For all of the time they’ve been around, Denmark’s Exmortem has been recieving promising feedback from fans and such, while still never breaking into being one of the more talked about bands of the underground death metal genre. However, things have been getting better for the band ever since they started, and as we can see by them signing to Osmose Productions, only good things are in store for these guys. Recently I discussed issues surrounding Exmortem and their new album,"Pestilence Empire," with guitarist Sigtyr. Here is what he had to say:

Allan 'Enigma'


First and foremost, "Pestilence Empire" managed to put a smile on my face (or an evil grin, whichever you prefer). Congratulations on the fine work you’ve done!

Thanks a lot we are very satisfied with this album! I think that we achieved exactly what we wanted with this album!

First off, could you give the readers a brief overview of Exmortem’s history and how you we got to where we are today?

Sure! The band was started in 1992, by some friends of mine, but I didn’t play guitar at the time so I wasn’t in the band back then. In 1993 they recorded the first demo called "Sould Of Purity" and the band was called Mordor. In 1994 they recorded the debut album "Labyrinths Of Horror" and it was released in mid 1995. A few months before the release I joined the band and we came up with the name Exmortem. After that we recorded a couple of demos/promos and in 1998 the second album "Dejected In Obscurity" was released. Shortly after we recorded "Dejected.." we decided that we could no longer work with our drummer at the time, so we got a new one and with him we recorded a promo and two songs from that tape ended on a split 7" in 1999. But again there was trouble in the line-up so the drummer and singer got out and we got Reno and Simon instead and with that line-up we recorded "Berzerker Legions", but at this point original guitarist Kolle had got pretty tired of the whole thing, which also meant that I made most of the music for "Berzerker.." and recorded all guitars on the album. So again there was trouble and at the same time Reno decided that he wanted to go to the US, so I pretty fast found Michael and Andreas (drums and Bass (first real bassplayer in the band..)) and with them, Simon and myself we have made "Pestilence Empire"…and no one have left yet [laughs]!

Are you happy with how "Pestilence Empire" has turned out in the end, and is there anything you would change about it now?

I’m really satisfied with it, I think that we have made our best album and that we have succeeded in developing our style compared to earlier releases and that must always be the main goal, to make something better and take it a step further. We went for a more organic and darker sound on this album, because we wanted to get away from the very clinical and triggered sound that so many use and that is surely something that we will continue with. I guess that I could find some things to change if I wanted, but this album is done and I don’t really care to bother thinking too much about things that could have been done different. I’m satisfied with the result as it is now and will start to think about that kind of stuff when we are ready to make some new material.

When comparing "Pestilence Empire" to Exmortem’s older material, what do you consider to be the traits that make your latest work superior to the others?

There are a lot of things I would say. The basic riffs, the song-writing (structure etc..), the vocals and of course the production. I also think that with tracks like ‘Pestifer’ and ‘Icecold Ugliness’ we have incorporated some new elements compared with older material and we will of course try to take stuff like that further on the next release. I also think that we play more like a band than ever before, even with all the line-up changes, so I really look forward to see where we can take this!

What is the concept behind the new album "Pestilence Empire"?

The title is very much related to my personal view on this world! All the lyrics deal with the way we see the world and the people that lives here. I can feel really disgusted when I see how people think and behave around the world, it sickening!! So I have written lyrics about those subjects. This is a very misanthropic and negative vibe throughout all the lyrics and we try to express that through the music and visual aspects as well.

The cover art for the new album is quite excellent! What’s the deal behind that?

Thanks man. It’s very much connected to the lyrical concept and I have tried to make it fit with the whole atmosphere on the album. In the booklet there are actually two "extra" covers and a lot of other stuff that is meant to help building up the right visual concept. It’s not just four pages with lyrics and a thanks list!!! I will work a lot more with this stuff in the future as well, also for other bands!

In what ways has Exmortem improved over the course of its career?

We have become more and more focused and motivated. We have become much better musicians and are working on a more professional level (in studio, live and so on…) You learn a lot from your mistakes and I guess we have made our part [laughs]!!

