Interviews: Generation.Kill, Masac:hist, Xanadoo! Editors' picks: 5 skull ..crus-hing rec.ords! Issue 4
NoveiJlber 2012
Strictly not for sale
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in Inquisition has moved from primitive form of I to their -urent ritualistic style of black metal, with their numerhailed as ult clasics. Dagon tells us more about the ancient cult. 1
Inquisition began all the way back in 1988, with the band initially playing raw thrash metal. However on the band's debut full length, Into the Infernal Regions of the Ancient Cult the band had shifted to a black metal sound. What caused this decision in the shift in musical direction? By the time I moved back to the United States I wanted a fresh new start with Inquisition in every sense. The exception was to not change the band name, it would remain as Inquisition. Within this "new start" was the concept of initiating Inquisition into the realm of intense and mystical satanic music. Yes, many were performing Black Metal at the time, but I wanted to create and offer a slightly different form of Black Metal. While inspired by the genre I also wanted
to contribute something to it. While using the thrash metal roots of Inquisition, I incorporated elements from Black Metal without trying to sound like a retro Black-Thrash band. In essence I did this because it was time to move onto higher levels and Black metal was the perfect vehicle where there are no limitations and this was an evolution I was craving for. Part of what makes Inquisition's music unique compared to the plethora of black metal bands today are your unique vocal stylings that you utilise on Inquisition's music. How did the style of music of Inquisition come about, especially the vocal style that has become part of the signature Inquisition sound? On one end of the spectrum I was searching for
a vocal style that was not screamed or screechy. So many were doing that, I myself even did that on the third demo; I wanted a style that was more subtle, not as loud and distracting from the music. In other words I wanted vocals that were an addition to the music, not the opposite. Keeping the vocals unexcited, chant-like and entrancing were a form of adding a ritual-like feel to the evocations of Inquisition. I was inspired also by Atilla's vocals and felt a connection with that style, choosing to do something in that vein but darker in a certain context.
24 years on the band is still consistently releasing new material, yet has stuck true to its black metal roots throughout. When the band first started in 1988, did you ever think that you would still be playing extreme metal more than 20 years later? I knew this would last during my lifetime from the very beginning. My passion started with the love for the guitar, the sound of it and everything else. I did not simply like a guitar; I adored it and wanted to learn it so I could start a band as soon as possible. I also wanted to be a songwriter. While other people were concerned with being someone' s guitar hero I wanted to be a good songwriter and knew that this is what I wanted to do during my stay on this planet. Entering the realm of Heavy metal reinforced that... And the devil took me into his realm.
On "Ominous Doctrines... ", the band once more goes back to a somewhat clearer production that leans closer to 2004's Magnificent Glorification of Lucifer, a stark contrast to the raw sound that Nefarious Dismal Orations had. Was this a conscious move by the band, and if so, why? The production on the latest album is slightly what we wanted in the past but did not have the finances to achieve it. This time we were able to allow for more time in the mixing phase which made a huge difference and the producer already knew what direction to take the band in, and as he mentioned to us, Inquisition "while being a Black metal band, conveyed the necessity to remain organic, natural sounding and not
over produced or too raw". We did not keep things too organic because Inquisition should have highlights brought out and surfaced, and, under-production can keep everything a bit flat. Over produced, well we all know how that can hurt a band, sounding better than reality is not good at times.
"Ominous Doctrines... " also displays the continuous growth and evolution of Inquisition as a band, with a slight shift in the songwriting with the inclusion of more noticeable lead sections and the inclusion of an interlude, "Conjuration" as well, which has never been seen on previous Inquisition releases. What was the songwriting on this album like, and has it been any different compared to previous releases? The mind set in the song writing was nearly the same as on all albums but the small difference of spirit was the fact that I wanted to create riffs that moved the listener not only spiritually but also physically. I really think that riffs, when possible, should have the ability to carry the listener into emotional realms in body and spirit. A great riff demands great drum beats, and together those two elements can really make for a ritual. Ominous Doctrines ... is this, worship of the ritual of the riff and rhythm musically speaking, more than ever before.
Apart from the Satanic and anti-Christian stance that the band takes on the lyrics of Inquisition, there is also a strong interest in themes of the cosmic, particularly on "Ominous Doctrines... " How did the interest come about and where do you draw inspiration when writing the lyrics for "Ominous Doctrines... "? In one sense I was searching for something a bit different to avoid repetition of a subject that people more than understand now and that I think fans have become desensitized to. Today's scene is asking for more complex topics. Black Metal is no longer about simple rebellion ... Fans want their topics much more involved with complex topics. Satanism is about growth, power and knowledge so this should be reflected in the later Inquisition albums. I really don't understand when a few say Black Metal is not about
evolution. I disagree, evolution is about growth and refinement, weeding out the useless and week to seek out greater results, but, evolution can be subtle and those subtle changes are what make things better at times. Our topics are one of those evolutions, Satanism in a scientific sense ...
