Ron Grimaldi – vocals, Rick Lopez - guitar, Anthony Corallo -
drums, Tom Clavin - bass.
The first time I heard the name Ron Grimaldi was on Kill
Your Idols’ release, Fur is For Fucks.
He showed up again on “Miserable and Satisfied”, sealing my attention to
this screaming bitter dude. When KYI disbanded, Paul Delaney and Gary Bennet
formed Deathcycle appropriately with Grimaldi screaming. Deathcycle released
two sinister full lengths and few splits. They broke up, and musically,
Grimaldi had stayed quiet. Until Now.
Enter current Sheer Terror drummer,
Anthony Corallo and Rick Lopez of The Casualties to sling six strings and Tom
Clavin on bass, the New York punk Rock/hardcore resume is stacked. Their first
release here is four tracks of chaotic destruction.
Steeped in punk and DIY ethos, these four tracks hammer out
rage and rebellion in the usual short fast loud fashion. It’s glorious. The
synergy, from Tom and Anthony playing in Concrete Cross and Disnihil together,
and everyone’s experience is a tight machine of anger. Production is on point,
raw but focused. Each instrument is discernible, with low rumbles balanced with
the galloping bass and clanging cymbals. Corallo produced this himself in the
band’s space.
Grimaldi’s honed spewing is aimed at social and political
imbalance in a suffocating society in “Mass Surveillance”. Then with the
opener, “Will It Ever End?” and the sequential “Another Day of Misery”,
Grimaldi spits vocals of depression and jaded memories. KYI fans will rejoice
in the malaise. The latter boasts a dope breakdown that will arms swinging and
feet two-stepping to a hardcore beat meant to incite.
Round out this release with artwork from Chad Lawson (Rude
Awakening, Expire, Backtrack, etc) and this EP is a must have. Influences are
there, but Sonic Poison emulates no one directly. Similarities to Kill Your
Idols are there, and will be noted. But that’s a huge bonus in my book. This EP
is crushing. It rips out of the gate and is unrelenting to your speakers, ears,
and guts. Inciting your emotions and sense of justice, this music will trigger
all of punk’s attractive qualities.
RIYL: KYI, Discharge, Conflict, ENT, Negative Approach,
Violent Arrest, Direct Control, Strung Up, Government Warning, Dead Stop, Tear
It Up.
Bitter End Illusions of Dominance
Deathwish Inc
New Noise Interview with Jacob Henderson by hutch
This is an email interview with guitarist Jacob Henderson of Bitter Mind. It was answered around the second week of May 2015, right before BNB Bowl. Solid, down to earth dude. I have been into these dudes since they started. They stick to their guns and make kick ass metal tinted hardcore. The lyrics - and the artwork - represent views on a chaotic world. I am used to more general replies responding politics. I tossed an umbrella softball question re: Middle East and this intelligent man called me out on it. If this was a phone interview, we could have elaborated. Great to see smart people wwriting relevant, informed lyrics. I got this digital promo. After a few spins, i ordered the vinyl from DW inc. Had to support this band. I suggest you do the same.\
I have been listening to you guys since Mind in Chains. I think Guilty as Charged was your best,
carrying the momentum of prior releases and years. And then… What happened?
Where have you guys been?
We have been right here! It is so awesome that you have been listening to
us since Mind in Chains. We have
consistently been playing shows, fests, touring, and writing a new LP. It has
been five years since our last release, which in hardcore, or music in general,
can be the equivalent of a lifetime. So many bands have formed in that five
year time frame. It is only natural that attention will be focused on the newer
breed of bands. In music, you have to constantly be putting out new material
and promoting in order to keep that momentum. Also, the everyday demands of
life often get in the way of our ability to tour as much as we would like. We
might not have the same hype or attention as we did when we first started. But
for over a decade, we still write music, we still play shows, and we still
doing it.
Can
I have a present line-up? How does it differ from Guilty?
Currently we have Daniel on vocals, Shane on guitar,
Sammy Pain on bass, Ethan Mania on drums, and me (Jacob) on guitar. It is
different than the line-up for Guilty as
Charged. However, this for the most part, has been the main touring line up
for the last few years.