Is there any specific goal that you guys try to reach when writing an album? Do you guys just shoot to make some ripping death metal or is it beyond that?

I’m very focused on what I want when I start to make new material, especially on the last two albums, because I have taken care of most of the material for those. But we have started to talk a bit about the next one and I got some riffs and Andreas got some riffs as well, but we will have a pretty clear idea about what we want before we start to put anything together! But you know, there is also room enough for improvisation and sometimes it can also depend on the kind of riff you make, cause some stuff just have to be played fast and so on...

"Pestilence Empire" is your first record with Osmose Productions, correct? How have they been treating you guys so far?

Extremely well I think! We have had a very good cooperation so far and I think that we can do a lot for each other!! They have good promotion and are working on some tour stuff, so I think it’s great!

I know it’s kind of early to say, but what’s in store for the future of Exmortem?

First of all we want to get out there and play some live shows (a lot!!) It’s my highest hope that we will also get the chance to play the US, but I guess it’s pretty expensive so we will see! We are also working on some video stuff and hope to shot it in February or so!! Apart from all that I’m working my ass of to promote this album and I hope that we will soon start to make some new material as well!

How is the metal scene in Denmark? Are you guys one of the only bands leaving the death metal mark?

The scene here is weak as always, but it seems that the more easy listening part of the scene is getting stronger and there are a few bands lately that have signed to some bigger labels like Nuclear Blast. But I don’t listen to that kind of music, so it doesn’t change the scene in my eyes it’s still weak and there is only a handful of bands that have anything to offer in my eyes! We hope that we can inspire some youngsters to play some more extreme music than the usual death n’roll, nu-metal, melodic etc…we could need that here!

I tend to pick up traces of black metal when I listen to "Pestilence Empire" (albeit small amounts). Am I completely off base here or what? What influences do you and the rest of Exmortem put into the music?

I guess you could be right there, cause we all listen to black metal as well, but I don’t normally think about that when we make music. I guess that we have adopted some of the cold and raw atmosphere that some of those bands have.

That’s about all I have for you at this time. Again, you did an excellent job on "Pestilence Empire". Do you have any last comments you’d like to leave the metalbite.com readership with?

Thanks a lot for the interview and the support! I hope that the readers has gotten interested in the band and you are hereby invited to check out our website and the MP3’s that you can find there from the new album! We have some other projects going on at the moment and I’m working on some other stuff as well, so look out for news on this on our website too! Cheerz

German – Swedish thrashers Protector don't need further introduction to the firm readers of MetalBite. After it became a little bit silent around the band after their 2019 album "Summon The Hordes" (blame it on Corona) they became quite active again and Martin told me that they are writing for a new album. Reason enough to ask a little bit more in detail about this joyful event. Carl-Gustav "Calle" Karlsson (drums), Mathias "Matte" Johansson (bass) and Martin Missy (vocals) took the time to answer my questions. Thanks again for doing this!

Michael

Martin, you told me that you're going to record a new album in November if everything works. Can you tell a little bit more about it?

Martin: We will record 11 songs in a studio here in Stockholm in the end of October / beginning of November this year. The album will be released by High Roller Records in 2022.

Do you already have some song titles for the tracks or lyrics you can talk about?

Martin: All song titles and the name of the album are ready, but we will release them on a later date. After all, the record will probably not be in the stores before (late) summer 2022.

Where are you going to record the album and who will be the producer this time? Will it be Harris Johns or Patrick W Engel who is responsible for the mixing? Or is it somebody totally different?

Calle: We will record in Robert Pehrssons Humbucker studio in Stockholm. Patrick W. Engel will do both mix and mastering this time.

What about the artwork? Is it created by somebody you already collaborated with or somebody different?

Martin: This time it will be the Swedish artist Patrik Tegnander who will do the artwork. We haven't worked with him before, but I like his art.

You usually perform a not too serious track on your records, like 'Space Cake' or 'Glove Of Love' from your latest output "Summon The Hordes". Will there also be such a track on the new album?

