The Scum. Interview with Jose Ospina

Interview by Andrew Stanton

The Scum are an old school Death Metal band from Colombia. Andrew Stanton talked to front man José Ospina about this great new band.

Hello and welcome to Inside the Darkness.

“Hi Andrew. So many thanks to you and Inside the Darkness for invite us to this interview.”

- Can you tell our readers a bit about your history, please?

"The Scum was founded in 2013 by the guitarist Santiago de los Rios a little later The drummer Mauricio Aristizabal joined the band and in 2015 I José Ospina entered in the band to do the vocals we had some bassists and lead guitarists but we found in 20020 a lead guitarist (Mateo Tabares) and two months ago joined us the bassist Mateo Gonzalez. We have recorded two EPs and two albums The first album ASHEN and was released by the Colombian label Hateworks and a few months ago The European label Satanath records released in coproduction with Colombian Label Wild Noise Productions the second full length THE HUNGER with a great response in the Colombian underground and several good reviews in the underground metal media in Europe and USA."

- What bands did you like growing up?

“I began listening to traditional Heavy Metal back in the eighties a little later I was introduced to Thrash Metal and fell in love with bands as Slayer, Sacrifice, Necrophagia, Holy Terror, Rigor Mortis, Dark Angel, Coroner, Sodom, Destruction and a ton more!!!! Later at the end of the 80s I began to listen to Death Metal bands as Entombed, Grave, Dismember, Unleashed, Bolt Thrower, Deicide, Obituary, Morbid Angel, Benediction, Asphyx, Gorefest , Pestilence…… though in the end of the eighties I was already listening the first Death Metal and proto Death Metal bands as Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, Death, Possessed, Sadus, Slaughter and Grind bands as Napalm Death, Carcass, Repulsion, Extreme Noise Terror, Unseen Terror, etc.”

- Why do Colombian bands never get known internationally?

“I think that the main reason is that the Colombian bands generally don’t invest the sufficient money and time in the promotion of the band outside Colombia if you don’t have the possibility to hire a management and a PR companies then you can try to do it for yourself but this means to spend long time in the internet making contacts and have a decent level of use of English. I think that is very important too to have a material that can be competitive within the worldwide underground in sound and writing abilities with the tons of bands that already exists.”

- Is the Florida Death Metal scene still important today?

“I have to admit that I don’t know if there are many or just a few new Death Metal bands in Florida but the principal legendary bands are active touring and editing new music with the obvious exception of Death of course. Band as Deicide, Obituary, Cannibal Corpse (They have lived a long time in Florida, we can count them as a Florida band I think), Morbid Angel, Massacre, Malevolent Creation, Atheist, Brutality, etc. I think that during the time that a scene of Death Metal exists in the world the classic scene of Florida’s Death Metal will be important and hugely relevant.”

- What are your lyrics about?

“The lyrics that I make are normally inspired in horror cinema with a huge influence of the horror movies of the 60s, 70s and 80es of the 20th century although some new movies inspired me too. I think that in the last 10 years has been a resurgence of the horror cinema with the emergence of young directors that are releasing extraordinary movies like Ti West, Robert Eggers, Adam Wingard, Mike Flanagan, etc. Besides still the Asian horror cinema still make some excellent movies and here in South America begins to come out great movies in countries as Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, etc. All this cinematographical context give me more and more ideas for Death Metal lyrics.”

- Does Metal get played on the radio in Colombia?

“Yes, here in Colombia are working a lot of Metal radio shows. In the capitol city Bogota, I think that could be more than 50 Metal shows in traditional and cultural radio stations and in in only internet stations too. All of the biggest cities in Colombia have metal radio shows that covers all the sub genres of Metal music and some of this programs have 15 or 20 years of existence.”

- Do you have tour dates?

“The next September 17 we will play alongside the legendary US bands Incantation and Suffocation in Bogota. And our managers in Wild Noise productions are making some negotiations for other important gigs her in Colombia. Wild Noise is trying to make the arrangements to do a Mexican tour in the first semester of 2023 and we have the purpose to make a European tour in two or three years.”

- Do you have a message for our readers?

“Please support the underground metal band of all the world and please listen and, if you can buy, our music in the band camps of Satanath records and The Scum. Listen to our discography in the principal streaming platforms as Spotify, You tube music and Deezer and follow us on Facebook and Instagram!!! Stay metal and true to the Old School!!!! Horns Up!!!!”