DEATH HEAVEN interview 2009

I remember getting a 3-promo-track of DEATH HEAVEN some time ago, I also read about them but didn't feel much curious. Later on, BRN got in touch and ask if I would get a full promo copy of their “Viral Apocalypse”, I agreed coz after all that wasn't a bedroom black metal band, and when I received the full release, I was blown away by the whole musical work, technical level and the general vibe of their death metal. I could only recommend to listen to them if you're into technical or progressive extreme metal, these guys are really skillful and creative. So I sent them an interview and tried to ask them things different from the intie I read in Vampyr Zine (Hi Darko!) to avoid boredom and repetitive questions.

1- Hey BRN what's up man? Thanks to allow me some time to feature DEATH HEAVEN in those pages. I would like you to introduce DEATH HEAVEN to our readers, just give us the important points in the band's biography and then tell us more about your actuality, you're working on new tracks, right?
Hi Jim, it's pleasure for us to be carried on the pages of Putrefactive Effect! Here everything is fine, I'm on holidays right now, so I've got a lot of time to play and listen to music.
Well, DEATH HEAVEN moved its first steps during October of 2002, when me and Andrea (guitar) founded a speed/thrash band called KAOS, with another singer and drummer. Within a few months the line-up became the same of the actual one with the arrivals of Matteo (guitar) and Baital (drums), while Andrea took place behind the microphone too. Then our sound developed into something faster and more aggressive. Since many aspects were changed from the very beginning, we preferred to change the moniker too. It was in spring 2003 when DEATH HEAVEN was officially created.
After the recording of a couple of rehearsals never unleashed in the underground circuits, followed the first official demo titled “Techno Decomposition World” (recorded in 2004 and released in 2005 on CDr format), produced by the singer/guitarist Andrea. But the musical style of DEATH HEAVEN is always changing and developing. New songs more and more technical, complex and brutal were recorded during 2004-2006 and, one year later, it was time for the second strike, the debut album “Viral Apocalypse”.
It's correct, we're always working on new songs. 5-6 are already composed by now and a considerable bunch of riffs and ideas are waiting to be put togheter to create a new skeleton. Listening to them, you can hear influences from HATE ETERNAL, ORIGIN, DECAPITATED, GORGUTS, ULCERATE, INTERNECINE, IMMOLATION and others. This means they're faster, more complex and straightforward than the previous ones. There're slightly less solos and the melody is used in a different, more insane and gloomy way; also, you can find dissonances and syncopations, strange acoustic parts with a jazz aura and so on. We prefer this new way to write music, it's more personal.

2- DEATH HEAVEN is a death metal band, at least we can say so basicly because you're a bit apart from the old school stream and at the same time you're not a vulgar brutal death metal band. The diversity of your influences is so wide, it's hard to describe perfectly the band. But as the professional I am, I would say DEATH HEAVEN as a mix of MALEVOLENT CREATION (for the thrashy edge), DEATH (the latest albums), OPETH, NILE and NEURAXIS (for the modern approach) for example. I think it's a good description, isn't it? At least it can give some clues about what you're able musically speaking. How would you describe your band to someone who isn't familiar with it?
Wow, I like this definition by exclusion, hahaha. Well, maybe there's something old-school in our music, but surely we aren't swashing in that stream, thought I really like that kind of brutality. On the other hand, there are too many elements outside the classic brutal death trend, expecially acoustic parts and, as you said, the thrashy riffing.
Mmm, I respect OPETH very much and it's interesting you compared DEATH HEAVEN to them, but maybe we're not so close. But if you named them for the mixing of acoustic guitars and death metal, it could be ok. Influencies from Nile are detectable, nevertheless we haven't used 7 string guitars on this record (we'll do on some of the new tracks indeed).
Instead to involve NEURAXIS, that shows a modern approch but follows a different path, I prefer to describe our stile as (mainly US) death metal mixed with technical and brutal elements, then add the cerebral and modern approach of MESHUGGAH, some melodies and sometimes the progressive touch of VOIVOD.

