A Dirty Dozen with ERIC STUCKE from RIPPING REMAINS – October 2025

Photo credit: Philip Scott

According to a recent press release: “Everything Is Noise is currently streaming Necrodestiny, the debut EP from Oregon’s RIPPING REMAINS via Satanik Royalty Records. Germinated from the contaminated cadaver of Pacific Northwest death metal overlords Dripping Decay, RIPPING REMAINS emerges in 2025 to continue a legacy of catchy, horror-themed, oldschool death / grind. Returning from the Dripping Decay fold is vocalist Eric Stucke (also of Oregon blackened thrashers Hallucinator), whose reinstatement to the frontman role is characterized by the same patented intensity that fans have come to expect. Stucke also takes up the guitarists mantle for RIPPING REMAINS, stepping into the primary songwriting role with aplomb and unleashing a barrage of hook-laden, grinding opuses that blend brutality with infectiousness: a balance that all good extreme music should seek to strike. Establishing RIPPING REMAINS alongside Stucke is former Dripping Decay drummer Jason “The Machine” Borton, known for his precise, extreme playing in addition to touring credits with groups like Jungle Rot, Skeletal Remains, and Ripped To Shreds. Borton joins bassist and Satanik Royalty Records founder Michael “Frei” Freiburger, rounding out the rhythm section in proficient fashion, the group benefitting soundly from Frei’s paint-peeling backing vocals and commanding stage presence honed in his days with Deathcave and Brain Scraper.” We get Eric to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Necrodestiny is a musical smorgasbord of death metal and grind that feels like you took the whole Earache “Grindcrusher” compilation and hit shuffle and this was the band you landed on. It was written hot off the heels of our previous band Dripping Decay breaking up, in a bid to keep hold of the same momentum and capture yet build upon our sound in that band. A fun easter egg is the intro – it’s a throwback to the Dripping Decay demo intro about a Portland crematorium, and advances the news story further. And make sure to read the lyrics! The music will hit that much harder.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

Radio was the start – Rage Against The Machine, Nirvana, Beastie Boys, then nu metal on MTV with Return Of the Rock and TRL. What changed me was the rise of peer to peer programs like WinMX and Soulseek. From going through other people’s libraries, soon I was finding bands like Acid Bath, Death, Repulsion, My Dying Bride, Emperor which nobody I knew ever heard of. When Chuck Schuldiner died I was 17, I had been obsessed with Death all year and I realized this was the music I wanted to play. His journey around America, all the different musicians and evolutions, really inspired me.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

Acid Bath was a big one – funny enough, I found a music file on WinMX comparing them to contemporary bands like Deftones, Slipknot, etc. but what I found was something way beyond any of that. And when I went to look up more Acid Bath, I found Repulsion, Death, Alien Sex Fiend, Paramecium and a bunch of other extreme bands. King Crimson – In The Court of the Crimson King was the other one, it was my first vinyl record I can remember and it set me on a path of 70’s and 80’s vinyl obsession.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

John Carpenter – because the guy is so damn creative and still making great music today. I’m a synth freak and would love to pick his brain.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour?  What do you like to do to unwind?

Video games, RPG’s in particular. Skyrim is my #1, I’ve put thousands of hours in and I mod the shit out of it; it’s the ultimate fantasy sandbox, the depth of the lore is unmatched. Witcher, Diablo, Red Dead 2, Baldurs Gate 3, and Tainted Grail: Fall Of Avalon are all killer games with a rich world that lets you do just about anything. It’s a nice escape from the darkness of world events and politics which is my other major interest.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

Old school death grind with buzzsaw guitars and a lot of UK and Scandinavian influences. We haven’t heard enough comparisons yet to disagree!

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Frei would probably cook, I get the drinks in, and Jason is pulling out one of his dozens of King Diamond or Dream Theater CD’s to get the party going. None of us play the acoustic guitar.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

I ran into Rob Halford working the load out of a Judas Priest gig in Portland. He walked by backstage and I couldn’t think of anything to say, so I just said “you guys were great!” I wish I had something lore clever to offer or at least, “you’ve still got it, Rob!” rather than a generic platitude.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

The best part of being a musician is creating something you’d love to listen to your whole life if you heard it, and becoming peers with your favorite musicians. My dream job would be to actually make music my job as that isn’t the case; alternately I’d love to be a video game designer.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

I always want people to ask about the meaning of our lyrics. For example the song “The Horror Writes Itself” is about how real life atrocities are worse than any fiction we can invent, and it’s about civilian casualties in war particularly in Gaza.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

Yes, I had an album come out during the pandemic and treated it like my album was dead in the water. Then I watched others go viral in a major way with all of the increased Internet usage, and I didn’t find a way to capitalize on that.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Napalm Death – From Enslavement To Obliteration.  The guys were all at their peak and probably having a raucous time. To me, that record is just pure unhinged animalistic energy.  It exemplifies extremity and has pushed me to go hard in music my whole life. And the lyrics are deep and poignant to this day.

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Category: Interviews