This
album is heavy… tell me about the songwriting. Does the metal to hardcore ratio
have a formula? *like “oh shit – we haven’t done a fast part
in a few…”
Everyone in the band loves all different styles of
music. We incorporated all the different genres, bands, and styles that we
listen to in this record. Bitter End is above all else a hardcore band. There
might be some parts on the record that deviate from a traditional hardcore
sound, but I think that just makes the record sound more interesting. I think
we created a great blend of different sounds for this record. We have some fast
parts, mid-tempo upbeats, heavy parts, musical parts, mellow acoustic parts…we
have a good combination of just about everything.
Not
super technical Revocation; but you are not shying away from guitar solos…but
it feels woven into the songs – not the metal showcase of: “oh that was the
second chorus, solo insert here.”
I’m so happy that you said it feels woven into the
songs! Ethan, Nick Jett, and I took a lot of thought in the structure of these
songs. I didn’t want any of the leads or guitar solos to seem forced or
unnecessary. My intention with the guitar solos was not “hey look at me shred
like an asshole.” With every track I wanted the flow of the song to be the
focus. I think all the guitar leads that are on this record just add to the
song structure. Inserting leads are a good way to break up vocal lines and move
songs along to the next verse or chorus. After we demoed our songs, I would
record guitar leads at my house on my iPhone using garage band. I wanted to be
sure all the leads were dialed in before I went to record with Nick. I am not
much of a “guitar shredder” and I tend to favor simpler guitar leads. I wanted
the leads to sound catchy, almost as if they were a chorus. Some of my
influences were leads on Integrity – For Those
Who FearTomorrow and even Tom
Petty. Simple, memorable, effective, and catchy.
Tell me about the recording of this
record? How was working with Nick Jett? How long did it take?
Working with Nick was such a great experience. The
whole experience was really a dream come true for me. I flew out to Los Angeles
to record an album with a person who has been a huge influence on Bitter End
and to me as a fan of hardcore. We had been writing these songs for a quite
some time. Some of the riffs and ideas I had for this album started a several
years ago. Nothing is more infecting or aggravating than an idea. Finishing
this record had become an obsession for me. And like any obsession, it had
started to make me a little crazy. I would be driving on the highway thinking
about different song structures, riffs, or drum beats and would go off in a
sort of daze. The next thing I knew, I would be miles away from where I was
going. My experience of being lost on a road due to my obsession became a
metaphor of my life for the few months leading up to finally meeting with Nick.
All the songs and parts were there, but he really helped clear my head. We did
a few rehearsals before recording and he helped with the song structure and
validated parts that I had doubts about. Once we started recording everything
started clicking. There was a creative atmosphere and everyone was throwing
around some great ideas. It was very rewarding being able to finally hear the
finished products of all the songs I was obsessing over. Even though it made me
slightly crazy, I had a lot of fun writing and recording all the music. Hopefully
everyone has fun listening to it.
What
is up for 2015? Tours? Fests?
This weekend we are playing the Black and Blue Fest
in New York City which I am very excited about. We have plans for some fests in
early Fall and we are trying to make plans to tour Europe again and hopefully
(fingers crossed) Japan.
Not that you guys were singing about
sunshine and rainbows before, but the lyrics feel starker and deeper on this
album. What has been going on in your lives that created these lyrics?
Older, Colder, Crazier. I think that kind of sums up
everyone in the band. I’ll answer this question by telling you about how I feel
in my life at this moment. Keep in mind, my experiences and thoughts might be
different than someone else’s When I was in high school I remember reading an
interview with the singer of Good Riddance. He said that being a punk at 29 was
a lot different than being a punk at 19. I wasn’t really sure what he meant by
that at the time, but now that I am older I think I’m beginning to understand. With
each phase of your life you start to see the world different and you start to
see yourself different. Being in a band or even just listening to hardcore is
incredibly rewarding but it can also be painfully lonely. Everyone in the band
has normal “average joe” lives outside the band. It is very difficult to relate
and interact with people who haven’t experienced what it is like being in a
band, or never traveled to go see a show. When co-workers or just ordinary
people find out we are in a band they will call us something generic like “rock
star” and then laugh. How can you explain to them what it is like seeing the
Cro-Mags in Germany in front of 1000 people? You can’t. How can you tell them
what it’s like to drive 20 hours to play a 20 minute set? You can’t. It is a
balancing act trying to juggle the reality of growing up, with the desire of
doing what you love. I think these feelings of frustration combined with our
tendencies to over-think, over-analyze, and over-obsess contributed to the
starker feeling of the lyrics on this album.
