I spoke with the then vocalist of both bands Branden O’Neill online, and we stayed in touch. Vile Revelation then released an EP called Cast From Eden earlier this year, which is pretty fucking killer, but I never got around to reviewing it (I have no excuse, sorry guys).

So to make amends for my laziness, I found out that they were playing at a local venue with Ohio deathcore bruisers Fathom (who I was also familiar with) about 30 minutes from my house, I felt like to atone for my lack of covering the EP, an interview was in order. Plus I always like to meet folks I have met online every so often. 

So, before the show, I met Branden and fellow Vile Revelation folks, Isaak Clarkson (guitars, composer, writer), and drummer Anthony Leasgang to find out about an excellent symphonic deathcore band right here in my own back yard.

So Brandon, you and I talked after I reviewed the Abaddonia EP last year,  which you did vocals on and when I researched them and shared the review with you, I found you were also in Vile Revelation, then I found your EP Of Vultures and Flesh from 2022. And then you stayed in touch and then lo and behold you’re playing here in Missouri. So anyway, talk to me a little bit about Vile Revelation and how you joined after leaving Abaddonia.

Branden : So, Isaak here (who was also in Abaddonia) actually found me in a Facebook group, just the Deathcore Metalcore fans group. He had made a post looking for a vocalist, which you don’t see like ever. Mostly you’re looking for guitarists, drummers, and bassists. And I just happened to comment on it that I’d be interested in Slam or Black and Deathcore. And we just happened to live three hours away and it just kind of worked out. We jumped together, and recorded the EP, the first EP. We’re kind of the core of the band.  Isaak does most of the writing for it. I’m just kind of there as a vibe check sometimes. Sometimes I’m not a vibe check. I give my input and then we just kind of go with what we decide is music.

So any ties with Abaddonia as well or just your own thing and he happened to be in Abaddonia at the time?

Isaak: So I had joined Abaddonia probably a year or two after they had started and they were in need of a vocalist and by that time I had already started Vile Revelation and I was like hey I’m in a band and I have a vocalist, so we did the Abaddonia EP after the first Vile Revelation EP.

And Anthony, you are the drummer and you’re the drummer for Fathom right? How did you join the band?

Anthony: Yeah I drum for Fathom. I just kind of came across Vile Revelation from a Facebook post about needing a drummer and it is a completely different pace than Fathom was trried because it’s more fast-paced and blast-beat-oriented.

Right, because Fathom’s newer stuff is a little more down-tempo, right? Alright, so is Abaddonia still a thing? Are you still in, are they around? Are you still doing it?

Isaak: We’re not involved with them anymore. I know they’re still working on stuff. They have some music coming out soon. Vile Revelation is its own thing right now.

So where are you based out of now? Where does Vile Revelation call home?

Isaak: I would say Columbia, Missouri.

All right, good, Columbia needs more metal. I was listening to your new EP, ‘Cast from Eden’, and comparing that to the last EP, ‘All Vultures and Flesh’. It’s a similar sound, I think, as far as the music, but it seems like lyrically you’ve steered a little more into space and aliens as far as, I mean, obviously first EP was called ‘Of Vultures and Flesh’. It was a little more death metal and blood and guts and stuff. Is that a permanent move? Is that something you’re just exploring with the EP and a couple of the subsequent songs?

Isaak: I wouldn’t say permanent, but I would say we’re definitely going to be going in that direction. At least for a while or a while with a few releases after this. It’s just such a wide subject to get into, that you can really do anything with it. You can have a lot of fun with that.

Branden: Yeah it’s more of an overarching theme is kind of what it is. It’s not going to be every song about aliens now, but it’s something we’ll touch on or maybe the songs relate to it, but don’t directly mention, but it’s kind of more just stuff that we kind of relate to. We enjoy conspiracy theories and stuff like that.

And it seems even though you’ve made that lyrical shift, the music’s stayed kind of that more orchestral/symphonic deathcore. You haven’t gone in a ‘beep boop, whir’,  Rings of Saturn type sound. So is that something you’re going to kind of stick with as well?

Isaak: I don’t really have any interest in going into that like Rings of Saturn type sound. But I definitely like to experiment with sounds, not just the symphonic or orchestral type stuff, but maybe some synth-type stuff. I just like to play with sounds a lot and figure out new stuff with sounds.

Are you the primary composer of the background and the symphonic stuff?

Isaak: I write all the music, I mix, produce, master it, everything. So yeah, it’s really where I just get to play around with stuff.

So you’re gonna stick with the name Vile Revelation? Because I was looking at the new song “Starscourge”, I was like, ‘that’s a fucking cool name for a band!’.

Isaak: Yeah. That’s a cool name for a band that was doing alien type synth core but sticking with Vile Revelation in case we ever swing back to the old lyrics

Branden: It’s just kind of a good name to everything it’s kind of just like right realizing of something like shocking and horrible. It covers a lot of bases.

Let’s get the drummer involved here coming from Fathom. The new Fathom material. It’s definitely slowed down tempo-wise, and Vile Revelation is much faster. So are you relieved to be playing something fast again as well? Or are you happy to be playing slow and only doing fast part-time when you’re helping these guys out?

Anthony: The  Lurking Gloom (Fathom’s debut album) was fun, but it got exhausting. The new stuff on the EP Picture Poison, it’s a good middle ground between the old stuff and The Lurking Gloom. As far as Fathom goes, it’s like a good mid-pace. It’s not super slow, so it’s a perfect middle ground.

Okay so obviously Vile Revelation is doing orchestral/ symphonic deathcore and the debut EP was in 2022 and new EP was this year, so you’re in what I like to call  ‘PLS’ or ‘Post Lorna Shore’. It was around before that, and there were a lot of bands doing it before that, like Carnifex and such, but it didn’t get some of the notoriety. And then you get Lorna Shore, and then for whatever reason it blows up. Who are your influences? Is it Lorna Shore? Is it not? Is it someone else? Is it trying to do your own thing? Are you like ‘those guys fucking rule we want to sound like them, we WANT to do the blackened deathcore thing?’ Where are you at with kind of your influences Isaak, as the songwriter and composer?

Isaak: I would say definitely when I started the band, Lorna Shore was a big influence. Immortal era. Flesh Coffin, Immortal era. They were a big influence for me, but also some older stuff like Angelmaker, the Sanctum album. Random slam stuff. I was really into black metal when I was younger. So I wanted to bring some of that kind of vibe into it. But I would say Lorna Shore has still been a big influence. I wouldn’t say as a whole in the music, but specifically the riffs. Especially I think on songs like “Starscourge”, So in terms of guitar writing, I would say Lorna Shore is a big influence. In terms of the overall vibe of the songs, I would say bands like…A Wake In Providence, Worm Shepherd. And moving forward, my influence is definitely changing some. I would say more into the realm of that older Oceano sound, some Aversions Crown-type stuff.

So same question for you Branden, vocally. Obviously after Will Ramos. I listened to A Wake Providence for years and Will Ramos was okay for them as a vocalist. And then he blows up with the Lorna Shore EP and then obviously everyone is doing that super demonic style now. Seems like everyone’s trying to do that. What are your vocal influences?

Isaak: So the big two that really got me into singing how I like the sound are Colin Jeffs and Mark Poida from Aversions Crown,  the Tyrant and Servitude albums. They were really like what solidified my foundation locally. And then outside of that, I’d say Ben Deurr from Shadow of Intent. Definitely. Then,  I couldn’t…name them off the top of my head, but a ton of slam vocalists. I tend to be more comfortable in the guttural realm. It’s just a more enjoyable sound for me to make. So I kind of try to drag that in when I can.

(At this point, I start to realize how OLD I am and how YOUNG these guys are as they throw out ‘old’ bands like Angelmaker and Aversions Crown. I now find out Isaak isn’t even 21 yet. Anthony is 28 and Brandon is the elder statement at 32). 

And drumming, obviously Anthony, you’re playing two styles. You said you prefer the slower because it’s exhausting doing the faster. Who are your drumming influences when you’re playing for Vile or do you just play what he tells you and your influences are outside of that realm when it comes to your personal style?

Anthony: So with both bands, I mean it’s honestly whoever writes the song, it just pushes me to a limit. The way Isaak writes with the band, it pushes me as a drummer to just play what he writes instead of playing what I think I like in other bands. Because Isaak really just pushes the boundaries for me.

So Fathom is out of Ohio and Vile is here in Missouri, How do you get together to rehearse? 

Isaak: In today’s day and age it’s all digital; ‘Here I need you to play this’. It’s all digital. We had one rehearsal the day before our first show. I mean we all get our tracks and we’re all practicing on our own so we get there we have our click track and we all know what we’re doing and what’s coming so it just kind of…It’s a lot of self-practice.

I’m curious when you rehearse practice like that in today’s day and age, say you have feedback on a drum or a vocal line, you just text them, email them, that’s like, ‘hey, I need you at this point in this song to do this a little different’, or when you’re giving feedback on guitars or something. How does that happen when you’re not in a rehearsal space two or three times a week?

Isaak: So, me and Brandon do get together a lot, just with him being closer to me. We get together a lot, we don’t necessarily practice, but we’re always working on stuff. A lot of the writing is for the most part collaborative. And that’s where we work out the, I would say the main kinks in the songs. And anything else beyond that, like…like the one rehearsal that we had. When everybody’s practiced on their own and they can play the songs how they’re meant to be played.

That’s kind of crazy. One practice. For this tour?

Isaak: Yep. One practice. Honestly, probably. I mean, when everybody plays the exact same songs on the exact same set list, the same click, same everything, as long as you can play your part. When it comes together it meshes just like you hear it on the road.

I think that’s a sign of changing times, right?  That’s The power of the internet.

Branden: Right, right. It was a huge shock to me because I came from like, rehearsing once a week with a Deathcore band, to sometimes two times a week, no click tracks, just everything, cab and all that. And we got the click tracks together and now, I would never go back.

With that said, the prevalence of that, do you think that it’s good for music overall? This kind of digitization, modernization of things, what do you think is something to be said for practicing and rehearsals and no-click tracks and all that stuff? Or is it good to have a little bit of both to keep things somewhat honest?

Isaak: I would say on the individual level, it definitely makes you a better musician to have to sit down on your own and hammer it out. Because I feel like when you’re practicing with a group, you can kind of lean on each other and you might not notice some of those little specific problems that you might have. I think that just practicing on your own, especially recording what you practice, taking videos or recording audio, and then listening back to it, you can really tell where you’re messing up, and what you need to change. But on the other side of that, I think playing as a group, especially writing as a group, definitely brings another level of cohesiveness into the music and just everything kind of blending together in a way that they wouldn’t. I think there’s ups and downs to it for sure.

Let’s talk about deathcore popularity right now. Now you see bands like Lorna Shore just blowing up. Do you think that kind of shift in popularity is good for the scene or bad for the scene, would you prefer Deathcore to stay Underground? Where do you feel with that kind of blow up? Especially even in that subgenre with the symphonic deathcore.

Branden: I think as a whole it’s good. I personally don’t like it, there’s a decent chunk of deathcore that I personally just don’t listen to. As the genre grows and there are more listeners, there’s more bands coming out, you get more variety and you can always find something in it that’s going to interest you. If you’re into an extreme metal genre, Deathcore has probably had some sort of crossover with it at this point and I think as a whole that’s good for it. As its popularity grows, I think Metalcore is going to get an even larger comeback.

Isaak: I think it’s definitely good overall to see bands blowing up in the way that they are. You definitely have those people that are like, oh, you know, it’s not underground anymore. I definitely think it’s good, it’s more accessible, you’re going to have more listeners, and you’re going to have more new people getting into the genre that wouldn’t have otherwise. I just think it’s great, it’s like we have rock stars again. I feel like we didn’t have rock stars for 10-15 years, so I definitely think it’s cool.

Everything I review now is digital. It was vinyl, it was CD, and you guys haven’t done physical for the Cast From Eden EP, your first EP was physical, but nothing physical since. What’s your stance on that? Is that a budgetary limitation? Just don’t want to do it? Just want to be digital because that’s what the kids are doing now?

Isaak: Definitely budget.  We definitely would have done physical that if we had had the budget for it. At that time we weren’t really playing shows. We didn’t have a great way to process physical copies online So we just kind of passed over that. I think in the next 10 years probably with the whole AI music thing, I think physical music could make a big comeback.

That would definitely be something to keep an eye on in the future. That’s a great point. I think it could be coming back. Same question for you Anthony, regarding Fathom??

Anthony: We have physical copies of the Picture Poison EP. Physical CDs are a thing that’s necessary, especially for a touring band because there are people that do one thing- physical. So it’s like people that do want them having them on tours and I use them because they buy those and it helps the band.

Where do you see Vile Revelation going from here because obviously you’re a young band. Literally.

Isaak: I would definitely keep an eye out for a full-length in the next year. Definitely going to be doing more tours.

So my question there is, a lot of bands, unfortunately, they do EPs, they do songs on Spotify, they do a full-length, it’s those reprocessed again. Is your full-length going to combine past releases or 10 new songs?

Isaak: They’ll be all new. Hoping to do a lot of touring in the next couple of years. Definitely more music coming out. We’re working on music all the time. New music, shows, and just kind of grinding it out. Right. Branden, any thoughts on that?

Branden: He  really pretty much covered it. We covered it in the influences where we’re going to look for a little adaptation and shift in sound. Now that we’ve got a pretty comfortable amount of shows under our belt, we kind of have an idea of what we like to do live, what we personally enjoy. We’re kind of getting better at it. I guess for lack of a better word, just vibes of the songs. Before we were a lot more chaotic. Now we’re getting to the point where we’re pretty comfortable like purveying what the song is about in the instrumental before you even get to the vocals. Definitely finding our sound.

Going back a bit, Isaak, you said black metal was an influence moving forward, You can hear it in some of the keyboards and synths. What are the challenges of that when doing it live? It often sounds great on record, the orchestration is really powerful, really sets the atmosphere, live setting, they get washed out, you can’t hear them, and on a band like yours, it be in the pivotal part of the music? How do you make sure that that gets carried over live? Is it turning it up, is it turning guitars down, is it turning the drums down, is it just finding that perfect balance? It sounds like you’re the mix master guy on that. How do you make sure that what you record translates live?

Isaak: A lot of trust in the sound people. LOL. Trust the sound people. Um, especially the kind of band that we are. Being a lot of like digitally set up and, right. So, so we don’t use guitar amps.

Wait? Everything is digital? What about the drums? Anthony, you are a drummer but everything is digital?

Anthony: Yeah I don’t use a kick drum I use an electric kick pad because I run I was running a trigger with a real kick drum but trying to like something like what does that even look like? like Fathom was having to tour out of minivans sometimes and kick drums just took up a lot of extra room.I have the whole drum set. It has a snare and toms. There’s no kick drum. It’s just a little thing. Essentially as far as running a trigger. It’s the same kind of sound. It’s a human doing it. It’s not programmed. It’s a lot less room. It’s a lot less stress on the back.

Isaak, so back to black metal. When you’re looking at black metal, what are your influences as far as obviously the keyboard you use? And are we talking 90s black metal, 2000s black metal?

Isaak: I was big on that like second-wave black metal. Bands like Burzum and Dark Throne. OK. That’s what I was to do. I mean, this was me in sixth and seventh grade listening to them and that was before I even knew what Deathcore was. Right. But I was huge on that sound. I love that dark atmosphere that those sounds had. I just kind of wanted to recreate that.

Who are your influences on the compositions, and the orchestral parts?

Isaak; Lorna Shore , Immortal era is definitely a big influence. I like those guitars, But a lot of the orchestral influence that I have just came from my education. I did two years of music composition and music theory. So a lot of like Mozart, Chopin, things like that. Yeah. So yeah, that was, I studied a lot of that in school, so. I’m very comfortable writing orchestral parts. So I like to do it as much as I can because there’s not really much for me to do in the way of just writing an orchestra.

What comes first when you’re writing a song? The orchestra ? The riffs?

It’s normally an idea of a guitar part. Right. And then I’ll kind of build everything around that? It’s normally guitar and then I’ll immediately know what the drums should be with that riff. And then the orchestra, synths, all that, that comes way later. That all comes later. So I’ll normally, I’ll do a bare-bones skeleton of the song where it’s just guitar, bass, and drums. And then I’ll go into production, I’ll do all of my synths, orchestra, whatever that may be. And then we do the vocals very last.

Does Branden have lyrical input?

Isaak: So I write all the lyrics. I write all the lyrics and a good chunk of the vocal patterns, but that’s definitely a collaborative work between me and Branden.

Branden: So yeah, we just get into the studio together and I’ll toss him ideas. We’ll record. We like that. We don’t like that. We just kind of refine that original idea until it’s at a place where we like it.

Anything I forgot you want to make sure people are aware of when they read this and go buy your music or listen to your music that I’ve missed.

I would just say definitely check out our latest song “Starscourge” on all streaming platforms. I would say that’s definitely the best music that we’ve done so far.. And there’s going to be a lot more like that coming in the future. So be sure to keep an eye out, check out “Starscourge”. A lot more shows coming up next year for sure.

So then, with more shows, who do you want to tour with?

Anthony: That’s a big question. Fathom’s toured with a lot of cool bands that I think would also fit this band.

Isaak: Shout out Errors of Humanity. I would love for Vile to do a tour with them. They’re a super similar vibe to what we’re doing. I think it’ll be really cool to do a tour with them

Branden: I think the The Green Leaves are sick.

Adam: Wretched Tongues. I’ve been to the tour with them this year. Great dudes. There’s definitely a lot of up-and-coming bands for sure that we’d like to get on with.

So you’d ideally like to tour with other young, upcoming bands?

Isaak: Yeah but It’s hard finding good up and coming deathcore bands that can match about where the same level you are. Because they’re either like big or they’re…They don’t ride right. It’s a hard middle ground. I like Synestia as well Yeah, I love their classical Compositions. I’d like to tour with them.

Check out both Vile Revelation and Fathom below and grab some merch!

Vile Revelation Bandcamp

Vile Revelation Facebook

Vile Revelation Merch @CKB Records

Fathom Facebook

Fathom Merch

Well, after 2005s The Continuum Hypothesis, the band took a break of sorts, but earlier in 2022, they returned in glorious fashion with their first album in 17 years, At War With the Multiverse.

S0 I reached out to Tino, and he along with new vocalist Scott Baggett, so delve a little more into one of the more successful and needed metal reunions of the last few years.

So the first big question is… why now.? What about 2022 and a 17-year layoff made this the time to come back?

Scott: I can’t answer for the time before I was around, but we’d been planning since I joined to get into the studio and record some new music. They had four new songs completed, and several more that needed lyrics. When Jason unexpectedly quit again, it set those plans back a bit. “Fuck, we have to start over with another guitarist?” Josh saved the day for us by agreeing to come back – since he was in the band previously for a number of years, he already knew the older songs for live shows, plus he was a quick learner for the new ones and added his own flair to them, and his attitude was just what we needed. Fast-forward through the lost time of the pandemic, and at the end of 2021, we finally got off our asses and got to recording. So really, there’s nothing particularly significant about the year or the time span, this was just when things *finally* clicked: the lineup was stable, we had 10 songs that were finished and well-honed (thanks, COVID, for giving us a lot of downtime!), and most importantly, all of the members were enthusiastic about the band.

And then to follow up, what happened 17 years ago that made Epoch of Unlight go on hiatus- you were a flagship band for The End Records, a huge label back then. Was there a plan to come back years ago or was the band truly done in a sense back in 2005?

Tino: We never were on hiatus. We continued to write, rehearse, and play live regularly. We did focus on playing closer, “regional” shows, when it came to traveling outside of Memphis to accommodate for everyone’s work schedule. (My travel schedule for work increased dramatically in 2006 so it limited the number of consecutive days that I could be gone for shows.) As Scott mentioned, there were also some changes in the vocal and 2^nd guitar line-up over the years that attributed to the delays in getting the newer material recorded.

Were The End Records ever an option to go back to for your return?

Tino: No. We’ve had no contact with The End since we completed our commitments with them.

Was there something about the state of USBM that pushed the comeback at all?

Tino: Not really. It just worked out organically that we were able to get the new album recorded when we did. There seems to be quite a bit of new music coming out from old and new bands alike so we were fortunate to release AWWTM during this “wave.”

How did you settle on tiny Dark Horizon Records (only 8 or so releases to their name) for the release of the new album? I’m guessing there were some larger label options out there?

Scott: Well, we’re not signed to Dark Horizon per se — Dark Horizon is helping us distribute the physical album. We paid for everything that went into the making of this album ourselves — the recording; having Fascination Street, the BEST mastering house for metal, master the album; the art and layout; and we’d already arranged for the PR on our own. We’ve spent thousands of dollars to make this album. What we wanted from a label *for this particular album* was mainly their distribution infrastructure (and frankly, their imprint as well, that helps). The two conditions we had were that the album had to be released in mid-to-late 2022, and we also wanted to retain the rights, or at the very least the digital rights, to this album we’d invested so much of our own money into. That obviously and understandably narrowed our options down, and while we surprisingly had some that were fine with the rights or had acceptable alternatives, their release schedules were packed until 2023. Dark Horizon was one of the labels was fine with both the rights and the schedule, and in conversing with the owner Lord Typhus, he won us over with his dedication to the genre (he’s been in extreme metal bands like Morpheus Descends for as long as Epoch has existed), his desire to make the CD package something special, and his enthusiasm for the album. DH has been great, and we’re really glad we are able to work with them.

And look, we’re not delusional – while EoU never stopped being a band, we haven’t released anything since 2005. We hadn’t done the best job of keeping the name alive, and that was a mistake. Some labels were rightfully leery of investing in us for that reason. If this album is well-received, maybe that will change. But we had zero hesitation going with Dark Horizon for this one, we couldn’t care less about their size.

Can you talk about the new lineup and how it came about as well as how old members got back into the fold for the reunion?

Scott: I’ve known Tino and Joe since around 1992. Tino was in a band called Enraptured with our bassist Joe’s twin brother (and original Epoch bassist) Pierce, and I was in a band called Purgatory, the first two death metal bands in Memphis. Enraptured was more my style, but I was too loyal to the Purgatory guys to bug Tino about teaming up. I quit music entirely for about 10 years after Purgatory imploded, then joined a death metal band called Burial Within from 2005-2010. Once that band broke up (side note: Ben Hutcherson from Khemmis was our guitarist in Burial Within and does guest vocals on “An Amaranthine Line”), I sat around for around 5 more years until Tino got in touch: Jason Smith wanted to concentrate on guitar, so they were looking for a lead vocalist. They knew I had a big ol’ set of death metal pipes, and we also go way back, so it was a natural fit.

Let’s get into the album a little bit- how old is the material on the album- is there some old stuff from the 00s in there or is this all relatively new?

Tino: All of these songs were written from about 2005/2006 to 2021. The oldest to make this recording is the last song on the album (“The Lie of Tomorrow’s Dawn”). As I mentioned earlier, we never stopped writing, so we were sitting on a mountain of material by the time we finally started recording in October of 2021. At that time, we had 10 complete songs (music and lyrics), plus the music for at about another 10.

What I would counter as a newness aspect to the songs on the new album is that when you rehearse music for that long you have the opportunity to review and revise the compositions ad nauseum. Some of these songs such as “Amaranthine line” went through extensive rewrites. The line-up additions also gave us the opportunity to highlight the talents of the members we had at the time. For example, working with 2 talented lead guitar players with an appreciation for 80’s thrash provided us with a great opportunity to have lead trade-offs on the last song that really added to the flow of the song and gave it that punch I was looking for to end the album.

Tino was the primary songwriter and lyric for the first three albums- has that dynamic changed for the new album, it looks like Scott did some /all? lyrics….and if so how do you keep the unique Epoch of Unlight sounds while allowing new members to contribute?

Scott: I wrote lyrics for five of the new songs. I joined thinking it was a one-man operation songwriting-wise and I could just kick my feet up, relax, and just be a death metal puppet, but these songs were much more collaborative, so I had to actually contribute. I’ve never written the types of stories typical of Epoch songs, so it was a learning curve to try to craft a story and a universe with my lyrics that fit the Epoch aesthetic. I actually was worried my songs would stick out like a sore thumb, but in the end, I think I was able to meld my own style with what is expected from Epoch of Unlight. Certainly, there are way, way more deep vocals than before, that’s just what I do, so I do hope that people who preferred the previous, mostly-high vocal style from past Epoch singers accept the diversity in what I’m doing.

Tino- when writing an Epoch of Unlight song- there’s a distinct sound you have that makes it EOU, that chaotic, melodic sound- how aware of you to make that happen and balance it with new elements to keep things fresh in 2022- I think you did a perfect job  for the new album.

Tino: First, thank you and I appreciate the kind words. I can’t say there was intent or awareness in the approach of the writing as far as keeping things fresh or interesting. (Maybe refining our technique over the years allowed us to hone our skills more for the sound on the new album.) Music-wise, I’ve always just tried to keep things interesting both from a listening and playing perspective. Successfully capturing the melodic and extreme/chaotic styles in an organic sense musically, is a major part of that interest for me.

What I can say is that even with all the line-up changes over the years, I’ve been fortunate to work with friends and like-minded musicians that understand how I write and are able to blend their styles with mine in a complementary fashion.

If I had to identify a source of “freshness” in the band and our sound, that title would go to our significantly younger guitarist John (He’s been in the band over 10 years…yet he still makes me feel old.)

And it looks like some of the songs on the new album are follow-ups or related to prior songs correct?

Tino: Lyrically yes, there is a continuity with the previous albums.

The stories/scenes captured in the lyrics continue or expand upon the dark, science fiction and fantasy concepts alluded to on the earlier albums. At times they also function as allegorical tools for weaving the duality concept of light and “Unlight” throughout the body of our work.

Also, as a long-time fan of the English author Brian Lumley (‘Necroscope’ series)  and it is fair to say that my writing across all our releases is heavily influenced by his work.

So what’s next for Epoch of Unlight? Hopefully not another 17-year layoff I hope?

Tino: The plan is to get these next 10-ish songs recorded in 2023/2024. We are also looking to promote the new album more in 2023 as we start to schedule as many shows as our combined schedules will permit across the country

Seeing as I never reviewed Spewing, I thought I’d reach out and do another interview ( I did one after 2017s Of Chaos and carnal Pleasures) only to discover Lord K has mellowed out and become very humble, relaxed, not outspoken at all, and seems much more at peace with the world….

NAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH. He is still a delightfully honest,  outspoken, opinionated old curmudgeon that always provides a great interview. So keep reading to see what he has to say on the new album, old record labels, and the state of the world today…..

So, the new album is the sixth effort that has been/fan/donation-based. How surprised, If at all, are you that your fans have been able to fund your music and allow you to continue to make albums? It has to be humbling at this point 

Humbling? Yeah, you could say that again… It’s beyond humbling, and fuck knows I’m not the President of Humbleton. It’s really simple though; to have these extremely loyal supporters, who aren’t more than a few hundred, every time we try to do a new album, make it possible for me to raise the funds so I can pay everyone involved for their efforts is…  absolutely fucken mind-blowing.

When I came up with this idea a decade ago it was pretty much a very untried thing, and I sure as fuck had my doubts about it ever being possible to work out. And still, after SIX successful attempts up to this day, I never fucken ever count on the fact it’ll actually be possible to pull off. That’s why I have continuously firmly stated that if we don’t reach the monetary target needed to record the album in question all the donated money will go to my local cat shelter. So yeah, to have this thing work out for 6 albums in a row is not only surprising nor humbling, it’s also a testament to how fucken amazing it is to have such a small fan base being the sole reason for me being able to create and finalize everything I could ever wish for when it comes to music. But humble…? Fuck no, I’m King. And The King is not humble. By the way, I say that in the humblest way possible.

This one again was a digital release followed by a CD release, which at one point you said, CDs were dead or not an option. But here we are with another CD, what prompts the CD version- fans? 

A hundred percent; the “fans”. By the way, I fucken hate that term; “fans”. Let me put it like this; TPH has been a thing for well over 2 decades now and it’s not like we’re close to being a “big “band” by any stretch of the imagination, and STILL, this fucken thing is going… all thanx to a couple of hundred “fans” as mentioned. I see most of these guys as fucken friends. It’s always the same people making insane donations for the albums, buying the limited merch I do once or twice a year or so, asking for physical CD’s and whatnot. I can’t view them as “fans”…  I view them as absolutely amazing friends with spectacular taste in music, obviously.

And that some 100-150 people actually deem it worthy to have yet another CD manufactured by pre-ordering is just fantastic. Yeah, that is what we sell as far as physical discs go… some 150 CD’s. Now you know why I live in a fucken castle.

So… to answer your question and to make my point once again; CD as a format might not be completely dead yet, but the corpse is absolutely in its rotting stage. Then again, hasn’t it been for quite some time? Just wait until the goddamn Internet dies… then we all will go back to our Walkman’s and cassettes. Did I just say “cassettes”? Find it in your heart to forgive me, muthafucker. One day you will all understand. 

You’ve been on Vic Records, Stormvox records, Threeman Recordings, Massacre records. The last label you worked with was the respected label, Season of Mist for Bleeding the New Apocalypse (Cum Victriciis in Manibus Armis). What is it about labels that made you stop working with them and basically form your own label- Mouth of Belial, for TPH albums? 

Yeah, it’s been a few labels over the years even though it was quite some time ago that I decided enough was enough. What it comes down to is that, now more than ever, they are obsolete for what I wanna do coz they all wanted to interfere with what I had to say in interviews and/or how I should do TPH to sell more albums.

The “sell more albums” is not a ridiculous thought process considering the label in question is actually a  goddamn company trying to make their monthly nut, so that makes all kinds of sense. But there’s a real problem here; you can’t sign me to a contract and think I’ll change my ways of doing things. I can’t do that. This is too important to me. I don’t care about units sold, I care about my craft. And therefore I am obviously not interested in working with a record label, nor am I easy to work with for a label which is perfectly fine by me, obviously.

Of all the labels I’ve been on, and since you appreciate this shit, here are a few choice words about them:

Massacre; That’s like 2 fucken decades ago and I have no idea what they are up to these days, but they will always have a special place in my heart as they did our first 2 albums, and by doing so at least spread the word about TPH initially. They had a promo department that actually did some work as far as getting us interviews. That was impressive. A promo department doing promo stuff for once. I asked to be let go either way. They obliged. Go figure.

Threeman: I loved being on Threeman since I knew most of the people involved with the label and it was quite hassle-free. Not that much happened from their side to boost our… eh… career, but it was an ok relationship business-wise, meaning I never got to see any sales figures and I didn’t care. Still to this day I have no fucken clue as to how many albums we actually sold on Threeman. I’d guess some 50 or so. I’m not sure, but I think they actually did some re-issues of our albums some time back. That must mean we sell copies like crazy even to this day when I think about it. I’ll wait for the sales figures and plan for the future accordingly with that cash flow coming in!

StormVox: It was awesome to be on legendary actor Peter Stormare’s label. Becoz he’s Peter fucken Stormare, you know. And that was that. It’s a shame that some labels do not find it interesting to actually promote and sell the records they manufacture. My best memory from this era was when Stormare tried to change our sound to something more commercial, which obviously had the opposite effect on me. I will never understand how one can sign a band like TPH and expect to get something that is not TPH. But Stormare as a person was awesome. As a record label boss though, not so fucken much.

Season of Mist: This company sure was above and beyond all the others when it came to being professionals. I dig that. The best thing with the journey on SoM, though, was not getting to release an album on their label, it was when someone from their office called me to tell me I can’t say stuff like I said in an interview when I told the interviewer to go fuck himself. Why did I do that? Becoz it was deserved and the fucken idiot in question (the interviewer, not the label guy; he was cool) was obviously just trying to get free albums from labels. He didn’t even know what the band’s name was, he thought we were called MCMXCIX. I just can’t deal with idiots like that. At least fucken try to look like you give a shit about the band you’re interviewing. But I have zero bad things to say about SoM. They were good. We didn’t sell a single copy of the album probably and once again I just grew tired of this bullshit and asked them to let me out of the contract, which they did. And after that, I gave up on labels coz it’s clear as day no one knows what to do with us anyways. I do my part, is doing yours asking too fucken much?

Have labels approached you since the last few releases? 

Some have over the years, yeah. All labels that no one’s ever heard of, including me. The best part of this is when “labels” (let’s call them for what they are, a logo on a CD case that anyone can fucken print these days) contact me and give me amazing offers like “Hey, I press 200 coppyss of yir CD’s and yo get 5 coppyss for free”.

Get the fuck out of my face with that shit.

I will never sign a record deal again. Unless they give me a fuckton of money as a signing bonus. Then I’ll happily change music style too to something that would sell a ton of records. I’m only in this for the money, and fuck knows that 10-15 minute tracks of pure diabolical insanity spiced up with symphonics and electronics is a recipe for success in that department. 

Is Mouth of Belial just for TPH, do you see yourself releasing anything from another band or another Lord K project? 

It’s for TPH. Gotta have something on those goddamn digipaks pretending I have an actual label releasing the shit, you know. I have no label, I have a logo saying “Mouth of Belial Productions” and that’s that. Release something by anyone else on Mouth of Belial? Not a fucken chance. Leave me alone.

You’ve had the same lineup now since 2014s There Is No Earth I Will Leave Unscorched; You, Jorgen Sandstrom on vocals, Elinor Asp on vocals, and Dirk Verbeuren on drums – is that level of consistency something you strive for, or do you want new blood every so often with this project. 

I am extremely blessed to be able to have all these wonderful and amazing musicians at my disposal for TPH. The Haters make it possible for me to actually pay them for their efforts or I’d be screwed. I can’t expect people to help me realize my musical vision for free coz it sure as fuck is time-consuming for them.

To have this core group of people (Jörgen, Ellinor, Dirk, and Lasse) still by my side is mind-blowing. We are all past or approaching  50 years old so we’re not exactly spring chickens anymore, and who knows for how many years Dirk can play drums until his body says “fuck you”. Or J’s voice gives out and he rather spends time fishing? Or my wrists might wrap it up so playing guitar becomes unbearable? We all have our aches and pains and for sure we won’t be doing this when we’re 70. But I can state with every fiber in my body that I will play and create for as long as I humanly can. I live for this shit. It’s my destiny and mission in life.

It’s a great fucken cause; spending insane amounts of time writing and recording and still don’t know if anything will ever come out of it. Those goddamn TPH Donation Experiments sure are stressful even for me, and I’m probably the least stressful guy this side of the world.

If I can pick and choose I will have this line up for TPH until TPH is no more. These people simply are the best. Just the fact that Dirk Verbeuren plays with fucken Megadeth and STILL wants, and finds the time, to do TPH is ludicrous. That guy makes me wanna become a better human being. I don’t need any new blood in TPH and I don’t want it if I can prevent it. I work with my personal heroes, all legends in their own right.

As with prior albums, you have some guests on Spewing. Lars Johansson, Simon Johansson, and Johan Längquist How did you get involved with two Candlemass chaps and one from Memory Garden, very non-death metal types. How did that come about? 