The Lovecraft influence is obvious on "Ominous Doctrines... " with the band including quotes from the author. Apart from Lovecraft, have there been other authors or personalities that have had a large influence on the music and lyrics of Inquisition? Edgar Allen Poe is my favourite writer, the way he composed his writings were flawless, very much a painter with words. Lovecraft is now coming into a close second favourite. What I like is that their compositions are so easy to understand, you don't have to spend hours trying to decipher anything, they have a very direct approach but do it with such style that the artistic approach is there and you get sucked into this journey. Something I can identify w ith a lot.
Like previous Inquisition albums, Antichrist Kramer handles the artwork on "Ominous Doctrines ... " How did the album artwork concept for "Ominous Doctrines ..." come about? I asked him to paint something that took place in deep space and could represent opposing forces colliding creating one unified force that represented "Satan" . He did a superb job because what I asked him to do was not an easy concept to materialize.
Apart from the usual LP and CD releases on No Colours Records, the band has also reissued "Ominous Doctrines ... " under Hells Headbangers as a beautiful special limited edition Tome edition double LP. How did this come about, and what was the reason behind the reissuing of the album so quickly after its initial release? The Tome edition was originally only going to be a re-release of our first full length album Into the Infernal Regions ofThe Ancient Cult. Hells Head-
Inquisition Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm (2010) [No Colours Records] lbangers wrote us mentioning they would like to license the album for a picture disc. I contacted Kramer about this and he said "let me design a great edition for it and see what Hells Headbangers says" . Hells Headbangers loved the design Kramer sent them and they responded by saying "how about we re-release the entire discography up until Ominous Doctrines ... ". We agreed and here we are today working on the upcoming Tome editions, to be released before our new album in 2013.
Since the start of the band's history it has mostly stuck to a 2-man format, with the band consisting only yourself and Incubus. Has the thought of including more members in the band ever crossed your mind? As mentioned many times before, we had a bass player for a few months back in 1998, and it did not work out. Meanwhile we continued to rehearse as a two piece and figured out one day that if we sound fine as a two piece in the rehearsal room we will sound just fine on a stage, especially with knowledge of sound and always discussing with the sound engineers what we want. To this date, no plans are in the process for adding another member. There is no need to. We worry about results and the results are to our satisfaction.
One other curious question. The band has never released any cover songs. Will the band ever do so in the future, and why or why not? I am 98% sure we will never do a cover song ... But I will not say 100% never. Of course there are bands we admire, but to spend time learning someone else's song and perfecting it is time we can spend writing another Inquisition song. A cover song is not a step forward for us.
Earlier in the year the band announced the signing to French label Season of Mist. How did this deal come about, and what were the reasons behind the move from No Colours Records to Season of Mist? After so much touring and seeing the demand for our albums we realized that now we were in need of a label that had much more powerful distribution and promotion. We have the underground spirit but we don't believe in remaining as small and unknown as possible, therefore it was time to move onto a label that can contribute to Inquisition while not changing the essence of the band . Basically speaking, we contacted a few labels, we received a few different offers and Season of Mist got Inquisition ... Or we got Season of Mist, however you look at it. This label is so beyond what people can imagine, they sign what they like and that's it. No dictating, no control over what we want to write. Inquisition will remain intact and that is the most important issue here, they signed us because they like us and we are very satisfied with the
deal we negotiated.
The band this year will play in Singapore at the True Metal Invasion festival. While the band is no stranger to Southeast Asia, having played in countries like Thailand before, what can fans of the band expect for the show in Singapore? Expect a mystical and transcending experience. Our music is brutal and heavy, but is also obscure and subtle. We guide people's emotions a lot; you will experience a full emotional ritual of the spirit in one hour. This is Black Metal yes, but much, much more than that: we perform music for the universe and we'll take you there under the wings of your demons.
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Inquisition plays at the True Metal Invasion festival on November 29 from 6pm onwards, alongside Onslaught, Desecration, Death hammer and more!