Matte: Yeah, that's an old tradition of the band. 'Space Cake' was first on the Golem record. Then we had 'Molotow Cocktail' on Urm The Mad. On the coming album there will be no track in this style. But maybe there will be some sick track in the future, we'll see.

Can we expect some surprises concerning the songwriting on the new album, or will it just be the "regular" Protector songs?

Matte: Well, I think it will sound as Protector. But I also think that there is some really fucked up VOIVOD influences in at least one of the new tracks. Protector has always got a quite unique sound. The mixture of thrash metal and early death metal and hardcore. The new album is mostly in the thrash metal style. On Summon The Hordes we had some death metal influences just as on for example Shedding Of Skin.

Calle: We are very old school in creating music, most of the time we are in the rehearsal room and work out the riffs in the old way. So, all members are contributing to the songwriting in one way or another. I do not know if we have mentioned it before, but Martin Missy has more and more given us ideas via recorded files to us which Martin has hummed into the mobile and then sent to us. We listen to these files and turn it into riffs. It's hard to say how we sound from album to album, but Protector sounds like Protector.

Martin: I think that there will be no big surprises on the new album. If you like our last three albums, I think you will like this one as well.

You are going to release the record on High Roller Records. How satisfied are you with their work for you? I was quite happy that they re-released your old albums in 2015 because I only had them on vinyl but I actually don't have a record player anymore because my wife forbids it, haha!!

Matte: I think High Roller Records is one of the best metal labels out there. They only release true metal, a lot of old NWOBHM rereleases and I actually have bought a lot of them since I'm a big NWOBHM fan. They also have rereleased a lot of old thrash metal classics. Their releases of the old Protector albums are really well done. And I really like everything about them.

Calle: We are very happy with High Roller. They are helping us with almost everything that includes record releases. They release our entire catalog, advertise and promote and help as best they can. The contact between us and the High Roller crew could not be better.

Martin: High Roller is a great record company. They are easy to work with and always get back to you quickly, if you have any thoughts and questions.

This year "A Shredding Of Skin" is going to celebrate its 30 years anniversary (fuck, we're going old, don't we??). Do you have any plans to celebrate it?

Martin: There are no plans for this yet. On the other hand, we didn't celebrate the anniversary of Golem either. Only when Misanthropy had its 30 years anniversary, we did some shows, where we played the entire EP. Because Misanthropy was our first release, it will always be special to us.

Talking about concerts, what would you say – are there still younger fans coming to see you or is the audience aging with the band?

Matte: Yeah, there is a great mix of fans. Both old men as myself and youngsters. So, I think this style will survive for a long, long time.

Calle: I think I see a lot of young people at our concerts, and its great fun that there are younger people too who seem to like our music. But mostly it is the older generation who come to our shows. So yes, many have aged with the band and have grown up with our records. It's a great feeling indeed. It's cool that we've been able to reach out to a few fans over the years. We are so grateful that fans support us and still believe in us. They are the most important thing for us.

Martin: It's like Calle and Matte said: We have both older and younger fans at our gigs, although the older fans predominate the audience. Another interesting thing is, that we also have more women in the audience now. Back in the 80's it was like 99% guys at our gigs.

Which are the evergreens that you have to play at your concerts?

Matte: I think there is some tracks that we must have in our live set as for example 'Misanthropy', 'Golem', 'Shedding Of Skin', 'Protector Of Death'. But we change the live set from time to time.

Calle: 'Misanthropy', 'A Shedding Of Skin', 'Golem', 'Apocalyptic Revelations'.

Martin: The songs that Matte and Calle have mentioned, and of course 'Kain And Abel' as well.

Protector exists since 1986. Do you have some stories to tell you would like to share?

Martin: Actually, there haven't been happening too wild stories when we are on the road, in the studio or playing live. No televisions sets thrown out of hotel room windows and stuff like that. We are a quite boring band that way.

Can you name a few albums that had massive influence on you and which you wouldn't like to miss in your life?

