What do you expect from 4 Italians with passion for beer, yurts (: , barbecue, Rock´n Roll and Southern Music. An excellent musically booze – up with lots of groove, right? This is music for the girls who like big balls! Go for it!

How are you mate? Tell me, who are these Italians who draw so much yearning in the south of the USA?

Hi, we are four “mothafucha” who like pizza, mandolino and death ‘n’ roll!!

Among other things you juggle with Thrash & Death tunes, with Blood Duster groove and Black Sabbath severity. Are you full of highly gifted, creative ideas, or just some clever thieves?

Honestly? Both of them, but don’t tell anybody! It is our intention to create our own music, but keeping that from which it is inspired. That’s why in every song you’ll hear something that will remind you of a particular band.

Tell me something about the current album!

Drunk till Death came out of two years of songwriting, drinking, molesting people, and a studio session at 16th Cellar Studios. The tracks that you hear are the results of what we listen to and what we like.

“Nasty Jackass” is relatively simple and has some concise hooks and a chorus that sounds like a drunken rabble. Tell me about!

You got that! That’s exactly what we wanted: a perfect party soundtrack with speed and alcohol, horny ladies. In short, the best and last day of your life.

The closest approach to Blood Duster is probably “Dirty Sanchez”. Maybe it is almost too close to the Australian kangaroo – butchers?

Blood who? That’s one of our favourite bands, for their attitude and their music. One of our dreams is to share the stage with them.

Are you really into that Dirty Sanchez filth? For me as a German and connoisseur of Teutonic eating habits it is not sexy!

You’re right, but it depends on how much you drank. It pretends to be a provocation, what kind of girl wouldn’t like a sanchez mustaches? However, we enjoy talking and joking on strange themes.

I have the same idea about your Italian intros as of Mongolian yurt – construction. Maybe you can reveal to me more about it?

The first one closes the Dollar’s Trilogy by Sergio Leone: it’s taken from “A fistful of dollars”, and it’s Clint Eastwood’s voice (the man with no name). In our two previous releases we used intros from “The good, the bad and the ugly” (Vultur Mountain) and “For a few dollars more” (Death'n'Roll) . What we like to do in our music is to insert pieces of movies that we adore, especially from italian cinema. On “Cumming in socks” there is a CHETTEFRECA from Giorgio Bracardi, a crazy italian actor. On “Nasty jackass” there is a short piece of Bud Spencer, great inspiration for us, and for everybody (go and listen to Fistfest). Except from our love for this man, there’s always a link between our intros and the song they fit in.

How important is coolness? I mean no one can force such dirty and groovy songs!

Coolness is as important as building a Mongolian yurt. Maybe our force consists in being four friends and not four musicians, and being ourselves onstage and outside. Our attitude isn’t forced at all, that’s where all the fun comes out of during our gigs, for us and for our fans.

The base of almost every song is a fundamental riff that rocks like hell. Is this the main idea around that the song or is it something that grew out of the writing process?

That’s exactly how it works, in our writing process every song borns from a main guitar riff. This riff coming out of Ordnal’s Six-String Skull is then arranged by all of us, and sometimes our improvisations give useful results too. Aren’t guitar riffs that keep hammering in our shitmetalheads?

Are you more than a boozing, sexist and swearing band of brothers? What is your personal aspiration?

Going to live in a Mongolian yurt and find interior peace.

How much do you really think you are seriously influenced from Southern rock?

We are maniacs of southern rock. If you play some of our songs unplugged you can feel Southern influences mixed with Heavy, Thrash and Death metal. In “Redneck Zombie Distillery’s” verses there are sings and phrasings from Skynyrd, and “Slide Or Die” might be considered a ZZ Top-styile hard blues. These are two examples, but generally we love all genres coming from the South of U.S. (Delta Blues, Country, Bluesgrass, Southern Rock etc.) and you’ll find their influence in the other songs of “Drunk Till Death” and in our two previous releases.

Lyrical you don´t render honor to the southern heroes I suppose. Or are you contemporary reformers?

Our lyrics are pretty much ispired by sex, beer and rock ‘n roll. Even if we’re much into southern music and culture, we don’t write about traditional stuff. There’s a new southern contemprary scene growing, like Eyehategod, Down, Pantera, Superjoint Ritual, Crowbar, Hank III and BLS.

Who is the one with the filthy lyrical fantasies and what is it getting wrong in a sociological regard?

Our singer writes all the lyrics, but themes and arguments can come from everywhere and everyone: sometimes they arrive by chance, and sometimes they’re meant to be an outburst.

Alcohol, sex and dirty music, is this the stuff of what real men’s dreams are made?

Don’t forget barbeques and motorbikes…!

Uh, how could I forget it. Initially you had another name. Were you pissed of because you had to change it?

A little bit, we’ve been contacted by an american already exiting band named “Southern Brewtality”. The annoying thing wasn’t really the chaning matter, rather than their manner of telling us that if we refused to change our name, they would have acted legally. Then we made many attempts like Spaghetti Southern, or Southern Draught, and then we arrived to our definitive name.

In your bio I read something about “the famous 2 years, fuck”. What does it mean? Maybe that you were confused and disoriented?

It’s referred to the period in which our line up was not complete, they were two years in which our singer and guitarist couldn’t find the other members, so many drummers and bassists passed through our rehearsal yurt. Until they found the drummer and started hammering hard.

It seems you play a lot of shows. Is this temporarily compatible with your ordinary life? Or don’t you have one`?

Yes we do have our own lives and it’s not always easy to match it perfectly with the band, sometimes we need to do renunciations to keep it alive, and sometimes to pursue our lives and jobs. You can’t live just of bread and metal (you may break your teeth).

“In beer we trust”, what a statement from some Italians who have no idea about how to brew beer. How you will prove that you are not braggarts?

We're drinkers not braggarts, and we like all kind of beer... german, american and mongolian too!!! If you want we can do a challenge like "Zwei wie Pech und Schwefel" with beer and sausages!

I take the beer, don´t like sausage. Thx for your time and an impressive new album. Last drink is yours!

Thank you for this interview and your time, we’re glad you liked the album, and let’s hope to meet someday, as one of our best experiences ever was our gig in Albshausen, at the Black Sunset Festival in 2009. Cheers and remember… 2-0 Grosso / Del Piero, HU!

UNSU stands for blood – frenzy Grindcore, uncompromising heaviness and energetic stage – presence without brakes. UNSU is French earterror with immense risk of contagion. With a new Ep in the backpack they will tear down all walls. So guys it´s time to take shelter, before your dojo imploded!


Hi Micky, what ´s the state of play in UNSU currently?

Micky (vocals) : Hi, Jörg ! Well, everything’s fine for UNSU. We’re healthy, we have releases out and gigs put together. Everything’s really fine for us.

The name UNSU relates to some Asian bone – crushing –art, so who is the karate – doctor in the band?

M : Yep, you’re right : Unsu is a karate kata. Manu, one of the guitarists, the one who started the band when he still was in TREPAN’DEAD is an ex-karateka and found the name. Adrien (drums), Gerbe (guitars) and me aren’t into karate, but we thought the name was good, so we kept it.

Grindcore beyond the 3 chords attitude – is this your aspiration?

M : Three chords Grindcore bands are not a problem for me but I must admit I prefer when things are a bit more worked out and more pleasant listening to. As we’re all coming from different yet cousin scenes, like Brutal Death Metal, Grindcore or other styles, each one of us like to add he’s very own touch so our songs are a bit more complex yet enjoyable.

Give me some details about the current ep!

M : « The Filthy » is our debut MCD. The studio stuff on it comes from the very same session than our split 7” EP with ATARA. We wanted to release an other split 7” EP with the remaining tracks but, in the meantime, we signed to KAOTOXIN records in January and Nico offered us to release this session as a MCD with bonus live tracks to celebrate the headlining UK tour they put together for us which we did with MERCILESS PRECISION late February.

Why do you have it blown up with live songs, maybe a more potent split – partner would be more efficient for a handful of great songs ? Or do I have a false approach?

M : Shit, I think I’ve just answered, ah ! But, really, I like the way you see things, but as we had some live stuff and we wanted to add value for money for our fans and, knowing this would be the last stuff we’d release before the debut full-length and are working hard on the writing process now, we wanted to close a chapter, somehow. And, moreover, it should help people that didn’t see us live yet to have some kind of foretaste of the UNSU live, which is where we really belong and feel comfortable.

I mean live stuff is mostly interesting for fans who visited the show, otherwise the interest keep within a limit nowadays I think, or am I wrong?

