ACCEPT DEATH INTERVIEW - VOMITOSE issue 3 2008

Formed from the smouldering ashes of heavyweight bands like Hemdale and Fistula, Accept Death crawled out from the putrid Cleveland scene in 2005 - packed to the fucking brim with adulterated hostility hurled forth in violent degrees. Matt Rositano’s utterly vicious vocals fuelled by his own eccentric brilliance are doubled up with riff after riff of gritty, hypnotic deathsludge; Accept Death successfully reinstated a form of Sludge that most people believed had been truly dead and buried for quite some time, and in turn – rightly perfecting the concept of explaining absolute ugliness in musical form. For someone that’s kept a pretty low profile in the past when its come to interviews, (not to mention Hemdale being my all time favourite band?!) .. It was understandably great to be able to interview Matt to find out his thoughts on what made Hemdale what it was – One of, if not the most original and consistently insane death grind band to ever exist, and make my Fan girl dream interview jerk off complete. Since our initial interview, Matt ended Accept Death and then started it up again... So part of this interview is pre breakup, the rest explains it.
Kind of.

Hey Matt, How are things dude?? Thanks for the interview..
Things are going good, getting more and more insane! No sweat, this is my first real interview by myself. I am not too smart.

For people who haven’t heard you guys yet, how would you describe Accept Death’s sound?
A grind band that doesn’t grind. We are a 500lbs. Fat man in a grinder. I think it is very heavy. Fill with love. I think that was just a fragment sentence.

What have you been doing in the years since Hemdale?
I did a band with this guy Thugbad called Kiss the Grave where I played drums. It was hardcore punk with grind. I have been arrested six times, four OVI’s, two disorderly conduct. I am also a carpenter. I was dieing to play in a band after Kiss the Grave.

How long has Accept Death been around?
I think for two years

What was your intention with Accept Death? What bands would you say you’re personally influenced by?
I think we pulled it off. Grave, first Brutal Truth, Napalm Death, First Fear Factory, Entombed, Slayer, and best of all Dismember, they are the sickest band ever.

I heard you weren’t originally supposed to be singing in Accept Death. Who was? And how did you come into the whole thing?
Steve Matkia from Apartment 213 was going to sing. The only day Scott, Corey and I could practice was Sunday. Steve couldn’t make it and me being an egomaniac I said I would do it. It came out good.

Who does what in Accept Death? Some of the riffs sound slightly reminiscent of older Hemdale stuff, is that intentional?
Corey plays Drums, Scott is lead guitar, I play Guitar, bass, and yell on the recordings. Well I seem to have a way of writing songs. Not really intentional.

The reaction to AxDx has been pretty overwhelming so far. Are you surprised how quickly you guys got noticed?
Fuck yeah! It is awesome, totally rad!


You guys have an awesome split coming up with Dutch goregrinders Skullhog. How’d this get hooked up? What else have you guys got in the works?
They said that they were down with us. Corey worked his magic and we got a split. Land O’ Smiles release Pharmacopeia 5x7” box set, and our second album Most Evil.

Most Evil – can you explain the title, what can we expect from the new record?
The stuff we talk about is much more evil then that fag Satan. Heavy fucking fat.



The vocals on the s/t album are pretty fucking intense, probably most noticeably on the track “I’m Sick”.. How long did it take to get those vocals down?
The first time we tried to do the vocals they didn’t sound right. Then the next time it took one take. Thank you.

Is the music in Accept Death a direct reflection of the band's mindset, like catharsis or something, or did you guys have to work to get it to sound that wretched?
No it just happened. We really wanted to make it the sickest thing ever.

Have you guys played any live shows yet?? Any touring plans?
Not yet, we took a break after the first album. We are planning to play out after the next album.

The self-titled record is full of samples from the Ted Bundy movie. What was the inspiration to put these in the record? Will you be including samples on Most Evil?
I love Ted; He is a very smooth dude. He fit with our sound. I don’t know if we are going to put any on the Most Evil record.

Have you got any other projects going at the moment? Any plans for recording?
Muzzleloader; a grind band I am doing all by my self, egomaniac. Corey has Fistula, and Scott has Necrodamus.

What was your main lyrical inspiration for Accept Death? Compared to Hemdale?
Death. Hemdale was all about gore.

Older Hangnail/Choke releases? How can people get a hold of this stuff??
The Hangnail with me was good but the other stuff wasn’t that good, but if you what it go to Habachi Records, Choke you can’t get. It was gay.

So Matt, since our initial interview there’s been some changes with AxDx. Can you give us an overall update on what’s gone down as of late?
No more Accept Death, But I am doing a band called Mutilation Factor. It is a death metal, grindcore band. That is the kind of songs I write best.

What was the reasoning behind breaking up Accept Death? How did the other guys take it?
I quit because I am not a people person. I hate dealing with other people, not that I think I am this great person and everyone is below me,not at all, I am kind of a hermit. Plus poor Corey Had to drive an hour out to my house and it was a toll on him. Corey took it well. He has Fistula he is doing, Scott was really pissed at me because I was going to keep the name and the first song I put up was Raped and Fucked and he hates the word rape, so he called me and said I was a faggot and he was going to rape me. Which is all fine and dandy. I don't want to feel like I am connected with the shit. So no more Accept Death. Oh yeah that is another reason I quit I don't like people telling me what song titles I come up with.

What are they doing now?
Fistula.

Did you consider continuing as Accept Death or was it always gonna be a different project?
Originally yes, but I don't want to deal with all the crying.

Tell us about your new projects.
Mutilation Factor is my ego ran amuck. I play everything and yell. Good times.

Will the planned Accept Death releases still go ahead?
No, Mutilation factor is going to do the split with SkullHog Accept Death was going to do on No Escape Records, and maybe a full length on No Escape Records. If they want to put it out. I also got a split Cd with Ottis Toole from the UK, on my own little label called 1803 Records.

Is the new stuff a continuation of the Accept Death material, or a totally different material?
It is different more like a continuation of Hemdale, except the drums are as good as Craig's but no one is.

What actually happened with the breakup of Hemdale? Do you still keep in contact with Craig or Mike? Any idea what they’re up to now??
Truthfully I think women. Mike and Craig quit. Not really.

Visceral Productions seemed like it had a heap of potential… Any idea why Craig ended the label?
Not enough money for all the work. He is a very successful Internet guy.

What’s the Cleveland scene like these days?? Do you still go to gigs etc?
It is ok - not that great, I go once in awhile. Many bad Sevendust sounding bands.

Hemdale was on the verge of releasing a full length on Relapse apparently to be called “Jerry’s Massage Parlor”? What’s the story behind that?
Well Mike and Craig quit, that ended that. I am not a people person so I couldn’t find anybody to help me do it.

What do you think set Hemdale aside from other bands around that time?
Most bands wanted to sound like Suffocation, I didn’t like that crap.