3- I'm quite surprised by the lack of interest toward the band, coz' you recorded a good album "Viral Apocalypse" on Punishment 18 Records but I don't read that much about reviews on the net. Are you satisfied by the label promotional work? Do you have good feedback about the album? Where can people get "Viral apocalypse"?
In fact there aren't so much reviews on the net. There are many more reviews of our demo than the album, instead we spread the demo copies by ourselves. I don't know how many promos Punishment 18 did send for review, but they should be quite a lot. We knew they wouldn't send promos to little underground 'zines and so on, but honestly saying I would have expected more reviews on webzines. Anyway, Punishment 18 helped us scheduling some great live dates, trading our album with many many other labels and distros. One can buy our CD asking directly to us or to the label, but also from various mailorders: Filthy Records (www.filthy-records.com) and Club Inferno Music Store / My Kingdom Music (club-inferno@mykingdommusic.net) have the lower prices among others.
Also, a compilation CD with songs of the first albums released by Punishment 18 (included 3 tracks taken from "Viral Apocalypse") was pressed in 3000 copies (if I'm not wrong) and distributed for free, expecially at live shows.
We got pretty good reviews of "Viral Apocalypse", the album seems to be appreciated both by young brutal death fans and old-schoold ones.

4-You sent me a promo CDR of "Viral Apocalypse" months ago (and that didn't prevent me to buy it afterward), did you send a lot of promo stuff around you? Did it happen you get contacted by guys pretending running a zine or a distro, asking for promo, and then you didn't hear about them anymore?
Thanks for buying the CD!
Yeah, I know what you mean. I sent by myself some promos to some underground fanzines, because I trust in this way to support music. It was a sort of challenge for us, since those editors usually prefer traditional and orthodox death, black and thrash metal, nevertheless most of them liked our stuff indeed.
When we was promoting the demo, we were contacted by many persons from webzines and mysterious underground labels, asking for promo packages for review and trades. Also, some of them offered us to be part of a compilation, of course by paying lots of money. As far as I remember, 10-20 -maybe more- webzines never issued the review and a German distro owes us 10 CDrs or something. Well, do you want to hear the funniest story? I received a letter from a Polish guy who asked me a copy of our CD, but he couldn't pay because he was in jail for 9 years!!! Also, in his prison everyone was listening to hip-hop, techno dance and shit like that, so he was so fucking fed up, hahahahaha!

5-One of the major force of DEATH HEAVEN is the use of many acoustic/clean sound parts on both the demo and the album. It creates great atmospheres and gives the tracks a particular aura. Apart from DEATH or OPETH are there less obvious influences you would divulge? The fact you also have some long tracks with many riffs, structures, moods, etc... are you into any sort of progressive music?
I think those acoustic arpeggios help the album to be more various, without making the songs too soft and melodic. It's not a so strange element, anyway. Other bands use to compose in this way. There aren't any hidden source of inspiration, but maybe you won't expect we listen to EVOKEN, ULVER, early ...THIRD AND THE MORTAL too.
Concerning the prog, we aren't into that kind of music if you refer to DREAM THEATRE style. But someone of us likes VOIVOD, CYNIC and KING CRIMSON...

6-On the other hand, one of the main reproach I read about DEATH HEAVEN was about your album length which is more than one hour long (even the demo is almost one hour). Is that the fact you like long compositions or that is simply the fact it comes naturally this way? Don't you think you could simplify your music a bit to gain more audience maybe or after all that's the way you like your music, so fuck what people think?
It's our natural way to make music. Some old songs were maybe too long and the risk to be boring was considerable. Now they're a bit tighter, different influences are better amalgamated and we have been working to make each tempo change as nimble and natural as possible. Coming to the CD length, yes, it's long but there are different songs in it, so we think the listening should be flowing. There are so many albums that we could call EPs... and too much 3-tracks demos. We hope our CD's worthy the money spent, both in quality and length.
For sure we won't change our way to write music only to reach a bigger audience, it's out of question. Our music shall satisfy first of all ourselves.