M : I won’t totally agree on this, even if there’s no « magic formula ». We’re known for being a “live band”, the one you have to see on stage to really discover how brutal, fast, and full of energy UNSU can be. So, even if the sound’s obviously not perfect (that’s bootleg bonus material, after all, uh ?), the listener can have an idea of how intense an UNSU gig can be. Nowadays, everybody can make music with modern technologies, even music they wouldn’t be able to reproduce on stage. I definitely think a gig is the only way to actually show your audience what your band is actually worth of. Thus, adding a, even bootleg sounding, bunch of bonus live tracks is not, in my humble opinion, such a bad idea. But, time will prove me right or wrong...

Chaos and rush appear to be firmly columns of your excellent grinding music. How do you get order in the turmoil?

M : We’re playing together in UNSU since three years now. There has been an evolution in our songwriting and playing since then, obviously. So, it’s all about mastering turmoil and bringing controlled chaos on stage and in the studio, being fast and intense, brutal, but always really tight. For example, we’re working a lot on songwriting, sometimes spending hours on perfecting a single second or note of a song. This is the way we can be both brutal and intense, with mastering chaos. As for rush, well, with rehearsing a lot such as we do, for sure, we’re getting faster and faster. We are also very selective. If we’re not 100% happy with a song or riff or vocal line, we trash it and we write and rehearse until we’re totally satisfied and, then, we rehearse and get tighter, faster, more intense. This is the way we’re seeing chaos and rush.

What is your personal point of view about your ep? Is self-criticism motor or brake actually?

M : The MCD has been released early March. That’s quite fresh, so we didn’t really have the time to have some after thoughts about it. We like it, even if, of course, there are some bits there and there we could have improved but that’s for sure will be done on our debut full-length. We’re never 100% satisfied with our stuff. I mean, of course, when we have a song done, we love it. But, there’s always something we can improve or would like to, in the playing, tightness or whatever, for example. Staying unsatisfied is a great fuel to UNSU’s motor.

What about the cover? Pigs are currently popular obviously. Synonym for anything?

M : Seb of Grafik Roady did it and we’re really happy with it. Killer work, I must say ! There’s no symbolic message or whatever with this artwork. We were working on some design, Seb came with the idea of the pig head which obviously pleased us a lot (mainly Gerbe, which day job is butcher !) but it lacked something. We had some chats and came the idea of having not only a head, but transforming it into some « pig in a smoking ». We really love the whole CD layout’s color scheme too (Seb also did the layout).

Lyrically you don’t take it too serious as lots of other grind bands do. What’s the reason, maybe you have just more humor than others?

M : Well, as being the singer, I’m the one to write the lyrics. We’re not a political band or a band with some sort of message, you know ? All we’re caring about is doing the music we love the best we can. We’re not there to spread our views but you’re totally right, we have a great sense of humor! Ahahahah! Our lyrics usually deal with split personality, which are fitting the music very well, I think, and can be used as a basis for many things, and, also, with private jokes.

Have you needed the NASUM – cover song to show even the last idiot which side one´s bread is buttered?

M : Of course it wasn’t necessary, but we love playing this song and our version is much more faster than the original, this was a challenge to us, when we were kids, you see ? We were like “one day, we’ll play as fast as this or that band”. Among the said bands, there was Nasum, for sure. On « The Filthy », is already way faster than the original, but, now, we play it even faster, live.

The partnership with your label Kaotoxin shall be durable? Tell me about!

M : The deal with Kaotoxin records is planned to be on the long term, yes. We signed with Nico for a three albums deal. We’re gonna record the first one by the end of this year for a tentative release during the first half of 2013 and Nico is helping a lot finding the good partners and good deals (promo, booking, etc.). We will eventually film our debut music video for the MCD title track, “The Filthy”, late June.

Beside all that high speed bashing, how important are grooves actually?

M : Grooves are mandatory ! Whatever the style, the groove is what really makes the difference between two bands, in my humble opinion.

Is you music dirty as your ep – title promises? Or is it just a common adjective that fits to every gind band?

M : « The Filthy » is one of the song on the MCD. We choose it to be the title too because it’s one of which we’re the most proud. It’s groovy, it’s really brutal in the first part. It’s really a good example of an UNSU song. For the real deal about filth, just meet us after a few days of touring without taking a shower and, then, you’ll see we’re as filthy as any other Grindcore band !

Is it a typical grind attitude to release splits and ep´s, and disregard a regular album?

M : You’re absolutely right. Grindcore is an underground genre, so many bands are self-releasing their stuff or are releasing splits. Grindcore is all about not taking yourself too seriously and having fun during gigs. The same goes for us. We started with a demo (“Moral Distortion”, Douchebag records, 2010), then we released a split 7” EP with France’s ATARA (Douchebag records, Rewolucja records, 2011) and then this MCD. We wanted to grow the natural way before releasing the debut full-length, which is planned for 2013. Sure, this is sometimes disregarded, but we want to release full-lengths.

You are influenced from Swedish grind & crust music. Why actually?

M : Simply because that’s our preferred brand of Grindcore. When we’re writing our stuff, we don’t say ourselves “let’s sound like this or that band or song”, what we write is just what’s naturally coming to mind as inspiration.

UNSU is made up of musicians with different experiences. Can you make good use of that fact? Are you a homogenous band of brothers?

M : Yep. Gerbe is also playing the guitar in DARKALL SLAVES (also signed to Kaotoxin records), a Brutal Death Metal band that fucking kills, Manu, at first, was playing in both UNSU and TREPAN’DEAD, a Grindcore band from Northern France, but he’s now only playing in UNSU and both Adrien and me are playing in PURIFY, some kind of very dark Hardcore with which we just recorded the debut full-length. Gerbe, Adrien and me are playing together since more than ten years now and, when we met Manu, it has been very natural between us all since the very beginning. Now, we know each other quite well, a real team, and being from different musical horizons brings a lot to the UNSU sound, I guess, helping having a wider spectrum of playing, inspiration, etc. And, when it comes to touring, we just have to check everyone’s planning, nothing complex. These guys aren’t my friends, you know? They’re just a bunch of retards… No! Just kidding: these guys are, simply put, my very best friends.

What makes brutal music so fascinating for yourself? Is it maybe more than music?

M : I don’t really know what’s happening in the other dudes’ minds, so I’ll answer for myself, but brutal music is, to me, the way to feel and express emotions you can’t find anywhere else in your daily life, like rage, hatred and such. A kind of relaxing therapy made of musical poetry, you see? Fuck, that’s a beautiful sentence, isn’t it? Ahahah! I don’t think we’re that kind of though and full frontal guys in our everyday’s life, you know ? We’re just silly, may be, but we’re not brutes.

What do you think, how intensive you can force the band in future?

M : Right now, we just signed to KAOTOXIN records for three full-lengths. We’re gonna fulfill the deal and then see. But, in the meantime, I think a band needs a constant actuality, so we’re gonna do all we can to bring it to the next level with each step we’re gonna take, like filming that music video, touring over and over and such. But, of course, we’re playing Grindcore, we know we’ll never earn a living out of UNSU, but we’re always do our maximum for the band and I can promise you’ll hear of us quite often.

Last shot is yours!

M : Besides the obvious « thanks, Jörg », my last word will be BITE! http://www.facebook.com/unsugrind

“No bullshit...from the guts...in your face. Chicago Death Metal since 1988”
CIANIDE is an Chicago Death Metal institution with almost 25 years of experience and passion. I thought it’s time to get this 3 – piece war machine in my blog and so I have sent a bunch of questions to Mike (bass, vox). Let´s see what it means to be a real Death Metal maniac!

Hi Mike, how are you. What’s the state of play in Cianide in the year of the apocalypse?

Doing well man, doing well! It would take more than the Apocalypse for CIANIDE to break up. We’re too stupid to announce that and then be able to coin in big $$$ for our big “reunion shows”. Stupid I tell you. Fucking STUPID! Heh heh!

Why has Deepsend re – released “Hells´ Rebirth”? And what about the demo tracks, I mean they are as regular songs already contained.

Deepsend wanted to put it out since it’s only available as an import here in the States and it’s also out of print. So they purchased the license from Displeased. We demoed almost all of the songs for that album. Just for ourselves though, we never released them or anything. We thought it would be a good idea to throw some of the better versions on the reissue as they are a bit different sounding than the final album versions.

Tell me about the “A Descent Into Hell“ box? That looks pretty cool.

It is cool! Well it’s out now on The Crypt who does awesome reissues. Triple gatefold, triple LP played at 45rpm for maximum metal damage. It also contains our “CIANIDE…..KILLS!” demo and a few other tunes. Get some…

Are you merely stroking your souls with that, or is it something like a reward for your old fans too? To get some new it is unsuitable I think?