Featuring Rob Dukes of Exodus fame and Rob Moschetti of Pro-Pain fame, Generation Kill presented their debut album Red, White and Blood last year, incorporating numerous different musical styles into one album. Moschetti tells us more. The band was formed back in 2008 by Rob Dukes and Rob Moschetti. With each of the founders being involved in other thrash bands as well, how did this collaboration and formation of Generation Kill come about? Rob Dukes and myself live in the same area and when Dukes mentioned to other locals that he wanted to start a new band, my name came up. He contacted me and I instantly said yes. I had two songs written in the first week, and the ball was in play. The other members were in some of my previous bands, and we dragged them along for the ride. The band name, Generation Kill, was chosen by Rob Dukes after a book of the same name. Are there any particular reasons behind the band name, and what is the significance of the band name in relation to the band's music? Rob read the book and was moved by it. When we were searching for a band name, it just sounded very powerful. The lyrics were written to most of the songs before we had a band name. It just all fell into place naturally. The concept of our album was not pre planned. The songs told a story after I arranged the order for the album .
3 years after the band's formation, the debut album was finally released in the form of Red, White and Blood, displaying a rather different style of thrash compared to each of the members' other bands. How did this punk-fuelled thrash metal style come about? For some reason, my faster songs wind up sounding punkish or hardcore. It may come from my crude style of playing. I'm not a technical player, lm more about attitude and emotion . I did play bass in M.O.D. and played guitar in PROPAIN, which are 2 N.Y. Hardcore bands. Maybe that's where it comes from . In the playing and writing of the music of Red White and Blood, how different was the overall experience compared to writing for each of your individual bands? We both joined legendary bands that had multiple records before we joined. The path of those bands had already been chosen. We wanted to do our own thing, without abandoning our personal fanbase. We wanted to be heavy, but wanted to try a different approach. We wanted the album to have ups and downs and different vibes throughout. Being that it is a new band we were able to take a few risks without any back-
lash. Now that we touched on many different styles on our debut, we can write whatever we want. And that is what true art is about. Being true to yourself.
Despite the largely energetic thrash that is presented on Red White and Blood, it is not a pure speed-fest as there are somewhat slower moments as well, on tracks like Self-Medicating. What was the songwriting process like for Red White and Blood? We just wanted to express ourselves free of outside influence. Some bands are afraid to admit or show the other side of their personality. We don't shy away from slow, dark songs. Acoustic 12 string guitars, keys and other percussion instruments add another dimension to our music.
We all support our troops. Most of them don't really know why they are there. They are just trying to stand behind our President and country. But we are kept in the dark about a lot of things. It's all very confusing. We owe everything to our troops for risking their lives for us.
The band recently unleashed a video for a new track, Run it Out. How did the concept of the video come about, and can fans expect more new material to come their way soon? That video was never approved by the band . It was thrown together by our former manager. That songs lyrics have nothing to do with war. It's more of a motivational track. Get off your ass, never give up, kind of thing. A
One of the tracks that stood out for me was the track Dark Days, presenting a starkly contrasting style to the rest of the album. Tell us more about the writing and thought process behind the track. How different was it writing the track compared to the other tracks on the album? This track was written and tracked as it appears on the album. It was an idea of Dukes to have a "fade to black" song, without the distorted guitar section. We wrote it and tracked it without giving much thought to it. Simple yet affective. You are hearing the first takes of the guitar parts as they were created. No one has the balls to do that, these days.
In particular, Rob Dukes presents a rather different vocal style here compared to the works on Exodus. What were some of the challenges for you when laying down the vocals for Generation Kill, especially with the rather high presence of clean singing on Red White and Blood? There really were no challenges to it. It was a very relaxed approach to making this record. Some songs just didn't require the screaming voice, and why not show people other styles that they might not expect from the Exodus frontman.
Generation Kill Red, White and Blood (2011)
[Season of Mist]
Generation Kill's debut Red, White and Blood came as a surprise after my encounter with Rob Dukes in Exodus. Rather than the style that one may be familiar with for Exodus releases, Generation Kill presents a rather different style of thrash metal, with the large infusion of punk elements and energy on Red, White and Blood. Apart from the punk moments that Moschetti has brought in, Dukes experiments with his vocals as well, especiallly on the track Dark Days where he sings in clean vocals throughout, rather than simply screaming his head off as he does on Exodus. There is no shortage of slower, darker and more retrospective moments on Red, White and Blood as well as the band often includes slower moments in between full-on, raging thrash metal.
Get your fix bere:
News in 5 minutes Kreator will release a new 7" single for Civilization Collapse, taken off their new album Phantom Antichrist on November 9. It will contain a non-album track, Wolfchild. The band will also film a video for the track. In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Pantera's Vulgar Display of Power, Rhino will release the band's Walk EP on vinyl for the first time ever on November 6. Guitarist Dominique Leurquin of cinematic metallers Luca Turilli's Rhapsody has suffered from a serious hand injury after an accident while working on a circular saw. The band will continue it's tours as planned, with Dominique's backing tracks added during live sets. In addition, the cinematic ballad Fantasia Gatica will be postponed until after the tour. Polish extreme metallers Hate has completed the recording of their follow up to 2010's Erebos, entitled Solarflesh. The album is due to be released in early 2013 under Napalm Records.