I obviously like to spice things up with guest artists from time to time, and I want them to be musicians that I respect and admire.

Guitar hero Lasse Johansson of Candlemass originally did a guest thing a bunch of albums back, and that just blew my mind. I wasn’t actually the one asking him if I remember shit correctly. I believe I asked Jörgen, since he was rehearsing with Candlemass in Leif’s absence if he could ask Lasse to do a solo for TPH. Lasse is of my fave guitarists ever, you know… He gladly obliged and I even have the video of him doing that very first appearance on a TPH album in one take. It gives me fucken goosebumps seeing that shit.

And now he’s a very dear and valued friend and plays on all TPH albums after that first guest thing he did, on whatever album it was, many moons ago. I absolutely love Lasse. And to have shared the stage with him and the other guys of Candlemass for a few gigs (just like Jörgen did) with them is just… I don’t know. Surreal is the word.

Simon is another one of these wonderful cats that I run into every 5 years or so. He and legend Mike Wead (King Diamond, etc) are good buddies and Mike is another one of those people I have always admired when it comes to skill. And sure as shit, I had the privilege of having Mike involved in TPH way back. So I guess Simon thought it was about time he also was featured on a TPH record, haha… I can’t remember if he asked me or the other way around, but he’s a fucken insanely skilled guitarist, and having him on was a no-brainer. Simon is fantastic to boot. And his beard deserves to be on a TPH recording.

This is the second time I have had the honor of including Johan Längquist of Candlemass. He’s so fucken chill and I love his voice to pieces, so to have him doing some parts is simply amazing. I fucken grew up and partly evolved into what I am today with the soundtrack to that process being “Epicus Doomicus Metallicus”, you know… Johan is fantastic, and to see him back in Candlemass is phenomenal. I wish all of those gentlemen the absolute best.

How involved are the other members with the TPH songwriting process? I know this is your baby, do you write everything and have everyone do their part, or for example does Elinor have some input on her vocal parts?

Musically I, and I alone, do this. It wasn’t always like that though. I have had some amazing people writing with me back in the dizzay; namely Petter S. Freed and Anders Bertilsson (guitarists, both of them). That was fantastic for the time being, but now I need to do this by my lonesome

Believe it or not,  I do have limits though… I can’t sing for shit so do not for a second believe I can write anything that Ellinor comes up with. If we were to compare musicality, I am a fucken toddler next to Ellinor. She’s retardedly talented with a voice that is just… out of this world. She truly can do everything and anything and she absolutely brought TPH to a level I never thought was possible until she entered the picture. I couldn’t be more thankful that she’s here with me.

She writes all of her stuff and when she’s tracking demos for me to approve or disapprove of the material just takes another shape. I do mock-up vocals (that suck tremendously) for Jörgen so I know how his stuff will sound in the end structure-wise, but when it comes to Ellinor she’s got to roam free and bring her insanity into my music in the parts I need her for. None of my words do Ellinor justice. She’s a prodigy.

When it comes to Dirk I do pretty advanced drum programming for him so he can see what I have in mind, and then he goes fucken apeshit and starts blasting in parts I never figured could use blasts, haha… I love that shit. Goddamnit, what a fucken drummer he is. Sometimes I program stuff and let him know I’m not sure if it’s doable for a human drummer. It’s not, but for Dirk it’s possible. Legend. Absolute legend. And one of my 5 fave drummers of all time, which I naturally told him the first time I met him, which was way before he came into TPH. I’m spoiled having all these fantastic musicians helping me out. 

I assume you will be working with Dan Swano for any and all future TPH releases. He really nailed this one (like he has with all of them) 

If possible, yes. I always wanna work with Dan. Fuck man, he’s been with me in some way since day one when it comes to TPH. He did the first demo for this project, damnit! That was back in 1998 or so… Holy fuck.

Dan is great in all aspects and he really understands me, after all, this time. Mixing with him is so much joy. I think “Spewing” is the best he’s ever done for TPH, absolutely. I have to disagree with one thing though; he hasn’t always nailed TPH. “Cybersonic SuperChrist” from 2000 or whatever… Too much reverb on J’s vocals, haha… 2007’s “In Hora Mortis Nostrae” is sporting a very weak production to my ears. There’s no punch whatsoever. I liked it when we mixed it at the time, but now… not so much. The rest of the albums have been killer production-wise for the time when they were done, but everything from 2014 and onwards is his best work, with “Spewing” being the absolute winner. For now.

And let it be known, I sure as fuck wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for Dan. He was the one who got us the first deal with Massacre Records. He (together with Johan Berglund) is also responsible for me having at least some knowledge about recording in my home studio as well as having it possible to sound decent. Both those guys have helped me so, so much over the years with anything and everything when I am fucked. I don’t wanna know all these technical details and how to EQ shit or whatever, I want shit to work and I want to create. Dan and Johan have made sure I can do just that. I love those guys to death and I’m forever thankful for their presence in my life.

 I noticed a slightly less programmed/electronic/techno element on Spewing. There seems to be more of a grandiose/orchestral element- where is that coming from? 

I beg to differ. There are probably more of those electronic ingredients on “Spewing” than on any previous recording. I think the thing is; it’s just more stuff happening in the background instead of upfront in the sound picture. That could probably fool you into thinking it’s less stuff becoz it’s not as obvious, but trust me when I say that if those things were removed you’d notice that something is missing big time.

But of course, there’s a semi-massive wall of symphonic stuff in there. The thing is that over the years the development of marvelously sounding orchestra libraries has reached new heights, both in sounds and in the cost of purchasing them, haha…  And it’s a fuckload more fun to work with great stuff and have it really show within the music.

Since day one, the orchestral aspect of TPH has always been strong, but it has also been something used to back up the music, not to take center stage. It’s an ingredient, just like the electronics. Most bands have a tendency to completely fuck up their sound, thanx to having the orchestral shit be the main point.

Retarded.

It should always be about The Riff. And fuck knows I am the King of that shit. Oh well, Gary Holt might be up there with me when I think about it, but nah… I am undisputed when it comes to this, and you know it. I am also extremely humble about it. Bow down to your King!

Also, there seems to be some increased melody, like with actual, dare I say, catchy choruses? Are you getting soft in your old age????? 

Oh yeah, over the years since Ellinor jumped on board there’s definitely been a massive increase of catchy shit brought into TPH. It wasn’t possible before her when there were other girls/women doing their thing. Go figure. It has to do with limitations, let’s just put it like that and be done with it.

Melodies have always been a focal point in TPH, coz seriously; music without melodies can suck it. What’s the point? The problem is that most bands can’t do melodies and combine it with brutality and chaos without sounding like idiots. I can. I’m like the fucken King of that shit. Just check out the 14^t goddamn albums in our discography. You know I’m right.

And while you applaud me for my excellence I have to address that “soft” part of your question. Everyone knows that TPH is one hundred percent NO HARDNESS, so you’re stating the obvious, captain.

I never had any intention of coming across as the ‘trooest’ and ‘grvmmest’ of the bunch.  I know all fucken well what I am and what I do, so I am very, very content with just being absolutely superior. And not to forget; humble. Being humble is key.

As with all your recent albums, the songs are all long, with all the new ones being 12-13 minutes. Do you go into each album, saying here we will have x number of songs and they will all be so many minutes long, or does it happen more organically? Do you have extra stuff at the end of the writing process? How much is on the cutting room floor so to speak? 

Nowadays I am firmly rooted in this idea of having 6 songs per album, naturally numbered tracks 111, 222, 333, and so on, all the way up to…. Yeah, you guessed it; the number of the beast. It just makes perfect sense considering what TPH is.

In comparison to the great Edge of Sanity’s “Crimson” my songs aren’t that long, but compared to the standard formula I suppose they are. Naturally, TPH is something different entirely, I don’t really view my material as regular songs anymore but more like musical journeys

If you’re not giving the music the attention it deserves, the very same insane attention I put into creating it, you’re missing the whole point. And that is your loss. You must do better. You deserve to understand the whole formula. Or maybe you don’t, some people are just beyond help.

When I compose for TPH I know where I wanna go and I always write for the cause of creating one album. Nothing extra will be written. Nothing will end up on the cutting room floor. It’s all written with beautiful and malicious intent and nothing is saved for later. One cause. One album. 5 million godlike riffs later and boom, there you go! I just gave you yet another 75+ minutes of the best music man ever composed.

This is quite funny, by the way… From time to time I get emails from people who wanna “help out” with TPH, telling me I should do this and this and that and that… I should do shorter songs, I should bring back some vocalist from decades ago, I should incorporate specific instruments and bla bla bla… the list goes on.

Hold on here for a second; we have a problem.

If I wanted to do any of the things you are bringing up, you don’t think I would have done so by now, without your input? None, absolutely none, of your brilliant ideas will do anything for TPH when it comes to the music I create.

The fact that I take pride in communicating with the “fans” and being accessible to them to some extent doesn’t give you permission to tell me how I should compose my fucken stuff just becoz you have access to the Internet. It is absolutely mind-boggling that a selected few think this is within their right like I am here to cater to their personal ideas.

Get the fuck out of here.

Here’s an idea for you; start your own band, bring in all your amazing ideas and go on conquering the world. Oh, you’re not even a musician? Well, you better get to work then coz your opinions about how I should write my own music are absolutely worthless to me. Next time you feel like telling me how I should do my stuff, just… don’t.

Do you know when I will do something with TPH that maybe you’re not hearing right now? WHEN I, AND I ALONE, FEEL LIKE IT. YOUR INPUT WILL NEVER BE A PART OF THAT DECISION

I put that in caps to make a point.

TPH isn’t made to fulfill your exquisite musical taste, it’s created to fulfill mine, and mine alone. The fact that a bunch of people appreciate it so much and help me to actually fund the recordings is just a completely fantastic bonus.

I just might have gone off a tangent here. And it felt wonderful. 

Ever going back to 5-6 minutes songs like the debut? 

It’s not even remotely present in my interest sphere. I don’t compose radio hits. 

Cover songs are all the rage right now, any chance of TPH covering someone? What song or band would you like to cover and release? 

For an actual album, absolutely not. My albums as a whole are too important to me. I can’t have a cover song in there fucking with the formula. Would I do a cover with TPH just as a one-off Internet thing? Very doubtful. I rather spend time writing real music. But you never know… It’s clear as day that I would do something special with a cover tune though, but it’s really not that interesting to me. Covers are useless, really. Maybe I should do one based on that fact alone…

But here’s a secret for ya; I always wanted to cover a specific tune by Alanis Morrisette. And of course, I’m not gonna tell you which one. It’s probably not happening though. Unless Alanis herself joins me for it.

At one point you were in a few other projects like Domedagon, Torture Division, Kadaverkult, and such- what else are you up to these days other than TPH? 

Yeah, it’s been a bunch of musical things over the years. All of them are awesome in their own ways. Today I just do TPH and some small things here and there that are not of anyone’s interest but mine. There’s a ton of completed Domedagen material laying around, but we seriously do not care much about completing it. Will it ever see the light of day? I have no idea and I don’t give much of a shit, to be honest. It’s some amazing stuff though, let that be known.

But as it’s always been for me since more than 2 decades back; TPH is my core, my drive, and my mission. Any other musical outlets that I am involved in are just a bonus. For all of you.

What is your opinion on things like Spotify and band camp- I know you have your music on Spotify- are they a necessary evil? 

I wouldn’t piss on Spotify if it was on fire, but you have to have your stuff on there since that’s what people use these days.  I sincerely hope that fucken service implodes and gets replaced by something equally as shitty, coz that’s exactly what’s going to happen if Spotify disappears. Fuck you, Spotify.

Bandcamp is better by a small margin, simply becoz they actually seem to pay the bands on their platform in a more reasonable manner, which is not close to as reasonable as it should be. But then again, when in the actual fuck was the music business reasonable? When record companies were a thing they didn’t pay their artists. Now it’s streaming platforms not paying the artists. That’s the evolution right there. And it’s not going to change any time soon. Then again, who the fuck am I to complain about actual pay when I get to create my albums completely independently and at least make more money on one digipak release than I have during any period on a record label?

And now you should understand that I haven’t made one single dollar on record sales while being on a record company, ever. So making more on one digipak release is not saying much at all. Then again, I obviously am not in this with the preposterous idea that I would ever be making a living off of it. I work a regular 9-5 job like most non-rockstars. That’s where I make my money to pay the bills.

But as a band, any band, on a digital streaming service, the pay should be fucken fair. Until that happens, which is never, fuck all of you streaming services. You’re cunts. 

We are coming out of a weird time in the world with Pandemics, War, and psychotic ex Presidents (which I hoped ‘Day of the Asinine’ from Spewing was referring to). You have been pretty vocal in the past with your thoughts on things. What’s your take on the state of affairs in the world today, and does it reflect on your music at all? 

“Day of the Asinine” could very well mean that. If it does to you, then it’s correct. To you. But it’s representing something bigger to me. I’ll leave it at that.

And of course, I’ve been vocal on things in the past as well as present, that’s just how I am and many bridges have been burnt that way, I guess, which means absolutely nothing to me. If I am asked about something I expect that the one asking would appreciate an honest reply. You’ll get that from me, for better or for worse.

Yeah, these last 3+ years have been interesting. We survived the pandemic, huh? Next game: World War 3. It’s fantastic. We are fucked. Seriously. Everything is getting shittier day by day and it’s been trending towards this for quite some time now, making it very obvious we are heading towards absolute disaster.

I seriously believe we are all fucked within a not-too-distant future.

It was surprising that the world survived Trump’s first 4 years as President. But he’ll probably get another shot at fucking shit up and meanwhile, there’s a zombie in the White House. We’ll hopefully survive that too.

My country, Sweden, just applied for NATO together with Finland. It’s not like we had any choice since Russia’s Putin has finally gone haywire. Hopefully, we’re still around as a country, and as a world, when this interview gets posted or I just spent hours in vain typing all this shit down.

Does any of this bullshit reflect on my music? No. I’m the same lovable, humble fella no matter the state of world affairs. Simply put; fuck everything.

As a respected scene veteran, what’s your view of the current state of metal? Are there any upcoming bands or musicians you are impressed with or keeping an eye on?  

I’m a respected scene veteran? That’s fantastic. What an achievement, really. Though it only means I’m old now. You can’t be respected when you’re 20. But at 48 and with my track record… I deserve it. Hail me!

In the past, I always wondered how musicians older than me could say in interviews that they don’t really know any new bands worthy of attention. There are literally thousands and thousands of bands starting up every fucken day, you know.

But now, at 48 years old, I understand them completely.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, grabs my attention today when it comes to new metal. The last band that really struck a nerve with me is Heart of a Coward. That was back in 2015. They are the kind of band I really shouldn’t like but I can’t help myself. Before that, it was Necrophagist with “Epitaph”, which was back in… 2005. I remember hearing this album for the first time as me and Dan Swanö were mixing “Armageddon March Eternal”.

So the next time I will hear a new metal band that impresses me will probably be in some 10 years or so. When it comes down to it, I get my metal fix pleased by creating TPH, simply becoz no one else can do this.

Nowadays when I hear something that speaks to me it’s stuff very far away from the metal realm, like Indila. Now that’s a voice right there… I always had a soft spot for female singer/songwriters, you know. 

I assume you are already gearing up for the next fan-funded project or are you taking some downtime and relax for a bit?- Though you don’t seem the relaxing type…. 

I don’t even wanna think about the next Donation Experiment right now. If it happens it happens. We released “Spewing” in November last year, can I please have a muthafucken break from music?

Right.

I don’t take breaks from this shit. I always create becoz I fucken AM this. This is what I do. I just have to. But does that mean I am already working on our 15^th album? Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. Perhaps I’m writing that elusive techno album I always wanted to compose? But be sure, I’m not sitting around being a Do Nothing Bitch. It’s not in my DNA. The world would be such a lesser place if The King wasn’t creating. I say that in the most humble of ways. 

Any final message for the haters? 

Sure.

As always, and I’ve said this a million fucken times, I wanna give them my sincerest thanx for the insane support they show me when it comes to the funding of the albums. This couldn’t be done without them, at least not at this level. If their monetary support wasn’t there with every TPH Donation Experiment I would be sitting here with decent-sounding home recordings including my fantastically shitty mock-up vocals and nothing else. That would be such a waste for everyone, so from the bottom of my humble heart; THANK YOU ALL SO FUCKEN MUCH! You people are the sole reason that TPH exists in the way it does, you all make it possible for me to run it like this. You are all TPH.

But that doesn’t mean you should ever absolutely fucken ever contact me with your brilliant ideas on how I should do TPH.

Also a kick in the nuts to you, Erik, for this interview. It was fun to do and you’ve supported my work for quite some time. It’s very appreciated.

If anyone is interested in purchasing our music, good luck with finding the CD’s. I do have a few copies left of our 2015 album “Of chaos and carnal pleasures” as well as a few of our latest masterpiece; “Spewing venom into the eyes of deities”. Just contact me through theprojecthate@gmail.com and we’ll sort it out so you can have your life fulfilled.

If you’re into the digital format, head over to www.theprojecthate.net and read up on how to go about ordering coz I can’t be arsed to type any longer.

Last off; listen to Bolt Thrower and Candlemass. Always.

The Project Hate Homepage

The Project Hate on Facebook

The Project Hate on Spotify

So let’s get the boring stuff out of the way lol, tell us about the forming of Abscession and when /how you guys decided to get together. it looks like all three of you are /were involved in multiple other projects.

Actually, a bunch of us used to frequent the Ultimate Metal forums back in the 2000’s and for some reason, Michael and Markus started working on a tribute to Dan Swano after he got the boot from Bloodbath. They asked several vocalists to perform on the track they wrote (which is still up on YouTube I think). I was one of those vocalists, and after the track was done, we decided to keep going. We released our debut EP Death Incarnate in 2009 I think. It was a tape-only release which wasn’t a very popular medium back then… Still, it sold out and is now pretty hard to find. Sometime after, Michael dropped out but me and Markus kept going, adding another Markus on drums and some guest artists here and there. Since we’re so spread out we all have other bands both locally and in other constellations. Abscession is a project that we keep working on in the background which means the process is very slow. Still, we take it seriously and see it as one of our main musical outlets.

Some of you are in Sweden, and Markus is in Germany- what are the challenges of a multinational lineup when it comes to writing and recording?
Funny story – we’ve played together for 12 or 13 years now and we’ve actually never met in real life. So that’s weird. But we’re so used to it now. Markus still feels like one of my closest friends. But we’ve been so used to texting since our days on the UM forums that we actually had never even talked on the phone until maybe a year ago or so. As for the production stuff, it all works out since we have our respective home studios and Markus is a professional studio guy. So mostly it’s good, but we do miss rehearsing and exchanging ideas in the heat of the moment.

Other than the last year with lockdowns/ pandemics etc are three any benefits to this band structure?

As a vocalist, it’s actually very nice to be able to take my time recording the vocals instead of rushing through them because you’re in an expensive studio and only have a day or two to nail everything. And since we’re already spread out we’re not stuck having to find guest artists in our area. They can join in from wherever.

So it’s safe to say Abscession is not a touring band?

Well yes, but we’ve talked about it a lot. If we could get a few festival gigs or a EU tour we could make it work. So we’ll see what happens in the future. I would love to rip out our songs for a live audience!

It’s been 8 years since Grave Offerings, why the long gap? (though it was totally worth it)

Well mostly it’s because we write stuff in between other stuff, but it’s also been a two year wait for the album to come out. So it’s been done for a good long while, but the pandemic messed everything up, especially for our label who got struck with some bad times in India.

How do you feel the band has grown in that 8-year gap?

I think we’re all better musicians and with a clearer idea of what Abscession should be. The music is both more ferocious and more atmospheric/melodic at the same time.

The Adam Burke artwork for Rot of Ages is particularly striking, almost has a classic art feel, what were you going for with the artwork, and what is the link to the rot of ages album title?

Actually, the artwork was already done. I spoke to Adam about creating a piece of art for us and he sent me a list of stuff he had ready for licensing. I thought that’s not what we want but I browsed through it anyway. And man, when I saw this piece of art called “Consequatur” something just clicked. This was the one! It had just the perfect feel, like a bizarre fever dream or nightmare. The beautiful execution contrasts with the wrongness of the scene somehow. So we licensed it straight away and have never regretted it once.

When can we expect a part 2 to the ten-minute epic,” Downfall pt 1″ that ended Grave Offerings?  it wasn’t on Rot of Ages?

Hah, good question! I’ve been waiting to see if someone would notice this. As for the answer, the general outline for Downfall part 2 was actually written long before Rot of Ages. But we felt that it didn’t fit on the second album so… Who knows what comes next!

Obviously, there is Entombed and Dismember influences in your sound, what are other influences fans might be surprised to know?

I doubt it’s surprising that we are both fans of Edge of Sanity. More surprising (for both of us too) is that we are huge fans of Fields of the Nephilim. I think their dark ambiance has affected us to some degree when it comes to creating atmospheric stuff. Markus is into a lot of folky stuff and some progressive music (as am I). And I’m into everything from AOR to black metal so I guess we just shove a wide load of influences into our creative process.

If you had to pick one band from the great history of Swedish metal, what would you pick?

That’s easy: Edge of Sanity. No other Swedish band has influenced me as much, especially with Dan Swano’s multiple other projects delving into prog rock, AOR, goth rock, etc. It has opened my eyes to a lot of great music. Tack Kulan!

And to follow up, you have to pick one song…

That would be “Crimson” by Edge of Sanity. A 40-minute track encompassing death metal, blackened metal, progressive, goth rock and blends it to perfection. Masterpiece!

How was it making the jump from final gate to Transcending Obscurity, one of the more popular growing, and respected labels out there for death metal?

Well Kunal at TO is a great guy and he really puts out a lot of amazing stuff, so he has built up a following of fans that check out most of his releases. So that’s a big thing, having the TO community as a platform for reaching out. And of course, the sheer amount of merch, colored vinyl, and other options are amazing.

At the same time, it’s been pandemic times so we haven’t really seen the label go at full steam, and it’s been frustrating as hell at times. But that’s not on Kunal and his team, it’s just the world gone to shit. Hopefully, we’re out of it now!

What can we expect next from Abscession?

Hopefully sooner than 8 years from now! The outline is done but a lot of work remains. I am currently writing lyrics and finding vocal patterns, then we’ll do some necessary cutting and rewrites. But with other things stealing our time I think it will be at least another year before we’re done with that… Time will tell!

Abscession on Facebook

Transcending Obscurity Records

Hey Frank, thanks a lot for having Revel In Flesh in Teeth Of The Divine again! Well, Relics Of The Deathkult will be out on March 16th 2018 on War Anthem Records (Germany) on CD and digital formats.  The compilation gathers all the rare Revel In Flesh relics that have been released on vinyl (split 7” EPs, vinyl bonus tracks, etc.) between 2012 and 2017. It’s the very first time that you can get all those tracks together on one CD. The material was written during the gaps between the regular albums, especially all the split 7” EPs. Our goal was to keep all the songs in their original “first appearance” sound and production, meaning exactly the way it was pressed on vinyl back then. You’ll hear differences between each song due to different sessions, mastering levels etc.; but it kept the real spirit!

Dan Swanö (Unisound Studios) was involved in the original production on mixing and/or mastering duties, but for the compilation we’ve decided not to remaster or rework anything! Each song stands on its own: sound-, lyrical- and feeling-wise! Overall you will get over 50 minutes of rare stuff, including covers from Death/Mantas, Master and Headhunter DC.

Relics Of The Deathkult is like a fifth album, but well hidden, that shows off the complete evolution of the band in the period of 2012 – 2017. For the artwork we’ve once again worked with our long-time friend and highly appreciated underground artist Juanjo Castellano from Spain. The artwork gathers some significant creatures and trademarks from our previous Revel In Flesh artwork, but everything is held in a new setting with different postures of the main figures. The 3 central creatures are the Rotten Priest, the Bonecrusher and the Deathkult Master, who were already introduced earlier on the covers for the splits with Revolting, Feral, Wombbath and even had a role on the artworks of Death Kult Legions and Emissary Of All Plagues, too. They are the unholy trinity of the Deathkult – the Keepers Of The Relics!

Revel In Flesh have been around for several years now. Explain what is important in being in a band, writing music, developing your own lyrical and vocal style and what Revel In Flesh adds to the scene?

Yeah, we started out in late 2011. One thing never changed: the passion and bloody dedication to DEATH METAL! We are a band with a 100% clearly defined agenda and although you hear a progression and evolution from album to album, you still hear and feel from all aspects that this is the work of some “die hard” death metal heads!!!  Of course, it’s always a quest in getting better, getting more in depth on workouts, vocal lines, lyrics and visual aspects, etc., but most of all you need a feeling and a clear will to what you do! This music needs to come straight from the inside, especially when performing live. You need to be in union as a band that delivers this “deathkultish” madness performed in the name of the flesh. Ha!

Playing in a band is also about comradeship, about moving the wheel together through thick and thin! It’s a struggle but with each album and cycle of shows, we really recognized that our reputation is growing and we are moving onwards! You really have to give sacrifices on personal and self-organization level to keep such a band going. Within the scene, I think we have our way of doing things, our visions and ideas, but we are not here to judge. WE DO IT OUR WAY! If you like it, you’re welcome. If not, WE WILL DO IT OUR WAY ANYWAY!

The scene and fans are ever changing. I know it’s been difficult for Revel In Flesh to break into the U.S. market. I believe you need a good management company, which could translate into touring options in America and other areas. Are you guys considering something like this?

Well, so far we haven’t really worked with a management company or with a professional organized booking agent. All we archived on the concert and touring side was done on a DIY level but as you know, it’s a “shit business”. It’s all about contacts, knowing the right people, etc.. As a fan I always thought metal is about spirit, freedom, etc. but in some ways this scene is like the mafia! But speaking the truth, we are proud of what we’ve created on our own thus far. I’m convinced that we could reach a lot more with the right push. I think the most important thing of all is being true and honest to yourself and to the people that support your band! Sometimes life is about luck and about being in the right place at the right time, but you can not enforce such circumstances!

How serious are you all in wanting Revel In Flesh to achieve the next level of success?

We would really love to play a couple of U.S. shows and a festival over there with a real target audience for death metal. As I told you earlier, we have the will to do it but we are still waiting for the right chance and moment. We put a lot of time, energy and background work into this band! It’s a lot more than rehearsing, playing shows and drinking beer (something we are really good at!)! Seriously, doing all the management shit on your own is ripping and needs daily work, so we are definitely not “weekend only” metalheads!

Quick fun question: you’re moving to a secluded island and you’ve over packed. You can only take 5 albums. Which would they be and why?

Wow, I’m a “landlubber” so to say…islands, sea, swimming, fish and acting like a castaway is nothing I’m longing for. Having at least good comradeship and enough beer & Havana Club would make this more pleasant. As far as music, I would be up for some classic stuff that’s made a long-lasting impression like:

– Thin Lizzy – Jailbreak – Classic rock that rocks your socks off

– Kiss – Greatest Hits / Best of – No good party without Kiss in the player

– Morbid Angel – Altars Of Madness – One of the ultimate death metal albums. Blasting this album towards any ocean would scare every pirate to death!!!

– Black Sabbath – Master Of Reality – Time cannot kill this album!!!

– Entombed – Left Hand Path –When lost on a lonely island, you certainly need an album with the guitar sound of a damned Boss HM-2 pedal. Why not do it with the ultimate Swedish classical death metal album?

Explain how your shows with the legendary Fleshcrawl went and how were the show turnouts?

Actually, the February shows have been our third weekend tour with Fleshcrawl within the last 6 months. Fleshcrawl comes more or less from the same area as we do so we’ve known each other for years, so it’s more like a “freak-folk” ride out! Fleshcrawl are a big musical inspiration to us, but we also connect as real friends and there have been a lot of nice memories not allowed to reach the public, Ha! Ha!  The turnouts have been good, usually between 100 and 200 people, depending on city, venue and promotion.

Also, when touring, what are some of the most important things to remember?

Those road-trips are usually like a big flash overkill experience. You have a lot of experiences within a short period of time and you usually tend to remember the chaotic and fucked up moments most. Playing the show itself is one part of the deal, but being as one in a band, killing time, driving long distances, doing harm to your body and soul is the other issue. You really have to love this shit and you have to be a crazy too!

How is your work with allowing you all to take time off? If you were able to tour for a month or two out of the year, would you all commit to that?

It’s a big issue! We are and never have been a fuckin’ student band. Everybody has a normal working life as well and yes, reality can sometimes suck you dry! When planing shows, we usually do a long distance schedule so we have everything working smoothly with our job and private life. If we get a tour offer that is worth it and we can let all hell break loose, we would surely try and do it, but you have to keep in mind we are living in Germany. You have your daily cost of living, rent and all the bullshit. You are bound to a certain working cycle and way of life and none of us can afford an “outcast” lifestyle! We are not dreamers, so to say!

As you get older, how are your vocals holding up playing shows and recording? Do you take care of your voice? Any vocal exercises?

Well, the voice is certainly changing. It’s a bit more fucked up! I had a bad cold on the last mini-tour which is a pain for the vocalist, but I never had any major issues to deal with in the past. Of course, no doctor would recommend you doing death metal vocals, ha! Personally, I tried a lot of variations on Death Kult Legions. I’m a bit bored by the guttural death grunting style only. I like to mix in some scream-o stuff to have it more vivid…a pure orgy of suffering! The track “Fortress Of Gloom” turned out like this. As far as exercises, I see myself as a metal fan and not just a musician. I’m also not into technics, but I do it in a way that works for me. Actually, I try to do some warm ups and stay in shape while keeping the lyrics in mind. Furthermore, we have beer, whiskey and yelling along to Motorhead too! Ha!

Give a brief explanation of each of your full length albums and which is your favorite?

Personally, I do not drown in the past. When an album is done, it’s done and I think about the next issue, goal or step I wanna go for…life goes on! But here are my current feelings on our back catalogue.  Deathevokation (2012): It was just me and Maggesson. Most of the songs, expect “Iron coffin”, date back to my old band Immortal Rites. Recording that album was a relief as far as finally unleashing all those ideas. I spent hours and hours playing guitar, reworking the lyrics, doing the vocal patterns, etc.. It was the very first time I recorded guitars and vocals in a studio. Maggesson really helped me and I think my “timing abilities” brought about his final hair loss! The album felt good then and still feels right today. Of course, with today’s knowledge there are a lot of things to be improved upon like the drums, etc., but songs like “Shadowbreeder”, “Iron Coffin”, “Wings of Death” or “Black Paled Elegy” are still requested by fans. The album came out at the right time when this new movement of German death metal started. Our third show was at the Party San Festival, which was beyond all expectations for us.

Manifested Darkness (2013): Maggesson got more involved in the songwriting. There were more depths, more melodies, more dynamics within the songs, etc.. It was also the first time that Dan Swanö did the mix for us. It turned out utterly brutal; pushed to the limit! A lot of small details in the guitar workouts got lost due to the over distortion level. The artwork by Juanjo Castellano was amazing. I still personally feel a bit distressed with that album since there were a lot of troubles when it came to the promotion of it. There were nearly no ads; it really went down the drain. Vocally, I think the album is overloaded and lacks dynamics; it’s heavily weighted in the growl style. I would do it differently today. Anyway, the most outstanding tracks have been “Rotting In The Void” and the title track; both are still heavily requested!

Death Kult Legions (2014): Probably the most “to the bone” death metal album from us. The lyrics are pure glorification of everything that refers to the classical death metal genre. The band became much more a unit on this album. It was a lot better in the drum workout this time. The album had more variety, but still had the vital brutality. Swanö did a good job in the mix; keeping the brutality, but with more clarity.  It was the first time that Herrmannsgard (guitar) got involved in the songwriting, too. He came up with the “Cryptcrawlwer”, which is probably one of my all time favorite Revel songs! Our fans loved the album a lot. There have been some real Revel “hits”, if you can call it that, like “In The Name Of The Flesh”, “Graveyard Procession”, the title track, etc.. Doing the Manilla Road cover was also the first time we’ve broke with the death metal genre, ha! Coordinating the cover art with Castalleno was hellish; I guess we ruined his nerves, ha! The label Cyclone Empire did a good job on that album, too.

Emissary Of All Plagues (2016): Our most mature, dynamic, dramatic and most of all melodic album so far! Again, you really felt the band had grown together more. Swanö did a kick ass job in the mix; the lead guitars are haunting, but also had clarity in terms of melodies while the rhythm still have the brutal Swedish infected drive. The album actually came out in December 2015 and got an overwhelming press response, especially in Germany. I really felt this album opened some doors for us. We never played so many shows like in the year after Emissary came out! Most of the songs are still part of our setlist. The cover was already a finished one from a gallery of Castellano. I’d seen it and fell in love with it straight away. The puzzle fit really well with that album. The vinyl version actually sold out with the band and label on the release date.

I’ve noticed a lesser focus in the fast blasting and more ambient, atmospheric and groove, with your last album. Moving musically forward, how do you see Revel In Flesh expanding in sound, style, vocally and lyrically?

We wanna keep it dynamic! We’ve never wanted to be the most brutal and most blasting band – most of all because we wanna headbang! A good metal track makes you wanna bang your head and not try to remember a math lesson. Our albums always had epic, atmospheric and deeper catchy moments, too. We try to keep the level of variety, grow inside of it, but we will never forget the roots and genre we belong to, meaning death metal, so don’t expect any bullshit elements or experiments. To me, lyrics need to fit the style, atmosphere and spirit of the band. A good song needs to express feelings and if you really get into a topic, you manage to transfer feelings. I still see a lot of “headroom” for us to improve.

Before we go, Ralf, what would you like the readers to know about Revel In Flesh that they may not know?

Of course, I have some crucial news! We’ve had some “drummer drama” in 2017 and since the start of 2018 we have a new member in the Deathkult family. His name is Henriksson and he comes from my home-base nearby Stuttgart, Germany. He used to play drums in local bands but made a kick-ass first impression on the recent tour with Fleshcrawl. Personally, and in terms of chemistry, he fits in like fist in the face! Most importantly he will be a lethal new addition when it comes to songwriting. We are in the early stages of working on a possible new album but the fire is flaring again! Wait and hear!

Finally, a call to all U.S.-based old school death metal heads: kick the ass of your bookers, festival promoters, etc. to keep an eye on Revel In Flesh! We wanna come over the Atlantic to deliver some bone-crushing madness to you! Bring the Death Kult Legion to the US!!!

Last but not least, thanks Frank for the nice interview and the killer support!!!

https://www.facebook.com/Revel-in-Flesh-304228902958414

Get Revel In Flesh merchandise at:

www.revelinflesh.com

Keisuke: Ohayoo! Nick-san!! The Japanese use many honorifics. We have to use respectful language when speaking to older people or superiors. “San” is honorifics language similar like “Mr” or “Ms”. If we use “Kun” to older people or superiors, that would be rude. Also, basically use “Kun” only for male. You can use “San” for both. It’s a very confusing language, haha.

