Southern California’s ATTACKHEAD  is ready to unleash havoc on their upcoming “Southwest Civil Unrest tour”. Singer and Lead Guitarist Mark Chapman reveals the tour details, band history and more on their devotion to keeping the spirit of old-school thrash metal alive and kicking.

Beyond the Dark Horizon: Mark, for those who haven’t heard of you yet, please describe the music that Attackhead creates.

Mark Chapman: Attackhead plays old school thrash metal in the vein of Slayer, Testament, Megadeth, early Metallica etc.

Attackhead started in 2002, however your first full release was not until 2008. What filled the void for you guys those years in-between?

Mark Chapman:  Actually our first release was in 2004 titled “Destruction and Pain” this release was a 3 song demo with a female singer. This lineup didn’t last long and like most bands we went through a lot of personnel changes over the years. About 6 years ago I grew tired of dealing with singers so I decided to take on the task myself. Once we secured a good lineup we were able to get serious and start moving forward which brought us to the 2008 release.

How has the CD “Voices in the Dark-Second Attack” been received so far since being re-released in 2011?

Mark Chapman:  Very well. We get good feedback from fans and radio stations. The CD could always be better but as this was a re-do of our 2008 release with a couple new songs we are happy with the results.

The album has such an organic flow, there is definitely that “old school” vibe present. Who are your musical influences? How  did the album come together?

Mark Chapman:  Our musical influences are Slayer, Testament, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Children of Bodom, Black Label Society, Judas Priest, Death Angel etc.

I wrote all the songs for the album and brought them to the band. We worked on them together and transformed them into the finished product. Everyone writes their own parts and we keep tweaking them until we are happy.

Attackhead will start a tour this April 13th. Can you tell us more about the “Southwest Civil Unrest” tour?

Mark Chapman:  The Southwest Civil Unrest tour is the second part of the Civil Unrest tour. We started with the Northwest Civil Unrest tour in Sept 2011. The NW tour went through Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah and Nevada. Both tours were managed by Cherie from Echo Eyes tour management. We put on the tour ourselves and our sponsors helped out with promo and supplies.

Will this be the first time playing in these areas? What can we expect from an Attackhead show?

Mark Chapman:  Yes and no. We have played in Arizona before but not in Tempe or Flagstaff. We have also played Vegas many times but the rest of the cities are new territory for us. We are looking forward to meeting new people in new cities.

An Attackhead show is powerful and exciting. We strive to perform the songs just like the CD and like to include the audience in the experience. A mosh pit usually forms and everyone has a great time.

Tell us a little more about your label “Twisted Hillbilly Records”.

Mark Chapman:  TH records is an indie label out of Knoxville, TN. They are fairly new to the scene but are great people who care about their artists.

As a front man, you also spoke at a local middle school! How did this come about and what was the reaction?

Mark Chapman:  I have done several classroom presentations and have more in the future. I got involved with the schools through social media. I noticed that Everybody Deserves Music was following us on Twitter and I researched what the program was all about. I then reached out to them and told them my background. They liked what they heard and invited me to speak to a middle school class. The presentation is two-fold with the first part being about growing up playing the guitar to my entering a career in law enforcement and then back to doing music full time. The kids are really attentive and enjoy asking questions about both fields.

Attackhead supports “Fallen Blue” please update us on what the cause is about.

Mark Chapman:  Fallen Blue was created in 2010 as a means to provide support, both emotional and financial, for the families of police officers who are killed outside the line of duty (i.e. car accidents, suicide), provided that at the time of their death they were not involved in a criminal activity.

We also support the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, The Wounded Warrior Project and the Melanoma Research Foundation.

Who are Attackhead endorsed by?

Mark Chapman:  Jim Dunlop, Electro Voice, Coffin Case, SKB flight cases, TRX cymbals, Spear guitars, Meteoro Amps, Spider Energy drink, Tsunami Cables and Rock and Roll Gangstar Apparell.

You have been supportive of our troops and their families, getting recognized by second lady of the U.S Dr. Jill Biden. This has to be a great highlight in your career. Will Attackhead be playing overseas for our troops any time soon?

Mark Chapman:  Probably not for the troops. Metal is not something the USO is big into booking. Even though the troops love it and go crazy. We have played a lot of military shows but we always played to the enlisted troops and usually at an E-club(on base venue). There is a tremendous amount of red tape involved as well. We would love to be able to do a USO tour but I don’t think it will ever happen.

Were you ever in the military?

Mark Chapman:  The answer in no. I was a police officer for 17 years and medically retired in 2006 following a shooting which I earned the Medal of Courage. I retired as a Sergeant and during my career I worked undercover narcotics for 5 years and was a SWAT team leader for 10 years. Now I do music full time and like it a lot more. But I still have a love and respect for our police officers and military members. There is a brotherhood that most people never experience.

What do you think of the thrash scene now a days compared to early 1990′s?

Mark Chapman:  I think the scene started to disappear in the early 90’s. I think the hey day of thrash was in the early to mid 80’s. I played in thrash bands in the mid 80’s and it was amazing. Today I think the lines are very blurred about what thrash is. There are some great thrash bands out there but sometimes bands get labeled thrash when they really are not. Now that does not mean they are not a good band I just think the definition has changed over the years and thrash today is different from thrash in the 80’s.

Is Attackhead currently working on new music for your next album?

Mark Chapman:  Yes we have about 8 songs written but we have not started working on them as a group yet. We are focusing on touring at the moment. We are working on touring in Mexico later this year and we are headed to New York in August to perform live on a terrestrial radio station. I figure a new album will be a 2013 priority.

Where can fans purchase your merch at?

Mark Chapman:  You can find all our merch online at www.attackhead.com.  You can download the album or individual songs on our site as well as find t-shirts, beanies, shot glasses, patches, CD’s, Vinyl and bandanas. Obviously you can also go to iTunes to download the CD as well.

We look forward to seeing you on the road. Last words…

Mark Chapman:  Thank you for taking the time to interview us. We really appreciate all the support and never take it for granted. Thanks to Beyond the Dark Horizon for putting the show together in San Antonio. We look forward to a great night of metal.

http://www.attackhead.com/
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Southwest Civil Unrest Tour dates:
April 13 – Big Fish Pub, Tempe, AZ.
April 14 – Bombardiers Nightclub, El Paso, TX.
April 15 – Dirty Dog Bar, Austin, TX.
April 16 – Nightrocker Live, San Antonio, TX.
April 17 – Ole Memorial Lounge, Tulsa, OK
April 19 – Old Curtis St. Bar, Denver, CO.
April 20 – Hooligans, Albuquerque, NM.
April 21 – Club 111, Flagstaff, AZ
April 22 – Cheyenne Saloon, Las Vegas, NV