INTERVIEW ACCUSER

Accuser from Siegen, Germany (more about the origin later at the end of the interview) recently released another very strong album, once again on Metal Blade, which will make any old or new follower of the band happy again. A good reason to talk to guitarist and singer Frank Thoms. 

Hello Frank, how are you? Have you been spared from Corona ? How has the pandemic affected the band's situation regarding the release of the new album? Are you also afraid that such a release will be lost because you can't promote it live, or do you think that people will concentrate more on good music to listen to at home, because there's not much you can do at the moment anyway?

Hi Gerald, thanks for asking, we are doing well. We and our relatives have been spared so far. The pandemic had no impact in terms of the release, as we were in the studio until the end of February 2020 and it was clear from the start that the album would come out in November. It was a few days after we were in the studio that Corona started. It was a tight thing. No band can promote anything live at the moment. That's why I think that listening habits are changing again and that people are more likely to listen to a complete album at home again instead of individual mp3 files. With a few responses to our new album, I could notice that the listeners were intensively engaged with the material. 

INTERVIEW SLAUGHTERDAY

Slaughterday, the creative duo from Leer in Lower Saxony, Germany, have been delivering high quality old school death metal since 2013. These days their third album called "Ancient Death Triumph" is released, a welcome occasion for a talk with vocalist and drummer Bernd.

Hey, first of all I hope you’re doing well during these unordinary times. Did you have to cancel some of the gigs and / or are some of them postponed to a later date ? Could you play some gigs since the outbreak of corona (or should I better say „outbreak of evil“ ).

Hey Gerald, we are doing well, although the corona situation is really fatiguing these times. Unfortunately, we had to cancel some shows at the end of the year and some festivals got postponed. It feels weird to release an album, knowing that you will not be able to promote it by playing live shows. The postponement of some festivals also put us on hold for the year after next. Until then we will not be the centre of attention anymore so maybe we have to wait for another album release again. Luckily we are not affected jobwise.  

INTERVIEW SOULBURN

Soulburn from the Netherlands released their fourth album called "Noa's D'ark" these days, which should definitely be heard by fans who like Asphyx, Celtic Frost, Pentacle and listeners who like Death / Doom and prefer high quality dark music in general. Apart from that, Soulburn have of course long been a brand in their own right and need no comparison with other bands. Furthermore, l would like to point out that the lyrical concept of the new album perfectly reflects the state of our times, which are characterised by climate catastrophes, pandemics and environmental destruction. But more about this in the interview. Guitarist Eric Daniels answered my questions. 

Hey, how are you doing? How are the reactions concerning the new album?

Hey there, we are doing very well, thank you. The reactions on our new album "Noa’s D’ark" are very overwhelming. People like the new album as much as we do, we see a lot of reponse and it makes us proud and happy to see our fans like our new album very much.  

INTERVIEW DETEST

Detest from Denmark are one of the longest running still active death metal acts in this country. Back in 1994 Detest released their debut album "Dorval" a hidden underground jewel that contains a brilliant mix of death and doom metal. The band disbanded in 1996 and reunited in 2013 and released a new EP called "A moment of love" in 2019. I spoke with guitarist John, the only remaining founding member.

Hello, how are you? When will you be able to play live again, what is the situation regarding Covid-19 in Denmark in general and in your area in particular?  

I am fine and everything is as it should be, we have played two concerts (but it is for an audience that has to sit down). It's a very strange thing, people have to wear masks on their faces when they walk around.

Please introduce the current band members. I think you (John) are the last remaining founding member, aren't you? If you look at the metal archives, there were a lot of line-up changes, what were the
reasons for that ?

Yes, I am the only one left, Simon S. (bass / vocals) Danni H. (drums) and Andreas W. (guitar). All kinds of strange reasons, but as long as Detest is alive, it's fine with me. But it's obviously a bit shitty that a newcomer has to learn it over and over again.  

REVIEW SLAUGHTERDAY "ANCIENT DEATH TRIUMPH"

Slaughterday from Lower Saxony, Germany, will soon release their third album called "Ancient Death Triumph" on FDA Records. And, as you might expect, it's again a very good album, which perfectly sums up the band's previous trademarks and strengths, i.e. dirty, rancid death metal, but which never goes off into the dull.

INTERVIEW ANCIENT GATE

Here's an interview with Ancient Gate from Argentina, a very interesting band that is deeply rooted in 90ies black metal. Their music contains the perfect mix between rawness, melody, and some subtle symphonic elements. Besides the fact that band leader Ildrac strongly recommends not to visit his country, he has a lot interesting things to tell...

How are you ? What about the situation concerning Covid-19 in Argentina actually ?