Do you get a heap of people asking you to reunite Hemdale? Can you say whether this is definitely out of the question or not?
Never out of the question, but it wouldn’t be with Mike or Craig.

What’s your thoughts on the following:
Ohio: Love it
Relapse Records: Love it in a gay way
Suicide: Why not
Genital Magic: A secret I will not let out
Punishing the retarded: They have it too easy.

What traits in a human would you say you hate the most?
Know it alls

”Modern sludge” taking on a drone/atmospheric edge, instead of the broken down harsh feel it used to have in the old days.. What do you think about this shit?
Sucks, I like the raw sound.

What bands did you listen to as a kid? What bands got you into ‘metal’?
It started out as Metallica - Master of puppets, then Slayer, then Death, and then all the crazy crap I mentioned earlier.

What have you been listening to recently?
Dismember- Like an Ever flowing Stream

Interrogation over. Feel free to drop any closing words below…
Testicles

EYEHATEGOD INTERVIEW - VOMITOSE issue 3 2008

Welcome Mike – EyehateGod is one of the monumental “NOLA style” sludge bands.. How did it all start? What were some of your inspirations in the beginning?
Oh Fuck, I’ve told that story a million times, but, in short, we were listening to stuff like Confessor, Obsessed, St. Vitus, Black Flag, Celtic Frost, Carnivore, anything tuned low and heavy; some fast, some slow. Playing the slow stuff appealed to us at the time ‘cos we wanted to piss off all the local speed and thrash bands by being confrontational and disruptive. I personally was more influenced by bands like Kilslug, Flipper, S.P.K., Laughing Hyenas, Whitehouse, Joy Division. The Melvins were pretty much the catalyst we all agreed on as THE band that inspired us to pound everybody’s brains into the sidewalk

Where’d the name EyehateGod come from?
The first singer, Chris, thought of it. Something to do with God being your vices and the way you see things and the hate you feel for these vices. Besides all the existentialist leanings we also loved the shock factor and how absolutely furious people got at the mere placement of a few words in a certain arrangement.

What’s Eyehategod doing now? Are you happy with how the recent Tribute CD came together?
We’ve just played a bunch of shows here in the South that went fucking great. Everyone is involved in other projects, but EHG are doing the only thing we know how to do, playing live with full force and animosity. Ugly realism with substance abuse as escapism. The “For the Sick” tribute came out great as far as we’re concerned. It’s really cool to be paid respects from some killer bands and artists. I would love to meet and play with/or collaborate with every one of them, and have them buy me something or loan me some money.

What’s your opinion on the collection cds that have come out lately? Was this a label decision?
You mean the re-releases? This was an idea of Century Media but we totally are involved and are in agreement of the re-mastered versions of the first three LP’s; In The Name Of Suffering, Take As Needed For Pain, and Dopesick. They include extra tracks, new photographs and new liner notes written by yers truly.The Eyehategod cds were recently remastered and re released..

Did you feel they needed it as a band or was it a promotional tool by the label to make them seem new sorta thing?
Of course, it’s a promotional tool to sell more records. That’s what bands do. That first LP came out in 1992 on Century Media, originally, well actually 1989 on French label Intellectual Convulsion. So we get to give something extra to the new fans while at the same time get them to put their Mom’s hard earned cash into our pockets from outta her stolen purse.

Were any stages during EyehateGod where members were fucked off with the countless other bands that you guys were in? Was EHG always the priority?
I wouldn’t say EHG was always the priority, but we’ve been together 20 years, we’ve been through every possible ordeal that five best friends (plus numerous ex-members) could go through; rotten, incredible, amazing and horrible. I would never say any members were ever “fucked off”, as you say, with other projects going on. Everybody’s always kept busy with one situation or another. We’ve always been very supportive of each other’s bands. Sure sometimes we’ve cancelled shows because of other happenings with someone else’s band, but its always come to full circle. It’s a trade off. We just love to make music and usually aren’t really paying much attention to what’s going on.

Did this have anything to do with EHG lying dormant or seemingly breaking up a few times?Naw, side projects were never the reason for breaking up. Lying dormant, now that’s an actuality. We broke up for real only once in 1999 or 2000 or something, I dunno, because of drugs (or lack thereof) and record label dissatisfaction and disagreements.

EyehateGod stuck with Century Media for a long time. How have your experiences with the label been? How did you get together with CM?
That’s not 100% true. We’ve been officially off Century Media since ‘99. The reason ‘Southern Discomfort’ and ‘10 Years of Abuse’ came out was a contractual obligation. While we were with them our relationship was really rough on occasion, mainly because of their suspicious behaviour, questionable advertising practices and just downright aggravating experiences. For the most part their were some really great people who’ve stuck by us in their camp through the years, but at that time we just felt it was time to move on.
Funny thing is that after we left, they hired a whole new crew, some of who were total EHG fans and continued to work with us in a superior capacity. So, strange as it sounds, we got off the label, but built up a better working rapport with the new folks and went on to keep working with them and ended up doing some really cool stuff. We weren’t happy with ‘Southern Discomfort’ ‘cos it was mostly their ideas, their stupid artwork (which we can’t stand). A lot of the songs on that record aren’t mixed and are direct from the crappy unmastered masters. But fuck it, the fans still say they dig it so that is what matters. What the Negative Action Group says is the most important.

New Orleans obviously has a big influence on the bands that come from there. Did you grow up in New Orleans? What’s so inspiring about it?
I was born in North Carolina and moved to New Orleans in 1977, so I’ve grown up here and feel strongly that it is my home. It’s very hard to explain to someone who is not from here why it is so inspiring. The culture, the mood, the tension, etc…there’s just a sense of pride about our neighbourhoods, the people, the architecture. Most everybody around the world is certainly proud of where they are from, but we here from NOLA just seem to put it out there more than others. Being from the south is one thing, but being from here is another thing differently all together. It’s an all encompassing village. It’s a hedonistic metropolis full of debauchery and tons of various backgrounds and beliefs. Hurricane Katrina has brought us all closer as family and friends. The music/art/writing community has never been closer.

It’s obvious that drugs played a major role in EyehateGod concepts. Looking back, do you think drugs or music were more important in the day to day existence of EyehateGod? Do you think without drugs the musical outcome of EyehateGod would have been the same?
I guess it is obvious ‘cos we are so open and honest about what we do or have done in the past. We haven’t been afraid to talk about this stuff in interviews. Well of course the music is the most important thing, but there were times when the drugs totally overwhelmed certain people in the band. It just all pretty much comes with the territory; it wasn’t as if there was much thinking going into it. We just got high and played what we felt. I’ve thought about that last part of the question before and it’s debatable, but it seems drugs have gone hand in hand with our sound, who’s to say though. Would the world be any safer with a straight edge EyeHateGod?

What was your first experience with drugs?
I dunno, probably sniffing glue and taking black beauty speed when I was like 12 or 13 years old.

