Abominator
Evil Proclaimed
Heads Hellbangers
Interview by hutch with: Chris Volcano
Line-up: Chris Volcano – Drums & vocals, Andrew Gillon –
Guitars, BM Brad – Bass & Vocals
“It all started on a blood chilling day in late 1994, when I
forged a pact with Andrew (Gillon) to write beastly tunes for Satan.” A bold mission statement is precisely what
defines the Melbourne, Australia metal band, Abominator. Despite many line-ups,
the core of Chris Volcano and Gillon, recently recruiting new bassist, BM Brad,
deliver their new album
, Evil Proclaimed.
Their sound may have evolved, but the fire inside burns brighter.
“Today, it feels as though we have started the band all over
again.” Volcano discusses his spark after commenting that this album took a
long time to record. “We remember what it was that motivated us in the
beginning, but we have wiser heads on our shoulders. The band can continue in
the darkest possible direction for the next few years. The new album is massive,
but also harsh and scathing.”
Volcano is direct about the disease of current metal bands’
grand production techniques. He secures Abominator’s oath to “not falling
victim to a weak, overly digital production. It is absolute black chaos from
start to finish.” Volcano’s pride is palpable; as sin is worth total
indulgence. Abominator produced Evil
Proclaimed with Sam Johnson on the boards and Alan Douches of West West
Side mastering the album. Seeking premier professionals is “a product of the
way we chose to do things. We've had enough experience to know what does and
doesn't work. Money wasn't really a factor, as we paid for some of the
recording ourselves.”
Reading some early rviews online, I am confused by some
purists wanting a strictly defined, genre aligned album. Volcano laughs at
these rigid “wimps”. After the two
decades which Abominator has recorded, people should expect change. “It is
impossible for a band like us to go into a studio and replicate the sound from
our first album, it just doesn't work like that. The album is relentless,
heavy, raw, and chaotic. It is more or less straight black metal, but it does
have the aesthetic of that time honored tradition of the bestial sound. If you are a true black/death maniac, there is
enough variation in tempos and riffing to get your head around.”
Opening already this year for Black Metal legends, Marduk and
Inquisition, Abominator are looking to tour. For now, the Melbourne scene is
where Abominator will play their home scene. Members have other bands; Ignivomous,
Cemetary Urn, and Voidchrist, perpetually participating in the scene. Volcano
is quick to boast about Australia’s strong metal history. Volcano is quick to
list many current and historical bands. “Australia has had a rich and diverse
metal scene for years now. There are a lot of bands who are trying to be the
next big thing in tech death or the next Dark Funeral. We need more young bloods
who crave the bestial sounds of old.”
That 1994 oath Volcano procured with Gillon has been
fulfilled with creating savage war metal. There is the portion addressing who
it is created for, though. “Satan, and the portrayal of it, is very important
to us, but it is crucial to express it in the right way. It represents the
duality of our human condition, and I have some deep demons to deal with. I use
this music as a focus for that dark, primal energy. It has been fascinating for
me to learn about Satanism and various branches of occult knowledge. It is not
necessarily about the outright praise of evil, but an understanding and acceptance
that the darkness is a fundamental aspect of life on this Earth plane. Besides,
God and Satan are very subjective in terms of the forces that currently
influence this world. Somebody like myself may be closer to the truth than your
average hypocritical Christian. Look at the rich and greedy elite, how they
ravage the environment, brainwash people and send people off to their doom in
wars they have created.”
Volcano boasts that this is no image like some black metal
bands. “For me, it is a way of life, especially having experienced the
spiritual dissociation from the rest of society. That is the extent of it. I
perform Satanic art, but I haven't got time to go out and burn churches or
sodomize goats. That is not how it (actually) works anyway. Literally, there is
a divine force in the universe, as well as a force opposing it.”
While those opinions may seem brash or abstract, it pales to
Volcano’s distress over the tangible plane’s fruit of the metal scene. “I don't
think metal could get any more popular in such a fickle society, unless there
was a massive paradigm shift away from shitty mainstream culture. If that were
to happen, you can be sure that others like me will have had nothing to do with
it. None of the true fans want it to get that big anyway, it just wouldn't be
the same.”
Chris Volcano suggests other Australian metal:
Current:
ESKHATON, BEYOND MORTAL DREAMS, IMPETUOUS RITUAL, INVERLOCH,
DENOUNCEMENT PYRE, NOCTURNAL GRAVES, DESTRUKTOR, TZUN TZU, LUSTRATION, ALTARS,
PORTAL
Historical:
HOBBS ANGEL OF DEATH,
SADISTIK EXEKUTION, BESTIAL WARLUST, SLAUGHTER LORD, ARMOURED ANGEL, DESTROYER
666.
