CaliAlive.com

CALIALIVE.COM: First off, thanks for doing this interview. we know its such a hassle to actually have to login to your myspace and check your messages. Tell us a little about This Is Hell and how you came to be.

Not a problem dude thank you for the interview, umm we've been playing for a little over a year, just pretty much touring non stop, we releases a 4 song demo, and a 6 song ep, and are currently writing a LP that will be coming out may 16th on trustkill records.

CALIALIVE.COM: I recently saw you guys on tour with Modern Life Is War when you came out to Showcase Theatre in Corona, CA. They (mliw) are one of my favorite bands right now, and honestly i was just there to see them. I had never heard you guys, but i was thoroughly impressed by your live performance. After getting your cd, i realized how much i've been missing out. How was your tour with MLIW and the rest of the bands? Did you guys hit any problems or have any adventures?

yeah it was amazing touring with MLIW and the 3 other bands, it was such a good time because i personally like every band we were on tour with..... the only problem we really ran into was a lot of bad weather, a lot of icy roads, we had to cancel our show in seattle cause the shows were so bad, the corona show was honestly the best show of tour, great turnout.

CALIALIVE.COM: Yeah there were a decent amount of kids there, being a week day. hopefully next time you guys roll around it will be on the weekend. As far as playing live, do you have any song favorites?

Can't complain there was a ton of kids there, i guess on a weekend would have been out of control.... as far as favorite songs to play live my personal favorite is moving targets, its a fun song to play and it's a fuck you to everyone who doubted us and thought we wouldn't take this band anywhere. 

CALIALIVE.COM: How was your experience with State Of Mind Records? I've done some work with them in the past, and they seem like cool guys. You were pretty succesful with your last EP, was being with State Of Mind a good stepping stone for you guys?

it def served as a good stepping stone, it was just frustrating because they basically have zero distrobution and for a band like us that tours and tours, it kills us because kids can never get our CD anywhere but from us on tour or from a website.... so certain aspects were shitty but they are cool dudes and hopefully they will be able to get their shit together to the point where they can the label full time and make it work.

CALIALIVE.COM: Tell us about your relationship with Daryl from Glassjaw. He did a guest appearance on your 108 cover off your EP. I've always loved everything Glassjaw put out and was glad to hear Darryl on your cd.

I've known daryl for a while now just from shows and stuff, so when we were going into the studio i called him up and asked him if he wanted to sing on a song and he was stoked, so it worked out that head automatica was home and he was able to come in and do the part, and i think he did a great job, i think we might actually have him come back in and doa part on our LP as well.... we'll see if he's around.

CALIALIVE.COM: About your LP. You guys just signed to Trustkill Records. A big congratulations. Now i must ask. How did this happen? It seems like a big jump from SOM to trustkill. have they been looking into you for awhile? have you been looking into them?

Thank you very much, umm like i said we just tour haha, we played like over 200 shows last year and i mean when you are out that much it catches peoples attention.... so trustkill got in touch with us and then came down to check us out at a show, then we were going back and forth sorting stuff out for a few months and we finally signed the last of the most precious blood tour. 

CALIALIVE.COM: Alot of people look at you guys and look at Trustkill and wonder...are they still gonna be the same This Is Hell we have come to love? As far as writing & recording, are you guys going to do anything different? Any ideas for the album name in the works?

No album title as of yet..... as far as what the record is going to sound like, a lot of people seem to think when a band signs to a label, the label makes them change their sound and so on, this couldn't be anymore false.... for us especially, we've had our record written before we even signed, so regardless of what label it was coming out on it's going to sound like what we wrote, it's not a huge jump from the EP, but the songs are better i think, a lot more structure, pretty heavy, pretty fast..... it will be awesome, i can't wait for everyone to hear it.... people are going to hate regardless what you do, so we aren't sweating it.

CALIALIVE.COM: Do you have any tours lined up after the record comes out? if so, can you leak any information on who its gonna be with and where?

There is some stuff in the works the only stuff i can say for sure now is that we will be doing a weekend with The Warriors & Blacklisted right after we get out of the studio in march, then right after that we will be doing 2 weeks with Comeback kid, Ignite, and First Blood..... but after that stuff we don't have anything solid, just some hopes and ideas.... i'd assume we will be out to the west again in either may or the latest june.

CALIALIVE.COM: Like your previous release and the awesome 108 cover, are you guys planning on covering anything for the next release?

I think we will probably record a cover or two for b-sides and shit like that, not sure yet though.

CALIALIVE.COM: While you were growing up and now...what bands were/are some of your main influences?

Me personally when i was growing up, seeing bands on long island is what made me want to be in a band..... bands like VOD, silent majority, glassjaw, the movielife, etc..... a couple of the other dudes are older and they grew up listening to metallica, megadeth, anthrax, and stuff like that.

CALIALIVE.COM: As far as the current hardcore scene goes...what band or bands are you currently impressed with the most as far as originality and success and dedication?

Modern Life Is War is the band that impresses me more and more everytime i see them, umm i really like that ceremony 7 inch alot, but i haven't seen them live yet so i can't totally comment.

CALIALIVE.COM: Shit, i forgot to ask you to introduce yourself and the band hahaha...

haha, i'm travis and i sing for this is hell...... joe and rick play guitar, dan plays drums and jeff plays bass.

CALIALIVE.COM: Thanks for the interview and good luck on your album.

Thanks alot man, i appreciate the interview.

Links:
This Is Hell
Trustkill Records
State Of Mind Recordings

photos: found them on this is hell's myspace. if they belong to you email me for credit/permission.