Mathew Lynch
The band Pissing Razors is the biggest name in metal in El Paso, Texas, but their name is known much further than the Lone Star State. The band was formed in 1996 and three of the founding members are in the current line up. Eddy Garcia on drums, Mathew Lynch on guitar and Joe Rodriguez on vocals. No one has come close to creating a sound anything similar to Pissing Razor, and they likely never will. The band has this brand of music they refer to as “Psycho Punko Groove Metal” and that really is the perfect name for it. They can’t fit into a genre because the music they make is always evolving and has completely different influences from track to track. Even though they can’t be pigeon holed into a genre they have still managed to create this signature sound they call their own. Often you would hear the band heralded as the closest thing to Pantera or that the two bands sound very similar. Those are some very big shoes to fill, but the band has ran with it and managed to be some of the most humble musicians I’ve had the chance to meet. When I seen them in Nashville, Tennessee on the Revolution Tour in 2004 and each member took the time to speak to every fan there. The band has been on a hiatus since 2004 and have just reformed in the last year. We are very pleased to know they are back and spreading their infectious groove to the masses from stages all over the country. Can’t wait to see them live again, it’s been far too long.
We were lucky enough to speak to Mathew Lynch about the past, present and future of the band.
Metal Nexus: You guys recently reformed the band, what inspired you guys to get back together?
Mat Lynch: Aligning personal schedules has played a big part in our ability to push forward with PISSING RAZORS. Eddy, Joe and myself (Mat) have discussed the possibilities of regrouping throughout the last 3 years or so and now everyones flexibility seems to allow us to do-so once again. Maybe more important than scheduling, the 3 of us felt we still have a lot to offer our fan-base and this time gives us the chance to build on our foundation and strengthen our legacy in aggressive, groove-based music. Its also a great opportunity to connect with those who are relatively unfamiliar with our style and history.*
Metal Nexus: Are you currently working on a new album? If so who is producing it and is there a working title?
Mat Lynch: Our plans are to release new music at some point within the next year if budgets and details all line up properly. No decision yet if a full length, EP or series of EP’s follows. Joe and I have worked constantly this past 8 months or so on new material together demoing ideas and arrangements as has Eddy at each of our home-studio’s. As for producers, we have all discussed the many great ones out there but the one name that is recurring is Andy Sneap. His work on our debut self-titled release as well as the follow up sophomore release, ‘Cast Down The Plague’, stream-lined our sound and focused our aggression, attack and groove in all the right places to make them both technically and sonically sound efforts. We’d like to return to that premise if possible. No working titles yet though…*
Metal Nexus: You are one of the most well known bands from El Paso, Texas how is the music scene there currently? Any local bands that have impressed you?
Mat Lynch: The scene in general in El Paso is a strong and positive one and theres a lot of respect amongst musicians in our town. There are many aspiring bands of all styles and tastes here that do incredibly well to self-promote and the turn-out in support is usually significant for both locals and nationals here as well. TRIUMPH OVER SHIPWRECK is probably the hardest working band from El Paso. They are a mix of grind, crust and tech and tour the DIY circuit constantly with no label support or backing so I really respect that because thats how PISSING RAZORS garnered a loyal following. One mile, town and fan at a time over the years. Others I really enjoy are THE RECOVERY MISSION(Prog), SPAZMIC(Grind) and JOHOBO WITNESS which is our new bass player Geo Gomez’ rock trio with my brother Danny on the drums.
Metal Nexus: In the past I’ve always heard people compare you to Pantera. How do you feel about the comparison?
Mat Lynch: Yes, PISSING RAZORS on many occasions are stylistically mentioned with the Mighty PANTERA. Both bands are very musically aggressive and focus on a lot of attack within the songs- not to mention our Texas affiliation. But personally, I think the number one common denominator between PANTERA and PISSING RAZORS is the ‘Groove’ element both bands create which is relatively limited elsewhere in heavy music hence the comparison’s between us and them. Our music relies on the beat and rhythmic elements that melt into grooves versus technicality. We are proud to be mentioned with PANTERA who have cemented an incredible legacy not only in heavy music, but all music… They are still known worldwide and for good reason and we are proud to call them friends.*
Metal Nexus: I was lucky enough to see you guys on the Revolution Tour in Nashville, Tennessee over 10 years ago. One of the best live shows I’ve seen, do you look forward to touring? Any tour plans coming up?
Mat Lynch: Thank you for that. We are discussing our tour options and the response to the group reactivating has been pretty overwhelming. So far, we are doing small 2-4 day runs of regional dates and by the time January of 2016 hits, we are hoping to extend our tour-runs as well as destination points. As much of the stateside US, UK, Europe and South America as possible. *
Metal Nexus: The band has been inactive for a period of time. Do you think your time away from the band will have any effect on your new and upcoming music?
Mat Lynch: Although we’re somewhat older now(and hopefully a bit wiser), I feel we still have the same integrity and ability towards tapping into and honoring our punk/metal roots. Our first couple of shows back made that abundantly clear. We are and always will be an underground band that focuses on a loud, aggressive and intense brand of music and there will always be some people who will not get what we do which is perfectly okay. But, the ones who do and always have gotten what we do, those are the ones we push forward for and we will do our best to continue that tradition of integrity, aggression and groove without bending… The name of the group is PISSING RAZORS so the underground is where we’ll likely stay.
Make sure to follow the band on Facebook, Reverb and on Twitter.
Here is one of my favorite tracks “Dodging Bullets” from the self titled release in 1998.
