Matty Trash And The Horrorbles' Matty Gets Unexpected

Formed in 2007 by founding members Matty Trash, Shaun ‘Spooky’ and Jimmy Scabbs, Matty Trash and the Horrorbles have reformed themselves from gory punk rock band, to a new style of Zombie/Horror Metal. Combining some precise, technicality in music with a blood-covered stage show, MTATH lead the new Rot-and-Roll Revolution! Having exorcised past members, they have created their strongest line-up yet, with Matty Trash on vocals, ‘Spooky’ on Guitars and Scabbs on Keys, the band also features Draven on bass, Phoenix on guitar and Death on drums. MTATH may look dead, but they are very much alive, and they will eat your brains till the devil arrives!


1. Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Matty Trash and the Horrorbles.

Matty: My Name is Matty Trash and I'm the vocalist for Matty Trash and The Horrorbles.

2. Tell us the brief history of your band.

Matty: MTATH started way back in 2007, and started out with the idea of bringing a more theatrical show to the stages of Australia, The horror image came about to support idea and we began writing songs that were heavy, yet fun and dark but could translate well into the live situation and theatrics we had planned. We released our first EP "Part 1: The Infection" in June 2011 then began working on a heavier more concentrated metal sound for "Part 2".

3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?

Matty: We are from Perth, Australia, and there is a huge list of amazing bands on our doorstep. obviously bands like Karnivool, Advent Sorrow and Chaos Divine are the more well known bands, but bands like Tempest Rising, Midnight Boulevard, Nightmare Effect and Reapers Riddle are making big impacts on the local scene at the moment.

4. What type of band are you?

Matty: MTATH started out as a 4 Peice Horror Rock/Punk band that incorporated a few different Genres into our first EP "Part 1" influences from Rock, Metal, Rockabilly and Goth we mixed and spread across the tracks on the EP, we have now grown to have 6 members with the addiction of a second guitarist and a Keyboard player and our music had definitely gone down a heavier path, with "Part 2" being heavier than all the the Songs on "Part 1" and the lyrics being alot darker and more serious than the Tounge-In-Cheek style that features on "Part 1"

5. Why did you want to name the band Matty Trash and the Horrorbles? What does it symbolize and represent for the band?

Matty: With the name, we were after something quite different, and something that fitted the image and horror themes that we were portraying. I always liked the play on words of "Horrorbles" rather than "Horribles" to symbolize the style that we were doing at the start of the band. I mean if you got upset that we were singing a song about a Zombie Jesus then you have to remember your watching a band with HORRORBLES in their name!!!!

6. Who are your musical and non-musical influences?

Matty: Musically we all have very different tastes, from metal to punk, goth to electro. Bands like Wednesday 13 and Rob Zombie played a major part in our earlier songs but now we are not so influenced by other musicians, but simply the world around us and what we see on  a day the day basis, and there has been a definite shift in the songs from "Movie Horror" to the Horrors that exist in the real world, in our lives, that's pushed into our faces every time we watch the news or read a newspaper. That's scarier than anything that can be put into a movie.

7. What are your songs about? (What specific themes do they cover?)

Matty: With the theme of the band, we get the creative freedom to write everything and anything from the serious to the silly. We have songs that cover real topics like Drug Addiction, Religious Hypocrisy, Aggression and Violence in the world... then on the flip side we have songs about Zombies, Vampires and Corpses. its a good mix of Fact and Fiction, Truth and Lies, Serious and fun.  

8. Do you write your own songs? (Discuss the songwriting process in detail.)

Matty: All of our songs usually come from a single Guitar riff, Drum beat or vocal line. One member will bring it to practice and we all work on it, throw ideas around the room, add and take out different parts until we are happy with the result. then the lyrics and vocals are generally added at the end after the music is finished

9. What's new in the recording of your music?

Matty: MTATH is hitting the recording studio the first week of March to record "Part 2" with the addition of the Keyboard, second Guitarist, the songs have alot more depth than the first EP. the sound is heavier, Darker, scarier and bigger!!!!

10. What are your dreams and goals?

Matty: The Dream? To be able to play our music 24/7 Tour the world playing shows and release album after album... isn't that every musicians dream? our goals for the next 12 months is to record and release "Part 2" tour tour tour and get back into writing new material for "Part 3".

11. What should labels/zines/promoters know about your band? Why should they be interested in it?

Matty: Our live show has always been held in the highest regard for us, creating an explosive and interesting live performance has been the cornerstone for the band from day one. we always try to put on a different show each night, from having a different image, different set lists and different stage props so that each of our shows is special purely to the people that were there that night. your not gonna get the same show from us 2 nights in a row. The band is always evolving as well, we don't want to create album after album that sounds the same, we want to push the boundaries, create new sounds for each albums and have a new image that compliments those themes to avoid becoming stale and predictable with Matty Trash And The Horrorbles expect the unexpected!

12. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?

Matty: "Part 1: The Infection" is available now on iTunes. Our music can also be heard at all the usual places (Facebook, YouTube, Bandcamp).

13. What plans do you have for the near future as a band?

Matty: Recording "Part 2" in March with a Mid year release. The first single will be released as soon as its ready then it will be back playing shows and working on a whole bunch of new songs.

14. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?

Matty: If you go into our music with expectations.... DON'T.... there is about a 99% chance its not what your expecting to hear.

15. Any final words of wisdom?

Matty: Support your Local music scene!!!! nothing is more important than that!!!! Too many amazing unheard of bands give up on their dream because people don't go out and enjoy what is in the local scene. Its a crime to not go and support these bands SO GET OUT THERE AND ENJOY LOCAL MUSIC! You might find the hidden gems before anyone else!!!!