Arigato Gaizamasu (thank you) for the explanation of that.  Well on to the brutal metal stuff… This interview wouldn’t have happened without Frank Rini. Talk to me a bit about what the relationship with Frank and the guys in Internal Bleeding.

Keisuke:  VOMIT REMNANTS was formed by INTERNAL BLEEDING Voracious Contempt’s followers in end of 1997. Frank Rini was hero for all of us. I have small history about how we were inspired by them. I imported INTERNAL BLEEDING’s unofficial live footage VHS tapes in 1997 right after formed VOMIT REMNANTS. The footage was taken in Long Island, NY (December 23rd, 1995), Milwaukee Metal Fest (July 26th, 1997) Rockford, IL (March 7th, 1996) and Milwaukee Metal Fest (July 29th, 1997). I brought them immediately to guitarist of former days in morning right before started his work. He said “Stop it!” right after I played that VHS tape. Then he called his work office and said “I’m feeling sick today, so I cannot go to work”. We invited bassist and we were drowned in watching videos during the entire day.

We were much impressed by their performance. So it was like dream when we played with godly INTERNAL BLEEDING at Ohio Death Fest in 1999. Frank had already left the band, so he was like unknown hero for a long time. But finally we became good friends lately. He is very cool person and still dedicated & supportive of underground death metal bands like us. As for the guys in INTERNAL BLEEDING we met back in America in 2001 for the tour. That’s an incident that cannot be forgotten! Chris Pervelis and Guy Marchais came our show in Castle Heights, NY! I’m so surprised I still cannot believe it. I got in touch with Chris and Bill since I started to use Facebook last year. Bill has been wearing VOMIT REMNANTS T-shirt in their video “Final Justice” which I gave him, but very unfortunately that is my last memory with Bill. I still cannot believe we lost an amazing person. I cannot come up with anything to say.

Keisuke-San, when you say that you were formed by INTERNAL BLEEDING Voracious Contempt do you mean that you were inspired to form a death metal band based on that release? Were there any other death metal bands at the time besides them that were influences early on? Do you have a favorite place that you toured through In the United States? What do you like and dislike about the culture of The United States? Would you say East Coast American Death Metal was the biggest influence on Vomit Remnants in the beginning?  Would you say any influences have changed from then to now? It is quite sad regarding Bill. I also was very much influenced by INTERNAL BLEEDING. Amazing person to get to know and become a friend with for sure. Glad that INTERNAL Bleeding is still going.

Keisuke: Yeah! That’s right! We were inspired to form a death metal band based on that release. All of us used to listen to early INTERNAL BLEEDING and we were aiming to be like them.

Also we used to play cover song like SUFFOCATION, DYING FETUS, MORTAL DECAY and CRYPTOPSY early on. We were highly influenced by them.

I especially like NY because that’s exactly the same American image as I had since before. Many races, many people, many buildings and dangerous image subway, haha. Also there are a lot of my favorite death metal bands in NY. It is a place full of greatest memories for me. What I disliked was fast food, hah. I have only memories I ate fast food, haha. Got a mouth ulcer due to lack of vitamins haha… Yeah Definitely East Coast American Death Metal was the biggest influence on VOMIT REMNANTS in the beginning. It has not change ever. It still has most important elements for us.

And yes, I respect that INTERNAL BLEEDING is still going on even when they are in deep sorrow. Always respect and love them and Bill will always be in my heart.

It has been eighteen years since the release of Supreme Entity. Granted there have been other releases in that time prior to Hyper Groove Brutality. Can you speak a little bit regarding the reformation of Vomit Remnants?

Keisuke: We had split up twice since band formed in 1997.First split up was in 2001 after North America Extermination Tour and we reformed in 2004 and split up again 2007 while recording new album and we reformed again in 2015.I am only one original member left and got over many difficulties to find new members. Especially for the reunion to re-record Hyper Groove Brutality was extremely difficult.
But i am so happy to release it finally!!

Would you say this release is an evolution of the sound of the group? How much did you want to keep this album in the vein of Supreme Entity?  In addition, how did you want to make this album different from Supreme Entity?

Keisuke: To be honest, I don’t think this release is an evolution. Of course the sound productions is best quality ever, but in the song writing process, I just tried to do exactly what I wanted to do. I think I could do everything on this release. I am not sure if it’s evolution or not though. But I wanted to keep the old sounds like Supreme Entity mainly, and tried to mix in something more technical and brutal stuff I couldn’t in past. I am very satisfied!

How is the relationship with Unique Leader? At what point did they reach out to you to do the album? 

Keisuke: At Ohio Death Fest 2001, I had heard rumor that Unique Leader was interested in us. We sent promo material in 2004, but they didn’t like it because it was very cheap quality. We recorded new material in 2005 with much better quality which they liked and we got a contract! We split up while recording for Unique Leader. I couldn’t give up the recording and I have been trusting that Unique leader was waiting for us because they didn’t erase VOMIT REMNANTS from their roster on their website. Finally I got all members in 2014, recorded new material again and asked Unique Leader. They agreed to deal with us again!! I’m glad I trusted Unique Leader and myself!

How has the response been thus far to Hyper Groove Brutality?  Do you plan on touring to support the release?  Any difficulties with that? 

Keisuke: I saw few bad responses when Unique leader released an advance track, but it was temporary stupid criticism. I didn’t care for it because we proudly released it and many popular musicians praised new VOMIT REMNANTS. After that, I did not see bad responses. Only great responses coming every day and seems to fans loves it!

Do you have a favorite track on the new record?

Keisuke: It’s difficult to choose one… but if I had to choose one, it’s “Wire Rope Strangle”. I think that it has best songwriting from me and includes sick guest vocals by Henrik Cranz of Soils Of Fate.

How did Dmitry from Fetal Decay wind up in Vomit Remnants? Was collaborating during the writing process of Hyper Groove Brutality difficult? 

Keisuke: I have been in touch with him since 1997 or 1998 when he was playing in a previous band called Filthy Flesh and his vocal in his current band Fetal Decay is one of my most favorites. Our previous singer Takanori left the band before the recording and I asked original singer Toshiyasu to replace him but he couldn’t do it. I had no idea how we were going to go on. Then I asked Dmitry, and he said “Yes!” I really appreciate his support and friendship.

There is an impressive amount of guest musicians on Hyper Groove Brutality. Vocalist Henrik Cranz of Soils Of Fate, guitarist Craig Peters of Deeds Of Fleshand Destroying The Devoid, and guitarist Paul Masvidal of Cynic/ex-Death. How did recruiting all of the help come about?

Keisuke: Previous singer Takanori did guest vocal on last Soils of Fate. It was great collaboration with my old brother band Soils of Fate. We have been good friend since formed the bands each other. So I wanted to put his guest vocal on our side as well. As for Paul Masvidal, I was conscious of Cynic’s atmosphere in very ending of the Hyper Groove Brutality. I thought if Paul Masvidal could help a guest guitar solo in the section it would be awesome. I have nothing to lose by taking a chance of asking him to do it and I could not believe that he agreed to take me up on my offer. Erik Lindmark from Deeds of Flesh introduced his guitarist Craig Peters to do guest guitar solo. Erik told me “He is ultra-shred!” so I have no reason to turn down.

I noticed that was produced by Darren Cesca.  How did getting him to produce album come about?  Do you feel having a drummer producing was an important detail for you? How much time did it take to record the album?

Keisuke: He helped me with some advice before the recording. He made a proposal to mixing and mastering in his studio Grind House Studio. Yeah! We thought having an extreme drummer produce was an important detail for me. I am very particular about drum sound. We spent one day for drum recording, two days for vocal recording and few weeks for guitar and bass recording. We spent a lot of time to drum samples replacement and editing some mistakes and re-amp for the guitars etc… We spent couple of months for mixing and mastering because he had to change settings for kick drum so many times probably more than 10 times, haha. I apologized to him for my selfishness, but he did really good job for us!

Do you feel technology has helped in the ability to collaborate more with people all over the world?  What have you learned from this?  How do this ability help with the creation of Hyper Groove Brutality?

Keisuke: Yes I do very much! We could discuss, make sure the process, fix mistakes and dislikes immediately. It was impossible 20 years ago. We got awesome sound productions which we can’t make it in Japan. Also had a lot of talking with Darren everyday during that couple of months. It became to nice memory also. Maybe I improved a little in English, haha.

What bands have you been listening to lately? 

Keisuke: Mostly I am listening to 90’s death metal stuff like Embalmer, Internal Bleeding Pyrexia, Mortal Decay, Deeds of Flesh, and Suffocation. Of course I am still listening to Pentagoria, Anal Blast and Teratism too!

Also I am listening to new stuff like:
Skin The Lamb-Monolithic (EP, 2016)
Eschaton-Sentinel Apocalypse (Full length, 2015)
Despised Icon-Beast (Full length, 2016)
Immortal Suffering-Asylum (Full length, 2015)
Blood Carnival-Demo 1999, 2001 and 2017
Afterbirth-Foeticidal Embryo Harvestation (Compilation 2013)

I can’t wait to get new Afterbirth-The Time Traveler’s Dilemma, new Dying Fetus-Wrong One to Fuck With, new Suffocation-…of the Dark Light and new Broken Hope-Mutilated and Assimilated

I am humbled by the Pentagoria, Anal Blast Teratism shout out. Thank you. That is awesome that you dig Despised Icon. I have known those guys a long time. Stayed at my home when they toured with Deicide back in I believe 2004 or 2005 right before The Healing Process came out if I remember correctly.  The details of that tour are still a bit fuzzy as the day they were here in Minnesota on tour was my birthday and I had a few too many drinks. Hahaha! There are some bands on your list I will definitely have to check out! Anyway, how is the death metal scene in Japan currently?

Keisuke: Unfortunately the scene is still very strange, small and weak. Only very few good bands playing. In fact, many Japanese bands are not going to an active advancement. A frog in the well knows not the sea, lol. Only good thing, many young people have been coming to see the shows even if they were not aware of us in the past and still old fans coming as well. That’s awesome!!

That sounds similar to how the scene here in the Midwest can be. Sometimes it seems like there are a plethora of bands coming through and then sometimes it is quiet.  Being that we live in a state that is subject to snowy winters sometimes winter is slower depending on the band and when and where they are routed tour wise.

Keisuke: That sounds similar here. For example south Japan(Okinawa) is hot even winter because it’s close to Southeast Asia. Versus north Japan(Hokkaido) is too cold in winter because it’s close to Russia.

But I can say Japanese death metal bands don’t tour many cities in Japan. Most of bands touring at Tokyo and Osaka. Because not many people come in countryside.

Keisuke-San, thank you taking some time to paint a detailed picture into the world of Vomit Remnants. It has been an honor getting to converse with you regarding your new album, death metal and the language of your home country. Hyper Groove Brutality is a Yattsukeru (Kick-Ass) album and wish you nothing but success and well wishes with Vomit Remnants moving forward!  Arigato!

Keisuke: Hahaha!!! Yattsukeru album!!! Thank you Nick-san for the interview and support for me and Vomit Remnants!!! Really appreciate it!! Also Thank you very much for the all of readers. If you haven’t our last album Hyper Groove Brutality,please check it “Wire Rope Strangle” at https://uniqueleaderrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hyper-groove-brutality

I hope to it Yattsukeru track your ass!!!!

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialVomitRemnants

Mike, it’s good too see you in person again, how the fuck have you been? It’s been three album, and three labels since I talked to you last. Lets start a little bit talking about the down time you had between 2010 and last year.

There was like a whole regroup. We toured for Dualitias, and right in the last tour in 2012, Prosthetic records told us they didn’t wanna do the next record, and the relationship was a bit strained between us and the label. Also, right before that tour, our guitar player Dylan had a kid an had a wife and informed us it was his last tour. Then 6 months later out bass player quit. So we were down 3 guys, down a label. We had a few songs written, did a quick little tour in 2013.  We decided then we were going to self release and produce a record or pick one of a handful of labels. Luckily Season of Mist wanted to work with us for a new record. Which worked out as they were on top of our list

So you have worked with Lifeforce Records, Prosthetic Records, and now Season of Mist, those are three pretty different labels. 

They are, when we were on Prosthetic they were a big metalcore/deathcore label, they hit on us pretty had and wanted to diversify. same for Lifeforce, we were the first band to sign with Lifeforce America. It ended being a double edged sword on both labels, it was great to be the only death black metal band on those labels,  and be unique, but we were promoted differently and toured with a bunch of metalcore, so it was a bit of a mismatch.

So  you are now of Season of Mist, a true black and death metal label- how has that been?

It’s more like a home for us, they treat us great and let us be us. They were really our first pick. They are the right type of label for what we want to to.

When you look back on your debut album, Memento Mori, it was clearly Swedish death metal inspired with the guitar tone and some nice slow doomy segments, then the second album was more black metal inspired. And now the latest album seems to have gone back to a little more of the earthy death metal tones. When you look back over you albums and twelve years , what drove some of those stylistic changes?

Chris Freeman, the guy I founded the band with wanted to start an black metal band. But I wanted to mix stuff up. And I can’t write anything without Grave ot Entombed seeping in there somewhere. So the first one was clean slate starting from scratch with my influences coming right out. The second one was but much of a choice to be more black metal. Then the third the record, I felt balanced the two a little better. And now this new one, we wrote the record by ourselves, then when Colin Marston joined, even though i tried the bass lines, it didn’t work, he came in with his black metal background, and we toured with Krallice, so I sent him the demos and he wrote  and laid down the bass lines with his own style.  We flew out to New York and hashed things out for the final and that comes through on the record. My lines were too one dimensional, and now his style and influence is all over the bass lines now.

You ever get the urge to go back to the Swedish styled sound?

Oh yeah, all the time, its hard not to rip off Grave or Entombed, Ola Lindgren is one of my biggest influences. But so is Scott Kelly and Neurosis. But I try to write what I think is lacking in metal and what I want to hear. I try and fill the gaps with what I think no one is doing right now.

Did you ever think of breaking up back in 2010 when the guys left and the label dropped you?

Yeah, I thought to myself  “Man, am I too much of a dick?”, “Why are people leaving?”. I had some moments, that kind of fucked me in the head. Was I pushing too hard? But when you are writing music for your self there is no financial gain, just our integrity, fans come and go, but I just stuck with it.

How hard it it writing what you want to hear and not be swung or swayed by the treads and ebbs and flow of metal and its fickle fans?

It was harder earlier when you got recording budget and labels were paying so they were pushing  and there was business pressure for certain sounds or styles, but now with much more DIY process you can write for your self . That’s why I had this whole album written and recorded before we even talked to labels. No pressure , no recording advances to pay back no pressure to change. It was done. We gave them the record and said ‘here’.

How close were you to self releasing Grief Relic?

We were really fucking close. We had talked to another label about a really limited releases. We had talked to Season of Mist, but didn’t hear anything for a long time, so we were ready to go ahead and self release it, then BAM, they got back to us.

Season of Mist are a really strong label right now.

Yeah, they have the best roster in metal right now. and they have a really strong European promotional presence, which was an issue for us with Prosthetic.

Let’s talk about this current tour. First time I saw you, you were with Grave and Dismember, and now here you are with Suffocation and Morbid Angel.How is it touring with essentially death metal royalty?

Yeah! My first ever full US tour was with my favorite band ever, Grave. How cool was that? Other than Obituary, I’ve never really been a big American Death metal guy. We got this tour offer before we know the line up. Season of Mist put us out there and had some communication with Steve Tucker and Trey and they said  ‘we checked you out on youtube, you guys are doing your own thing and we like that” so it was cool to be hand picked. And now I love the Gateways era stuff that twisty turny lurching stuff is so influential , and they slay every night.

Is there a dream band you would like to tour with?

I would love to tour with Obituary, they were a my first big US death metal band when I was in high school. They kick ass live. I did a one time opening on their Decibel tour, that would be cool. Then maybe Neurosis or even Iron Maiden or Metallica if my 12 year old self was deciding.

So what is next? Hopefully we don’t have a 5 or 7 year wait?

No not all. We are already writing, We have some stuff roughed in. Our deal with Season of Mist gives us some freedom, they have been like family so its great to be with them. And so are hoping to do a split with some other bands, some singles, we have talked about some covers.  We got confined few a few fests, maybe  in Europe, have been there since 2005, so that will be fun. Be definitely no 7 year wait. I think i want the new material to be a little more death metal, but keep some of the atmosphere.

Grave cover?

There’s a really good chance, but I don’t want to be such an obvious fan boy. I should [laughs]

Is it finally a relief to be not compared to Mastodon any more?

[laughs] Yeah early on, just because we were from Atlanta! But heck, even for the new record, one review said we were Mastodon mixed with Gorguts, which is great and Colin Marston is on both albums, but we had this record written back in 2013, before Colored Sands even came out!

So hard date — when at we looking as some new Withered material being out?

We might have those singles and splits out by the end of the year, but as far as a new full length that’s going to be 2018 maybe 2019. Between now and then just come out and see us!

http://www.facebook.com/witheredmetal

http://withered.bandcamp.com/

So usually I have an interview with a person that’s only in one band, maybe two… and the interview is for that band or the other. I can’t do that here, so this is an interview with the Dave Ingram. So tell what bands are you actively  in right now? What are YOUR bands as opposed to guesting?

How do! Thanks for putting this interview together and for thinking of me as the subject. Okay, so my active bands currently are: URSINNE (debut album “Swim With The Leviathan” out in a few weeks), ECHELON (second album “The Brimstone Aggrandizement” out now), DOWN AMONG THE DEAD MEN (third album, currently being written), JUST BEFORE DAWN (live shows planned for 2018 and beyond, as well as new material), HELLFROST AND FIRE (Hellhammer and Celtic Frost worship band, presently writing a full length), As yet un-named project doing some Hardcore/Death Metal crossover, and finally a project that is going to be massive…but I can’t talk about it just yet. More info and details will be coming soon! There are a couple of other tentatively planned projects, but I have to wait to see if they will ever come to be, and finally there’s a plethora of guest spots I’m cropping up in.

Before we get further into those active projects, let’s talk about your past projects, notably Benediction. The Grand Leveller remains one of my favorite death metal albums of all time. Where do you put it and other Benediction albums you were on in the pantheons of death metal? What made The Grand Leveller so great?

Those albums were, if I may say so myself, partly responsible for how the scene went on to evolve in the years following – and there were MANY bands that contributed to this evolution, it wasn’t just Benediction. I loved my time in the band, and was sad when it came to an end BUT it was something that I had to do. What made those albums so good? I guess it was the youthful enthusiasm of the guys involved together in the writing of them, and our individual drive that was brought on from influences such as Infernal Majesty, Slaughter, Nocturnus, and pretty much anything that Kam Lee was involved with. He himself was pivotal in the creation of this genre.

Was there any reason for leaving Benediction after Grind Bastard?

Yes. I’d been unhappy for a long time about how the band was managed (not the manager himself, I must add!!) as decisions to do gigs/tours etc were being made without everyone being consulted. It multiplied when I moved to Denmark, and I just couldn’t do that anymore. I needed to know, but wasn’t being told. It was time to go, sadly.

Technically, even though they have not released anything since 2008’s Killing Music, Benediction are still active. Even Dave Hunt is still around (who seems to be more focused on Anaal Nathrakh.) Any chance of a reunion?

I’ll say that in 2018 the “Transcend The Rubicon” album is having it’s 25th anniversary. I’m willing to go out and play that album live if the band wanted to do some shows. I doubt it would happen, and I am quite busy myself, but who knows?

The ’90s were inarguably the best decade for death metal, especially in the UK. What do you think of the English scene nowadays, having been there when bands like Benediction, Cancer, Napalm Death, Warlord, Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride were around?

Having not lived in the UK for almost 20 years I can’t really comment on the scene there now. I know it has changed, but I am not quite sure how. If you ask me about the scene in Scandinavia I can tell you it’s still as strong as ever. I guess me, Jonny Petterson and Rogga Johansson are helping in that sense.

Have you heard the Memoriam project with some of your former Benediction pals? Thoughts? Any reason you were not invited to participate considering your involvement with both projects?

Absolutely I have heard it, and I bloody love it! In fact, when they played at the Eindhoven festival in December last year I joined them onstage for a version of Bolt Thrower’s “Inside The Wire.” It’s up on YouTube if anyone wants to see it. They’re here in Copenhagen next month at the CopenHell festival, so maybe the same will happen again?

What did you do after doing vocals on Honour Valour Pride? Why were you away from fronting metal bands for that period in the early ’00s?

After I had to leave Bolt Thrower in 2003 for medical reasons, I took a year off (just one!) Then I began the band Downlord for several years, until 2008 when I thought we had achieved our goals, so we disbanded. I started my online radio show and built up a listener base over the next 18 months, while evolving the show into it’s own unique and quirky style. It’s not like other radio shows for Metal. Some like it, some don’t, but I don’t care…I just enjoy making it. It’s totally for entertainment purposes.  I also made a Big Band Jazz show called Lambert’s Basement for over 5 years as well. During this time, at around 2013, I was contacted by Rogga Johansson to guest on one of his projects. I asked to make a full band with him, and DOWN AMONG THE DEAD MEN were born. Soon after came ECHELON and then URSINNE, but this was with Jonny Petterson. I got the HAIL OF BULLETS gig though that sadly only lasted around 12 months. Now I’m doing the forthcoming live shows for JUST BEFORE DAWN.

But here you are in multiple bands, multiple guest performances… what jump started everything? was it the Hail of Bullets? Downlord?

Hard work, lesser magic, creativity, self-determination…all these are the things that jump-started it. I guess Rogga’s contact with me gave me that initial burst of creativity to get back to writing music – though during the period from the end of Downlord to when he contacted me (2008 to 2013) I had been writing and recording a few tracks with my Metal Breakfast Radio co-host Donovan, and putting them out for free download.

Downlord had 2 releases then stopped. Any reason that project didn’t do more?

What the band wanted to do was get a couple of releases out that brought forth the style of Danish death metal that was influenced by a multitude of bands. I left the music to the other guys. There were drummer problems – Denmark is a small country and there’s not too many of them to go around. These days things are easier, and I have been in touch with a couple of the guys to see if they might be interested in re-recording a bunch of the tracks, since the record label we used back then were a bunch of idiots and totally fucked up the mastering of the album. I think it’s time these songs got a modern re-visit.

You seem heavily involved with Rogga Johanson and Johnny Petterson bands. How did those relationships come about?

I’ve already covered how I got in contact with Rogga in a previous answer, but Jonny and I met online when we were both working with JUST BEFORE DAWN. I mentioned to him about trying for a band with that Swedish-sound, and he agreed. We have had Ursinne in our minds since 2015 (possibly before then) as we’ve both been busy. There’s more to come from all of us…lots more.

All of the projects you are involved with all stay within the  realms of death metal. Have you ever wanted to branch out and do something out of that wheel house, like doom?

Not doom, but I’ve got some as yet un-named band working on some hardcore/death metal crossover being produced. That ought to be fun and I’m looking forward to sinking my teeth into that one. There’s also the HELLFROST AND FIRE album (the Celtic Frost/Hellhammer one) that will have covers by Frost and Hellhammer as well as a bunch of original material in the same style. I did a cover of “Dethroned Emperor” with the band GATH recently and it was those guys that I’m working with on this, too. Again, it’s up on YouTube if you want to see it.

The current active releases you have are Ursinne’s upcoming effort and the Just before Dawn Compilation- talk a little about those efforts

The new URSINNE album “Swim With The Leviathan” will be out pretty damn soon on Transcending Obscurity records. Early reviews have been very exciting to read, as the album is being well received. I can’t wait until it drops and I get to see more of what people think.
JUST BEFORE DAWN: I’m currently in the process of recording several new tracks for them. Since I’m going to be the live voice/frontman for the gigs next year (plenty are being lined up) then it was sensible to record some more tracks with me for the album. More details will be coming soon.

The recent Echelon album effort had a very solid Benediction vibe to it. Is that something you try to do of just happens?

Hmmm…I can only hear that comparison on one song – and just for a short moment. One person had said that the track “Lex Talionis” had a strong “Transcend The Rubicon” sound to it – which I agreed with. But it wasn’t our intention to make it like that. It’s just one of those wacky coincidences where people hear what they want to. Anyway, I don’t mind that particular comparison there. The only thing I took umbrage at were the very few (two!) people who complained about the 3 second maximum intros to the songs. Let me say that again…THREE. SECOND. MAXIMUM. I mean, c’mon! It’s not like we’re a grindcore band that have a 2 minute clip from a horror movie followed by a 20 second song! Sheesh, some people like to complain about anything. One guy even went as far to try telling me what to do next time around. Would anyone tell an artist how to create his paintings/sculptures etc? No. So don’t tell me how to create mine, you complete arsewash.

Some people, I tell you.

The Down Among the Dead Men project has three releases – would you consider that your main project all do all of your projects get equal time?
DATDM has had 2 full length albums and a 7”, with a new album on the way later this year. No, it’s not my main project. They all get the same attention from me. I sometimes think I take on too many things but I just like to be busy. It’s so very satisfying to hold a copy of your latest album when it arrives. It’s a proud moment, knowing that this music might have a good impact on someone in the world.

How is it working with Transcending Obscurity, a label based in India, for many of your releases?

In my opinion, they are one of the greatest underground labels out there. The quality of their releases (packaging as well as the bands) is fantastic. Kunal, the mastermind behind the label, is a cool guy and incredibly hardworking for the bands on the TOR roster. I’m proud to be a part of them. They endeavour to make sure that all CDs/Merch etc actually gets to the person who ordered them. They’re very cool like that, so no one should be worried about postage when ordering from them.

What do you have in the pipeline for the rest of the year and leading into 2018? Just as active?

Well there’s the new DATDM that has just been started (I heard a new track just before I began this interview) so I have that writing ahead of me. I’ll be re-recording my vocals onto the JUST BEFORE DAWN tracks so I can rehearse them while I am at work (on my iPod – it seriously helps!) and I’m looking forward to the live shows next year. There’s going to be a new URSINNE album, which will feature our new bass player Sonia Nusselder too…we’ve begun writing that one as well, and it may be a 2 disc release with a full length album of original material, and a bonus disc of cover versions and demo tracks from the first album sessions. There will also be a new ECHELON album next year, though that is definitely a way off yet. As I also mentioned there is the HELLFROST AND FIRE album, along with the Hardcore/Death Metal crossover album too, though that is currently in the writing stage. A Finnish band wanted me to record vocals for their final album which I can do – if they get back in touch with me…but that might not happen. And there’s also the BIG project that I can’t really talk about but when the news drops it’ll be enormous. Add to that a whole bunch of guest spots then the future looks to be incredibly busy for me. Just the way I like it!

Thanks for the interview, I appreciate it greatly! Cheers to everyone out there for support. Me and my bands couldn’t do all this without you.

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I can say that it has been cathartic, in a sense. There was a lot to get out and after so much time away from playing, it was fulfilling to see that, yeah, we still got this. There were moments where I worried that it would never be finished or never get heard by anyone. It was good to be so wrong.

There was a 4 year wait for the new album, and while that’s not a super long time between albums. it seems like Woe was completely out of the limelight for the whole time- was Woe close to being done in that time?

We were very “done” in the sense that there was no activity for most of that time, but there was never a point where I thought it was necessary to make any kind of dramatic pronouncement about the state of the band or its future. That shit is too showy for me. We’re fortunate to not have to tour full-time or work on anyone else’s schedules. With no expectations or obligations, there will probably not ever be a reason to say “we are done,” so we just kept kicking it down the road until we were ready. 

Was the reaction to Withdrawal part of your time away? It seems like after 2 albums that had you on the cusp of USBM ‘stardom’, things fell off a bit.

The reaction to Withdrawal was strong — stronger overall than Quietly, Undramatically, which was an extremely polarizing album. The writing, recording, and touring process for Withdrawal spanned from 2012 until the very end of 2013. After that, my mother got sick, I needed a career change, and the band lost two members. I needed time away without having to think about music at all, I just did not have the bandwidth for it.

There is no such thing as USBM ‘stardom’ as far as I am concerned. I can think of maybe three black metal-rooted bands in the entire country who are able to shower regularly on US tours. We were never close to that and I doubt that we ever will be, which is fine.

 Looking back at Withdrawal, is there anything you would have done differently? it seems like the scene and sound at the time played into that album a little bit.

Each Woe album was what it was supposed to be and what it needed to be in order for us to get to where we are now. The scene and the sound at the time never influenced anything at all and still doesn’t; in fact, a fair amount of the riffs on Withdrawal were written around the time I was writing Quietly. The songwriting influences have always been consistent, but I experimented more with dynamics and the balance between the metal and non-metal influences, and that led to some weird places. They’re not my favorites to listen to but I’m still proud of them for what they are.

After a truly stellar debut as a one man project, has there been any internal discussion of returning to a one man project or will Woe be a full on band from now on?

I doubt it. Playing live is too important and I like being able to narrow my focus and trust everyone else to do their parts better than I could. I’m still doing all the writing, but having the other guys to give feedback and call me on any bullshit is great. The band experience is more fulfilling than working solo.

Why the change from Xos for the debut to your real name?

Haha! I fucking hated going by a black metal name. So fucking uncomfortable. I did it in the beginning cause I was young and it was the black metal thing to do, especially at that time. But I realized quickly that there was no better way to feel like a fucking idiot than by using a fake name, especially since the songs were coming from such real places. This isn’t an indictment of anyone who wants to use a metal name, I think it’s totally metal and the right thing to do in some contexts, but it was not right for Woe. Dropping it was an important step in being willing to create my own sound and identify for the band.

The new album feature 2 new members Lev Wienstein (drums) and Matt Mewton (guitars)- how did they contribute to the album or is this all you, and they play what you write?

I wrote and demoed the entire album before the guys learned it, but I knew that they’d be playing on it and tried to keep their preferences in mind as I worked. Lev and Matt always called me out if I went too Deftones with anything, so I’d sometimes fall back on that as a way to justify cutting a riff or pushing a song in one direction or another.

But there was more to it than that. There is one song, “The Ones We Lost,” that the three of us (G lives in Philly still and wasn’t at rehearsal that night) collaborated on to improve the instrumental section before the vocals start, which is why they have a writing credit in the album. Matt and I worked on some leads, he also wrote his solo in “No Blood has Honor.” Everyone got links to every iteration of every song, so they were able to give as much feedback as they wanted throughout the process, which they did to some extent. Grzesiek (Czapla) was truly a co-producer and helped shape the feel of every song in really critical ways.

Talk a little bit about the album title and the cover there seem to be some very real world, ominous messages in there.

The title, the art, and the album are reflections of profound powerlessness in the face of uncaring force. I could say “systems of oppression,” which might sound awfully punk rock, but it’s bigger than any one political, religious, or social system. It’s about the way we organize ourselves to trample on others. Each song deals with this in different ways, but it all circles around the same themes.

The song “The Ones we Lost” seems very somber and personal, lyrically and in style compared to the rest of the album- is it about someone in particular?

I and a few of the other band members lost some family and friends in the past few years. It was motivated by them and I tend to think about different people every time I play it, but it’s not about anyone. It’s about the cognitive dissonance between your physical reaction to a loved one’s death and the world’s lack of registering the change.

Is Woe ‘back’? What can we expect for the immediate and distant future for the band? 

We’re as “back” as we can be. We just returned from two weeks in Europe with Ultha. Some of the other guys have other recording and touring obligations, so we’re taking a few months off, then we’ll be playing at Shadow Woods Festival in September. We’re kicking around some other tour ideas and I’ve already started working on some new material. We don’t promise or trust anything that we can’t see, but it does seem safe to say that we will keep doing this shit until we have a good reason to hit the brakes.

http://www.woeunholy.com/

https://www.facebook.com/woeunholy/

I know you guys have spoke with Frank Rini since, and this is your third interview here at teeth (some sort of record?) but I last spoke to you guys,  it was after 2012s Deathevocation debut. What has changed in the Revel in Flesh since then?

Vogtsson: I think there has nothing changed. We are still five retarded bastards, who celebrate the classical way of Death Metal and of course we are still hungry for more!

But I hope you have noticed that we were very busy over the last 5 years. So we did not less than 8 Split Eps (with: Revolting(SWE), Putreaeon(SWE), Wombbath(SWE),  Grave Wax (USA), Feral (SWE), Humiliation(MYS), Zombiefication(MEX), The Dead Goats(POL) ), did our 2nd full length “Manifested Darkness“(2013), our 3rd full length “Death Kult Legions (2014) and just released our 4th record “Emissary of all plagues” (Dec. 2016) on Cyclone Empire

One change is the switch from  FDA Records to Cyclone Empire. Any reason for the label change even though both are German labels?

Vogtsson: Yes, you are right! That´s one change over the last years I forgot.It is not that big story behind. Our contract with F.D.A. was fulfilled after two albums and we thought it´s time for something new. The choice to get in touch with Cyclone Empire was quite simple, because Martin (the owner of Cyclone Empire) is for us a well known person for years and the label headquarter is not that far away from our singer Hauberson’s hometown. So we had the chance to start on a real personal foundation. And what can I say….Cyclone Empire did their best for us so far.

Is being on a German label important- if did the cards just fall that way?

Vogtsson: I think it is not really so important being on a German label. The main reason for our choice I explained to you before. Maybe you can say it´s for some kind of reason a little bit “easier” for us. Just for example, it’s maybe more easy to do some “business-stuff” in our mother language with the label. But primarily important should be, how´s the whole conversation between label & band and of course how is the personal gut feeling. If these two points are perfect in any way, I think it is not necessary or important being on a German label, as I said before. 

After releasing albums in 2012, 2013 and 2014, there was a bit of a wait for the new album (though there were 3 splits in there), released in 2016. Any reason for the gap or or is this a more realistic timetable for album releases?

Vogtsson: Well, we have still the luck that our guitarist Maggesson is a damn fucking riff-machine with own home-studio. In the beginning when Haubersson started the band, he came with a couple of songs and Maggesson helped him to finish his vision of Death Metal in the classical way. Revel In Flesh was born and after the debut Deathevokation,  Maggesson was really on a roll to create songs and riffs. It took only one year and the second strike “Manifested Darkness” was done. After that, Maggesson started directly with new songs and so the wheel keeps on turning until “Death Kult Legions”. The gap between our 3rd album and the new one “Emissary of all plagues” has not a special reason. It took that time we needed for the new album and personally I think that two or three years until the next album should be a good timetable for us. But don´t forget that between 2014 and 2016 we also released three Split Ep´s. So, we were not too lazy, haha. 

Haubersson: You also have to see the fact that our live activities increased after the release of “Death Kult Legions”. We’ve did single shows and week short tours throughout whole Germany, incl. Some crazy roadtrips with PUTERAEON (Sweden) and our Spanish friends from GRAVEYARD and DECAPITATED CHRIST. It’s time consuming organisation work and beside this everyone of us has a REAL life with REAL life bullshit, too. In the end it’s as well a good thing to give a creative process some time to dwell and breath; doing stuff on the run is not often the best way!

What I’ve appreciated over the 4 albums is the consistent sound you had Maggeson (Markus Köchl) produce 3 and Dan Swano mix/master, all 4, rather than tweak or mess with the sound. Do you see any point on the future where you don’t use that combination?

