"The hardest part is to come up with another cool riff after you´ve just come up with an awesome one"
Nestled among the glittering high-rises and verdant hills of Hong Kong are the tandem behind Aortic Regurgitation. It's basically this dude Charles Wong and Cynthia Yim chick pounding out gruesome tracks all by themselves at a home studio. These sessions have been immortalized in the freshly released 'Aortic Regurgitation' EP, a five song affair full of grit and venom that can be acquired via Trinity Records Hong Kong. For this exclusive first interview, the pair discuss real life, living near each other, and the wars inside their head.
AM: Hey Charles, how's it hanging? Tell me, what's making your life rosy at the moment?
Charles: Hey Miguel! Great to work with you again. Life's rosy because I've just finished all my University coursework. It's the main reason why I haven't been playing guitar or answering this interview or anything else! I apologize profusely!
AM: So what compelled you to team up with Cynthia Yim on this thrash metal project? Which of you is the bigger walking encyclopedia of classic thrash?
Charles: We met at a show I was playing, we got along, so I said "hey, lets form a thrash band!" I'm not sure who has a bigger knowledge of classic thrash though. Obviously both of us love a lot of the classic records by bands such as Dark Angel, Megadeth and the band with the fat bald guy in sunglasses, but to be honest I think our main inspiration (not necessarily influence) comes from bands from other sub-genres. Cynthia is a massive power metal fan, while I'm more steeped into death and black metal, although by no means a connoisseur of either.
Cynthia: Charles was also drunk at the night of the gig so I don't know whether he remembered saying that, but Aortic was spawned nonetheless. I do think Charles is more a fan of more aggressive variety of thrash and metal music in general, whereas I really don't mind a bit of melody. Some people cringe when I tell them I occasionally listen to power metal, but like any kind of music really there are good and bad variations. But indeed we both really enjoy listening to classic thrash bands, even if we have varying tastes within the huge umbrella that is thrash itself.
Charles: I was high as well.
AM: How long have the two of you known each other? Does Cynthia live near your place?
Charles: Cynthia and I have known each other for about two years in terms of a speaking basis. She lives reasonably close to my place, so its not much of a hassle just to take the bus and kick out the jams. I'll be moving closer to her home in a few months so it should be even easier!
AM: I won't make any bones about the name you chose for the project (it sounds better suited to grindcore, you see), but what did you want to accomplish with Aortic Regurgitation?
Charles: I've heard that comment before. Personally, I don't see why a thrash band can't have a gory and violent name. Before forming the band, Cynthia and I realized that Hong Kong had, to our knowledge, zero thrash bands. So we decided to form one. As far as I'm concerned, we are the first Hong Kong thrash band to record and release something since the mighty Azylum back in the early 90s.
Other things we want to accomplish - we obviously want people to hear it and give us awesome reviews and help build up the tiny tiny metal "scene" in our place origin!
Cynthia: Perhaps similar to how a lot of bands are started in the first place, I would have liked AR to channel whatever energy or creativity (which doesn't necessarily come easily) into a coherent musical form that can be shared with others who enjoy listening to a similar type of music. The fact that Hong Kong has not many thrash bands at all also motivated us to further metal music, this type in particular, with hopes for thrash metal to a reach a wider audience, especially in Hong Kong.
AM: You guys go to a studio this time or did you stick to home recording? Give me an honest assessment of the finished product. Listening to it now, is there anything you'd want to change?
Charles: We stuck to home recording. It was just a lot more convenient and we had all the necessary gear to do so anyways, so it made sense to not use a studio. There are certainly some things I'd like to change, in particular the fourth track, 'Alien Worlds'. We're going to rework it to make it more interesting! Guaran-damn-teed.
Cynthia: With the Pod XT as well it was much more flexible to do a home recording, which meant the ability to record virtually whenever there was any free time without the pressure of studio time or financial constraints. With the final product I do think there are areas in which we can look over to make things more refreshing as Charles has already mentioned with 'Alien Worlds' in particular. Outside of songwriting there are also little nitpicky things that I would like to rethink, such as those of the vocals department, as I feel that they can be improved both sound-quality-wise and the overall projection and tone of the vocals - ultimately, practice is what it takes.