Has your perspective to anything changed since being in jail recently? Had you been in there before?
I’ve been to jail numerous times, mostly for minor offences though. I grew up in a boys home when I was 13 years old for being a juvenile delinquent. My perspective on life hasn’t really changed after doing significant time. When you put a stray cat in a cage then poke it with a stick and abuse it by screaming at it, it’s usually only gonna make it worse and not have faith in a living soul. You learn to stay away from certain people. If one positive thing is to be learned it’s never trust anyone.

How has this experience influenced your music/writing?
Influenced? No, not really in a way that I feel is obvious to me. Maybe other people will notice a change.

A lot of your lyrics describe the futility and struggle of the ‘working class’ and frustration with life in general.. Have you just always felt this way from day one? Or what experiences have you had that influenced this view?
I didn’t know there was another way to be? Being futile, frustrated and struggling, that seems normal to me. I always totally pull for the working class but more so the poverty soaked, down trodden poor, but I’ve not been involved very much in “work” per se. I’ve avoided work in most ways unless it involves art, music or writing, but that’s not real work, is it? Not to me anyway.

Are you surprised by the success EyehateGod has had?
Sure. For a band that didn’t ever really give a fuck, I would say I’ve been completely surprised. We only really became serious when we sold our first couple hundred demo tapes and realized that people really do dig what we do. I thought that we’d put out an LP or two and that’d be that. All the tours and meeting all the folks, that’s what make us feel it’s worthwhile. The power to give someone ear damage is a beautiful thing.

Do you have a ‘day job’ these days? What jobs have you had in the past?
I work right now for a record label called Nocturnal, down here in New Orleans (actually on the north shore, across Lake Ponchartrain, look it up) doing website copy, A&R work, etc…, it’s a recording studio as well and me and Gene, the owner, do our own Internet radio show. I also take care of the Housecore Records website and the Housecore animals. Recently, I was working weekends at the Humane Society, working with abandoned animals, mostly dogs, which I adored, but working 7 days a week was exhausting to me. Less time to drink. In the past, I’ve been a dishwasher, landscaper, cook, janitor, construction worker, chronic masturbator etc… They are all bullshit jobs in my mind.

Has EyeHateGod ever toured overseas? Anywhere you would want to tour?
I would sacrifice a small helpless armadillo to come to Australia! Other places would be Mexico, Spain, Italy - ALL of that. A friend of mine’s band played in Iceland, so that would rule. And yes, we’ve done Germany and the U.K. numerous times, played in Japan (which was a goal of ours we accomplished) We’ve played all over Europe.. Belgium, Switzerland, etc… I regret that we haven’t been to the places we missed, but someday soon we’ll make it.

Will you have any problems with visas or touring now that you’ve been in jail?
I’m not sure yet, but I’ve been looking into it. America is not a problem, though. It’s all about mountains of paperwork and getting permission from judges, etc… I’m keeping a positive mind about it.

What’s been your most memorable show with EHG?
Fuck, that’s an impossible question. There have been so many. Someday I hope to compile all of these in a book. A lot of the German gigs and UK gigs. Japan was like being on another planet, great shows. Some of the more violent and wild shows hold a special place in my heart. The Pantera/White Zombie tour was a complete blast, lots of boozing and pranks.

How did you personally first get into music? Have your influences changed between older times and nowadays?
Probably hearing Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper and Kiss when I was like 9 years old. Also the Beatles got me into spinning vinyl at a very young age. I had older brothers, so I’d dig thru their collections. Bands like Frijid Pink, Hot Tuna, White Witch, Cream, Quicksilver Messenger Service, etc… I then from Kiss, got into New York Dolls, Stooges, Ted Nugent, Devo, Ramones, Elvis Costello, Sex Pistols, etc… Then later, Black Flag, Circle Jerks,Disorder and the whole early 80’s hardcore punk scene, then it was thrash, like Exodus, Destruction, Slayer, original black metal like Venom, Bathory, Sodom, and on and on, etc… it progressed. I still love ALL those bands and everything in between. Portishead, Pink Floyd, Masonna, gosh, it never ends. I’m a fan first and foremost.

Hurricane Katrina didn’t seem to get a lot of news coverage over my side of the world (New Zealand). What was your personal experience with this like? What’s it like being back in New Orleans post hurricane?
Wow, not gotten much coverage in Aussie? It was like the worst natural disaster in the USA. I’m saving those stories for my book. It was basically hell. The city’s crime rate now has shot sky-high, our murder rate is (back and forth with Chicago, I believe) the highest in the country, while entire neighbourhoods remain empty and abandoned. Our population was split in half from 450,000 to 200,000, while the number of our homeless population rose from 2,000 to 12,000. You do the math. It sucks. Very depressing. Can’t beat me down though. We are survivors.

Any new bands coming out of NOLA you can recommend?
Oh yeah, TONS: Hellkontroll, Thou, We Need To Talk, Black Rose Band, Classhole, Black Market Ministry, Haarp, A Hanging, Ierased, Haarp, Cathlicon, and on an on and on (alot I‘ve forgotten)…..Plus the older standbys: Hawg Jaw, Pallbearers, Flesh Parade, Graveyard Rodeo(and more). Lots of noise, power electronics, country, hip-hop, blues and jazz variations. The music scene here is constantly growing and is hard to keep track of completely. Go to: nolaunderground.com or offbeat.com for more info.

I know you were formally the associate editor for Metal Maniacs.. How did you get hooked into doing that? Have you ever written for any other ‘zines?
I moved to New York in the early ‘90’s and being a writer, I knew the right people and somehow fell into that job. I think I helped change that magazine into not being afraid of more extreme music, like doom, grind, black metal. I still write for a few different magazines, the main one being Paranoize, a local NOLA punk/metal ‘zine.

What other music projects do you have going on at the moment? Outlaw Order – Can you give us some info about this band and what it’s up to?
The main band besides EHG right now is Arson Anthem, which is vicious 80’s hardcore punk rock with Phil Anselmo and Hank Williams III, we’re doing some shows in December with Texas old school death metal band Rigor Mortis. Ierased is a New Orleans based band I’m going to hook up with to do vocals, kinda Skinny Puppy/Prodigy/Wax Trax type stuff. Classhole is hardcore punk and that’s with some guys from Hawg Jaw and Spickle. I just did some vocals on Seattle hardcore band Marginal Way’s new LP, I’m also gonna hook up with Detroit’s If He Dies, He Dies to do some screaming. I may be doing some stuff with Eric Wood and Bastard Noise. God- I forget alot, I don’t even have time for them all, but I’ll make it. Outlaw Order 00% is still totally in effect, we got set back by Katrina and a member was in drug rehab, but we will record an LP as soon as we get a good recording deal.