Vogtsson: What can I say….Maggesson and of course Dan Swanö did more than great jobs for us. And so it´s a good and justified question, what will happen in the future? But for now I must say: why should we change? It sounds perfect! But on the other side…we will see what the future brings and how the new songs will sound like. Never say never but for now, as I said before: never change a winning team! 

Haubersson: You also have to keep in mind that it’s good for a co – operation to grow on a long term process; I think production wise, all our albums got step by step into a more vivid form of sound. The input of Dan Swanö on that process has been very healthy to our sound and most of all he understands the visions and add his magical “know how” during the mix and mastering job!

When the debut came out, the Swedish sound was in full revival mode. I thought it might die out but it’s showing no signs of letting up. Along with you guys bands like Epitaph, Fatalist, fellow Germans Demonbreed,Nocturnal Hollow, Ashcloud, Interment, Sentient Horror and many other released killer albums. Do you think the genre is in danger of being saturated?

Vogtsson: The Death-Metal boom is definitely over! But the flame is still alive and as you said, there are still many good bands in the underground. Damn, as long as bands like Interment come out which such great releases, I give a fuck if the scene or genre could be saturated. There will be ever some Death-Metal-to-the-bone-freaks, who create some awesome music and last but not least the time will separate the wheat from the chaff as always.

On the same theme, there seems to be a lot of reissues of really obscure stuff and demo from bands even I have never heard of (i.e i just got a promo for a band called Lubricant who released one mini cd in 1993). Is this good or bad for the genre?

Vogtsson: I don´t know if it´s necessary to re – release some old stuff from the early 90s or old stuff, which was back in the days already third or fourth league music. Most of that re-releases are ridiculous and I think someone just tries to get “a slice of the Death-Metal cake”. 

Haubersson: The release market is generally overloaded and those reissue stuff is a big part of the release overkill! I think labels should rather use their capacity to push new bands instead of doing some easy cash in with something that is already dead and gone!

You have done splits with the likes of Zombiefication from Mexico. How cool is it that bands from all over the world are playing this style so well now?

Vogtsson: Absolutely cool! There are so many freaks and die-hard maniacs, who celebrate and keep the Death-Metal flame alive all over the world. As I told you in the beginning, we had so many Split Ep´s with damn great Bands from really different countries, like Humiliation from Malaysia or even Zombiefication from Mexico. A piece of the whole Death-Metal world gathered on some vinyl stuff, haha!

Are there any of these style bands you are particularity impressed with? Ive always thought you guys and Entrails were sort of similar and rivaling each other..

Vogtsson: When it comes to old school Death Metal….there will be always two names for me personal: ENTOMBED & DISMEMBER! But I think (and I think I speak for my whole band in that case!) we´re all impressed or even inspired from the whole Death Metal scene from the late 80s to the mid 90s. It will be beyond the scope to count bands. I think everyone knows, what I´m talking about.

So, I never thought that Entrails and Revel In Flesh are rivaling each other. Jimmy from Entrails is a well known friend for us and maybe you noticed that he did a guest guitar solo for the song “the dead lives on” on our latest album “Emissary of all plagues”. Personally I really like the early Entrails records and I also think they did with the song “Voices” from the first album an absolute “Death-Metal-hymn”!

The First two albums had Benediction and Autopsy covers. last two album had Manilla Road and UFO covers- what going on there? Plans for future covers?

Vogtsson: Well, we always tried to bring the typical “HM2  swedish styled chainsaw guitar sound” to classical songs, which sounded different. I mean it makes no sense for us to copy or cover songs from the early Swedish Death Metal scene, like Dismember, Entombed or Grave. It would never sounds better! So, that´s the main reason for our choice to make a tribute in typical Revel In Flesh style with songs in that case from Autopsy and Benediction on the first albums. The choice for doing a Manilla Road and UFO tribute was quite simple….when we have a party or we are on the road to a concert, there is always some classical-stuff on the “party-mix”! So we thought over the time, that maybe it could good doing such a classical song in our “Revel-style”. And in case of Manilla Road, we got our personal “accolate” from the band directly on their Facebook-page. What can I say: It worked out really well with both classical-songs. We have some ideas for the future records, but it´s not definitely yet. So, be surprised what will happen on our next album!

How do you manage to keep excited and fresh writing this style of death metal 4 albums in?

Vogtsson: It´s sometimes not that easy, as it looks. But I did also told you earlier: We have the luck that our guitarist Maggesson is a damn riff-machine. And so he always keeps the wheel on turning with new song ideas or sometimes just some riff-parts. When it comes to a new album or even doing new songs, we reject all ideas and start to create the best we can from the remaining song ideas. Haubersson starts a lyrical concept then and tried to get a common theme for the songs, as you can hear on our latest album. For the last four albums it worked out really good, so we´ll try our best to keep the flame and spirit alive to do another bunch of heavy Death-Metal albums in the future, hopefully.

The new album seems to have a focus on melody and slower, groovier songs

Vogtsson: You are right. Our guitarist Maggesson had over the last year a what we called: “special-melody-phase”, hahaha! But I think it´s also the next logical step to advance our typical “Revel-sound”.

Every release in the style will be compared to Grave, Entombed or Dismember- When you are getting that production down- are you going for a certain sound?

Vogtsson: , Entombed, Grave and Dismember were the first bands, especially Entombed, which came up with that typical guitar-sound. So it´s inevitable to get compared with them. For me personal it´s not the worst thing being named in the same breath with those great bands.

But also I think after four albums we find our own and maybe typical Revel In Flesh sound, which makes us a little bit independent.

Has there ever been a discussion about going to the root of the sound and having Sunlight/Tomas Skogsberg produce?

Vogtsson: Not really,´cause we´re really satisfied with the work of Dan Swanö. And when you have a look into the past, the Unisound Studio did also a cupple of absolut classic releases like Katatonia, Dark Funeral, Marduk, Dissection and last but not least Edge of Sanity in the 90s.

Have you ever had any thoughts about guest musicians on Revel In Flesh releases? I hear Rogga Johanssen dabbles…..

Vogtsson: Maybe you remember that we did our first Split Ep with one of Roggas Bands: Revolting.

And yes, we had thoughts about guest musicians over the years. On our 3rd album “Death Kult Legions” Dan Swanö himself gave us a brilliant guitar-solo on the track “Graveyard procession”. “Emissary of all plagues” includes 2 guest-solos from Jonas (Puteraeon) and Jimmy (Entrails). So we pop one’s cherry in case of guest musicians “swedish-styled”, hahaha!

Whats next for Revel in Flesh- do you guys tour a lot?

Vogtsson: We try our best to hit the road and bring our latest album “Emissary of all plagues” on stage. We have a lot of shows this year and a couple of summer-festivals as well.

After that it should be maybe the time to create and work on some new material to keep the flame alive and gather all the “servants of the deathkult” once again! 

Haubersson: Thanx for that nice chat! For infos on REVEL IN FLESH shows, merchandise etc. make sure to check our facebook webtomb at:

https://www.facebook.com/Revel-in-Flesh-304228902958414/

Peter:  That’s a good question! When we first recorded “Conquered” in 1998/99 the band was on a roll.  I was still involved with Sea of Tranquillity & Skullview, but we had some downtime between bands so the drummer of SOT (Dave Cady) and I started to work on INVASION.  We’ve been messing with the idea since the early 90s and it seemed like the perfect time to finish some of the songs and get the album released.  We signed with Killjoy’s “Baphomet” label which in turn was picked up Hammerheart/The Plague and it did pretty well overseas. We followed by returning to the studio and recording “Berserk Artillery Barrage” in 2001/02 for Forever Underground Records and started to do shows, but the drummer (Dave Cady) quit mid-stream and INVASION was put on hiatus as Skullview and a new project I formed called Corporation SS were in the process of writing.  I had enough songs written for the 3rd INVASION cd – “Orchestrated Kill Maneuver” from 2006/2007 and by chance I actually ran into my old drummer from the previous 2 recordings. After deciding to hit the studio we begin working on the cd and get things moving again. Unfortunately, the recording started in 2008 and we had A TON OF PROBLEMS which didn’t get resolved until 2010. It was then we presented the finished product to Rotting Corpse Records who released that platter of death. Again, we took about 2 years off while we did our other projects (I formed Yellowtooth & Nocturnal Torment with the same drummer) but when time came to start recording the 4th INVASION, Dave quit music again & it took a very long time to recruit someone of his caliber.  Essentially that is how we acquired Dan Klein and finally finished “Destroyer of Mankind.”

Has your involvement in numerous those other projects like Yellowtooth, Nocturnal Torment, Sea of Tranqullity and Skullview hindered what you want to do in Invasion or do you feel you can balance them all?

Peter: I think it’s a pretty good balance, but I think the main problem was that our drummer had a few issues and both of us were the best of friends at one time.  You need to understand that Dave was the drummer for Sea of Tranquillity, Invasion & Nocturnal Torment so we would see each other every week for years. Maybe that was too much time spent invested?  I’m honestly not sure.  Whatever the case the material aspect of it was never a problem, but we just seemed to run into a myriad of problems along the way and Invasion was never able to get things moving.  Not to blame Dave or anyone else involved with the bands, but life happens.

Is Invasion your primary project?

Peter: Basically it’s a 50/50 split with Yellowtooth at this point.  Will it change in the coming years?  Yes, it always does. In 2008/2009 I was jamming with Skullview, Nocturnal Torment, Yellowtooth and Invasion and we managed to keep things moving and separated, which was imperative, but difficult.  We were jamming in my basement & literally had room for 2 drum sets and we’d move equipment out of the way to rehearse with the other bands. Was it hectic? Yes, very much so, but we had a lot of fun doing it.

What made you want to revisit Invasion 7 years after the last album? Was Invasion on hiatus and is this a reunion or just taking a break?

Peter:  Basically, the drummer and I needed a break and he quit playing music for a few years.  We’ve been jamming together since 1991/92 and I’ve known him for 6/7 years before that, so maybe we just got burnt out on jamming with each other, but there were no drummers in this area that were of the same caliber as Dave & that makes things difficult when you want to hammer out songs with extreme intensity.  I think that’s why our paths kept crossing over the years. I jammed with other drummers but those evolved into different projects like Corporation SS and Southern Witches Brew.

What is the current Invasion lineup and where did you get them?

Peter: I’ve known our guitarist Rafael for 25 years as we jammed in Sea of Tranquillity together, plus he recorded on the 2nd album from INVASION – “Berserk Artillery Barrage” back in 2000/01. John Hehman was a recent transplant to the NW Indiana-area and had built a studio in my old town, and when some friends recorded their demo at his place I stopped in and met up. Solid guitar player and very much involved with death/thrash metal, he was open to jamming with us. The final step was replacing Dave Cady who again picked up his gear and quit. After 18 months of searching for a drummer in the area I was introduced to Dan Klein out of Chicago who also had a recording studio.  I called him up and asked him if he’d be interested in recording with possible show arrangements which he agreed to, hence the new line up was formed.  The material was already written and it was just a matter of lining up the pieces and getting things moving.

Your first three album had a much heavier Swedish death metal influence , especially the guitar tone on both. The new one seems to have reigned back on that tone in favor of a more USDM sound- any particular reason for the change?

Peter: I think that was a combination of factors.  My writing style had changed a bit and when John and I started to record the guitar tracks we found the Swedeath guitar sound was actually hiding too many elements in the song structure, so John suggested we try a different approach which worked well.  I am a HUGE fan of the Swedish sound, but it took too much away on the recording so we opted for a more USDM similar to Deicide, Malevolent Creation or Cannibal Corpse tone.

War is obviously the central theme for Invasion, with world war II appearing to be the favorite conflict . Are there any other conflict or wars you see Invasion delving into?

Peter: I was looking at delving into the Civil War at one point, plus WW One as I’ve got a ton of literature on both, but for some reason WW2 found its way back as the focal point.  I think I was watching the History Channel and they had FDR giving his speech regarding the attack on Pearl Harbor, and my mind just began churning.  His speech was so powerful I initially thought I’d open the new recordings with it, but it changed a bit during the mixing stage of the new cd and we made that the 2nd song.

Many other bands have WWII as a primary influence such as Hail of Bullets, and of course Bolt Thrower. Are there any other war themed bands you admire or respect?

Peter: I enjoy any band that takes into consideration war into a lyrical approach.  Iron Maiden opened up the flood gates with “The Trooper” & “Aces High”! The only ones I can think of right now is Marduk – Panzer Divsion Marduk, War – Total War and Panzerchrist. Obviously Bolt Thrower and Hail of Bullets are in there as well. I dig reading their lyrics and seeing their perspective of it as they are not US based bands.

There are some well used samples on the album ,such as Saving Private Ryan one that starts “Dying on the Beaches of Normandy”. I’ve always wondered how does one go about picking and sample (sample come first or after song is written?) and getting permission to use a sample from a movie?

Peter: Haha no permission granted! I just “borrowed” those !  But for each individual song you need to look at what your lyrical approach is and then try and find samples that give the listener a general idea as to your perspective.

I assume you are a war buff and do deep research when writing songs?

Peter: To a point I may review something from my book collection, but for the most part it’s based on memory.  When I was in middle school all I did was sit in the library and read books about the Civil War, World War 1 and World War 2.  In fact it got so bad that I use to pile all the reading material into my book bag and walk home to read it.  Now I use www.abebooks.com and Ebay to locate items of interest, plus several of my friends pass suggestions that I peruse.

Can you talk a little about two songs- “Playing the Devil’s Piano” and “The Shores of Betio Island”? Those seem less obvious about what they are about compared to the likes of :’The Divine Wind” or “Iron Bottom Sound”.

Peter: “Play the Devil’s Piano” is slang and basically refers to firing a particular type of machine gun the German’s used during the war.  “Shores of Betio Island” is about the first US landing on a Japanese held atoll named Tarawa.  The US Navy was under the impression that a quick bombardment from their ships would insure the landing craft would have a relatively easy approach to the beach, but they were wrong in many respects. The landing craft were torn to shreds upon arrival and American casualty rate soared.  I think the total number of US dead and injured from that landing was roughly 3100 men, about 1/4 of all US participants who landed on the island.  Just google Tarawa Island and you’ll find a ton of literature about it.

Any chance of Invasion writing about other themes or is that what all your other projects are for?

Peter: Perhaps the next thing we do is delve into the Korean or Vietnam war as that’s been my focal point for the last few years, and not much has been written about the Korean “conflict” as it’s been called, but we still engaged in conflict for several years over real estate that was deemed “necessary” for democracy.
What is your general view of war as a whole considering the US is so active in the middle east and other regions possibly being hot spots soon?

Peter: I think it’s a necessary evil to an extent, but it depends greatly on the situation.  I don’t condone war & I think if possible other solutions or alternatives could be found, but mankind itself just has a tendency to strike first and ask questions later. One of the biggest problems is the area in conflict has something the US wants, be it oil or natural resources, and certain people’s greed seems to always lend a hand towards our involvement. As the middle east, it’s always been a volatile area & nothing has changed, and I don’t see anything in the foreseeable future that would be positive.

Indiana is hardly a hotbed on international metal re known. What is it like being a metal head in such a ……../conservative state?

Peter: You’d be surprised haha! We have our own “little” scene here in Northwest Indiana.  We are wedged between Chicago & Detroit but Indiana itself has some very good bands, they just happen to be spread out down to our state’s capital a few hours away and towards the Fort Wayne area.  Just off the top of my head we’ve got Hellgrind, Pitchfork, Stone Magnum, Yellowtooth, Skullview, Invasion, Necrodemon, Beresith, Legion, Handsome Prick, Psychomancer, Impurium, Corporation SS,  Nocturnal Torment, Prime Specimen... and those are just off the top of my head.  I think maybe in the future I should release something on my label, Orchestrated Misery Recordings, and push all the local folks.

Can you give me a status update on all your pother projects- I have especially enjoyed Yellowtooth and Nocturnal Torment, having reviewed both for this very site.

Peter:  Yellowtooth is currently working on our 3rd release right now and we are hoping to hit the studio towards August/September of this year. Nocturnal Torment is still on hiatus as our drummer (former Invasion drummer) fled the scene and we haven’t done much except talk smack at parties about finding a new drummer and moving forward. We did have additional material written for the 2nd release but again that’s in limbo right now, plus I have a very small label called Orchestrated Misery Recordings that I’ve put on the side for the time being.  It’s been tough since I only press cds & sales have plummeted to almost nothing.  It seems the day of the collector is slowly being faded out & digital sales are the only way to go.  Bastards haha!

Any parting words?

Peter:  Thank you Sir! Thank you for the support of INVASION, YELLOWTOOTH & the Metal Scene in general.  The new INVASION cd is available at Abyss Recordings in Indy and if interested just follow the link listed here:

http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/

Or for digital links follow this:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/invasion5

If you’d like to contact me just shoot me at email here: alliedforces87@csinet.net

So here we are with your 11th album, Of Chaos and Carnal Pleasures.Did you think you would get 11 albums out when you released your first demo over 16 years ago?

I have no idea what I thought back then but I guess I didn’t really see an “end” to this cause. At the time. It’s funny to look back at “Cybersonic Superchrist”, the debut album, today and realize that there’s been quite a few amazing albums after that one, with the latest masterpiece being on another level on all accounts. Fuck man, I’ve been doing TPH for some time now. That’s a cause for celebration if I ever saw one. It also means I’m fucken old. I love it.

This is the third album you have released digitally and used fan funding to assist creating. Did you ever think you would be releasing digital only album that were funded by the fans when you started out with TPH?

Nah, back then it wasn’t even within my sphere of thinking. It was all very different at that time, and the weird thing is that it’s just some 16-17 years ago… Not 50 years. Frightening really, what the Internet has turned out to become with all the illegal downloading and everything. It’s like the Wild West, for fuck’s sake. Quite a few people tell me that I was very early out there with this funding thing. I don’t know about that, but I do know that it had to be done coz record sales went down big time very fast and record companies simply wouldn’t hand out a reasonable recording budget or take chances on bands anymore. Which is very understandable when you think about it now. And it’s led to this for me: not wanting anything to do with labels or the industry in general. I just wish people would actually buy the music they listen to. It would make for a good monetary bonus for small artists, money that could be spent on new recording equipment and so on. But it is what is – utterly and completely fucked up.

It must be awe inspiring know that you have so many fans all over the world that are willing to chip in and help you release these albums.

This is the thing though… There’s not “many” of “fans” (I hate that word) helping out. The budget for this, the latest, album was met with the help of 211 fucken people! And that’s that. So the amount of people isn’t impressive at all, I KNOW we have more than 211 “fans” listening to what we do, but the fact that these 211 people actually made the last album happen is what is impressive as all kinds of fuck. To be informed of a single torrent site where a few thousand people have illegally downloaded our latest album isn’t as impressive though. Or to see that some absolute cunt started a fake account with our name over at the dubious site Bandcamp, uploaded our new album and makes money for himself by doing that while Bandcamp’s staff don’t give a shit obviously… well… that’s what we have come to. Those are certainly not “fans”, the ones who can do something like this. But I am forever grateful to the people who supported the new album by donating for the recording, the ones who did it without any bad intentions. The music is for them, and them exclusively.

When last we talked , you expressed you loathing of illegal downloads and record labels, that you feel have hurt musician and the industry. Do you still stand by those sentiments?

Absolutely not. Things have really turned for the better since then, you know. Said absolutely no one ever.

TPH seemed cursed when it came to labels. I thought things were on track when you released Bleeding the New Apocalypse (Cum Victriciis in Manibus Armis), on Season of Mist. What happened after that where you seem to have sworn off labels? Is is safe to say you are don with labels completely?

Yeah, it feels like I have absolutely nothing to gain from working with a record company anymore. Season Of Mist were by far the most professional people I ever had the pleasure to work with in that line of business, let that be known. I have nothing bad to say about them. Let’s just say they are the exception of the rule and be done with it.

Mouth of Belial Productions is your label- why create a label rather that the “self release” or independent release? Is it purely for TPH releases, of could you see your self releasing other bands or projects?

It’s not a label per se, it’s a name used to release the TPH albums as of now. I would never even think about starting a label “for real”. That seems as smart as bungy jumping unplugged.

The last album you had physical copies of was 2012s The Cadaverous Retaliation Agenda. Do you see a point in  the future when you will go back to CDs, and if not, Why not?

As I look at the 2014’s digipak version of “There is no earth I will leave unscorched” by us, I’m pretty sure that one is a physical CD too… I will make a limited edition of “Of Chaos And Carnal Pleasures” as well in a few months. Solely for the fact that quite a few people ask for it and it’s nice to be able to do those physical discs for those loyal Haters. As with the 2 previously mentioned albums there will only be a few hundred made and that’s that.

Elinor Asp replaced Ruby Roque for the last album, and is your third female vocalist in the last 5 albums. Is Asp going to be a permanent fixture or do you take each release as it comes and try to change things up every few albums? Or is good help just hard to find?

If Ms. Asp says she doesn’t wanna do TPH in the future, that’s the day when there prolly is no more TPH. Same goes with Jörgen who is her male counterpart. I can’t possibly see who can ever replace those guys as they really are the best out there. Really, the people I have and have had the honor to work with now on these last 2 albums are my dream team on all accounts. And fucken Jörgen’s been with me since the very beginning… I take a bow.

With Asp and Roque there was a shift away from more operatic female vocals to a more off kilter, and demented. Is that a style you wanted to go with with the female vocals and intentinaly go away for the more operatic style, or is that just something that happens when you chose a female vocalist?

I have absolutely no idea where this “opera” bullshit comes from. We never had any operatic female vocals as far as I know, except for a few back-up parts by Ms. Asp (since she can do fucken everything vocal wise) on our last 2 albums. It’s the same with the goddamn “industrial” tag we get… Where the fuck did that come from? When Ruby joined for her 2 albums I was so fucken tired of the soothing, female vocals we had used for a bunch of albums, no matter how much I liked them at the time of having the. I needed something else to evolve my vision, and Ruby did that perfectly fine with her balls out approach, completely the opposite of what we had on the albums prior to her inclusion. Then I stumbled upon Ms. Asp and everything came together. She is, without a doubt, the most talented musician, with such a voice and vocal range it’s ridiculous, I have ever encountered and to be able to work with her is just fucken insane. The amount of talent she holds in her fingernail is more than most people have combined in their whole beings. Insanity, I tells ya.

Do the female vocalists audition or do you go out and recruit?

I listen, I explain, I ask them.

You have an impressive array of guests on the new album such as Johan Hegg  (Amon Amarth) and Erik Rundquist (Vomitory). Do you reach out to your pals in the community or do guys approach you and ask if they can be on the album?

I approach the ones I want to have on there, no matter who they are, what bands they are in or whatever people might think of their inclusion. I still haven’t managed to get Yngwie Malsteem on a recording, but trust me – I’m trying. It’s fucken mind blowing to see the kind of people I have had the honor to include within my music. I thank all of them so much for giving a shit.

At this point, is TPH you, Jorgen and a bunch of hired guns? Do you enjoy the flexibility of having a line up of guest and star muscions for each album, or would you prefer a stable four/five person lineup for each album?

It’s working exactly how I want it to work now. The fact that I am now able to actually pay people involved to do TPH (thanx to the Haters) is amazing on all accounts. No, they don’t get paid much, but at least they get paid more than if we were on a label.

Same question but regards to Dan Swano, obviously a big name in mixing mastering.

He costs money. Of course he does. I have known Dan for fucken decades and I love to work with him, but he doesn’t work for free. And he shouldn’t. It’s his job, for fuck’s sake. If anyone “works” for free when it comes to TPH it’s me. My monetary bonus comes from the digipaks IF I am able to sell them. Up until then, trust me – I’m the least paid in TPH, haha…

I’ve always wondered, is the availability of who appears on the album and things like Dan Swano’s involvement tied directly to how much the fans raise?

100%. Or actually 99% coz some of the people who appear on a TPH recording doesn’t want compensation coz it’s not a “huge job” for them or they have some other noble reason not to ask for money. I would have a hard time telling someone if they wanted me to put down some guitars on a section in their song or something to make me a monetary offer first. If they wanted me to play on a whole album, then that’s another story coz that involves a ton of work. But I’ll gladly help out of someone, for some reason, would want me to. Just like people help me out.

I noticed the song titles on the new name are all one word,and more direct than all the prior album, which always had rather verbose titles  Are you settling down in your old age? Lol.

Last time we had one word titles was on 2003’s “Hate, Dominate, Congregate, Eliminate” album. And now was the perfect time for it again. I never choose this, it’s just how it ends up during the creation of each album in question. I had no idea “Of Chaos And Carnal Pleasures” would have these song titles until it just dawned on me one day that my working titles were all one word. It might have something to do with age too, now when you mention it, heh…

For someone who utilizes guest musicians and is connected as your are, you don’t do a lot of guest appearances on other bands. Why is that? You only have Kadaverkult with you and Erik Rundquist- what is the status of that project? I don’t suppose there is any chance of a God Among Insects reunions?

First of all, I’m a rhythm guitarist. Who the fuck needs a guest rhythm guitar to begin with? I can’t play solos, you know. I do play some neat melody things and so on, but hey – it’s not really solos. I can’t really sing nor growl, so that’s out of the question too. And sure, I play bass but hey… I’m no virtuoso. So I can’t really do some guest stuff that would blow your mind. And it’s been some 25 years since I played drums so that’s a “fuck that” as well. And no, there’s not going to be a God Among Insects reunion. At least not with me in it, haha…

What is the status of Torture Division? That seemed to be the projects where you started releasing free music and using fans and on line as the chosen method of getting music out there.

Torture Division came, conquered and fucked off a few years ago. So the status of that band is “it’s fucken dead”. We did some amazing things, that’s for sure. And the free music we put out is the best free music you’ll ever hear.

When you look back on your 11 albums, is there one that you are particularly proud or or even one you with you could do again?

I’d like to re-do each and every album that doesn’t include Ms. Asp, Lasse Johansson and Dirk Verbeuren for the simple reason that were they recreated today they would be even further up the Domination Scale than they already are. But one has to remember that each and every album is a product of that exact moment, and they were released exactly when they were supposed to… and then you need to let it go.

http://www.theprojecthate.net/

https://www.facebook.com/theprojecthate/?fref=nf

Vex has been around for a while now, since 1999 or so, yet the band seemed to only really get going with Memorious in 2013, which is a brilliant but under the radar release. Why the slow burn?

It’s a good question, and thank you for the compliment on ‘Memorious.’ The short version is that, when the band began to be mainly based in the Austin and surrounding area, around 2003, we dealt with a few lineup changes, were negotiating with several different labels, and Ciaran was in grad school. We also had recorded a version of Thanatopsis, our first full-length, but were unhappy with our performances and the results, so we basically started over from scratch and recorded everything over again, which obviously dragged out the timeline for getting it released. We also sort of partied a lot back then, which never really helps, haha.  

Luckily since then our lineup and label situations have been more stable, so we have been able to put out records more consistently. So, from 2000 to 2010, we only put out a handful of demos and EPs, but since then we have put out three full-lengths.   

Horror Pain Gore Death seemed like an odd fit for your style even back on Memorious, but now you are on Bindrune/Eiwaz… is that the most perfect for your sound or what?

Our relationship with HPGD and our relationship with Bindrune/Eihwaz have both been hugely beneficial to us. In both cases, the people who ran the labels came onto our radar and believed in what we are doing enough to invest in getting the word out on our music. Both labels really stepped up our visibility in the extreme metal community and allowed us to do things like tour nationally with Agalloch, which likely would never have been possible without the gain in visibility we got from signing with a label.

We are perfectly content with what have at the moment. We have approached a few of the big underground metal labels; I won’t name any names. The answer we consistently get is that the music is great but it is not the kind of metal sound that is selling right now. You can’t blame them—they are businesses and they are accountable to much bigger businesses who own them. Being on a smaller, independent label obviously presents constraints in terms of distribution and promotion, but a big advantage is that we don’t have to worry about being pressured to sound like metal bands that are selling right now. That’s a great fit for a band like us that’s never really been interested in sounding like other bands.    

Your debut album came out in 2010, Memorious in 2013, and your latest, Sky Exile in 2016. Is the three year gap between albums intentional or something that just happened?

Well it’s weird, we never really noticed that three-year pattern until this record was released and some reviews and interviewers pointed it out to us. It’s just a strange coincidence.

In the case of ‘Sky Exile,’ a big part of the reason it took so long is that we knew this album would represent a pretty dramatic shift in our sound. There are stylistic elements that we only began to slightly hint at on ‘Memorious’ that we are really fully embracing on this record, and there are completely new stylistic elements as well. So we obsessed over every little detail of these songs from the first demo sessions to the final masters. It was really important to us that, if we are going to make such a bold, specific musical statement, we weren’t going to just coast on the weirdness of the songs and not worry about if they were actually written well or not. Experimentation in music is great, but experimentation just for experimentation’s sake often results in very boring music. The songs still have to be good, however weird they might get.

The other reason is more practical. We are not full-time musicians; we have jobs and relationships and many other musical projects, so we had to just fit in the studio time whenever we could—on weekends and after work and in between other gigs. That draws out the production process in a way that I think a lot of people don’t realize.

I have been reviewing albums for 16 years, and Sky Exile is one of the rare albums I had a hard time categorizing into a style or sound, care to describe your sound and influences for us?

Well, I certainly take that as a compliment. I think that need not to sound like any other band is something that has always been a part of the DNA of the band. I mean I think of some of my personal all-time favorite albums, something like Porcupine Tree’s ‘Fear of a Blank Planet,’ and stylistically it’s got a little bit of everything—it’s prog metal fused with electronic music fused with pop ballads fused with psychedelic space rock, but all somehow cohesive. I think that’s a great place to be as an artist. There’s of course nothing wrong with loving one specific genre and writing a bunch of music to celebrate that specific genre. Lots of musicians do that and produce great music out of it. But we’ve always been the kind of musicians who bristle at anything that seems even a little bit derivative. I mean, why write a bunch of Opeth riffs when the world already has an Opeth?

So to answer your question—and I have to say this feels like something that has become rather cliché for musicians to say—our influences are really all over the map as a result of that. The extreme metal center of what we do is heavily influenced by bands such as Edge of Sanity, Dissection, October Tide, and a lot of the great death metal bands of the late 90s and early 2000s. But as is probably clear from listening to the record, we draw in influences from a lot of things outside of the metal idiom as well—60s jazz, 70s jazz fusion, 60s and 70s prog rock, grunge bands, etc.   

I don’t suppose you have ever heard of an obscure little band called Cales? A Root side project. When I heard the opening riff to “To Anacreon (Strangling the Muse)”, it totally reminded me of them.

I haven’t! I’ll have to check them out. It’s always fascinating to me hearing what music people compare our stuff to. Interestingly, the opening riff of ‘To Anacreon’ was originally inspired by the Yes song ‘Close to the Edge.’  

Is there any significance to the song August 11th? I read the lyrics but cant really discern anything, beyond something bad happening?

Well, the lyrical narrative of the album as a whole was inspired by the drought of 2011 here in Texas. People in Texas are no strangers to hot weather, but there was something especially torturous about that summer. It wasn’t just that it was hot as balls; people we know got sick, died, lost their jobs, relationships fell apart. The world just piled it on to everyone that summer. It really felt like the end times, in a lot of ways that go way beyond how hot it was.

So Ciaran wrote the lyrics based on this idea of a yearning for escape from that drought and all the hell that it brought on. That’s the narrative that frames the lyrics on the entire album. As far as ‘August 11^th‘specifically, I couldn’t really say as I didn’t write the lyrics and I wouldn’t want to misrepresent the intention. Sorry I can’t answer the question more directly. I stick to drum parts so lyrics are a little out of my scope! 

Are there central themes throughout all of Vex’s albums are do they very between albums?

There are, but they are very general. The lyrics on all of our songs tend to explore themes of memory and history, the passage of time, mythology, civilization, metaphysics, loss. The concept of death, the Thanatos, is at the core of the extreme metal gestalt and iconography, so that naturally plays a major role in our lyrical themes as well.

These themes are explored through more concrete narratives on each of the albums. The narratives are diverse, but the themes that run inside of them tend to be rather consistent from album to album.

How much have you and the band changed since 2010s Thanatopsis?

I perceive that we have changed a great deal, but I suppose it’s ultimately for other people to decide whether we really have or not. When I listen to Thanatopsis, and even Memorious to a lesser degree, I hear a very ambitious band that has not yet learned to be comfortable expressing those ambitions.

I think the trajectory that a lot of bands track, at least ones that have been around as long as we have, is that you start out by simply mimicking all of your biggest influences in rather obvious ways. We were really bad about that in our pre-Thanatopsis days—“here’s our In Flames song,” “now here’s our Morbid Angel song,” etc. But over time, you learn to fuse those influences with things that genuinely come from your own personality and your own headspace. And that becomes the work of creating a distinct sound—figuring out ways to still celebrate your influences but to ultimately make your music an expression of those unique concepts that flow spontaneously from within. 

Musicians talk about this a lot, because I think individual musicians develop along the same trajectory. Part of it is you have to have chops, part of it is that you have to listen to a lot of heavy players and absorb what you can from them. But you don’t really get to the next level until you learn to emote on your instrument. And that part of it has to come from you and you alone. That’s how you begin to play things that will give people an emotional reaction rather than just playing a bunch of flashy shit.

The really interesting thing is that that work never really stops. There is no end goal, no point where you get to just sit back and say, “we did it—no more tinkering cause that’s our sound now forever.” Usually with us, barely a week after we put out a record we are already thinking of things we want to do differently on the next record. We still have a lot to learn.

You guys seem a bit out of place in the Texas metal scene. Any thoughts of relocating?

We’ve never really thought about it. Texas has been great to us so I guess we’ve never really had a reason to consider leaving. The metal scene in particular in Texas right now is really exciting with so many bands doing really interesting things—Oceans of Slumber, Id, Divine Eve, Solitude Aeternus, Absu. It’s very inspiring being around all these bands that are doing such innovative things, and for the most part the Austin metal scene is a great community of musicians that support each other in lots of ways.

What’s next for Vex? Hopefully not another 3 year wait?

Well, we’re focusing on promoting Sky Exile in the near term. We’re doing a short run of regional Texas shows to promote the new record and they have been great so far. We also have a management deal in Europe and are shopping for a deal to sell and promote the album over there. We hope to tour, either here or in Europe, but nothing has yet come along that would really make sense for us at this point.

We’ve started rough demos for the next album as well, so hopefully this time we will break the ‘three-years-between-albums’ cycle!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vex-official/149190691803216

Well nice to finally meet  you in person after years of emails promos! How excited are you to be touring with 3 death metal legends?

It’s a huge honor for us. The first tour we did with Cannibal Corpse was a fun, and we had to pinch ourselves then, so now touring with Cryptopsy and Obituary should be great too

Absymal Dawn are no spring chickens  or an up and coming band — like you said you have toured with Cannibal Corpse — but do you still get a little giddy when touring with such influential acts?

