This Is Hell spent much of the last month working hard on their brand new record, and PropertyOfZack caught up with Rick from the band for a new Behind The Booth feature. Rick and I discussed why the band decided to jump band into the studio so soon after their last release, the progression in writing from Weight Of The World, how the band is handling the release, and a lot more. Don’t miss out, it’s a great read!

For the record, could you state your name and role in This Is Hell?
My name is Rick, and I play guitar and do a little vocals in This Is Hell.

It’s sort of been a slow year for the band until the last month or two. Has there been a specific reason for that?
We took some time to sit home and recuperate and write a new record, which was good. It was the first break we took since we started where we were actually home for a while without knowing what we were going to do next. We sat home and got ready to record a new record. It was nice. We did a few shows here and there; we did a few weekends with other Long Island bands and we did Krazy Fest and Bled Fest. Up until this tour we’re on now we’ve essentially been home and chilling.

The band just did some touring in Canada, among other places. How were those dates?
They were cool. We hadn’t done a full Canadian tour in two or so years. We hit certain parts, but this is the first straight up Canadian tour we’ve done in a long time. It worked out well. We were with Shai Hulud.

We’re obviously talking now because you guys are in the studio recording your new album, but the band released Weight Of The World just last year. Have you guys been happy with the reception it’s gotten?
No record we’ve done has been a “big” record, but I was glad to just do something a little different for us. People who stuck with the band stuck with the record. I was happy to go in a bit of a new direction.

Is there a particular reason This Is Hell entered the studio so soon?
I don’t think there was any mediated reason other than the fact that I had an itch to start writing new shit. I started and got going, so I wanted to record another record.. We didn’t have any obligations for the summer at the time either, so we figured we could do Krazy and Bled Fest and then head to the studio.

How has your relationship with Rise Records been?
It’s cool. All record labels are essentially the same in my opinion. They pay for the studio and put out the CD and give us some ads and we do the rest. We’ve always been a hands-on band. It doesn’t make too much of a different with what label we’re on, in my opinion, so long as we get to put out a record.

Are you guys stoked on the fact that the label is sort of branching out with older and newer bands like Transit and Hot Water Music?
It’s totally cool. I wasn’t a fan of any of the bands, but I like Transit and Hot Water Music is real cool too. It’s cool that they’re getting away from the neon-colored bands. That’s not my thing at all.

Can you talk about the writing process for this record compared to the last record or even the band’s prior work?
It was essentially the same. I’d mess around by myself and I’d write stuff. I disregarded the fact that the band had any past or anything in the past. We really did what we felt like writing. This record is pretty different from the last one. Weight Of The World was in the middle, but this record is essentially a thrash-metal record. It’s cool because that’s what I learned to play guitar on and my favorite bands are thrash-metal bands. My favorite band ever is Metallica, Slayer, Megadeath, and Pantera. That’s the stuff that I grew up listening to before I got into hardcore and punk. When I wrote the record this is what came out. We do what we feel like doing at all times. It’s very liberating for us, and on this record we went out on a limb.

Do you think fans will be able to latch on to the more aggressive sounds?
I think so. We’ve been playing a ton of the songs live every night and people seemed more stoked on the new stuff then the Weight Of The World stuff. I think anyone who stuck with us this far is going to be open to whatever we do next.

How much work is there left to do on the record?
We’re in the mixing process right now.
POZ: How has it been in Killingsworth Studios so far?
Rick: Just getting out of New York weather is great because it’s so moderate in California and it’s so extreme there. There’s not really the distraction of home either. We have a few hours off from mixing so we’re playing baseball now with our friends.

How was it working with Tomas again in the studio?
He’s awesome. He knows his shit and knows what he’s going for. He plays the perfect balance between stepping in and letting us do what we want. It’s not someone who’s behind the board that doesn’t give a shit. He’s a great guy too; he cares about the band and it’s not really just a job to him.

When will the mixing and mastering be done?
We’re going to finish mixing tonight. We did essentially a rough mix of the whole record last night and it was amazing. All we need to do now is go back and spend the rest of the night tweaking things. We’ll have the finished product tonight. I’m not sure when the mastering will get done, but it’ll come out in the middle of October. It’s a fast process for us. Today’s our eleventh day here and it’s a final day. It was fast, but not stressful. It didn’t feel like we were rushing.

How many songs are on the album?
There are ten. We’ve never done that little amount of songs. It’s a very complete record. It’s around 35 minutes or so. I’m not totally positive.

And the album will be out in October?
The middle of October. We’re going to have it out for the Comeback Kid/Underøath tour.
POZ: So we should hear a new song in early-September?
Rick: I’d imagine September. Hopefully we’ll have one out by then. It should definitely be ready to go by then.

How excited are you for that Underøath tour?
We’ve toured the entire world with Comeback Kid over the course of 2007, but we haven’t done a full tour with them in years besides Australia in December. I’ve never met the other two bands, but it should be cool. It’ll be a good mix of different kids. Once the record is out we’re going to be out. I want to hit everywhere on this record. I want to go to South America and Japan. If all goes well we’ll be busy through next summer.