Within the Ruins is a small town metal band from Westfield, Massachusetts. They’ve previously shared the stage with The Acacia Strain and Shadowsfall. The guys were recently signed to Victory Records and are currently in the studio recording their second album, Creature. With all of their current advancements, Joe Cocchi (guitarist) was anxious to answer any questions thrown at him.
Racket Damara: Hello there! So, your new album is called Creature. Using incredible descriptions of characteristics, environment, behavior, and gore, what kind of creature is this album named after? And would this creature be your friend, hated enemy, or your creepy next door neighbor?
Within the Ruins Joe: It actually has more of a metaphoric meaning. It’s what we perceive every element of our personal lives as. Politics, religion, addiction, people, etc. Another word for demon or foreign thing. If that makes sense haha.
RD: Have you guys known each other for awhile?
WRJ: Yeah, we started the band in high school around 2002.
RD: How many times have you wanted to rip each other’s head off during your time in the studio for your new record?
WRJ: Haha, fortunately only a few I guess. I had a whole three weeks alone to do guitars, so that was sweet. And drums went smoothly the first week, vocals are a pain in the ass though. We all get along though for the most part.
RD: If any of you were to get in an epic brawl, band mate versus band mate, who would it be? What are your weapons of choice? And who would win, by skill or chance?
WRJ: Haha. Me vs. Jon (singer). I would probably throw Chinese stars at his face, and he says he would use a sword. I would kick his ass.
RD: Why not tour along the West Coast this winter?
WRJ: We would if we could get booked! We had the January tour booked prior to getting signed to Victory. We went to the west coast once, and played at a bar in Cali that didn’t know they were even having a show that night. We’ve never been able to book solid dates there, but hopefully we’ll get out that way more this coming year.
RD: On a more serious note, if you could throw either Keanu Reeves or Barney the Dinosaur off a cliff, who would you choose and why?
WRJ: Keanu Reeves for not making SPEED 3.
RD: What fast food joint seems to the epitome of your diet during your tours or even life in general?
WRJ: Sonic, Whataburger, Roy Rogers, Wendys, TacoBell, Hardees.
RD: What is on the top of the band’s bucket list?
WRJ: Play an arena show.
RD: Thanks for doing this interview! Would you like to leave any words of wisdom for any of the readers, fans, aspiring musicians, or mutated creature-people?
WRJ: Live.
-Damara Kautz