I psych myself out and really done think about it till after the fact or a couple of shows in or I would lose my shit. I remember the last Cannibal Corpse tour the other guys in the band were really fucking nervous. I don’t know why, we have done a ton of tours. But still, you are playing with your idols and a couple of the guys were like ‘this shit is really happening’. We have played a one of show with Cryptopsy. But we have never played with Obituary. Im a fan so it’s cool to be touring with those guys

I’ve always been curious about some one of your status in the scene. You in a respected death metal band, you work for a respected label, you’ve written for several blogs and magazines. At what point do you separate all the stuff and keep your band separate from what you are promoting?

I feel like morally I have to keep a distinctive line between my band, job and the other bands I work with. The things that happened with the band happened through hard work and naturally and nothing to do with my PR job.

Is there any awkwardness between being in a band on one label and doing PR for essentially a rival label?

No there isn’t. There isn’t real competition, we are all a family. I have never had any awkwardness with any people at either label. I guess some labels might look at the same bands but for the most part its one big family, it’s a friendly competition and everyone gets along.

Was being signed to Nuclear Blast ever an option?

I tried to keep it separate. We had a few other options. When we started Crash Music and maybe some other really underground smaller labels from other countries were interested in us. After our first album, some other labels were looking at us, like Sumerian and Relapse… and we went with Relapse. I really didn’t want to be on a label I worked for and have a conflict of interests.

So if you had signed with Sumerian, would you guys have added some programming, keyboards and clean vocals to your sound? [laughs]

No but maybe I would have rewritten all the lyrics and Micheal Keene would have produced it. I know people talk bullshit about him and the label online. I’ve known Michael for a long time, he’s a cool guy. The old singer for the The Faceless is from around here, we were in a band together early on, he’s cool too. I like The Faceless, I feel every album they have done is different.

Being so connected within the music scene like you said — friends in bands, the PR position, being on Relapse, etc — are there any bands out that you admire or respect or impress you as a musician? Does that drive you to be even better band and musician?

There’s lot of great bands out there. You get jaded at some point. I think (recent Nuclear Blast signees) Nails are fucking awesome. When we first started, you want to be the best local band. And then you get signed and you realize there is a lot more international competition and talent. I don’t feel like AD is in competition, we are doing want we want because we like it. I really don’t care what other bands are doing. We are good friends with the bands on Relapse, like Obscura and Origin. I don’t want to be that stereotype guy that gets to the top and then is like fuck you to other bands. There is a lot of camaraderie.

So there is a lot of that camaraderie between bands and labels in death metal?

Yes, but there is a lot of competition, there are so many fucking bands out there. If you came into this business to be super competitive, you came in at the wrong time.

Being a PR person and in a band, does that keep your finger on the pulse of death metal? Being around it all day keep you energized about death metal? Or are you like a gynecologist who has been around genitals all day and it’s the last thing you want to see when you get home?

[Laughs] It’s a stressful job, so when you are around the business side of the industry you have to step back and appreciate just the music. It’s not easy being around the industry, that everything is fucked up and you realize how unfair the industry is. You try and do your best for the bands you care about. I don’t know if it’s really beneficial, if that’s what you are asking. It gives me perspective and I still love playing so I can’t be that jaded.

Four albums in now, three on Relapse. You have to be proud of what you have accomplished since 2003?

I’m definitely proud of what we have accomplished considering the market for music now. I definitely feel like we have done well being an accomplished, established band. You see a lot of bands drop off after 2-3 albums, and we have made four albums we have a substantial amount of fans, and we are grateful for that. But we have worked fuckin hard for it. There  are not a whole lot of new death metal bands making a mark and I’m just proud we are able to carve out a little niche in this scene.

How hard is it keeping a lineup in a death metal band in 2016? You have had your fare share of lineup changes.

It’s fucking hard. There’s no real reward. I don’t see how bands did it back in the day. Mostly it’s financial day to day stuff. And I know fans don’t want to hear it but the industry has killed the ‘rock star’.  People realize they have to work a day job or realize they have to tour. And then they realize they can barely scrape by. Over the years I’ve been stubborn and stuck to it, I’ve done too many tours and I’ve lost folks to musical differences. It’s really fucking hard.

Do you need people like your drummer Scott Fuller who is in multiple bands (Annihilated, Jungle Rot) and produces? Guys like you, who are also fully entrenched in music?

On this tour, Scott isn’t actually able to make it. He has lots going on with his other bands and producing and hes a lifer as far as music, and I hope he can tour with us in the future. But yeah it helps.

If anything, you guys are consistent in your artwork. You have had the same artist for all four albums, Par Olofsson is there ever a inkling to go with a hot new artist for cover art? I assume he’s more expensive than other artists, so I don’t know how that works.

The thing with Par is that we have known each other forever now, 10 years I guess. We have a relationship where we have been loyal to him and he has been loyal to us. Par has always been supportive of what we did from the beginning. We tried to give him more as we get bigger. He’s always great to work with, our covers have got better and better as we have got bigger.

I’m always curious how your album covers work. Do you give him a theme or a title or do you just have him draw something and pick something cool?

It’s a complex answer. it depends on the album. maybe on From Ashes I dictated a little more what I wanted, then on Programmed to Consume, I had the album title and he did a sketch based on that. From there, we just kind of riff of each other and come up with ideas. For leveling and obsolescence there was maybe a breakdown of sketches and development . On obsolescence he started with a sketch and fed him some ideas and we went from there before we even had a title.

So, speaking of Obsolescence. It is album number four and it appears that you stepped in and helped Mike Bear with some of the production? What has made you go with him for your last few albums? He’s not really a know death metal producer as he does more hard rock…

Mike Bear produced the last two albums. I just stepped in and got involved with all the steps on the way. I’ve known him for a number of years. I first met him in high school when we played my first band together. He played bass on our first record. He is a real stickler for performance and we needed that. He kicked our asses on Leveling and that’s why we went with him. John Haddad did out first two records and he helped mix, master and deal with tones and stuff on Obsolescence.

Do you envision the same team on the next album?

I couldn’t tell you. I like to be loyal to people I’ve worked with in the past but I like to try new things to. We made an effort to have Fascination Street studios do the record (Jens Bogren), but it don’t work out so we went with John and it ended up sounding fucking awesome. We think about other place, but we also know we have this team of people that we are close to that have helped us over the years and will go the extra mile for us.

You seem to take your time between albums. One every three years. Do you like that schedule? Does Relapse push your to get albums out quicker?

I do not like that schedule at all [laughs] Relapse is pretty hands off, they just say mace the best album you can no matter how long it takes. But then again we could use a kick in the balls to get things done quicker. I don’t want to do it like we did for obsolescence again, it took way to long.

With the new album and even on Leveling you guys are in that grey area between full on tech death metal and more traditional death metal… but you appear to have really found a killer sense of groove and actually memorable songs.

Yeah we get labelled as tech death sometime, I don’t know if I agree with that. Especially in the sense of what modern tech death is. We have some tech elements but… my main quip with tech death is I just don’t remember what they play. I think on Leveling the tech death hype was at a real peak, so we felt a need to step up technicality, and I think I read somewhere we were compared to Six Feet Under, so we tried to get even more technical. And that record isn’t tech death at all, but we aren’t sweeping the whole time. So when it came time to write Obsolescence, we thought we proved we could be technical on Leveling, so we reigned it in.

Is this the sound and direction for future albums?

I don’t know! I think I’m kind of leaning more again to a more tech side, but also I’m toying with a more raw sound. Still unclear, but I really can’t say what it will sound like now while I’m just talking about it.

Abysmal Dawn is your baby. When you go into the studio do you have everything written and ready to go for the other guys to play? Or is there any improvisation?

Obsolescence was a very put together record. Almost was demoed out and planned out way in advance.  I would program the drums at home and send Scott the demos. I mean Scott added to it, but he had the basis to go on. When it came time to lyrics I was still working on them and the solos as well. It was a painstaking process. I work a nine-to-five job, so when it came time we could only get there when everyone was available, so the span of recording ended being about a year and it lingered. When it was done I was like ‘Fuck, do I still really like this?’

I’d like the next one to be much more rehearsed as a band instead of me sending stuff out and trying to do the finished product in the studio. The whole band needs to know the song ahead of time. I love the record, but it wasn’t fun making it.

When can we expect another album? Another three years? 

We’ll see. We will start writing after this tour.

What can we expect on this tour? A balance of old a new songs? Will you be playing the cover of Dissections “Nights blood” from Obsolescence? 

It depends on where you see us. We are thinking of changing up the set for different shows. We are going to play some songs we have not played live yet. Id love to play “Nights Blood”, but when you have a 20 minute set, you’d like to play your stuff, ya know? I knew that would happen when I recorded that song and I love how it came out and how folks would be yelling out for it [laughs] — but we gotta play our songs!

http://www.facebook.com/AbysmalDawn

https://abysmaldawn.bandcamp.com/

Alright! For us American readers give us a little history of Bulletbelt? I get a sense the band is almost a bit of a continuation of Demoniac — whom you drummed for in the early/mid ’90s and who were one of New Zealand’s first extreme exports?

Thanks! Demoniac was a long time ago! Bulletbelt formed in 2009. I knew Ross (guitar) lived in the same area as me so I hit him up to see if he wanted to get something going. No real plans for world domination but just to write some tunes and see what happened. We clicked pretty quickly and have forged into a good team who drive the band. We started out playing a few local shows, then spread the message throughout NZ with a lot of touring. We’ve also been lucky to share the stage with many great international bands who have made it down to the ass end of the world including Impiety, Goatwhore, Tragedy, Paul Dianno, Municipal Waste, Rotten Sound, Sepultura, Napalm Death, Carcass etc. Plus we’ve toured Australia 3 times including tours with Midnight and Toxic Holocaust. We are a very active band!

For those that don’t know, you guys made a video for the recent metal/horror movie, Deathgasm. How did that come about? Was the song written before the movie or was the song written for the movie?

Yes, we were very excited to be involved in this project. Jason Lei Howden contacted us initially looking for shirts, posters etc to use as props in the movie. He lived in Wellington where we are from so we met up for coffee and hit it off. He gave me the script of the movie before it was made, so we wrote the song before the movie even existed! I made sure I had some good phrases and sayings that would be used in the movie. We tried to keep the tune pretty simple, with a catchy chorus like the classic metal movie themes, “Hellraiser” (Motörhead), “Dream Warriors” (Dokken) and the greatest movie soundtrack Trick or Treat!

The movie is fantastic! How was it to be involved with not only a labor of love from some clear metalheads, but a New Zealand effort to boot?

Yeh! The movie came out amazing. I personally am a huge Trick or Treat fan so to have a small part to play in this is something I’m grateful for. Jason did an amazing job off a tiny budget. You can tell watching it that he knew his metal which makes it legit for metalheads. The first movie that has really nailed the metal side of it without making us all look like dickheads!

Has the exposure from the movie helped the band at all? I know at least I discovered you guys because of the movie!

Oh yeh for sure. It was an amazing opportunity for us and we grabbed it with both hands. Let’s just hope we don’t end up like London (The Decline of Western Civilization part 2) [laughs]  

Talk a little about new vocalist Jolene Tempest. She definitely brings the black metal aesthetic and voice to the sound. She did guest vocals on a prior album correct?

Yes she did a line on our debut album. She actually said to me, that if our old vocalist leaves, to ask her first. She has bought some great ideas to the band since joining and I think we’ll see that really grow as we move forward from here. She’s an amazing tattooist and artist so also brings great design ideas to the band.

I hear a lot of early Martin Walkyier in her voice , and she seems to be channeling Dani Filth as well. She have any influences from those two?

She loves all the classic BM stuff and I’m sure has listened to a lot of CoF back in the day. The Martin Walkyier reference I’ve never heard, I’ll have to pull out my Sabbat records!

Her looks and style seem to be far more theatrical and over the top than the rest of the band. Is she given free reign in her looks and presentation?

Yes, she has definately bought a lot of ideas to the band about imagery and theatrics. Moving forward it’s something we are working on together. To tie the music, the artwork and the overall imagery together into one cohesive package.

Other than the vocal switch, how have you developed since the 2012 album Down in the Cold of the Grave?

Our songwriting has improved considerably and I guess we are at the stage now where we know what Bulletbelt is and how we want our music to come across. We also now realize that with hard work and a DIY attitude we can make anything happen including heading to the US and Europe which is one of our next goals!

Is the title of the new album based around Jolene joining the band, she certainly could be the banshee in question!

Kind of. I’ve always loved classic metal albums that just sound cool as a title and don’t necessarily have to be too meaningful. One’s you can easily remember and are catchy like, Pleasure to Kill, Ride the Lightning, Show No Mercy, Satanic Royalty, Rise of the Banshee… but yeh it all kind of fit together and worked. Plus the kick ass artwork from Scarecrowoven. Wait until you see the full artwork on the gatefold vinyl release coming soon from Hota Rex.

When playing a style that’s rooted in thrash and black metal, how do you find the balance between the two?

It’s just riffs and song structures that are brought to the band by Ross and Tim (bass) and then we work on them as a band and keep tweaking until we have a song. There are no rules and moving forward we really aren’t afraid on the next album to mix it up a lot more. There are BM, DM, Thrash, Trad metal and Punk influences running through Bulletbelt. We want to keep expanding those boundaries while making it more cohesive. That is the challenge.

I also detect some US, east coast hardcore/punk — especially in the drumming — or am i completely wrong there?

Yeh for sure. I listen to lots of punk, mostly old classic stuff but really like Gallows (UK), Tragedy (US) plus all that amazing old Swedish dbeat.

I can maybe name a handful of bands from New Zealand… Ulcerate? Diocletion? Erm… you guys? How is the metal scene in New Zealand?

The scene is good. Lots of cool local bands plus a handful making their mark internationally like Diocletion, Vassafor, Ulcerate, Dawn of Azazel, Exordium Mors, Blood of the Moon, Carnal, etc. It’s a small scene and the usual politics involved in these things, but I would say it’s stronger than it’s ever been. I just hope to see some young bands starting to come through as it’s been a bit quiet of late.

Are there any bands fusing traditional Maori themes and sounds into metal? I’d love to hear a metal Haka.

There have been a couple of bands that have done it. The challenge is to do it without it being cheesy or disrespectful to the culture. The Haka is a very powerful thing but if not respected or done properly you could come away looking like you are either talking the piss or just have no idea. To do it well you would need to have an expert on the Maori culture advising so you do it right…

Can tell me about the lyrics behind Minnie dean? Looks like something a little more usual black thrash affair?

Minnie Dean was the first and only woman hung in New Zealand. In 1895 she was found guilty of Infanticide. Up to 14 Children had gone missing in her care. The most famous incident was when she boarded a train carrying a heavy hatbox. The rail guard who helped her on and off the train testified at her trial that her hatbox was very heavy getting on the train and very light getting off…. When writing Minnie Dean our goal was to keep the song at the same tempo all the way through kind of like Orgasmatron!

I assume you have the same issues as Australian bands when it comes to tours, merchandise and such?

Living in the ass end of the world has it’s plus’s and negatives. Touring anywhere other than NZ or Australia takes a lot of money for flights… merch is a lot more expensive to produce. I’ve heard from American friends how much their shirts costs to print and ours are about 3 times as much. But with energy, enthusiasm and a can do attitude you can still make stuff happen down here.

Whats next for Bulletbelt? Deathgasm sequel?

We are now into writing our third album. We are fired up to take it up many notches and really raise the bar. We have our most cohesive band unit ever and are all commited to making something special. We are aiming to record in October so watch this space! In the meantime we have a split 7″ coming out on World record store with our Aussie brother Bastardizer plus Rise of the Banshee tape and Vinyl release is coming late March.

Thanks for the interview and best wishes for Teeth of the Divine!

https://www.facebook.com/Bulletbelt

So it’s 2016 and finally the new album is here. It seems like it’s been years since the album has been started or supposed to be released. How does it feel to finally have it out?

It feels really good to have it out finally for our fans!

What were some of the hang ups in getting it done? It feels like the reunion has been on and off again since about 2007.

We have tried to get back together a few times since 2002 but it never felt right with the line ups so it never went very far. Releasing the album on our own wasn’t easy plus the line up was changing while we were writing so when we got the final line up for recording it went really smooth.

The album is being released on Repulsive Echo and the band’s own label, Ceremonial Records, even after an EP on Mighty Music last year. Why the self-released route? I get the sense you guys are sick of label bullshit?

We had offers from bigger labels but we wanted to keep the rights of our music and labels want to own your music! Us doing it on our own gives us the rights to do what we please.

In a time where reunions are a dime a dozen, are you surprised someone like Nuclear Blast didn’t jump all over you guys? Any contact with them?

We still have contact with them for past business but otherwise they nor us are interested in working together again.

The reunion is 3 of the original Brutality guys, how important was it to have the reunion not be just Jeff Acres and some guys, but you and Fernandez at least back in the fold — especially seeing as your distinctive voice was so pivotal back then?

When the whole getting back together, Jeff and I wanted to have Jay, Don and Jim back as the Screams line up.

Was there any interest from other original or early members Jim Coker and Don Gates? Has the reunion been amicable between former and past members?

Actually in 2012 the screams line up with Don and Jim reunited to play a benefit show Metal Mowlisha for Donald Tardy and his wife’s Cat Rescue. After the show we decided to write a few songs to see what would happen “Ruins of Humans was born. 2013 we played a Reunion show where we played “Screams of Anguish” in full.

Your reunion seemed pretty low key. You guys have sat back and watched all these reunions from bands you guys came up with. How difficult or frustrating was it to see happen , while you guys could not seem to get it fully realized until now?

We don’t have tons of fans like some of the other band reuniting. This album is for our fans that got our attention through social media.

Do you feel Brutality got the recognition they deserved back in the ’90s, or do you still feel they were a little overlooked, especially in the then crazy good Floridian scene? Or are you happy with the band’s legacy from the ’90s?

I think we were overlooked since we were not signed until after some of the now more known FL bands. All in, all we are happy with what we’ve done for the Metal scene in our last 30 yrs of being a band.

Is the new album unfinished business from In Mourning, which was not as critically revered as the first two albums, and frankly saw the band fizzle a bit before disbanding? Or are you happy with how than band left things with In Mourning?

During “In Mourning” we had new guitarists the writing process went a little differently from the past records. After its release we didn’t see any push from the label so after a few U.S. shows we decided to just part ways with thoughts of possibly one day rejoining to do another album.

What did you do between In Mourning and the Brutality reunion? Did you do any musical endeavors?

Well I got married and divorced [laughs]. I did some guest vocals, but for me it was Brutality or nothing, so those don’t count.

The new album is definitely Brutality. Songs like “End of Days” and “Perpetual Resolution” are unmistakably Brutality. How did you balance trying to capture the old sound without simply being rehashed and tired while still being relevant in death metal in 2016?

We haven’t been writing regurgitated album over the last 20 years so when getting together to write this album it came pretty much came together naturally as to being relevant we think this album shows our fans what were all about.

The cover of Bathory’s Shores in Flames is one of the boldest cover choices I’ve heard, especially from a death metal band. What prompted that choice? Who did the clean vocals? You?

I didn’t do the clean vocals,  that is Jay, and Jeff as always did the sick darker vocal line in the middle verses of the song. As far as choosing it we are and always have been since we were teens in the 80’s huge Bathory fans and we felt this song would fit our style not to mention be a honor to cover such a godly song.

Is Brutality in 2016 a more socially aware than 1991 Brutality, Sea of  Ignorance seems to be so.

We’ve always had songs about the everyday reality about how brutal real life is which is way more scary than fairy tales!

Was there any temptation to redo any of the classics such as “Crushed” or “Cryptorium”?

No those are classics of ours. They are timeless.

What is the time frame of the music on the new album? How much is old music from the last few years and how much is ‘new’ music?

Some of the riffs are from older stuff we worked on years ago but as far as the songs they are all new written for this album in the past few years.

Jarrett Pritchard nailed the production keeping your original sound intact. How did he come to the fray? Was there any temptation to go back to Morrisound?

Morrisound sold their studio a few years back to TSO and haven’t got a new one built yet to record in so we had to look elsewhere to record. Jarrett has been a life long friend we started playing music together when we where 16 so it was a no brainer when we needed a new engineer to continue the raw Brutality sound, we think he nailed it he’s a great sound guy live or in the studio.

What is the sample that starts 48 to 52? From a zombie film I take it?

‘No zombies” I’m afraid. it’s from a BBC documentary about the Black Plague in Europe during 1348 to 1352.

So is this reunion a one time thing or do you have further plans? Are you charging forward with tours and possible future albums?

We are just going to see how the release does at this point we have no plans for another album or any long tours. This is for our fans we hope on some interest from some of the festivals so we have the opportunity to let our fans see us live.

Thanks so much. It’s an honor and a pleasure to have you on the site.

Thank you and all of our fans worldwide this is for you guys without you we are nothing. Stay Brutal.

www.brutalitytheband.com

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www.ceremonialrecords.com

I was out of contact with the band for a while, but I heard rumblings of a reunion back as far as 2007,  and have been in contact ever since, and finally here in 2015, it has finally occurred. With 4/5ths of the lineup back, the band is back with a new album, Forward Without Motion and it is a killer. Displaying the melodic brutality and gnarly lyrics of God Was Created, with the polish and confidence of Helping the World to See, the  album is a glorious return, so once again chatted with Nathan, though not over beers as i would have liked….

Man, it only seems like yesterday we were sharing beers outside the Creepy Crawl in St. Louis listening to the new Nile album… how time flies! Here we are both balder and older! Back then, you guys were young, on top of the world with a critically received album on Metal Blade, touring. Looking back, that had to be a good time.

It was an absolutely incredible experience and opportunity that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

When did things change? It seems like after Helping the World to See, the band dynamic changed and then you were no longer on Metal Blade. What happened?

I had to take a promotion at work which meant that I had to stop touring. I knew how much it meant to the other guys, so I encouraged them to find someone to fill my spot.

I heard rumors John Chavez wanted to be a rock star — was that one of the issues for the band splitting up?

John changed his musical taste and artistic direction and that did not align with the Vehemence formula. We (the rest of the band) had to fall back to realize how important we were/are to one another. Our friendship and musical compatibility are fantastic.

So right after the break up, Adam Cody and Sean Vandegrift did vocals for the band while they were in a limbo. How did that affect you watching others do your vocals?

I never saw this live. Saw a video, and was comforted by the fact that they didn’t fit the way I did. So glad they only did that briefly!

How did the reunion come about? It seemed on again off again for a few years.

Once the guys were in town and we were all on regular work schedules there was no good reason to not jam together. We have always been great friends, so it’s an open ended partnership. As long as we live close together, we will jam together. We’ve been friends since high school.

Was John (Chavez) ever part of the reunion conversations? Are you guys still in touch? 

Haven’t been in touch, but hope he’s doing well!

So here we are now finally and officially reunited and with a new album — how good does it feel?

So powerfully awesome. I am proud of what we managed to create, and I look forward to bringing it to our friends!

The song “Jim the Prophet” is on the new album, and that song has been floating around forever since like the band’s first reunions in 2007, right? How much of the material on the new album is new new, and how much was written over the last few years?

This material has been evolving since 2005. A few of the songs are more recent, but when you are working with no deadline, you can hammer stuff until its air tight.

Your vocals seem much more raw and less processed/layered. Old age catch up with you or a band decision? 

I wanted a more raw and aggressive attack from the vocals. We’ve all heard grunting. I wanted to be more intelligible than ever but keep the passion and anger. I think the goal was achieved. And less layering means more anger from less voices. That’s tougher. I’ve improved with age, haha!

You seemed to have found perfect production too. Did experience with GWC’s production help?

Yes! All mistakes taught us lessons leading up to this. It did result in our best production.

The album is released on a smaller local label. Did the experience with Metal Blade drive the decision to not use a ‘proper’ label or did the ease of access to things like GoFundMe drive the choice?

We aren’t the right fit for Metal Blade. They want touring bands. We are limited with our professional careers. We can’t be the band that goes out on every tour. Battleground has been incredible. I really appreciate their partnership.

Did any other larger labels come sniffing around?

There were options, but Battleground was the best choice.

Your lyrics are as topical as on God was Created. Did you reach back to that album to pull things out like “She Fucks Like She’s Alive” or “There are so many reasons to give up on religion”?

Still beating that drum, but when you see the context you realize that the message is more direct. I’d say “She Fucks Like She’s Alive” is the closest lyrically to a GWC piece, but it is a standalone nod to passionate necrophilia.

Has having kids and being a father changed your outlook on life? Do they know about Vehemence and songs like ‘Christ I Fucking Hate You”?

Being a father defines me. The experience drives me to succeed. For my family. Still don’t believe in religion. I don’t hate as much though. I have a much more mature view of others. I don’t want to force my opinion on others. I just hope they figure something out for themselves that makes them comfortable

Is there a deeper meaning about the band and/or yourself with the title Forward Without Motion?

You are picking up the vibe correctly. I have been in the same relationships for 20 years with my wife, my work, my band, etc. As I get older I learn that time progresses, but stability is important on a family life. That fact holds us back from going off the deep end and living like lunatics. And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Forward Without Motion is sustainable existence

We are friends on Facebook, and you seem to enjoy your family time. Is the fact the kids are relatively grown up now part of the return to Vehemence? More touring etc?

My youngest is two. Dad mode for at least the next 16 years. That puts me into my 50s, so that might happen when I’m an old dude. And I really adore my wife and kids. They are my true purpose.

Is there a high point on the album, you just makes you beam with pride?

I couldn’t call it just one point. The way it all works so damn well from the art, to the lyrics, and the production and musicianship. My high point is how well every piece fits so perfectly.

Will we see more Vehemence albums or is this a one off Reunion album?

You never know, man. I’m excited at the thought of more new material…

What do you think Vehemence’s legacy will be once the dust has settled? With both old albums and this new one?

I think our legacy lives in the stories I hear from our friends. Out last two shows I got to hear so many folks tell me about how our music helped them through a difficult time. That is the ultimate payoff. I would like for people to remember me as a great man that told a great story that made you think. I think the new album fits into our catalog perfectly. It’s the perfect progression.

Shit fellas, it’s been awhile but I’m glad to finally put this one together.  So Sheraz, Hassan, how did you two meet up and thusly form the band?  Was there initial chemistry right off the bat and common goal to just make some real grindcore straight from the gut? 

Hassan:  We met at a gig I put on in a friend’s backyard back in 2010.  He was there with his band Dionysus, I was there with my band Foreskin. Turned out we were both into 70’s Judas Priest and that’s how we got to know each other.  It took us a while for MxCx to begin, Sheraz joined Foreskin before that, and we decided to form Multinational Corporations as a silly side project to our main bands, full of political shit talking about immolating parliaments and stuff.

Sheraz:  MxCx’s formation was really random and we were just having fun and cussing out random shit in the beginning.  We got more serious as the years passed by.  Hassan and I have had same musical and ideological views since the beginning and our goal has always been to write some sick memorable music that would outlast us.

Judas Priest is truly the stuff that builds and forms real relationships.  Dionysus kicks ass.  Everybody reading this review should check that stuff out as well…back on point..  Obviously, the band name is a nod to a song from one of the greatest grind albums of all-time.  How big of an influence was the Scum album and Napalm Death in general on your project?  Also what are some of your favorite ND albums across their career and do you guys like the “death metal” era?  I for one actually love Harmony Corruption, Diatribes and Inside the Torn Apart.  That era sometimes takes more shit than it actually deserves.  

Sheraz:  Napalm Death has always been a really huge influence on my music.  Scum and From Enslavement to Obliteration are one of the monumental records in my books and their death metal era also had some classick moments as well.  Harmony Corruption is one of my favorite death metal records of all times!

Hassan:  Napalm Death is a life-changing act for me.  My favorite album is definitely a toss-up between Scum and FETO, with the split with SOB and Mentally Murdered EP coming in close too.  Their death metal era was nice and they’ve been consistent throughout their career, no matter what style they chose to uphold.  To me, they’ll always be a special act, a gateway into alternative lifestyles.  

I can’t argue with anything said there.  I’m a huge ND fan, and they are still probably the most punishing live band I’ve ever seen.  What are some of your other biggest musical inspirations behind Multinational Corporations?  We’ve talked about this some in private but let’s share for the readers.  Hassan, I know you’re a big Disrupt fan like me.  Name a few other bands and albums that really forged your style and make you want to pick up and play this music.  

Sheraz:  First of all, Celtic fucking Frost!  That band forms the foundation of our music.  Apart from them, Disrupt, Napalm Death, Terrorizer, Agothacles, Brutal Truth, Driller Killer, Morbid Angel, Nails, Integrity, Black Breath etc.  Basically a lot of stuff!

Hassan:  Our influences go across the board.  A slew of primitive 80’s metal/punk, scathing 90’s hardcore/grind, as well as a few contemporary heavy music acts.  Don’t be surprised if you hear a bit of Inquisition or Godflesh in our music either.  We just play heavy shit for people who are into that sort of stuff.

Fuck yeah.  The wild thing is I can hear both Frost and Godflesh in Multi-Corp.  Jamat-al-Maut was an eye opener of an EP for me, because it truly is some of the best old school crusty/grind I’ve heard in years.  I don’t toss praise around like that without meaning it.  You guys’ work is seriously the best I’ve heard in the last decade and sounds straight from the golden era.  First up, can you explain what the album title means/translates to?  

Sheraz:  Thanks man.  It always means a lot coming from someone who knows their shit and actually understands the dynamics of this music.  Really honored!  Jamat-al-Maut translates to Congregation of Death.

Hassan:  The title came up when Aneeq Zaman made this random art back in late 2012, when the band was in hiatus.  He called it “Jamat-al-Maut” and put our logo on it.  I was beyond stoked when he showed it to me, a few days later MxCx was active again – and the art became the rallying cry for the EP.  Essentially, the title means “Congregation of Death” in Urdu, but the ‘al’ is a loan from Arabic, a sarcastic inclusion to show Pakistan’s slow arabization process in the mainstream media over the last few years.  If it was Urdu, it would be Jamat-ul-Maut haha. 

The recording on the EP is badass.  It’s raw as fuck but with plenty of punch to the instruments.  How did the recording process go, did you do everything yourselves initially?  Must have been a lot of work for you Sheraz, I took note that you recorded, mixed and played all of the instruments and then I saw that Jeff Fischer is credited with the initial mastering.    

Sheraz:  Recording for Jamat-al-Maut went really smooth and it was one of the best times in my life cause for straight 4 days, Hassan and I met and worked on new music everyday which later was compiled into the EP.  I recorded all the instruments and mixed it as well.  We later sent it to an old friend Jeff for mastering because he’s really good at it and has worked with/helped us in the past.  

Sheraz, what instruments did you record first and how did you add things as you went along since you’re a madman and recorded all of the guitars, bass and drums?  Damn man, you’re a monster, you did an equally proficient job on everything!  

Sheraz:  Thanks man!  I usually write the guitar parts first then write drum parts over it and later add bass-lines.  It’s a really natural process and I don’t feel like i am being burdened with a lot of work whenever I am recording.  I like to have control over everything and mould it the way it sounds best and heaviest!

Then the mighty Kunal Choksi came along and remastered and remixed the EP for release on Transcending Obscurity, right?  How did the band meet up with him and did you work right alongside him for the remastering…what was the process like for that and what do you feel he added to the sound quality? 

Sheraz:  Kunal only released the re-mastered version and worked on the inlays.  He didn’t contribute to the mastering at all.  I re-mastered it myself and made some changes in some songs like “Stratum Slave” and Jamat-al-Maut. We felt like adding something else to the sonic aspect of the EP since it had already been released on so many labels on tapes and CDs before TO decided to distribute it.  So we thought it’d be better to re-master it for the TO release. 

Hassan, your lyrics kick raw fucking ass man.  There is a vicious political slant to them which I really dig.  I think every country right now is in some type of turmoil and that political lyrics are more relevant than ever.  What is the situation like in Pakistan right now?  Are you lyrics for say a song like “Fuck Your Patriotism” centered on a local or global scale?  I wondered if you draw more inspiration for them from what’s going on in your own country or the world in general.  Things are pretty shitty everywhere, so there is plenty of ammunition to use.  

Hassan:  The inspiration is primarily local.  I’ve had enough time listening to anarcho/crust/grind bands talk about fascism, Nazism, etc in Sweden and Finland, US and UK.  I want to listen to stuff I can directly relate to, which is where the primary inspiration for all my lyrics in MxCx comes from.  A shirt print in Bangladesh that carried the words to “Fuck Your Patriotism” was put out some time back, which makes sense because those folks are living the exact same reality I wrote about in the song.  Including that world’s biggest flag shit.  Hahaha.  It is always nice to see people in other parts of the world relate, at the end of the day we are all from the same wasteland of Mother Earth. 

The songwriting mixed with the unrelenting vocals blows my mind.  You guys really shake things up and then just let it blow up like nitroglycerin.  Fuckin’ love it!  “L.P.C.” is one of my favorites.  What does the abbreviation stand for and how was the song written?  It’s just like a classic crusty punk song…the riffing is catchy as fuck, the rhythms are pounding old school groove and Hassan, you’re using a more gruff, different vocal style.  I think this tune shows just how far back into the vintage punk sound you guys go.  

Hassan:  “L.P.C.” is an abbreviation of an Urdu cuss phrase “Lund Pe Charh.”  It means, sit on my dick.  So if you ever get a desi boss at work and he gives you shit, you can tell him that lol! The lyrics are about me just being pissed off at the world in general. The opening line, “Walking down the street with a chip on my shoulder” – I’d be doing that everyday in Sadar (an area of Lahore where I spent a massive chunk of my life in), paan in my mouth, spitting it out on the streets and walking endlessly into the suffocating cacophony of rickshaws, cars, buses, wagons, cows and fuck knows what else. 

I will be sure to use that phrase next time some dickhead employer fucks me over!  Another favorite of mine is “Penniless Pride.”  Gears shift here into a grimy, crumbling slow-motion doom sound with an almost begotten industrial vibe.  Sheraz, you really nail a melodic lead amongst the filth, Hassan your vocals go fathoms deep and the whole thing is has a fucked up groove/melody to it.  Love that shit!  How was this song written; what parts came first and what was the reaction between you two when it was finished?  Again, you guys show that you can kick complete ass in any style you choose to tackle and it all fits into the framework/ideal of the band’s sound.  

Sheraz:  Haha.  “Penniless Pride” is one of my personal favorites.  That song was written when I was tired of writing faster songs and wanted to make something slow and pounding.  We later threw in a lot of atmosphere to give it that vibe of impending doom and destruction and that melodic lead in the end is just me being myself with the guitar.  You’d find a lot of similar leads in my other songs as well but I put my heart into it.

Hassan:  I just walked in one day from college and he’d finished this badass track.  I listened to it once, and decided to use a recent poem I wrote as lyrics – a lot of MxCx lyrics actually start out as spoken word poetry, in fact.  The lyrics are about the destruction caused by the provincial government at the time while they built roads – destroying businesses, homes as well as ignoring general welfare concerns of the citizens.  The lyrics went perfectly with the song, and vice versa. I think we’d like to make more songs of that nature.  Haunting, desolate, nihilistic.