Any thoughts on the continuous wars – Syria, Iraq III, etc…
I have a lot of thoughts. This question is difficult
to answer because you didn’t ask anything specific and these conflicts are very
complicated. I’ll try to answer the best I can though. The Arab Spring gave
hope that there would be positive changes and reforms to countries that have
been ruled by dictators. However, the end result has been violence and
conflict. There seems to be no real solutions, answers, or end to the
conflicts. Any sort of intervention by the West has had negative consequences. The
West intervened in Libya to get rid of Gadhafi and now militias are battling
for control of that country. As a result of the breakdown of authority in Libya,
smugglers are taking advantage of Eritreans, Somalis, and Syrians trying to
make their way by boat to Europe. The U.S attacks ISIL in Syria which benefits
Al-Nusra. The U.S condemns Iran for backing Assad but then attacks ISIL targets
in Syria which helps Iran. Iran and Saudi Arabia are fighting a proxy war in
Yemen. Foreign fighters joining ISIL and supplies make it to Syria through
Turkey, even though Turkey is a United States ally. Turkey is very vocal about
removing Assad. It is all just a complicated mess. With all these struggles of
power for territory and influence the civilians are the ones getting caught in
the cross fire. Hundreds of thousands have been killed or displaced in Syria
alone. This has led to the overcrowding of refugee camps in small countries
such as Lebanon and Jordan. It is also the reason why civilians are so
desperate to escape that they will risk drowning at sea in overcrowded boats
just to make it to Italy. There is going to be an entire generation that will
be uneducated because schools have closed due to conflict. It will also be a
generation suffering from emotional and mental issues due to the stress of
witnessing extreme violence.
Watching Baltimore explode the past few
days – care to comment?
Explode might be the wrong definition to use. Inequality, poverty, policing
practices, extensive prison sentences, and discrimination are all contributing
factors to what we have seen in places like South Carolina, Ferguson, and now
Baltimore. These issues have been occurring for a long time and there needs to
be a national dialogue on how correct these problems. I don’t claim to have all
the answers and I only know what I am talking about around 20% of the time, but
this practice of revenue policing, to me, is completely un-American. This
notion of increasing a cities’ revenue by issuing out tickets and warrants to
people in a low-income area only creates a cycle of poverty. This revenue
policing practice occurred in Ferguson and certainly occurs in other areas of
the country as well. It makes me sad that the United States has the largest prison population in
the world, a disproportionate number of which are black or Hispanic. I do have
some hope for the future since there are discussions about reducing prison
sentences for drug offences or even decriminalizing drug possession. However
change can move slow, and there are lots of changes that need to be made.
If
not yet – breakdown the themes of Illusions of Dominance?
“An epidemic of violence, men born into chaos,
intoxicated with illusions of dominance.”
What
do you want an audience to get from a BE show? What do you want to see?
I want them to have fun. I have been going to shows
since I was 12, and I still go to shows at 28. Shows and concerts have been
such a big part of my life and I feel blessed I am able to play music that
people enjoy. I want to see people having a good time and I want them to drive
home safe. Thanks for having us do this interview, I really enjoyed it.
When I call Dr Know he is picking up Mackie and John Joseph.
Mackie Jayson is most known as the drummer as the Cro-Mags and a part of the
crucial Age of Quarrel album. He also recorded with the Bad Brains on Quickness
and Rise; among other touring stints. He played in Fun Lovin’ Criminals, NYHC
treasure The Icemen, Hazen St, and even came into Madball when Riggs stepped
down. Doc and Mackie have been brothers for many years. John Joseph is
returning from a Cro Mags’ gig in Sao Paolo, Brazil. The Ironman contender,
outspoken vegan Krishna, NYHC retro tour guide, aka Bloodclot, will jump
directly into the singers’ slot at Black N Blue Bowl.
Dr Know is the guitarist of Bad Brains. There are never
sufficient words to describe Bad Brains quickly and their spiritual connection
with their fans. Along with his partner in bass, Darryl Jennifer, Doc will
be headlining day one of the BNB Bowl, with Mackie and John Joseph, as The
Regulators. They will be performing an hour long set of classic Bad Brains’
material. Dr. Know (Gary Miller) describes the reunion as “an old-time
special”.
