INTERVIEW: CHURCH OF DISGUST (2016)

The following interview was done back in 2016 with Texas Death Metal act, CHURCH OF DISGUST. 

Hails! To get this interview started, can you please introduce yourselves and tell us what Church of Disgust is all about, your influences and how the band came together.

Dustin: Hails! Church of Disgust is now based out of Texas and Florida, and we play rotten death metal. We started in 2010 to write some filthy shit and it grew from there! Through several lineup changes, we have now arrived at our strongest lineup of Joshua Bokemeyer on lead guitar, Dwane Allen on drums, Travis Andrews on bass, and myself on guitar and vocals. We try to maintain a healthy mix of influences, without any being to heavy, we're definitely not looking to be another copycat, or a glorified cover band marketing themselves as paying "worship" or "tribute", there's enough of that already!  Some bands we love include Rottrevore, Morbid Angel, Slugathor, Cenotaph, Cianide, Bolt Thrower, etc.....

In the beginning and on your debut album you performed as a duo. What made you recruit extra members? Do you work better as a four-piece?

Joshua: I believe we work better as a four piece. With more members, more input. We are always into trying new things to expand our sound and to push us as musicians. 

Last year, you released "Dread Ritual" on cassette format under Headsplit Records. How did the collaboration came about and what are your thoughts on tape format?

D: I initially met that sick fukk Dylan from Headsplit as a fan of his label/band and the music he was releasing.  After some discussion he learned of my band after we released the Unworldly Summoning album and offered to do a release for us.  Headsplit is one of my favorite labels going!  From new underground bands to re-releases of lost gems from the 80s/90s for those who can't afford to shell out insane amounts of money for rare original pressings, they keep it sick!

As for the tape format, I myself am quite a big fan of it.  I'm not an audiophile with my nose up at anything that isn't vinyl, I grew up listening to tapes, they're convenient and relatively inexpensive to purchase and produce.  Of course, the counter-argument to that would be that digital files are much more convenient and that's fine, I just prefer owning physical copies of all my music.  Some collectors even look down on CDs, which I can't wrap my head around either....my collection is made up of tape, vinyl and CD, I'm not so picky!

Tell us a little bit about the tracks featured on "Dread Ritual." Are you satisfied with the final outcome?

J: I love the songs and the entire process. Mixing and mastering was a little messy. As far as the recording, it was fun and a learning experience, as always crunched on time and trouble shooting our asses off. 

D: The Dread Ritual tape features three tracks-"Dread Ritual", "The Pursuing Horrors" and "Staph Terrorist".  The first two songs are the first songs written as a four-piece band.  "Pursuing" is my personal favorite, I think it's the most dynamic and representative of where we want to go as a band.  "Staph Terrorist" is a cover of the legendary IMPETIGO.  We got the blessing to do it from Mark himself, and both he and Stevo said we did a killer job, so that was a huge honor for us!

https://churchofdisgust.bandcamp.com/album/dread-ritual-ep

As far as I can tell, your themes are heavily inspired by horror literature and movies. Given that, what would you cite as some of your all time favorite books / horror films?

D: Yes, I do draw heavy inspiration from books mainly, notably the writings of Brian Keene and H.P. Lovecraft.  Lovecraft of course needs no introduction, but for the uninitiated, Brian Keene is a modern horror writer, and my favorite current author.  He created his own universe/mythos of a race called The Thirteen, not unlike what Lovecraft did with his Cthulhu Mythos.  Our upcoming album draws heavy influence from this, and I highly recommend checking out his work if you enjoy sick horror.....Darkness on the Edge of Town, The Conqueror Worms, Dead Sea and Urban Gothic are all worth checking out.  

We do also draw some influence from horror films as well, favorite horror films would have to include I Drink Your Blood, Evil Dead 2, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Zombi 2, Blood Feast, Night of the Living Dead-1990(call it blasphemy, but this is a fucking great remake!  Hail Savini!), Halloween, City of the Living Dead, Tombs of the Blind Dead....

What are you listening to nowadays? Have you stumbled upon anything worthwhile as of late? What are your thoughts on the current state of the underground?