 “Stratum Slave’ rules with its venomous blasting and traditional grind riffs.  I fuckin’ love the way all of the straight-up grinders are put together.  It’s unbridled fury to the breaking point and then like later on in this track, Sheraz always unleashes a monster groove.  Is that some 90s, mid-tempo death metal groove in action there?  Are you two a fan of Obituary and stuff from the era?  What are the lyrics about in “Stratum Slave?”  Really fuckin’ dig ‘em…feels like a struggle of the classes or something like that.  

Sheraz:  We are big OSDM fans, I collect OSDM CDs and Obituary is one of our all-time favorites but the main root of those grooves is found in the one and only Celtic Frost!

Hassan: I wrote “Stratum Slave’s” lyrics when I was still in school, late teens.  I didn’t have a band back then, nor did I know if it would ever become a song.  I was 21 approaching 22 when I finally got to use it for Multinational Corporations, and I could still relate to it 110%.  The endless pursuit of money is something that has bothered me since I was a little kid playing cricket in the gulleys and it’s something that I hope will continue to bother me for the rest of my existence.

Money is pretty much the most loathsome thing on the planet…only good for buying music and partying!  So, I heard the new song “Jihad” and it chopped my head off with a rusty axe.  Good shit guys!  You have Vrishank Menon playing drums here.  Ah, giving Sheraz a little break!  How did you hook up with him and is he a permanent member of the band moving forward?  

Hassan:  Vrishank is a pal from India.  Me and him shared the same interest in fast punk music like Spazz and Despise You.  We set up a side-project called Atif X Aslam, playing powerviolence exclusively in the Urdu/Hindi language.  I loved his drumming and invited him to do drums for MxCx as well.  He also has his own Hardcore Punk band based in Bombay, India, called Death By Fungi as well as an Emo/Shoegaze project called Little Whales.  Dude’s a talented musician, we’d like to have him on more recordings in the future – he really brings a spontaneous and fun old school punk drumming style into MxCx that fits really well into the type of grind/crust/hardcore stuff we make. 

“Jihad” itself is beyond fuckin’ sick, kicking off with a crusty. thrashing d-beat before going over the sanity line with some of the fastest grind I’ve ever heard from the band.  Fuck yeah!  How did this song come together?  The intensity of the instrumentation is urgent and oppressive and as usual Hassan, the lyrics really present some stark imagery.  Especially love the line, “All rational thought purged by the fear of everlasting fire. Yet, I will not yield.  My blade against yours.  Never to succumb. And this is my Jihad.”  That’s no fuckin’ around there…how did the inspiration come on for this one? 

Hassan:  We were told to come up with a song under 1 minute 15 seconds for the split with Matka Teresa.  So we just went all out.  The lyrics are about standing up for yourself in an oppressive environment.  Don’t take no shit.  Stand tall, stand proud.  You’re not alone in this Jihad. 

The release is a pretty special edition split; a lathe cut, 6” vinyl!  This will have the pleasure of being the very first 6” in my collection.  I didn’t even know such a thing existed.  How did you the band get involved with Extreme Terror Production and what was the idea behind such a unique format?  

Hassan:  Such unique formats exist as a rare niche in some underground circles.  Extreme Terror Productions have been allies since last year.  I got in touch with Martin, the guy who runs the label, through my mince/grind band Kafir-e-Azam, and he eventually released MxCx’s Jamat-al-Maut on tape as well as featuring us on the Grind N’ Violence compilation.  He then talked about doing the split and we were instantly down for it.  He’s a very nice and easy fellow to work with, in fact one of the coolest people in the European grindcore scene. 

Matka Teresa occupies the other side of the split.  I’ll have to check them out later.  What’s their sound like and how do they match up with Multi-Corp? 

Hassan:  Matka Teresa is the grindcore band of the guy who runs Extreme Terror Production. They’ve been veterans of the Dutch grind circle for a while, and have quite an arsenal of splits.  If you’re into old Agathocles, Warsore, Rot, and other similar bands, you’re gonna love them.

I’ll keep my eyes open.  All of that stuff is grind violence I’m personally into.  What other new tunes are in the works and how are they shaping up?  Is the band planning on a full album in the future?  Hassan, you were telling me about another new song that has a Frost/EHG/Sabbath vibe…of course you know that had me jumpin’ out of my seat.  Ha ha ha.  When and on what format will that song see a release?  

Hassan:  We do plan on doing a full length at some point in time, but we don’t know when we will.  The timing would have to be absolutely right.  In the meantime, we’re planning a few splits, maybe that song we talked about will see a release haha.  Apart from the Matka Teresa 6” split, the only other split we’ve announced is a split with Bangladeshi death metal band Warhound.  That’ll be a much more substantial split, with 6-8 minutes on either side, out sometime by the end of this year.  There are 2 splits thought of for our 2016 assault, but nothing we’d announce yet until it’s finalized. 

Do you guys get to play out live at all?  Who is in the live version of the band and what other bands do you usually gig with?  What type of beating can one expect from a Multi-Corp show, I can imagine it being loud as hell!    

Hassan:  We have a rotating slot for live musicians. We’ve played live twice since releasing the EP last year.  Opportunities to play live come very few and far between in Pakistan, due to a lack of venues.  MxCx live shows are quite fun and spontaneous.  There are live videos on our Facebook. 

What plans are in the future of Multi-Corp?  Any tours happening or anything else?  I sure as hell hope we can bring you guys to the US someday.  Hopefully, I’ll get to be involved in that.  We’ll work on a plan for damn sure, and I’ll buy the first bottle of whiskey!  

Hassan: Yup, we have some regional tour plans but let’s see how they pan out.  We definitely do want to hit up the States at some point.  Us Pakistanis are known for our alcoholic “bethaks” so it’ll be interesting getting my drink on in some place where it ain’t illegal to do so hahaha! 

Well guys I think that’s all I have.  Thanks a ton for doing this interview with me.  I can’t wait to hear whatever Multi-Corp does next.  This band does us grinders proud.  You bring it in a way that is authentic and legitimate.  Feel free to throw in some closing comments in this space!  Grind on!      

Hassan:  Thanks for the opportunity.

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First off, thanks so much for agreeing to be grilled.  It’s an honor for me to be able to bring this one to the table.  How about introducing yourselves and your musical weapons of choice to the readers?

Adam Horwatt:  Thanks Jay.  I’m Adam Horwatt.  I cover the lower frequencies.

Chris Chiera:  I’m Chris Chiera on guitar (lead and rhythm).

Aaron Brittain:  Drums

What were the particulars behind Contra’s formation and how did the idea for the band come together in the first place?  I’m sure everybody knew each other or played shows together in the tightly knit Ohio scene.  Sofa King Killer, Fistula, Rue, King Travolta…man, I love all of the former bands and the work each of you did in them.  Still close to my heart! 

Chris:  Aaron and I were jamming in another band together The Rats Are Coming the Werewolves are Here (https://theratsarecoming.bandcamp.com/releases). Once the band split up we got together and started jamming.  After that, we wanted to look for another member to jam with us.  When that happened we lucked out and found Adam.  I had talked to him before about selling one of my amps because he is a Sunn freak.  Sometimes it’s hard to find people who are actually into the same music and a sound that everyone else is into.

Aaron:  Chris and I were jamming in The Rats are Coming the Werewolves are Here with Jeff Schrilla, whom Chris played with in Abdullah.  We were playing Jeff’s songs which were different then the heavy style Chris and I are known for.  When that project fell through, Chris and I began writing the first Contra songs.  About 9 months later, I ran into Adam at a local show.  Adam and I had jammed a couple times when The Unclean was first getting started.  From the first practice we knew we were onto something

Right on fellas!  No kidding there, I could tell from the first song Chris linked me up to that you guys totally found “the zone.”  Hey Adam, I’m not familiar with your old project So Long Albatross, so I’m curious as to what it sounds like.  Tell us a little bit about that band and anything we might have missed in the path that led you to Contra.  

Adam:  So Long, Albatross is a band that my two buddies and I put together after our old band, The Slow Blade dissolved in 2010.  SLA is a riffy mix of punk, rock, and stoner rock with some poppy elements. The combination of our playing style and gear gives us a very distinct, thick tone.  It is alive and well and we gig whenever our schedules line up.  Keith (vocals/guitar) and Eric (drums) are great musicians and we always have a lot of fun.

As far as what led me to Contra, I’ve always been a huge fan of Rue and Sofa King Killer.  I met Aaron sometime around 2005 at a Rue show and I would run into him here and there over the next 9 years. I was at a show in Cleveland in early 2014 and Aaron asked if I would be interested in jamming with him and Chris. Shit yeah.  Both of their bands had been (and still are) a huge influence for me so I gladly accepted.

Kick ass man, shit!!!  The Slow Blade…I love that stuff and didn’t know you were in it.  I have a three song demo that my man Gary from Shifty sent me.  Correct me if I’m wrong but did the idea for the project’s name (Contra) come from the greatest video game of all time?  Seriously, forget all of those modern war games…Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, etc., the Contra series is the ultimate in video game warfare!  The new shoot ‘em up games are like Sesame Street compared to the difficulty of something like original Contra and Super C.  It seems like there’s a fondness for classic gaming going on which I’m all about. 

Chris:  I’m really into video games.  I love side 2D and side-scrollers. The Contra NES classic is probably one of my favorite video games from that era.  I’m really into Street Fighter and Super Mario.  Remember that game Road Rash?  I had a 3DS when it came out and played that game day and night.  Anyone have one of those for sale?  They should bring that game back.

You bet I remember Road Rash!  That’s a game series that needs to come back and I think they could do something pretty cool with it given all of the new technology that’s available.  The three of you work so well together in this band.  I’ve been hooked from the very first note that hit my ears.  The playing is unique and instantly recognizable, though it feels like you all have reached a whole new plateau of killer jamming.  What was the first jam session like and did the magic start happening immediately?

Chris:  That’s a great question.  We wrote “Humanoid Therapy” on the first practice, so I guess that’s what you get when you play the music you are supposed to be playing.  It was quite a release and a blessing in disguise.  The last time I wrote riffs like that was in Sofa King Killer and I was really into it.  It’s been years since I was in a heavy band and I knew Aaron was going to be into that idea as well.

Aaron:  The first practice Adam played through a bass rig.  Chris and I were really excited after the first full session.  We knew right away Adam was going to be a great fit.  We all listen to the same bands and wanted to write songs with heavy riffs that I can bash along too.  Eventually, Adam set up the rig he plays through now, splitting his signal to play through both a bass and guitar amp.  It sounds amazing live with the 3 guitar tones.

That’s cool as hell.  Adam’s tone is definitely right on point and exactly what’s needed to combat with Chris’ BIG guitar sound and glad to hear you bashing again Aaron, not that you ever quit!  The debut EP Son of Beast is a fantastic piece of work, props for a job more than well-done.  I haven’t been able to stop playing it since I got it for review.  So heavy, so weighty but with this bluesy, classic swing happening that’d make ZZ Top proud…  The production lives up to the EP title…BEASTLY!  Where did you record and what type of gear was utilized to achieve such a meaty, raw sound in every instrument?  It’s raw though not lacking anything in terms of tone or clarity! 

Adam:  We actually recorded the EP in my basement.  Keith Vance (So Long, Albatross) basically ran the show.  Keith has recorded many albums with much success.  Both Slow Blade albums and the first So Long, Albatross album were recorded by Keith.  He knows what he’s doing.

Chris:  After Keith recorded Aaron and Adam, he passed the files off to me.  I started to record with an old friend of mine and it wasn’t really getting anywhere because it was in winter of 2014 which was brutal in northeastern Ohio.  I guess we were lucky compared to some parts of the East Coast.  Anyways, I decided to buy my own shit and I recorded all the guitars in my house. After that was done I passed it off to Keith.  He really made it sound awesome.

Keith did a stellar job.  Those songs shake my walls and practically blow out my headphones without even cranking the volume to full blast.  Everything is thick and defined…just how I like it.  Man, Adam…we’re gonna have to talk.  I didn’t know The Slow Blade had full albums and I definitely need those.  To start digging into the tunes a little more in depth, “Bottom Feeder” was the first song I heard and it opens the set.  This jam literally sucked me into the sound like a black hole vortex…I needed to hear more immediately after.  I love that massive riffing, the bass is warm and fuzzy and Aaron’s hitting with all his might and tricking out the fills…amazing stuff!  How was this tune written and how did it evolve from its creative birth to its final form on the EP?

Chris:  I’m pretty sure “Bottom Feeder” was the second song we recorded and that was right when Adam joined the band, which was great timing.  After that we tweaked the song a little bit and we were finished.  It was great.  At that point I knew we were going to come up with a bunch of cool shit.

Aaron:  “Bottom Feeder” was written the way most of our songs are.  Chris comes up with a couple riffs and I play along until we lock onto something.  Then we talk about the direction of the song and come up with parts to fit the sound we want.  Then it’s a matter of setting the pattern and getting the song tight.  That song was tricky to record the ending, because I have difficulty counting past four.

Ha ha, I can relate to that…if anyone counts to four it throws me off even as a singer.  Three is the magic number!  Chris you’re using some really cool, vintage feedback to connect the songs together on the album.  The way you let it ring out (and use it to kick the songs off for that matter) takes us directly into “100 Hand Slap” and unifies the entirety of the recording.  What inspired you to do that and how is the effect achieved?  Is Adam applying something similar on the bass?  There’s a lot of bottom to the way it’s done and it feels like I’m listening to a very old hard rock, proto-metal masterpiece teleported in from the early 70s!  This isn’t what everyone and their brother is doing, that’s for sure.

Chris:  Adam has a really interesting rig going on the low end.  I think the only people that know are the ones who have seen us live and I think I’ll leave it at that.  As for the feedback, I kind of wanted to capture the same feel as Eyehategod’s Take as Needed for Pain and I think I pulled it off pretty well.

Eyehategod really did set the tone in terms of using feedback as a weapon and instrument.  You really did pull it off.  I’ll have to find out Adam’s secret recipe whenever I finally get my ass to a show!  “100 Hand Slap” really dig that title!  I’m guessing someone spent as many quarters as I used to on Street Fighter II!  That move is a son of a bitch…and that’s putting it lightly!  What’s each member’s favorite old game?  Fact:  I like fighting as ol’ Eddie Honda but I sure hate fighting against anyone that’s playing as him!    

Aaron:  Street Fighter II is a classic.

Adam:  Man, just one??  Well, Contra is obviously way up there for me.  I could go on for days. If I had to pick just one I’d say Jackal, or Punch Out.  Or 1942.  Or Mario 3…

Chris:  For me, it’s definitely the Street Fighter series.  Who wants to fight?  I’ll take anyone on, in Street Fighter that is, lol.

A challenge has been issued!  You’re on next time I’m in Ohio.  Those answers are a trip down memory lane.  I’m obsessed with Punch Out…every single one from the NES to Wii.  Chris, the leads in this song (and every tune on the album) are so damn good.  Always into your style! Who or what are some of your biggest inspirations for throwing down like that?  What is the importance of a good lead in a heavy rock song?  It’s like that extra special signature to me that gives a very unique “spirit” to a tune and the person playing it.  Do the leads come to you before or after the song is mostly structured, or sometimes is it sort of an “on the fly” kind of thing?

Chris:  I’d say my inspiration would be Tony Iommi.  The bands that really inspire me are from the late 1960’s and 70’s. I’m not really into playing stuff that is past that, but I definitely love to listen to all types of music, or at least anything rock or metal related.  I’ve always been into leads and solos though.  I don’t play anything too complicated, but the stuff I do seems to add to the riffs I write and people seem to like it.

You got a fan right here man.  You always perfectly compliment the groove with the licks you conjure up.  The doom-y, fireball blues of “Snake Goat” is so heavy it’d uproot an entire forest.  That is seriously some of the heaviest rock n’ roll I’ve ever heard.  Adam, I’m heartily digging that fatter than Santa’s sack bass tone on this track.  How the hell are you wringing that sound out of your bass?  Give some insight on that if you don’t mind without ruining the original recipe!

Adam:  Believe it or not, there is no bass guitar on that recording or when we play live.  I play my guitar like a bass guitar and then split the signal with my tuner pedal into two different amps. One amp uses the straight guitar signal, the other uses a signal that goes through an octave pedal set to output one octave lower.  Together it sounds cool.

Ah, I get it now.  Think I misunderstood that at first.  As Lemmy once said about himself, you’re like a deep guitarist.  Honestly, this song is so doom-y yet so filled with classic rock goodness in terms of the tightness of the jam, the way the leads dab melody onto those punishing riffs and how agile the rhythmic twists are…  What was the composition of this one like and was there a moment where everybody was like, “Jesus Christ, this is righteously heavy!” 

Adam:  Heh.  There’s usually not a whole ton of expression when we know something is a keeper.  Mostly just a “yep” or “sweet” or “yep, that’s a good one”.  Chris is always churning out monumental riffs.  On “Snake Goat,” we just glued a few of them back to back to back.

Chris:  At first it was kind of tough to actually say, “Ok this song is done.”  I think once we actually got a full band with Adam we were able to say, “This song is finished.  What’s next?”

Aaron:  I think that all the time with Chris’s riffs.

I dig that attitude…some silent approval and then right onto the next smasher!  And then there’s the 7+ minutes of “Humanoid Therapy…”  Goddamn…it’s an absolute behemoth and a song that I think everyone into rock n’ roll should hear as a blueprint for how to do it right!  The swing…the groove…the heaviest downturns you’ll hear…  How on Earth did you guys put this together, what conjured all of the badass shifts in its groove out of everybody’s performance and also could you give some insight on the song title? 

Chris:  It’s interesting because the song doesn’t seem like it’s that long, but it is!  Whenever we jam on it I lose track of time.  There isn’t really improv, so it’s very structured.  I think when this kind of thing happens you really know it’s a good song and fun to play.

The ending is insane, a crazy deconstruction of instruments into feedback and then is that a sample of Summer of Sam?  Great choice if that’s the scene I’m thinking of!  Ha ha ha!  I think the chaos was a good way to draw the curtain.  Whose idea was all of that?  

Chris:  Yep, you got it!  My girlfriend kept on talking about the dog in that movie and I always thought it was kind of funny how they made him talk.  I was on YouTube and found the clip and threw it in at the end.  For an ending of a song and EP, I thought it fit pretty well.

I’m in total agreement on that; talk about picking a sample that’s fitting…  You guys have been gigging as much as you can with some great bands!  How have the shows been going and what’s the response been like from the audience?  Which shows have been the most fun so far?

Chris:  We have been getting good reactions from people who come out to the shows.  I think one of my favorite shows was with UFOMAMMUT at Now that’s Class, in Cleveland.  It was one of those shows where we didn’t bother getting on stage, so we just played on the floor.  I like doing that because you aren’t so far away from the audience.  People are always struggling to get a glance at who is playing, so they tend to get pretty close, which to me makes the show more intense.

Aaron:  Playing out the last 10 months has been awesome reconnecting with old friends and meeting new bands/musicians.  Shows have been well attended for the most part with a ton of positive feedback.  We played with Ufomammut in May and they are incredible

I’m all about jamming live on the floor right in front of people.  That’s always how I do it!  I would have fuckin’ loved to be that show.  I go back with Ufomammut to Snail King…that album plowed my skull into the dust.  Do the tunes take any twists and off-the-cuff jam turns in the live-setting?  I can imagine with the way Contra does it up, you guys can probably build some killer freestyle like arrangements onto these cuts!

Chris:  We have a set structure to all of our songs but when we play live that doesn’t always happen.  Sometimes we forget to count or someone drinks too much, so we keep it going.  It’s fun when that happens because it always has me wondering when we will actually end the song.

Nice, that’s the thing about these tunes to me; they have such a groove that you could stick to format and it’d be perfect but if they happen to veer off the path, you certainly can just break it into a jam and come right back to where it goes.  Damn…while doing the final interview edits here, I can guarantee I’ll be jamming the music later on tonight.  There’s plenty more material already in the pipeline besides this EP.  I know that for a fact!  How many other songs do you have completely worked out and when do you think we’ll see a full-length release?  This stuff screams for vinyl and I hope for physical copies someday!  This EP would make a killer 7”…might have to go 10” though, “Humanoid Therapy’s” quantum mass could throw off the 7” inch idea!  Can you tell us a little bit about some of the tunes we haven’t heard yet without giving too many secrets away?  

Aaron:  We rerecorded the 4 songs on the EP plus 6 more with Dave “Big Metal” Johnson at Bad Back Studios in Cleveland.  All ten songs will be on a full release in the future.

Chris:  Right now we have a total of 10 songs and I am finishing up the solos now.  We really want to press some vinyl for our upcoming release. As for Son of Beast, we don’t have any plans for vinyl because we rerecorded all of those songs.  The new recording is going to sound great. I’m excited!

I share the excitement guys, I can’t fuckin’ wait to hear the rest!  What type of gear does everyone in the band use for all of the equipment hounds that read these interviews and what would you consider each member’s “secret sauce” in their respective set-ups?  The more I get into doing my own production, the more I love to get the deep dirt on that! 

Adam:  My “bass” rig is comprised of my Eastwood Stormbird, an Electro-Harmonix Micro POG pedal, a Sunn Beta lead head for the guitar side, a Sunn Beta Bass head for the sub octave side and 2 Peavey 2X15D cabs. I recently switched to using a higher-powered Sunn Coliseum lead for the sub octave side to avoid speaker damage.

Chris:  I normally play out of a Gibson SG with Super Distortion pickups. I always use a Morley Wah and sometimes a Small Clone for leads and solos.  As far as amps go, I normally play out of a Mesa Boogie Stiletto with an old Hiwatt from the 80’s and an Orange cab from 2010’s.  However, on the recording I used an Orange TH30 with two little 1X12 Orange speakers.

Damn, those are some mean specs.  Even as a yeller, I know that’s not fuckin’ around.  I myself have a pretty huge fascination with learning about gear, because I’m really interested in how my favorite bands create the tones that they do.  I’m all about tone and you fellas got it in spades!  Finally, if each of you had to choose one or two albums that inspired you to pick up and start rocking, what would they be?

Adam:  That’s going way back.  Maybe ZZ Top or something from the Grunge era; I honestly couldn’t narrow my influences down to an album or two.  One thing I can say for sure is that if it had big riffs, I was trying to play it.

Chris:  For me, Black Sabbath Vol 4, hands down.

There’s no doubt that Vol. 4 is a huge influence on me personally.  Thanks a ton for doing this interview with me brothers!  I really appreciate it and it was a blast thinking up these questions.  If there is anything I didn’t cover, please feel free to use this final space to fill us in.  I’m totally into and behind you guys and this music.  Can’t wait to hear what happens next! 

Chris:  Thanks Jay!  It’s always great talking to you and go to contracleveland.com for latest Twitter feeds, Instagram pics and upcoming shows.

So usually for promoting albums artists give the usual ‘better, faster’ speech.  And for the new album you stated “The focus this time around is on brutally heavy metal riffing and songwriting; kind of like of an Annihilation Of The Wicked, approach but very streamlined to achieve maximum destructive impact.”. However- you actually followed through and it wasn’t rhetoric.  That’s a refreshing change! Was this a goal of yours when beginning writing for the album?

Absolutely! I hate rhetoric. Unfortunately, it’s often part of the job. Lol The goal when we started writing Unearthed was to make a heavy, memorable album with songs that were focused on effectiveness and listenability. In some ways, it’s a very “anti-technical” album in that the songs come first – and the focus is away from getting too over-tech. I think that technique often somehow ends up overshadowing composition in a lot of tech death metal and makes it less fun for the listener.

One of the divisive issues  of the last album, was the clean production that sapped some of the power. This new album really seems to be back to the really powerful sound of the first few album- was that something you really wanted Neil Kernon to bring back?

Yes, we had many talks with Neil to explain what we wanted this time around; and then reiterated ad-nauseum at every opportunity during the recording/mixing/mastering of the record so as to ensure no-one would wander astray from the prime directive.

I don’t mean to offend but with the 3 albums there has been some criticism that Nile is running in place at this point. However, after hearing the new album, it’s clear you have found that magic of the first four albums again- does this album feel any different to you- do you feel you have ‘it’ back?

We are wetbacks and we find that very offensive, :).  At this point, we are really over the whole “We got to play faster/louder/cleaner just to prove we can play faster/louder/cleaner.”  If people haven’t managed to get that point yet, they just haven’t been listening. lol  It’s a pointless pursuit, like chasing a dragon. At this point, I don’t think metal fans give a fuck about that anyway ‘because there are plenty of bands nowadays that shred like motherfuckers. We wanted to make a record that people would actually enjoy listening to – metal for the sake of metal. So we just put our energy into writing catchy and memorable songs – and technicality be damned. Having said that though, on Unearthed there is still plenty of the musicianship that people have come to expect from Nile; but this time it’s definitely harnessed for a higher purpose.

Its seems the new album also has a bit of a return to those slower, huge numbers  the likes of “To Walk Forth from Flames Unscathed” and  the title track recall the likes of “Unas” or “To Dream of Ur”.  is that something you wanted to bring back?

No, I have no wish to rehash older songs. I want to write new ones. That in itself is a blasphemy to some people – who expect that bands should just constantly recycle their music.Can you imagine “Unas Slayer of the Gods – the Sequel”?  hahahahahah. I have new ideas. It’s not out of a wish to revisit classic, epic, older Nile songs, it’s a desire to do new things.

When you look back is there one album that you really look back on with pride and think that was the perfect Nile album? or is this album it?

I don’t think Unearthed is necessarily a definitive Nile album in the sense that In Their Darkened Shrines is a definite Nile album. I think with Shrines, we had written and recorded what I felt was the pinnacle achievement of what I was hoping to achieve with the band’s music. After that, I did not want to just lather, rinse, and repeat…. There were other things I wanted to do and goals to set for ourselves. As Southpark so eloquently satirized in the episode called “Rehash”, so much  of modern culture is just constant overt rehash of everything else – but I think Nile fans deserve better. Unearthed is specifically purposed as a record for Nile fans. Catchy, memorable songs that NILE fans will enjoy and will be fun to play live.

The lyrics on the new album delve into the possibilities of the origins of  Egyptian history- how did you get on that particular theme?

It’s not necessarily Egyptian History I am referring to but the history of whole entire human race; it’s just metaphorically alluded to through the artistic narrative of Egypt/archaeology.

With such a specific lyrical theme for Nile and the 8 Nile albums, is there ever any chance of running out of Egyptian based lyrics? or have you barely scratched the surface?

I have no worries about running out of song possibilities. With thousands of years of history to be inspired by, we have just barely even scratched the surface.

Is there a part of you that wants to explore other themes, space or real world or other historical eras? In another project maybe?

Who knows. I think I would probably enjoy doing some music that had NOTHING to do with history whatsoever. lol

One of my favorite Nile songs ever is ‘Ramses, bringer of war” the way it used Holst, to this day gives me goosebumps. has there ever been any more thought of tinkering of integrating other classic themes or such into Niles songs ( the theme from 2000: A space odyssey comes to mind).?

I don’t rule out the possibility. If one day I am listening to some piece of classic music and it sparks an idea – then great . If not, then I am OK with that too.  I don’t believe in dictating from whence the metal gods choose to give inspiration.

Have  you ever heard some of the other Egyptian based bands like Coffins texts or Scarab?

Of course. K

When you started Nile and released Nephren ka in 1998, arguably jumps starting death metal did yu forsee that Nile wuld be 8 albums in and be considered one of the biggest name in nit jsut US death metal but death metal in general?

We didn’t care about that in the early days. We were making Metal because we loved Metal ; with little hope of ever achieving any success as a band.

I assume there are tour plans for the new album?

Of course – and we are especially looking forward to the fall tour in Europe with Suffocation. Metal will take place!

How much longer to you see Nile keeping going? what do you plan to do after Nile?

Who knows. Everything could end tomorrow in nuclear annihilation and world war 3 . Until that day comes, I will be quite happy to continue being metal.  K

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Midmourner:  Bobbie – guitar & lead feedback, Matt – all about that bass (no treble!), Chad – simple guitar (the 3 string master), Rick – RUBBLE SMASH PUNY DRUMS!, Shane – narrator.

Bobbie wanted to start a sludge band.  He went through various musicians but couldn’t mesh with them on any level. He convinced Shane (his best friend since junior high) to lend his non-talent, kicked out the last obstacle that remained, met up with Matt at an Eyehategod show, and the rest is uninteresting history. 

I was very into Molehill.  Enough to the point that I bought everything I could while I had money and even became Shane’s penpal for a bit through one of the pages (I think mp3.com).  Those were like my old football days of sludge, man.  I was hearing so many great bands…you had Berserker Records, Gametwo, Rhetoric, Shifty, Rage of Achilles putting out doom stuff…  Great days…  Why did Molehill split up and what fond memories do you have of that period of time?  I feel you really had to be a fan of this music then to get what was going on.  What was Molehill’s place in all of that?

Shane George:  Molehill’s demise came about because of several different reasons. Here’s a short list of the problems: alcoholism, jealousy, drug addiction, severe lack of communication, frustration.

There are way too many fond memories to try and fit in one interview, so I’ll just name a few: being picked up by a record label, touring across the country with some great bands, meeting countless numbers of incredible people, seeing all of our ugly mugs in the pages of Metal Hammer magazine, but, best of all, having the opportunity to write and play some great music with such close friends.

As far as Molehill’s place in that era, I’m not sure if I can give an accurate assessment. One thing I know is that our music connected with a shitload of people, and every now and then, the feedback we would get from fans would honestly feel amazing. Molehill played its part in the golden era of sludge music and it’s something that we are proud of. 

Matt Heath (bass) did Residue for a while afterwards which I really enjoyed.  I remember the demo and have the split with Stone of Abel (another very blink and you’ll miss ‘em awesome band!), and then that kind of disappeared.  I was hoping for more.  What ever happened to that?

Matt Heath:  Thanks man, it’s cool that you even remember Residue. We did that from 2000-2002, then I moved out of state in 2002. We always planned on getting back to it but life got in the way.  Then time passed and it just never happened.  The Molehill and Residue days were some of the best years of my life. I love those guys, they’ll always be family to me. 

Time seems to bring all good things back around to those who wait for it and while still keeping the faith.  Now we’ve got Midmourner which is music to my ears.  This really brings it full-circle again for me.  We’ve got riffs from hell, just the right amount of grooves, demented vocals, feedback…it’s THAT sound.  How is Midmourner a continuation of where you guys left off and how do you feel it brings it to the next level?  For me it’s the next evolution in sonic decimation from what some of you fellas were doing before.  Bobbie Harris…hmm, a relation to Molehill’s Sonny Harris by chance… 

Shane:  Obviously, the sound of Midmourner is going to pick up along the same lines as Molehill. Actually, all sludge bands are going to share that sound…whether it’s intentional or not.  The sound is similar to where we left off, but different enough to make this our own.  Time will tell if we have taken it to the next level, whatever that is.

Bobbie, Sonny, and myself have all been great friends since high school.  We bonded in art class and eventually, we bonded through music.  Although I may consider Bobbie & Sonny to be my brothers, there’s actually no relation between them at all.  I wish I had a dollar for every time that subject has come up. 

Adorned in Fear and Error is a really nasty recording.  Thick, creeping its way into your mind like a midnight prowler, just enough groove that the songs have their catch moments…  I mean, when this band got together was it pretty much decided that you fellas would be playing sludge?  What was the first song written and did you all get that old, special feeling whenever you finished jamming it out? 

Shane:  Yes, we had one direction that we wanted to take Midmourner – four blocks down Sludge Avenue!  From day one, we knew what our destiny would be.

The first song written was “Exchanging Piss for Ruin.”  It was just our second practice with Matt and it was like magic.  Immediately, we got that special vibe that all musicians ache for.  Next thing you know, we all got the warm and fuzzies and started playing with each other’s peckers! Love at first sight! 

How did you come up with the band name, Midmourner?  That’s a fuckin’ ace handle right there.  I was trying to look up the word to see if it was…um…an actual word, but all I could find was the band itself!  You fellas certainly coined that one.  It’s damn good n’ original and conjures up some imagery.  Explain, please! 

Shane:  I wish I had a really cool, elaborate story to go along with the Midmourner name, but I don’t.  It actually came out of the most difficult time of my life.  I have always been close with my mom, and she passed away.  I was depressed and grief stricken, but I knew that it was only the beginning, that the tremendous loss I felt was going to be a process, and a long one at that. Basically, I was in the midst of my mourning. Now, something positive has come out of that dark time in my life. I inherited my love of music from my mother.  Interesting side note: my mom was actually the president of The Beatles fan club…no shit!

First up Shane, you know I’m not stranger to loss.  Very sorry about your mom but glad you guys had that connection.  That’s cool as hell about the Beatles thing!  Whoa!  The EP’s production is sewn up tighter than a nun’s backdoor.  This isn’t your grandaddy’s lo-fi but there’s actual warmth and depth to all of the instruments, killer tones and a cohesive sound that makes everything deadlier than a venomous snake.  It’s not liable to be a pop hit that’s for damn sure, though the recording really brings the point home.  How did you stumble upon Matt Whitson and Magnetic Audio?  What was it like working with him and can you give any information about what else he’s done?  This is my first encounter and I’d love to check into anything else he’s recorded.

Shane:  Yeah, we were all stoked on how well the recording came out. Billy Luttrell (ex-Molehill drummer and current awesome dude!) introduced us to Matt Whitson, and we decided to go with him. He came highly recommended.  Matt actually won an Emmy award for a show he created that documents touring bands playing a set at a local venue called the Bottletree.  The show is called We Have Signal and it aired on Alabama Public Television. Matt has recorded several local bands that just happen to be our friends, and they were all very happy with the end results. The guy is incredible at what he does and we found him very easy to work with.  Slowly but surely, more people are finding this out. 

Everything just fits together for this all-encompassing blanket of smog sucking despair that never allows the listener to lift their head out of the bucket for a breath.  How does the writing process take shape?  The songs’ are written with all of these tense sections of hammering riffs and begotten feedback, shambling along like a night terror unleashed with the rhythm cutting through like a cleaver…then suddenly, you’ll whip into a groove like on “A Year Filled with Empty” and “Wolf in the Baby’s Crib.”  It’s gotta be a good time putting this filth together!  How much beer is required for the writing process? 

Shane:  The writing process is very easy.  Somebody comes in with a riff and we all try to add to it.  I know that’s a boring answer, but that’s the process.  If there’s a song that one of us isn’t feeling…it gets cut.  All the terror, paranoia, and nastiness is added later by a mentally challenged wizard! 

Shane, I gotta say, you’re one of the few sludge singers that sound even meaner after all these years have passed by.  My hats off to you and your vocal chords!  How do you do it?  That’s a starved, rabid scream you got.  What are the lyrics about?  Do you come up with those song-titles too?  They are fuckin’ sweet as shit…”Wolf in the Baby’s Crib,” “Exchanging Piss for Ruin,” “A Salting of Circles…”  Man, I wish I came up with any of those! 