Cryptopsy will release a best-of collection on 20 November under Century Media Records, entitled The Best of Us Bleed. It will contain demo and live recordings, as well as three exclusive new tracks. Legendary black metal band Von will release Satanic Blood on 31 October via Von Records, containing re-recordings of 19 classic tunes. It will be available as a 12" x 12" 20-page booklet with a mounted CD inside the cover. Norwegian black metallers Darkthrone will reissue it's 1992 classic album, A Blaze in the Northern Sky this November under Peaceville Records. It will contain an additional CD featuring Fenriz talking about his memories and recollections of the album's construction and extra liner notes from Fenriz and Nocturno Culto, plus rare and previously unseen images. Also contains a video interview with Nocturno and Fenriz from 2003.
Edito(s Picks
Drug Hankey Ghost in the Fire (2012) [Diabolical Conquest Records] Drug Honkey's 2009 album Death Dub was a psychedelic, intense and crushing slab of experimental death/doom metal, which left me enchanted ever since. The band refines their art further this time with the follow up, Ghost in the Fire. The tortured vocals, the heavy guitar and the suffocating atmosphere all make Ghost in the Fire no easy listening by any means, and ensures that the listener's sanity is constantly pushed to the limits. The loops and various other sound effects are also commonplace in Drug Honkey's music, making the experience all the more disturbing. The painfully slow music on Ghost in the Fire sounds like a neverending funeral march, proving that technical flamboyance is not always needed to make a good album .
Masachist Scorned (2012) [Selfmadegod Records) A superband of sorts, Masachist comprises past and present members of bands such as Azarath, Decapitated and Vesania. Their sophomore full length release Scorned further proves why they are a force not to be taken lightly, as they punish the listener's ears with their pure, Polish form of death metal with that ever so slight black metal influence that appears from time to time. Sheer technical briliance is what one can expect from the band, with the portfolio of each of the members. Drummer Daray in particular stands out with his unique playing style, complementing the complex riffs that guitarist Thrufel and bassist Heinrich unleash. If one loves polish death metal such as Azarath and Decapitated, there is no reason not to like this album.
Ful reviews available at our website, http://www.heavyiJletaltribune.c.oiJl/
Deiphago Satan Alpha Omega (2012) [Hells Headbangers] After their excellent 2006 debut release, Satanic Eon, Deiphago sophomore Filipino Anitichrist unfortunately did not met up to my personal expectations. However, with Satan Alpha Omega, the band returns with renewed vengeance. 11 tracks of unrelenting bestial black/death metal, all clocking in at just under 38 minutes. The inclusion of new drummer Savnok serves to further bring out the Canadian war metal influences even more, and the heavy emphasis on the chaotic riffwork makes the comparison to Canadian greats such as Conqueror and Revenge all the more obvious. Definitely one of the most rewarding war metal release this year, and Deiphago's best so far.
Ragnarok Malediction (2012) [Agonia Records] Ragnarok seems to be a band that is constantly affected by issues of rotating members, with each shift in the lineup bringing about slight shifts in sound as well. Malediction sees the inclusion of new guitarist Bolverk, and the influences that he has brought in are pretty clear, with guitar lines that are at the same time more melodic and complex, showing how he manages to fit the band like a glove. Hansfyrste's vocals now register a slightly higher pitch, reminiscent of his works on the newer Svarttjern release, bringing in a bleaker and colder vision in Ragnarok's music as well. As usual, Jontho's drumming is as savage as ever, and is perhaps one of the highlights of the album.
Wintersun Time I (2012) [Nuclear Blast Records] After years and years of delay, it's about high time that Wintersun release the follow up to their classic self-titled debut, with Time I. 8 years in the making, expectations are naturally high, and suffice to say, Wintersun certainlly meets these expectations. Apart from the usual high energy, technical playing of the instruments, Jari's ingenuity in songwriting is evident, with the seamless fusing of atmospheric elements into highly technical melodic death metal. Orchestras and choirs are aplenty here, each seeking to shroud the listener in a cloud of mystery. The complexity in the songwriting and the execution of the instruments further accentuate the somewhat progressive feel in the music, making Time I an interesting and rather fulfilling release.