D-While the classicks are in constant rotation on my turntable, there's lots of outstanding death metal coming out today worthy of anyone's time and attention!  Off the top of my head, I've really enjoyed recent releases from Sewercide, Solothus, Denial, Steel Bearing Hand, Koroidia, Desecresy, Undergang, Expander, Cruciamentum, Blaspherian, Ectovoid, Cardiac Arrest, Druid Lord, Anatomia, Torture Rack, Cryptic Brood, Amputator, and so on!  

As for the underground itself, I'd say it's in a very good place, for the most part.  There's so many great bands releasing ripping shit, it's near impossible to keep up.  The internet has become a blessing and a curse.  It's great in that it's made it infinitely easier to find new bands, and correspond with like-minded individuals world-wide.   Because of the internet, I found out later in life about some lost gems from the 80s/90s that I never would have found otherwise growing up in a small north Texas town.  The shitty part is that as a result we now live in a disposable age where you can listen to(and write off) so many bands in the course of a day, the special feeling of hunting down and finding a great new band isn't the same, I'm sure.  It's also made it a lot easier for posers and "scene tourists" to infiltrate the underground and push their bullshit PC agendas.  

I'm sure plenty of the old guard may disagree with me since they grew up in the "glory days", which is fine.  I'm in my 30s, so I missed the days of tape trading, and the infancy of extreme music.  I'm sure those were truly special times that can never be replicated, but I'm here now, and that's what I'm interested in.  I've met some true die-hards that I'm still in contact with to this day, whether it be through email, phone, or exchanging letters and music from other countries....so the passion is still there, no doubt.  There are some not so great things happening, like PC crusaders getting bands kicked off shows and fests, shit-stirring clickbait "metal journalism" sites like MetalSucks spewing their bullshit, and some classick bands getting back together for the wrong reasons, when their heart and passion is no longer in it and putting out lackluster albums.....but there are also plenty of these legendary bands still doing it with passion and for the right reasons!  That was a long answer, but I'd say that 2016 is a good time to be a fan of extreme music, all things considered.

Do you have any interesting or crazy experiences to share with us regarding touring or any live gigs you've played?

D-My favorite story is still when we played Austin, TX in early 2015, we saw a guy get punched out during our set, for being a "fucking poser"(the guy's exact words, we found out after our set)........I'd like to see more of that going around! 

Aside from Death Metal, what other styles of music do you listen to? What about cult '90s Black Metal like Mortuary Drape, Varathron, Maniac Butcher, etc.?

J: Pretty much anything that inspires me to play or record. I'm a big fan of black metal especially raw bands that aren't afraid of stepping out of the norm. 

D: I worship death metal, but I listen to other stuff as well, you have to!  Inspiration can come from anything for me, not just death metal, as long as it has passion, and riffs, in most cases!  Coming up in small town Texas, I grew up with a family that listened to country music and classic rock, and I still enjoy both to this day.  I also enjoy jazz, blues/ragtime, classical, etc.  I do enjoy some black metal, as long as the riffs are there!  Interesting that you mentioned Varathron, they just played the Destroying Texas Fest in Houston this month, I wish I could have made that show, I heard they were savage!(along with MORTEM, arrrrrgh!)

Tell us a little bit about your recording equipment and whether you switch it up between releases? Are you specific with the type of tone you try to achieve? 

J: Our recordings have grown with our DIY studios. The first releases were very primitive but we have slowly acquired more studio gear and knowledge. These later releases and upcoming LP are a combination of me and Dwane's gear so we have a getting a good mic locker going. We run pretty lean on the digital side of things and experiment along the way. Dread Ritual was the first COD release where we mixed every drum and had it mastered. 

Would you consider death metal as a type of 'taboo' seeing as that many people outside the genre consider people in such type bands as negative or 'mentally-deranged'?

D: While some of those sentiments still linger in the USA, I'd say that extreme music doesn't quite have the same mystique surrounding it as it did 20 years ago.  We now live in an age where Hollywood makes films about the the black metal scene in Norway/Euronymous murder, and a popular cartoon about death metal musicians!  However, in areas of Texas and Florida you'll still get the bible-thumpers and people who hate (but actually fear) those going against the grain, so to speak.  Otherwise, I've given up trying to discuss or explain this type of music with outsiders, as their response is usually a blank stare or judgmental look.

What is your stance on bands with political themes? In your opinion, does politics have any place in metal?

