Pic courtesy of: Colin-Patterson "Although our sound is very much based in the Thrash Metal sound, we aren't limited to the pre-determined styles. A lot of our new stuff has a more individual sound with more naturally progressive elements, without changing our style too much."

HK: Before anything else, could you please introduce the guys in the band to our readers?
Tom Cunningham: Hey Hail K. There’s me, Tom Cunningham, doing the vocals; Brian Brennan and Adam Short on guitars; Simon Cafferey on bass; and Sam Lambert on drums.

HK: What about your origins? How did the five bright young things in the band come together and play Thrash Metal?
Tom Cunningham: Brian and I were in school together and have been friends for years. Brian actually got me into Metal with his very persistent technique of hitting people with a barrage of “essential" albums and making sure they listen to them religiously. It worked. After finishing school in 2000, we joined a band with Jim Pepper on drums and Larry Newman on bass (now in Raging Conflict) and played covers by Metallica and Sepultura while writing their own stuff. After a year or so Me, Brian, Jim and Larry decided to leave and start a new band with a more refined Thrash sound. At that time (2003) there were very few Thrash bands in Ireland and very few new Thrash bands popping up on an international level. It was very different from now, there was no Myspace or a million-and-one Thrash bands popping up all over the place.
Brian and Jim went to music college with Adam and they got in touch with him regarding when the new band was being formed. We wrote and rehearsed for about a year and just before our first gig Larry decided to leave. Brian had taught Simon as a music student and knew he was an avid fan of our music so he rang him up and Simon jumped at the opportunity. Within two weeks he had learned the set and the first gig went down really well. We were really taken aback at the response and the buzz around our future gigs. The attendances really seemed to improve at gigs around that time and each gig we played was packed with the crowds going nuts at every show. After our second or third gig the lads were talking to Nemtheanga of Primordial at the bar and he remarked that he hadn’t seen crowd reactions like that since the days when international Thrash bands were playing. That was a great boost, especially from someone that was so well versed in Old School Thrash.
We recorded a three-track demo in 2005 entitled "D.B.A.T." that sold hundreds of copies in Ireland alone. They have been completely sold out for a long time now. None of the band members even have a copy. In early 2007 Jim decided to leave the drum kit so we parted on amicable terms. Tom got in touch with Sam, who had really impressed him playing Day of Darkness festival in 2006 with Irish Death Metal legends Morphosis. After seeing how capable he was behind the kit, especially with very fast stuff, Sam started jamming with the band. That's how the solid line up stands today.

HK: Your new EP “Creation's Undoing” has garnered a very positive response among the underground press. Did you have such high expectations for it when it wasn't even released yet?
Tom Cunningham: It's always a bit nerve wracking when you're so close to the actual music. Even though we rehearsed and played the songs live many times, it's not until you actually go into the studio and record the songs until you know exactly how they will turn out. Fortunately for us, they turned out really well. The production sounds great and the energy of the live gigs comes through pretty well. So when we got the finished product with the artwork and everything, we were delighted with how it came out. We were quietly confident that it would go down well and there seemed to be a high level of anticipation from the fans. Even though we do this for ourselves, the positive feedback really made it all worthwhile.

HK: When Adam and Brian are fine-tuning a solo, how do they usually go about it? Does it come out like a sudden orgasm of creativity after a good few minutes of fooling around with their instruments?
Tom Cunningham: It's usually a mixture of jamming with the band and playing around at home that builds the basis of the lead. Over time there are generally certain changes here and there until they are totally happy with the whole thing.

	Pic courtesy of: Mass Extinction "We have been known to incite wild pits and use the "wall of death" to push the crowd that little bit more into chaos. A lot of our songs are very up-tempo and usually grab the crowd from the get go"

HK: When did the songs start coming together and how long did all the work take before the band wrapped up this EP?
Tom Cunningham: We had most of the songs written before Sam joined the band, but we wanted him to leave his own mark on the tracks and feel totally comfortable. Over the months we used to practice and hone the set, we fine-tuned the tracks up to how they sound today.

HK: Where did you find a studio and a label to cover the distribution deal?
Tom Cunningham: We had heard a few of the releases by bands that dealt with Trackmix Studios in Dublin and the quality was great so we got in touch and checked the place out. Michael the sound engineer is great to work with and has top of the range gear. It's a great environment to work in. The distribution deal came about when we were approached by two Irish labels that deal with mainly underground metal bands. We really like their ethos and decided to go with them for distribution in some parts of Europe.

HK: Are you concerned that given the band's distinct sound, you'll only reach a specific audience and be pigeonholed as a nostalgia act because meat n' bones Thrash Metal isn't every metalhead's favorite style?
Tom Cunningham: It's understandable how people would make that assumption, especially with the amount of Thrash bands popping up all over the place. Although our sound is very much based in the Thrash Metal sound, we aren't limited to the pre-determined styles. A lot of our new stuff has a more individual sound with more naturally progressive elements, without changing our style too much.