7-Some people would be surprised but all the guys in DEATH HEAVEN are autodidacts, it's quite surprising when you realize the mastery needed while listening to "Viral Apocalypse". How many times do you rehearse a week? And how many hours do you practice your instruments individually? But musical mastery would be useless without a good sense of creation and inspiration. Have you ever been impressed by great musicians' skills but at the end you find their music so lame or empty?
This aspect seems to interest many people... It's partially true: our guitarist Andrea took some lessons when he was playing violin, so he already had a smattering of music theory when he passed to the guitar. Also, the drummer Baital is studying at the academy right now, but he wasn't when the album had been recorded.
We don't play together very often, only once a week, three hours circa. Difficult to say how much we play individually, it depends: it takes me one hour per day, sometimes more, but usually not seven days a week. The others should have more time to rehearse. As you can see, we there's nothing extraordinary.
To answer to the last question: it's full of skilled musicians, but the masterpieces albums are considerably rarer. The reason is mainly called inspiration. Children Of Bodom, Rage and many others are awesome musicians, but their compositions don't say anything to me.

8-If we look at the title-tracks as a whole, you don't feel confident in the future of the human race. Don't you think that as the technology grows to enable people to live better, it also enables people to die faster and in a large number? Do you think human will be victim of his evergrowing progress?
We all know that the progress is always in service to military purposes. Most of the efforts done by humanity aren't directed towards the improvement of our life conditions, but in the opposite direction. All this is well explained in the monologue at the end of the CD.

9-On the ghost-track what are the spoken words about? What is the effect you wanted to create?
Is the album built as a kind of story with the beginning of decay of humanity ("new virus baptism") to its complete eradication ("portrait of earth erasion")?
No, the album isn't a concept. Only a couple of tracks deal frankly with this theme. The monologue on the ghost track is an Italian translation of a Bernard Show work excerpt. It's a sort of epitaph, a different way to conclude the CD. It fits very well with the lyrics of the conclusive song, "Portrait Of Earth Erasion". I can find here a great vibes, so much sadness and abandonement.

10-Let's talk about the actual underground scene in Italy, which bands are worthy of being supported according to you? Death Metal has actually some brutal acts like NATRON, HOUR OF PENANCE, IMPOSER, MINDSNARE, etc... Are there more old school bands like ERODED or VOIDS OF VOMIT for example? Tell us more about your death metallic scene or other extreme bands we should check. Are there any good zines like Prayer Book Zine? Is the black metal scene important as it used to be?
Cool you mentioned IMPOSER, as they're close friends of ours. The bands you named are maybe the best ones Italy can boasts. Many others are worth listening: ASTIMI, ILLOGICIST, GORY BLISTER, UNDERTAKERS, HORRID, SUDDEN DEATH, HATRED, CRONIC HATE, TRANSIENCY, SADIST, NECROLUST, NEFAS, ONIRIK... The Italian death metal scene isn't so strong as in other countries, but it ranges over many styles, from techno-death to old-school to brutal death. There are good bands for all tastes.
As far as I know, only 3-4 paper fanzines still exist, but I'm not related to any of them. I've only sent a promo copy to Prayer Book.
Black metal scene isn't even so strong: we have a really large number of bands, but they have difficulty to be noticed abroad. The problem is always the same. Ther're some very well known bands, like ABORYM, ADVERSAM (their second album is great!), HANDFUL OF HATE, INCHIUVATU, and some young and promising ones. I can recommend you FUNERAL EDO, SETHLANS, HATE PROFILE (superb modern black metal), KROM / KAILASH (nice prog/black), NURNEN, DISASTERHATE (furious thrash metal female band), LAMENTU and probably many others. Also, check HELVETE and ETERNAL FROST, Baital's black metal bands.

11- I guess DEATH HEAVEN played some gigs, how many since the beginning of the band? Which bands did you share the stages with? Did you meet some real dickhead bands acting like rockstars or everythings always been right? Is the Italian crowd supportive with their bands?
Of course we do concerts, but the live activity isn't so substantial. We use to play 5-6 gigs per year on average. By now, the most important gig was last year with US prog/death metal legend CYNIC. Also, we shared the stage with MUMAKIL, CORAM LETHE, HORRID, CADAVERIC CREMATORIUM, IMPOSER and also a couple of Italian well known bands who played to do the fucking rockstars... Next November we'll be among the opening acts for Swedish NECROPHOBIC! Other underground acts we played with are LOVE FORSAKEN, PHOBIC PLEASURE, EGOISM (rip), SUICIDE NATION, KADAVAR, INSANE ASSHOLES...
The crowd doesn't use to be wild with underground bands, only with more famous ones, but sometimes it happens they mosh or headbang at our concerts too. On the contrary, when we played in Austria, the audience got crazy! Such a fucking infernal welcome!