AM: When you and Cynthia are collaborating on a song, how do the two of you make sure the ideas don't clash?
Charles: It's not a problem we often face. To be honest, we work quite well together. We are able to feed off each others ideas and riffs without the need to sit down and create some kind of compromise. I guess both of us have a good enough mutual understanding as to how our music should sound.
Cynthia: Because our music tastes aren't exactly similar, we sometimes tend to bring different ideas and riffs to the table and experiment with them until something usually clicks before we further spend more time looking at that segment in detail. I think we both are able to fill in for one another quite nicely and musically compensate or step in where the other might fall short, whatever that might be.
AM: When it comes to writing original music, what is the biggest headache for you? What keeps you motivated to keep at it?
When I'm stuck in a rut, I motivate myself mainly by thinking about what I want the band to become, and how I can get there (AWESOME RIFFS). I also think its important to have heroes that you want to emulate in terms of their dedication to their craft; some of my heroes would be Tom Warrior of Celtic Frost / Triptykon and John Myung of Dream Theater.
Cynthia: Similarly I think the biggest headache is writing a riff without sounding too much like one from our precedents. My motivation comes from verbally abusing Charles until he gets motivated to come up with something good and original.
Charles: Bitch! I quit!
AM: Let's rewind a bit. This isn't your first time to record. How did you learn the ropes of recording?
DB: Charles: Initially through experience. Trial and error. I also took Music Technology during the first year of my A level studies, so that helped out quite a bit. But I'm still learning the ropes of recording, I'm just a novice really. All that Saedus shit? An experiment!
AM: Any new software or gear your using for Aortic Regurgitation?
Charles: Definitely. For recording the instruments I moved on from Ableton to Reaper as I found it more suitable for our purposes (although I did demo quite a few ideas in Ableton, and also used it to mix the bass and program/mix drums). Acoustic Beatcraft was replaced with the vastly superior EZ Drummer. Neither of us had good enough microphones for the instruments, so everything from that department was recorded line-in. Cynthia had a Line 6 Pod Live XT at her place so we used that for the guitars. I used a recently purchased Line 6 Toneport UX2 to record all the bass.
AM: Who has given the EP the two of you just released the best reception so far?
Charles: I think Jon Norberg / orionmetalhead of WP 88.7 Radio has given us the best feedback so far. He played it on his show and obviously we were thrilled. He had some very nice things to say about it on air. It made my day! He also wrote a sweet review which can be found on his blog at contaminatedtones.blogspot.com and of course our Metal Archives page.
AM: How many copies are available? Where can interested copies purchase one?
Charles: I think we have about 30 copies left in total? People in Hong Kong can grab a copy from Trinity Records HK. Otherwise, you can order from us - just give us a message on our myspace. It costs three bucks American dollars which includes postage and package.
AM: Are there plans to release an album in the future?
Charles: Absolutely. There's no time frame for that and we still need to write a lot more songs, but I know there'll be one in the future. Watch this space!
Cynthia: I find it a bit unfortunate that because of our schedules with university and each of us being based in two completely different countries, it is difficult to pinpoint when we can continue a follow-up to our current release, but it's only a matter of time.
AM: How's Saedus Darknight, by the way? Will you ever return to black metal?
Charles: During the recording of the 'Aortic Regurgitation' EP, I also formed a three-piece black metal band called Aum. I handled bass and guitars as well. We wrote five songs, all of it is recorded and 95% mixed and will be released very soon. Personally I think our music is sounding great and I can't wait for others to hear it! I'd like to apologize MASSIVELY to my fellow Aum band-mates for delaying the mix of the EP due to the mountain of coursework I've just completed. I thank you for your continued patience! You will hear it very soon, I guarantee!
Both of these projects meant that I had to put Saedus on ice. Back in 2008, when 'Empty' (first album) was complete I was planning to release something in 2010. Well now its 2010 and although I have six or seven songs demoed, I don't think we'll be seeing anything soon for the time being because Aortic and Aum are my main bands now and they take priority.