“The show is at Webster Hall, which is the old Ritz. I
haven’t played there in twenty years. It will be special. We are headlining,
like the old days.” The energy will be indescribable. As much as Bad Brains
came from DC, they can still be considered a NYHC band from the beginning. And
JJ and Mackie were there to see and learn from their peers as the Cro-Mags were
growing. “They’re family. We are all brothers. We did this line-up back in the
winter, some smaller spot in the city. It was thirty minutes and it was great.”
John Joseph will bring a fervent intensity. He does Ironman
competitions. “He is more fit than ever,” Doc notes. The four will practice all
week. Black N Blue Bowl is having a one off Burn reunion to top day two. The
varied array will push all the styles that make up NYHC. Other bands appearing
are Crumbsuckers, Sick Of It All, Madball, Earth Crisis, and Candiria. Among
100 Demons, Booze and Glory, EGH, Wisdom In Chains, King Nine, Rival Mob, Rude
Awakening and even more, the vibe will be electric. Doc wants to give the
people a crazy show, as many family and friends will be there. And The
Regulators are, well as Doc says, “It’s the OG’s”.
At the end of May, Bad Brains will be recording a five song
EP in Woodstock, NY where Dr. Know lives. The recording will be with Jesse
Royal. The special aspect to this recording will be that the public can buy a
ticket to attend the memorable event at Applehead studios. A series called Woodstock
Sessions is hosting the Bad Brains recording with sixty to seventy people in
attendance. “We are going to write the album that day. Make it up, revamp it,
and record it.”
Jess Royal is a “hot new Jamaican. We met him at the
Afro-Punk fest. We had a special set with rotating vocalists; Corey (Glover of
Living Colour; John Joseph, Jesse Royal and two others.” While Doc is excited
to record new material with a young vocalist, the addition of the fans is a
unique experience. “People will get to know us as we record. It will be
straight up spontaneity. Some of the songs we are working on, we have already
in process. We need to jam them out. It all happen there. We wrote a lot of
records in the studio.” Applehead is comfortable for Doc. He reports having done
much work there. The idea came up between him and the studio.
“It’s cool. People are going to get to hang out all day.”
The event boasts fans being treated to an open space studio, stocked with a
Caribbean feast. When they leave the fans will receive a commemorative t-shirt
of the day, a limited edition poster and reservation for a 180-gm vinyl of the
recording. Doc is very excited to share this event. “The vibe will be
incredible, laid back. It’s going to be fun. We are going to play some reggae,
maybe a rock joint. We can’t get too wild, though,” Doc laughs.
If you love hardcore for the sake of hardcore, as I do, Deez
Nuts deliver an incredible album. For fans of bands like Skare Tactic,
Donnybrook, Terror, Madball, this is the jam. Admittedly, when I first heard of
these dudes, I thought the name was laughable. But for whatever it triggers in
you, as immature as it may seem, this is serious hardcore. Founder and
vocalist, Peters, JJ addresses this in “Pour Up” with a bold declaration, “never
let the man hold you down, never grow up”.
This is Peters’ fourth full length for DN; plus they’ve had
EPs. Deez Nuts is a relentless tour machine. That synergy has fused a tight
bond and energy between the band members. Many ex-members of bigger bands have
played for Peters, now he has Matt Rogers, guitar; Sean Kennedy, bass (like
Peters, an ex-IKTPQ); Alex Salinger, drums. Production was handled by Andrew
Neufeld (Comeback Kid) and Shane Frisby (Bury Your Dead, The Ghost Inside). And
while those aren’t bands that I associate with DN’s type of hardcore, they
handled the job marvelously. Deez Nuts sound better than ever. There is a good
thick crunch to Rogers’ riffs.
The Deez Nuts’ lyrics of past have been reviewed and
explored as harnessing a ‘party vibe”. I can see where that would rile up there
demographic. With the unabashed hip hop influence, older songs sound like a
hardcore version of rap; check the “Make Money, Money!” chant from “I Hustle
Everyday”. But here, the anger is more focused. The lyrics now hone in on self-reliance
and unity among outsiders. And while these are common themea in the subculture
of outcasts, it never gets old to me. Hardcore is often good at sniffing out
posers. Deez Nuts have many guests in the past claiming the real. As someone
who has the news fed through an IV and works a desk job; the constant stress of
feeling depressed and inadequate needs a rebuttal.