Matte: Ok there is a lot of albums that are really important to me but I'll list only 10 of them.
Destruction - Infernal Overkill
Voivod - Killing Technology
Kreator - Pleasure To kill
Slayer - Show No Mercy
Morbid Angel - Abominations Of Desolation
Necrodeath - Into The Macabre
Metallica - Ride The Lightning
Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales
Dark Angel - Darkness Descends
Venom - Welcome To Hell

Calle: Here we go:
Dissection - The Somberlain
Morbid Angel - Altars Of Madness
King Diamond - Conspiracy
Sepultura - Arise
Sarcofago - The Laws Of Scourge
Kreator - Coma Of Souls
The Nefilim - Zoon
Sodom - Agent Orange

Martin: When it comes to influencing my work as an artist; I would list these albums:
Venom - Black Metal
Possessed - Seven Churches
Slayer - Reign In Blood
Exodus - Bonded By Blood
Sodom - In The Sign Of Evil
Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales / Emperors Return

Finally, Martin, what do you think? Is VFL Wolfsburg able to become German Soccer Champion this season (the male team)?

Martin: I'm afraid not. Unfortunately, Bayern Munich is still too good for the VfL (and all the other teams in the Bundesliga as well). There would have to be a lot of things coming together, so any other team but Bayern Munich could be German champions: Bayern would have to have a big misfortune regarding injuries, and the other teams would have to play at 100, or even better 130% all the time.

The last words belong to you!

Calle, Matte and Martin: Thank you for doing this interview with us. Stay Metal!

In just five short years, Soilwork have released five critically acclaimed albums and progressed further than anyone could have possibly imagined. Throughout all the changes, however, Soilwork manage to continue to keep intensity, melody, and atmosphere at the top of their priority list. Following the success of last year's record, "Natural Born Chaos," Soilwork are back, without Devin Townsend, to prove not only that they can do it on their own, but that they can do it better. I recently spoke to vocalist Speed Strid on the band’s new direction, upcoming tours, their new video, and more...

Adam Block


2002 was an incredibly busy year for you guys. You released an album, made your first video, which received quite a lot of television airplay, toured like crazy, and ended up starting to record another album by years end. You sold more copies of "Natural Born Chaos" than all your previous records and it also landed the number one spot in Bravewords and Bloody Knuckles magazine. Congratulations on such a successful year!

Thank you very much man. Last year was hectic as you said. We did a US tour and the video recording, the European tour, and the Japanese tour as well. Somewhere in between those tours we managed to write new material and we received a lot of inspiration from Devin Townsend being in the studio with him. I think that Peter wrote like three new songs directly after the recording of "Natural Born Chaos." As long as we find the inspiration and have the time there is no reason to slow down I guess.

How cool was it to know that you have a video out there and that people are seeing it on television? Have you been able to see it on the airwaves yet?

Well, I haven't seen it on the channels because I do not have MTV2 or MuchMusic so that sucks. But anyways the video is very cool and I was very happy to hear that it got airplay on both MuchMusic and MTV2. Unfortunately, it didn't get airplay on Swedish television. They said yes but nothing happened so maybe this time. I am sure we will get airplay this time in Sweden as well.

Many people thought with the quick pace of making your new record, "Figure Number Five," that it might have been rushed and in effect would not have had a significant progression from your previous effort. How important was it to you guys, even though you felt you had found your sound with "Natural Born Chaos," not to just make the same album over again?

Well, it's hard to say. I guess we just went with the flow. We received a lot of inspiration from the touring last year and also from Devin Townsend and the recording. We also got inspiration from ourselves and "Natural Born Chaos" because it is always like that when you're coming out of the studio. You say well maybe we could have done it like this so maybe on the next album. So I guess we just went with the flow and we have rehearsed our asses off to make a great album. As long as we are 100% happy about the pre-production that we always do, then let's record it.

So in the little time that you had you didn't feel rushed at all?

