FLESH interview 2006

Most of you must know Pete Flesh as an ex-member of MAZE OF TORMENT and about his work in the heavy/thrash outfit DECEIVER. Pete is also addicted to death metal and he released a pretty good first album in 2005, “dödsångest”; old school grim Swedish death metal attack!

-Hell-o Mr Flesh! How are you in this quite stormy summer? Ready to answer my bloody questions? Have you been in contact with other French maniacs? Let's start this putrefactive interview!
- Hailz Mr Jim. Evereything is just fine this hot vs rainy summer. I´m ready for the assault of Putrefactive Effect, please be gentle, haha! I have been and still have some contacts with some cool French people. More and more French people also seems to notice FLESH nowdays, that is of course something good.

-FLESH is your side-project of old school death/black metal which pays tribute to great bands such as DEATH, AUTOPSY, DISMEMBER, etc¦ In 2005 you released your first killer album “dödsångest” on Iron Fist Productions. Another one should be out soon and what can we expect from this new sonic assault?
- You can expect a faster and more intense album than "dödsångest", more developed song structures etc. When I did "dödsångest" it was the first time I did something like this. I had never done vocals before, so everything was just a strong vision I had in my head. For the new album, "Temple of Whores", I had more experiance and knew what I could do, I could develop my vocals more etc. In general I would say that it´s a more "proffesional" album, but not in the boring way. The album will be released 8´th September through-out Iron Fist Productions.

-How happened the deal with Iron Fist Productions? The label also released some DECEIVER stuff. How is the feedback concerning your music?
- I told Tomas that runs Iron Fist Productions about my idees for FLESH, he was interested right away even if he not had heard a tone from it. But he could not pay for the whole recording session, so I paid half of it and we both saw it like a win or loose situation. Today when we both see the feedback for FLESH we are satisfied that we took this chanse. Even if the feedback not always have been great (I have myself only seen one bad review so far)so have it from a personal point of veiw been overwhealming for me. First of all I did this totally for myself, to see my limits and to progress as a song writer, and of course to have a place where I could put out all of my personal energy. If the album only would sell 100 copies and the feedback would be crap all the way I would not care a shit, as this album would be for my own personal experiances. But I guess the label not would be to happy about it, haha! But as it turned out things have gone a little bit better. This time I´m actually curious what people will think about "Temple of Whores".
-You describe FLESH as old school death/black metal. What are the black metal influences you are referring to? I guess it's not stuff like MAYHEM or GORGOROTH.
- Actually old Mayhem is one of them. "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas" is one of my fave albums of all time. When I say that Black Metal also is an influence to me I´m not only refering to the music, it can be an atmosphere or something else. People have had react before that I also use the term Black Metal in my inflences, but just becouse you have an influence it doesen´t mean that you must sound exactly like it. I can be get influences from a book to write a lyric, but I don´t use the exact same words and the meaning out of it maybe means something totally different than the actuall book.

- “Dödsångest”was recorded, mixed and produced in four days! Well, to be honest, I know some bands that would spend a month or more in a studio for an overproduced album that finally sounds polished or flat. Don't you think it's a waste of time? How did the recording take place?
- Well, it´s up to each band how they want to work. I´m always really prepared before I enter the studio and know what I want. Their is no reason for me to sit in the studio and anylize everything when I already have done that at home. Also I want to keep the "root" feeling to the songs, I want to keep them as much alive as possible, something I think get lost when you work on something to long in the studio. If something sounds good, I go for it directly.

-I have to mention that your way to compose is pretty good. I mean you have fast and straight songs with memorable riffs/parts and then you play some more slow and morbid songs which make “dödsångest”not boring to listen to. Do you have in mind this particularity when creating new songs? Where do you take inspiration from? How do you create a new song?
- I never plan how a song will come out. I don´t think, lets do a slow or fast song. I go for the impulse feeling when an idee or riff pups up. For me music and creating it will always be about a direct feeling of different forms of energy´s and moods. Music is so much more to me than just the concept of it. I get the inspiration from who I am as a person, I never try to fake my intensions. And as I´m grown up with stuff like Autopsy and Death it´s also reflect some of the stuff in FLESH. But like I said earlier, I´m as much influenced by other stuff and music, like old Mayhem or Tormentor. But I don´t really think about this, I don´t try to steel stuff from others. I can only mention bands I listen to and enjoy, then of course some of it reflects the music I do. On "Temple of Whores" you can also hear some more varity of influences. For me it´s actually really hard trying to explain how I create a song as it differs from time to time. Sometimes it just starts from an idee in the head or just a riff that pops up when I improvise on the guitar, or the bass, or just sitting and trying out some drums. I constantly thinking music, so an idee can pop up right now when I sitting hear doing this interview, can be a small sound from the TV, or just anything. Yesterday my son Jack did a fucking morbid scream when he sat and digging the first Possessed album, I got a really strong and cool idee from that moment.