Resurgency False Enlightenment (2012) [Hellthrasher Productions] Old school death metal seems to be all the rage these days, with one Incantation-worship after another being released at insane rapidnes. Greek death metal band Resurgency falls into this category as well (though I'm not complaining), with their heavy and commanding brand of death metal reeking of influences from Incantation, reminding listeners of such bands as Grave Miasma and lgnivomous at the same time. However, the band brings in some slight Swedish death metal influences at times as well, in attempts to make False Enlightenment more than purely an Incantation rip-off. Instead of the lead works, the focus here is on the crushing riffwork and the suffocating atmosphere that is created at the same time. Definitely a classic in the making.
Sounds of the Underground
Featuring past and members of dary Polish bands as Decapitated, Azarath and Vesania, Masachist has caused a stir in the Polish underground with their recent release Scorned. Thrufel tells us more. Greetings Thrufel! Give us a history of the band? What was it that made you decide to form Masachist? I always had the hunger to play and that's why I joined my previous bands Yattering and Azarath. Everything was great except for the fact that it wasn't my music, it was other people's ideas. I needed to start a band when I would be "the boss", the guy who has the final say. I had lots of ideas that either didn't fit the bands I used to play in, or I simply didn't want to give them away. I wanted those ideas for my band, for Masachist. It finally came to life in 2005 and step by step we moved towards our first two song promo and two full length albums that were both well received . We still have the same line up and this is also something I would call a success. The band contains past and present members from prominent Polish bands like Vesania, Decapitated and Azarath. How did the current lineup of Masachist come about? Every member of the band is an experienced musician and this is what I needed from the very beginning. Unfortunately the local musicians that I tried out just couldn't cut it. Today I have a great line up and every member willingly participates in Masachist's activities and shares the
same vision . In 2008 the band announced the adition of Sauron on vocals and he has handled vocals on all releases of Masachist since then. What was the reason behind this? When we recorded the "Promo 2007" we really just wanted to test ourselves and see how it all works out. Yes, it was me at the microphone, along with Aro. I have to admit that the vocals we did were pretty weak, epecially my parts. Besides that, those vocals didn't really fit the style of our music. We needed someone with a deeper voice and Pig (Sauron) was the only option. He agreed without hesitation . He's a great vocalist! The music on Scorned is certainly high quality, unadulterated death metal. With each of the members being considered veterans of Polish extreme metal, what was the songwriting process like for Scorned? I practically write all the music. We meet for rehearsals and we arrange the ideas pretty fast. I had to spend a little more time with it, because I make the compositions first. I won't hide the fact, that I had some help from a local friend of mine, who plays drums. With him I could rehearse and "analyze" the riffs as they were
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played. The final arrangements were of course done by me and Daray, with some input from the rest of the band. I really like this way of working and I don't see the need for any changes, at least for now.
Scorned contains a nice balance of fast, brutal tracks like Opposing Normality and slower yet equally crushing and intense tracks like Straight and Narrow Path. Which was the most challenging track to write, in your opinion, and why? The whole album was a challenge, because I knew how good the first one turned out. We didn't want to repeat ourselves, we wanted to make something even better. It was a natural step forward. Every song was supposed to sound killer to our ears, and again, it was intuitive. And I think we have good intuition .. Nothing is half-assed, we worked on every detail and everything was a challenge in itself. It can be heard on the album. I think it turned out really good and it places us high among the ranks of today's Death Metal legions.
The band has also matched up the brutality and intensity with the equally oppressive lyrics on the album. What were the imageries that were conjured when writing the lyrics? That was the general idea, to match the intensity of the music with equally brutal lyrics. This kind of music works best as an outlet for anger and negativity. The lyrics in Masachist are like a dark tunnel that goes through your mind. As with the music, I came up with most of the lyrical concepts. But I needed someone to put it to words and perhaps add something to it, and just like with the musicians that I chose for the line up I wanted someone who had experience. So I asked my friend Brezniev to write the lyrics for Masachist, simply because we come from a similar background and because I liked the lyrics that he wrote for my previous band Yattering. He did all the lyrics for "Death March Fury" and most for "Scorned". I also asked another friend of mine, Ataman Tolovy from Stillborn (check them out) to write something for the band, and you can find his contribution in the song "Mani-
festo". The lyrics on "Scorned" are inspired by many things, mainly the dark side of life, but the main theme comes from the Bushido code, the way of the Samurai. It's not a concept album as such, but we took some elements of this culture, or at least our interpretation of it, and applied it to the concept of the band. So basically you have a different view of death, inner struggles and personal evolution, but all within the context of Death Metal.
