This Is Zombiecore: Send More Paramedics

Bringing a new twist to metal under the term 'zombiecore', the undead quartet Send More Paramedics are here to feast upon your brain. In a small upstairs room of The Charlotte in Leicester sits a slim figure in black, this is B'Hellmouth screaming vocalist and flesh eating zombie. So, how's the tour going? "Yeah, it's going great, I think this is the sixth gig, we've got about 10 more to go. It's been awesome, some have been busier than others but it's been cool."

You're currently on your own headlining tour, but you've also played support on arena tours, what's that like? "It's all good, it's good to be able to play places where you can easily just get in with your audience, that's the most fun really. We've only done a few big things like we did The Offspring for seven dates last year, then we did Download, I think that's really it. But that's amazing cos it's just huge." What's it like supporting The Offspring, The Misfits, bands like that? "Awesome, yeah, you get to infect more of your potential prey. There's more juicy young brains and access to as many as possible, that's what we're after." He replies straight-faced, "and the Misfits, they are the Godfathers of Horrorpunk, they invented it, we're just re-hashing what they did really. Apart from the fact that we're actually dead of course. That's the difference." They just weren't willing to take it to that level then? "No, no, hopeless..." What do zombies ask for on their rider? "We don't like to ruin our appetites too much, our rider and our audience are basically the same. Often we ask them to cancel the whole rider and just lock the doors of the venue. We're not fussy, we'll eat anything... and anyone."

Send More Paramedics' sound combines a love of thrash metal and 80's zombie movies. You're classed as a 'Zombiecore' band, who coined the phrase? "I think we did. Some kid actually came up to me a while ago and asked if we invented 'zombiecore'. Well yeah, we're zombies." The new album, 'The Awakening', is for the moment only available through the band's website but is to be unleashed on the public in late August. What's it like? "It's good, it's pretty ferocious. There's two CD's, one's 15 tracks of thrash and the other is 10 tracks of 80's style synth film soundtrack, plus our two music videos and some other bits and bobs. The artwork is by Stefan Kopinski. Basically, all in all it's a really good package and it's value for money. I think it's a step up as well, it's maturing and changing a bit, there's more grooves and better song structure. It's kind of a concept album, the theme is basically being in a world of zombie viral infection." Erm, ok... Is there a plot to go with this soundtrack? "The film doesn't exist, I guess the soundtrack part is the soundtrack is to this imaginary film, there's a scenario that's included in the artwork, which describes what's happening and all the songs relate to that."