I don't think so actually. We were discussing about this and we had band meetings and so on listening to the material, the pre-recordings, and so one. Everyone was 100% happy about the material so I don't think we rushed at all actually because we have released five albums in five years so I guess this is the way we like to work.

With Devin Townsend out of the picture this time how important was it to show to everyone that you could still do without him. Did it push you even harder? With the vocal performance on this record, I should say it did!

Yeah absolutely! We actually asked Devin to produce this album as well but he was on tour at that moment unfortunately. I still think it's very good that we showed to people that we could do it ourselves. There have been a lot of stupid rumors on the internet about Devin doing all the harmonies on the clean vocals and some of the riffs... blah blah blah. So I think it is a very good thing for us to show to those people that we could do it ourselves.

Plus it seems that there is even more complexity and layers that go into the vocal harmonies this time around as well...

Yeah and I think that the clean vocals are a bit more varied. On "Natural Born Chaos" there are mostly clean vocals on the choruses. On this one, there are clean vocals in the verses and also in other parts of the songs. Overall, it is a much more varied album I think with the guitars and the vocals. I think that the screaming vocals are better than before as well.

That was definitely one of the first things I noticed about the screaming vocals in particular. They seem to be a bit harsher this time around.

I actually recorded the vocals with a hand mic. I think that I should have done this before because I received a lot more power when I was recording the vocals. I could lie down on the floor and scream like hell. When you have a stationary mic you cannot move really but with this hand mic you can move around like you are on stage. So it is like a live gig so I receive a lot more power to do the screaming vocals.

I noticed that the clean vocal styles are also a bit more mixed on this album like they were on "A Predator's Portrait." Was this a goal of yours to keep them varied and not just have straight clean singing on each chorus?

I wanted to try out a lot of different types of vocal styles on this one. I always wanted it to be like a schizophrenic record vocal wise. There are harsh melodic vocals, clean vocals, falsetto vocals, so there is a lot of different types of stuff. I guess the System of a Down (Serj) singer inspired me because he is using a lot of different types of voices and I guess I wanted to prove to myself that I could do everything. It is almost like a schizophrenic album when it comes to the vocals and I think that is pretty cool. It's pretty chaotic.

Some people thought that you had softened up and yet the title track, 'Figure Number Five,' boasts your most intense vocals to date.

I guess we wanted to do a more brutal song. I like to do those Chuck Billy vocals because they worked out really well on 'Follow The Hollow.' We wanted to take it a step further and I think it sounds great.

Yeah, overall I think "Figure Number Five" is a lot more dynamic and a bit more intense than "Natural Born Chaos"...

I actually expected the album to be a bit softer but it actually went out even heavier I think. There is a perfect balance on this new album.

What was the inspiration for writing a song like 'Departure Plan'? It is a pretty big well... departure for you guys musically.

That song is actually a song that Sven wrote like three years ago. We had a band meeting where he showed the song to everybody in the band. We thought to ourselves, "Hey! Does this sound like Soilwork? It's a very good song but... well... What the hell! Let's record it!" Now I think it sounds like Soilwork and I think it is the perfect breathing part in the middle of the album. Of course it was a very big challenge for everyone in the band to record this song especially me I guess. I am very used to having distorted guitars in the background when I am doing clean vocals. This time there was only like a Hammond organ and distorted drums in the background so it was a very big challenge for me. At first I couldn't listen to the song because I wasn't used to hearing my voice that way, but I like this song very much. I am very proud of it.

So, if it came to something like this in the future, do you think you would try something like this again?

Well yeah I think so. This song is not symbolizing that we're going only clean vocals in the future because the screaming vocals are a very big part of Soilwork. We will always keep the screaming vocals. However, we always want to have a big challenge when we're entering the studio. That is very important for us and we are not afraid to try out new stuff. We get a lot of different influences and I think we are very objective when it comes to music. I think there are a lot of people that can relate their daily lives to Soilwork's music.

The lyrics for 'Departure Plan' appear to be about a friend overcoming suicide. Is this a personal song for you?