Both!! People were always asking us about the availability of the first 2 records as they are long out of print so we said, “fuck it”. It’s a good a time as any to get some of these reissues out of the way and besides I’m a selfish prick. I just want one for ME!

There will be an unreleased track on it. Why you have restrained it so long, it must a hideous one, ha ha.

All our songs are hideous! HIDEOUS MANGLEUS! Hah! It really wasn’t an unreleased song per se. “Scourging At The Pillar” actually was on the original CD version, just wasn’t listed on the track listing. Sort of like a hidden track.

You will also some songs for a ep in future, tell me about!

Not much to tell at this point. We need to write some more songs first! Probably 4 or 5 tunes total. Maybe a cover song. Who knows?

A band without a ep is similar to the USA without lunar – landing. From where comes the necessity to release one after all this years?

That’s what I always say. Heh! Well because it takes us so long to write songs I’ll probably 70 years old by the time we get another album’s worth of material going. Heh heh!!

How is it possible not getting tired after almost 25 years into death metal? Why are you still here, while so many others bit the dust?

Oh believe me, we’re ALWAYS tired! Be it from work, being hung-over or whatever. We get asked this question all the time and there’s not really one definite answer. The simplest is that we just enjoy what we do. There’s been no valid reason to quit. We’re just three good friends still dig getting down in the basement once or twice a week to drink, talk shit and play the heaviest music ever.

You play an uncomplicated although a much efficient style from the beginning. Is this your secret why you stay so unaffected and sturdy all the time?

I think it has less to do with the actual music and more to do with who we are as people. No egos involved in this camp at all. In fact there’s never been a chance for one to get cultivated.
We never toured, so we still enjoy each other’s company and we never made money off this shit, so there’s no reason for anyone to get on a high horse either. I think this ties in to the above question as well. We’re just three regular assholes doing what we do. If people dig it or it “catches on” then great. If not, we’ll still be at it. You can count on that.

Scott said in an interview: “In Chicago, everyone’s just kind of laidback and does whatever they do. There’s no mindset about conquering the world.” Is this true, have you never had attempts to play the big international stages?

I would say so, at least with the bands that we’re friends with. You are the company you keep eh? Deep down everybody wants some sort of recognition, which goes without saying. I think what Scott meant was that nobody in Chicago wants to KISS ASS to get it.
We want things done on our terms or you can stick it up your ass. This is the internet age so we’re not that hard to find. If you want us to play, contact us and ask. We have no management or whatnot. Last thing we’re gonna do is kiss some promoter guys ass to get on some bill. That’s pathetic.

Chicago has spawned really remarkable metal bands, from Macabre to Master / Abomination / Death Strike, from Cardiac Arrest to DeathCult. Where do you see Cianide thereby, in the shadow of Speckmann (lol), or even shadow throwing?

Paul’s always gonna be the King of Chicago Metal, even if he doesn’t live here anymore. It’s an honor just to be mentioned alongside all the great fucking metal bands that came from this city, and even the upcoming ones.

Between “Funeral” and “Gods of Death” lies almost a half life. How much of yourself is into it? Has time buried ideals and convictions, or have you got some new?

Time just makes the ideals and convictions more solid actually. I’ve been CIANIDE longer than I’ve been alive, surely for my entire adult life. This isn’t a fad or a phase for me. Never has been and never will.
It’s who I am: Unashamed and nothing to prove to anybody.

It seems death metal never lost its charm for you, thereby many things have changed, not only musically, right?

No it hasn’t. As long as there are new bands coming up out of the pike to kick some serious ass, why should it? People seemingly can change their musical tastes like an on/off switch. If you liked it before, why is it not good now, because you “grew up”? That means you were a phony from the start. Says a lot about a person actually, at least to me. I have no time to waste on such people.

Does the term “old school “sound strange for someone who knows that kind of music from the bottom up?

Nah. It’s becoming a bit overused as of late, but if that’s what people wanna call it I can hardly give two shits. I like putting things into categories myself so…

All the split releases are old school indeed, right? How do you get the split partners?

Just from being mutual fans of each other’s bands. It’s as simple as, “Hey you guys KILL! Wanna do a split?” If we both have songs ready to go you move forward with the release. If not, shit sits in limbo. We gotta queue of three splits already waiting to happen!

How many labels have you “attired” in the past?

Let’s see: Grindcore/Red Light (I consider them the same), Lost Horizon, Merciless Records, From Beyond/Displeased and HellsHeadbangers – and these are just for the full lengths. For the reissues we have Razorback, Dark Descent and Deathgasm. Those last two are up coming. Yeah we like to spread the misery!

Have you really never had trouble with the lineup? How is this possible, you must feel privileged? Do you never get on your tits among each other?

Get on our tits? Ugh. Thanks for the visual man! Heh heh! We’ve had our issues over the years to be sure, but we’re adults. Nobody “takes their ball and goes home”. We deal with it and work it out. I guess you can say we’re “grown ups” in that regard.

What Cianide release makes you really proud and which one you´d like to throw into the Atlantic?

“Descent Into Hell” and “Gods of Death” are my 2 favorites, but I love everything we’ve done or else we wouldn’t have done it.

Last shot is yours!

Thanks Jörg and FATALGRIND!!
METAL NEVER BENDS!!!

FUNERAL WHORE is one of The Netherlands new “old” bands who adore a music that comes right from a rotten, bolted grave. I´m almost asphyxiated, as their rancid sound blew through my (en)tomb(ed). Enough hints? Then let’s get into a small talk.

Hello neighbors, let us start with a cliché. How´s going forward with the destabilization of liberation in regard to weed and coffee shops in the Netherlands? Is the resistance growing?

TIM
We don’t smoke weed and have no idea how the coffee shops are arranged. But given the fact that there are many foreigners in Holland it's probably going OK. hahahaha. Also I don't care about politics and don't really pay attention to what they have to say.

Give me just a short sketch. How have you met each other, what keeps you running and what holds you together as band?

TIM
I got a random phone call from the rehearsal room, were I played bass in my former band. The owner always saw me headbanging like crazy during rehearsals and when Roy asked him of he knew a bass player. I was the one who he called. Ever since, I always come over at Roy and Kellie's house, to rehearse, drink some beers, watch some horror movies.

ROY
That was in 2007. We all share the same thoughts about the band, death metal and party. We are old school fanatics and there are so many things in the future that we want to do so all these things together keeps the band together.

And what the hell is a FUNERAL WHORE? It must be an allegory that avoids my common sense!

ROY
Hehe,it just sound brutal, that’s all. But why this stunning you? There are names that are 10.000 times sicker or more idiotic than Funeral Whore. Never heart of Rectal Smegma (??!!) or Anal Cunt (???)

Of course I have. But when I analyze the band name in my way, you must be some necrophiliacs who celebrate their perverted bias through loud and brutal music. So analyze this!

TIM
Fuck Yeah!!! That sounds about right. Fucking dead corpses, with brutal music playing, volume 11, through the speakers! hahahahaha

Ok, let’s get back to more serious hogwash … . First; is a beaten path the easiest and safest to walk?

TIM
Every band has to climb the same uphill battle, unless you already know the right people, of course.

ROY
In a musical way, the beaten way is safe but still, there are so many osdm bands worldwide working hard, it’s not easy to set up a band and writing music that still have an (old) impact. But, as we currently receiving our reviews of our full length, we have done a good job together!

What do you expect from your excellent album, after the press kisses your asses so intense?

TIM
Good question, haven´t thought about really. Actually personally I am just really stoked on the idea that there is a album out there which I worked on. It´s my first album and for the other members as well. So we try to just promote the album as hell and than we´ll see what happens next. Hopefully a lot of gigs and some sick ass festivals.

ROY
I didn’t expect it was going this good in the first place! I think and hope we’ll have more gigs along other osdm bands on a higher level

Are you not afraid to get pilloried because of your retro – attitude from the ones who are brassed off from the old school revival?

TIM
No, let 'm come. We will kick all their asses all the way back to where they came from. hahahaha

ROY
Correct, fuck ‘em. Jealous idiotes.

Do you like speculations? What would you do without bands like Grave, Bolt Thrower or Asphyx?

ROY
We, Funeral Whore as a osdm band, would not exist. It is as simply is that.

Of course you are not clones of those bands. To trust your own creativity will lead to sustainability! Are you with me?

ROY
We do what we like to do. That will lead to a second album.

About the development of the album - would you say it took some doing or did it slip out like wet puppies?

