Interview: Mvltifission & Huangquan Records

 

The following is a joint interview between two Chinese endeavours: Mvltifission and Huangquan Records. Mvltifission is a death metal band that have garnered much praise from fans both in China and abroad since the release of their excellent debut album “Decomposition in the Painful Metamorphosis,” while Huangquan Records is a reputable record label with many quality releases to its credit.

Special thanks to Jianqi (JQ) for the submission.

1. Hello there! Please introduce yourselves and tell us what you do in the band? 

Gut: Lead vocalist

Tormentor: Hello, I'm Tormentor, the guitarist of the band. I'm thrilled to be part of this interview.

Purulentreek: Hi, I'm Purulentreek, the guitarist of the band. I'm also responsible for drum programming editing and mixing production of the albums.

Gorewhore: Hey, I'm Gorewhore, the drummer of Mvltifission.
 
2. How did you come up with the name Mvltifission and who designed your logo?
 
Gut: The name was coined by guitarist Tormentor, and I designed the logo.

Tormentor: It was a fun idea; it's actually a compound word of "Multi-" and "Fission," which we thought sounded pretty cool at the time.

Gorewhore: The guitarist came up with it, and the vocalist designed the logo.
 
3. The band members come from various extreme metal bands in China, such as the well-known Dugu and Globularcyst. How did you all come together and decide to form Mvltifission?
 
Gut: We simply love pure old-school death metal, so we decided to form a death metal band.

Tormentor: We all enjoy the same type of music, we were open to trying something new musically, and hence Mvltifission was born.

 
Purulentreek: We came together because of our shared passion for classic extreme metal music, and we also get along well, so we had the plan and idea to play in Mvltifission.
 
Gorewhore: I was impressed by a demo from the guitarist, and I felt confident in my abilities, so I chose to join
 

4. Your debut album "Decomposition in the Painful Metamorphosis" from 2021 is an outstanding effort. How long did it take you to write and record these songs? Are you satisfied with the final result? How was the general feedback from the metal underground? (Both in China and abroad)
 
Gorewhore: I’m personally is very satisfied with the final result, and the feedback are beyond well, both in China and abroad, fans were surprised that there is one old school Death Metal band from China.

Gut: The feedback is relatively good, many foreign listeners cannot believe that this is a Chinese death metal album, do not know where the members are from, mysterious band, but we made the effect we wanted.

Purulentreek: Purulentreek: It took about a year, from 2020 to 2021. At that time, we were not all in the same location, so we had to communicate ideas online. The creative process mainly involved Tormentor and me writing the music, recording guitars, GUT doing vocals, and me handling drum programming and mixing. The special aspect of this process was that Tormentor and I constantly exchanged ideas and riffs. It felt great every time a new idea emerged.

Tormentor: Initially, we planned to release an EP, but we had a lot of creative inspiration, so we ended up writing many songs. We discussed and explored numerous ideas together, making it a joyful process. Personally, I'd rate it 75/100. There are some details in the arrangements that need further refinement. We're honoured to have a solid fan base of death metal enthusiasts both domestically and internationally.

 
5. After listening to your full-length album, I was reminded of bands like Immolation and Demilich, and the album's description also mentions being dedicated to the aforementioned bands, including Demigod, Cenotaph, and Purtenance. How has these bands influenced your creative process?

Gut: Absolutely, I often listen to the bands you mentioned. I really like them. Subconsciously, they bring us closer to old-school death metal.

Tormentor: Personally, I'm deeply influenced by Demilich, Demigod, and Purtenance, which shape the overall framework of my songwriting and arrangement.

Purulentreek: These bands have been favorites of ours since we first encountered death metal music, so naturally, our creative process is heavily influenced by them. Daniel, the main creator of Cenotaph and The Chasm, is a musician I deeply admire, and his riffs have had a significant impact on me.

