DEAD HEAT’s Chris Ramos Talks About Band’s Latest EP Endless Torment (The Witzard Interview)
DEAD HEAT (CREDIT: Cezar Salas Olvera)
Forged in 2016 in Oxnard, California, DEAD HEAT is known for their high-energy live performances and aggressive sound that draws influence from various sub-genres of Thrash, Punk, Hardcore & Metal. DEAD HEAT's music is characterized by fast, thrashy riffs, driving rhythms, harmonious leads and intense vocals that often veer into screamed or shouted terrain. They definitely have an 80’s Thrash Metal-reminiscent sound akin to Anthrax, Metallica, Motörhead, Slayer, etc. with new, interesting twists and added modern touches. Thematically, DEAD HEAT delves deep into social and political issues, as well as personal struggles. Featuring five vicious tracks, Endless Torment was recorded at Captain Quarters Studio in Ventura, California by Armand John Anthony (DETOXI, Night Demon, Surprise Vacation) and mixed and mastered by Arthur Rizk (Integrity, TURNSTILE, Pissed Jeans) with cover art by Hayden Hall AKA Sick Slice (Devil Master, Gatecreeper.) Endless Torment was released on vinyl LP across several color variants—including Tankcrimes’ exclusive bone/olive crush with red and blue splatter and swamp green with heavy neon yellow splatter, plus exclusive variants from Triple B Records, Decibel Magazine, and REVHQ—and digitally this past July. A few months back (as you may have seen, it’s been a bit busy ‘round these parts lately!) I had a chance to talk with DEAD HEAT frontman Chris Ramos about the band’s then-recently released new EP, Endless Torment. It’s a tad bit dated at this point, but check it out below. My interview with Ramos has been lightly edited for general clarity and with that said, go check out DEAD HEAT’s Endless Torment EP on streaming services and/or at your local neighborhood record store now!
I. Who are the current members of DEAD HEAT and what is each member's role within the band?
Chris Ramos: The current line-up as of early 2023 consists of a now six-member line-up with Chris Ramos on vocals, Justin Ton & Ricardo Garcia on guitars, Vince Armador on bass/guitar, Adrian Rodriguez [Yogie] on drums, and Lorence Meraz as our second bassist.
II. How did you guys end up linking up with Tankcrimes & Triple B Records to unleash your latest EP, Endless Torment?
Ramos: Well, while we were on tour with Municipal Waste & Crowbar, we had met Scotty [Heath] from Tankcrimes, who was stage managing the tour. He really dug our vibe and was keen to working with us on a future release. Scotty had connected with Sam [Yarmuth] at BBB Records, which we were already on with the idea of a split release between both labels. Long story short: it all worked out perfect for the [collaboration] and now that [came] out [on] July 28th!
III. How would you attempt to best describe the sounds to be heard across Endless Torment for newfound fans and/or first-time listeners?
Ramos: If you like heavy, you’ll get some heavy, if you like head-banging, you’ll get some head-banging, [and] if you like Thrash, you’ll get some of that, too. This [EP,] I feel has a broad sound because every song has its own vibe. For first-time listeners, it’s as if Sepultura, Slayer, and King Diamond had a Hardcore baby.
IV. Who or what would you readily cite as some of your greatest sources of inspiration and influence while creating the Endless Torment EP?
Ramos: Well, some of our greatest sources for material and inspiration were probably some of the ones we mentioned before, but Sepultura, Slayer, King Diamond, Running Wild, [and] Attomica are just some names to put down as some of our influences on this Eternal Torment EP.
V. What did the typical writing, creation, recording, production, etc. processes behind the making-of Endless Torment generally entail?
Ramos: Most of the musical writing was done in 2022 with some even being from 2021 and most of the lyrical writing was done in the [latter] half of 2022. Our process went like this: we would half-a$$ a recording on our [bassist’s] computer, then, start coming up with additional ideas after that. Once we had all our ideas on the table, we would try it all to see what worked. The process was all pretty easy and we came up with final versions of all the songs pretty quickly.
VI. How would you say DEAD HEAT's overall sound has grown, evolved, changed, and progressed since your last release, 2021's World At War?
Ramos: I would say that that our overall sound after [World At War] (W.A.W.) has gotten heavier, meaner, and faster. We’ve become more about the whole vibe to the songs and are making sure we’re pushing ourselves to make the best riffs and melodies we can.
VII. In addition to or aside from the members of DEAD HEAT, who helped create and worked on making Endless Torment?
Ramos: Aside from the band, the only help we had in creating Endless Torment was a guest solo by our [friend,] Joe Kerry (Pest Control) and from our engineer, Armand John Anthony, who recorded the album. He had helped us out with some of the random ideas thrown in the mix, as well as adding an additional guest [guitar] solo.
VIII. What can you tell us about the various vinyl variants and colorways for Endless Torment now available through both Tankcrimes & Triple B Records?
Ramos: Well, I believe there are about 6-8 different variants floating around, at the moment. Triple B [is] releasing three different ones, as well as Tankcrimes doing two versions. There are [exclusive] variants you can, also, get through Decibel Magazine & Revelation Records.
IX. Does DEAD HEAT have any immediate plans to tour in support of the Endless Torment EP?
Ramos: At the moment, we aren’t doing any immediate long tours, but we are and have been doing week and weekend runs in different parts of The US; like, right now, we are on a week tour with RAW BRIGADE from Columbia in The Midwest of the country and we will be doing a couple weekend runs every other couple weeks to promote the album [EP].
X. If you had to pick a specific beer and or alcoholic drink to suggest having while listening to Endless Torment, what would you suggest drinking and why?
Ramos: First you, got to roll up a pure joint, then, I would suggest drinking a minimum of four [Pabst Blue Ribbon] (P.B.R.) beers or chugging the classic American drink, [Adios, Motherf***er] (A.M.F.) to get that blood flowing. By the end of it, you’ll have to be wasted, then, you gotta just hit the Repeat [button].
XI. Who designed the album cover artwork for Endless Torment? What can you tell us about your decision to have such vile, repulsive artwork commissioned for the EP?
Ramos: So, the artist that did the artwork for this album is Hayden Hall, who also goes by SICK SLICE (@sick_slice) online. He drew up our last album cover for World At War and he’s the one who came up with the idea for the album. We trusted him with the idea after giving him the album title, which he, eventually, brought to life.
XII. What's planned next for DEAD HEAT?
Ramos: We’re pretty busy for the next couple of months. We plan on hitting [cities] around [The] US every other couple weeks and doing some heavy promotion for this album. After that. we plan on hitting it hard with the writing process, so that we can keep the riffs coming.