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.
