Feature / Music
Pass The Mic: Record Labels and Artists on 2008

Words: Michael • Posted pre-2010

LINKS TO ALL THE PAGES

Cattle Decapitation (Travis Ryan)

What are your top five albums that were released in 2008?

  1. Nadja - The Bungled & the Botched - 2 long ass songs. Awesome duo.
  2. Cynic - Traced in Air - One of my most eagerly awaited records ever.
  3. Leviathan - Massive Conspiracy Against All Life - The fucking master.
  4. The Faceless - Planetary Duality - This is the only new band that I think is worth a shit.
  5. Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy - Yeah its not GNR, yeah it's a joke, but for some stupid reason I really like this one. Guilty pleasure.

What band did you discover in 2008 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? What made them significant?

The only band ever to have a serious impact on me was Carcass. "Symphonies of Sickness" changed my life considerably. They set the standard for gore related music and grindcore/death metal hybrids.

How will you remember 2008? (In terms of music)

This is the year where it apparently became "okay" to be plagiaristic, incestuous and flat out unoriginal. New bands comprised of kids practically still in high school are ripping off other bands that have only been around a couple years. This to me is sad because it shows that people are still attracted to trends. I'm afraid they're not going to think for themselves. There will be more rehashed and re-re-hashed nonsense coming out. Sorry kids, but not EVERYONE can play music. Keep trying, keep suckin'.

Vinyl record sales saw a significant increase this year while hard copy sales continued to dwindle. Is this a return to the glory days for vinyl or just a phase? Explain.

I think it's just a phase. It's my opinion that physical media will die out in our lifetime. There will always be collectors but these are the end days of physical, tangible media that you can hold in your hand. It's sad. Vinyl sales have only picked up because nobody is buying CDs and a lot of labels are including mp3 downloads within the LP so people can still put it on their iPod. I think that's a cool idea, but after a while I think a lot of people will just get tired of this big 12"x12" piece of vinyl sitting around their house.

What was the most memorable moment for you in 2008? (Can be in terms of anything)

The first African-American president being elected for office.

What can we look forward to from you in 2009?

An assload of touring and more countries being invaded by Cattle Decapitation.

What three records are you looking forward to most in 2009?

Our record, a new Interpol record, and a new Celebration record.

Homepage: http://www.cattledecapitation.com

Related features

GØKHA

One Question Interviews • October 21, 2026

GØKHA SPB: The entire new record is solo. How did you decide to self record and self release? GØKHA: I’ve been writing music since I was 16. I’m 36 now, so that’s 20 years of dealing with the same problem: finding people to play with. And not just any musicians, … Read more

School Drugs

One Question Interviews • October 20, 2026

Josh Jurk (School Drugs) SPB: What do you remember of your first show with School Drugs? Jurk: We opened our set with the intro to “Crazy Train.” I don't really know why, seemed like a good idea at the time. We'll reprise it at our last show when we're all … Read more

Little A

One Question Interviews • October 19, 2026

Little A SPB: Is there an album or concert that inspired you to start to playing your own music? Bryan – drums: It may be a standard answer for folks my age, but Nirvana's Nevermind album changed everything. The rawness and energy made me want to be in a band, … Read more

Fest 24: Artist Interviews

Interviews / Fest 24 • October 16, 2026

It's almost FEST time, and you know what that means: SPB has dived in to speak to a bunch of bands and artists playing this year's event. Some are FEST veterans with tips and highlights for newcomers, and others are FEST newbies with their own plans for the week. Read … Read more

FEST LIBS 24 & Fest Survey Findings

Music / Fest 24 • October 16, 2026

Are you ready for The Fest!? While we’re pretty sure you’re already counting down days until your trek to Gainesville, FL, we’ve got some Fest games for you to play, including a few samples from this year’s performers. Click here to play FEST LIBS -- like a fill-in-the-blanks word game … Read more

More from this section

FEST LIBS 24 & Fest Survey Findings

Music / Fest 24 • October 16, 2026

Are you ready for The Fest!? While we’re pretty sure you’re already counting down days until your trek to Gainesville, FL, we’ve got some Fest games for you to play, including a few samples from this year’s performers. Click here to play FEST LIBS -- like a fill-in-the-blanks word game … Read more

Demos You Want To Check #5

Music / New Kids On The Block • October 13, 2026

The musical landscape is ever changing. New genres are popping up, new hypes burst out of nowhere and die out and new bands present themselves to the world. How on earth are you expected to keep up, right? Well, it never hurts to help! So here we are, your humble … Read more

Anathema Editions

Music / History 101 • August 11, 2026

Did you know it’s been 10 years since Anathema Editions put out its first release? To make the moment, we reached out to founder Terence Hannum to share some label history. In keeping with our “History 101” concept, SPB asked for anecdotes about 4 of the label’s releases and then … Read more