Greetings! Here’s Ildrac, from Ancient Gate, listening to some Diamanda Galás while answering your questions. First of all, thanks to your zine for this oportunity and to everyone reading this interview. Regarding this Covid matter, here in Argentina we are still under quarantine. It has extended from March up until now (November). The situation sucks of course. I have even been diagnosed with covid in September (I’m ok now) so you can say that I am more than fed up with this whole situation. I don’t really know how other countries in the world are dealing with this virus, but here it is tearing the economy apart. A lot of people lost their jobs because of the restrictions imposed by the government. And (from a musician’s point of view) it has affected a lot of bands, not being able to rehearse and release stuff. So a cure can’t come soon enough.

INTERVIEW CHRISTIAN KRIEGER (CHAPEL OF DISEASE)

This time I spoke with Christian from Chapel of Disease about the metal scene in Cologne and surroundings, past and present. Being the same age, I remember some things in almost the same way as Christian. By the way, because of his answers I think I found the perfect name for an old school death metal band: Massive Rat Infestation, haha. 

Hey, please tell us who you are: age, your musical socialization, your local origin, and your previous bands and all other relevant stuff you want to share.

Hey Gerald, yes, like you said, I've been playing bass for Chapel Of Disease for over ten years now and so far there's no end in sight. Before that I was active for many years with Grabnebelfürsten, who were able to make a name for themselves nationwide, which the band name was probably not completely innocent of, haha (Indeed, I remember people who weren't into metal in general talking about the band  just because of that spectacular band name). My first "real" band after various school projects was a punk band in the nineties, with which I had enough for at least two or three gigs in local youth centres. In the meantime I am 42 years old and have been musically active for more than 25 years.

I grew up in a small village of 100 souls near Gummersbach, about 40 kilometres east of Cologne. My musical socialization was probably the classic school of metal, starting in 1990 with AC/DC and then quickly moving on via speed and thrash to death and black metal, although I would still call the latter two my musical home. Even though I now have an extremely wide range of musical tastes, even outside of metal, it always feels a bit like coming home with every new good DM/BM record. With mum it still tastes best, haha! 

REVIEW BOVARY "MES RACINES DANS LE DESERT"

Maybe France is not the first country which comes to mind while speaking about Black Metal, nevertheless well known and / or outstanding bands such as Mütiilation, Antaeus, Osculum Infame or Gorgon, Vlad Tepes (and other "Les Légions Noires"-bands) are or were based there. By the way, there is an very interesting documentation called "Bleu Blanc Satan" about French black metal  including deeper insights in the minds of some of the protagonists.

Bovary from France are often labelled as Depressive Black Metal or "DSBM" ("Depressive suicidal black metal"). Let me go back a bit further, to be honest I never was very attracted by the subgenre called Depressive Black metal or bands labelling themselves using the acronym "DSBM". Yes, I like some records by Shining and sometimes I listen to Wigrid (which surprisingly came back from the dead and released a third full length last year), but in general I was relatively bored by the always same mixture of slowly or mid-tempo orientated  black metal combined with pictures and covers of knives cutting into own flesh or people who hung themselves etc. Often "DSBM" was used to cover up the lack of musical abilities and ideas of the bands concerned. 

INTERVIEW PURGATORY

Purgatory from Saxony, Germany deliver high class death metal since the distant year 1993. Their latest output "Omega Void Tribvnal" is a mighty record who combines brutal death metal with atmosphere, call it a masterpiece. Reason enough to talk with guitarist René.

Hey, first of all, how are you doing in general and in particaluar during Covid-19 times ? I have seen that the next live appearances and festival gigs you wanted to do were cancelled or postponed due to Corona, unfortunately meanwhile normal condition concerning live appearances. When do you hope to play live again ? How did it happen to realize (the now postponed) gig in Turkey ? 

Hey, thanks for asking! Overall, I'm fine. Of course, the whole current Covid-19 situation is extremely annoying, but this just can't be changed. Still, I miss all the shows and festivals a lot. I have no idea when it will return to normal for this. The planned show in Istanbul was organized by Mezar Organization & Bookings and will hopefully take place in 2021.

Purgatory now exist since 27 years. First of all it is noticeable, that Purgatory had not very much line-up changes aside the bass position. What do you think are the reasons for this ? A clear distribution of roles or / and a good comradeship within the band ? Did you remeber some low points, where maybe motivation was gone for continuing with the band ?

Yes, this band has been around for a damn long time and there have been ups and downs that have made it difficult to motivate yourself over and over again. I can't really tell you why we have kept up with the times with relatively few line-up changes, but good comradeship and especially the fire for the music certainly plays a big role! Somehow we obviously managed to do it again and again, because we're still there! And as long as the fire and the will to create extreme music burns within us, we will go on doing what we love. 

REVIEW CELESTIAL SANCTUARY "MASS EXTINCTION"

So, here we go with another release from Brutal Cave Productions, this time a 2-track demo by Celestial Sanctuary (named after a Bolt Thrower-song from "The IVth Crusade) from Cambridge, England.