J: I don't look too deep into it or personally care. Just don't try to force your views on me.

D: With the exception of some grindcore bands, I'm not so interested in bands that push political agendas.  

Give us a list of 10 albums you can't live without.

D: fuck!  Off the top of my head....

Morbid Angel - Blessed Are the Sick

Cenotaph - The Gloomy Reflections of Our Hidden Sorrows

Kiss - Destroyer

Impetigo - Horror of the Zombies

Waylon Jennings - I've Always Been Crazy

Demigod - Slumber of Sullen Eyes

Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak

Cianide - A Descent Into Hell

Black Sabbath - Master of Reality

and they're not quite albums, but work mentioning - Divine Eve - As the Angels Weep and Imprecation - Theurgia Goetia Summa (Hail Texas!)

Do you currently have any merchandise available for people to get hold of? How should people make contact if they have any inquiries? What are your future plans and when can we expect another attack of uncompromising Death Metal?

D: We have a VERY limited supply of shirts and tapes left, they can be ordered at http://churchofdisgust.bigcartel.com  Any inquiries/correspondence can go to marchthehorde@gmail.com or our shitty Facebook page.  

As for new material-we have completed recording of our second full-length album, entitled VENERATION OF FILTH.  It's gonna be a real monster, Putrid Matt will be doing the artwork, Memento Mori is releasing the CD, Headsplit Records is releasing the tape, and No Posers Please! is releasing the vinyl!  Expect it in late 2016/early 2017.  Also on the way, Dread Ritual 7" EP, and a split with Cryptic Brood from Germany.  

Thank you for your time! Any parting words to properly close this interview?

D: Eternal thanks for this interview, thanks to all the fiends who took the time to read it.  Veneration of Filth is coming, worship depravity!  Death metal or die!

J: Thank you! Support metal Everywhere!

INTERVIEW: VASSAFOR (2016)

The Kiwi cult known as VASSAFOR has forged a sound that would place them among the most influential hordes in the current wave of Black/Death/Doom, and also define them based on their geographical bearings, proudly branding themselves as "NZBM." (New Zealand Black Metal.) The following interview was done in 2016. 

Hails VK. Vassafor has been around for more than twenty years, what has kept the flame burning after all these years? And what would you regard as one of the definitive highlights throughout its journey?

Hello Jim. The fuel for the fire is in plentiful supply it seems, cause we are burning stronger than ever. There's no question the most important highlight of the journey so far was Ben joining during the period after self titled release came out. That was the turning point for us to become what we are now….all things now have come from that piece of the puzzle falling into place

Musically, which bands would you cite as influences regarding the fundamental development of Vassafor's sound? Has the influences changed much over time or remained the same?

I was teaching myself to play guitar the same time as I was writing the first Vassafor songs in that period and listening to a lot of Necromantia, Blasphemy, Master’s Hammer and Beherit (among many, many others) of the contemporary bands, but still obsessed with Mercyful Fate, Sodom, Frost, Voivod & Candlemass records of the 80s. The first band I played bass in was a fairly tech Death Metal band in the early 90s so I could play much more complex material but I wanted to regress to a more primitive style as many of the records I went back to listening too were things like Bathory the Return or Obsessed by Cruelty rather than the shitty life metal Swedish and Finnish “DM” bands which were all selling out and being boring clean rock music, but not even good at that! That's when I really became possessed by the real underground and started digging properly and I guess I still am 20 plus years later

How would you describe the music of Vassafor?

Dark Satanic music, i.e.- Black Metal. I don’t consider Black Metal to be a production aesthetic or guitar sound or vocal style. Its content based, that is the only requirement. For us it is venerable music of worship to our Patron, Vassafor

You've had various members come and go - is the current incarnation a stable one or more like a session collaboration? Is it hard for you to find suitable recruitments to follow your vision exactly as you wish convey it?

