CoC: Before we get into the newest happenings, I'd like to go back and talk about what exactly caused the group to disband in 1998.

Rich Hoak: We had been touring nonstop since 1993 and were all obviously insane! I am shocked that not more people noticed!

CoC: So far you've only recorded one song together since then, a cover of "Sister Fucker" for the upcoming Eyehategod tribute album. How did that come together and how did you make the jump from there to playing live again?

RH: We were always good friends with the Eyehategod crew. After Katrina destroyed all of Eyehategod's gear, Emetic Records put together a comp to help them with disaster expenses and reached out to us to find out if Brutal Truth would be into recording a song for the cause: it just came at the right time for everyone to be available and interested to grind a tune out.

CoC: Had you seen or heard much from the other band members before then?

RH: I worked as a tour manager for the reformed Nuclear Assault and saw Danny and his wife at shows on the east coast all the time. I stayed in touch with Kevin and Gurn [Brent McCarty] at least occasionally, to stay on top of royalties and accounting and the re-release and etc.

CoC: And if you do decide to record again, Relapse is a no brainer, right? What's the plan right now and what upcoming shows can fans look forward to?

RH: Brutal truth started working with Relapse because the people at that label are both friends and fans of the band. Hopefully, if it gets to that point, the great relationship we've had with Relapse will continue. Brutal Truth really doesn't plan much out; we are a bit more of a Zen band: we get together, we grind and then see what happens. We don't give a fuck much about budgets and schedules! That said, there are tons of shows and small tours in the works for early '07. Stay tuned for more info!

CoC: Both you and Dan Lilker are always involved in something musically, and the last time we spoke you seemed ready to take Total Fucking Destruction as far as it could go. What's the status with that now?

RH: TFD has a new CD coming out in January '07 in Japan and April '07 in the USA and Europe called _Zen and the Art of Total Fucking Destruction_. TFD plans to tour the world in 2007, fuck yeah!

CoC: Coinciding with all the good news, Relapse has reissued both _Sounds of the Animal Kingdom_ and _Kill Trend Suicide_ with liners by the band members and bonus video footage. Had you actually listened to any of the BT records recently before this? Do you have a personal favorite BT record?

RH: _Sounds..._ is my favorite: great songs, great ideas, all came together in a great CD. I rarely listen to recordings once I am out of the studio.

CoC: Recently Bolt Thrower ran into some more problems with Earache reissuing _Realm of Chaos_ without the band's authorization. Has anyone from BT or from the Earache side been approached about doing something new with the first couple of LPs?

RH: I think it is still a bit early on for all that. We'd love to get _Extreme Conditions..._ and _Need to Control_ remastered and re-released; hopefully we'll run into the Earache folks soon and try to get that sorted out!

CoC: Is there a new website being set up for the band?

RH: There's www.brutaltruth.com, but it contains mostly info pre-1999; for the most up to date info, visit BT and TFD at MySpace.