ROY
The recordings went very good. Because it was the first time to record a whole album in a real studio, we did several rehearsals in the weeks before. A wise choice. We recorded all 11 songs on the 1st out of 3 days.

The more simple a song is the catchier it is. Is this your principle?

ROY
Not really. It’s a little bit more than that. Indeed, most of the time the simple things bring out something catchy or powerful. But simplicity dus not guarantee you a catchy song. There are other factors that play major roles. The drummer has a big share in how things finally burst out.


Cemetery - growls, mangily guitar and hellish basses, how long does it need to get a whole album with such excellent ingredients?

ROY
I have a lot of powerfull compositions of songs in my mind that I want to work out and after I finish one thing, something new has already took it’s place. So, I don’t need much time in osdm to create something, it’s already there in my mind. It just needs to be assembled in the rehearsal room.

“Step Into Damnation” thrashes the listener back into the Stone Age of the scene and spreads a similar morbid feeling as bands like Mordbrand or Undergang. What makes you immune from other and more modern paths of Death Metal?

ROY
Nowadays, many bands still record their stuff on hyper digital stuff, mastering, re-mastering, re ampl. whatever, we do not do that. No pollished modern sound needed, we want to have just that raw edge. It’s something you really miss, also with the bigger bands.

The samples on it are plenty trite. Are you out of ideas, have we to live with clichés, is it some shit you had to do? What is it?

TIM
The movies were a big part of the inspiration for the songs as well as for the band and the atmosphere around it.

ROY
It might be cliché but I don’t give a shit. “Camp Blood” is all about the movie Friday the 13th so why not a sample from it?

Chaos Records are no neighbors in a territorial sense. What are your expectations and what about the distribution in Europe?

ROY
The loads of reviews and interviews still coming in so Chaos Records had done a awesome job.

TIM
Damn, I wished I had done my homework. Hahaha. It is going really great as far as distribution and promotion. Which is a good thing, and which we are really grateful of. I personally don’t really expect an enormous gig or something like that.

With all the deservedly good reviews the expectations for the next release will rise for sure. Because of that the writing process for a possible next album will be more stressful and arduous. Are you afraid about it?

ROY
No, absolutly not! With our new powerful, young and fanatic drummer Nick, we are ready for the second album. We have already a bunch of new songs on the shelves, better and darker than before.

TIM
Something to think about……

How important is it being authentic, not leaving the impression to follow a trend just a short time?

TIM
Old school is the true death metal way, hahahaha. Like I said we are not really trying to be original. But we are going to stay true to the style as far as I am concerned. Are you with me on this one, Roy?

ROY
Yes, I am. First of all, we, as band, know what we want and what we are doing. We know our style and I also know that we are no trendy wankers. Those are our enemies for all time, we are Funeral Whore and this is old school death metal.

Is FUNERAL WHORE time consuming? I mean how much time can you donate if the interest in the band ascends after all the positive areselicking?

TIM
Really gratefull for my girlfriend having such patience with me and the band. Because I, already spend a lot of time on the band and rehearsal. Luckily she likes Old School Death Metal as much as me! Well, I hope they are not licking our asses. hahaha. We're not that big so, I hope the responses are serious. Of course constructive criticism is always welcome. The arselicking is probably reserved for the bigger bands.

ROY
In the early stages of the band it was hard work. Now, we got some attention in the small scene and also the collaboration with other osdm comrades like Massive Assault, Nailgun Massacre, Profanal, Obscure Infinity, Deathronation and Entrapment means better promotion and exchanging gigs for eachother. It works very well this way.

I wish you all the best and hope to see you somewhere on a German stage in future! Last shot is yours!

Regards to our brotherhood bands. Deathronation (Germany), Obscure Infinty (Germany), Profanal (Italian), Nailgun Massacre(Netherlands). Check their STUFF OUT NOW! Not for trendy ears. Hahahaha http://www.reverbnation.com/funeralwhore

REVEL IN FLESH puts up to the hair - ends into old school death metal, total dedicated to the heroes of an “ancient” time. With the debut album “Deathevokation”, soon on FDA REKOTZ, you will get a proper lesson what it means to be a real full time metal maniac. I have talked with Ralf, so read this chat ... or die!

Hi Ralf, REVEL IN FLESH fits perfectly to your MYSTICAL MUSIC zine, so when will you interview yourself, ha ha. How are you?

Hey Jörg, doing fine down here in the south! Just returned from work, turned on the new TERRORIZER and rushed straight into your questions!
Well, REVEL IN FLESH and MYSTICAL MUSIC Zine have two common things: A true passion for this rotten and old way of Death Metal. Both hobbies are my tribute to this underground form of Metal music and both help me to keep my ying & yang going smooth, Ha! Ha!
No, I have no interest in feat. RIF in MYSTICAL MUSIC Zine since I think that the freaks of this style of music have to find out about this project on their own. I don’t like the idea of self – proclamation!!!

With this band´s name actually everyone knows from where the wind blows. Have you chosen it deliberately or does it just sounding cool?

Well, we wanted a name that refers and reeks totally to this old way of Death Metal. Of course the name is “stolen” straight away from the classical NIHILIST / ENTOMBED track, so I guess it’s again a tribute thing, Ha! Ha!
By the way can you imagine how difficult it is to come up with a new and not abused bandname in the DM sector nowadays!?!

Of course. You´ve told me, it was a hard piece of work, getting the album on its way. Could you explain it?

Hm, let me put it like this: We’ve started with the recordings of the first track “Culpa et Inferna” in September 2011. Back then this whole project didn’t even have a name.
It was just a sort of try out. It was the first time for me doing guitars & Vocals on a recording. Back then in my old band I’ve just did the bass – more or less proper on the recordings. Well, the REVEL IN FLESH stuff evolved really good and with the massive help of my comrade Maggesson we’ve nailed down the first album until the end of 2011. It was recorded on weekly meetings; a lot of basic work and learning! It was a really enriching experience to me, because this was the first time I could express my ideas in the way I wanted them to have, means non – compromise!!!

Why do you actually think you can or must ensure a place in the sustained revival of Swedish old school death metal?

Speaking honestly, it’s not my intention to get a place or anything else. REVEL IN FLESH was something I’ve did in first line for myself. Simply to fulfil those musical ideas that already developed since 2007, but unfortunately it took me a long – time to realise those ideas in the way you can hear it now on “Deathevokation”.
Well, I know that a lot of “die hards” already complain that this SWE Death revival is already getting too much, but in the end REVEL IN FLESH is not about getting a piece of the cake from anything!!! It’s simply our way to pay tribute to the old way of Death Metal and if the maniacs out there like it, then it’s fine and if not I don’t care either!!!

Who hides behind REVEL IN FLESH besides you!?!

REVEL IN FLESH is me and Maggesson. We know each other from local bands already since the 90ies. He is still part of the line – up of DAWN OF DREAMS (Germany) and APOPHIS. Just recently he started a new project called ROTTEN POPE, which is more in the grinding US styled way of Death Metal. Really brutal stuff!!! Stay tuned!!!

Do you like playing with stereotypes (in the lyrics), maybe you use themes that are inevitably connected with death metal. Or do you maybe rely on individualism?

Hm, the lyrics are definitely NOT about flowers, love and understanding. Furthermore I can’t stand those sort of preaching lyrics!!!
REVEL IN FLESH is a pure Death Metal band and the lyrics deal with real Death Metal elements; you can see them as some chronicles under the banner of Death. Brutal music needs brutal lyrics – that hits the nail on the head J

How serious do you take the “adventure” REVEL IN FLESH personally?

Let me put it like this: Since I’ve started this REVEL IN FLESH stuff I’ve put countless of hours and energy into this project; I’m a really dedicated person when it comes to my hobbies. I’m certainly NOT doing this on an “half - ass” way, Ha! Ha!

What has validates you in your idea to run your own neck killing monster? What gave the “kick off”?

Let me say the final “kick off” for me to start something new was when I’ve seen my old band falling more or less apart in a process of 1 ½ years. I’ve thought a long – time on starting something new; something more straight, something with a clear vision, something done without big discussion, something totally dedicated to the 90ies style; u know!!!


“Death Metal, the way it was meant to be”, that’s your statement to the music. Is this your own philosophy? Or do you think anything is behind death metal from the beginning? More than the sex, drugs and alcohol stuff?

Wow, the musical statement simply means to us that we wanna express with REVEL IN FLESH the way of Death Metal like we discovered it in the early 90ies. I don’t like the idea of Death Metal getting too technical etc.; you know this more fast, more blast etc. competition!!!
Death Metal should have a headbanging drive, a dark touch and brutal sound!!! Honest and intense music!!!
As you know in German we have a nice saying namely “Stumpf ist Trumpf”, Ha! Ha!

