Tim: We’ve been friends for a long time. We had met when my last band Project: Failing Flesh was first starting and David was writing for a metal webzine. We stayed in touch and planned to play music together if things ever worked out right. This came together pretty quickly I think the first stuff was written mid 2012 and we had it recorded and out by very beginning of 2013. 

Tim: I had written the first With Burning Contempt songs and realized they could be cool for a new band so I played them for David and he was into doing it. The sound was just supposed to be simple and ugly… a nod to what we grew up on. As for other members it was kind of the plan to keep it minimal. In fact, that was the deciding factor in me doing vocals as well. In many years of playing in bands this is the first one I officially do vocals in.

Tim: That was the only name considered. It sounded cool and fit with vibe and attitude of the songs. 

Tim: I’m in Northern Virginia and the scene is pretty decent compared to what is probably around most of the USA. There are plenty of shows within driving distance and some cool bands. My friend even runs a brick and mortar record store in our area that is mainly metal focused. 

David: I’m in Nashville Tennessee. Our scene is kind of tiny but we get some good acts coming through here. The scene up where Tim is, is really where I think the heart of metal resides in the US.

David: Voivod definitely up there at the top, Slayer, Bolt Thrower, Entombed, Khold, Project: Failing Flesh, Katatonia etc etc……I mean really Tim and I both dig a lot of the same stuff metal-wise but we also enjoy any good music be it metal or girl pop hahaha! 

Tim: Celtic Frost/Hellhammer, Venom, Piggy-era Voivod, Godflesh, Motorhead, Bolt Thrower, Entombed, older Swans. To name just a few.    

Tim: No, not really but who knows maybe we’ll mess with something in the future. 

David: I want to cover Blake Shelton’s "Boys Round Here”. Be nothing funnier than to hear Tim scream "Chew Tobacco, Chew Tobacco,Spit!” hahahaha!

David: This whole thing was Tim’s idea. We had always wanted to work on something together since we first met but distance; money, waiting on other people to get their shit together and, back then, technology all kind of put a damper on things. Add to that the bullshit life throws in the way and it was just difficult to pull off. In fact it was out of that frustration that WBC really was born I think. Tim is very driven to get shit done and you get to the point where depending on other people to get their crap together just gets old so you take matters into your own hands and if it doesn’t get done you’ve no one to blame but yourself. Plus it seems inspiration has a shelf life and dragging things out just ends up killing your drive sometimes. 

Tim and I both had really just gotten to the point where the stuff that was driving us was simpler, primal metal like Celtic Frost and so on. Nothing wrong with technical metal and stuff like that but less is definitely more in my opinion and this stuff is born out of our roots and is really a great vehicle to spit out some venom. We both have many reasons to be pissed about life and you’ve heard it a million times but it is truly cathartic to be able to express some of that anger through this music. Doesn’t hurt its fun as hell to play too!!!  

David: It couldn’t have been better. I went in there prepared and had my shit down. I never go into a studio halfcocked. I knew my parts and we improvised here and there on some shit…Tim knew exactly what he wanted and the whole collaboration was perfect. 

David: Overall we have gotten very good reviews. Honestly more than I expected because we don’t have a label behind us or anything so it’s been surprisingly good! A highlight was when drummer Ed Warby of Hail of Bullets, 13th Hour, Arjen Lucassen and Gorefest fame gave us his praises. He’s a Facebook ‘friend’ and I’ve talked with him on there for quite a while and when we got the EP done I asked all my Facebook friends to listen to it and Ed was digging it hard. We sent him a few CD’s and he has been supporting us since then. To get that kind of praise from someone Tim and I both respect was phenomenal. So yeah I think we’re both very happy about the press it’s gotten.

Tim: We just wanted to get tunes recorded. It seems to take so long to get a full length properly recorded. Well at least with our situations it does. So EP seemed the way to go. Next one will be an EP as well. Of late have enjoyed doing a chunk of 4 or 5 songs at time more so than 10 to 12 that would make up a full length. 

