I recently conducted a new interview with Tim about his record label, Parasitic Recs. In addition to his label, he also plays drums in WEREGOAT and MOURNFUL CONGREGATION, and is a former member of several bands, including ALDEBARAN, SPLATTERHOUSE, and SATURNALIA TEMPLE, to name a few.
Hi Tim, how are you doing man? Enjoying these pre-apocalyptic times we're living right now?
Doing pretty good here man, just watching the fentanyl zombies slowly take over the west coast. Some would say its better than post-apocalyptic times I guess eh?
What was the motive to start Parasitic Records? Still stands today?
Well the original motive was to release my own bands 7" back in 2001. It seemed the best option for getting it out quick and have copies to sell at gigs. There were plenty of underground labels and distro at that time to help spread it around as well. Plus the costs of producing a 7" was inanely cheaper than what it costs now.After many years and many releases later it seems the label is back where it started as at this point going forward it will just be committed to releasing WEREGOAT and maybe a few other of my personal projects. But mainly PARASITIC will be used to spread the WEREGOAT filth.
You've been excreting upon the underworld some of the best Doom, Sludge, Death, Black... since 2001, always into different styles but all really dark and original. What does a band need to get signed by you?
There really wasnt any criteria other than I had to personally like it. And always tried to work with bands that were either friends or bands I thought needed more attention.
I heard from other friends in labels that the market has changed a lot now, there's a lot of labels, - even the independent and underground ones- , who don't trade records anymore, they don't even carry a distro list of other titles except the label's, have you experienced this as well?
Yes, thats definitely the case. And the labels you often end up trading with are the same 4-5 every time so you kind of end up circulating the same stuff over and over.
Another matter that's fucking the underground pretty well right now is all this hype about vinyl, aren't you tired of all the delays caused by all those big labels jumping in the wagon now?
It definitely fucked it up severely as quality control/customer service at most of the pressing plants is total shit now for the smaller labels. And prices have skyrocketed the last 10 years. I also think the funderground has played a large part in it. Not every fucking band needs their demo on vinyl in 5 different splatter colors.
How much do you think the social media is helping the underground scene?
Eh, not much really. Just making it easier for pedestrian traffic, people who exploite it for personal gain/status and too many people thinking the undergound to cater to thier emotions/ideas. But same could be said that also happened when the internet first became accessible. So it will only get pregressivly worse haha!
Will this vinyl trend end some day? Or maybe the CD will die definitely?
I think the new vinyl craze it tapering off a bit. At least since the peak Covid years. CD maybe will never die, Im glad to see if is coming back at least in the underground these days. I still buy a lot of CDs.
You release tapes since long time ago, way before all this current cassette revival started. Do you think tapes can capture the analog sound even when they're made from a CD?
Yeah, I think even coming from a CD it can still add some body and warmth to the recording for sure. Although I would have to say i have got a lot of shit sounding tapes the last few years so I dont know if, as with everything else quality control is just shit or people arent preparing their audio for the tape format.
Let's talk about some of my fave Parasitic releases, starting with THE FUNERAL ORCHESTRA “Feeding The Abyss”, that double LP is some of the most abyssic Funeral Doom ever released! How was working with that super obscure Swedish band?
Its always great working with Nicklas and we have worked on a few releases for his other band RUNEMAGICK as well. This release is one of my favorite releases that Ive done that I still come back to often. Theres a real dark and ritualistic atmosphere captured on that album.
The split 7” between GRIEF and 13, what's the story behind it?
So I was friends with this maniac Kif Davis who ran Riotous Assembly records and had a huge underground distro. He also always had massive weed distro heh. Spent a lot of time at his house stoned out of my mind digging through his distro. Anyway, he had re-released this split sometime in '99 i think with a few other labels, GAME TWO RECORDS and MENACE TO SOBRIETY. So it was probably 2005 and he had a 250 or so of these 7" sitting around but had no covers. So I offered to buy all the wax from him and told him Id printo cover for them. We did end up giving the bands some copies but both bands were so fractured and not on good talking terms at this point that I'm sure they didnt get shared equally. But anyway, that split was very important to me and still is so it was cool to have a small part in its history.
For ALDEBARAN “Buried Beneath Aeons” you got cover artwork by Dan Seagrave, guess you had a good and proper budget for that release?
Ha! no man I paid for that out of pocket because I wanted it heh. Didn't really turnout as I was hoping but it worked.
The almighty WEREGOAT, a bestial War Black Metal band where you also play drums. Is it true that it started just as a joke but then shit got serious?
Well it started more as a reaction to all the pc crap that was happening then, and still is now. The idea was hatched at the strip club between Kevin and I to start a black metal band with the attitude and presence of W.A.S.P., CARNIVORE ect. We immediately started thinking over names and WEREGOAT was what we decided to go with then and there and we didn't second guess any of it and started writing immediately. But if you had asked us then if this would be out longest running band I don't think we would have believed you.
Some records that really stand out of your usual formula are the ones by CONTROL, with that insane Power Electronics Industrial style. Are you deeply into that scene? How do you distribute a record like that when most of your customers and followers come from the Metal scene?
In the early 2000's I was very much into noise, playing shows and booking some as well. I had met Thomas from CONTROL when my noise project played with him in San Franciso. I was always a fan of all his projects and felt it would cross over to metal audience. I didnt press a lot and I still had so people i knew from the Noise scene to took copies for their distro so and it sold fairly well considering its not my typical release.
