INTERVIEW VOMIT SPELL

The name Vomit Spell had been known to me for some time. In fact, I had listened to the demo some time ago, but then lost track of the band again. A mistake, as it now turns out, as the debut album released on FDA Records a few months ago offers great stuff for all fans of dark sounds who know what to do with a dark and intense mixture of death metal and grindcore (read the review of the album HERE) !

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Hey, first tell us something about the band. When was Vomit Spell founded? Did you all know each other before or did you at least partly get to know each other through the band? In which other bands did you play before?

Hi, Markus (guitar) and Jochen (drums) met in 2015 through an ad and first met in a friend's rehearsal room to see if it would fit. The first song was then written and rehearsed in Jochen's gazebo (!!!). Then we rented a room and recruited Philipp (vocals) and Sepp (bass), both buddies. Marco, our second guitarist, joined us shortly before the demo was written. Sepp has left us in the meantime and since then we have been desperately looking for a replacement on bass. Markus used to play in the grindcore band Nyctophobic and since a few years in the crust/metal band Hellknife. Jochen was active in Hafrm, a local hardcore band from Mainz, and the death metal band I am Havoc.

The first demo, which was subsequently released on CD by FDA Records, was even more grind-heavy. The development of the debut album towards death metal, did that just happen or was that a conscious process? And what I really like is that there are even a few discreet black metal touches on the album in the form of some "cold" guitar leads...Lyrics by Aleister Crowley also fit in with that. How important is authenticity and an aesthetically fitting unity of music, artwork, lyrics - "image", if you want to call it that - to you, or to other bands, especially in the death metal context?

The development you mentioned was, I think, not necessarily a conscious decision. But we don't want to completely leave grindcore. Maybe the next release will be more primitive and grindy again. Since we've had Marco on board for a while now and he's been heavily involved in the songwriting, other nuances are now flowing in, of course. It's a dynamic process with us, nothing is carved in stone. You will certainly hear a further development in the next recordings. This time, however, it could go in the direction of the stone age (harhar), because the songs are becoming noticeably blunter again. I would already describe us as quite authentic. We don't follow a certain formula and we certainly don't follow any trends.

Who actually drew your logo? The cover reflects the atmosphere of the music very well.

The logo was drawn by the Brazilian comic artist Lobo Ramirez. We sent him recordings of our demo in advance and asked him to be inspired by them. Since we appreciate his style very much, we didn't give him any further instructions. We are still very happy with the result.

The album cover was created by Necrofrost. Here, too, there were vague guidelines, but otherwise the artist was allowed to let off steam as he pleased.

Do you have any concrete plans for the future? What about gigs so far?

Later this year, our debut album will be released on vinyl by Life After Death Records, who already released the tape after the CD was released by FDA. We are also working on new material that will be released at some point. Of course we stay true to our style, so surprises of the unpleasant kind are to be expected.

Unfortunately, for well-known reasons, there have hardly been any opportunities to perform lately. We were able to play exactly one show last year in Weimar together with Minenfeld, Prehistoric Warcult and Disemboweled. Further concerts were planned, but unfortunately they were cancelled. Until the situation changes fundamentally, we refrain from further planning. The disappointment is simply too great when announced events cannot take place.

In general, I have the impression that especially in the last few years the releases, especially in the area of dark, "rancid" death metal, are becoming more and more. Looking at the death metal scene in the past, to simplify the whole thing, there were the USA with Morbid Angel, Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, Obituary, Brutality etc., in England Bolt Thrower and Benediction, in Finland Amorphis, Demilich and Necropsy and in Sweden Grave, Dismember, Nihilist/ Unleashed, Entombed, At the Gates, in Germany Atrocity, Morgoth, Soul Demise, Fleshcrawl and Obscenity, in Austria Miasma, Disharmonic Orchestra and Pungent Stench. Then the bands became more and more. Especially in this country, a lot happened, also with the help of FDA Records-In think to names such as Lifeless, Chapel of Disease, Obscure Infinity, Arroganz, Revel in Flesh and Deserted Fear. In the meantime, however, I almost have the impression that if you "pause" for a few months and don't follow exactly what's happening, you miss countless releases and some of these bands then become quite well-known relatively quickly, of course in underground relations. I've only noticed the Maggot Stomp label in passing. How do you see it? How much do you follow death metal and the numerous sub-scenes?

Basically, of course, you keep yourself busy with the whole matter of death metal, grindcore, black metal, hardcore etc., but in the end, many new discoveries come from forum posts or you get something leaked to you. Sure, you miss one or the other band, but no one has a comprehensive overview, even if one were to limit oneself to physical releases. A lot of things are just over-hyped, but all in all I would say that I have enough of an overview of what's coming out. A lot of things you don't pay attention to, but if the band is good, you'll hear about it sooner or later, even if it's only with the second album. The right promotion of the respective labels certainly plays a role, but I'm not someone who searches through everything on Reddit or similar sites. I'm generally rather cautious about "hype" bands or labels, because often the whole fuss about a band or a release is incomprehensible, at least for me.

Do you have any insider tips, especially from the Mainz area or from Rhineland-Palatinate in general?

The scene, if there is one at all here, is very manageable. Unfortunately, this is also reflected in the increasingly rare shows with local bands of the more extreme variety. Some of the better known bands from the area are Nocte Obducta, Wound and The Fog.

How do you assess the impact of the corona pandemic on the metal scene? Of course, the whole event industry suffers from it, but I mean the question more in the sense that many people might have "gotten out of the habit" of going to concerts and won't feel like doing so after the pandemic hopefully ends soon. Or to put it simply, maybe a lot of Youtube concert watchers are being formed here?

Both promoters and bands, and not least the audience, suffer from the cancellation of concerts. Streaming and online broadcast gigs without an audience don't interest us as a band and are no substitute for the real experience. People are certainly keen to go to concerts as soon as the situation allows it again. Those who didn't feel like it before will also prefer to stay at home in the future rather than hanging out with other people at a concert.

The last words belong to you!

We would like to thank everyone who has supported us over the years. Promoters, bands we were allowed to perform with, labels, magazines and of course everyone who listens to our noise and spends their pocket money on merch. A very special thank you goes out to Nino, Jacob, Minenfeld and Prehistoric Warcult!