It's very personal. Maybe it is the most personal song on the album actually. It is about my girlfriend but we are kind of more like friends. We are not really together but at the same time we are, if you understand what I mean. She has gone through the gates of hell so I am supporting her. It is not like a love song. It is more like a 'rise up' song. It is very important to me.

Then would you say that the whole album is a pretty personal record for you?

Well, I think it is like a continuation of "Natural Born Chaos." It is pretty much socially realistic and about the victims of society.

The record seems to have more of an emphasis on keeping the songs tight, short, and catchy. The average song length is a little over 3 minutes. What is the mindset when writing songs nowadays? Do you guys enjoy writing more immediate type of songs? If anything it takes me back to your earlier days when the songs were also a bit shorter.

Yeah, that is true. These days we like to make pretty short songs. If you get five minutes into it, then it gets kind of boring and bit too technical and stuff. Now we will make a short song with some technical parts. It always comes kind of naturally for us. Even though there are riffs sometimes where it is like okay this is a simple riff and then there are people who tell us, "Oh this is so technical!" We don't realize it. We like to write songs in a very easy way I guess. We just concentrate on every riff to make the best possible balance between all of the instruments. We build up the songs very equally I think. We do not like to make a part in the middle that is two minutes long with technical stuff...

Yeah that was the way it was two albums ago...

Yeah especially on "A Predator's Portrait."

There is also a bit more keyboard parts this time around. What apart from Sven's initiation into the band prompted you to want to incorporate more keyboards into your sound instead of keeping them to serve the purpose for the atmosphere only?

Well, he joined the band a couple months before the recording of "Natural Born Chaos." I guess that album was more like an experiment to try Sven in the studio but this time we gave him free hands to do whatever he wanted to do. He worked a lot with the keyboards and tried different types of things with them.

As a band though, do you still, in the future, be a little bit more protective as far as allowing them to get a little too up front or is that not a concern for you?

Well that is hard to say because we are pretty open-minded when it comes to keyboards. On this album there are a bit more samples, loops, and stuff especially on 'Overload.' We want to keep giving Sven free hands to do whatever he wants to do with the keyboards because he is a very skilled musician. He has a lot of cool visions when it comes to music.

What is the meaning if any behind the title "Figure Number Five"?

With "Figure Number Five," I am referring to the people who are the fifth wheel of society. The album is pretty much about victims of society that are not allowed to speak or have their own opinion. In general, it is like a tribute to people who always have to step aside for the upper class.

Your CD will include a bonus disc of older material for the European release. Are these tracks from the original demo or reworked versions of old songs?

They are from the original demo. There have been a lot of people asking about the demo that we got signed for called "In Dreams We Fall Into The Eternal Lake." It also includes a two-track demo that we recorded after this demo for promotion. There is 'Demon In Veins' with different vocals. That song is actually called 'Wake Up Call.' The other track is another version of 'Steelbath Suicide,' which is actually better than the one on the album I think.

Is there any chance of this bonus disc getting released worldwide?

We heard from Jill from Nuclear Blast and they are going to release it in the States as well!

What was it like recording the video for 'Rejection Role'? How funny has it been to hear the rumors of an In Flames and Soilwork fight on the set of the video?

That was actually one of the In Flames members who posted that message to make fun of the whole thing. It was a lot of fun to record the video. The In Flames guys are in our video and vice versa. The videos are similar and we recorded the live shots at the same club. We just used a different background. We act like rivals in the video. We are doing drive bys while we throw water balloons at each other. We are just kind of making fun of everything. It will probably receive a lot of attention because the videos are kind of linked together. We are making fun of the fact that In Flames and Soilwork are always getting compared. It is in response the people saying that In Flames sounds like Soilwork and Soilwork sounds like In Flames. We are very good friends so we just wanted to have a lot of fun with this. I guess we just wanted to do something different. A metal video is always supposed to be like five angry guys in a warehouse with chains hanging everywhere just like [laughs] 'As We Speak' I guess. I suppose we just wanted to make fun of that at the same time.

So is still basically a live performance video?