REVEL IN FLESH is mostly about the early 90ies musical roots. I have a hard time when the kids nowadays think that Death Metal got defined by bands like JOB FOR A COWBOY or AS I LAY DYING, for example!!!! Those kiddies definitely have NOT done their homework!!!

Philosophy!?! Well in the end I think that everybody has to do that what feels good to him or her. You have to do what you really like to give it a honest vibe!!!

What do you think why old school stuff is getting pelted with mud in some place again. And is the metal – press really able to influence the decisions of responsible, halfway soberly metal heads?

Hm, I’m not sure to what you refer in detail with your question, but I’m pretty sure that this so called “old school” Death Metal thing is a tiny sub genre; it’s for a small bunch of dedicated fans who really love this music with passion and not because it’s a trend or something else!!! Have in mind you won’t get laid or rich with this kind of Death Metal, Ha! Ha!

About the major Metalpress: It’s always a machinery behind the success of some styles of music, but in the end I’m really convinced that the fans and consumers have the power!!! Without fans there won’t be any tours, festivals etc.!!! Unfortunately a lot of business people forgot about that!!!

How long does it take, until the scene celebrates to death itself?

Death Metal will reign forever even after the departure of DISMEMBER!!! There will always been a bunch of sickos who like albums like “Left Hand Path”, “For god your soul for me your flesh”, “Mental Funeral”, “Dawn of Possession” etc. – so what the fuck!?!

Let’s get back to your band. Tell me about the “Wings Of death” clip! What connects you with insane kamikaze – Japanese? And where do you dig out such flicks. From what bad movie is it?

Let me put it like this, I’m not too much into fantasy stuff or fictional horror when it comes to write lyrics. I like to deal with facts and there is or has been a lot of true horror scenarios on this fucked up blue world. I like readings and watching documentaries a lot, of course war, part wise also WWII is part of that, too.

“Wings of Death” is NOT (!!!) about glorifying the act of “Kamikaze”, but fact is that for example the Japanese had back then a totally different attitude towards those methods; totally different then the thinking of the Western world.
The word “Kamikaze” is actually used by Americans in WWII, not by the Japanese. I’ve read a lot on that stuff; it’s truly sickening madness!!!

The video itself is more or less based on documentary stuff and some parts of the battle scenes refer to a Japanese movie, which is a really good one if you have a deeper interest in this matter!!!

Simply check out the video on your own here:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYhPjcoeZG0


To put your music on stage could be difficult with just 2 enthusiasts. Or was it never conceived for it?

It was not my first thought, but right now things are developing really good. At the moment of writing we are working on a proper live line – up with session members.
The plan is to do a couple of well selected shows to support the release of “Deathevokation”, but so far it’s too early to tell you more about it!!!

What do you think, how authentic is your album, regarding of the early years of Swedish lead? Maybe you put your individualism in the balance if you stay too close to the old heroes?

Ha! Yeah, I know that “Deathevokation” is not revolutionary in terms of giving new elements etc.; we simply wanted to create Death Metal that feels ripping good to us and of course you hear that we are some “die hard” fans of some Swedish bands.

Well, I think this project is still in the beginning, so only time can tell where our musical path will grow. For example “Iron Coffin” is the last track we’ve written for this debut and it’s completely different in atmosphere and feeling than for example “Shadowbreeder”, whose basics date back to 2007!

Do the great melodic hooks come in your mind easily?

Nothing comes easily! I still have to learn and try out a lot...

You say you don’t accept compromises in your music, is it hard to keep it this way?

Hard to say indeed!!! Life is often about compromises...to keep it like this, in first line we do music that WE like, so I think being honest to yourself is the most important thing!!!

How does it feel to get support from Dan Swanö?

Well, although I’ve never talked to Dan Swanö face to face I think he’s one of the most professional studio engineers with whom I’ve worked so far.
To REVEL IN FLESH he has been for 666% the right person for the mastering of such a production.

Maybe he praises all who share his philosophy?

Well, it has been the 2nd time I’ve worked with Dan with one of my bands. I’ve always had the feeling that he tried to get the best out of the material he got delivered by us.
We’ve had a really good communication on the REVEL IN FLESH stuff and he has given us a lot of essential advices!!!

Believe me, there are a lot of “so called” producers out there who only have in mind how to get some quick Euros from “young” bands.

Dan Swanö is certainly a guy who has a massive amount of experience on this sector of Metal. Nothing comes over night! There’s a lot of work behind his reputation and all I can say is horns up to this guy!!!

When will we get the vinyl – version? Any surprises on it that ecstasize the despicable fan?

Hm, our label FDA REKOTZ wants to do the vinly version (at the moment of writing) closely after the CD release. It’s supposed to be 140g heavy vinyl and there will be a covertune which won’t be featured on the CD version.
It’s a classical tune from a late 80ies US Death Metal band from Chicago; be surprised!!!

You homestead are the Pits of Utumno, LOL. Have I look for Teutonic idols in your vita now? How far are you influenced from the scene right on your own doorstep?

Ha! Yeah I guess it’s a nice hint to MORGOTH!!!
Well, we both in REVEL IN FLESH have been part of the local Death Metal scene for a long – time. We’re located pretty much in the south of Germany and in terms of “classical” Death Metal you can find some cool acts here as well like CHAOSREIGN, DEATHVASTATION, SUCKING VOID, CORPORATE PAIN etc.!!! A band which had a big influence on REVEL IN FLESH is of course FLESHCRAWL (Hi Mike, alte “Snusfresse”!!!), Ha! Ha!

Do you have the courage to give me an forecast, or do you want to enjoy just the moment?

I don’t like the idea about loosing words about the stuff we do; I think it’s up to each and everyone to make up your own mind. All I can say it that we already started with the songwriting on new material. Some new tunes are already finished and I think that there’s definitely more to come, also in terms of songwriting!!!
There are plans for a possible split 7”EP. Simply check our sites regularly to be updated!!! Also regarding possible liveshows J

Last shot is yours!

Thanx a lot Jörg for this cool and in - depth chat!!! Really good questions!!! Furthermore we wanna thank FDA REKOTZ Records and all those who have been involved in the final release of “Deathevokation”. The album and merchandise will be out on 23rd of March 2012. All those who have not heard about REVEL IN FLESH so far, make sure to have a click at our sites if you like Death Metal old, rotten and with HM2 pedal driven touch!!!
Here we go: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Revel-in-Flesh/304228902958414
or http://revelinflesh.jimdo.com

DEAD is THE filthy, sleazy, groovy … German institution, if it comes to sexy grinding eruptions in the bedrooms worldwide, as long as you have invested more money into your stereo as in your girlfriend … and you booth must love black humor and hairy vintage stuff. If not, here is your chance to learn more about it!

Hi Dany, how are you? Did you already have some trouble with feminist fundamentalists, after releasing “Hardnaked But Dead”?

No, not really – but I’m still waiting, hehe….

What about the acceptance on the serious female part of the population for DEAD in general?

Well, you might have recognized that for this release we only have “sexy” lyrics.
There are no sexist, homophobe, or anyhow else offensive lines which could give any marginal group a reason to complain. Even in the song “Tits” we simply pay homage to women’s beauty. So “Hardnaked…” is our most “PC”-album so far.

The bigger part of the yellow press seems to love your album? This must be eerie! I mean that fact increased the weight of expectation for the next one.

It’s 60:40 as far as I can see in the reviews. Whereas the one half of the press loves it, the other cannot get along with it as those young critics do not have any clue about our “intention” with DEAD and expect boring Porn Grind that we don’t play at all… or they don’t want to listen carefully the complete album. But as it is hardly possible to pigeonhole DEAD I’m not surprised about those idiots who criticize our bad black humor, sound or “speed. Well, …fuck that! All I can say is that DEAD will never change its musical/lyrical direction – so for upcoming releases you will get 100% DEAD for sure!

Grooves, rancid sound, curbed pace, are that DEAD anno 2011/12? Tell me about the way of the record!

You just named DEAD’s typical recognition features, hehe…Well, we never were THAT fast or a pure grindcore band, but on “Hardnaked…” we throttled the speed a bit, I agree. The curbed pace just came naturally during the songwriting; it was not intended in advance.Nevertheless there are grinding blast beats, too, of course as this is a “must” for DEAD.But for upcoming releases I promise more Blast’N’Crust!

Describes the word “filthy” your last release sufficient and comprehensive? Maybe you don´t like restrictive adjectives?

