Who is Lion of Judah and what do they stand for?
Lion of Judah is a ten-armed, five-headed unit intent on spreading love, eating candy and sleeping in our van down by the riverside.

What do you feel the hardcore scene is lacking these days?
We all feel that the hardcore scene is lacking originality, and creativity. Hardcore has become too much of a brand name with expected 'products" for consumption by "fans." Everything from song structures to layouts, lyrics and stage banter have been reduced down to the lowest common denominator. We strive to break out of the confines of these conventions and make things fresh for ourselves. Hopefully we will inspire kids who feel the same way to be a little braver and do their own thing.

Give a rundown of how dancing styles vary from East/Midwest/West in the US and then foreign countries you guys have played?
It is tough to say since we aren't exactly a "mosh-pit" friendly band. In Croatia they like to throw beer and break bottles on the floor. We were pretty into that. In East Germany they like to pose on stage and "bro-mosh", that was also pleasing to us. In the U.S. we've had pillow-throwers in Denver and straight up boogiers like Ian Courtney in Detroit. We are happiest when people just feel the music and groove out with us.

What would your last supper consist of?
I think everyone can agree on candy, lots of it, and Afri-Cola.

Top 5 albums of all time?
Our top five albums are the DC Rox Compilation, Bad Brains- God of Love, Cro Mags- Near Death Experience, Egyptian Lover- I Need a Freak 12", Neon Deads- Demo.

What are some your favorite albums to come out this year?
Shakira-Oral Fixation Vol. 2, The new Justice LP, Loud and Clear 12", Restless > Youth- New LP, War Hungry- Pennsylvanian Hunger, Space Hamster- Lost > in Space, Bazooka- Both Demos LP.

If you could pick one song that best describes you, what would it be?
"Astral Master" is best representative of where our music is at right now.

Did you guys vote in the midterm elections, and if so for who?
Unfortunately, we were on tour, I tried to get an absentee ballot mailed to me but it did not arrive in time.

What made you decide to go with Young-Blood Records over Lockin Out, who put out your "Soul Power" EP?
We didn't really choose Youngblood "over" Lockin Out. We had agreed to do a record with Youngblood from the get-go. The Lockin Out 7' came out of the failed attempt to make an Iron Age/LOJ split(they didn't get their tracks together in time). We put out the 7" on Lockin Out because Greg is a good friend of ours and was really into our style. We have been pleased with the way both labels have handled things. Both Sean Youngblood and Greg LO believed in us enough to invest time and money into helping us realize our creative vision.

Where did the name come from, was it from the New Testament (Christian) or from the Rastafari version?
It came from neither.

You guys have a tour setup in support of "Universal Peace"?
Yes, we just did a forty-seven day tour of Europe, we are currently on a 25 day U.S. tour. We plan on playing a lot more shows in support of the record culminating in a world tour next summer with Lights Out and hopefully War Hungry.

That is all, and I would like to thank you for taking the time out to answer my inane thoughts.
If you have anything to add, please do so. Thanks for writing, good luck with your zine.