One thing that was particularly interesting was Daray's drumming on the album, somewhat melodic rather than simply playing a rhythmic role. What was the thought process behind the recording of the drums? [Daray] Having played with Thrufel long now, I can feel when he wants to push or sit back on something or if he wants to turn on something, it's pretty apparent. There are times when Thrufel has things completely figured out, but we like to get together most of the time, toss things around between the two of us and make a foundation . As a player you speak language with people you're playing with. I hear one guitar riff and I have at least few ideas for arrange the drums tracks. Actually is very natural for me. It's unspeakable but you are able to communicate with people that you 're playing with and you know what's going on.
The album was also recorded in Aro's studio, who handled the production as well. How was the recording process different this time compared to that of Death March Fury? As time goes it becomes more and more apparent that each of us has a different task in the band. I write the music, Daray helps me arrange it and Aro records it and acts as a producer. All this came out in a natural way, and what is most important, it works really well! The process of recording was actually rather similar to what we did for our first album, as both were done pretty fast. But for "Scorned" we did spend a lot of time with the mixing. Monroe Studio has great equipment, and its located in a rather quiet area, far from the city. That also made the recording process more comfortable.
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Asian 路Spotlight
Easily one of Singapore's favourite thrash metal acts, Xanadoo has gained a reputation for not only their energetic live performances, but with their political and tongue-in-cheek lyrics. Shiva talks to us to find out what goes on behind the crazy minds of Xanadoo. Tell us about the history of Xanadoo. Zac and Mahesha used to play in a band, and I was metal since I was born but I didn't used to play anything. They did not have a bassist, so they got me, a wannabe guitar player to be their bassist. Since then, we have been doing shit together. So that's how it started. Zac and Mahesha were metal heads too? They were the ones who conceived the band, they started it, they did everything. The riff ideas are by Zac, so yeah, they came up with most of the things, like band directions, song titles, and I just joined in later. We did one bunch of recordings, the first release which I can't remember! SO copies only, and it sounds like shit. And we kept doing releases every year, play shows and have fun . What does Xanadoo mean? This was Zac's bright ass idea. It was supposed to be Genghis Khan's resting place or something but I remember people coming to me in gigs and like asked " do you know what Xanadoo means?"
It's an Olivia Newton John song! So hopefully one day we will cover the Olivia Newton John version hahaha. It kinda reflects us, it is kinda cute!!! We're cute what. You always indulge in self-deprecating humour. You have a lot of shit in your songs ... Zac is a big fan of Seinfield, so a lot of stupid songs came out like, This Song Is Shit, and Subterranean Hemorrhoid Blues which is about taking a shit. That is Zac for you. So is that the reason behind the obsession with shit? Yea and that also makes us likable by all groups of metal heads. I don't think there is any group of metal heads that dislikes us because we don't really take ourselves seriously. Like, we're cool with everybody! Death metal people are cool with us, black metal people are cool with us. We're the only band we know that is in the middle, no one really has a thing against us. The only thing is, when you see us live, we have a good moshpit. That is the good thing we can promise.
For the debut album, you re-recorded the 6 tracks from the This Demo Is Shit and Blood is Dirt, so, with the songs already written, what was the recording experience like?
from Rambo Studios does whatever he can . And I think if you hear this current release that we have [Xanadoo/Fastkill split], we really like how we sound.
A lot of the songs are just, if you listen to the old stuff then you listen to the new album, you're like HOLY SHIT, we're playing it like l.Sx faster or something like t hat? More time was given to mixing and mastering. That is what that is most important. Because we did that in a rush . We just ORDed from the army like March/April and we were going to France in June, so we had to come up with the album in record time, that's why it was done that way.
So, one thing that was interesting is the album art, it feels really random. It is!
How much was it was really random? Like the spelling errors, was it on purpose or... ? What spelling errors?
Like you know the crosses in Fetus. What is the reason behind speeding up the entire record? It's just more comfortable, because we don't , I don't know if I should say this, but we record like, we do a live recording of the drums. So whatever the speed that ends up at the live recording is the speed of Mahesha's playing. We are so comfortable with the songs, by then, it's just faster. If you see us live, we always play faster than the recordings, which is what my expectations of live bands are!
One thing that was very different was the production behind the album compared to the album, which was kind of more polished. What was the reason behind having a more polished production?
Let me tell you a story about Fetus. For Fetus, we had a big problem finding out the correct grammar for the song. We had a discussion whether it was "Fetus Attack" or " Fetus Attacks" . But if it was " Fetus Attacks" then is it singular? Which means it should be " Fetii Attacks", cos " Fetii" should be its singular form . There is another one where it goes " Fetus comes into town, sucking on the people's tits". We didn't know if it's people's tits or people's tit, or people's teat, or people tit, you know? So that's why for a lot of those things, we purposely do those crossing out to make it obvious that we don't know what the tuck we know.
