We interviewed Warweolf of Death To Peace
Productions, which is a record label based in Quebec that specializes in
underground black metal.
1. HAILS Steve! Please tell us about your
label, DEATH TO PEACE PRODUCTIONS, and what it stands for.
Hails Death by Hammer!
In
the beginning, Death to Peace Productions was supposed to be solely a
distributor of underground music. After meeting a few owners of production
labels, I was hooked and decided to start my own label. Death to Peace
Productions is an underground elitist black metal label yearning for the
annihilation of all religions and a certain way of life. We have expanded our
horizons over the years and are now working with extreme metal bands (thrash
and death metal), as well as some dungeon synth and dark ambient, for example.
This Saguenay, Québec label has not stopped growing since its beginnings, in
2012.
I’ve
had two collaborators over the years. When they left, for personal reasons, I
asked an old colleague to join me, with whom I had previously worked in
distribution and show bookings.
Death
To peace Productions also brings to the table two more services that many
people don’t know about: Ombre Nordique Studios and Northern Shade Photography.
At Ombre Nordique Studios, my own home studio, I offer mixing and mastering for
any band, well known or not, from all over the world. After all these years, we
decided to also add a distribution service to our label, like in the good old
days. Who knows what else awaits in the future! Maybe event organising and show
bookings are in the cards for us… I have a team that would do great at that.
As
for news regarding the distro: we were lucky to buy a whole inventory, from a
closing label in Hamilton, Ontario: Von Frost Records. We got a great deal on
many vinyl records, cassettes, the whole distro and Discogs store. This gave us
an easy start.
2. What have you released so far? And what kind of formats do you specialize in?
Putrid Christ—Queen of the Wolves, USBM CD 2013
Infernal
Execrator—6 Execrating Years Of Irreligiousatanic Elite "Mastema
Hedonistic Terroritual 666", Black/Death Metal, Cassette, compilation
limited 2014
Unrest
/ Idolatry—Infection Born Of Ending, Black Metal Canada 7", EP, Ltd, Split
2015
Suicidal
Madness—Au Crépuscule d'une Vie, Depressive Black Metal France Cassette
S/Sided, Numbered, Limited 2015
Goatpreacher—Chaos
Sabbath, Goat Metal Russia Cassette limited EP 2016 en collaboration avec Von
Frost Records (R.I.P)
Trwoga—Wieczyst
Zima, Dark Ambient Poland Pro CD-r Limited 2020
Loup
noir—Requiem, Heathen black metal France Pro CD-r 2021
Between
2015 and 2020, we were mainly into merch production: patches, back patches,
t-shirts, stickers, pendants, etc.
Now
we mostly specialize in DIY type cassettes. The recording is done by an expert
team in Montreal, located 666km away. The booklets and stickers for the tapes
are made in my hometown. When everything is ready, devoted friends of mine come
over and help cutting the booklets and apply the stickers on the cassettes. All
done by hand! When all goes well, we have around 100 cassettes ready in a day.
3. What bands do you currently represent and what are your upcoming releases?
As
for the bands that we have worked with and released either one or many albums
or merch, we are interested in releasing a 12’’ vinyl record of cult album
“Chaos Sabbath”, by Goatpreacher. We will also definitely release a 5-way
split, “Apocalypse of the Impure”, containing tracks by bands such as Mysteriis
(Colombia), Miasma (Canada), Rotting Jehovah (USA), ENT666 (Canada) and Swarm
of Hatred (Chile). Each of these bands will be showcasing two previously unreleased
tracks. In addition, an intro, an outro and interludes will be churned at yours
truly’s Ombre Nordique studios, in collaboration with Kashnum, composer for Trwoga,
and Wampyrion, composer for Alcath. The second release will be hailing from
Greece. Last year, we released Trwoga (dark ambient from Poland), and this year
we got an offer from Wampyrion Markhor Necrowolf, a dungeon synth composer.
4. From your perspective, what can you tell us about the Quebec scene and what are the best bands from there in your opinion?
