SANGUINEOUS interview 2008

It seems that Australia becomes a privileged metallic scene inside the pages of this putrid rag! Previous issue featured IGNIVOMOUS, this one also features INTERNECINE EXCORIATION (both inties can be read at http://site.voila.fr/NIHILISTIC/) and here is also SANGUINEOUS a band into dark ultra brutal death metal born upon the ashes of EXCARNATED. Singer Chris introduces us to SANGUINEOUS and took the opportunity to talk about his projects PERVERTUM OBSCURUM and THE NIHILISTIC FRONT.

1-Hi Chris, what’s up in the Australian ground? I think an introduction to SANGUINEOUS is needed as your band is quite recent and rather unknown. Tell us how, when and why was born SANGUINEOUS.

G’day Jim. We have just been doing the usual activities like mail and distro’ing our music. Things have been going well with the band so that is great. Sanguineous was spawned by Tony (guitars/bass/drum programming) in late 2005 and I joined Tony in mid 2006 on vocals after the demise of Excarnated. Before I joined Chris Volcano was involved on drums for a short time, but we wanted the band to be a studio project so there was only the need for the two of us. Sanguineous was formed because Tony is a big fan of dark death metal and had a lot of great ideas for a new band and songs after he left Excarnated. Doing the live shows was not really his thing and he still had the desire to create dark death metal, thus the idea to spawn Sanguineous onto this cursed planet.

2-On your flyers, you described SANGUINEOUS as extreme dark death metal that could please fans of old INCANTATION and old KRISIUN. Your inhuman tempos and your very low tuned guitar can also remind some MORTICIAN and of course EXCARNATED (where you used to play in some years ago). Why EXCARNATED split-up? How long have you been in the band? I know you contributed the “Purging the earth” album with 4 songs, which other releases of EXCARNATED did you take part?

Excarnated split up because of the endless line-up changes and I was the only original member so I felt that it run its course. To carry on with it would have meant for me another line-up of new musicians and a drastic change in songwriting style again and I felt that my energy would have been better used in a fresh and new band. With that being said I don’t regret the split or doing the band because it was a learning curve and we did release some great music to be proud of. Tony joined Excarnated in August 2003 and left in June 2005. He wrote 4 songs off “Purging the earth” and recorded with me the “Where the dead dream” MCD so he did contribute a large part to our later material and style. His guitar tuning to A carried over to Sanguineous, but Sanguineous has a more consistent musical direction because there is one main songwriter now and not such a mismatch with endless line-up changes that Excarnated had. He shares my extreme stubbornness, refusal to change styles or playing scene games, and being two Capricorns in the same band would be quite overbearing for another member to join HA HA!!!.

3-SANGUINEOUS is composed of yourself (ex-EXCARNATED) on vocals and Tony on guitar, bass and drums programming. About the drums programming, is it because you didn’t find a suitable drummer or is it inherent to your band style (this way you can reach inhuman beats)? Have you ever played gigs with SANGUINEOUS or is it just a studio project?

We are happy with the programmed drums and just wait until you hear the new songs with Ezdrummer. It sounds so much better now than on the MCD so it will be more realistic sounding this time around. I think that the “hyperblast” sections suit Sanguineous well and is a part of our sound for sure. It really puts some people off who think they are into extreme music so that is a great thing. Listen to bands like Mental Horror, early Kataklysm, Brutal Truth or Brodequin. They have drummers that play to our speed so its not impossible like some people think. Because Sanguineous will always be a studio project there is no need to find a drummer as we would have to rehearse all of the time to get tight and with our sound being the way it is, the vicious guitar lines would be somewhat lost in a live environment.

4-How is created a SANGUINEOUS song? Which elements (musical or not) help you to spawn an obscure and brutal track? How is recorded your music, it seems you have a home studio, right? Does Tony’s way of playing guitar different than when he was in EXCARNATED?

Tony is the songwriter for Sanguineous and I write all the lyrics. I only get to hear a song when Tony is finished with the musical side to it and then he records a rough version for me to listen to and get lyrics together. The elements are being fans of this music so when inspiration and the right moment hits us, we just go with the flow and a new song is spawned. We have home studio set-ups so recording is not a problem for us. The new recordings that we are doing are getting better and better because we are becoming more experienced at it as well as upgrading studio gear and instruments. I feel that Tony’s style is very distinct and you can hear his input into Excarnated quite obviously compared to Sanguineous, but I think Sanguineous is more vicious and evil sounding. There are ways that he plays that give Sanguineous the “edge” too like diminished scales, no palm muting, octaved chords, and very consistent speed picking and harmonising. These elements are vital for the Sanguineous sound. The MCD is only the beginning and with these elements onboard we will only get more extreme.

5-With your MCD “Extinguishing the dying light of serenity” you send me as well a new promo track titled “The skeletal remains from a messiah lost”. This new track comes with a better and more powerful sound (you also use lead/solo guitar, which fits and strengthens the dark side of the track) moreover it remains very violent and obscure like the tracks featured on the MCD. Did you record this track the same way you record the MCD or did you use new recording material? What can we expect about SANGUINEOUS in terms of new release, a full length or a demo coming soon?