Well that too, but of course it is mixed with the drive bys and water balloons [laughs].

[laughs] That sounds funny. I cannot wait to see it!

Yeah it is so fucking cool...

How excited are you guys about hitting the road with Children of Bodom for the European tour? How much of the set will be dedicated to old material. Will you guys have a longer set time maybe to play more songs?

We only have like 45 minutes on stage. That means we have to concentrate on our two latest albums. Even though we will do "The Chainheart Machine" and a couple songs from the "A Predator’s Portrait" album, there will not be any from "Steelbath Suicide." There is no time to. We have to concentrate on our newest album though because it is very much about promotion as well. Hopefully we can play a little bit longer in the States.

Speaking of the States, do you guys have any plans yet?

We are coming to the States in July...

Apart from the European tour any word on hitting South America or Australia. You guys have quite a following in those two countries I hear...

All I can say is that the manager is dealing with South American and Australian promoters so I hope there is an upcoming tour in the fall. I really do hope so!

That's all I have for you today Speed. Are there any final words you would like to give to your fans?

This is our best album so far. It is a cliché but we really feel that way. It is the perfect balance between intensity, melody, and atmosphere: all that Soilwork is about. So go check out the album!

The long wait for new Brutality album is over. It wasn’t easy for them to get to where they are and accomplish to what they set out to do but at the end 'Sea Of Ignorance' is out and that is the only thing that matters at this point. Scott Reigel (vocals) spared us few minutes from his busy schedule to answer some q's so here we go…

Tom

Hey Scott! Thank you for taking time to do this. New album is out, reviews are pouring in and I don't know about everybody else but I'm excited as heck about Brutality coming back to life. How does it feel to be back, are you guys content with how things are going, are you back for good?

We came back for our fans as long as their happy we are content! As far as being back for good - we don't know just enjoying the now!

With all the lineup changes and people leaving the band it seems you had even more drive to finish this album. What does it mean to you personally and to the rest of the band?

We all had a goal to get this album out when some members left; it postponed its release but also gave us a new drive.

Will you follow the release of the album with some touring; are there shows on the agenda, anything scheduled?

At this point we have no shows scheduled, we're hoping on some festival interest due to us not being able to do lengthy tours at this time in our lives.

What is the drummer situation right now, is Ruston permanent member of Brutality?

Ruston did a great job for us on the album, he lives across the state so we are currently working with a local drummer to perform with us live when the time comes.

Can you please tell us more about Ceremonial Records, how did it come to life, what are your plans?

Ceremonial was created so we could release our own material without having to sign rights away to a bigger label. We have added a few more bands here from Florida to the roster in the last year to help other talent like Koroidia and Murder Suicide get their names out.

New album is a definite Brutality album but I was wondering about the creation process. Was it easy and natural, did everything go as planned or did you struggle and wanted to give up at some point?

Writing with Jeff and Jay is very easy it just seems to flow when we are together. There were some points in all this I personally wondered if it was worth all the hassles we were going through, but I never thought of giving up.

Since we are on topic of working together…. Jim Morris wasn't involved this time, yet you pulled through nonetheless, can you let us in on what happened in the studio and people involved?

With Morrisound being sold to TSO we had to find another engineer, so we looked to Jarrett Pritchard - a life-long friend - to record the album for us.

OK, from a different angle now….what got you into metal?

I had 2 older brothers that listened to the older stuff from the 60's and early 70's like Sabbath and Priest

What is your all time favorite band?

Queensryche

What is your favorite dish, can you make it yourself? If there's something that's specifically yours would you care to share?

My favorite dish is my girlfriends Mc & Cheese - I can make it but its better when she does it. I prefer to bake and I make a killer chocolate cheese cake.

What are you other talents and what is the one you wish you had?

I am good with Dogs; I have a primitive connection with them. I can't really think of another talent to have besides my music and my relationship with my girlfriend and my pack of dogs.

Thanks for your time, last word?

I would like to thank all of our fans for all the support through this new journey - without you guys we are nothing.
STAY BRUTAL

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