Gorewhore: Indeed, Demigod and Demilich have had a profound influence. If you don't believe it, give our songs a listen
 
6. The production on "Decomposition in the Painful Metamorphosis" sounds organic and has a raw edge to it, which I think gives your music more personality. Do you agree with this? Also, how do you feel about death metal bands with an overly polished production?
 
Gorewhore: Me as a death metal fan, I don't like the over-produced/polished music, which sound plastic for me. So we are also choose what we were influenced, both music and production.
 
Purulentreek: Yes. Frankly, we are trying to fuse many twisted and bizarre riffs into a dark gloomy atmosphere, definitely with the raw and organic sounds production. Over polished sounds are maybe more suitable for melodic riffs.
 

7. What is the atmosphere like at your shows? Is the frequency of performances high? Do you have a large audience?

Gut: The frequency of performances is not high.

Tormentor: The frequency is not high, but the response is usually good.

Purulentreek: We don't perform frequently in China, but the atmosphere at each show is usually good.

Gorewhore: We had four performances in China this year (three shows, I missed one due to injury). The frequency isn't high, and we don't plan for it to be too high. The audience is decent, not too small.

8. Your connection with the Dugu band seems quite close. While reading the lyrics, I sensed elements reminiscent of Shaw Brothers horror films, but more prominently, themes of youth facing the confusion and helplessness of contemporary society, even a sense of nihilism. Did you intentionally incorporate elements from horror films in Mvltifission's creation? And did you have any special thoughts while writing the lyrics?
 
Gut: We didn't intentionally incorporate elements from horror films because Mvltifission's themes are more on the spiritual level, exploring abstract combinations of various concepts.
 
Tormentor: Dugu was initially a project between me and lead vocalist GUT. His vocal style in Dugu is very fitting with the atmosphere of Shaw Brothers horror films, and the lyrical themes revolve around Shaw Brothers CULT horror films. The themes of Mvltifission's album mainly delve into the realm of spiritual nihilism and the distortion of human nature. We didn't deliberately incorporate elements from horror films into it. The direction of Dugu's next album will not be limited to Shaw Brothers; we're currently working on it.
 
Purulentreek：The association between horror movies and our creation has always been significant. Many passages in Mvltifission can evoke scenes from horror movies. When I write lyrics, it's also based on the visual sensations experienced in music, attempting to outline and depict these scenes in textual form
 
Gorewhore: The lyrics are also handled by the guitarist and vocalist.

9. How did you decide to collaborate with Funeral Vomit for a split release?
 
Gut: Funeral Vomit were friends of mine at the time, and coincidentally, we were looking for a South American death metal band to release a split with, aiming for a contrasting style. They play a more crude style of death metal. The collaboration was very pleasant, and the result was that the physical tapes sold out quickly.
 
Purulentreek: It was the lead vocalist Gut arranged the collaboration with Funeral Vomit through the label. We released a tape version of the split together, and the process was very enjoyable.
 
Gorewhore: It was the vocalist's decision, haha.
 
10. Which albums define death metal in your opinion?
 
GUT: I don't think I'm qualified to define that term. I can mention some albums I like.
 
Deicide - Deicide
Cancer - Death Shall Rise
Demilich - Nespithe
Purtenance - Member Of Immortal Damnation
Convulse - World without God
…and there are many more.
 
Tormentor:
 
Death - Leprosy
Demilich - Nespithe
Demigod - Slumber of Sullen Eyes
Entombed - Left Hand Path
Monstrosity - Imperial Doom
 
Purulentreek:
 
Demigod - Slumber of Sullen Eyes
Gorement - The Ending Quest
Crematory - Denial
Demilich - Nespithe
The Chasm - Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm
 
Gorewhore:
 
Deicide - Deicide
Entombed - Left Hand Path
Death - Human
Suffocation - Effigy of the Forgotten
Morbid Angel - Altar of Madness

11. What music do you guys mostly listen to?
 
Gut: I listen to death metal for two hours every day.

Tormentor: Thrash metal, death metal, movie/game soundtracks, southern rock.
Purulentreek: Besides extreme metal, I also love listening to classical music, post-rock, and jazz.