Photo by Dennis Tesch
This is not some breakdown band on repeat. This is fast
moving hardcore band with the beat not stuck in idle repeat, but drums moving
forward. Punkier bass lines feed an energetic “Word Is Bond”. Moments of two
step occur. But take a song like “What’s Good” and the whole track is almost a
breakdown. Kung Fu kicks will be ravaging venues. While “What I Gotta Do” is a
bullet train, with a swing.
Oddly enough from bands Deez Nuts associates with; there is
no additional bass drops or auto-tune. Deez Nuts boast no clean singing parts.
This is straight modern heavy hardcore. The energy and fire that Deez Nuts put
forth relays vicious stamina. Songs of perseverance and fighting hard should
get old fans swinging fists in the pit and new fans piling on.
RIYL: Terror, Trapped Under Ice, Rotting Out, Skarhead,
(first) Your Demise, Stray From the Path, Malfunction
LINE UP: Razor,
guitars; Charlie, Guitars; Nick, Drums; Colin, Bass; Tom, Vocals
When Tom Pimlott lists his current line-up for Violent
Reaction, he appends their resumes as they all have been in “a million bands”.
He quietly states that he also drums for The Flex (an amazing band) and all
these members additionally rotate to form Arms Race. Those are only the current
bands. As I talk to Pimlott in the New York hotel, the band sits behind him for
help and jest. The jets on the plane that transported them from the UK to the
US are still cooling as Violent Reaction crash our shores. They have a show
each day on this tour, where they will double bill with Arms Race as well.
Eleven days is the time in which Violent Reaction is given to decimate stages.
They also added DC’s Damaged City Fest last minute, because, well, idle hands,
I guess. Straight Edge protagonists, their work ethic flies a banner for the
movement.
Pimlott lists the cities of the tour, like an ad hoc grocery
list. “DC, RVA, Philly, Boston. That’s two shows; a day show at The Elks with
No Tolerance and Chain Rank, the night show is at the Boiler Room with Stand
Off and Leather Daddy. That’s gonna be sick.” I remind him of Pittsburgh on the
9th, as he tries to order his brain. “Yep. NYC tonight. Then Damaged
City tomorrow. We have played the last two years. They’re our friends. Chicago,
Detroit, Indianapolis, and…”. “Rochester,” someone offers from the background.
Short, fast, loud, and angry are adjectives to describe the
furious hardcore Violent Reaction play. Influences like Negative Reaction,
Minor Threat, SSD, Agnostic Front tied in with 4 Skins and Blitz are obvious
and appreciated. Recent bands like Set
to Explode, 86 Mentality, Wasted Time, Sectarian Violence can be counted as
peers. Marching on is the most focused
Violent Reaction has been since it began as Pimlott’s one man project. The 2012
seven inch was Pimlott only. But by, 2013, for their impressive City Streets full length, he had a full
band. Marching On marks a time with
everyone writing music and contributing. “It came together faster, painless. And it still sounds like us.”
After two releases on Boston indie label, Painkiller,
Revelation releasing this new album has to be a major step. Pimlott, however,
reacts casually when I ask about a rigorous process. “They just asked us. We
were just minding our business. We weren’t shopping around,” Tom states
plainly. However, that tepid response in no way diminishes his pride. “We have
all listened to this label since we first got into hardcore.” Tom also notes,
“we are the first non-American band to be on Revelation.”
James Atkinson, of UK hardcore icons, Voorhees, produced the
album. Atkinson knows how to get that dirty, yet crisp, hardcore fidelity as
buzzsaw guitars parallel roiling drums. “It was relaxed.” Pimlott elaborates,
“(Atkinson) was cracking jokes. He is our usual guy. He did our last album.”
Like the songs they write, the process of recording was short and fast. “We did
most of it in one day. He just presses record. Other producers, they stick
their nose in. He knows what he is doing. He lets us do our thing.”
The album expresses that urgency. It sounds as if it was
recorded live. The functionality of a band that plays so vigorously together,
in multiple bands, comes across with a distinguished ferocity. Pimlott concurs,
“We like the way we sound live. So we did it live.” The background corrects
slightly again. “Oh right, we did one guitar track and the bass and drums live.
Then we added leads and then vocals.” Despite the concrete line-up now, Violent
Reaction lost their bassist right before recording. “Charlie was a champ. He
did the bass and the leads. It was a busy day,” Pimlott laughs as he describes
what will be a classic hardcore album decades from now being completed in a day
and a half.