Like I said before we upgraded our equipment this time. We used Ezdrummer, Tony got new pick ups on his guitar, an Echo mia audio card, and I spent more time on getting a better vocal sound (no pitchshifter on any recordings, only deep guttural growls, no frog noises or crickets either, that is total false shit !!!). There was solo’s on the MCD, but I think the mix was more “buried” so it did not come out as strong as the new recording. There are solo’s on every song we have done so far. It is in the right places and I also consider solo’s to be a second “vocal” and another “voice” to enhance the darkness of the music. We have about 3 songs that are unreleased so far so another demo/promo will be on the cards to score some label interest this time. Once we have enough songs and we are happy with them we will be working on a full length, but we never rush the art of creating new material.

6-To which extent is important the sound of a recording? I mean, in extreme metal today, bands usually try to get the most powerful, perfect and crystal clear sound to finally sound the same. Yet I think that seeking something more personal without a will of perfection but rather creating something dark should be the aim of any death or black metal band. What’s your point of view about bands’ sound in extreme metal in general?

In my opinion atmosphere is more important than sound quality and this is lost in most death metal recordings these days with crystal clear productions. I would rather it be imperfect sonically with a few mistakes than to be some “big” production with all the life sucked out of it. I like the idea of home recording as it will never sound perfect and you can really give your recordings a personal touch to them without sacrificing rawness. As long as everything is balanced properly in the mix and there is nothing overpowering in the instruments it should sound fine. People criticised Autopsy back in the day for bad productions, but I think “Mental Funeral” is fantastic and having that Morrisound, Sunlight or Abyss studio production or producer would not suit them at all. The bands in the late 80’s and early 90’s had time constraints as studio recordings were so expensive so their recordings were not perfect and the gear was not as technically advanced. This lead to a more honest representation of their sound without having to put everything under the microscope having to clean up the mix. Most of the “modern” death metal bands all sound the same with the same productions.

7-You sometimes play on very slow tempos like on the second track “Your feeble visions of paradise have perished”. Are you interested by death/doom metal like COFFINS or ESOTERIC, or drone metal like SUNN O)))? Such styles can create some very gloomy atmospheres nevertheless it’s quite difficult to remain interesting during one hour long of this music. What are your favourite kinds of doom metal? Do you think you could create an entire track with just very slow tempo in SANGUINEOUS?

I like doom metal myself and it is a challenge to make music interesting for a lengthy period for a song. I think an entire track of slow tempo’s would be more suited to The Nihilistic Front than Sanguineous. I like the slow breaks in Sanguineous and it is more in the Incantation vein which suits the style perfectly as well as breaking up the hyper speed parts. It gives the listener a bit of variety as well as creating a doomy and bleak atmosphere. I think that doom is explored extensively with The Nihilistic Front. I wouldn’t classify Sanguineous as Doom/Death though, even thought there are slow elements here and there.
8-Talking about doom/death, one can mention one of your projects THE NIHILISTIC FRONT. An EP “The four seasons in misery” has been released lately with 2 tracks for 40 mn. What can we expect from this band? Which references can you give us to situate the music of THE NIHILISTIC FRONT?

I think you answered the question concerning the bands The Nihilistic Front are into as well as Godflesh and Disembowelment. I think that the doom that Gary (who played in Excarnated too on the demo’s) and I do is rather different than the “romantic” doom that became popular in the mid 90’s. We have some industrial elements here and there so our tastes within that band are quite broad. We recorded 2 songs last year for an aborted 7” (labels who are interested in doing this release get in touch) and have been busy writing new material for another full length release of miserable torture. I am surprised by the reaction to our band and it is great to see some people distinguish us from most doom metal bands. I think both musically and aesthetically we are different to most of the doom bands and our main goal is to get heavier, darker, more experimental and bleak.

9-On a different style you also plays in PERVERTUM OBSCURUM some bestial death/black metal more on the traditional Aussie extreme metal like ABOMINATOR or DESTRUKTOR. The tracks on the demo have been written between 2004 & 2007. Is this demo just a gathering of old recording and will there be a future for PERVERTUM OBSCURUM, I mean new recordings?

I started working on PO in 2004 when there was downtime from Excarnated and once I came up with a few songs I decided that it was more than a “project” and decided to persue it more seriously by recording 6 songs (in 2 sessions) for a demo tape release by Evilspeaks Records called “Mass Murder Mutilation”. It is definitely in the death/black realm of genres, but I am also inspired by all the extreme metal genres too so it’s a bit of everything. At the current time I have just finished a full length CD called “Within the maelstrom of fire” and that is all new material. I am looking for a label to release this. I consider Pervertum Obscurum as an ongoing band, but it will always remain just myself and there will be no live shows. I want it to be in the spirit of Bathory and only concentrate on songwriting, recording and releasing music. I don’t have to worry about changing band members or “politics” when there is a full band like I used to in Excarnated so it is quite a refreshing change to work on music in my own time at my own pace.

