UN: Jungle Rot have pretty much been on the same page musically for awhile now. Do you think the bands old school approach to death metal helps you stand out within a cluttered scene? Most bands seem content cloning Suffocation or Cannibal Corpse, and don’t really do anything to break outside of the mold.

JR: Yes, I think that we stayed true to our roots. Our music has progressed over the years but has not changed our style.

UN: Fueled By Hate is the second album that you’ve released for Olympic. Do you think that the label is helping to bring the bands music to a lot more people? You were well known within the underground with Slaughter the Weak, but it wasn’t until Dead and Buried that the band really started to gain recognition. Do you expect to go even further with Fueled by Hate?

JR: Yes, I think that we stayed true to our roots. Our music has progressed over the years but has not changed our style.

UN: Do you think that you’ve achieved pretty close to what you want from the Jungle Rot sound on Fueled by Hate? I think it’s the most memorable album you’ve released so far, and the grooves really work on this album. Did you guys approach anything differently this time around? Was it in the back of your mind that you needed to try and top Dead and Buried?

JR: The album picks up where dead and buried left off and kicks it up a notch. A couple things we tried different was getting the vocals more clear and the lyrics to have more of a positive message instead of the typical gory death metal topics.

UN: Along with the obvious thrash influences, would you say that the Jungle Rot sound is influenced by punk or hardcore at all? Obviously the vocals don ’t show the influence, but the energetic fast sections do have a punk like delivery while still being heavy in nature.

JR: We have more of a hardcore influence rather than a punk influence. We have got the catchy grooves and the heavy breakdowns to combine both the hardcore and death metal scenes together.

UN: How did the idea to name the album Fueled By Hate come about? Would you say it’s important to have a simple album name that reinforces the straight forward nature of the bands music?

JR: The name came from all the bullshit that has been dumped on us over the years both in the band and personally. It was meant to be blunt and to the point, and something that sticks in your head. We are a straight forward band with a straight forward album title.

UN: This new album is also probably the bands best sounding album to date as well. How did the idea to work with Chris Djuricic come about? Were you guys into the productions on some of the other albums that he had recorded in the past?

JR: Every album we ever did was with Chris. We came into the studio extremely prepared and knowing the material. We are happy with all the albums but we wanted the recording more clear with the bass guitar brought out more, the guitars more powerful, better tones on the drums and the vocals as clear as possible.

UN: Even with label support behind you do you guys still push the band as much as you used to? Jungle Rot made a name for themselves by working you asses off and promoting the band as much as humanly possible. Obviously it was worth the work.

JR: We still push the band as much as ever, if not more. We are currently on a tour that we booked ourselves and with 25 TA LIFE. Each band member does their own part promoting whether it is booking a show, sending samplers to magazines or by doing interviews.

UN: Along with the last question, do you think that a lot of bands now expect things to come to them without working for them? A lot of bands form, put three songs on the internet and expect a record deal to come out of it. There aren’t as many workhorse bands as there used to be in death metal.

JR: Thats true. There are too many bands out there that make a demo and expect to get signed to a major label, followed by a full U.S. tour with a tour bus with a service staff on board. Jungle Rot is not about that, we work for everything that we earn. There are no free handouts in the music business.

UN: Is it still easy to find the anger to play this style of music? Jungle Rot obviously comes across as an angry band. With so much hate and violence in this world, it must not be hard to find the inspiration. Hell, just watching the news would give you material to write about.

JR: It is definitely not hard finding inspiration to make angry music. Our anger comes from people who have stabbed us in the back and tried to keep us from furthering our career.

UN: Jungle Rot has always gone against the current trends of the scene and have build a loyal following. Do you still foresee the band being around for a long time yet? There is obviously still a demand for Jungle Rot and the band has been getting better with each passing release. Will you guys keep doing the bands until you aren’t into it anymore? Is that pretty much the only thing that would break up Jungle Rot?

JR: Jungle Rot will still be around as long as there is still a demand for our music. We will continue the legacy of making great records and playing tight shows. If anyone in the band stops being into it, they will be out of the band - end of story. We take pride in what we do and will continue bringing quality music to the fans.