The venomous, disdainful lyrics espousing rebellion are of
the “usual punk rock lyrics,” Pimlott dismisses. He states in their live sets that
they do Boston and UK and DC hardcore band covers; as I had noted their style
is akin. “DC is our second home. So is Boston. We have just as many friends in
those cities. Actually, Philly is like that for us too. Los Angeles has many
friends for us. Oh, and all of Texas.” These additions of secondary and
tertiary homes relay that Violent Reaction are playing true hardcore with
sincerity and humility. The honest and vicious execution of punk rock
cultivates their friendships, fans and any scene they play.
Monolord came out of nowhere to drop Empress Rising less than a year ago. Most metalheads quickly placed
it in a top slot of their year’s end lists for 2014. Initially formed as a side
project in 2013, out of the ashes of Swedish bands Marulk and Rotten Sound,
guitarist and vocalist, Thomas Jäger, drummer, Esben Willems, and bassist, Mika
Häkki, Monolord shot of Sweden to decimate ear drums. Together, the trio cranks
out fuzz soaked, slow doom metal riffs. Heavy as hell and plodding, the
nefarious, churning atmosphere staggers through speakers onto audiences trapped
in awe.
This April, Monolord is releasing Vaenir, an album of completely new material. Willems explains, “We
always work on new stuff. We started pre-productions directly after the masters
to Empress Rising were delivered. Itchy
fingers, you know. It wasn't an elaborate PR plan, we just love making new
music.” They garnered enough focus to have the final track of the six track
album stand at seventeen minutes.
Even still, this relays the fervent energy and dedication
these men have to Monolord. “We're pretty efficient when we record,” continues
Willems. “Our studio is my portable equipment that is more or less permanently
set up in our rehearsal space. We produced it. I engineered, mixed and mastered
it. In a band, it comes in handy to be a professional sound tech.
The conversation of an objective outsider was bandied
between members. “That's both a discussion of budget and finding that perfect
person that's brilliant at hers or his job and, on top of that, understands and
likes the band's ambitions. And we're skeptical old fucks”
That internal formula has worked exceptionally. The bass
line is accented and utilized to propel sinister doom riffs. Vaenir is a more focused album, with
cleaner production; without losing a sense of the heavy. “We see Vænir as a natural development of our
sound. The foundation is the same, but we keep on evolving our songwriting. At
least that's our ambition.”
The pressure is not felt in the band, but many fans have to
wonder if Vaenir is a project of
opportunity or momentum. The pressure to duplicate was not internalized; but it
was recognized. “We were really surprised by the response to Empress Rising, to be honest. It's
always a bit nervous to release new material, and twice as much when it's with
a new band. To get the response we got was insane. The good kind of insane. We're
still a bit high from that feeling. Regarding the stress of recording new
material, it was both stressful and not at all. We record and produce
everything ourselves. The songwriting and recording environment are second homes.
With worse coffee, that is. But it's a comfortable place to work on new stuff.
Actually, it's an escape from the reality outside.”
Willems’ calm personality and humble honesty welcome
questions with a direct embrace. Stress is not conveyed in his inflections. Willems
conveys the simplistic approach to a highly lauded album. The doom genre has
seen much genre-splicing, but Monolord harnesses a direct lineage to tradidtion.
“Our goal has always been to write and record music that we feel is the
heaviest and grittiest rumble that we are able to produce. Depending on the
listener, I guess there are people who like it because of their perception of authenticity,
but that's not been our guideline.”
Monolord are exposing audiences to this new material, along
with “oldies”, across Europe. Willems lists, “We just came back from a European
tour almost three weeks long. The next upcoming show is opening for Candlemass
in a town nearby, Uddevalla. After that, it's Roadburn Festival and Berlin. And
some festival dates during the summer that we'll announce soon.”
As members were surprised by the interest in their once side
project’s music, Willems insists that the main focus for all three is Monolord.
He quickly appends his statement, “But there are always other side projects
going on, which I think is really good for the drive and the inspiration.” That
inspiration is motivated by the usual dark doom themes. “Our permanent theme is
more or less misanthropy. The disgust for what humans do to each other is an
endless source of inspiration.” Provided much fodder from a few minutes of
world news, coupled with Monolord’s restlessness, maybe in another eight
months, audiences will have album number three. “We're usually eager to make
new stuff. As soon as we've caught our breath from our recent tour, we will
start jamming out some new fuzz, that's for sure.”
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.”