10-The MCD has been self released, how many copies have been pressed? Do you find suitable distributors worldwide? I think trade is the easiest way to spread your MCD, is it an easy task to find distros?

There was about 550 MCD’s that were pressed up and we have got rid of about 430 so I think we have done well so far. It’s a good thing that both Tony and I do mail so we tend to send our bands material to more people and cover more ground that way too. I think that it is easy to find distro’s to trade with and that is the best way for an underground band to promote themselves. There are local bands here that just play shows and don’t bother doing the mail or distro’s and then they complain that no one buys their merchandise.
If it is not distributed and promoted how can anyone know who you are worldwide?

11-When talking about extreme music coming from Australia, people first think about what they called war metal (which is basically death/black metal) with bands such BESTIAL WARLUST, SADISTIK EXEKUTION, DESTROYER 666, GRENADE, ABOMINATOR, VOMITOR, URGRUND and the likes. About pure death metal, I have only few names like STARGAZER, INVOCATION, PORTAL, MARTIRE, IGNIVOMOUS, CRUCIFIRE, PSYCROPTIC or old stuff like MANTICORE. Can you name some interesting bands into death metal that are worth to be checked out?
Abramelin, Encabulos, Entasis, Cemetary Urn, Beyond Mortal Dreams, Dominaeon, Necrotomy, Random Violence, Moccassin, Corpse Molestation, Misery, Darklord, Crypt, Suffering, Embodied, Oni, Tzun Tzu, Jesus Anal Penetration, and a few more that I have forgotten to mention. I’ll have to get those old demo’s out again HA HA!!!

12-In Europe we have a personal vision of metal from Australia. Here we consider Aussie metal as something exotic or played with true and harsh dedication. Is this something you find exaggerated or you do consider Aussie metal worth of its reputation? I guess you have crappy trendy bands like anywhere else, what can you say about that?

I ignore hype and go for what I like to listen too to make my own judgement on if a band is good or bad. There are trendy or bad bands like anywhere in the world so you just have to pick the music that you like and support that. I think we have some great bands keeping up the spirit of the underground so it’s great to see some of our local bands going overseas to tour. I guess it gives people there an insight that we have a scene and people have checked out the bands I am or have been involved with due to them hearing the bigger bands so that is a good thing. Overall I think we have a great reputation in regards to the worldwide scene and I am a fan of most of the bands that you have mentioned in question 11. We also have a strong Grind scene here, but there are not many death metal bands like there used to be in the late 80’s/early 90’s.

13-I think like most of my readers you have a wide interest in musical investigation, probably you like to read through zines and distro lists to find some new interesting bands or zines. To which extent can be measured your love for music, be it metal or non metal? How much do you spend per month buying records? Have you ever done silly things to get rare or particular records?

I feel I think along the lines of most underground maniacs when it comes to searching for new bands, zines, distro’s, and maniacs to write to in the world. I have been a fan of this music for about 20 years now so that is more than half of my life being dedicated to metal. Family members in the old days said that it is a passing fad, but I can’t see myself changing what I listen to just because I am older. I feel that metal is for life. I have a passion for this music and that is what made me decide to join a band to give back what the music has given me over all these years of dedication. I am lucky to have a job where I can be in a car for most of the day driving around listening to music as well as listening to it in my spare time with a beer (or 666!!) on weekends. Its been a while since I have spent money on buying music as mostly I do trades so that is a great way to hear more like minded bands. I do not bother with mainstream music so there is hardly a time when I go into a store these days to purchase music as most of the music I get is from distro lists these days. I have a big demo and vinyl collection that I have gathered over the years and luckily I got most of the things I have wanted for fair prices before it became a trend to get it on e-bay for ridiculous amounts of money. I have close friends that have been sent broke by buying LP’s. They are the maniacs who have to have every format or edition of a particular LP. I like that dedication, but I am happy if I get it in any format as long as I can listen to it.

14-Beside your necrotic musical activities, do you have any other interests like reading, necrophilia, smoking weed, videogames, etc…? Does this help you to disconnect a bit to the everyday life?

I like reading, going to gigs, drinking with friends and most activities I guess that help me disconnect to everyday working life.I have a full time job and I am married so that takes up my spare time too. I consider the band as a very serious hobby, but I would not consider it a career or a job to make money out of. I guess I have the Dark Throne attitude where you work for money and you do music in your free time so you don’t have to prostitute yourself or change styles just to make money in your music.

15-Well Chris, let’s say it’s all for today, I let you close this chat. But before tell me what you were listening while answering these questions? Thanks for your time and keep it brutal, intense and dark. Cheers!

Thanks for supporting our bands and for the readers, check out our music. I have no music on at the moment, but if so it would be metal. Cheers !!!!!

http://www.sanguineousdeath.com/