Any fave Parasitic release? Any you regret? Which one has been the best selling?
Man, it’s hard to pick a favorite so I’ll give a few that stand out.
CAULDRON BLACK RAM ‘Skulduggery’ lp- I fucking love this album from the first time I heard it and I believe this was my first release from and Australian band which started a working relationship with a lot of related Aussie bands and maniacs that continue to this day.
MACHETAZO ‘Ruin’ lp- a special release since being in contact with you guys for so long and surviving our debaucherous tour with you guys heh. This was a great final nail in the MACHETAZO coffin, your darkest and most negative album to me. And of course the amazing Timo art ties it all together.
CHARLIE MANSON ‘Horsefly’ 7”- Simply something that I never would have imagined would happen. Personally, very relevant as CM captivated me in high school and over the years I just became more and more steeped in his Mythos. Early on the ‘true crime’ aspect took a backseat to who and what he was. Derek and I worked very hard to make everything come out to Charlie’s approval. The artwork by Zeena Schreck, liner notes from Nikolas Schreck, and the CM artwork contained on the inside of the gatefold and the music within all just came together perfectly. And to release CM music that until then had not been released was very special.
DISGORGE ‘Forensick’ lp- one of my favorite records ever, a Fucking bulldozer or gore! I had been bothering them for years about doing an lp version and finally the timing was right. Legendary album!
STARGAZER ‘Scream that Tore the Sky’ lp- very underrated band and album IMO. The music speaks for itself, and the case wrap old school gatefold jacket (and very expensive!) gave it the classy touch.
CHARLES MANSON ‘Way of the Wolf’ Lp- this was an album I had on cd for years and while we are still working on getting some more unreleased CM music out there this was something that seemed appropriate to do in the meantime. Nikolas once again did the liner notes and Jef Whiteheads art for this is one of my favorite album covers I’ve released, it’s perfect.
NOOTHGRUSH ‘Erode the Person’ lp-another album that was huge for me personally, I had been in touch with Gary to get copies of the latest MONKEYBITE zine and he sent me the 'erode the person' cd they had been selling at shows. Probably '98-99? That cd was in heavy rotation for me for the next couple years and I still come back to it. NOOTHRUSH, GRIEF, EHG and CORRUPTED were a huge inspiration for me in the late 90's into tthe 2000's.
As far as best selling I think DISHAMMER ‘Under the Sign’ lp sold out pretty quick, NOOTHGRUSH, MANSON and the DISGORED lp both went pretty fast as well. As far as quantity it has to be the first 2 WEREGOAT lps, which makes sense to keep those in print since it’s my band and we are pretty active and interest in that band has been pretty steady since the first release.
Can’t say there’s any releases I regret.
One thing I always wondered, why haven't you released anything by CORRUPTED? Did you try it?
Well I have been in contact with Chew for many years and have inquired numerous times over the years but it just never synched up or maybe I didn’t hound them enough heh. Amazing band though and of course would love to have had them in the catalog.
It's obvious you have a passion for Australian bands, what do you find so interesting about Australian Metal?
The unifying trait between all the Aussie bands I have worked with would be I get along with them all extremely well and always have a good cunting time when we cross paths no matter what continent we are on.
They have all been easy to work with as well. Musically Ive released a pretty wide range of music but it's all very original IMO.
Besides the label you also play in a crazy amount of bands, please let us know how many and which ones are still active nowadays.
Both MOURNFUL CONGREGATION and WEREGOAT are still very active with always working on new material as well as playing live.
There are two new projects unrelated that I am excited about that are both nearing completion and shall be revealed early 2026.
My current fave of all your great bands is NIGHTFELL, I find that band totally awesome and very special, but you quit it?
Thanks man, I really enjoyed my time in that band and it was a hard decision to leave but the physical distance between me and the band was making the band suffer and was holding the progress back and I was losing motivation because of the constant travel so it seemed like the best choice was to step out and let them find someone who was in the same city.
How's the scene in the West Coast right now? Did you notice any difference moving from Portland to Seattle?
The scene on the coast is very active. Portland still has a bunch of killer bands that I always try to catch when I can, TORTURE RACK, WITCH VOMIT, HEMORRHOID, ASCENDED DEAD in particular. I think Portland still has a more active scene, tons of bands, shows, record swaps ect.
All those young kids into that new wave of Death Metal right now, how many of them will stay in it and how many will jump into the next trend?
As it always goes there will be an exodus to the next trend. I guess once they feel they have sanitized death metal to their liking and they can get onto the next thing, which is probably an EMO/SCREAMO revival. Seems fitting.
Ok dude, it's been a pleasure to interview you, thanks a lot! Add anything you want, like your imminet release plan, psycho killer adventures, sex witches worship, sado-seducing acts, unholy meetings of doom under the full moon, etc.
Thanks for the killer questions and support! 2026 should be busy, new albums from MOURNFUL CONGREGATION and WEREGOAT, plus NECROSEMINAL SPATTER (with guest vomits from the same rotten bastard who is conducting this interview) and HAXXIS demos should both be wrapped up this month and released early 2026. Then some live shows in various parts of the world to be announced soon. So business as usual here. Only definite Parasitic release planned for next year is the new WEREGOAT LP.
