Chris Reifert Opens Up A Violation Wound

Living extreme music legend Chris Reifert is set to unleash a brand new band christened Violation Wound upon the world and Decibel has both the exclusive scoop as well as streams of two tracks from the upcoming album. So without further ado…

So talk to me a little bit about origins — how long has Violation Wound been percolating?

We first got together around beginning of June this year. I had mentioned the idea of a pure punk band to my friend Joe Orterry, who used to play bass in Fog of War and he said he was into it. At first I was going to play drums as usual, but after thinking about it decided to switch over to guitar. We hit up Matt O’Connell, who is the current Fog of War drummer to see if he would like to go for it and after giving him the rundown of what it would be about, he said yeah. It all fell right into place and next thing you know the volume is up and we’re stockpiling songs as well as empty beer and whiskey bottles!

I love the primal, kinetic vibe on the couple short blast songs I’ve heard.

Yeah, the whole point was to play short but kick ass and memorable songs. Get in….make the point….get out, ya know? The sonic mission was definitely thought out and planned ahead of time.

Did the final product resemble those early expectations?

It sounded exactly like I hoped it would, to be honest. We had a lot of fun and the vibe was really cool. No stress, no pressure, just kickin’ out the jams in the basement in the brutal summer heat.

There is a real, unmistakable punk edge to this material — it’s obviously a different animal, but I’m curious if maybe a few years removed you found yourself missing that aspect of Abscess?

I don’t know, it just seemed like a cool idea. Ha! Nothing to do with Abscess or anything…I just had this idea crawl into my brain and I figured what the hell, let’s go for it!

Can you maybe share some of the influences you draw on for this type of stuff?

For the writing part, I wasn’t trying to emulate any other bands…I just wanted to crank out some killer punk rockin’ ass kickery. None of that “for fans of…” junk.I have to admit though, I really love the sound of early 80’s punk/HC stuff, so that vibe is injected in there. Not really specific bands though, since there are so many different approaches that so many bands took. I figured we could capture the essence of that era, while doing it our own individual way and make it something that sounds good today. Especially considering all the really wimpy stuff that passes for punk nowadays. Haircuts and image seem more important than the actual music in many cases…fuck that!

How did the moniker VIOLATION WOUND come about?

It just popped into my head one day. It sounds uncomfortable and painful, eh? It can mean several things, all of which would probably be considered awful in one way or another. Heh Heh… It’s a pretty striking name I think and best of all, no one else was using it. I had a few other ideas at first and I thought there was no way they could be taken, but sure enough…a bit of research proved me wrong. Ha! I really like the name and it just fits. It’s one of those things where I can’t imagine it any other way now.

Is there any particular overarching theme or aesthetic you’re pursuing lyrically? How important is it for you — if at all — to keep the vibe separate from Autopsy?

Lyrically, it’s pretty much stuff that pisses me off. Little things, big things, daily things, big picture things, even a semi-autobiographical song or two. No politics or anything like that though. Gotta stick with what feels honest. Maybe it’s a survival guide for external and internal insanity? Autopsy is it’s own entity as is this so yeah, they are separate creatures indeed.

Are you enjoying playing the guitar/vocalist role in this band?

Yeah, for sure! I love playing guitar. I’ve been playing it for 30 years or so but I still play it like a damn Neanderthal. Ha! Joe and Matt are a fucking great rhythm unit and that only makes me want to play harder and crazier. I try to play as tight as I can of course, but there’s a great energy with this music and if there’s some loose edges, that’s ok. If you listen to our stuff and want to throw bricks through windows, that’s much more exciting than watching someone show how fast they can play scales or blast beats or some shit like that.

What’s the future for Violation Wound looking like?

Actually we recorded an album already and we’re closing in on a deal for it. It’s 18 songs in about 26 minutes, so you know there’s no fucking around. They’re real songs though, not just noise for the sake of it…this is lots of fun for us, but it’s certainly no joke either….we poured our fucking guts into it! I’ve always valued good songwriting and this is no exception. We had a kick ass time recording and even got Danny and Eric from Autopsy to come down to throw down a couple of solos…good times! But as with Autopsy, any sort of proper touring just isn’t possible. The main plan right now is to get the album out there and into your ears. Beyond that, who knows?

Finally — and you know we’ve got to ask — 2013 was another ridiculously triumphant year for the resurrected Autopsy. Are you guys still having a good time doing it? Has the response to the reunion been gratifying? And how, exactly, do you plan on following-up a monster DM behemoth like The Headless Ritual?

Yeah, there’s no point in doing anything musically if you don’t enjoy it or believe in it… Life’s too short for that. And yes, the response has been nothing less than stellar since Autopsy got going again. Cheers to all the sickos who made it possible! As for following up The Headless Ritual, I think we’re just the band to do it. Autopsy isn’t done torturing your souls and minds, so don’t think you’re getting off easy! Enjoy the wounds…