It certainly has been the hardest part of Vassafor’s history, but I think the first era of the band with my original partner in crime Dan Lomas which gave birth to the band and the modern era that started when Ben joined the fold are essentially the same. Both are less me only contributing and writing. Ben and Dan both are creative and contribute plenty to all aspects of the band. It has been a challenge over the years to find people, especially here in New Zealand, that appreciate the nuances of the style and aesthetic. But we have been fortunate to have some incredible musicians help us with our live aspects. The touring lineup we were able to take through the European tour in Feb MMIV was perfect. Ben and I were joined by Vince and Kevin from NW bands Weregoat, Ritual Necromancy, Anhedonist, among many others. Back here in NZ and Australia we are still looking for the final member to join us for live shows. We plan to have NZ and Aus dates around April MMIVII. Well, I certainly am a tyrant about how it has to be…but Ben is probably worse! So yeah, we are fussy, but that's because when we play live we are attempting to open the gateway….and that takes the right people. There's no short-cut!

The sonic darkness of Vassafor sounds most potent during the slow, mid-tempo alterations, with an oppressively dark, doomy feeling. Would you say that the slower tempos present a difference when it comes to playing these parts in comparison to the more standard fast tempo?  

Yeah, I want the feeling to be oozing from each note coming out of the speaker. Dynamic range gives you that opportunity to ensnare that way. Almost lull someone into the folds of the music, and then squeeze tight and crush them with the next part. At times soothing, at times oppressive…a great example of a band doing that with slow shifts of gear is Esoteric. They really are the masters of that.

There seems to be a lot of divided opinions regarding nowadays black metal, with some veterans stating that black metal is dead and that the quantity has exceeded the quality. Do you agree with this?

I really can’t understand people who’s ears have obviously stopped listening. There is so many interesting and worthwhile bands infesting the underground in most corners of the globe. Sure, there/s plenty of shit bands, but there always has been since I’ve starting listening. That's never going to change. But there are some really incredible young bands absolutely hammering it out right now. Qrixkuor for a start. I’m really looking forward to that band’s debut album…

As a sound engineer and producer, how integral is the process of achieving the desired effect sound-wise and still sound organic? Have you had any encounters with people who have misunderstood your vision? What do you think of a lot of modern bands over compressing their instruments to the point of sterility?

Well, it doesn’t even have to sound organic as such, just that the band sounds like its on the same page as each other. My biggest issue with separately recorded, click tracked perfectionism in recordings is that it is the enemy of spontaneity or feeling or dynamics generally. It sounds machine like, which is fine for technicians but is incredibly boring to listen too. I don’t want an album of mine to have identical rhythm guitar sounds for 45 minutes, that's an incredibly boring way to make a record. I like to write songs as individual pieces, and record them as individual pieces, then once I’m finished on that one, I move onto the next. There fore, on our records its perfectly obvious when the next song starts because they all have a sound specific to the song. So doom tracks have heavier and denser guitar tones because its not as much trem picking perhaps, where as a violent, chaotic song needs a different kind of production aesthetic to bring out the mood and spirit of the song.

My style definitely isn’t for everyone, and plenty of bands I have been in may not have liked it even and run towards mainstream thinking and conventional productions. But fuck all of them, I’m doing this cause its how I like to listen to music on my stereo, and if people are into working with me its because they have similar thoughts. So its really satisfying when great bands hit me up to mix a record for them as well. Recently finished the Bestial Raids new record and that was a brilliant experience to work with guys that know exactly what they want and recorded a punishing onslaught that I could sink my teeth into. They wanted it even harsher than I was going towards haha, brilliant! I always try to give bands like that exactly what they are after because its the vision of the band. I respect those kinds of bands a lot.

Can you comment on the mic stand with goat skulls and barbed wire which you employ for the live setting?

The mic stand itself is a welded piece with the sigil in the design done by a flat mate the night after we supported Mayhem some years back. He was possessed after our gig to go loose at his workshop for the rest of the night! And we have always had tons of skulls around us since the beginning, so it seemed appropriate to construct the proper pulpit of invocation in a more solid form. I track all my vocals through the mic stand as well, so its not just for stage. It’s the appropriate tool for communicating our message

As a musician, how mandatory is the process of coming up with new ideas, as opposed to staying within the style you are known for or most familiar with?