“Filthy” is a good adjective for our last album, and that’s how DEAD’s music always was meant to be! As you know that I’m a fan of old sleazy movies, zines, etc. I always wanted that our releases have that special and typical “dirty vintage” touch. It’s our trademark.And to sum it up: DEAD = 100% Sleaze!

Pungent Stench and retro-style are some terms, connected with your music from a lot of press dudes. Do you like it? Maybe it constricts your own identity?

That’s a very good aspect. In nearly every review we are compared with Pungent Stench and Autopsy – who definitely had a big influence on DEAD - and we still admire their (old) stuff, but we have our OWN identity as you mentioned - and insist on it.
Of corpse I’m flattered but I do not agree with them as in my opinion we do not sound alike…or do we?? Many critics call us “old-fashioned”, or “retro”, but HEY! – we do this shit since 1990 and didn’t change that much at all musically and never will, so we’re definitely NOT “retro” - we’re “TRUE”! That’s why I entitled the album “Hardnaked…but DEAD!” – It’s a silly play on words – related to the German word “hartnäckig”, as it emphasizes our will to stay “old-fashioned”, or “stubborn” concerning our music.

Tell me about the voice samples, you have used this time and where you dug out them! Do you search for it after finishing a song, or do you spin a song around a sample?

First of all the song’s matrix must be finished next to all lyrics, as I do not know in advance where I could place any, of course. Nearly all of the samples we used so far were just found incidentally. When I’m lying lazy on the sofa while watching serials or bad movies it sometimes happens that I get excited by several scenes that have e.g. funny dialogues or sound bites and could fit for a “DEAD”-song. So it’s very useful that I always keep some memo in reach to remember potential samples. When it’s time to record new material I investigate my “sample collection” and choose the adequate ones that are available.
But to avoid releasing “audio books” like e.g. Impetigo, or GUT did (sorry folks! ;) we try not to use as much as needed. The cover song “A beer” was the only one for which I explicitly searched for suitable samples in the internet.

Are your lyrics and music from the same relevance? Do they have the same attention in the development process?

Well, …“Yes” and ”No”. It’s a fact that first of all I need the music before I can start to write lyrics with my brother-in-booze somehow. So in the whole process the music is the most important thing before we can beautify the songs with nice tongue-in-cheek lyrics. They are indeed very important as they belong to DEAD’s trademark I would say, and that’s why I always want to have them shown in booklets. If you are a lucky owner of original DEAD CD’s or 7” EP’s, just take your time, have a deep breath and enjoy them. But to sum it up: music and lyrics are equivalent.

What actually happened with War Anthem and your last album? Maybe the exceptions were too excessive from both sides?

You mean “expectations”, right? Well, all I can say is that W.A. really did a great job and I cannot blame them at all for possibly bad CD-sales… I have to point out again that they decrease since many years in general drastically due to countless blog-pages in the internet, offering illegal downloads, or filesharing. Beside this major problem the release date was also very unpropitious…but that’s just an excuse.

Do you think, it will be different with Rico and FDA REKOTZ?

Yes, I definitely think so. In my opinion Rico’s label attracts other sort of fans than War Anthem does. Although W.A. also has grindcore bands like Cliteater, the label is somehow more linked to Black Metal in the scene and attracts other customers than potential DEAD fans. We know Rico since many years and have a good relation-/friendship. This sustains our teamwork. So we’re quite confident for the next years!

In sexual regard, graphic at least, you never were too offensive, like lots of others. Thus is smut on a high level, right?

Yep – our artwork is also DEAD’s trademark: Lascivious, dirty, but very stylish! Well, we only had really sick, offensive artwork on some EP’s in the 90’s – primarily on the “Slaves to abysmal perversity” when we started to change our lyrical direction. But compared to the artwork from actual porn grind bands they look almost naïve and unoffending.

Maybe DEAD refused vehement against the porn grind pigeon hole because of that?

That’s an important reason, yes - but not the only one. Were also just bored about this crappy, harmonizer-distorted-bullshit-fuck that every idiot can “compose” at home via computer. These so-called “bands” are just a waste of…everything.

You´d almost think, a part of DEAD still stuck in the 70ies, in a stylistic manner. But was not it Uwe's part? Are you still in touch with your original line-up?

Of course I am! I’m still in close contact with these old bums – mostly with Uwe. We meet each other nearly every 1 ½ months on concerts, or other public establishments at the weekend. But to come back to your question: DEAD is now stuck in the 60ies since Uwe left. I absolutely love the music from that time – especially the psychedelic or garage punk bands. The song “Tits” e.g. has a typical 60’s beat and the booklet contains advertisement pictures taken from rare erotic magazines dated at that time.

I think you were 17 as DEAD was born. Have you ever had actually a real chance to get out alive of this coitus? I mean you have wasted your whole youth with it.

That’s absolute correct and I don’t regret it at all! I had a fabulous time with DEAD in my youth as I was able to meet people from bands worldwide who you can call now “old Death Metal veterans” or even “classics”. Besides I experienced the Thrash Metal-boom followed by the “Deathgrind-Wave” in the early nineties, etc…and survived!

What is your personal reason, why DEAD is still running?

I simply cannot let DEAD “die” … I mean - it’s 100% my “baby” in which I pour my heart and soul into, and as long as I enjoy writing new songs, getting on stage and the fans support us, I’ll carry on for sure. DEAD is a really important part of my life that I can hardly abandon. Amen.

Do you feel underrated after all that years? I mean you don´t have the attention of the big audience till now. And the split in between was not a big help, although it works for other bands very well. Is this underground shit your real passion or your only opportunity?

Both, hahaha…well, on the one hand DEAD has never been musically “commercial” or “trendy” like other bands who are “big” now and can live on their music – more or less. On the other hand I also do not want to be dictated by a major label who tells me what and how to play, what to sing and bullshit like that, and act like a marionette. I cannot imagine that a major label could be interested in us if you just think about my fondness for rancid old sound and “naughty” lyrics, etc…and by the way…we’re too old now…

With your musical direction, DEAD stands apart of the others (at least in Germany). Is this calculus?

No, absolutely not. It just depends on my current mood when I take my time to write new songs. Besides, all members of DEAD are musically really open-minded and we do not want to limit ourselves just to one specific genre or speed. “Alternation” is the keyword!

Have you ever thought about to write other music than your damned catchy shit?

Of course I have – many, many times, but it’s really hard to write new stuff that doesn’t sound like your “style” that you are playing since almost more than 20 years. But I’m already thinking about a side project with pals who shared our rehearsal room a few years ago.
All I can tell you now is that this “virtual” Band name has never been used before according to metal-archives.com and Google. But let’s see.

In DEAD you are the head, I think. Are you the dictator and the other 2 guy are keen menials?

Yes, that’s true …more or less. Although they have “equal rights”, hehe… it’s me who writes 95% of the songs – 5% are suggestions for improvement by Volker Dead (bass).

Tell me about your past trips to Japan. Would you like to do it again? The Japanese are incredible polite and cultivate their sexual perversions. Is this right?

FUCK – YES, of corpse! If I’d get the chance (for a third time now) to tour again I wouldn’t hesitate. But on the other hand I would be also afraid of the radiation in Tokyo. Ali and me fucking love Japan and our Japanese friends. It’s always a pleasure meeting them again. The guys from Butcher ABC, Church of Misery, Coffins and Anatomia are already like “family members” for us. The Japanese are unbelievable polite – especially to Germans.But if you ever go to Japan don’t miss visiting a sex-shop! They’re absolutely bizarre!!

Last shot is yours!

Thanks for your interview and interest in DEAD. Spread the filth and let the Sleaze be with you!!! http://www.dead-slaves.com/home/

VORE released their new album “Gravehammer” any weeks ago. It´s a merciless mid - paced (almost) Death Metal monster … again, and it´s self financed … again. Maybe it´s time to leave the underdog – status. After all this years they have deserved more than nice underground – applause, I think. I have talked with Page about the “again” and more.

Hi Page, how are you. Give me some details about the new album!

I am very well, thank you! The new Vore album is called Gravehammer, and it’s our fourth self financed release. It’s a full length album with eight full songs plus a short acoustic interlude. Gravehammer has a dense, organic production…no digitized guitars,thin sounding drums,or any shit like that. It’s the closest we’ve ever come to making Vore come across on a recording like it should.
Musically, it still very much follows the Vore style of ominous crushing riffs and a foreboding atmosphere. There has been some evolution and refinement to our songs and musicianship. We’ve incorporated a few different things, but it is every bit a Vore record.We are very proud of it!