David: I think it’s actually kind of evened out and is pretty healthy now so to speak. For a while it seemed like there was nothing but the metal-core crap dominating and I just tuned out of the scene especially the stuff coming out of the US. The Swedes and other European countries were, and are, always so innovative and forward thinking and I have always kept up with that scene and those bands and if I could, I’d love to move to a European country and make metal for a living. It’s so much more accepted over there and bands like Enslaved, to name just one, actually make a good living…at least a better living than unknown metal bands here in the states do. The new Satyricon is amazing!! To answer your question more directly…yeah I try and keep up with everything and have always been very selective about what I listen to.

Tim: No, it’s not really original but that wasn’t really the point. The only goal was to do some fun to play songs. The influences are glaring and that’s ok. Over the past few years I’m of the opinion that originality is something that is for the most part paid lip service to these days anyhow. Listening to an insane amount of heavy music since the early 80’s I seldom hear anything I consider very original. Even the so called original bands I can easily pick out the influences. And I read and hear other people talk about original this and original that but the stuff that is gravitated toward even by these people is usually stuff that is familiar. There are basically only songs you like and songs you don’t. 

Tim: We’ve only sent it around to friends and zines. Not too concerned with labels. With postage costs it just seems like wasted money and cds. Also in the past I’ve been in bands on labels and it it’s kind of a pain in the dick. So WBC will most likely stay DIY and on whatever underground scale is comfortable/feasible for us to do "in house.” 

David: Man you can’t judge what will happen in the future…I’m certainly open to it and if we do maybe it will happen after the next EP. We will have enough songs at that point to justify doing a gig but some other things would have to fall in place too, but for me at least, the idea is very appealing!

Tim: The best show I ever saw was Sanford and Son. Still love it to this day hahaha. 

David: Hmmmm that’s very subjective but for me no matter what style or kind of music you listen to I am always wanting to hear a catchy hook. Something that makes it memorable, If you can hum it in your head after hearing it a couple times you’ve probably gotten something right. Also if it connects emotionally and causes a reaction inside, makes you think and feel something, then you’ve probably made a good song. 

David: It would probably be Voivod, Katatonia, Enslaved, Entombed and Hail of Bullets. Why? Well…fuck it’s obvious if know those bands at all  hahaha!

Your thoughts on: 

David: Yeah I don’t even know there is an ‘underground’ scene anymore for metal. The word seems synonymous with simply being unknown now. That being said if I like a band I like a band…don’t give a shit if their on tour with Ozzy or slumming it with local bands in shitty clubs. The internet I think kind of brought everything over ground so to speak. Like Tim said about the myth of originality earlier, it used to be in metal’s infancy stages that an underground scene existed…Tampa, San Fran, Stockholm, and parts of Germany and London…all places where new styles were being invented and there existed an underground. Now everything is inbred and every single town has some sort of scene that usually mirrors the bigger scenes in other cities. Like Tim says though…if there is one it’s way overcrowded but if you have the time to weed through the crap you can find some really good bands doing incredible things.

Tim: What it’s all about. Very overcrowded now but still plenty of great stuff out there. Crazy to watch how things change over the years.

David: I like how Khold did theirs. They made it their own and took out the clownish element of it. I don’t hang posters on my wall to piss off my parents anymore so I could give a shit if a band wants to play dress up or not…as long as the music kills I couldn’t care less if they wear tampons on their heads.

Tim: I grew up on KISS in the late 70’s so I just see it paralleling that to some extent. I see a lot of humor in it these days. It doesn’t bother me. 

David: If you mean the screaming shit like Killswitch and those guys do? Fucking hate it!!

Tim: Not my thing. 

David: Prefer male but you get the odd female singer who kicks serious ass…the chick from Battlelore for example. Makes me wish my dick was a microphone!

Tim: Just like male vox… some are cool, some are not. 

David: The four corners of music man. Just look at what has been done with just those four things over the last 70 years…fucking astounding!!

Tim: Classic instrumentation. 

Tim: Anyone interested can find more info at these couple pages-

Tim: Hopefully to get a new release out there and keep writing and recording future songs.

David: Thank you so much Chris for letting us bend your ear. Thanks to Tim for not giving up…it is a privilege to work with such a talented man! Thanks to all those folks who have listened to it…please share it with your friends! Horns Up you fucks!!! \m/WBC\m/

Tim: Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this. Thanks a lot Chris! Very cool of you to do this with us. All the best with Metalcore man. Know you’ve been at it a long time…. Keep it up!!! 

Interview by Chris Forbes

Answers by Tim Gutierrez and David Atkinson