The No Label Needed Contest & Series is a collaboration between Metal Insider and Scion to give one unsigned artist an entire DIY music industry education and launch a release without the help of a label. We’ll be posting features and updates on the contest & series periodically on Metal Insider. Find out more about No Label Needed here.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be taking a closer look at each of the No Label Needed finalists. Today, we’re featuring Hemoptysis.

Formed in 2007 in Phoenix, the band is comprised of Masaki Murashita on vocals and guitar, Ryan Miller on Bass, Sunao Arai on bass and Travis Thune on drums. Murashita took some time aside from campaigning for the lead in public votes to answer a few of our questions.

Why should people vote for you over the other finalists?

We feel that our music is a unique blend of old school thrash and death metal but with a modern approach. We feel that we bring a style that is missing from today’s metal scene.

What has been your most challenging moment as an unsigned metal band?

Not having enough money to do things we need to do to succeed. We want anything that we are associated with to be top notch and that coss money. Everything from touring, our music videos, merch, recording, and promotion cost a ton of money and we want to be competitive and will stop at nothing to a be successful.

What’s been your greatest highlight?

Winning the Phoenix/LA Music Award at the end of last year for “Metal Artist of The Year”.

Who’s career do you admire?

Megadeth. Dave Mustaine lost everything when he was kicked out of Metallica and he started over again and succeeded with his own band.

What is the local scene like in your home town?

It is getting bigger and bigger every day. There’s many good metal bands out there in Phoenix, and the local scene seems to be expanding now.

What metal trend would you like to see end?

This is more a metal industry trend but we would like to see the labels stop releasing cookie-cutter bands that all sound the same and for them to start treating their artists better. It doesn’t make sense for a band to sign a contract with a label that doesn’t offer tour support but keeps almost all the money the band is making for the label.

Public voting for the No Label Needed Contest & Series presented by Scion runs through March 8. Visit the No Label Needed microsite to listen to Hemoptysis and the 19 other finalists and cast your vote!