6 years since your last album is a damned long time, what do you actually expect from fans, the scene and your music after all the time? Whereto shall the new one lead you?

One of the great things about metal music is that the people that get into metal usually stay into it for life. The fans that liked Vore before are still out there supporting us, and we’re earning new fans every day on the heels of our new album. Vore has been playing an unpopular form of music for most of our lives.We have followed our own path. This band has seen a lot of trends come and go, and we’ve outlived them all. I think most people can see through bullshit music and shallow fads. If people like Vore, that’s great, welcome to the horde! If not, that’s ok too, it’s their loss. As long as people are getting into what Vore is doing, thatis all that matters to us.
As to where Gravehammer will lead us, we shall see. We’re beginning to see the seeds we’ve sown over the years come to fruition. We have been contacted by some record labels, so we may have a big announcement to make in the near future! We hope this will take Vore to the next level, and we’ll be able to recruit more fans and tour overseas.

And why have you needed such a fucking long time to come up with it?

We had every intention to get a new album out much sooner after Maleficus. We always plan to have our albums out within two or three years of each other, but it has never worked out that way. There is no single reason. There always seems to be financial, personal, or situational issues getting in the way, and something always seems to go wrong during the recording. I mean, every fucking time, there’s a malfunction or some kind of problem or delay that is beyond our control. Every recording since Dead Kings Eyes has been like that. I think it’s a curse of some kind. We almost named the new album “Curse Of The Gravehammer.”

Were you looking to do a sequel to “Maleficus” or have you looked for a different approach this time?

We weren’t trying to make a Maleficus Part 2. We just wrote songs, but the situation within the band had changed after Maleficus. Just prior to recordingMaleficus, we had replaced our original bass player and drummer, so after recording that album we went through a process of melding and coming together with different styles and viewpoints from the newer members. In 2007 we lost our other guitar player, John Voelker, who was the only other founding member left at the time besides myself, and that changed things as well.

The running time of “Gravehammer” is unusually long for an Death Metal Album. Is it important for you, or just happened? Or maybe it´s about your never ending constructiveness in the rehearsal room, or the inability to find a satisfying end for each song, ha ha.

It wasn’t a conscious decision to write longer songs on Gravehammer, they just turned out that way. We never write long songs for their own sake. When we write, we follow our gut, and the songs will show us where they want to go! Depending on how the riffs feel together and what kind of vibe they possess is our guide. Sometimes they feel like they have more to say, sometimes we know when to wrap them up. Often we’ll add something that opens up new options to explore. We indulged ourselves a bit in places, but there’s no wasted space. There’s no filler on Gravehammer.

“The Claw Is The Law”, I always thought Metal is the law! Tell me about this song!

Metal is definitely the law! “The Claw Is The Law” is an epic track and there are a lot of different parts to it. It’s longer song, but it doesn’t feel like it because there are so many different moods to it. It has as a huge chorus on it where we got a group of our friends together and did a death metal choir. Lyrically, it’s based on H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos. It’s about the Old Ones reclaiming our world for whatever inconceivable agenda these timeless, cosmic beings have. The melodic interlude in the middle is the Cthulhu dream sequence – “In his house at R'lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming“.

“Sacredotum Tyrannis” is the “get out dance” on “Gravehammer”. Is it something special? I mean it kills faster than the rest of your songs for long periods. Is this a sort of tactic?

Sacerdotum Tyrannis means “tyranny of the priests” in Latin. It is different from any other track on the new album due to its urgent pace. There aren’t any slow chugging parts in it. We didn’t intentionally set out to write something more upbeat, the song just turned out that way. We hoped it would surprise people. We think it makes a great album closer.

Have you never thought about getting more progressive or to put the blast shit in your music? Are you not afraid to confine oneself with your style?

Gravehammer is a progression for us musically and technically from our other releases. There are a several new elements we’ve included on Gravehammer that are not in any previous Vore compositions.We have a strong vision of what Vore is musically, and we don’t change for the sake of change. If we ever want to use more blast beats we will, but only if it serves the song. We don’t find blast beats very musical or interesting, which is why we don’t use them much. When we write songs, I come up with guitar riffs that have a certain vibe to them. When Remy adds the drum parts, he tries to match or embellish that feeling. We’ll try blast beats against riffs sometimes and they usually destroy the feeling and intent of the riff.

To which extent are you influenced from classic Metal and how do you use it?

I got first into metal in the early 1980s with bands like Iron Maiden, Accept, Dio era Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and a little later stuff like Venom, Mercyful Fate, and Hellhammer. All of those bands were a big influence on me, and they make up the foundation that all my other metal experiences are built upon. If any of that influence comes through in Vore’s music, it’s subconscious. I think you can hear some classic metal influence come though on tracks like “The Claw Is The Law” and “Gravehammer”. Additionally, Vore often uses classic metal song structures and not just a bunch of random riffs slapped together. One of our core beliefs is that making a good song is of primary importance.

Had it any affect on your music and the writing process that John Voelker left the band after the last album?

It didn’t have much impact to be honest. John had been contributing less and less to the songwriting process over the years before he left. I’ve always written the majority of the riffs, lyrics, and arrangements. On the new album, one place his absence had an impact was on the guitar solo composition. In the past with John, he’d be playing a rhythm and I’d write the solos over that. This time I wrote the solos and then had to come up with the rhythms afterward. My solos turned out more melodic and with more tonal variation to them.

What do you think about when you write your songs? Do you have any pictures in your head or is it just a pedestrian process?

There is always imagery in our heads. We’re creating an epic film or writing scenes to a movie soundtrack. We listen to a lot of film scores. Lyrically, we draw inspiration from books. Some of our favorite authors are Robert E. Howard, Michael Moorcock, Brian Lumley, H.P. Lovecraft & Gene Wolfe. We’re also into mythology and history, so there’s always a lot of that swirling around in our minds as well.

Why have you never looked for a strong label support? I mean it can´t be a matter of music. Do you like it to hold all aces in your hands?

Oh we’ve looked for label support, you better believe it! We’ve just not had any takers apart from some very tiny labels. We’ve never let not being signed prevent us from moving forward. We’ve recorded and released our own albums and hired PR firms to do our promotion. There are limitations to what we can do on our own, obviously, such as distribution. But if we never get signed we’ll remain on this same path. Since we’ve released Gravehammer we’ve been contacted by a couple of labels, and one of them is significant, so our situation may be changing very soon!

What about financing and promoting? I mean, it costs money. And the internet – piracy punches a hole in the purse of a lot of musicians
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With Vore, the more we want to do, the more expensive it gets.We’ve invested thousands of dollars of our own money into Vore, and everything the band earns goes back into the band. It’s not cheap.
Illegal downloading is a double edged sword. On one side, your music is getting out there to people, but on the other side, you’re not getting the return on your investment so you can continue to do more. We need people to purchase cd´s and merchandise from us so we can invest in Vore’s future. It’s not like we’re buying expensive sports cars, we’re all poor bastards! Death metal does not pay the bills!
We are appreciative of all our fans, but more so of those that will actually buy a cd from us. We strive to provide a quality product, and we don’t rip anyone off with our prices. We try to keep our merchandise as low cost as we can.

What is so hellishly appealing about the war machine – sound and heavy battlefield music?

It’s the crushing power, like a tank rolling over you, though we’ve never considered Vore’s music “war metal” per se. We don’t exclusively write about war, battlefields, and tanks. Those subjects have never been our lyrical focus, though we get compared to Bolt Thrower on occasion because of our pace.
Our goal has always been to forge well crafted death metal music. We strive to make our music dark and heavy with an emphasis on writing solid, heavy guitar riffs, which for us, create the most power. We delight in menacing, epic, death metal riffs that you can sink your teeth into and get stuck in your head. We work hard for our songs to convey an atmosphere of foreboding and menace. Modern death metal is blast beating itself into oblivion. Vore is the antidote to that.

What keeps the band together (since 94)? How do you survive ups and downs? Propel ourselves forward.

We are either tenacious and thrive on adversity, or we’re stupid! We remain driven to do what we do and are still fulfilled by it. I think the most important thing is that we enjoy it and have fun. Right now, Vore is firing on all cylinders and is the strongest it’s ever been. We still have a lot left to say as a band. I think if we dry up creatively and it’s no longer enjoyable, it’ll be time to stop.

Do you think VORE stands in the shadow of the big named bands? Do you think you have deserved more?

We don’t think about those things. We do our own thing and focus on that. We’ve been doing what we’ve wanted to do on our own for almost 18 years for the love of it. We are proud of what we have accomplished as an independent band. Thinking we somehow deserve more than what we have earned is weak.