12-What comes to your mind when I mention:
DEATH: The true originators of the death metal! Unfortunately, after Chuck's death their name went in the mouths of too many pseudo-metallers and posers. It's sad.

DEATH BREATH: Never listen to them, but I've red good reviews about.

DEATH DIES: I saw them live in 2006, they opened for Negură Bunget on a special occasion: the Italian release date of "Om" album. They strongly impressed me with an incendiary show. Hope to cross again their path, I'd really like to know them better.

DEATH ANGEL: Excellent band! "The Ultraviolence" is a masterpiece!

DEATH SS: In Italy some bands were true precursories of different musical genres, expecially related to metal. Just think to NECRODEATH, BULLDOZER, SCHIZO, SADIST. They got much more attention abroad than in their native country, so they had hard life in Italy. DEATH SS was one of the first example of horror and occult rock/metal band ever. Very original and distinctive. Our country wasn't ready for them. I love their production from 1977 to 1984. After the reunion, they're pure crap.

P.S.: Hey man, are you saying our moniker isn't original??? Hahahaha. If so, you've forgotten thousands of other bands, hahaha!!!

13-Did you listen to the latest albums of reformed bands like PESTILENCE, BRUTAL TRUTH, ASPHYX? Any good surprise or disappointment? According to you what can motivate those bands to reform (and then split up again in the case of GOREFEST!)?
I only listened to a couple of tracks by PESTILENCE and ASPHYX, good ones. Matteo and Andrea saw both PESTILENCE and BRUTAL TRUTH at Brutal Assault Festival 2009 and told me their shows were among the best ones, especially BRUTAL THRUTH killed the audience.
I don't follow so much these stories about reunions. I thinks they don't change the band's name mainly because of money and notoriety. Maybe for affection too? But not only big bands, also unknown ones are coming back after many years, for example EXANTHEMA. Maybe they could go forward with the original moniker to prove they were part of the scene back in the old days too...

14- Also what are your latest purchases? Did you listen the last SUFFOCATION "Blood oath"? What are the records you are eagerly waiting for? And the what's the worst shit you ever listen to?
I haven't listened to new SUFFOCATION's yet. Well, I placed an order from No Posers Please! Records, but due to this shitty and ridiculous postal service we have here in Italy, I haven't got the package yet. I ordered some 7 inches from this coolest label. Also, I'm waiting to many other stuff, but since anything new became to my hands from last 3-4 weeks, I'm forced to give you the same answer I gave to Instincto Basico 'zine, hehe. Sorry! So, I bought the demos of YDIN, an astonishing Finnish death metal band. Other titles I purchased recently are OATH TO VANQUISH - "Applied Schizophrenic Science", good brutal death from Lebanon; NAUSEANT - "Iln" 7'', strange DEMILICH-style death metal from Sweden; PERVERTED SON - "To The Abstract", technical thrash metal with personal and eclectic approch, from Chile; DISEMBOWELMENT - "Trascendence Into The Periphetal", doom/death album dated 1993. I'm always on the trail of many classic albums and new releases, too many to be mentioned. I'll fill entire pages with the list.
The worst thing I've listened to? Mainly so called pseudo-black bedroom one-man-bands. CHURCH OF TJOLGTJAR, DEATHKENOSDEAFS, TOTAL NEGATION, TRIUMPHUS MORTIS and, of course, emo bullshits are simply awful.

15-What were you listening while typing on your computer to answer? You can now close this interview the way you want. Best continuation with DEATH HEAVEN, thanks for your time BRN. Keep on rotting in the free world!!
Thank you, Jimmy, for your support! Really nice questions, I enjoyed very much answering! While doing this, I've listened to STENCH OF DECAY and LIE IN RUINS demos, HETSHEADS - "We Hail The Possessed" album, NUCLEAR DEATH's albums and DEAD CONGREGATION - "Purifying Consecrated Ground" tape. Long life to PUTREFACTIVE EFFECT 'ZINE!!!
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