Gorewhore: I listen to a variety of old-school genres, including traditional, heavy, speed, thrash, and death metal.

12. How would you describe the metal scene in China and which bands from there would you recommend to our readers?
 
Tormentor: Explosicum, Ancestor, Globularcyst, The Metaphor

Purulentreek: China's metal scene is constantly evolving, and the developed network makes it easy for everything to spread among the crowd. I would recommend Dinkumoil, Strike Back, and PPT.
 

13. To wrap things up, can you please tell us what the future holds for Mvltifission? Thank you very much for your time!

Gut: We plan to release our second full-length studio album in 2024. This year, Mvltifission will perform alongside several foreign death metal bands in China. Stay tuned!

Tormentor: We hope the new album will be out soon. Thank you for the interview. Cheers!

Purulentreek: We're currently recording our second work. The instrumental part is almost complete, and if all goes well, we should have everything finished by mid-year.

Gorewhore: We're in the midst of creating our new album and gearing up for upcoming performances. Keep it true, keep it underground!

HUANGQUAN RECORDS INTERVIEW:

1. How was the name "Huangquan Records" decided upon? And how was the logo designed?
 
GUT: The name "Huangquan" refers to the Chinese term for "hell." The logo combines the characters for "Huang" and "Quan" in ancient Chinese script, with hand-drawn modifications to form the final logo
 
2. My impression of Huangquan Records includes tags like old-school death metal, 80s and 90s styles, grindcore, and so on. Does this align with the releases from Huangquan Records? Are there any factors that influence your choice of releases?
 
GUT: Yes, it aligns with Huangquan Records' release style. Huangquan has always been committed to unearthing albums and demos from old-school death metal, traditional thrash metal, grindcore, and many forgotten but excellent bands from history. Of course, Huangquans' new sub-project, the "Death List" series, focuses on releasing albums from relatively new and promising death metal bands. This year, we'll mainly be releasing many excellent 90s death metal albums on vinyl.

3. You seem to have a fondness for the 80s and 90s. What do these two decades mean to you?
 
GUT: The late 80s and early 90s were the "golden age" of death metal. Many excellent bands emerged worldwide during this time. Our goal is to unearth more unknown death metal treasures from that era.
 
 
4. Huangquan Records currently focuses on releasing albums and organizing performances. Will you be signing contracts with bands and musicians in the future?
 
GUT: Yes, Huangquan Records solely focuses on album releases and organizing performances. We do not engage in signing contracts with musicians. However, we have had a few Brazilian thrash metal bands express interest in signing with us, but we declined because we felt it didn't hold much practical significance. Our main goal is still to bring music and performances to our audience.
 
5. Thanks for your time! Any last words before we formally close this interview?
 
GUT: We only produce pure death metal albums, make pure death metal music, and hope everyone gets to hear more pure death metal!

Album Review: Mvltifission - Decomposition in the Painful Metamorphosis (2021)

Mvltifission - Decomposition in the Painful Metamorphosis

 

China

 

Rotted Life Records / Pulverized Records / Huangquan Records / Filth Junkies Records

 
When it comes to metal from China, my knowledge of their scene is admittedly not the best, but I would like to add here that Mvltifission released an incredible album back in 2021 that was undoubtedly one of that year’s best. The album harks back to the glory days of death metal, when bands still sounded original and had that obscure, evil sound. Comparisons to Demilich are inevitable, although the band seem to display enough individual chops in their arsenal to set them apart. A focal point of this album is undoubtedly their penchant for writing killer riffs and not sounding like a poor rehash of their influences, producing death metal that is both distinct and well-crafted. The vocals are putrid gutturals straight from the bowels of hell, complimented by bouncy bass riffs, excellent drumming, and dissonant riffs, all with a production that brings to mind Dawn of Possession era Immolation. All in all, if you enjoy bands like Demilich, Immolation and Demigod, then there’s no doubt in my mind that this gloomy slab of underground death is right up your alley.