What is the Southern Nihilism Front?
The S.N.F. is a gang of ne’er do wells who deal in black hole theory, time travel and basic threats to the whole of society. They use peace through addiction and the power to distort reality using alcohol abuse and worship of obscure religions, politics, poverty stricken lesser humans, contradiction of language, and patriotism of vacant lots and dark forest beaches. Can a Nihilist will himself out of existence? Let’s hope so…

Your first book- Cancer as a Social Activity has been out for a while. What was the writing experience like for this book? Do you have any other book ideas on the way?
I have an entire second book of poetry/lyrics written. Tentatively titled “Rough Sketches of an Empty Ferris Wheel: The Totally Dishonest Book of Truth.”. I am also writing a book of my experiences during Hurricane Katrina. As well a split book of writing with Michelle IX Kitten who is a superior writer that will soon blow up the underground scene. We will put an end to the alphabet, as well as verbs, and nouns as you know them. My first book “Cancer As A Social Activity” is being reprinted by Southern Roots Press with extra pages and possibly new artwork. Me and Kitten IX have a group called New Poetry Separatists/Nuevos Separatists de Poesia that does spoken word projects and chapbooks of experimental dark negative writing. Theres also N.O.D., which is the Narcotik Order of Dreams book publishing company we’re trying to get on its feet..

Do you keep active with new bands or mainly just listen to your favorite stuff?
I check out new bands all the time. With the Internet today, it’s so easy to search and find killer music and connect with like minded folks. I do still listen to a lot of the same things I listened to when I was a kid.

What would you list as the 5 most important bands?
In no particular order:1)Black Flag2)Black Sabbath3)Abba (I’m not joking here, this is sickly sweet pop that is disturbing to me somewhat)4)Ramones5)Sex Pistols

What’s important to you now?
My girl Miche‘, who I love more than anything and am sorry for all the fucked up shit I’ve done. I’m Sorry baby. Also my dog Filthy Edith and the challenge of keeping them both safe, healthy and happy. My friends and family are also very important and the rest will hopefully fall into place. Sex , drugs and rock and roll, clichés and all.

Thanks again Mike for sitting through this longwinded interrogation.Any last words or contact details can be scrawled below….
Thanks for the I-view Rebecca, hopefully I’ll make it over there sooner than later….Send any demos for the label or myspace.com/mikedwilliams, Myspace.com/arsonanthem, Myspace.com/outlaworder, Myspace.com/eyehategod, Myspace.com/housecorerecords, Myspace.com/nocturnalrecords

THE ONLY THING THAT MAKES REALITY IS DEATH

LORI BRAVO (Ex-Nuclear Death) INTERVIEW - Vomitose Issue 3 2008

Without demystifying the devil.. Lori bravo is foremostly known as the ex singer/bass player of legendary abstract death metal band NUCLEAR DEATH. Nuclear Death was born underground, and that’s where it seems to have stayed for the most part, although well known and respected in the old circles for being one of the unappreciated pioneers in Death Metal, their innovative dark sound inspired a mass of people in the know, but few have been able to capture it completely. Lori Bravo is still a dark artist, but these days her vile inclinations exist only the form of her paintings and her new musical project, Raped.


Hey Lori, Thanks for doing this interview.. As you already know, Nuclear Death and your part in it have been major inspiration to me for years, so I’m beyond stoked to get to drill your brain with my stupid questions.. To start off with some questions regarding Nuclear Death.. What was it like in the 1990s being a woman in extreme metal? What were some of your personal influences when you first started out?
I could say it was lonely at the top....but I LOVED being the only woman doing what I was doing in ND....it gave me the license to crown myself QUEEN! We had the best lyrics, we were the fastest and were HATED even by our own 'peers'!!!! Boys just HATE when a girl can come out of no where and wipe the floor with them!Are you proud of being female in a largely male arena? Or could you care less??Oh yes and I still AM!!! Women still have YEARS to go before we are going to be considered ANYTHING but novelties in the extreme music arena, that’s for sure! If fucking Joan Jett has to still prove herself every time she steps onto a stage( and she is quoted as stating thus), WE aren't even close to being considered valid or 'real' artists!!! Fine by me...I like the challenge and I especially enjoy burning boys on the spit of my guitar!

ND created some of the most horrifyingly original death metal to this date. What was your intention for the band when you first got together? Who did what in the band during those early years??
My intention was simply to create music I wanted to listen to and form the most EXTREME band ever to exist and I did! I named ND after one of my most disturbing, recurring nightmares and together with my guitarist, Phil Hampson and drummer, Joel Whitfield; we made my idea a reality. Phil and I were a couple at the time as well and we shared all the song writing but eventually Phil’s testosterone got the better of him and he tried to take all the credit and became violent with me if I tried to introduce a new song I had written. I was terrified of him! This started soon after our formation in 1986....by 1990,we had fired Joel for negligence and recruited Steven Cowan on drums. Steve and I quickly realized we were meant to create as one and we began seeing each other unbeknownst to Phil! It didn't take long before I had moved out of Phil's folks' house and in with Steve...Phil quit right after and I took my rightful place back on guitar!

What was the story behind Nuclear Death’s demise? Do you still keep in contact with Steve or Phil? Any idea what they’re up to these days?
Phil is in prison due to drug-dealing and other shit and I hope he rots....he was such a homophobic asshole and woman-beater.....I hope he gets raped in there for the rest of his life! Joel and I tried to get together last year and play to possibly record on this record. But he has kids and a wife and it proved to be more talk on his end than anything else(as always). Steve and I were a couple for almost 12 years....we parted in 2000,respectively. We still keep in touch from time to time but I truly am passed that part of my life now.....As for ND,I simply decided that we had made the best records ever...quit while we are still relevant,after all NO ONE can touch 'The Planet Cachexial'! It truly is ND's finest moment

Nuclear Death started to move into a more abstract style in the later years with the release of THE PLANET CACHEXIAL in 1999 and HARMONY DRINKS OF ME in 2000,, did you find there was any backlash of the new direction from the old fans?
Sort of....but I have never made arte' for anyone but me so I just didn't care...fuck 'em! If they can't grow with me then....fuck em'!I had always planned to continue making weirder and weirder music...but I was waiting for my bandmates to catch up to me,playing-wise! I was and am a better musician than them and it would get fucking TEDIOUS to have to dumb-down my music so they could understand it....I mean,I think on terms of ART/MUSIC=same thing...THEY were like boys....like 'we gotta be the coolest and heaviest and blah...'!

What labels released the above albums? Any idea what happened to them?
Only Wild Rags released our first 2....then the assfuck Richard C.,skipped town and ripped us off and all the other bands on his label. After that Steve and I self-released the rest and I still sell them now!

Tell us about the South American tour with gore gods Impetigo. Did Nuclear Death already have a following at the time you toured? What were your highlights of this tour?
It was actually one show in Puerto Rico! It rained the whole time and it was HOT and muggy,shitty sound system,venue BUT GREAT fucking people! Our promoters were really gracious and the fans RULED! Impetigo were cool as fuck and we all got on well!