Are “Independent” and “Undergound” more than a smattering of empty phrases for you?

As descriptions they’re both still relevant. Vore is defined by both. The underground is much more accessible these days than say, 20 years ago, due to the internet. But death metal is still underground and vibrant.

Do you think the spirit of the old Death Metal day still exists? Can the kiddies of today actually realize what made us going these days?

The younger metal generations will never share the same perspective with those of us that grew up in the 80s, but I think a lot of them can and do understand. People that really get into metal and music in general usually look backwards to the roots to see how it all evolved. Music always recycles itself, and what was old becomes new again. The blood is still pumping in its veins and the dark spirit of death lives on!

Last spot is yours!

We’d like to thank you for the opportunity to expose Vore to the readers of Fatal Grind! We invite everyone to visit us online at www.vore.org . We have links to all our social media sites there like Facebook, Youtube and MySpace. Thanks again for your time and support! HAIL METAL!

SACRIFICIAL SLAUGHTER is an American Death Thrash band, formed in 2001 by vocalist Steve Worley. The band has been hard at work in the underground community for over a decade. With label support coming for the first time in the bands history in 2009, SACRIFICIAL SLAUGHTER released their sophomore full length "Spontaneous Suicide" worldwide via Crash Music/EMI.
A rigorous touring schedule would ensue, including multiple stints all through out Europe and North America along side legendary acts such as MASTER, PESTILENCE, VITAL REMAINS and many more.
The last year opens a new chapter in Sacrificial Slaughter history. They have a new split album with ENFUNERATION released and multiple tours planned. Let´s see, what Steve has to say about the recent developments

Hey Steve, how are you, has the new release brought you closer to the metal Olympics?

The new release has been successful. Many copies have been sold and it is gaining exposure worldwide.

Tell me about the split CD and your partners in crime!

Enfuneration are a great band and good friends of ours. We met them during several tours we did in the States throughout 2010 and I instantly became a fan. When we started throwing ideas around to release a split cd, I knew they were the guys I wanted to work with.

Furious Thrash in the vein of Razor / Slayer and devastating drums – inferno, that seems to be your base, or is there more behind it?

We get together and play the music that we like to play. Whatever comes out. We aren’t trying to compare ourselves to anyone or out play anyone. We are all fans of different kinds of Metal genres and in Sacrificial Slaughter we take the best elements of Death and Thrash and turn it into the fierce onslaught that it is.

The title “American Death Thrash” is significant. Do you want to get out of the way of all the guys who come up with new pigeonholes! Do you like it straight?

Straight to the point, no hidden meanings, just aggressive, in your face, American Death Thrash.

You have to enlighten me about the intro, where is it stolen from and why?

The intro on American Death Thrash is compiled of one of my favorite death scenes from a French film called “High Tension.” We accompanied the vicious blood curdling screams with Mozart’s “Lacrimosa” in the background. It’s a great classical piece and it was also used in one of our favorite movies “The Big Lebowski,” so we laugh about it as well. We haven’t ever really messed around with intros or sound bytes before. So this was kind of a test run. I can’t say if we will use the intro on the full length or continue to incorporate sound bytes in the future. Just have to see.

Why have you chosen for a split release instead of writing some more songs and releasing another full length? Friendly turn? Question of cost?

It was a question of cost indeed. We have enough material to put out a full length right now. But without label support at the moment we decided to split costs with another band to make a new release that could not only be successful but affordable.

I think you take your music very serious, but what about the lyrics? Humor is the king? Do you like to trample on stereotypes?

Lyrical themes for us rely on topics of everyday life. Often those topics relate to excessive alcohol abuse, violence and debauchery. But this is the lifestyle we choose and the music we choose to play and we take both seriously.

Are you the sort of guy who likes to force the progression of his band, the one others chafe on, or do you like the easy going?

Always forcing ourselves ahead. There are thousands of bands out there trying to do the same thing we are. We could be forgotten in an instant if we don’t continue to fight onward and make a name for ourselves.

How does the band work, democracy or dictatorship? And why is your way the right one?

I always consider the other guys in the band in all the moves we make. I value their opinions and keep their best interests and well being in mind at all times. Without them I couldn’t do this. But in 10 years I´ve never led us wrong, so for now I will keep dictating.

How are you finances with the band, the tours and stuff? I don’t believe that you can cover your costs just with merch can you?

Now a days our cost to operate IS actually covered by merch and playing shows. We don’t perform without a guarantee and I can fluctuate the guarantee amount depending on the conditions of the show. Distance, day of the week, etc. But I always make sure we have enough to cover, gas, food, lodging, beer, whatever. The merch money is a bonus. I use those funds for more merch and studio time.

How important is label support for you personally? Have you found the right one with HPGD for the new release?

I think label support is very important in the future of any band. HPGD was the perfect label for our current release but in the future we would like to ink a deal with one of the more renowned house hold name labels.

The band got a move on in 2009, but existed 10 years longer or so, were you counting little sheep before? I mean, you had a full length before but 2009 was the year with touring, new long player and your name on everyone’s lips!

The years leading up to 2009 were not wasted by any means. We spent those years playing our asses off in our local scene and trying to make a name for ourselves. We were just kids. Like 16 years old. So it was hard to come up with the large amount of money to do a proper recording. Without jobs or financial support of any kind we just did our best playing live as much as possible and spreading the word. Finally in 2009 we were a little older and more mature. All of us had day jobs and were able to collectively pay for studio time. So we went in and recorded a few songs at a nice studio in Orange County, California. We shopped the demo as best as we could. Sending it to every person we thought might care. We immediately got contacted by Crash Music. With their amazing worldwide distribution deal through EMI and really know other offers on the table....we took the deal. Just a 1 album deal and “Spontaneous Suicide” was born. It wasn’t our first choice of labels but we wanted to use it as a stepping stone to bigger and better things. Just to get the music around. So it served its purpose in that way.

How essential is the stage for you? What do you see in the eyes of the freaks in front of the stage? What do you expect from a good show and yourself?

The stage is what it’s all about. Everything we do is leading up to the moment where we get to go on stage in front of all those people and do what we do best. There’s no greater feeling then getting up there and making hundreds of people move with your music. It is a huge adrenaline rush. Of course some shows are better then others. A good show for us is a big energetic and enthusiastic crowd and tons of beer!

Tell me about your tour through Europe. Was it a “pay to play” thing and did you have fair conditions? Is that “pay to play” attitude ok for you?

The times we have traveled through Europe the conditions have always been extremely fair. Otherwise we wouldn’t do it. Our touring agency is from Germany and they take care of us very well. Like family. Basically we are responsible for getting ourselves out there and they take care of the rest. Unfortunately we come from California so it can be a little expensive. But that’s our problem. If we lived on the east coast of US or somewhere in Europe, it would be a lot cheaper for us to do these tours. But we always find a way to make it happen. I don’t know if I consider that pay to play. Its more like, do what you have to do to get your guys out there and have a successful tour. Hopefully someday soon we will be in a position to have our plane tickets paid for!


What are you impressions of Europe and Germany above all?

Europe is amazing. We try and play out there as much as possible. One day I would like to reside there. It is much better then living in the United States. Germany above all is my favorite. Metal is a second language there. Great crowds, great fans, great friends, great girls, great beer. I love Germany.

Try to compare Germany and US, what do you like and hate (inside the metal scene)?

There isn’t much to compare. Germany is just better in every way. The scene in Germany is forever thriving while the United States continues to be dismal. For example, the biggest fest in US is Maryland Deathfest. Which is a great fest.....but Germany has WACKEN OPEN AIR. End of story...

Is copious touring a never ending big fun or is there a point somewhere where it gets exhausting. I mean you have to play full concentrated sets every night, that can´t be always easy!

It is fun to be out there playing the music you love everyday and connecting with great people. But it is very exhausting indeed. It’s like drive 10 hours, play a full set as hard as you can, drive through the night, sleep in the van for a couple hours, play another set as hard as you can, over and over for months straight. After a while you can’t wait to land in your own bed! But it’s worth it, we live for this shit.

You have played with some Death and Thrash legends in the past. Will you did you perceive from them, when you burn out yourself as opening act?

We have had the pleasure and honor to tour Europe and North America with some major veterans such as Paul Speckmann and Master, Don Decker and Anal Blast, Pestilence, Waco Jesus and Vital Remains. We learned a lot from all these guys. No egos, they all took us under their wings and showed us the way. We are very lucky to have accumulated these influential friendships over the years. We will always be proud to be an opening act for any legend of the music that we love. Until one day, perhaps we will be the old timers.

Last spot is yours!

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