HK: How long before a whole album comes out?
Tom Cunningham: We are currently finishing up the final touches to the songs for our album. We are going to record the demo versions very soon and hope to release our debut album by the end of the year or early 2009. Hopefully with a strong label behind us.

HK: Tell us about the places you've played shows in. The crowds, the bands, the fine company. Everything?
Tom Cunningham: We've played gigs all over Ireland and some in Europe with so many bands we could spend all day talking about them, hehehehe! Standout gigs would have to be supporting Exodus, Nuclear Assault and playing the Day of Darkness. Festival in 2006. The entire crowd erupted into a giant circle pit. That was unreal.

HK: And then there were also these two festivals last year. Up onstage, seeing all those people, what sensations ran through your body? Was it almost sexual?
Tom Cunningham: Hahaha! It's always a near sexual experience. I mean, with a crowd full of sweaty males hurling themselves around the place and then moving back up the stage to dive? What’s not to be aroused about?

HK: Do you ever exchange colorful banter with the audience before introducing a song?
Tom Cunningham: One of the main things we've been known for is crowd interaction during live shows. The stage and crowd frequently become one with band members spilling onto the crowd and vice versa. I usually try to keep the between song banter as fresh and on-the-spot as possible. As a band, we're serious about the music but not afraid to take the piss and the performance out of ourselves as much as possible.

HK: Is there any part of the Mass Extinction live set that audiences, whether familiar with the band or not, can look forward to? Do you guys have an encore or a favorite song that just kills when played live?
Tom Cunningham: We have been known to incite wild pits and use the "wall of death" to push the crowd that little bit more into chaos. A lot of our songs are very up-tempo and usually grab the crowd from the get go, but I'd say "Global Assassin," "Nuclear Dawn," and "Bound in Flesh" really get an over-the-top reaction.

HK: How soon before Mass Extinction plays across the continent?
Tom Cunningham: We are making plans right now to book as many shows across Europe and abroad. Right now we are looking to sort out a solid record deal and get stuck into recording the album. This new stuff will sound unreal when it's recorded. We are looking forward to the final product more than anyone. As soon as we have these things sorted we will be looking to hit as many places as possible and spread our sound.

		Pic courtesy of: Mass Extinction "Being Irish we are quite stereotypical with our alcohol related indulgences. No pint is safe! Although, in saying that, pints are very expensive in Dublin. You could easliy be charged €5+ for a pint of beer. Unless of course you know where to get a good pint of Bavaria for €3!"

HK: You have a long name and a logo in keeping with Thrash Metal's aesthetic values. How much work did it take to balance all the letters on 'Mass Extinction' and make it symmetrical and look cool enough?
Tom Cunningham: The logo as forged in the womb of Mount Vesuvius and spewed forth into the stratosphere. Centuries later it arrived in Dublin, leaving a massive symmetrical crater. It was quite an unusual event.

HK: Where did you get that wonderful compliment from Gary Holt which you liberally use as a blurb in flyers and press releases?
Tom Cunningham: We played with Exodus for the first time in 2006 and Gary was really enthusiastic about our set when we got off stage. We gave all the guys in Exodus a copy of our demo at the time. A couple of months later there was a thread on the Exodus-Attack forum about Mass Extinction and he posted on it himself saying "This is one amazing band, the kind of band I'd love to work with some day. I'd produce the hell out of these guys!" I think it might still be on the forum under the Mass Extinction thread. I recently saw him in the airport after Wacken and he was very keen to hear how we were doing. He's a cool guy and really approachable.

HK: All metalheads own a lot of CD's and records, where do you keep yours? And which releases from your favorite artists do you prize the most?
Tom Cunningham: We keep our CD's held up in a vault that is "apocalypse-proof." I'll let you know when we find the key.

HK: Does the band go to the pub often? How much does a pint cost? And more importantly, how do you disport yourself in such an establishment?
Tom Cunningham: Being Irish we are quite stereotypical with our alcohol related indulgences. No pint is safe! Although, in saying that, pints are very expensive in Dublin. You could easliy be charged €5+ for a pint of beer. Unless of course you know where to get a good pint of Bavaria for €3!

HK: Hope you had a great time with this interview, how soon is your next gig going to happen? Are you expecting to see friends there?
Tom Cunningham: Our next show is a few days away and is in Dublin. Our shows there are always great and we expect the place to be full to the brim and insane mosh pits from the start of our set until the end. Thanks very much. It has been great chatting with you and I hope all the fans reading this will check us out further. If you want Mass Extinction to play at a venue near you, drop us a message on our Myspace and we’ll see what we can do when it comes to touring time!