Shane:  Thanks for the compliment and the veiled reference to my progressing age.  I’ve gotten some awesome feedback on my vocal performance on the EP, and I gotta say…I agree!  I see my horn and I shall tooteth that horn!  I train my voice using cigarettes, mountain dew, and the magical tears of a gypsy boy.  I’ve always kept the lyric content private in every band I’ve been in.  Again, I’m not trying to be a prick about any of it, but I feel like since I don’t actually play an instrument, the one thing that I have complete control over is the theme of a song.  All inspiration generally comes from inner torment brought on by my seemingly unnatural pessimism about everything in this world.  Basically, just your typical rants about hopelessness, despair, and physical and emotional pain. 

I also love that the vocals are raw throat meat.  Some folks have to use so many tricks to get an “extreme” sound and that’s really a turn-off for me.  The same thing with the instruments too…   You guys don’t skimp on the tones and the clarity comes through without anything feeling stripped of its power.  What really irks you guys in modern, cookie cutter metal and modern music in general?  There are still a lot of bands keeping it real, but Jesus is a lot of stuff processed to shit and back now!   

Shane:  I’ve never been one for artificial sounding vocals in heavy music. I’m sure that has its place in certain genres, but I try to make my performance as organic and true to life as possible. There is a lot that irks me about modern metal. Some bands spend a fortune recording an album only to make it sound like it was the mill heavy metal. It’s hard to explain, but it’s rather easy to notice while listening to the songs.  If a band can’t recreate live what they did in the studio, then what’s the point?  Maybe it’s just me.

I agree 100%.  “New and Unfortunate Blessing” feels like a sequel to Molehill’s “A Somewhat Considerable Burden” in terms of title and execution.  Is this true?  Tell us a little bit about how this song came into existence. 

Shane:  It is so fucking weird that you brought this up because I thought the same thing.  It’s not plagiarism or anything, but you can tell that there are members of Molehill in this band.  Matt brought in this song and the guys jammed too and actually got the song finished rather quickly. In my opinion, this song is probably the best composed song that we have.  By the way, the comparison to “A Somewhat Considerable Burden” is really a giant compliment, so thank you! 

Will Adorned in Fear and Error eventually see a physical release?  I see currently only two of the songs are up on the bandcamp and I was wondering if that was perhaps to test the waters and raise a little cash towards releasing it physically.  This shit deserves a home, beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Shane:  Yeah, it’s going to see a physical release. We’re all busting our asses to push the music and get it into the hands of as many people as possible.  If for some reason we don’t happen to find a label to put it out, then I suppose the band will have to pool all our resources (food stamps, panhandling profits, aluminum can collecting) and put the thing out ourselves. We believe that the album quality is quite sufficient for a label to release it as it is. We feel the quality is that good…

What has the gigging been like surrounding the release of some recorded tunes?  How have the shows been going and who’s been a blast to play with thus far?  Will you be doing any touring once the release has made the rounds a bit?

Shane:  It’s kinda embarrassing, but we’ve only played three shows since we started the band. The guys get really anxious to play out live, but it’s rather hard to get a new band that isn’t well known to venues or promoters onto the bill.  Midmourner has to earn its stripes like every other band and this city has a tendency to be quite clique-ish.  Hog Mountin, Marrow, Capsized, and Season of Arrows are some cool bands we’ve played with.  I encourage readers to check them out.  I hope we can put together some touring very soon.

Nothing embarrassing about that at all, it’s comes down to the quality of shows not the quantity.  Does Alabama’s live scene (and band circuit in general…even recorded/documented) have a lot of heavy stuff, or have you guys always been kind of an anomaly?  I know a couple of bands past and present, but honestly I can’t think of too many.  What’s it like playing out now when compared with olden days nearly a decade ago?

Shane:  Alabama has always had its share of heavy bands.  The majority of underground music here in Birmingham has always been punk rock and metal based bands.  However, the heavier, doom/sludge style has been significantly less represented.  Every now and then a cool heavy band would sprout up here and there.  Usually, it was the same people involved in each band, and more than likely…all the band members were good friends of ours.  It’s sad to say but the heavy scene was a lot bigger and more close knit ten years ago.  I don’t mean to sound like a crotchety old man, but that’s honestly how I feel.

Are there any other songs that are pretty much fully written or even jammed to completion that we haven’t heard yet?  If there’s other material sneaking around, what is it like…if not, what will future material be like?  Don’t spill any beans that you’re uncomfortable spilling.  Surprise, is always an excellent weapon to have at one’s disposal.   

Shane:  Yeah, we currently have two other songs that are done.  We’re saving them in case we can find someone who may want to put out a 7” split with another band, or perhaps a cool compilation.  That’s the best part of band practice, in my opinion.  The actual building of the song out of just an idea or a single riff.

What influences everybody in this band?  Musically and you can feel free to throw in life experience as well.  Let’s start musically first…old and new, what music inspired you fellas to do what you do?  I’ll take the second part of this question deeper in a minute. 

Matt:  I cut my teeth on The Beatles.  Then later Bad Brains, Black Flag, Ramones, Descendents, the Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., Joy Division, Townes Van Zandt.  When I started going to shows and getting into more underground music it was Cavity, Melvins, Floor, Buzzoven, EHG, Sleep. Too many more to list. Other than that I’m influenced by life; by my daughter, Brooklyn, by my friends and family and, of course, by my band.  I’ve been playing in bands for over 20 years now and in this one I’m happier than I think I’ve ever been about any of my old bands.  Just as far as the guys in the band and the way we get along, we’re just always on the same page.  And we have a blast playing these songs, always working on new stuff.  I just seriously love playing music with this band.

Bobbie:  The reason I started playing sludge is that my life has been full of disappointment and regret.  I suffer from a mild case of depression and frustration.  Cavity is one of my all-time favorites along with Buzzov*en and Eyehategod.

Rick:  A lot of various musicians honestly, all across the board, although I find Weedeater and Bongzilla really got my attention.  Sludge is a way for me to be honest in the music I play, and it also gives me anger release.  As the guys will tell you, I play angry!  There’s an honesty in sludge that I don’t feel in any other music.

Chad:  I grew up skateboarding and jamming at house parties. I’d say 80s hardcore and gangsta rap influence and propel my terror.

Shane:  The hopelessness of poverty and a broken family influenced practically every aspect of my life personally and definitely musically. Influential bands include Flaming Lips, COC, Black Flag, Scrog, Cavity, EHG, Avail, Kilara, Grief, Godflesh, Gorilla Biscuits, Spazz, Mephotis.

Wow, the lists you just made pretty much echo a lot of my inspirations.  Damn, nice on the Kilara mention too.  Those guys don’t get enough credit.  Okay…deep time…deeper than a dredge boat in the water (Cavity 7” reference…he he he)…  What makes us play “sludge” fellas?  What is that special feeling we have that makes our music come out slow and twisted….our voices mangled and in pain…and our ideals on the fringe…  I was a sludge singer before I ever sang in a sludge band.  My voice was always louder singing my favorites, always twisting the lines…  Are folks in a sludge band like prophets, informers of that darker side of life and is the way we project seemingly more “normal” things always inherently damaged?  Most of us, band members and fans alike, are all pretty banged up in some way.  Bad luck, strugglin’ through the days, addictions, the law…the outlaw life at one point or another…  You look at EHG, Buzz, Iron Monkey, 16…  I could go on and on, but there’s a similarity in the way so many sludge bands operate when dealing simply with life and many seem to have a tragic adversity or happening that inflicts them all.  I’m trying to get to the root here of what creates this type of music and what elicits us to play it?  Black Sabbath is probably most of everybody’s problem, but even that, we damaged it even further.  What is it about this sound that speaks to the soul and what conditions necessitate the creation of this type of music?   

Shane:  You really dug deep on this question.  When I think about it, you partially answered your own question.  One thing that I have noticed from all the years I’ve been involved in this music, as a fan and a musician, is that there does indeed seem to be a sort of sludge personality type.  I believe it’s a mindset and a worldview about our surroundings.  It’s easy to see that the society mankind has built for itself is fated to crumble.  Most people choose to ignore this fact and make the decision to go ahead and play their individual part.  It’s those few that open their eyes and discover the ugly truth about life and society that seem to share the same outlook on so many aspects of life.  Hopelessness and apathy and all out depression about everything is an ill- advised way to go through each day.  However, this state of mind comes with its own soundtrack.  Sludge and doom style music feel tailor made for the journey through all the muck, slime, and endless miles of shit that we go through every fucking day.  Sludge is a feeling. Sludge is a pure emotion set to the sound of a dying world.  It’s a snapshot of struggle, tragedy, addiction, adversity, and shared misery. 

Beautifully state, brother!  Vitus maybe said it best with the song and album Born too Late, huh?  That’s still such a great take on it.  At the end of the day, we do it because it’s in our blood.  What is everybody doing when they’re not slamming through decay in Midmourner?  Hobbies, other bands, etc…

Matt:  Besides playing in Midmourner, I write and play other music.  I have a couple of things in the works.  I’m also working on a book about the music scene in Birmingham during the 1990s, and a couple of other book projects, I’m also a single father so that keeps me occupied.

Chad:  Hobbies include pimping hoes, a terrible addiction to movies, and I’m constantly on the lookout for new music to pimp hoes by.

Bobbie:  An avid collector of comic books…and I mean AVID collector!  Searching high and low for interesting records to add to my ridiculous vinyl collection, and I’m a much celebrated aficionado of cannabis and its various incarnations.

Rick:  Burning furniture in the back yard with my lovely wife, serving friends half cooked chicken fresh off the grill, not reading….seriously, the smoking of marijuana and performing duties as father and husband.

Shane:  I have a serious love for abstract expressionist and surrealist painting.  I think I’m pretty good, but then again, it’s not up to me.  When I’m not smoking cigarettes, I dabble in writing poetry and short stories.  I have a serious obsession for the study of world religions and philosophy.  Daily activities include being an awesome husband, perfecting my cynicism, and hating everything that exists.

Finally for the gearheads and without giving away any secret recipes, what type of equipment is used to bring this sound to life?  I imagine drums played with tree trunks for sticks, amps taller than Paul Bunyan and a bass guitar that doubles as a nuclear device. 

Matt:  Matamp, mysterious and magical bass

Rick:  Ddrum, Sabian & Paiste

Bobbie:  Marshall, Gibson, Les Paul

Chad:  Ibanez, Pro-Co, Lace, Les Paul

Shane:  Bronchitis/windpipe/vocal chords that God gave me 

Well fellas, I think I’m out of ammunition.  If I forget anything, please feel free to let me know in this final space here.  It’s been a pleasure and I can’t wait to see what Midmourner unleashes on the unsuspecting masses next.  Thanks a ton for doing this interview and for the killer fuckin’ music!                    

Shane:  We really appreciate all the help and support that you have given us in the past year or so.  Thanks a lot for the interview.  The whole band sends its deepest gratitude to the unfortunate music lovers who managed to stumble upon our music or band page, and, for some reason, actually enjoyed what they heard.  Hopefully, we are finally gonna get to work and play some shows throughout the South in order to get the Midmourner name out there for the public. We’re currently searching for a record label interested in putting out a proper release of our new EP, Adorned in Fear and Error.  After achieving these things, world domination is sure to come!

https://midmourner.bandcamp.com/releases

https://www.facebook.com/midmourner00

Adam Abrams:  I’m Adam, I am the bass player

Andy Beresky:  Hey, I’m Andy, and I’m a huge ABBA fan….

Monte Newman:  I’m Monte, on Guitars/Vocals/Spaceship Landing Noises & Sound Effects 

Palace in Thunderland was deactivated for roughly five years before returning to a heightened level of operation with the Stars, Dreams, Seas EP.  That EP blew my mind to put it lightly.  Everyone was busy during the downtime…there was Black Pyramid going, Blue Aside, Space Mushroom Fuzz…  When was it decided that the time was right for a return and what circumstances allowed it to happen?

Adam:  Monte and Andy started jamming again and called me to jam too.  I was psyched to play with them again and even more psyched that they already had some cool songs written by the time I did join them.

Monte:  For me to answer this, I have to give you a quick flashback of what was going on at the time.  When Palace fell apart back then, it was mostly due to the internal stress of all of the administrative/ business side of things.  We were also becoming a very toxic situation, as we all had our own “issues” with one substance or another, or perhaps different realities.  This really didn’t make for a whole lot of motivation or cooperation between us.  Temporarily, it sidelined some pretty close friendships.  Adam, Matt, and I actually glued together a really sketchy set to play a couple of shows that were still on the books.  Eh… It certainly wasn’t Palace.

We tried to put another band together with the 3 of us, but we only wrote a couple of songs. After that, Adam kept to the Boston Area and got involved in a lot of different projects, while Matt and I started a band called HydroElectric. We wrote quite a bit, but eventually I got caught up in some other projects, and Hydro got sidelined momentarily.  Matt joined with Adam, creating Blue Aside.  Andy was already making some waves with Black Pyramid by then, and eventually I got HydroElectric up and running again.  So, there we were…everyone in different projects doing our own things.  We all were actively gigging and had at least an album for each band.  I kind of equate that to all of us going away to ninja music training facilities in unknown solar systems.

Here is where it gets to the answer part; the old hurt feelings and toxic shit had subsided over time, and we had all been talking to each other here and there, especially as we would cross paths just in the local music scene.  Andy was booking shows for one of our favorite venues, and I’m pretty sure all of our bands passed through there on occasion.  When I heard the Andy was done with Black Pyramid, the first thing I decided was that I was putting Palace back together one way or another.  I kept in touch with everyone and kept planting seeds as I could.  Andy and I got together here and there and just jammed out for fun.  No matter what, it was going to be no pressure and no expectations.

At one point, we even had the original drummer playing with us, because I hadn’t yet convinced Matt that this was going to happen.  The end result is that some new material came from the jams, Matt eventually came around, and I ended HydroElectric.  My neighborhood was not going to deal with two bands practicing. But hey…Palace was back, and there was no stopping us.  We put all the shit behind us and decided to just have fun and play the things we wanted to play.  I think we all learned a lot about what we needed to learn during the break, whether it was about business, tone, gear…whatever…  With our revamped skills, gear, and vibes… here we are.

Andy:  Monte called me up basically, asking if I wanted to chill out, jam and have fun.  At first, that’s really what we did; we’d watch TV, drink a couple beers, have some food, and then just jam out.  However, concrete ideas started coming together into songs really quickly, and it was obvious that we had some great new material.  

There’s a lot of ground to cover.  You cats have been busy as hell since getting back together.  First up, I know very little about the The Apostles of Silence.  This was recorded before the breakup with the intention of it being a double album.  It never got the finishing touches.  I’ve started listening to it in preparation for this interview and it’s great!  Very, very Hawkwind sounding…riff-y, psychedelic, the vocal melodies make for some anthems (“A Corpse is a Corpse”).  What was the recording of that album like and why was it aborted midway through?  I’ll be honest, as is, it ain’t no slouch. 

Andy:  What was the recording like?  Well….it was rough to say the least.  Honestly it was a shit show.  I don’t think any of us really knew what we were doing in the studio at that point, and sometimes the studio wasn’t particularly all there either.  There were both personal and technical issues, let’s just leave it at that.  We’re not going to get into the gory details, as it’s a long, long story….

We’d done our first recording basically live in the studio.  Mostly first takes, right to 2 inch tape, with a minimum of overdubs afterwards.  So we were kind of trying to recreate that, though there was a lot more material and it was a lot denser.  There were a lot of factors involved, too many to get into quite honestly, though it was a real learning experience.  Basically, we learned what NOT to do when making a Palace album.  It’s a very flawed recording, there are blatant mistakes on it, sloppy performances, because we were really rushed for time and doing a lot of it live in the studio.  That was one of the big reasons we pulled the plug.  Monte at one point called it a very expensive demo, and that’s pretty accurate.

Monte:  I think that’s where everything that could have gone wrong- did.  The writing and general content of The Apostles of Silence was awesome.  I would definitely re-learn and probably re-work all of those tracks.  We really would have to start from scratch on it, but that would be way worth it.  We can play a million times better than the 1^st time around.  Plus, at this point, we aren’t strangers to the studio.

As you stated, this was around the time of the breakup.  We had been through several drummers before landing Netto, and that had sidelined us several times.  We even missed a really good gig or two because of it.  Tensions were high, and so were we.  You can hear the anger in our playing on that stuff.  The idea was good.  The songs were good.  Our attitudes were not so good. I’m pretty sure somewhere on the internet there was a quote about how it sounded like we wanted to kill each other.  I think we probably did.  It was also a matter of budget, time, and unrealistic expectations, given those details.  One thing is certain… if we do that album again, it will be a bit different, but way better.

Adam:  I thought the recording process went well aside.

As stated in the signed open letter by its creators, if the response is great enough it might be finished someday.  Do you think you guys will go back someday to put the finishing touches on it?  Even back then, Palace didn’t seem like a traditional, stoner by numbers band.  To add onto that, what would you consider the “mission” for this band to be from the beginning?  Experimentation/exploration of the heavy and stepping beyond it seems quite accurate…

Monte:  As I stated previously, I’m in if everyone agrees to do it.  It would likely be completely re-recorded.  I cannot at this time confirm or deny that it has been discussed.  We’ll take it as it comes, maybe when we slow down on the writing.  At this rate though, it could be a while.  We have a shit ton of new material in the works.

I think the mission was always to make music we were proud of and would want to listen to. What exactly that was when we started, I’m not entirely sure.  We all shared similar taste in bands, and at the same time, we were on different sides of the planet.  We weren’t 100% on the same page.  Back then it hindered us, but now it helps us to draw from it all.  We couldn’t really do what we had in our heads yet.  I certainly discovered an interest in stuff Andy was listening to years before.  Andy figured out that if he kept feeding me different music, that I come back with all sorts of new ideas.  Yay Andy!  Again, our time apart in different bands gave us time to learn and appreciate what we could make happen.  The mission now?  Really the same thing, but we see with different eyes…we hear with different ears.  Plus, we are all getting older and just want to have fun.  It’s all a lot easier when it’s fun.

Andy:  I would say that after we finish writing and recording the next album, tentatively titled The King of the Empty Aeon, we’ll finish Apostles.  And by finish, I mean completely redo using more of the DIY recording methodology we’ve developed since the restoration.  I’m a lot happier with Stars, Dreams, Seas and In the Afterglow of Unity than I have been with any other recordings I’ve ever done, even the Black Pyramid ones.  I never fully liked those, they were rushed and we missed a lot of details.  I’m very detail oriented….

As far as the band’s mission?  Well, when we started out, it was really to come up with a unique sound that was both heavy and trippy.  That was pretty unique at the time for our area, I mean, obviously we were drawing heavily off Monster Magnet, Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Clutch, Sleep, The Obsessed, and all that great stuff from the 60’s and 70’s, though no one around here was really doing that.  It was tough for us at first because of that, people didn’t get it and we ended up playing in Boston a lot.  In Western Mass, in our hometowns and such, we’d generally play with punk, hardcore and experimental bands, because the fans were more accepting.  It was tough playing metal shows, because metalcore and nu-metal were the big things.  We’d play our more retro sounding stuff, and people would be like “What is this hippy shit???”  We did a Misfits tribute night, and all the rockers were like, “Man….you guys killed it!!!”  Then we did the same thing with a glam rock tribute night.  We played a Bowie song, a T. Rex tune, and then we totally freaked out on “Virginia Plains” by the Roxie Music.  This dude from a local punk/metal band loved it, thought it was an original, and asked us to play with them.  They had a huge crowd, and then we had an audience.  Playing that scene really helped us grow, it gave us an edge, and we learned to play a crowd rather than just stare at our guitars all introspective-like.  We eventually learned to adapt when we played live, and that was big.

The first tune we worked on, “Sonic Throne”, I basically wanted to write something that was like Ted Nugent’s “Stranglehold.”  No joke, just listen to all the lead guitar workouts.  That’s what I really wanted.  The second one, “Into the Maelstrom”, I wanted something that was trippy like a good Monster Magnet tune, with some more intense heavy riffing.  We listened to a lot of other stuff, and those other influences always crept in, though that was really the mission, heavy and trippy.  Stepping beyond it came a little later, that took time and experience.  I mean, we always experimented and explored, in the practice space, and live.  It took longer for that to come into its own with the songwriting and recordings. 

Holy shit, “The Knight of Infinite Resignation” is kicking my ass right now.  It has that Spirit Caravan groove with a little Thin Lizzy mayhem, intense drumming that’s way more than a simple backbeat and HUGE hooks.  I can’t say everybody plays like that.  Great song!  How was that one written?  Everybody is playing at the top of their game.  Do you still play any of these songs out live?

Monte:  Thanks!  One of my personal favorites…  We throw that one and “Sonic Throne” into a set every now and then, also “Heir to the King of Everything.”

Most of the time, Andy comes in with lots of parts and ideas and then as a band, we put it together and add the other parts necessary.  It seems to be a very collaborative effort, especially these days.  Other times, I’ve been screwing around with something, and Andy stops what he’s doing and tells me not to forget that.  It gets used somewhere.  We all write stuff as a band.  We all arrange stuff as a band.  We have a good formula now, and we’re sticking to it.

Andy:  You certainly have a good ear for this stuff, yeah, this was inspired by Spirit Caravan, and we were listening to a lot of Thin Lizzy at the time.  I’m listening to Thin Lizzy right now actually….  The album has a lot of long, complicated songs, so we wanted to balance that out. It’s a pretty straightforward song, I had all the riffs written and we just pieced it together.  Monte did the solos; we wanted that rhythm break in the middle with the bass and cowbell.  I wrote more Fu Manchu style riffs there.  There’s not much of a story behind it, honestly, maybe the other guys remember more.  This is one that we do play live to this day. 

Thanks for the compliment on my ear!  Okay one more question about the oldies, “Nantucket Trainwreck.”  Bluesy and rockin’ as hell with growlin’ vocals, fuck yeah.  A veiled tribute to Mr. Leslie West, am I correct?  Yes, please finish these tunes!  You have my vote. 

Monte:  Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s correct.

Andy:  Yup, you got it.  I like Mountain and Leslie West’s playing quite a bit, and I love how heavy they got on Nantucket Sleighride when that big riff kicks in.  I suspect that we’ll finish these tunes; they do deserve it and are begging for it. 

Nantucket Sleighride is without a doubt my favorite Mountain album.  On Stars, Dreams, Seas the band lost none of the riffage but started getting even more psychedelic, more tripped-out in both a 70s (Hawkwind, High Tide) and 90s (Hum, Swervedriver) sort of way.  Gloriously spaced-out, righteously rockin’ and totally its own thing, the songs spoke for themselves.  How were these songs written?  What planted the seed since it was the first glimmer of new material in a long time? 

Andy:  These were some of the first songs we wrote, it was basically Monte and I jamming in the basement of his old house.  He’d play a riff, and we’d mess around with it.  Every once in awhile, he’d play something really cool, like the intro riff to “Beyond the Stars”, and I’d be like, “Whoah whoah whoah, do that again, I can work with that….”   That’s also how “Awakened Dream,” “The Sunfaced Moon” and “Soulstorm” came into existence; they were kind of happy accidents.  “The Distant Shore”, I wrote the main riff at home, Monte came up with all those lead licks, and I actually had the heavy, slow part kicking around from the Black Pyramid days.  I didn’t think that would fly for a Black Pyramid song, so I never used it.

Monte:  Since Palace got back together and started writing, we were in fact, riding a wave of energy- an afterglow perhaps. Just like all the other times, a set of ideas were introduced, and everyone got involved.  It was a band effort.  We knew that since it had been so long since we did anything that we had to put something out so people would know that Palace was active again. We knew those songs would be on the album, but we also knew that they would be very different than the EP versions. 

Two of my favorites that you mentioned are “Awakened Dream” which has sort of this Soundgarden/Dozer vibe run through Swervedriver and “The Distant Shore’s” Cure like, dark gothic rock ambience.  …These tunes have far different vibes than your average point n’ stoner rock bands.  The music is coming from a weirder, wilder yonder.  It’s cool to hear somebody slamming riffs into dust, but bringing “alien” influences into the mix.  These influences could be easy to bungle, but Palace makes it sound slick n’ easy.

Andy:  Good ears again my man, I was listening to a lot of Swervedriver and The Cure when we wrote these songs and made this album, and Monte and I were definitely kicking out some Dozer and Soundgarden when we wrote “Awakened Dream.”  I remember distinctively how much we were both listening to that final Dozer album – it’s pretty epic.  That organ tune at the end of Dozer’s last album really influenced Monte’s guitar parts for “The Sunfaced Moon”, because he loved that Dozer song, and he was using octave pedals to get an organ like sound.  We listened to it all the time at practice.  And the latest Soundgarden album had also come out, so we were definitely listening to that and revisiting the older albums.  Not to mention, Soundgarden was one of my biggest influences when I was first learning to play as a lonely teenage Andy….

That was the idea though, to kind of sandwich some more “alien”, weird and wild material between the two more traditional songs.  After the intro, we went right into “Beyond the Stars”, which is pretty traditional.  Then the idea was like, “Well, that’s the last that you’re gonna hear of that for awhile….”  We continue to move farther and farther away from that, really going in different directions while still concentrating on the flow and cohesion of the album.

Monte:  Did I miss the question?  I love Soundgarden and Dozer. I have a dog named Dozer. Seriously… I do.  I also like the Cure.

That last Dozer record is beyond monstrous…such HUGE sounding tunes on that, so nicely played on bottling that lightning.  There was a definite move away from straightforward classic/stoner rock on Stars, Dreams, Seas.  The feel was darker, the riffs more subdued and the rhythms gorgeously pulsing.  There was no lack of heavy, but it didn’t have the flat-out 70s riffs grooves as say the song “The Apostles of Silence (which I’m listening to right now!).”  Really though…the older material had something “different” about it too, even when it was more direct.  Striving to be different seems like it was important from the very beginning.  What changes do you feel that each of you went through as players from the past to present?

Adam: We all got better from the interim bands we were in, especially with recording.

Andy:  Well, honestly, being into the retro heavy and trippy thing in the late 90’s and early 2000’s was really different for around Western Mass.  And don’t ever get me wrong, that was the original intent.  “Sonic Throne” was the first song we ever wrote, followed by “Into the Maelstrom”.  And while “Into the Maelstrom” has that odd post-punk/Fugazi inspired bridge in the middle, I was personally very invested in being a “stoner rock” band early on.  I’ve always felt “different”, oh don’t get that wrong.  The other influences always broke through, though it was a bit reluctant on my part.  In my mind, there was always this question of “Oh shit, can we do this?  Can we get away with this??  Is this kosher???  Are we going to be judged or considered inauthentic for incorporating these influences????”  That was definitely what changed going into this album; I totally stopped worrying about any of that crap and just embraced my diverse past and random influences.  I actually listened to so much folksy indie stuff while I was writing, and I think that really added a whole other element that’s not readily apparent.

I’ll admit – I had a lot of preconceived ideas of the influences that I wanted to come to the table, and then the forefront.  I was like, “Hey guys, let’s listen to a lot of Failure and Hum.”  That happened.  It’s really interesting because every single band that you mentioned prior, that was one of those Wednesday nights in Monte’s basement listening to tunes.  Even Torche and Mastodon, we listened to a lot of Torche….

Monte:  For me, I learned a lot between the inception of Palace, the time off, and the reunion. Adam, Andy, and I had been in other projects together since 1994?  We had our chemistry.  None of us really knew how to play.  Andy and I used to jam out to Green Day and Pumpkins shit at first.  Ha!  All of us were pretty much self-taught.

Things really started coming together for me when Palace broke up.  I had to step up on vocals because I couldn’t find anyone I liked to do the job in Hydro.  Also, being the only guitar player meant that I had to come up with more to fill the void of the two guitar attack I was used to dealing with.  I had to write riffs around being able to sing, but still sound decent.

I used to think you could buy a good tone with awesome gear, but unless you really know what to do with it, you’re just a kid with a bunch of fancy equipment like a deer in headlights.  I learned a lot about sounds by experimenting with tons of effects pedals and using different pickups.  It was no longer about how loud can this get (although we do have plenty of wattage behind us) but how sweet does it sound.  I immersed myself in music for that time.

Like I said, it was like training camp for future Palace stuff.  I think this is pretty good advice for anyone playing in a band that wants to get to the next level.  Practice, listen to as much different music as you can, learn to use the gear you have, and take care of it.  Never give in and never give up.  If you play at midnight to just the sound guy and the bartender, give it everything you got because it’s good practice for when you get that Friday night gig with a packed house. 

These three tunes were re-recorded and revamped for the brand new, completely awesome album In the Afterglow of Unity.  I LOVE this record.  It’s certainly from another place and time far beyond the one we know.  Very interesting album title which I could see meaning a few different things…  How did you come up with it and what significance does it hold?  It really sums up the album as there is a unity in the way it plays from the first note till the last.  

Andy:  It was a lyric from the song “The Distant Shore” that struck me as particularly fitting for the title of our album.  The most obvious meaning is that, yes, we’re unified as a band again.  We have a unified vision, and there’s a certain flow and unity that we utilized in the writing and recording.  Obviously there are some “mystical” overtones to the phrase, so feel free to interpret that as you see fit based on your chosen belief system.  Some people seem to think it’s about sex….no, it’s not, though I can see where they’re coming from.  I like sex a lot, though quite honestly, I rarely write about it.  Maybe I should start??

Monte:  It has many meanings, and what’s cool is that you can take it to be what fits you.  For me, it’s the afterglow of being able to make music with some long-time, childhood friends, who over time have really turned out to be my musical soul-mates, so to speak.  We have certain chemistry for writing and playing.  I love these guys.  We have a good time making the music we want to play.

The “scene” we know has changed a lot since the Palace’s inception in the late 90s.  From my perspective, I feel you guys are taking the sound in a whole different direction.  The riffs are still there, the rhythms will still bust your back, but there’s a trippier, more textured direction to the sound that a lot of bands aren’t capable of.  What do you think is necessary for longevity, or the sustainment of existence for a hard rock or stoner oriented bands nowadays?  To me it feels like Palace is taking the genre in the direction it needs to go for survival.  

Adam:  Genres and scenes have to change otherwise they will start to get stale.  I embrace this new direction and think it’s going in the right direction.

Andy:  Yeah, that was the idea, to really go for texture and atmosphere on this one.  I wanted to embrace the influence and approach of those heavier shoegaze bands, like Ride and Swervedriver, who really layer things and utilize some pretty trippy effects.  Smashing Pumpkins are another huge one; Siamese Dream was pretty much the template for how I wanted this album to sound sonically.

As far as what is necessary for a band in this genre these days, I think you really have to grow and be willing to work outside of the box.  Expand your influences, listen to everything that you can, don’t be afraid to experiment, and never censor the best parts of yourself.  Play what you want to hear.  Surrender yourself to your art, and let the rest follow.  Don’t worry about the music industry until you absolutely have to, as that can quickly take the focus away from the music itself.  I think that’s where a lot of bands go wrong, and that’s definitely been my personal experience.

Monte:  We write what we want to play. We do what’s fun and inspiring, and if people dig it, then that’s a bonus for us. I think at this point we are all looking to enjoy what we do.  I’d rather enjoy it in my basement with these 3 other guys (who really are family at this point) than hate what I do in front of lots of people.

For people like us that enjoy this type of music, it will never really die.  Just like the 80’s hair bands that will never go away, our scene will always exist. Will it ever go beyond the garage or the local bar?  Maybe it will, but I don’t have any expectations either way. It’s better if I don’t.  I just want to rock and have a good time.  What we do is more of a therapy session. We get our aggressions out, we forget about that shitty week at work.  It’s that time when I feel like my soul is on fire as I float above the earth.  THAT is what we do.  We float above the earth, and if anyone wants to join us, they are welcome in Thunderland. 

Wow, great answer by everybody on that and very true!  I’ll ask specifically about a few of my favorite songs and movements from the record in a bit, but right now I wanted to focus on the recording as a whole.  Andy has hinted to me that there is a definite story behind how the songs came together and the recording phase…  I always have time for a story, if you’re in a telling mood!  

Adam:  We had a plan and followed through with it.

Monte:  Andy pretty much writes all of the lyrics. I gotta say… he’s brilliant with that shit.  I fancy myself as a really good writer, but he comes up with some seriously awesome stuff.  I wouldn’t try to change any of it.  I write stuff all the time, but it’s not necessarily for Palace.  Our formula is working just fine.

I know for sure that each song has a story to tell, and because we are all so close, we would know what they relate to, but the lyrics and the songs are written in such a way that I think anyone could take away an appropriate meaning from them, depending on what is happening in their lives. These songs really do speak for themselves and speak to humanity in general.

As for the recording phase; we wanted to do a very guitar heavy album.  Not just heavy riffs, but just lots of tracks.  So many guitar tracks we had trouble remembering what was what.  We used different guitars, different cabs, different amps, different effects, and different mics.  Basically, everyone brought over their entire arsenal of gear and we pretty much used everything at some point.  We took our time and set no limits on it because we really wanted this album to be killer. We started off trying to keep precise notes as to what gear was used for each song, but that got a bit out of hand.  There was no way to keep track of it all.

Andy:  There are a couple larger stories; it’s basically about a bunch of Zen anarchist techno-alchemists running amok in the not-so-distant dystopian future.  I read a lot of comics, and I really wanted it to be a bit like reading a comic book, though in music form.  Kind of like what Ogre did with Plague of the Planet….

Anyways, it’s kind of semi-biographical, like a fictionalized, romanticized version of what we do every week in that basement.  We kind of use all this big, loud, weird gear to create this sound that’s one part technology, one part humanity, and one part just pure spontaneous magic, and there’s the alchemy.  That’s really how the album came together, I mean, you can see some of the pictures and videos on our Facebook.  We spend months experimenting with different tones and effects, and we capture it all on tape, so to speak.  We were just down in Monte’s basement, the Thunderland Compound as we like to call it, and we were going wild with guitar tracking.  At one point Monte’s wife asked him why we were just making noises for weeks, rather than playing any actual songs.  Well….we were doing both, in a sense.

There is a flow from track to track that you can hear even if you’re just listening to it digitally.  I hope to pick-up the hardcopy soon so I can play it from front to back on a good stereo.  Connecting the songs seemed to be important and there’s an almost, synth like effect happening in certain sections and even endings of songs, although I know that zero keyboards were used on the record.  How did you achieve these perceived effects, as well as the cohesion that stitches the tunes together?

Monte:  The songs going from one to another was a planned effort.  It’s something that we all agreed was a neat idea.  The album can stand as a group of songs individually, as well as one big piece with several movements.  Having instrumentals and tripped out transitions definitely helped to stitch it all together.

There were a lot of effects pedals used with and without the guitars plugged into them.  I think at this point, we really have mastered our FX pedal thing.  Some of those synth-y sounds were intentional with different combinations of pedals, and some just came out of natural harmonic content and overtones.

