The following correspondence took place between Catacombs Walker and German Mulc (vocalist/bassist) of SPEED COMMAND – a killer Thrash Metal band from Argentina that had just recently put out their debut album called "Vestiges Of Peace" through Carnal Beast from Japan.
Hello German! How are you in the middle of all this disaster that we are currently experiencing?
Greetings friend. You could say we are resisting everything, because it is not only this plandemic, but to live with the loneliness of not being able to be so close and often with the people that one appreciates, dealing with the country's economy, the new modalities that society adopts and affects you, etc.
Tell us a little about the beginning stages of the band. Under what influences did you begin to raise the Thrash flag? Did you undergo any member changes? I understand you are currently looking to recruit another guitarist?
The band started sometime before 2011, but this year was the beginning as an established band. We started from the beginning wanting to play old school thrash metal, at that time with influences from Exodus, Slayer, Destruction, Kreator, Sepultura. We have always undergone changes in the position of bass player, so I decided to take that position and give the position of rhythm guitar to someone else, so at this moment we are in the cross-hairs of a possible member.
"Vestiges Of Peace" left us surprised in all aspects, the sound is brutal, the skill with which you execute the instruments keep us headbanging throughout and the production is excellent. How was it received by the audience and the press, and how did they contact the label or, on the contrary, was it the label who contacted you?
I'm
glad you liked the album, the truth was that it was very well
received, I think that the people who follow us have been waiting for
this album for a long time and the press is giving us very good
reviews all over the world.
When we had the album almost ready I
came across this label on the internet, and decided to write to him,
automatically the interest in our album grew, so we kept in touch and
sent him the audio of how the album was turning out. So Akira
Sugiuchi wanted to release the album as soon as it was ready, because
despite a raw and not very modern sound unlike other bands, he liked
the authentic and old school way of sound and the style that we
created.
How was the overall composition process? Did each member contribute or was their someone in charge? How long did it take you to compose and record everything? Are you satisfied with the final result?
The album took us a little over a year and a half to record, since we did pre-production and it was all in the middle of the pandemic. If we are satisfied with the result, it was a stage to close after such a long time, but perhaps I would have liked another mastering, but we know that in the future we can improve many aspects.
In the midst of all this pandemic chaos, things have gotten more difficult. Did this affect the release of the album or, on the contrary, was it also inspiration to carry it forward? What can you tell me about the direction the planet is taking?
Yes, the pandemic delayed the recording a bit but it was not an obstacle to continue working on the album, it cost but it finally came out. The course of the world is reflected all on our cover, there are reflected the mundialistic pigs, what was once the civilization of nations, and what they are today all converted into a single world nation. There the cover will be up to your interpretation, and we were not wrong on the cover of our first demo, it seems like it was today.
Tell me about the lyrics and the title of the album. What inspired you when writing and what message do you intend to shout to the world?
The lyrics were always compromised, sincerely I am not interested in singing about Satan. I am interested in talking about the reality of our days, about pesticides and food manipulation, the world synarchy and its power, false freedom, the struggle of man in a world in ruins (wolf division), etc., and the passion for heavy metal are some of our themes. My inspiration was always the search before so much injustice and how miserable the man who is corrupted can be, that is my message for those who are asleep.
I believe that Speed Command is one of the best bands that have emerged from Argentina in recent years. What do you think of our current scene? What bands have surprised you?
Thank you for considering us among those bands. I am not much into scenes. I think that each band does their thing out of passion and that’s the important thing, later there will be others that will be part of the scene but they are made of plastic. There are good bands, especially in the rest of the country that come out of the Buenos Aires bands, mainly because they have achieved a more raw and perhaps real sound for those of us who like the old school. I have been impressed by Sinners Path, Thrasher, Ultimo Vomito, Municion, Speed onslaught, Caustic, Stake Impalement.
I know you are also part of the struggle to release material with your Metal Squad Records label. How do you see the future of it and what projects would you like to complete?
In the last few years the label has grown a lot, after 11 years I am going to release the first pro CD. The idea is to continue growing and a project that I would like would be to launch a 12” vinyl.
Personally, who or what was it that motivated you the most to start your path in music as a fan, an artist, and a producer?
From the first moment that I discovered some radio programs where I recorded some songs on a virgin cassette that I bought, it was the impulse to continue discovering that path, after the magazines that at the time came out, etc. The idea of starting a band came up in high school with a partner, because there were no bands that played the style we liked, and we had decided to do it ourselves, that's where it all started. After going to record stores to rent CDs to record them on cassettes, it made me fall in love with labels, the charm of record stores and think that at some point I should find one, and that's how it was. Since I discovered all that art of music I knew that I should be involved, that it was my passion and I could not leave it.
What plans do you have as a band once the live shows are enabled again? Do you think things will really go back to the way they were before or will we live a life haunted by restrictions?
The idea is to be able to present the album live and to be able to make something filmic perhaps, and I sincerely believe that nothing will ever be the way it was, for me live music has to have that mystique, ritual that is a heavy metal recital, the live heavy metal cannot be otherwise, but it is like going to the court and they prohibit you from singing, jumping, etc.
Thank you very much for your time, German! To close the interview, leave a greeting to the readers. I hope to see you soon on the stage! Cheers!
Thanks to you Guido for the interview, it has been a pleasure. Stay real and don't be moulded, heavy metal is not for soft conformists.