REVIEW ATAUDES "MERECEMOS LA EXTINCTION"

First of all, let me say that I'm very glad that I was asked by Brutal Cave Productions, a real cool  underground label / distro from Portugal, for doing a review for this album. I've never heard before from Ataudes, a death metal band from Buenos Aires, Argentina before, but if this never had happened I would have missed this hell of a record.

INTERVIEW ENTHRONED

Enthroned are one of the big continuities in the world wide black metal scene. Since 1993 this belgian horde delivers great pieces of more or less agressive and traditional black metal. Their newest output "Cold black suns", also the debut for their new label Season of Mist, shows dome deviations from this path, which means that Enthroned added some new elements to their sound and yet, or perhaps exactly for this reason, it's still 100% black metal. Reason enough to talk with Nornagest, longest running band member, part of Enthroned almost since the beginning.

Hey, first of all, how are you ? Did you remained spared from COVID-19 ? How ist the situation in Belgium concerning this virus and how does it affect the band’s situation in general and concerning cancelled and/ or postponed gigs ?

The Plague did not only sneaked into the health of thousands but also and mostly within the music scene and public events, so everyone within the scene is basically affected in one way or another. We did loose a huge amount of opportunities, shows and even rehearsing as a whole is basically impossible as Menthor lives on the other side of the North Sea, as you know, some trips are simply not allowed. We are mostly doing what is possible regarding the situation… On my side, I took this as an opportunity to write the whole of the lyrics of the next Enthroned release and we are working each one on our sides on the musical support. Now, on a personal note, everyone in the band is healthy and none of us has been affected by the virus in that manner. In Belgium, some areas are considered “code red” like the town and province of Antwerp, but the rest of the country is safe in a manner of speaking. We hope the situation will slowly come back to normal as soon as possible, I cannot wait to go back on the road to be honest. 

REVIEW DEATHMACE "COFFIN' MAGGOTS"

Almost exactly two years ago I reviewed Deathmace's debut album named "Bleeding Frenzy" (look here for the review) which convinced me very much with its powerful mixture between death and thrash metal.

REVIEW HYEMS "ANATOMIE DES SCHEITERNS"

German black metal outfit Hyems released their new album called "Anatomie des Scheiterns" (which means "anatomy of failure") on May 1st via MDD Records. I really was looking forward to the new record, because the predecessor "Devianz-dem Menschen ein Wolf" (which means "deviance-man is a wolf to man" aka homo homini lupus-you see, these German guys prefer using their native language for their lyrics, but more on that later), released in 2015, is a really great record which received too little attention. The band exists since 2000 and released after some demos three full-lengths and two EPs in all, including the new record.  

INTERVIEW CENTRATE

Some weeks ago I found more or less by chance this band called Centrate in the depths of the world wide web. Their logo reminded me of Slayer, so the musical direction wasn't difficult to guess. 

Hey, first of all please introduce the band to the readers of Systematic Desensitization Zine. Who are you, when did you found the band and so on…

Hey, we are an underground Thrash Metal band from Dillenburg (Hessen), Germany and we founded the band in 2010.

We are: Niki – Vocals, Marcel – Bass, Tobi – Guitar, Jonas - Guitar and me, Manu –Drums. Jonas left the band a few weeks ago, but he will join us for the next few live shows.  

INTERVIEW YOTH IRIA

The release of YOTH IRIA's first release (review here) was the perfect reason to talk to one of the legends of the world wide metal scene, namely Jim Mutilator, mostly known for his work with the mighty Rotting Christ and Varathron. By the way, allow me to note that I remember reading my first Rotting Christ-interview in Italian extreme metal Magazine Grind Zone (which published a German edition for a short period) back in 1995. So, 25 years later I myself conduct an interview with Jim, so circles are closing once more.   

First of all I hope you are doing well in this unordinary times. How‘s the situation in Greece concerning the corona-virus ? How does it affect peoples daily life ? What about today's economical situation after the beginning of the financial crisis in 2010 ? Is there a lot of fear, that Corona will throw the Greek economy back to earlier state again ?

At the moment I'm back at my village sided in the Pindos mountains and I keep myself as isolated as I really can. At least the situation in Greece is quite under control compared to other European countries. Very few people have died and all of them were aged over 70, but of course all the people have the right to live the longest. Of course the daily life has been totally different as there are limits on all activities and you can go out only for specific reasons like buying foods, medicines, gas....
The economical situation is still bad and I think after this unexpected pandemic the economy will go even worse. 

REVIEW HOR "EXITIUM"

After the great return of some legendary Greek black metal musicians with YOTH IRIA, this review is about another Greek black metal band called HOR. To be honest, I haven't heard the name of this band before Vangelis, the label manager from Sanit Mils Records contacted me and introduced this band to me. If this hadn't happened, this really astonishing band would have passed me and maybe I would never have taken notice of their masterpiece called "Exitium". HOR was founded in 2017 by two musicians which use the pseudonyms Ophion and Throne and "Exitium" is their first official release.