So problem solved!
Ya .. .
And each of us was given a song to cut out and do for the album art. If you see the songs I do, there is a lot of "Death" logos all over the place. The one Mahesha does is a little random, and what Zac does looks like spider legs crawling. So you can tell each of our own individual things.
Now that you mention it ...
Were there themes?
Hahahha . And then Zac just needs to sound aggressive, j ust needs to be heard, cos our second demo, he didn't really sound aggressive over the thing. Guitars need to have the oomph to it. And for me, Bass, I just need to be heard. Please. Can I just be heard? So with those few criteria, Cliff
No I think the point was to be as random as possible. We have to show how crazy metalheads are.
Our drummer Mahesha wanted his drums to sound like Thriller...
As in MJ Thriller?
So what was the title [Biack.Death.Grind.Shit!] supposed to mean?
A tz
Basically Black Death Grind Shit was from the song This Song Is Shit. I may not know the real reason behind it, but I think it is to show how random we are, and how metal shouldn't take itself so seriously. We have influences all over the place, like Mahesha is very melodic and prog, which is fucking weird for a drummer. I am just tech death, which is fucking weird for a guy who can't play bass well . Zac is just thrash. When we come together, it is also a very weird thrash band. But not that weird lah, cos Zac does most ofthe writing.
Other than the fun side of the band, there are some songs like "Plague of Mankind" and RxOxDx, they are kind of like social commentary? Zac likes to do that, because he is currently doing International Affairs in Poland. He is a very deep thin ker, he takes to political issues very seriously, though I just think it is nonsense hahah. I just like the metaphysical stuff in death metal. So Plague
I found that Blood is Dirt EP is more serious, but This Demo Is Shit became more fun ... We just decided to take it... Less serious ... Because if you are too serious, who are you preaching to? Unless you, your audience and crowd are serious, no one is going to take your message seriously. We were a bit serious with the music video that we came up with for the split, ca lled Repression. The song is about how we are kind of repressed in Singapore and how Asian mentality is kinda repressed . There are a lot of cut-ins of Asian Tigers and how we are politically repressed and stuff, so we tried to do that but there is no real thought behind it. We really want to appeal to the people who are listening to it. We don't want to make it too serious because it becomes a bit ironic.
So for the Repression video, did you all get to choose what clips to put in? What was the video making process like? I always take videos when we go on tour, just plug the camera somewhere and film our performances. So all the footages are from our South East Asian Tour which was last year, which was eye opening for us. I sent the rough clip to Zac's friend, who is our editor, and he put in all the extra stuff. Zac gave him a rough idea of what we wanted and that's what we did.
For the Fastkill split, we finally get to hear more stuff from Xanadoo. What is the compositional process behind the new songs?
of Mankind the lyrics were by me, and the political stuff by Zac, you can tell he is very passionate about the stuff.
So the lyrics are mostly handled by Zac? Do you and Mahesha do any of it? Not really, cos Zac does the lyrics like a day before recording ...
A
Zac has the idea, Mahesha plays drums to it, and I come in last. Zac is now overseas, so we can't do our normal shits. We used to come together as a band to write songs. When you listen to RxOxDx and all that it's not straight up thrash, it's like funny stuff going on. Since Zac went overseas, he comes up with the riff, he comes up with the song and then we just play along with it. When we come together, we will put it altogether. They recorded until I record mine, and Mahesha changes his fills all the way until the last minute. So there is no point me coming up with something that doesn't fit Mahe-
tl
sha. The style is more one direction that we are taking.
The band tours a lot. What is the best memory playing outside of Singapore? I have had the most fun in Singapore, because we have a fixed crowd, and everyone knows our songs. We miss the days we used to have gigs at Fourtones, Blackhole ... Chaos everywhere! What is really crazy about going overseas is that you realise that metal is a lifestyle. I went to a guy's house 2 yrs ago in France, everything in his house is metal. His table is matt, and everything is black and red ... The light has a dragon around it, there are axes, one whole wall of CDs, the curtains are black, like the Black Metal Vegan Chef. So this year he drove down 2-3 hrs just to watch us play! He's just a fan and he has a radio show that interviewed us, and he invited us to his house after. He' s a really really nice guy, and he is in his 40s? His house is just ALL METAL and he keeps ferrets as pets. How metal is that! It's really a lifestyle, people plan their year according to the gigs you are going to. To me that is really eye-opening. It seems metal heads really have their camaraderie. That is something you cannot find in a polished, cleaned, world .
