice to not have to practice all the time. Then when we started looking for members, it was just a long process that I thought we weren’t going to find anyone, but thankfully they were right here in Minneapolis and it worked out perfectly.

Who came up with the idea for the title On Earth As It Is In Hell, and is there any deep meaning behind it?
I think Charlie came up with the idea for the title of the record. I’m not sure if there’s anything to it besides just being pissed off at what is going on in the world today. Things are so fucked up that it’s scary.

What was it like doing shows with The Haunted? Did you get to meet them at all?
Well, we only got to play 4 or 5 shows with them. The shows we played were cool. They really stayed on their bus most of the time so they didn’t really interact with us, but their singer watched us a couple of times and he was nice. Unfortunately, our van broke down and we didn’t have any money to fix it so we had to drop off the tour.

Are you surprised to find a band like Poison The Well on a major label? Is that something you’d like to do one day?
No, I think it’s awesome for PTW to be on a major label. They deserve it. They have really worked their asses off to get where they are at. They fucking toured nonstop and are really dedicated to what they do. I’m really happy for them. I would love to be on a label that was 100% behind us and could help promote us as much as possible. I think that independent labels are perfectly capable of providing a band with the opportunity to make a living off of their music, but I wouldn’t be against being on a major label if I felt it was the right thing to do.

How did your show with Dillinger Four go? That seems like an odd band for you to do a gig with.
That show was fucking amazing. It was a show sponsored by Music For America that gets young people involved in politics and voting. We’ve been friends with D4 for a long time and have been trying to set something up with them forever and the show turned out great. We were a little nervous because we were the only heavy band but people were fucking into it.

Why do you think there are so few girls in hardcore bands? And how do you feel about being on the road with a bunch of guys?
I don’t know why more girls aren’t involved. Maybe they feel intimidated because it is so much of a Boys Club. For me, I like being around a bunch of guys because that’s what I’m used to. After a while, you kinda become one of the boys and forget how to interact with girls, which is kinda shitty, but it happens. I don’t get treated differently. I carry shit just like everyone else.

Why is the name AD added to Martyr? Did another band have the same name or did you like the sound of it?
Yeah it was only added because we found another Martyr from Canada and we didn’t want to worry about getting shit from them. We didn’t know how big they were in Canada and it was easier to just add it then have to worry about paying for it later.

What can one expect from a live Martyr AD show?
I think that’s what we’re definitely best at. I don’t think our records ever do us justice. This last recording is okay, but live we are so much better. We have so much energy that it’s hard to put that into a recording. Lots of headbanging, and lots of sweating and running into each other.

With the producer of the album also being in the band, how difficult was it for Joel Johnson to produce this CD? Has he ever produced any other bands?
He has had a part in all of the recordings he has played on. He is such a perfectionist that he just knows how he wants the record months before we even record. He hasn’t done it for any other band but I definitely think he could, he has such a talent for it. And I’m not just saying that cuz he’s my husband.

All in all, what would you like a listener to remember the most after hearing the new Martyr AD CD?
I think that we’re really honest and sincere in what we write and we don’t try to be something that we’re not. We’re not gonna start singing just because that’s what’s cool on the radio or might make us sell more records. We’re fucking heavy and that’s what we’re best at. The more kids can fucking kill each other to, the better.

Any final words of wisdom?
Thanks for the interview and look for our record April 20. I don’t know when this zine comes out but we’ll be in Cali soon and hopefully everyone will come out and see us. We hear that ETID is playing the Glasshouse the same night. Yikes! And also, check out www.wm3.org. It’s a very important website and more people need to get involved. And fucking vote. You don’t have a voice unless you get out there and vote. Get George Bush out of office!!

Carleton Sheets