Hails and thanks for reaching out!! And sorry for being super late with this interview! Let’s be honest here, Cannibal Corpse IS the holy grail! None heavier.. We share common love and respect towards all early 90’s Florida- and US-Styled death metal. But yeah, early Cannibal Corpse is a huge influence and impulsion for Skulmagot and for its sound. You can ofcourse hear other titans there as well, Immolation, Monstrosity, etc. Skulmagot was spawned in 2014 to play old school US style death metal.
Is there a specific reason that led you to move away from your Finnish influences in favour of a sound more in the American vein?
For me and Spider it was all clear from the get go to play US style death metal. We had no intention to play "Finnish Death Metal" and such, more likely the aim was to create our own unique sound and take the influences from the US style death metal because we're both huge fans of this sound and genre, and it still dominates and rules our playlists! The Finnish DM sound is more known abroad than here in Finland actually.
The production sounds raw, yet totally dark and brutal. What can you tell us about this album and how does it stand compared to the previous one? Did you get the sound you wanted?
We didn't change anything this time around either.. Our ways of recording are pretty primitive and lo-fi.. Spider plays all the instruments and we record the vocals in 2-3 sessions. Spider also does the mixing and mastering and the trademark sound is really bass-laden murky and evil. We try to keep it that way, as the overproduced digital crap is overrated anyway. The only upgrade in the latest session was a different mic for the vocals. It turned out really good.. We have created this kinda unique way of recording these albums and we don't want to change anything. Of Course it's bad for your health and liver but it has worked out just fine so far, hah!
I understand that Spider takes care of all the instruments, while Ulti-Make handles the vocals. What plans do you have regarding the future of the band? Will you remain as a duo or will you incorporate other members in order to perform live?
There's been a lot of pressure to do live shows and we get a lot of requests for shows etc... However we like to keep things simple and Skulmagot will stay as a two man operation for now. We've had active bands in the past (Spider still has plenty: Ratface, Goatburner, Bloodlands, Pikakassa) and Skulmagot is more laidback without any rehearsal pressure or other mandatory stuff related to that. If the pressure for the live setup gets unbearable, we will of course do some moves...maybe :D
You come from Helsinki – the capital and largest city in Finland. How do you see Finnish death metal today and what do you think were the factors that contributed to the emergence of a completely unique scene back in the ‘90s?
The Finnish sound Is very well known globally, and it also receives a lot of worship/attention again. Finland is a cold, dark and distant place where it really is dark almost 8 months per year! So maybe the dark and depressive sound comes from there.
We have also the highest suicide-rates in the world so go figure, ha! Local scene is active and there are new bands surfacing who keep things real with their sinister OSDM sound. A lot of gigs and smaller festivals are ongoing also throughout the year but now the Covid-19 has put everything on halt. Local scenes with smaller events, gigs and festivals are resurrecting again, but nobody knows what is going to happen with this COVID-plague. I think the unique 90's scene was more across the whole country actually and it grew from there. Tape trading, small shows and zines & letters kept it going..
How did you initially come up with the band name and what’s the idea behind it?
The first name for the “band” was actually Toilet Skul, but this one ended up as a song for our first EP. The name “Skulmagot” does not actually have anything to do with Cannibal Corpse’s A Skull Full Of Maggots, although there’s a reference to it.
The spelling (missing letters) was just a thing with the typography of the logo, and it has a Scandinavian vibe to it. We get a lot of questions about this, but it actually works out really well. So, there you have it!
How was the experience of working with a label like Headsplit Records?
Without these small labels Skulmagot wouldn't have gained so much attention globally, that what we have now. And we are truly thankful for all the attention we have gained globally..it’s amazing! Working with these small tape-labels is really rewarding for both sides, as the cost stays rather small and the product is also reasonably priced. Headsplit Records is run by Reverend Laviolette who really knows his shit. He has released alot of old and newer Finnish bands on his label. Working with Headsplit is smooth and straight forward! And the end product is really good in quality.
The world is immersed in a state of chaos. That being said, how is the whole pandemic situation in Finland, and what do you think of everything that has happened lately?
I think that Finland got the least worst parts of this Pandemic.. we're isolated anyway and dont want to be with other people so this was nothing new to anybody! We didn't have any strict lockdowns here as in other parts of Europe, no curfews or anything like that. We've all been working or living the hermit life in the woods remotely for 18 months now, so it is really getting boring... maybe the virus will stay with us forever and we just learn to live with it. For the music writing part this pandemic was actually really good, we managed to create a dark and obscure record and in no hurry.
Because of the internet, everything has become immediate and disposable. Do you think this has had a pernicious effect on the essence of metal or do you view it as something favourable?
There's alot of everything available online and people's concentration is on the state of a fruit fly! This feeds the urge to collect more records and paraphernalia.. in the metal scene i think most of the people are into merch, records and other stuff you can touch and feel. Cover-art and like plays still a big role in records and collecting them. There's still these old school cats who order their records with a letter from the distros... so we're not doomed yet!
What does the term underground mean to you?
It's revealing to know that "it's there" no matter what ever happens globally. It's something that it is a bit challenging to explain.. you have to feel and breath that shit. Underground is doing good, always has.
Share with us some albums that have surprised you this year, and also tell us what you regard as the great classics of Death Metal?
The latest Witch Vomit is really good.. and be sure to check out also SNĚŤ. Alot of good and mediocre stuff has been released.. I find myself getting more and more back to the older stuff all the time.. One great classic is Deicide's Legion from 1992. Never get's old!
To end the interview, tell us about your future plans for the band and leave a battle-cry for our readers! Bestial greetings!
You will hear Skulmagot in the future as well! We have one EP underway and some shit cooking all the time. I miss live shows and meeting with other dorks who share common interests! Got to keep healthy and avoid stupid shit to stay away from the COVID-plague! Stay strong people! Buy records. Go to shows. Drink (good) beers and keep in touch with your friends. Support the bands, zines, labels and the distros for what they do, as the flame is burning strong. Support the true underground always!! Cheers & beers from Finland!!