Back in the 90s, tape trading and letter writing seemed to personify the whole essence of the underground spirit; it’s hard to imagine for me what it must have been like to rely on that sort of medium considering it was just starting to die out as I grew up. I know you personally wrote to a lot of fans, even including some people I know in primitive realms at the end of the earth, New Zealand.What are some of your memories of this time? Did you and Nuclear Death take a big part in this scene? Do you still keep in contact with any of these people?
Yes! Most of them have found me! It is great(the internet). But I still hand-write all my lyrics and shit. I actually still tape-trade...but now it's cd-trade! I have many scrapbooks containing tons of my fan mail that I have kept throughout the years and I STILL receive snail-mail to this DAY! ND was on the FOREFRONT of trading man! A friendly local band called, Desecration, turned us on to that scene in 1986 and we FLOURISHED!

After the release of HARMONY DRINKS OF ME in 2000, you seemed to drop out of the scene almost completely. Did you loose interest in Death Metal? Do you still listen to any Death Metal these days?
Oh no! I was MOLTING! I moved out of me and Steve's and in with my best friend whom I still live with today...I call him my 'gay husband'! In 2000,after I moved,I immediately began working on new material but I never thought it was not as extreme as ND after all,my own life seemed strangely more insane than the ideas we were putting out via Nuclear Death. Rape,domestic violence,child abuse,drug addiction and death all make up MY actual life and I decided I needed to express myself on a more personal level. I listen to so many different styles of music and always have. THAT is what made ND such a standout band! We never resorted to only listening to death metal or the like....that is limited....there should never be any limits where ARTE' is concerned! I still love Slayer and Autopsy,Paradise Lost,Discharge etc. But I also love Tori Amos,Jolie Holland and fucking AMY WINEHOUSE!

Nuclear Death’s lyrics and art have always been extremely disturbing.. Who did most of the art for the Nuclear Death releases? How has your artwork personally evolved over the years?
Phil and I both did many pieces although I eventually began using colour after the 'For Our Dead' EP...That was my first REAL cover! You can tell me from Phil....mine is more languid and his is more like comic book style renderings.


Who created most of the lyrics? Where did the inspiration for these come from?
Like I said....Phil and I BOTH.....inspirations? Horror soundtracks,films,literature and life!
What would you say some of your main influences are when it comes to art and music? Art-H.R. Giger,Salvador Dali,Degas,Frida Khalo,Orozco,Marilyn Manson,Russell Ugly(go to his page...Head in the Oven! He one of my muses and a master painter!),Picasso,Basquiat,Cindy Sherman and Diane Arbus!Music-Pink Floyd,Hendrix,The Doors,Janis Joplin,Diamanda Galas,Billie Holiday,Venom,Slayer,Discharge,Flipper and Black Flag. But it changes daily/nightly as I discover more music and re-discover music I haven't listened to in a while....

What would you say your favourite ND release would be?
The Planet Cachexial Hands down!!! I wrote the whole score and adjoining story. I still plan on making it into an animated film! With CGI the way it is now....my creatures would be so realistically crafted!

Wild Rags Records - How was your experience with this label? Would you want to have the early ND records repressed in the future?
We were robbed blind! Green as fuck,we had NO IDEA what we were doing when we signed! Luckily I own it all now and YES! I want my shit to continue to be released!

What’s the deal with Nuclear Abominations re-releasing the Nuclear Death demo, and a live DVD of the two VHS releases from back in the day - PROFLIGACY, and UNALIVE IN TEXAS. Can you give us some info on these upcoming reissues and your involvement in them?
Well if the dude would ever write me back I'd know more! I released master-cops of my vids to releases DVDs and what not and I am STILL WAITING for the shit to be done so I can hold it in my hands!!! YOU know as much as I do,Rebecca!

What do you think about the Bootleg videos or DVDs that seem to be circulating around Ebay these days?
I think its great because it gives more folks a chance to be consumed by all that is ND!

These days you seem to be more into Grunge, which is kinda interesting as a lot of people seem to get into this early on and then make the transition into heavier genres. When and how did you get into listening to and playing this style? What are some of your favourite bands?
Around 2001 or so, a friend introduced me to '90's' music....see in the actual 90's I was hidden away in the deserts of Arizona writing what would become,The Planet Cachexial. I was pulling a Philip K. Dick and writing ..s of speed and alcohol. It took me about 6 years to work it into the album it is now,plus,I was doing all the artwork for this and illustrating the 19-page storybook that would come with the first 100 cds! It also was our first-ever CD release,so since we were financing this ourselves(Steve and I),it took a while to be released. Back to 2001....my friend turned me on to everything from Nirvana to Alice and Chains and then my fab chick drummer,Jessie Nelson,filled in the blanks with Sonic Youth, Sleater-Kinney,Bikini KIll, Babes in Toyland...etc....I was like Holy SHEEPSHIT!!! I consumed,vomited,shat and reconsumed these sounds....and then, I was raped at a club and so began my new sound that I have now!

Tell us about what you’re up to these days. I understand you have a new project called “Raped”. Can you give us some history behind this band?
It is called,LORI BRAVO RAPED,actually. It seems to flow better and I have always loved the power of my name. I am recording a new record,'HEARTNOIRINFECTED'. Jessie Nelson(who played drums on my first LBR record,'ID MARRY THE DEVIL')will be playing on this as well. I have been suffering from a mental illness and having horrible panic attacks...my heart was broken,I've coped with hard drugs and drink,cutting and sickness....it is all will be splayed for all to hear when I put this record out! Every track is acerbic...I had to go to Hell and back to write this fucking thing and I damn-near lost my self. This new record will be like looking into my darkest corners and having to smell the death that has surrounded me.

Did you always play guitar? Why the transition from Bass to Guitar?
Yes! I hate playing bass! I have had a guitar in my hands for 31 years!

Does Raped play live gigs? Any recording’s available?
YES! AND YES!!! Get I'D MARRY THE DEVIL'!!!How does the concept differ from Nuclear Death?It is NOT conceptual...it is ME in the RAW! It is my womb bleeding,my throat screaming,it is my mania!

What do you think about the following topics:
Sex - Wish I could have it....No body likes me!
Drugs - Love them....but that which nourishes the psyche also destroys it.
Feminism - Like all 'isms' before...it has its good and bad points and I agree with both! In other words...I think I should be paid as much as a man or be able to do or say ANYTHING I want regardless of my gender, BUT,I still like the door being held open for me and I love to play the submissive roll for my boy!
Death - He/ It's my lifelong obsession....

Thanks for putting up with these questions Lori.. Feel free to drop any dying words below…
Thanx and always,always eat your cats!

FUNEBRARUM INTERVIEW - VOMITOSE issue 2 2006

Funebrarum bring back the glory days when Brutal Death Metal still ruled the underground and was associated with legendary bands like Funebre, Demigod, Xysma, Demilich, Grave.
Surprisingly these guys are American, and aren't even from Scandinavia, but they still manage to pull of this style to early 90’s underground perfection.I talked to Daryl recently about their upcoming split with Internment, and what the bands been up to in the years since their formation.

