So here we go. The business -
0) I'm nervous...Tell me a joke.
How do you know when there’s a drummer at your front door?
The knocking speeds up and slows down!

How do we know when there’s a singer at your front door?
He doesn’t know when to come in!

many guitarists does it take to change a light bulb?
One! And fifty more to say they could have done it better.

Introduce yourselves to the people who should know better?
The band consists of four friends who love Metal! There’s Zac on Bass and Vocals, Mark on Drums, Ryk on Guitar and finally myself, Rishi also on Guitar.

What is your band all about?
We all have a common love of all genres of metal, and rather than a follow one particular scene we try to encompass all styles into one unique brand of British metal.

How did you all get together?
I met Zac in 94 during my brief stint in Cradle; Zac was managing Cradle at the time. We got along famously and decided to jam some tunes and we found we had a writing chemistry, so we wrote some songs recorded them, liked them and decided to form a band. Zac left his band Lionsheart in 97 and we got on with it full time, Zac knew Mark and I had grown up with Ryk, after we had jammed together, we realised that was it!

Where did you get such a cryptic band name?
We started out as Rainmaker888 but later found a couple of other bands called Rainmaker, so we decided to change the name, as we wanted it to be as unique as our music. We are planning to release our debut album this year and we want to build our own identity. Enemymaker come from the line in our song “The Rainmaker”

And how would you describe your music to the uneducated?
We believe in writing good songs firstly and foremost, but we use the dark and ultra heavy metal as our canvass, it is epic, groovy and high energy and played to be enjoyed live. The lyrics go from abstract to deep and are spiritually based.

What makes you different to other metal bands on the scene?
Firstly we play the music that inspires us, we don’t want to jump onto the trend thing, that’s not honest to us, we want to evolve naturally and write great music.

What would we expect at one of your live shows? Any notorious CoF or Venom Style theatrics?
High energy, Ultra heaviness, and cool tunes, we play for the music, we don’t have any gimmicks. As the band progresses we would like to use bigger stage production to emphasise the imagery of the band, and to let the songs do the talking.

And what should we expect on your up and coming records?
We intend to try and capture the full live sound of the band, this huge monster that appears when we’re all cooking on 10!

What are your influences?
Mine range from Iron Maiden to System of a Down, Ryk’s into most things from Metallica to Tool, Mark likes stuff with good drumming like Life of Agony to Soundgarden and Zac into everything, like Sabbath through to Slayer.

Who would you like to work with on your record?
We are planning to record the album with Zac at the helm, as we have been perfecting the sound of the band for a while so we know exactly what we want. Zac has previously handled engineering duties with Venom and Cradle amongst others.

Any new bands that you think I should be looking out for?
U.S. bands, Stereomud, Soil, Among Thieves and Civilian
U.K.bands, Skindred, Liberty 37, Vacant Stare and 3 Days Left

What are your hopes for the band in the near future?
To release our album and tour like crazy.

You've all played in/with other bands - how is life when the EM888 foursome get together?
Excellent as we are all friends and have a mutual respect for each other, I know everyone loves being in the band and we all feel this is the best thing we’ve ever done.

Some individual questions for respective band members...
ZAC
I understand you have worked with Venom, CoF, Bal-Sagoth and TEHC. In what capacity did you work with them and what prompted you to form your own band?
With Cradle I managed them for a short while in (94/95) I also did some production duties for them. Bal-Sagoth, I also managed them during 95/96 Venom are friends so I help out when needed, I usually do their front of house sound and sometimes tour manager. TEHC, I produced their 2000 release “Witness the Millennium” for Cleopatra records in the U.S. To be honest I’ve mainly been in bands, the production came later. Previously I was in a band called Lionsheart and we had quite a bit of success in Japan. EM888 is a natural progression for me, I enjoy it.

And what has working with these metal stalwarts taught you about the music business?
If you don’t believe in what you do, forget it!

Do you have any dirt to dish on the old guard?
Not really

You've toured with numerous bands, including Venom's great European tour and one of Ozzy Ozzbourne's projects. Which was your favourite tour and why?
Venom tour was cool, but we really loved playing with Zakk Wylde , he is a cool guy and friend.

Finally, both Zac and Rishi mix acting and singing.

Were you trained as actors or musicians?
We are Musicians foremost, acting is something that came naturally and we do it for a bit of fun.

Which television shows have you enjoyed acting in and why?
They’re all good fun really, “Playing the Field” on Yorkshire TV recently was great, we got to hang out with Ricky Tomlinson he is a very funny bloke! Also “Fat Friends” was a blast, we met Meera Syal from “Goodness Gracious Me”.

Any plans to emulate CoF and Kiss and have a movie that involved yourselves?
No. Although we have done a song for the soundtrack to a movie, it is called “I AM VENGEANCE” , it is a horror flick released in the U.S. Check it out!

RISHI
I was drawn to your band by the off chance that you were once in Cradle of Filth.
How and why did you get involved in that band?
I already knew the band as friends and when they needed a replacement for Paul Ryan (COF Guitarist) I agreed to do it on a temporary basis

What was it like being in one of the biggest metal bands around? How was life with Dani and co - was it the mad whirlwind that everyone thinks it'll be?
It was a lot of fun, I played abroad with them and enjoyed it tremendously, it taught me a lot about the music business very quickly as I was only 18 and still a bit naive.

What was Dani himself like?
He has a very dry sense of humour, which can be quite entertaining.

And how come you left after such a short time?
As I said it was only a temporary measure!

Did you leave on good terms?
Yes

It perplexes me that they and similar metal bands change their members more often that my friends change their underpants - would you like to speculate as to why?
A band is like a marriage, a long term commitment, just as in life some can stay the distance, others can’t.

I'm sure you've had this question before, but I must ask it to see what you'll say - there seems to be some unofficial belief system amongst younger asians to be into rib and garage and very little else. How did your friends and relatives react to you being into metal?
I got into Metal when I was about 11, as did most of my friends, my family encouraged me to be individual. I don’t think it matters where you come from, you should listen to the music of your own choice.

Were they supportive when you decided to take up performing rather than a traditional 'Gujerati' occupation, like medicine?
Well firstly, my family are completely supportive of my career choice, and secondly I am of Hindu origin not Gujerati!

And how do you feel about being the only Asian guy on the British metal scene?
I don’t think I am; Check out Sona Fariq and My Vitriol. I am proud to be Asian and British.

I understand CoF have repeatedly emphasised their anti-racist credentials in interviews, where black metal is often seen as a forum for racist gatherings. How do you feel about acts such as Darkthrone, Mayhem and Marduk gaining publicity and following despite holding such views?
I think people are clever enough to make their own minds up. It doesn’t keep me awake at night.