I don’t think it's very important at all actually. Much more important to be sincere and passionate than redefine the guitar or whatever instrument it is. They are just tools, but the music is communication. If the song takes us down a pathway we haven’t been on before then great, but if its just to try and show off our “musicianship” then its worthless ego driven garbage. And I’m trying to get rid of those things in my music. I can’t really see us straying too far from our formulae and spells. We are trying only to get darker and more pure, not become more popular of standardized. I guess once people hear the next record they can decide for themselves whether we were/are successful or not at that

Most people would figure metal musicians generally listen to the 'truest' of extreme metal only, or are closed to outside genres. However, I have learned from various people in bands that many musicians don't listen to just metal. Where do you stand on this? Do you let outside genres influence your musical output or do you prefer to stay strictly within the confines of the genre as is?

I’m probably atypical in that I used to have a much wider range of influences in my teens and 20's, but since my 30's I have become far more narrow minded and focused on what in metal it is that I like. I still listen to martial/industrial music, (just listened to a Nordvagr project yesterday that was superb) and still have a segment of classical music in my collection as well that gets listened to, but its mainly metal. Especially the ugly shit!

With "Obsidian Codex" it felt like you were expanding your sound to the next level. The compositions are darker, more evolved and dynamic. How long were you working on the material and what inspired the idea to write a double LP? How much of a challenge was the overall process?

Obsidian Codex did spiral out of control a bit. I knew it was going to be a lot of music, and it was designed from before the songs were written (in most cases anyway) to be 4 sides of vinyl. So each side had to be enough as a piece of music on its own terms, and then make sense to each other in context. Nemesis and Makutu were the last 2 songs completed and by far the hardest to track. The mixing of both was difficult as well as the subject matter has a lot of power and resonance, esp. with the lyrics reflecting reality rather than conceptual possibilities. The mix in Nemesis was grueling. I have no idea about how many little guitar overdubs and layers there is on that final mix…but there's a lot of buried horror within it. Finishing the master and sending it off was a pretty satisfying day…now its 4 years later and I’m nearly at the same stage with out 2nd full length. At least this one is only a single LP!!

Tell us a bit about the themes addressed on "Obsidian Codex," particularly the Māori reference on tracks like 'makutu.' You are one of the first bands I can think of that makes reference to Māori mythology. Were you doing a lot of research in regards to the themes? It's quite refreshing to see a New Zealand band acknowledging their country's culture.

Each song has a united concept but (hopefully) its own individual character. The ones most obviously born from NZ soil would be Makutu and Nemesis as each reference actual events in their own way. Nemesis from the perspective of a vengeful warrior whose Utu (sworn revenge) transcends death, Makutu from the perspective of a Magician’s curse that destroys its intended target over a brief period of time. But the other tracks are all birthed from NZ blood and dirt as well. Craft of Dissolution was conceived in a rural area of NZ during a period of almost total isolation with only a guitar and shitty practice amp and pen and paper to write with. There's all kinds of spirits and taniwha out in the wilds of this country, if you can switch off and have the eyes to see & ears to hear. Some write about middle eastern or Vedic spiritualism, but that has no relevance to me. This has relevance, and this is where our gods live…

Lastly, if anyone has any inquiries and would like to get in touch, how should they do this? Furthermore, what does the future hold for Vassafor?

Easiest way for people to contact is via our email vassafor@gmail.com. The future holds nothing but Death….and as its inevitably creeps closer we will continue to create a soundtrack for it…to the Death

EP REVIEW: Ritual Genocide - Commencement Towards Annihilation (2016)

Ritual Genocide - Commencement Towards Annihilation (2016)

USA

Black Plague Records / The True Plague

Ritual Genocide is a three-piece band from Reno, Nevada, and play a decidedly abrasive black/death metal in the vein of acts like Revenge, Conqueror, and Bestial Warlust. The release in question, "Commencement Towards Annihilation," is the band's debut EP and destroys without mercy. From the get go, these six songs relentlessly attack the listener with a barrage of chaotic chainsaw riffs, hateful vocals, and militant drums beats. The downtuned guitars along with the bass rely heavily on distortion to create a grating, dissonant affect. Needless to say, it's heavy as hell. There are no such thing as melodies of any kind present on this release — it's pure nuclear devastation from start to finish. You know you're in for some heavy and hateful shit when you have a band with song titles like 'Anti Filth Campaign' and 'Might of the Iron Fortress'. Ritual Genocide can be seen as the antithesis of all that is accessible, trendy, and mainstream — the quintessential war metal. "Commencement Towards Annihilation" demolishes everything within a thousand yard radius. Anything closer will be reduced to mash.