Hey Daryl, thanks very much man for taking the time to complete this interview for Vomitose Zine!
Hey Rebecca, Thanks to you for having us in your putrid zine. Hails to you and our Australian metal brothers and sisters!

So what’s the story behind Funebrarum? I know you all you guys have been in other bands like Evoken and Abazagorath for many years. How did Funebrarum form?
In 1995, I met a guy named Dario Derna who had moved to our area from Seattle, Washington, USA. He was playing keyboards in Evoken. I was impressed by his black metal solo recordings and immediately asked him to join Abazagorath as our vocalist. He had been the drummer for West Coast bands: Infester, Meatshits and currently Drawn and Quartered. Over the next few years Evoken and Abazagorath became good friends.Nick Orlando (Evoken's guitarist) and I would occasionally discuss our similar demo collections and interest in obscure death metal. We said that we should form a band but due to our other bands being busy it never came about. A couple of years later in 1999 we began rehearsals as Funebrarum with Dario on drums, Nick on guitar and myself on vocals. During this time we wrote our first few tracks "Depths of Misery", "Kingdom of Suffering Souls" etc. With several songs down we recorded the first Funebrarum demo entitled "Triumphant Ascent". Nick played both the guitar and bass tracks on the demo, which sounded like a planet exploding. We received a good response to the tape and copies sold out quickly. Dave Wagner (Abazagorath) was asked joined the band on bass directly after. In 2000, Dario returned to Seattle after recording several albums and playing numerous shows with both Abazagorath and Evoken.At one of Roy Fox's shows I met a drummer named Brian Jimenez, who was playing in a band called Eschaton at the time. He joined the band along with second guitarist, Dan Dornbierer to solidify the band's first complete line-up. We resumed regular rehearsals and ended up playing some great shows with bands like Mortician, Mayhem, Hate Eternal, Impaled and Exhumed. Dan left the band to play black metal bringing the band back to a four piece. We released a rehearsal promo around this time as well. Sometime in 2001 we entered Backstage Studios to record our second demo entitled "Tombs of Sleeping Darkness". We circulated this demo on CDR to a few friends and bands we knew but really didn't send it to labels that much, although Earache had expressed some interest us. Eventually, Roy Fox (Necroharmonic) offered to help us out and put the record out. In 2002, the "Beneath the Columns of Abandoned Gods" album was released.Due to personal problems Brian decided to quit the band, leaving Dave, Nick and myself to find a new drummer. We had absolutely no luck finding a suitable replacement and had some real winners try out. We had one guy show up with a pro stick case, leather playing gloves, tour van etc.. But he couldn't play a single beat, another guy was so stoned he couldn't remember the parts. We gave up on looking and continued to write new songs as a living room project with a manually played drum machine. The band almost entered the grave for good around this time.In 2003, with a session drummer Justin DeTorre we re-recorded several old songs for our next official release, the 7" EP "Dormant Hallucination," which came out on Wes Blackwulf's label, Midnight 666 Records. He did an awesome job with it not to mention the godly Dan Seagrave art on the cover. This record was pressed on several different coloured vinyl and is completely sold out.A year or so passed until we met up with Shawn Eldritch, a highly skilled drummer from Southern, New Jersey. He was asked to join Funebrarum and was soon followed by ex -Eschaton guitarist, Matt Medeiros. Now in 2006 the band is complete with the strongest and best line-up of its existence.

What was your vision for Funebrarum? Did you have firm ideas on what sound you were going for?
From the very first discussion Nick and I knew exactly what we were looking for - Down tuned, ultra heavy old school death metal - plain and simple. Nick's guitar tone / riffs and Dave's bass make up a large part of the band's sound. With the original formula intact and new members bringing alot of skill and ideas into the song writing - it's like Funebrarum on steroids.

There seems to be a sudden trend I've noticed lately of digging up and re appreciating a lot of the older Dm and Thrash from the 90’s at the moment, It would seem people are getting bored of what today’s scene has to offer in a lot of ways.. What’s your view on today’s Brutal Death Metal scene??
To be completely honest I don't follow today's death metal scene that closely. It seems alot of bands/ fans today are obsessed with retro trends and image. It's hard to find real substance in new death metal releases but maybe I’m not finding the cool bands or looking hard enough. Three members of Funebrarum (including myself) are older metal heads in our 30's who grew up tape trading in the underground so we play DM out of a sheer appreciation for the music. I try to stay informed and support the current scene and bands but not much besides the new Bolt Thrower, Eviscium, Evocation and the new Celtic Frost album has really peaked my interest. I still listen to all the old demos and shit.. Never gets old.



Beneath the Columns… has had an awesome underground response, although Funebrarum seems to have stayed fairly low key in alot of aspects. Is this intentional?
We lost members basically and that slowed our progress plus we were busy focusing on our other bands. To a degree I think it has helped in a way that we stayed in the shadows but I wouldn't recommend it.

Are your previous releases/demos still available??
Our first album "Beneath the Columns of Abandoned Gods" is still available from www.necroharmonic.com. We had plans to release "Beneath..." on vinyl with bonus demo tracks but it never materialized. Possibly down the road we will release something like it.

How often do you guys play gigs??? Is there much interest in Funebrarum around your area?
We haven't played a gig in a long time but will be playing our first show in years on May 31st with Demilich in Brooklyn, New York. We have a small fan base in our immediate area but receive mail from fans overseas mainly. Hopefully with more frequent live appearances and the new album this will change.

Necroharmonic is one of the best labels around, any reason aside from the obvious you chose to go with Sleazy Roy??? Will your future releases be on Necroharmonic?
Roy is an old and good friend of mine who shares a similar taste in music and films. He has supported my bands since day one and is totally dedicated to the scene so I owe my allegiance to him - not to mention he is a hell of a guy. To most people he will diss you to your face..haha. That’s what I like about the guy.After our first album I became his art director and the A&R guy coordinating releases with Necroharmonic and our own label Morbid Wrath Records i.e.: Gorement, Mucupurulent, Abazagorath. Our next album will be coming out on Necroharmonic with support from our partner label in Australia, Bloodharmonic run by Damon Bloodstorm. Necroharmonic is the best label around for real underground releases without a doubt.

Funebrarum was partly recommended on several occasions to me by Damon Bloodstorm, Do you have any interest or contacts in the Australian/New Zealand scene?
Damon rules. I am actually taking a break from designing the Corpse Molestation CD to do this interview. I am very interested in your scene. Some personal favourites are Acheron / Abramelin, Disembowelment, Necrotomy, Corpse Molestation, Bestial Warlust, Abominator to name a few. Maybe one day Funebrarum will play in your county. Bring us over!

