INTERVIEW TOMBTHROAT

"This omnipresent arrogance is the reason for all the shit that happens in this world."

Here is an old interview with the death metal band Tombthroat from Ludwigshafen am Rhein in Rhineland-Palatinate. The band was founded in 1996, it took them four albums, two EPs and the obligatory demo at the beginning and disbanded after almost two decades in 2015. Back then I organized a concert with the band in my hometown of Brühl (Rhineland), shortly after which this interview took place in the summer of 2007. Band founder Björn, who I'm sure some people know from his band Maladie (look for an interview in German here) and who recorded a really great, recommendable death / grind album with (ex-) members of Misery Index and Dying Fetus under the name God Enslavement in 2016, talked about the then newly released album "Blood red history", live gigs, the tour with Vital Remains and also about somewhat different topics such as his beard. In 2012, the band released what I consider to be thier best work, the truly exceptional album "Eden apoacalypse". Now reading the interview,  it's also interesting how time flies, 17 years later, many of the bands mentioned, such as Necrophagist, Veneral Disease and Lifthrasil have since passed away.  But read for yourself what Björn had to say back then...

INTERVIEW BJÖRN KÖPPLER (MALADIE / GOD ENSLAVEMENT / TOMBTHROAT)

„Maladie ist sozusagen die Essenz dessen, was ich immer machen wollte.“

Vor etlichen Jahren veranstaltete ich ein Konzert mit Tombthroat und lernte dabei deren Gitarrist Björn Köppler kennen, der heutzutage seine Kreativität mit der von ihm 2009 gegründeten Band Maladie auslebt. Dieses momentan aus sechs Musikern bestehende Extrem-Metal-Kollektiv ist doch um einiges komplexer und vielschichtiger als der Großteil der nationalen als auch internationalen Death/Black-Metal Bands. Ich sprach mit Björn über Maladie, seine ehemaligen Bands Tombthroat und God Enslavement, über seine Heimatstadt Ludwigshafen sowie über den kathartischen Effekt des Texteschreibens.   

Hallo Björn, wie geht es Dir, gerade auch hinsichtlich der Einschränkungen durch die Corona-Pandemie?

Servus Gerald. Mir geht es eigentlich ganz gut. Zumindest abgesehen von Corona, denn das betrifft natürlich auch mich. Ich betreibe ja eine Videothek und die ist nun seit über einem halben Jahr im Lockdown. Das zehrt natürlich an den Nerven, aber da ja die Impfungen so langsam Fahrt aufnehmen (ich bin diese Woche auch dran), hoffe ich natürlich, dass sich die Lage bald etwas beruhigen wird und ich den Laden endlich wieder öffnen kann.  

INTERVIEW JASON NETHERTON / "SEND BACK MY STAMPS"-FANZINE ARCHIVE / MISERY INDEX

Hey Jason, first of all, how are you doing ? Some months ago I found your fanzine archive (look here), which is really great ! So I think you are a very busy man, playing with Misery Index and running this fanzine archive, furthermore you published this book about death metal history called „Extremity retained-notes from the death metal underground“-so are you somekind of workaholic ?

Haha, no its just a labor of love; I’ve been dedicated to metal since I was a kid, and extreme metal since I was a teenager, so although it takes up most of my spare time, its never a burden. In fact all of my projects (band related and fanzine archive) are kind of like part-time projects now. Aside from real work, I do what I can when I can. Lately the fanzine archive has slowed down a bit, but I have not forgotten it. Once things settle down I will get back into it more actively. Right now I try to add one zine a month, and I already have a few hundred in there, so its growing slow and steady (but probably not as fast as some people would like, I know).