What are some of the challenges that you all face during the touring? One problem was the scheduling. We had some show in Germany and stuff, and we can't go because it was out of the way. We had to hire a car but our car broke down, and we missed our last show. And it was amazing because everyone was hyping up this particular show in a hut, and everyone was saying we got to go there but our car broke down, and it sucks! The scheduling, being broke and stuff is a big part of the problem, and we have to save up. When we are here, we do not have the idea of how fucked up touring can get, we basically wake up and drive to the show, eat, party, sleep, show, and imagine you do that for a month or 2,
A
and you go what the fuckkkkk. It' s a good learning experience because you see that everything goes so fast, but it is a very tiring experience. We got sore throats towards our 5th or 6th shows, and everyday is driving and new weather. One place is hot, and the next can be really cold. We played the most in France, played in Osaka, Japan. The most fun of our touring career, is this town in the south of France, and there were some crazy guys, we sold out the pub, there was this great community there, and they invited us to play at one of their friends' wedding. It's so crazy! They are so nice, so hospitable, and they have these crazy lines, their English is bad. And this drunk guy went "PEACE LOVE AND DESTRUCTION", and now we use it everytime. So this has got to be our favourite place in the world.
Did you have any language barriers? Cos most of the metal music is in English, you can use songs to break the barrier, like if you see a hot chick, you sing a Steel Panther song. We had a Slayer karaoke in the night, and everyone knows the lyrics so it's fun, the English thing is not a big barrier.
Do you think being Asian playing in Europe has a pull on them? Or are they just supportive? I think they are just supportive of metal, if there is a show in town, they will go down, they have bars that are completely metal. Our friend runs a bar, and all the drinks are like Death Martini, the Motorhead something. He even does inhouse recordings. He recorded us and it sounded very good. The whole scene there, everyone comes down and chill there and stuff. Metal has been there, it is their culture, it is more accepted by them and stuff. The music culture there is very big. To them going out there to watch a show is an event, and not just like a nights out like ours. Being Asian, the only time there is no myth about Europeans being assholes or what, there was this guy who was on crack or something, he threw a bottle at us cos he was pissed
t4
can piss Mahesha off, we will give them an album from me.
that Asians were playing. The funniest thing was this guy he was talking to us, and he says "your country is very good?" and then we ask "Do you know where Singapore is?" and he says " Do you think I am an idiot?! Of course 1 know where Singapore is! IT IS IN CHINA ISNT IT???" Hahaha! They do get confused with Zac's race cos he looks confusing and stuff. He gets all the bloody chicks. 1 still haven't got lucky. Fuck man . And there are French people telling us that their food is shit.
Blood is Dirt [2008] Demo Independent
This Demo is Shit [2009] Demo Independent
But 1think locals will not say their own food is great ••• Black.Death.Grind.Shit! [2010] Full Length Independent
No, DAMN Indian food is great, uh! I'm not going to deny that! The latest split was with Fastkill, how did you all decide to release together? 1guess it is an upgrade for us, a small time Singaporean band splitting with them. Zac saw them in Japan, and he started talking to the guys and they brought us to Tokyo, we're trying to do a tour and release every 2 years, and it is a very good ethic that the band has. One thing about the band is that we have good ethics, but it is very tiring haha .
So we figured we do a split and Zac ran the idea through them, and a lot of people, we spoke to our distro in France, and he liked the idea so we went ahead . We put a lot of effort in our tracks, and Fastkill has all the live stuff, but they still kick our asses because they are so fucking fast, crazy assholes. And they did the album art and all that, so that's what happened. The bands who don't know us will know us from Fastkill, and people who don't know Fastkill will know about them from us.
Thrashing in the East [2012] Split w/Fastki l Nuclear Gaichai/One A Records/Rock Stakk Records/RiffRaff Records Xanadoo returns this year with some brand new madnes with the equally thrashy and speedy Japanese counterpart, Fastkill. The cutting riffs and breakneck speed of Xanadoo's tracks, Regression, Keyboard Warrior and the rather heavily Abigail-influenced track Fuck Tiger Beer. The alcoholic madness ends w ith the band's cover of Abigail's War 666, capturing the entire feel of the original. And it's business as usual for Fastkill, with a demo version of their track Stench of Hell and a cover of Tankard's The Morning After. The band proves their live abilities with the inclusion of live versions of Die in Pain and Toxic Tormentor.
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I guess it goes both ways!
(;J~'Jl 'I'DililSDJ~J)
Metal heads are very chill out because all our aggression is already out. Look at Mahesha, he never gets angry. In fact, if there is anyone who
lll~lll~:
A ts
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