What are some of your personal influences? DM or non- DM
Strid, Celtic Frost ,Venom, Nihilist, Bolt Thrower, Autopsy, Belial, Demigod, Purtenance Avulsion, Funebre, Disastrous Murmur ep, Macabre End, Xysma, Necrovore, Parnassus, Rippikoulu, Lobotomy, Bach, Mozart, Summoning, Lustmord, Sophia, Voice of Hate, old punk, hardcore, thrash, doom, heavy, rock, psychedelic etc..

What interests you guys outside of metal?
I can only speak for myself but I'll provide what I know about the others:I am interested in reading, art / drawing / painting, computers, graphic design, writing / creating music, travelling, playing guitar, human behaviour, religion, psychology, serial killers, exercise, learning, history, film making, cooking, weapons, movies, hanging out with friends /family, recording, war, the occult, space, paranormal, collecting, the ocean, animals, demonology, glossolalia, beer, satan, women, spikes and fucking METAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Nick loves death metal as well as bands like Blue Cheer and is a doom fanatic. He is an avid reader, works hard and drives big cars.Dave is a black metal psycho. He reads all the cult zines, buys demos, shirts, cds...he is still deeply entrenched in and supports the underground black metal scene. He also enjoys reading, romantic walks in the graveyard and death metal. Dave also works insane hours for World Wrestling Entertainment.Matt plays guitar and sings in a grinding death metal band called Kalopsia, He screams like a demented nutcase in a noise band called HIV Plus. He is a computer geek like myself, and works for a college. Shawn plays drums in several progressive / metal oriented projects. He likes animals, computers, movies, girls, playing drums, vodka and porn. He also likes playing guitar, lifting weights and singing.Contestant number 2 please pick your favourite Fune-member! haha

A lot of bands these days seem to have stopped including lyrics in their releases, or using them entirely in some cases, How important are using lyrics to you? Can you give us some insight into lyrics/concept in Funebrarum?
Lyrics are important but there are so many times you can write about the same topic. Nick has real skill when it comes to writing and poetry so I hope to use more of his work on the next album. The lyrics and concept behind Funebrarum form the soundtrack to the journey of death. . Some songs are based on dreams I've had and others are collaborations with Nick who likes to write about being buried alive or ripping open an ancient timeworn tomb. When writing lyrics somehow I always end up back down in or descending to a vast subterranean netherworld filled with the shrieks of the rotting dead.... The atmosphere and music are meant to be eerie, haunting, morbid explosions of death... until we reach that perfection I won't be satisfied. Some new titles include: Perish Beneath, Cranial Infestation, Among the Exiled of God, Incineration of Mortal Flesh and Beyond Recognition.

I heard a rumour of a split LP being planned with Sweden’s Interment, Any truth to this?What can we expect from this release?
We have recently finished recording 4 tracks for the split CD/ LP with Interment, which will be released on Conqueror of Thorns Records. www.conquerorofthorns.com (I still have to build his site!) I have been a fan of Interment for a while now and always felt they deserve alot more attention. I offered to release their discography as a joint release between Morbid Wrath and Necroharmonic. During this process Johan (Interment vocalist) and I decided we do a split between our bands. Chris Moyen created the cover art and it's fucking brilliant. The whole thing was a quick project but the final result will be worth all the hard work. Kennet (Interment's drummer) sent me a preview of one of their songs and I was blown away. Interment rule. Prepare to crushed by a double-megaton blast of old school DEATH METAL!

Can you tell us what’s coming up for Funebrarum in the near future?
We have the new album in the works which will be recorded sometime in October 2006 as well as the show with Demilich on May 31st in New York. We also have been offered to take part in a 4 way split CD / LP with Slugathor, Eviscium and Coffins. Our third album is slotted for release on Japan's Weird Truth Records. A tentative Japan tour is planned for the future. I would like to bring the band to Europe for some shows at some point hopefully.We shall see what the future brings as Abazagorath is writing again and Craig Pillard (ex- Incantation) has just joined Evoken on bass and man is it heavy as fucking hell!! Expect some great things from all three bands in the future. Craig will appear on backup vocals on our next Funebrarum album. He also played second guitar in Abazagorath during our European tour 2004. We keep it in the family.Sometimes during rehearsals we switch to playing to total thrash heavy metal and will record a demo under this banner of steel! Hahaha. We play sick and disgusting music but we know how to laugh and have a good time too. If you don't you'll end up like all the ultra-tr00 kult Internet newbie trend kiddiestotally destroying what's left of the scene. SUPPORT THE UNDERGROUND! 666

Thanks again Daryl for the killer interview, Please feel free to fill the below space with contact details, and anything else you might feel like spewing!!
Cheers!!A rancid heap of slithering intestines to you Rebecca for being so brutal. Keep up the good work with Vomitose.For contact, shirts, stickers, booking, interviews etc.. write to: Thergothon1@aol.com or abazagorath69@hotmail.comVisit our websites: www.funebrarum.com, www.necroharmonic.com, www.deathmetalsite.com, www.abazagorath.net

diSEMBOWELMENT INTERVIEW - VOMITOSE ZINE issue 1 2005

Disembowelment have long been identified as the forefathers and predecessors of the doom/grind genre, and with this newly released reissue of all the classic material and limited edition extras, Its not hard to see how Disembowelments crushing grind doom hybrid legacy has stood the test of time, and well and truly established them as the Purveyors of Grind.

Hey Paul! Hows things? Thanks heaps for taking the time out to do this interview. It’s insane being able to interview a member of the legendary Disembowelment!
Hey Becs, Most things around here are pretty cool; it’s a pleasure to do this interview for you.

Firstly, Relapse Records has just reissued all of your work; with some extras included on a third disc. Why has it taken so long for this reissue to come about?
I'd say it's partly our fault and Relapse not having us high on the priority list which is fair enough considering we are NOT an active band. I think what happened first was Relapse got intouch with Renato and he basically told Relapse that he didn't want anything to do with the re-issue, but for Relapse NOT to touch his artwork. Then Jason was in touch with Relapse and any correspondence was really dragging out and nothing was moving on re-issue front. Jason got a little impatient and gave up. I then stepped in, sent a few e-mails to Matt from Relapse and things were dragging out again and I then decided just to call him and basically tell him "What's the deal here? Are we going to do this re-issue or what?" So I put a bit pressure on Relapse and Matt assigned Jonathan Canady the task. Thankfully he is a major diSEMBOWELMENT fan. So he understood not only what I was trying to capture, but he gave me his opinion as a fan as well, which helped a lot. Jon was awesome to deal/work with. He was under a lot of pressure to work on the active bands which had priority, but he spent a lot of his spare time on our project which I am grateful for. I guess another reason for the delay was 'what' we were going to use for the re-issue. At first it was going to be just re-issuing the "Transcendence..." release. Then we thought we might have a 2nd disc and have "dusk", the MBR comp track and demo 1. But then we somehow found an unreleased version of “Spirit of the Tall Hills" and a rehearsal Necrovore cover (Slaughtered Remains). This added with the 2 other rehearsal tracks we already had in mind; we decided to make a 3rd disc as part of the limited edition. So this dragged out the process aswell.