Andy:  Well, I had a really good idea of how I wanted the album to flow.  We’d played it live from start to finish for a couple shows before we recorded, we practiced it that way, and we knew exactly what we were doing with the basic, main instruments and tracks.  So we laid the big, crunchy guitars down in a manner that would allow us to overlap a lot of the feedback that starts and ends the songs.  After that, it was just a matter of putting the icing on the cake.  Monte has some cool pedals that he gets synth-like sounds out of, octave pedals, oscillators, flanged reverbs, different echoes and such.  I’ve got a slightly different approach with my pedals, a little more using the slide, picking behind the nut, natural and artificial harmonics, pick slides, some more organic techniques that are then heavily layered with effects.  It was a bit chaotic at first, when we had all the tracks and weirdness in its raw form, though Justin Pizzoferrato did a great job mixing it all into a coherent form, and Mark Miller also really nailed it as far as seamlessly piecing the songs together the way we wanted them to flow.  I sent him extensive notes, and it came together pretty quickly.

“Troglodytes” is a real power-rocker.  It has that anthem quality that Steve Brooks and friends managed in Floor/Torche, but it has a harder, 70s riff-style going and is more rhythmically crunching.  There’s a catchy punk element to it with the “woah oh-ing” and everything else.  Killer stuff dudes!  How was this one written and laid down in the studio?  I can imagine it being a live favorite.  Those drum fills are the definition of “sonic.”  It feels like everyone is playing off of each other at a heightened level.  

Adam:  If I’m remembering correctly, “Troglodytes” was written just before the 2007 breakup.

Monte:  This is one of our favorites to play, and it has been a crowd favorite as well.  We play it live all of the time.  No problem.  It probably sounds even ballsier because of the adrenaline on stage.  It’s actually an older song we were working on at the time Palace broke up.  We tracked it the same as the rest of the songs.  Matt went into the studio at Sonelab with some scratch tracks and did the drum parts.  We spent the next 7 or 8 months in my basement studio tracking all the guitar parts.  Did vocals in Andy’s stairwell at his place, and Adam did the bass at his studio in Boston.  It was mixed by Justin Pizzoferrato and mastered by Mark Miller at Sonelab in Easthampton, Mass.

Andy:  Yeah, Adam is right.  We were playing this live before we broke up.  I wrote the parts during a period where I was listening to a lot of Torche and Floor, though if you listen, there’s a lot of Dinosaur Jr./Swervedriver influence during the more jangly/chime-y guitar section in the middle.  Monte and Netto came up with the “ooh-ing” and “ah-ing”, and that really makes it come together.  Netto did some of the lead vocals on this one too, he wrote the last vocal part, and I backed him up, along with Adam.  Yeah, we did vocals in the stairwell of my old house.  We were going to look for something really cool and ambient to do the vocals in, like an old barn, or a haunted house, or something cool, though in the end, my open stairwell sounded really good.  It was convenient, as the other guys would just stop by and do their parts.  Monte nailed all his backing vocals for the album in a single take.

And I dig that everyone gets involved with the vocals…  There are not enough of those multi-part harmony kinda bands going these days.  Floyd, Beatles, Outlaws, King’s X, hell even Kylesa…  It seems like you were striving to achieve that sort of effect on a lot of these songs and even the lead parts are traded between you guys sometimes as well, right? 

Andy:  Yeah, I mentioned that a little bit above as well.  Going back to Apostles, you’ll notice that on “A Corpse is a Corpse”, Monte is singing leads on the quieter bridge part.  It was an old Skyball song that we never really did much with, and Monte wanted to use it there, and to sing it.  It works really well.  Monte and Netto did a lot of backing vocals on that album, and I believe that the title song, “The Apostles of Silence”, was the first time we did three part harmonies.  We’d end up doing them again when we re-did “Bastard of Puppets” – the three of us sang on the choruses together.

For Afterglow, we did a lot more than that.  Netto had planned on singing the lead part for the ending of “Troglodytes,” though if you listen closely, you’ll notice that we traded off lines during the faster part.  This was because my voice was getting really shot from screaming the higher register stuff.  Netto is a lot better at that than me.  I have a lot of trouble with my voice, touring with Black Pyramid was a constant battle because of that, and my vocals weren’t always great live as a result.  I haven’t struggled near as much since we figured out that it was better to have Netto do that higher register shouting type stuff, as that’s really his thing and it fries my throat.  He ended up doing the lead part during the chorus of “Before the Dawn Descends”, and I sang the lower harmony.  More and more, we’re learning what works for us as a band.

Monte:  I’ve always loved to sing, and I think that everyone in the band can pretty much say that.  Adam is a little shy, but he sings too.  Andy really does most of the lead vocal stuff, although I know that I’m supposed to be doing some more singing in the future.  Matt and I sang a lot, and then sometimes even Adam does the harmony parts for backup vocals. 

One of my favorite passages on the album is the stretch of “Deus Ex Machine” to the hooky as fuck, “Decadent Decay.”  Am I correct in assuming that these almost like couplet of songs within the greater arc?  This trio really goes together and its sequencing (like everything else) feels very purposeful.  The middle piece “Pink Quarter” instantly calls back to the themes heard on the opener instrumental, “The Owl in Daylight.”  Sequencing is a lost art…  Collections of songs are badass, but I do miss the glorious landmarks from the 60s and 70s, the eras of the album, where each tune was placed with intent to create a course of musical travel.  How about relating the sequencing here to some of your favorite albums of those eras for a guide point?  Would you consider this album to have a theme, or musical idea that is returned to in select instances to keep the flow uniform?  

Monte:  We definitely have been doing things in 3s.  It seems to work out that way.  The album is definitely intended to be played front to back, much like multiple movements to a larger piece. Ultimately the tales of each song are part of the story that the album tells.  There are definitely some recurring themes going on throughout, as well as some teasers before hand.

Andy:  Yeah, the songs are largely grouped in threes.  All the sequencing is quite purposeful; we’re obviously quite influenced by the concept albums of the 60’s and 70’s.

“Decadent Decay” would be a bit hit if I owned a radio station.  It would be one of those songs you’d hear more than once in a day.  The big riffs are there, the drumming is pounding but introspective, the bass breathes and the chorus is a show-stealer.  Don’t mistake me for saying “Oh, nice pop song.”  Yeah, there’s a pop structure to it but the instrumentals are still progressive and edgy.  How was this one put together?  It’s one of my favorites.  If pop songs were this good in the here and now, I’d tune into the radio much more often!  

Andy:  Thanks man!  It was meant as a catchier song, for sure.  I wanted it to be all over the place, stylistically.  I really like Adam’s basslines on this song.  They’re subtle and melodic, and they add a lot of texture.    It’s the rhythm section that really allows us to jump around so smoothly and play with the juxtaposing stylistic elements on this song.

Monte:  I love this song.  It’s really fun to play, and the writing is solid.  Most of my friends say this is a favorite.  It was put together like all of the other songs.  Andy came in with some parts and a basic structure…we wrote the missing parts and glued it all together.

It’s no secret that Palace has an affinity for some underappreciated 90s bands.  The 90s really are an underappreciated time for hard rock.  Seattle had much more to offer than 5 or so big bands (who are great too, but there’s a lot of others you shouldn’t miss), Maryland doom/rock was still full force, then there were bands like Hum, Shiner, Swervedriver, Failure, Handsome…  Somehow a lot of this stuff didn’t get the credit from rock fans who still yearned for that 70s level of innovation.  The 90s really didn’t forget about that stuff.  What are some of your favorites from the time period?  Why do you think a lot of that music was totally ignored at the time?  Thankfully, it seems like it’s getting some attention again.  I bought Downward is Heavenward the literal day it came out and if In the Afterglow of Unity was released on that exact date I would have had my listening needs fulfilled for quite a long period of time!  

Monte:  I would say that I’m guilty of paying more attention to those bigger bands you speak of. Pearl Jam Ten was huge for me, as was anything Soundgarden.  Obviously I would tell you that Temple of The Dog was badass too.  Never really got into Nirvana until they did the Unplugged thing.  I didn’t start listening to Swervedriver or Failure until much later, although it was a good discovery for me.

I was still stuck on my 80’s hair metal stuff.  I was more into Motley Crue, Faith No More, Tesla, Cinderella, etc…  I still am.  I even go on those crazy Monsters of Rock Cruises every year.  So yeah, I was THAT guy.  My tastes have certainly broadened at this point though.

The bands that were ignored at the time suffer from the same problem as a lot of other bands.  It was either already being done by someone else or it wasn’t marketable enough.  Perhaps the particular scene was saturated with similar acts.  There could really be a million reasons that they didn’t get the attention that they should have.  I have always said that there are bands out there better than any band we have ever heard, but we will never hear them because the music industry doesn’t give a shit if they can’t make them money.  It’s all a matter of timing and opportunities.

Andy:  Monte, you sell yourself short dude.  You were totally into bands like Nudeswirl, Cell, and TAD in the 90’s.  You dug Therapy? and no one dug that band except me, you, and our friend Blaser.  Sure, we listened to the mainstream stuff back then, though we were listening to The Melvins as well.

Glad to see Therapy? get some love.  I’m a long-time fan of those guys. “Before the Dawn Descends” does a lot with a minimalist template.  The vocal lines are sparse repeating a few phrases as a mantra, the rhythm is all hypnotist stuff and the riff cycles a groove that makes you stay in for the long haul.  Reminds me a bit of the slower side of the 90s like Red House Painters and Low but with much more hard rockin’ grooves…  What was the composition of this one like? 

Andy:  Once again, good ears.  I don’t know Red House Painters, though I had started listening to Low during the writing and recording of this album.  I had the intro and outro riff hanging around, once again it was an idea I’d come up with while playing with Black Pyramid, though I didn’t think it would work with that band.  The main riff, the more intricate melodic one when the distortion first kicks in, I had just had it kicking around in my head.  It was really hypnotic, and I was literally hearing it in my head all day before I finally got home and figured it out on the guitar!  It wasn’t simple to work out on the guitar either, as the phrasing is a bit odd.

From there, the rest kind of fell in place, I came up with a verse and chorus, the bridge, and then we arranged the second half of the song based on variations of that intro motif.  The lyrics came together really quickly, and once again I liked the minimalism and repetition.  I was tempted to write more lyrics, though ultimately went with the old “Second verse, same as the first.”  It felt like the natural thing to do, no need to force things….

Adam:  “Before the Dawn Descends” has my favorite lyrics on the album.

Monte:  Like many of the tunes, Andy had a basic structure and some parts written.  He usually says, “Monte, I need you to figure out some parts to go with x/y/z stuff I came up with.”  Adam and Matt also write their parts, and in most cases, the songs evolve as we go. We come up with lots of changes in our songs, so they never really get boring to play.

Closer, “The Surfaced Moon” does a number on me.  Damn, that’s an emotional song.  Andy was telling me that the subject matter of the song was even deeper than I had suspected.  The song is a grandstand masterpiece, a sprawling jam the likes of which are becoming a precious commodity as the 70s fade further off into the distance.  What was the lyrical inspiration behind the song and how was it arranged in practice and then the studio for the recording?   Those leads and how they transition into a gargantuan riff against the Earthy rhythmic canvas are too good to be true!  How did each member of the band provide their stamp to this piece?

Monte:  We were screwing around with some random parts & jams, and Andy heard me making mysterious synth sounds.  At that point it really started coming together.  Again, as we brought the other guys back into the fold, things evolved.

Andy:  Yeah, this wasn’t really a “song” at first.  We were just screwing around and jamming at first, and I had this kind of Pink Floyd type clean progression.  Monte started doing the organ/synth noises using an octave pedal and some other effects.  It sounded cool, though I really didn’t consider it a song for awhile.   It kind of evolved from there.  I had those heavier ending riffs ready to go, they were actually some of the stuff that I’d written for a third Black Pyramid album, which I had pretty much written by the time we finished BP II and I left the band.  The thing was I didn’t think much of that material was going to work for Black Pyramid, not the way things were going at the time.  It was very different than what we’d done that far, and I think that ultimately it was more suited for Palace, so all is well that ends well.  Anyways, those riffs ended up working great to wrap up this song, and that’s when things really started coming together.  Adam is a big Floyd-head, so he came up with those flowing, melodic baselines pretty quickly, and Netto fit right in with the drums.  The arrangement isn’t really that complicated, though there are a lot of layers.

I used my Les Paul clean through my OR120 with a heavy delay for the main guitar track.  I doubled with a 12 string through this old amp Adam has, and we went with a clean tone with tons of reverb and a smooth tremolo.  Monte used his Green clean, and one track was an octave with some forms of delay and phaser.  The second track was that ElectroHarmonix organ emulator, which was an interesting addition, because he was already doing those kinds of sounds before they developed that pedal!

We added some acoustics and other layers, honestly, I don’t remember all the details anymore.  Monte used a big fuzz with a phaser during my solo part, and his acoustic is echoing the organ part in the background.

We went with the Hawkwind/freakout ending; it seemed a really great way to end the album.  We pulled out all the stops, so I really have no idea what we did exactly for that ending.  We wanted to end with a bit of chaos, to kind of juxtapose the really calculated instrumental intro “The Owl in Daylight.”

As far as the lyrics, yeah, it’s heavy material.  I really wrote it about all the people we’ve lost in the heavy rock/stoner/doom community in the last few years.  I’m sure you knew some of the people I’m talking about here. A lot of them were young guys, my age, people who I had varying degrees of rapport with.  It really got me to thinking about life, death, mortality and loss, so the way I processed some of those feelings was to write about it.  In a lot of ways, all of my lyrics are “autobiographical” in a certain light, just mixed with various degrees of metaphor and allegory.

That slide guitar solo was done with someone specific in mind, who was really into slide and pedal steel.  He died kind of suddenly, just when a lot of people in the community thought that his health had taken a turn for the better.  It was really painful, and I tried to channel some of that grief into that solo. 

Who writes the lyrics?  Is it a collective effort or sole?  I’m just curious because I really get some power from the words.  They really fit with what’s happening on an instrumental level.  

Monte:  I repeat…Andy pretty much writes all of the lyrics. I gotta say…he’s brilliant with that shit.  I fancy myself as a really good writer, but he comes up with some seriously awesome stuff. I wouldn’t try to change any of it.  I write stuff all the time, but it’s not necessarily for Palace. Our formula is working just fine.

Andy:  Guilty as charged, I write the lyrics.  Netto wrote a couple of the lines that he sings, and actually made a few suggestions to me as well.  For instance, he wrote the line from “Troglodytes,” “Leave your soul on the side of the road.”  I just out of the blue asked him for a line, and he fired that right back at me.  It works.  I don’t know, perhaps it will become more collaborative. We’ve been going more in that direction as we progress, especially in terms of arrangements and composition.  I ask the other guys more and more what they think of ideas and for their input on arrangements.  I’ve honestly been a little stuck with lyrics for some of the new songs, so perhaps I’ll ask for more input.  All of us know how to write songs.

I think the one obstacle for that has been what you’ve just described a bit. I generally write the verses and chorus riffs and chords for a very specific reason: I know what is going to work for how I sing.  That’s probably why the lyrics fit with what’s happening musically so well.  Generally I write the music for a verse or chorus, and just sing stream of consciousness until I come up with a couple of phrases and ideas that kind of stick.  They have to really resonate with me, and with the music and the emotions I’m experiencing as I play the parts.  Then I write the rest of the lyrics around those “sticky” ideas…

Honestly, I really don’t know where the songs are coming from at times.  Because I start them out stream of consciousness style, they often come from deep parts of my psyche, my subconscious.  A lot of time, I don’t even know what they mean at first, and then later on, after I listen back to them, and it’s almost like I was trying to tell myself something.  I know that sounds strange.  It is really strange…. 

Finally, who did drew up the artwork we saw on the hardcopy?  I like that Andy is holding the copies in the one photo like a dealer’s deck!  Ha ha.  I definitely want to procure one soon.  How many were made and was the layout/creating done all in house?

Monte:  Andy and Adam know this one. I forget, but it’s badass!

Adam:  Ralph Walters did the cover art. I’ve seen him work on his art in person, seen a few of his paintings and he also did the Blue Aside – Moles of a Dying Race and Space Mushroom Fuzz – Man in the Shadow covers.  He’s definitely an incredible artist!

Andy:  Ralph really came through for us.  He did all the design and layout, and he did it really quickly based on some rough, vague, and complicated ideas that I threw at him.  He’s incredibly talented and a great guy to work with.

What is happening on the live front for the record?  I know you guys have done some shows including the CD release party.  The video footage I’ve seen is killer.  I’m leaving the house on a scarce basis these days, but I’d come out for this if I got the chance.  Will you be doing any touring in support of the record or mostly local stuff?  How do you feel the live performances expand upon what was recorded?  There seems like a lot of space for someone to run wild if they want to.  Netto’s drumming consistently blows me away!  Without giving too much away do you take any jam opportunities while playing live?

Andy:  Well, I’m not sure how much touring we can do, or even how much we’d want to do.  I’m okay to do long weekend type things or even slightly longer tours if they’re lucrative.  It’s tough, we work, we have families, we’re not 25 year olds with no responsibilities anymore.  When we were, we didn’t have our shit together enough to even make albums like this!  Locally, it’s also tough because we don’t want to be out playing the same venues every weekend.

As far as how the live performances compare to the recording, they’re bit more stripped down and mean.  We rely more on raw power, less on texture and atmosphere.  Those elements are obviously still there, it’s not like we leave the pedal boards at home or anything.  Monte tends to really run wild live with “Deus Ex Machina”, and I lay back until I dawn a Darth Vader mask at the end.

As far as jamming, the older stuff is a bit more conducive to that.  “Sonic Throne” can get really jammed out, sometimes we all take solos.  It’s a good one to end longer sets.  We tweak some of the arrangements of those older songs based on what we want to do that night.  We actually have a pretty good back catalog, so we can really cater our sets to what we want to do for that given show.

I think that we’ll be writing some “jammier” stuff in the future, without giving too much away, of course….

Monte:  We definitely plan on doing more shows now that the CD is out.  Our philosophy has always been (since the reunion) that we would do fewer shows, but better ones.  We don’t want to over saturate our exposure in certain areas, and we still need some more momentum in other places.  We are thinking quality, not quantity.  I’m assuming at some point we will have to do a few little mini-tours. What exactly those will be are still undetermined at this point, but we do actively discuss these things.

Jamming out is a fun luxury when we get to do it, but it’s only been done at the shows where we have excessive time for a set.  Sometimes we throw in old instrumental jams off of the Apostles of Silence, like “Phantasmagoric Armageddon part II.”  Most of the new things we write actually have some pretty specific parts and timing.  Lots of things we do are never an exact re-creation each time.  There are parts that are recurring though. 

Andy’s already told me about at least one new song in the pipeline.  I’m excited for what’s next.  You can get your bottom dollar on that.  Can you reveal any secrets about what’s next?  Will another full-length album be in the future?

Monte:  We are really about 5 songs-ish into a new full length at this point.  The album might even have a tentative name.  We have talked about EP’s and Splits, etc…  Maybe a vinyl release if we get the right situation.  We are constantly discussing all options; keeping in mind that things (just like our songs) can possibly evolve and take other forms. For all we know, we’ll be writing a musical for Broadway.  I doubt that, but that’s how open we are to changing things as needed.  It’s really all about that timing and opportunity.

Andy:  The working title is The King of the Empty Aeon.  Yes, we’ve got four songs written, one instrumental mapped out, and some rough parts for a sixth song.  So we’re well into the next album at this point.  I’m not sure if 2016 is realistic, though I’d say that we’ll definitely have it done for 2017.  We’re bringing a lot of different influences to the fold, even more than on Afterglow.  It’s going to sound much different, and it’s still going to sound like Palace.  That’s what we do….

We’re also planning on doing a split 12” in 2016, details forthcoming.  We’re still in talks about the Broadway musical. 

What other projects will we see back in action?  Is Palace the central focus or is there still time for Blue Aside and Space Mushroom Fuzz to get around.  I know Andy’s been getting down acoustic.  Fill me on in what other musical madness is happening in the off hours.  

Monte:  I can’t speak for everyone else, but Palace is the main focus for me at this point.  I’m sure you will see Blue Aside and Space Mushroom Fuzz continue with new music as there is time and opportunity.  I can’t say I could predict any other happenings, but who knows what may come.

Andy:  I’m working on a solo album.  I’ve been working on it for years.  It’s really different, really indie/folk/psych/shoegaze.  I’m really having trouble coming up with the tones that I’d like to use.  I’m extremely detail oriented, and it’s just been difficult figuring out exactly how I want it all to sound.  It’s all very new to me, in a sense.  I know how to do the thick, heavy, fuzzy tones.  It’s a little tougher for me to shift gears and engineer the tones that I’d like for mellower material.  I’d like to also do another garage/psych band at some point.  I love that kind of stuff, and it’s so fun to play!

Adam:  Blue Aside recorded its third album The White Staff Burned by the Blue Sun around the same time as In the Afterglow of Unity and it is being released in late September on Hydro-Phonic records.  Space Mushroom Fuzz is always working on a new release although that project might be ending late October and being replaced by something new. 

Thanks so much to all of you for doing this interview with me.  I’m a fan of everything you guys do and I’m very happy to have Palace back in action.  If there is anything I forgot or didn’t ask during this interview, please feel free to include it here.  In the meantime, I’ll be anxiously awaiting what shape the new music will take on.  Over and out!

Andy:  Dude, thanks for taking the time to interview a small town band like us!  The pleasure is all ours!!  I would like to take a minute to publicly apologize to all the Black Pyramid fans who may have been confused, concerned, or upset around my own behavior and/or what was happening with the band around the time of my departure.  I personally was just not in a very good headspace.  There were some outside factors profoundly clouding my judgments and influencing my decisions, and I was really struggling with some really big decisions around what to do with the rest of my life.  That doesn’t excuse any of my behavior, nor justify it, though I wanted to put that out there in an authentic way.  Clay and I are on great terms at this point, so I’m really happy that we were able to leave the three ring circus behind us, and move forward with what we each want to do with our lives….

Monte:  HydroElectric is what I (Monte) was up to when Palace broke up initially, and I ended that in order to focus on Palace when we reunited.  We put out an album, which featured guest appearances by both J.Mascis and Murph of Dino Jr. Fame.  You can find more info about this on http://www.hydroelectricmusic.com/

http://palaceinthunderland.bandcamp.com/

http://www.facebook.com/PalaceInThunderland

So let’s get the boring one out of the way- tell me how a guy from Black Sun Aeon/Before the Dawn, a folk metal band, Kivimenstan Druidi and another guy from some more obscure bands like Devilhorn, The Zombi come together to form this force of unholy Swedish styled  death metal?

The band was put together in January 2012 by me, Löndgren and our original drummer Ristölä. Me and Löndgren play in The Zombi but the band was (and still is) in a long hiatus so we decided to form a new band because we had the burning urge to play death metal. The Zombi is quite technical death metal and we wanted to do something with a more simple approach. After a few line-up changes the group has become a solid gore splashing trio, with The Zombis drummer Aki Kuusinen playing the session drums. We have known each other for many years.

 Clearly the band is influenced by the Swedish death metal legends- any one band, album or song in particular? Seem like modern revivalists Entrails are an influence as well

The biggest musical inspiration came from Bloodbath, at least in the beginning. We are influenced by many genres, not just swedish death metal. Personally I don’t listen to Swedish type death metal that much but of course people can hear some Dismember, Grave and Entombed in our sound, those are the bands from this genre that we are familiar with. I think I need to check out Entrails because their name keeps popping out all the time when we are being reviewed or interviewed!

 Are there any of the modern Swedish styled death metal bands that you guys think have really nailed it

I’m really not that familiar with newer bands as I don’t listen to Swedish death metal that much. Hell, I don’t even listen to death metal in general these days but Bloodbath’s latest album is awesome, despite the change of the vocalist. Facebreaker is a good one too.

Do you think the fact the style is blowing up again is cause for concern that it might get saturated or good for the style?

Yes, it seems that the HM-2 sound is making a majestic return. I’m not concerned, the more HM-2 we have in the world, the better place it will be.

 The production on the album is sick- one of the best throwback tones i have heard. who produced/mastered and how was the tone achieved?

The first demo was recorded in our previous drummer’s summer cabin, engineered by Mika Ojala (Damngod) and mixed by Paavo Härkönen (The Zombi) and IBH-EP was recorded in our rehearsal room with the same guys. We used quite simple and even quite cheap gear to get this sound. The guitar sound is put together through Marshall JCM800 bass-amp with Boss HM-2 pedal, of course every knob turned to the max. You can get a really good and crushing sound if the sound engineers know what they are doing. We are very happy to have Mika and Paavo helping us, they will be with us for the debut album too.

What do you think it is about that sound and tone that makes it so timeless and classic?

There is no better sound than the soulraping Boss HM-2 sound. Nothing else sounds even remotely as crushing and ballbreaking. I’ve been wondering that why doesn’t everyone just use that sound instead of their shitty dry 5150 or Mesa sounds. Their loss.

The album was released on Blast Head records is a collection of two demos from 2012 and 2013. Do you have new material written?

We have written a complete album of new music, still missing some lyrics but we’re getting there. Well, better be getting there as we will hit the studio in 10th of June to record our debut album.

When can we expect a new album? would you like to work with Blast Head Records again?

We have an early schedule to release the album in the end of October. We would be more than happy to work with Blast Head Records again but I can’t discuss any details yet.

Why the Ghost BC cover ? Its the obvious choice a cover of one of the Dismember/Entombed/Grave Classics? For the record i was really hoping it was “The PrIme Mover” sung by Zodiac Mindwarp from the 80s.

Me and Löndgren are big fans of Ghost and when we were thinking about covering something, Ghost was the obvious choice for us. It would be quite boring to cover Entombed or Dismember as we already seem to have quite similar sound.

Can we expect more covers on future releases?

Maybe!

Any touring to support the band/release? What would be your ideal tour?

We are doing some shows in Finland before the album release but after the album release, we are aiming to play outside of Finland. Ideal tour.. a free tour! But seriously, few weeks in Europe would be a good start. After that, USA and Japan supporting Cannibal Corpse?

Ok , I have to ask- why the umlauts on the word “morbid?

When the band was put together, we wanted to have the most stupid name possible. At first the name was Morbid Vomit but we put the umlauts there to make ite even more retarded. Our music was supposed to be really lo-fi shit, thus the dumb name. The first songs turned out to be “too good” to be recorded lo-fi so we went with a more professional approach to have a crushing sound, yet we kept the name Mörbid Vomit.

Parting words?

Thank you for the interview, like our page on facebook to have all the news regarding the upcoming debut album!

https://www.facebook.com/morbidvomit

http://www.blastheadrecords.com/

Yes, both Matt and I were part of those tours… Matt doing guitar/vocals in 2012 and I was a guest drummer playing “Baptized In Blood” and also helping my buddy Sean Reinert out in 2013. One night Exhumed was on the bill as direct support and apparently Matt was impressed with how I played and we basically bonded over drinks chatting about our mutual obsession with old school metal and old Death in particular. I eventually had this idea of doing a Leprosy-era DTA with Terry Butler, Rick Rozz, Matt, and myself. When that fell through, Matt and I were both still into the idea enough that Matt suggested that we should just write our own Death songs to which I of course said HELL YES!

Like most crazy ideas it fell by the wayside until about a year later when I had quit MC and then contacted Matt about his crazy idea. Within a few weeks he sent me a demo which I thought sounded like a lost Death demo and got a little excited about it. I recorded some live drums over his midi-guitar demo and then he got a little excited about it and wrote another song. Once things started to look like we were going to get a bit more serious I enlisted my friend Daniel Gonzalez of Possessed as I figured that he’d be a perfect fit. We recorded a 5 song demo, released a song through Decibel Magazine and Relapse Records really liked it. We signed with them because of their heritage and of course ownership of the Death catalog. After that I also got one of my oldest friends Robin Mazen to play bass and away we went.

Are the current members all full time members or will Gruesome be a rotating line-up of death metal veterans that you lead?

All members are full time, but of course remain fully active in their other bands as well. We are planning shows/tours now and have to carefully work around everyone’s schedules, but we’re making it happen. I think you may see some more guest appearances on future records, but the core line-up hopefully stays intact.

Can you explain a little to readers who may not have heard about it, about the DTA and its goals and future tours maybe?

DTA stands for Death To All and it started as an idea that the guys at Sickdrummer Magazine had to reunite some former Death members and play those classic songs live again. It was originally several members all interchanging, but eventually Eric Greif (Death’s longtime manager) kind of streamlined the idea and settled in on particular line-ups such as the “Human” album line-up, etc. A lot of people were/are against it, but I think it at least gives everyone the opportunity to experience those songs live again. Obviously without Chuck Schuldiner there can be no REAL Death, but this was a cool thing in my opinion and I had a great time touring with those guys. As far as the future of those tours I don’t know, you’d have to check that with Mr. Greif.

I gave him really minimal direction and we all wanted him to just be himself. His artwork on those early Death records I think is a huge part of what made those albums so amazing, and therefore having him do ours wasn’t even an option for us… it was a MUST! I sent him our logo, album title, explained to him what we were about (Death worship), and just told him to think it’s 1988 again and to make a killer death metal album cover based on the title of Savage Land. I think we may have said something about cannibal natives and that we wanted it to be brutal… he totally delivered and we couldn’t be happier about the whole thing! I’m not sure how he felt about doing it, but I’m sure it must have dredged up some nostalgia from him. Hopefully he had a good time with it and will do our next cover!

So the songs on Savage Land are almost cover songs of songs from the legendary albums Leprosy and Spiritual Healing. Did you do majority of the writing? When you wrote the songs were you trying to recreate specific moments or did they happen naturally as I’m sure you were overdosing on those albums at the time?

Matt wrote all of the songs and I do think that each song does have nods to particular riffs, but the cool thing is that each song will contain elements from all three records. For instance, the song “Gangrene” opens up with a very obvious “Flattening of Emotions” vibe, but then kicks into a total “Leprosy” feel, and that sort of thing happens throughout the album. I think that’s an advantage that we had in this… that Chuck gave us a TON of killer ideas to cull from and we can mix and match those ideas within each song. The next record will have songs written by Daniel and myself as well Matt, so that should hopefully add a little shift in dynamics and vibe. The main thing here is that we are genuinely having a lot of fun with this and it all comes from a place of homage and respect. It’s all going to happen naturally for us because we actually grew up on this band and still feel the impact to this day!

No love for Human, Individual Thought Patterns or Symbolic? Or will there be homages on future Gruesome releases?

There’s plenty of Human loving going on, especially on the drums! But both Matt and I are super devoted to those early records and that’s the sound and vibe that we wanted to recreate… really for ourselves. I’m sure that we could add some more progressive elements, but then it wouldn’t a natural thing because we don’t feel those albums the same way. I think I’m a bigger fan of the later albums than Matt, but to this day Leprosy is not only my favorite Death album, it’s my favorite death metal album. But I’m also a huge Sean Reinert and Gene Hoglan fan as well as Bill Andrews and Chris Reifert… so you never know I guess.

Speaking of future Gruesome releases, what will the band be doing on future albums? As we talked about above delving into other Death releases or maybe paying homage to other US classics like Autopsy? I could see you delivering spot on Severed Survival tunes.

We’ve already begun talking about it and our only solid goal at this time is to not do Savage Land part 2. Chuck never repeated himself and our challenge is so follow his example but yet still stay within an “early Death” -vibe. Luckily there is still plenty of awesomeness to pull ideas from and we could easily add more Scream Bloody Gore elements as opposed to just Leprosy and Spiritual Healing. Or mix SBG with Human, like a Scream Bloody Human feel?! There are a couple of songs already written and those sound a bit more brutal and fast so I’m already excited about album number two!

What drove the choice to cover Death’s “Land of No Return” (as heard on the deluxe edition of the album)?

We wanted to do a proper Death song, but not one that everyone would expect or has heard other bands do. “Land of no Return” is a bonus track on SBG and it’s a super heavy song. I actually wasn’t that familiar with it myself, but now it’s one of my favorite Death songs. Definitely happy with how it came out.

Daniel Gonzalez did a great job also of recreating the sound of early Death sound. Did he being in Possessed also have an influence on the songs and tone?

No, he’s actually a bit newer school with his style and sound! Dan’s a few years younger than Matt and I, and was used to playing through an amp with a lot more gain, but he’s also a super skilled guitar player and able to adapt so his tracks came out really tight. Also it was Dan who was able to emulate both James Murphy and Chuck with his solos while still having his style blended in, so that was another one of his great contributions to the record.

I come from an old school studio background and have never updated my style so to speak.I still prefer using a real amp, real drums, and minimal computer assistance for albums I produce. So in regards to the sound of the record, a lot of that came from me, but mostly from what Scott Burns did actually. I was fortunate enough to watch him record an album in 1997 (one of his last I think!) and I asked an awful lot of questions and took a lot of notes. I simply applied what I learned to most anything I’ve recorded since then and it just turned out that I was in a band that was trying to emulate that sound. Also, having a Florida veteran like Jarrett Pritchard mix the album really sealed the deal on having that classic sound. He pretty much knew exactly what we were going for and how to make it happen so I think he’ll be on board for the next couple of albums as well.

So here’s the ultimate question, seeing as you are close to both… Who started death metal; Death or Possessed?

In my opinion Death, but there is a bit of grey area though. Chuck was clearly influenced by Seven Churches, so it’s arguable that without Possessed, Death wouldn’t have sounded like they did. But in any case, what death metal really is to me, Death absolutely 100% laid out that blueprint! Lyrical content, album cover, band logo, song titles, etc, etc, etc. ALL the elements of what the world would come to know as death metal can be found on Scream Bloody Gore, and then solidified on Leprosy. Lower tuned guitars, double bass being utilized more often, the production style…all elements debuted by Chuck and Death. Possessed to me where more of a satanic thrash band, more blatantly than even Slayer. Death was all about horror, gore, and of course death itself. Just on album titles alone they win… Scream Bloody Gore and Leprosy are death metal’s alpha and omega!

The feedback to Savage Land has been great. I’m sure Chuck would have been proud. Would you have continued with this project if he were still alive, considering how much Death’s sound changed towards the late albums?

I doubt we would have even conceived it if Chuck were still with us. It’s tough to say though, because yes, it’s also very doubtful that anyone would have heard another classic sounding Death album from Chuck as he definitely moved on from that sound. I’m just glad people are understanding where we are coming from and like what we’re doing. Also having guys like Terry Butler, James Murphy, and Eric Greif not only give us their full support and endorsement, but genuinely digging our album is HUGE for us and means the world to me! Those guys are true legends and the heroes we’re trying to emulate. To have their approval does give me a bit of hope that somewhere the great Chuck is smiling down on us!

What next for you right now? Tour to support the album?

We have recently confirmed our first show at Full Terror Assault in September and we’re currently trying to add more US dates and possibly a trip to Europe in November. I want to thank you for the interview and support as well as ALL the fans around the world who have bought our record… THANK YOU ALL AND HAIL CHUCK!!