DECIMATE is one of those Death metal bands that is pushing hard to get noticeable in Texas and outside the Lone Star State as well. They are from San Antonio and spread the debut release Under The Scythe in 2020. They are in the process of writing new material, and definitely 2024, will be an important year. Skull Zapata, vocalist, goes back to the past, talks about the challenges along the way and comments more about what’s coming ahead for this Death metal combo.

11 years have passed since you decided to start the band. What recollections from those early days come to mind? “…First thing that comes to mind is Louis and I creating songs as just guitarist and vocals so we can have something ready to play for whoever the drummer would be. During that time, it helped me become a better vocalist because of his style of playing…”

You guys are becoming regulars in Houston. What makes DECIMATE come back to the Space City this time? “…The fans and the promoters are the reasons we keep coming back and during those times we made very good friendships and have taken the time to talk to all our fans after the show have a beer with them, and the promoters are already looking at dates to bring us back; so we love Houston for that because we haven't left yet and they are already trying to bring us back…”

What has kept the band alive after all these years? What has been the biggest challenge to overcome so far? “… Our love for this band we first discussed creating it back in 2007 the fact that our first show didn't happen until 2015 we've done so much, and we'd be fools to just throw it away so easily especially how long we worked on it for then you have our fans who are just total badasses. They reassure us that we have something special here and to keep pressing forward. Touring has been bad luck for us. Our first tour was cut short because of Covid. Our second tour didn't happen because of bus issues with plates and stickers. The band we were supposed to tour with weren't able to secure it on time we're hoping third time is a charm when it comes to planning a future tour because we have lots of fans outside of Texas that want to see us…”

The band has made public that parted ways with the previous drummer. Will the band step out from the lineup at the BFE show next January 27th? “…We will not be performing after all. We want to take the proper time needed for our drummer to learn everything instead of forcing it and making a bunch of mistakes that we can't recover from onstage. …”

Death metal is so saturated nowadays that to write a good and innovative Death metal song, I imagine, would take hours and hours of crafting. How does DECIMATE approach composing new songs? “…Our approach is to not force it even if it sounds badass. Louis has a big bag of riffs that feels unlimited a wide range too. The fact that he grew up listening to all kinds of metal to me is what sets him apart from other Death metal guitarist while it still takes hours of crafting. Him being the guitar player he is makes it easier and gives us confidence that we're not just releasing another Death metal song that's already out there…”

Are you guys working on releasing new material? What about a 2024 new recording? “…We definitely will drop some new music this year it's barely January we have a whole year to go through a lot of time to drop new music we're hoping it's followed by an album at the end of 2024…”

What’s your biggest source of inspiration when it comes to creating music, writing lyrics and keeping the band in the game? “…We like to play with different bands because it keeps it fresh and we meet new people make new friendships and fans from different metal genres things like this help the scene rather than it being a competition and it also keeps the band in the game and stay afloat when it comes to writing lyrics for a song I always try to write it like I'm painting a picture in your head rather than write lyrics that make you scratch your head trying to figure out what message I'm sending…”

If you were to choose some Texan cities, as your favorite ones to perform, which ones would you pick? Which city has the best metal audience? “… Without a doubt it's McAllen, Texas. They show up it was cold and raining and the place was filled up front to back. Houston is my next favorite to perform as I remember at Decimation Fest. We had these old schoolers come up to our table and say they weren't buying any of our merch until they saw us perform, but long story short, they bought shirts, CDs and more after our performance…”

Are you guys ready to decimate the followers? What’s more in the stove for 2024? “…You can expect new music new merchandise brand new decimate logo and more shows we're hoping to make a statement in 2024 and let people know that we're not going anywhere…”

Some last comments to the band diehards and for the Scriptorium's readers. “…To the scriptorium readers don't overlook us give our music a shot to our diehard fans just hold on a little longer new music will be dropping in 2024…”