-In Metal Nightmare zine you stated that FLESH would never become a band. Do you think it could destroy the dark vibe you create? Have you ever played gigs with FLESH? Will you eventually play some?
- FLESH will never became a band as that would destroy the whole meaning of it. Every second of the music is who I am. I don´t want some others views or opinions on a part or a riff when the songs are made. Even if I took in a bass player that would play exactly the stuff I already have taken out for him so would that part be someone else type of playing, and that would take away a part of the whole picture. I can play some drums, but I´m not as good as Flingan, so that is the only part I let someone else do. Maybe someday I get as good as Flingan, and then I also will do the drumming. But Flingan plays exactly how I tell him to play, and he is like a brother to me as we really share alot of tastes in music. I could not think of another drummer for FLESH, even if there is tons of drummers that are better in others eyes. But that is not the point for me. I have never done a show with FLESH yet. Some months ago I started out to think about getting together a live line-up, but it´s really hard finding the right persons. We will see what happens in the future. If it takes 1 year or 5 years doesen´t really matter to me, when the time is right I go for it.

-When you rehearse, do you play covers that could eventually end on your next release? Which bands would you like to cover?
- I never rehearse with FLESH. And no, I never do covers. To be honest I´m really tired of all covers.

-I know that you are a huge DEATH fan and that your name comes from the song "Flesh and the power it holds" from The Sound of Perseverance album. Are you also into CONTROL DENIED which is basically the continuation of Chuck's songwriting but with a more heavy metal approach?
- I can enjoy the stuff and understand that he wanted to try out something else. But I´m not listen to it as much as Death.

-DEATH lyrics were about gore, horror & death at the beginning of the bands, then became more into social/human matters and finally were into philosophy. Can you understand that some fans denied the band after "Leprosy" considering "Spiritual healing" and the following albums being no more death metal?
- Well, if you are only into gore and horror I can understand it. But for me I saw it as a natural progression for Chuck and his visions. I have never been a close minded person when it comes to music, and this talk about true or not I only laugh about. People seems more concern to be true to others than to themselves. If Chuck thought that this was the right way and he really believed in it, then of course he also should do it regardless what other people think. If I would have thought that it turned out shit, then I would not get the new albums, but I would respect his choice anyway. It´s all about following your own paths.

-I guess you've been to some DEATH gigs. What is the most memorable for you? Did you meet Chuck?
- I´m ashamed to have to say that I never saw Death, and that is something I will regret the rest of my life. I had a ticket many years ago, but when I heard they did the tour without Chuck I never went.

-What do you think of the "Zero Tolerance" releases (on Karmageddon Media) gathering demo tracks both from CONTROL DENIED and DEATH and live stuff? I think there will be relentless releases so as to earn money on the name DEATH and Chuck Schuldiner. What's your view on this?
- I have never heard the album and will never get it either. I´m totally un-interested in a release like this. If it´s released only to earn money out of his tragic and way to early death they of course deserves a boycott.

-Please make your choice and explain:
-AUTOPSY or ABSCESS - Autopsy
-BLACK SABBATH or OZZY - Black Sabbath
-GROTESQUE or AT THE GATES - Grotesque

-What are you listening to while answering my questions? What are the recent records you enjoy most?
- I´m listening to the killer album "Demoniac Flagellations" with Anal Vomit. Yesterday I got an album with a French band called Nirnaeath that I traded with a Deceiver album, was good I think. I also enjoy the French band Lord if you know them? I got the new Toxic Holocaust album that I enjoy. Also I´m waiting on doing two trades here as soon as I get the new FLESH album. One is with Purgatory from Germany. I heard two songs from their latest album and blown away. I´m not usally a big fan of this kind of technical Death Metal as it tend to get boring after a while, but this was really good and done in an own way. Then the other is Mordichrist that will release a new album in September. This is a project done by guitaris Mol from Dark Funeral. Their debut MLP is really great, weird stuff that I like.

-Pete, that's all for today, please add whatever you want. Thanks for your words. Keep playing such great death metal, hail FLESH.
- Bloody thanx to you for this great support by doing this interview, hope you will enjoy the new album. People that want more information how to get the albums or just write for other reasons can contact me at: peteflesh@hotmail.com I also have a page at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/peteflesh Good luck with the zine and stay morbid!



Stay Morbid / Flesh
http://www.peteflesh.tk/
http://www.myspace.com/peteflesh
http://www.deceiver.tk/
http://www.myspace.com/deceiverswe