9 albums. 11 singles. Over 48 million tickets sold.

Hot Meaty Length are at the height of their game. This young 5-piece thrash metal band from the UK have achieved much more than many will ever achieve. Their 9th and most recent release,A Journey Through The Tunnels of Your Mind, has sold over 1.3 million copies over the world, and Hot Meaty Length VIII, which many consider The Length's finest work, has sold over 2 million.

But did the youthful group ever see this coming?

"Not by a long shot,"says lead vocalist Jay Burns.
"It was something we did for a bit of money on the side, say,20 quid,and for fun of course."

"I can't say I didn't ever dream of being a big rockstar with lots of money and a nice house and a better-than-yours car,"bass man Pete Searston says.
"At first,it wasn't a primary goal of mine, in fact during the recording of "Not So Tough Now"(the band's first album) I had to sneak out during sessions to go back to work at the vacuum cleaner store."

"No f***ing way,man,"says Dave Princeton,on drums.
"I still don't think we're successful.Are we?"

"Well,by now,I think it's been made pretty obvious that none of us thought that this would go anywhere,so it would be pointless to say it from my point of view," says Ted Hardcastle,the quiet and reserved rhythm guitarist.

"Didn't think so, surprise, etcetera, yadda yadda yadda,and you can quote me on that."
And so we did quote you, Jethro Hardcastle, because then the whole band has something to say.

So how did it all begin?

"Well,we were in high school," recalls Jay.
"Sometimes me and Jethro and Dave would get together and jam in the Hardcastle back shed,completely for fun. I remember that being where we wrote most of the songs on "Not So Tough Now". They were sort of more fun songs than serious songs."

"Yeah,we wrote all these songs in the back shed. I think the original notepads are somewhere in a box. Least I have something to sell when I'm washed up, right?" jokes Jethro.
"Anyway, I remember one afternoon Dave brought in this guy, Pete. Said he could play bass and had his own instrument and amp. So we let him into our garage band and he fit right in."

"This whole time I had been listening to these guys in the back shed,"Ted says.
"At first it was just random noise that was distracting me from my study,but then it grew into this awesome wall of sound,coming straight at me. And I wanted in."

--To be continued--