AM: With a growing discography under your belt, are you finding yourself more and more enamored with a music career than ever before? Please share some of your future plans with us.
Charles: My degree is not related to music and I don't really have plans to make a living off playing music. I just like writing music that I enjoy and hopefully others enjoy too. Nah, actually, scratch that. A music career would be awesome. Maybe some day!
AM: You might as well give an update on the Hong Kong scene. Last time we spoke was 2008. How have things changed since then?
Charles: Hong Kong doesn't really have a metal scene... It mainly consists of a loose collection of various bands, excellent bands who only play shows on occasion to venues that are usually only half full. After a surge in late 2008/2009 I think it's more or less stagnant at the moment. Not many shows, very few releases, and no zines.
Despite this, there are some bands that are working behind the scenes in writing and recording music that I think will provide a solid foundation for our metal future. These are Thornslaughter, Elysium, Evocation (who already have one full-length out), Adversary, and Orthon. And of course, there's Hyponic, whom many people outside Hong Kong know. Hopefully, if Aortic Regurgitation gets enough recognition it'll help the scene out too!
AM: You still go out and watch shows? Go to a club and dance, perhaps?
Charles: I will go out to a club and attempt to dance if I'm with my close friends and drunk enough. I went to a club last Tuesday and ended up getting behind the bar whilst in a drunken stupor.
Cynthia: I try to watch as many metal shows as I can but there are not many in Bath, the city of my University!
AM: Which albums are rocking your world at the moment? Personally, I'm finding the new Orphaned Land unbearable. The Swedish band Syn:Drom have a great debut going, though.
Charles: I've been listening quite a bit to the new Vektor. There's definitely something different about this band and their approach to thrash. I'm still sinking my teeth into the music but I think there are some absolutely brilliant moments. I'm also absolutely digging the Begrime Exemious debut album 'Impending Funeral of Man', just released on Dark Descent Records. Absolutely evil!!
Cynthia: I'm a bit of a sucker for some (but not all) types of metal with symphonic elements to it, so I'd be happy listening to anything from albums like Eternal Tears of Sorrow's 'Before the Bleeding Sun', to heavier, symphonic-free material like Vader's albums. Currently I'm also really digging Kreator's 'Hordes of Chaos'. Good thrash, enough said!
AM: Who are some of the artists or role models that inspire you to succeed? Are there any who you continue learning from to this day?
Charles: John Myung, Tom Warrior, andGeorge Carlin. I love learning from these great artists, their way of thinking, the way they construct riffs and their dedication. I guess I try to learn or seek inspiration from any musician that interests me today - there are too many!
Cynthia: Marty Friedman (ex-Megadeth) is always an inspiration to me not only because of his sophisticated guitar playing but also, on a more personal level, his mentor-like attitude towards aspiring guitar players. I had the very fortunate occasion of exchanging a word or two with him once at a guitar clinic and I had wanted to learn from him and other similar guitar giants since.
AM: My mind is a whirlpool of violent fantasies, sexual urges, emotions, and endless curiosity for the world around me. I feel like I want to embrace all humanity, but not out of love, but for understanding. I want to know. What's it like inside your head?
Charles: 404 error. Brain not found. Cynthia, help me out here? Okay, Cynthia is not replying. What's it like inside my head? Its a mixture of 4chan, George Carlin, and Satan.
Cynthia: At times it's like Mustaine's war inside his head - if it won't take a day off, I'll be dead.
AM: Alright, we gotta wrap. Thanks for the time. You ever travel to the mainland? I'd really like to visit southern China one of these days. Are you hearing from the metalheads north from where you are?
Cynthia: I'd say metal is a bit more alive up north than down here in Hong Kong. All the more reason to visit and liven things up around here!
Charles:You should come down to Hong Kong! I'd gladly buy you a beer or several. I owe it to you for this severely delayed interview!
Interviewed by Migual Miranda.
05/10/2010 15:20