The anticipation for the reissue has been pretty crazy. Did the cult status that Disembowelment seems to have grown come as any surprise to you?
For most part of it, it did. I heard from other members that there was still a bit of a following, which I didn't really follow up on to see if it was genuine or not. Then I got a few comments here and there when I was at gigs here (in Melbourne) that a number of people considered disembowelment one of their all time favourite doom acts or were a major influence to them. There always seem to be questions about what other members are up to these days. And finally there were times people did ask about the re-issue, but to be honest I didn't think the anticipation was that high. So the cult status still baffles me a little as I think it is a big call and we don't really deserve cult status here.

How have your dealings in general been with Relapse? There’s been mixed opinions about Relapse's business practices in the past, Is your deal for the reissue similar to the original releases?

I've heard about some of the stories bands have with Relapse and it's sad. This happened to us too, but we knew that we didn't read the contracts close enough to realise that once we signed, Relapse had a major grasp on the band. I believe this happened to many other bands out there who were naive and inexperienced (like us) not to get professional people to read contracts and get them to explain to us what it all meant to the band. I guess bands get caught up in the excitement and hype of being signed to certain labels and automatically think they'll get everything served on a platter. I believe Alchemist were smart as their contract with Relapse went to/from several or more times before both parties agreed to their contract and I believe Alchemist benefited from that. So I guess it's a harsh lesson for bands starting, to get deals with reasonable sized labels out there. If it costs a few hundred dollars to look at the contract, then you cover your asses from the word go. So to finally answer the question, the re-issue is basically the same deal like the original contract which will work totally in Relapse's favour.

Prior to Relapse, were there any other labels interested in signing or releasing Disembowelment? Did you guys have any established following pre-Relapse?
As we did a comp track with MBR, they were interested in doing a full length. We had our hesitations as we thought we'd hang out and try and find something better. I believe Wild Rags were interested back then. They didn't have a good reputation back then. And there were many, many small labels which were interested as well.

How did the Relapse deal come about?
The Relapse deal came up in 2 step process. First we passed on X amount of copies of our 2nd demo to many labels out. Relapse was interested in releasing our 2nd demo. We changed a few things as we got the demo re-mastered and added one other tune releasing the "dusk" EP. Once Relapse released "dusk", they wanted more material. We came up with enough to record an album and Relapse agreed.

Compared to early-late 90s bands and the underground scene in Melbourne and around the world, how do you think todays underground ‘scene’ stands up in comparison?
Musically, I think it is way more diverse and dynamic. Although at times the basic songs which stand out are not as prominent or heavy generally speaking. Musician-wise the players out there are totally unbelievable. Comparing the Melbourne scene back in the late 80's to early 90's to now is a massive difference. On a local front I found that maybe 50%-60% of guys playing in bands could play back then. Today I find it's more like 80%-90% of guys in bands can play instruments. Not only that, speed-wise it's jumped up many notches which is incredible. Maybe I'm getting old! Or maybe that's why there are more bands out there using drum machines? However another major element I believe has changed is the ground breaking factor. Back then there was Napalm Death and Repulsion coming up with this new style of Hardcore/metal which was 10 times faster than the standard stuff. The WOW factor was very high as it seemed so over the top back then. Now it's just almost stock standard. Even when Morbid Angel came out, there was so much anticipation then and when it finally came out, it was like where did these guys come from and many bands did their best to emulate them. I also find that there are way more styles or genres of Extreme metal nowadays. I don't think there was the label or genres/music called Goregrind, U.S slam death metal or Funeral Doom.etc.

How would you describe Disembowelments sound?

Dark, heavy, ambient, atmospheric, at times beautiful, doomy, crushing and mysterious.

Do you think it would be easier for a band like Disembowelment to exist in today’s scene compared to back then? Is that sound still relative?
Good question. I'm not really sure because I don't really keep up with the scene that much these days.I probably follow the occasional death metal / grindcore band. Otherwise I don't really follow doom bands or stoner bands etc. If someone recommended certain funeral doom material, I'd be more than happy to check it out. Because the genres have split in so many ways in the Metal scene nowadays, it probably would be easier in some ways. Is the sound still relative? Well I'd say Yes. Reason being is that one, because we could potentially fall under different genres it might be accepted in some circles rather than just one. Two, I still believe that our sound hasn't outdated that much and would still generate some interest.

Inspirations in Disembowelment’s sound? Where do the ethnic/religious? themes/chanting come from sometimes used in the recordings?
Probably more a question for Renato. But I'd have to say that he always had an interest in ambient, atmosphere sounds. With that he really moved into the Middle Eastern sounds and culture. Renato wrote 99% of the material. These sounds started to creep in later on when we released Dusk. What of your recordings would you say you were most happy with? To be honest I felt that our recordings got better and better. But at the same time, I guess this went with the flow of each release and what we were looking for at the time. After demo 2 (deep sensory procession into aural fate), I thought we finally had something which was going to take us to the next level. It's funny because the 'Transcendence...' album could've had a real mechanical sound to it if we let our sound engineer (Doug Saunders -R.I.P) drive this one. We had major issues convincing him to go for the sound we were after.

What are your views on Australian Music? Do you see being from Australia a disadvantage/advantage in music?
Australian music is quite healthy all round. Although we don't have the capacity or following of people to have huge metal festivals like in Europe. I see Australia mostly a disadvantage in music because of the distance to Europe and the U.S, which is a shame because I believe we have quality bands here.

Are there any particular bands coming out of the International and Local scene that you get into? Do you keep up with new bands coming out?
International bands I'm enjoying at the moment are Putrescence, Engorged, Kill the Client, Shape of Despair and still enjoying bands like Phobia, Immolation, Incantation. Locally, I'm enjoying Roskopp, Kutabare, Fuck I'm Dead, Injury to Eye, Captain Cleanoff, Undinism, Intense Hammer Rage and Abominator.

What would be your Top 5 bands of all time?
Tough question as I'll base my answer on consistency through the years and the fact these bands stayed true to their styles. Here goes: Immolation, Incantation, Death (R.I.P), Autopsy and Napalm Death (Lee Dorian era).

Do you have any other projects planned? If so, what sort of direction will it be going in? Will you guys ever play live?
The project I am a part of at the moment is with Matt (disembowelment bassist) and it is a band called PULGAR. We play old school death/grind stuff with hints of old school thrash. At this stage I guess we're just getting together having jam and playing some old sounds we love and grew up on. Not sure whether Pulgar will play live or not. As far as diSEMBOWELMENT playing live, 2 words - NO CHANCE!!!

Well I think that pretty much wraps it up, theres a million things I could ask you but I think I’ll leave it at that for today! Thanks again Paul! Are there any other comments you’d like to add or anything further you have to say?
Thanks Rebecca for your interest in diSEMBOWELMENT. It was a pleasure doing the interview. Please continue supporting the scenes out there as it's amazing to see how healthy the scenes are after 18 years.