The
Quebec scene is very rich in “Métal noir Québécois”, our own style of black
metal, very sought after all over the world, but mostly in Europe. It is also
the birthplace of many great bands in many styles of metal such as thrash
(Voivod), and death (Crucificator, Necronomicon)
Great
bands from my home town : Deathroner (Death Thrash), Triskèle and Kenaz
(pagan).Atroce.
Other
amazing bands from all over Québec : Forteresse, Délétère, Miasma, Monarque,
Akitsa, Saccage, Hiverna, Ossuaire, Verglas Sanglant, Neige et Noirceur, Chasse
Galerie.
There
are also many great festivals where many well-known bands come and perform. You
might be familiar with La Messe des Morts (an indoor black metal festival),
Trois-Rivières Metal Fest, Skogen Festival and the Québec Deathfest, amongst
many others.
5. What's 10 albums you can't live without?
Good question, I’d never really thought about it before. In no particular order, I would say:
Forteresse—Métal
Noir Québécois
Deicide—Amon-
Feasting the Beast
Arckanum—Fran
Marder
Deathwitch—Dawn
of Armageddon
Pogrom
1147—Black Metal Complete
Absurd—Werwolfthron
Storm—Nordavind
Gorgoroth—Destroyer
Cannibal
Corpse—Butchered at Birth
Marduk—Heaven
Shall Burn... When We Are Gathered
6. Do you agree with the humanist sentiment "every human life is precious"?
Never. It would be like saying that hippies and vegans follow the best philosophy. There are too many of us on this planet, 8 billion skeletons. Many are frail, sick, falling apart. Of those 8 billion, if only a quarter would exist, it would bring balance in the world. Life and humanity don’t go together hand in hand, and some have a goal of populating the planet more and more: it’s just too much. China and India are too populated. You can guess by our motto at Death to Peace Productions, that I am a lot more interested in the Anti-human/anti-life philosophies. Annihilation of all religions and a certain way of life!!! Death to peace!!!
7. Is life returning to normal in your area after the epidemic? What is your opinion about the whole ordeal?
Governments all over the world didn’t handle this well at all. Here, all politicians acted like assholes. Mandatory mask-wearing and 3 mandatory doses of vaccine (4th one now recommended now, they are crazy), as well as 9pm to 5am curfews. Being a night bird, I was going crazy, I couldn’t sleep and couldn’t do anything. No family gatherings, or holidays. Small businesses and restaurants were closed. Jail time for those who did not comply. Domestic violence and killing cases exploded, as well as the suicide rate. To shut us up those rats gave us each 500$, as if it would bring us our lives back. We are supposed to be in a free country, yet the Canadian and Quebec government acted like they were back to the middle-ages. In French we say GOUVERNEMENSONGES…GOVERNLIARS!
8. What is your opinion on the current state of the "underground"? (If there even is such a thing anymore.)
The
underground as we know it is very rare these days because of the Internet. You
can easily find just about anything right now using Soulseek, for example,
which kills the scene and cult bands. Before the Internet, Soulseek, Napster, mIRC,
Emule and especially Youtube, we had to order directly from the label via our
local music store. I remember that we used to order from Napalm Records Austria
to get rare albums, these albums that get more valuable with time. Now, with digital
downloading, any band can produce itself with Bandcamp. Smaller labels like
Death to Peace Productions are often asked for digital copies, but it is not
our cup of tea. If bands on our label want to do it, it is their choice, as we
are not for or against it. The artists can decide for themselves, but I
personally love listening to an album in its analog format, a limited edition
good old vinyl record or cassette of some obscure band.
9. Lastly, what's next for DEATH TO PEACE PRODUCTIONS and do you have any last words for your enemies and the fucking sheep out there?
2022
is an important year for our DEATH TO PEACE PRODUCTION label: we are
celebrating our 10th anniversary in August. After ten tumultuous years, we are now
happy to offer a distribution service, plus mixing and mastering at Ombre Nordique
Studios, and professional photography at Northern Shades Photography.
Finally,
here is what I would like to say to all our enemies:
DEATH
TO PEACE PRODUCTIONS is a Canadian production/distribution Label of underground
elitist black metal, wanting the annihilation of all religions and some way of
life... Hail Satan...Praise the Goat!!!
Warweolf