Cryptopsy’s “And Then You'll Beg” was one of the most anticipated releases of the year 2000 and our Canadians with cold blood delivered their most vile album to date which is nothing short of technical perfection, whacked-out guitar riffs and inhumanly fast and complex drum beats. It seemed like Mike DiSalvo’s departure might slow down this fast-speed train but Flo Mounier doesn’t think so. He even thinks that it can only make them stronger, adding another element of distinction to create something a little bit new... but you can read about it yourself below...

Chris


Probably the hottest question right now… What’s the real story behind Mike DiSalvo’s departure?

I can’t really go into details too much... he had some family thing he had to take care of and probably he couldn’t have been the part of the tour coming up in Europe so we all agreed upon him leaving. It’s really a family thing when he made a decision that was family orientated. Family first basically, you know what I mean? It just happened that way and it was conflicting with what our schedule is going to be so he kind of backed out and that’s it.

Is this becoming the Cryptopsy’s rule, a new singer every two albums?

Yeah, that’s what it seems to be. Actually, a different member every album is Cryptopsy motto now. [laughs] Shit happens... it’s always pretty much been John, Eric and I that have been pretty encored within Cryptopsy and I could say that everyone will stay from now on but it seems some people change, times change, this and that but Cryptopsy has always been innovating. I think what it brings that it’s going to bring another color and that’s why people actually like Cryptopsy. Every album is different and maybe a new singer will add another element of distinction and create something a little bit new... we’ll see.

All the vocalist changes have to concern you a little. There were already a lot of fans that had a hard time accepting Mike after Lord Worm. Now, after two albums with a new vocalist, just when people got used to the new voice you are again going for a change...

Sure, but you know what? Change is good. [laughs] I’m not concerned, I’m not concerned at all. I like change and I’m not concerned at all with what people are going to think. People have to keep in mind we are not making millions of dollars here, so for somebody that has to leave, take decisions it’s hard to balance two jobs at this same time and do this and that... They have to understand Mike left for a reason. Shit happens and now we just move on and continue to put up a good music.

Any chance Lord Worm is coming back?

Not likely. He gave all that up a long time ago and I don’t think he would be in shape to start all over again. Personally I don’t think he’d want to. I think he’s comfortable in doing what he’s doing and he gave it up for a reason. He didn’t want to do it, didn’t want to tour that much, so if he wants to come back he has to call us because he made it clear to us a while ago that it wasn’t for him.

By the way, what is he doing right now?

Actually, he’s teaching English as a second language. He’s an English teacher [laughs] It’s perfect for him he knows English very well.

Were you surprised with the final vote on Best Metal Artist award you received at the MIMI's (Montreal International Music Initiative)?

Was I surprised?

...it’s not too often an extreme metal band wins any awards...

Actually two years ago we were a runner up too and we were nominated and did win. It didn’t come to us as a big surprise but you know, the more you go on the more your name gets a little bit bigger, you make this big magazine and people start to hear a little bit more of you and it’s all about proper promotion whether its extreme metal or not. I guess the category being as it was, out of all those bands I guess we toured the most and the most all over the world so it was kind of normal that we would win but it did so good it was as a little bit of a surprise cause you’re right, not everybody has easy time accepting this kind of music. It was good. It was like all the hard work is starting to pay off. It’s not like this award is really a pay off or anything like that I’d rather have more fans and do more touring but we liked it and accepted it. Whatever.

Don’t you think that there is more metal everywhere recently and that is not an underground like it used to be anymore it’s actually hitting the main stream?

Oh for sure. I mean the more the time goes on the more metal is going to be. With all those extreme sports, extreme movies and this and that you’d go for some music that’s more pumped up. You are not going to go for something like party every day or whatever, no, it’s more like in your face. The society is more fast paced, it’s more in your face society, little bit... not violent but aggressive if you wish. So yeah, it’s going to come up front and it is coming up front. All those Korn type bands, Deftones and this and that they are making distortion and a distorted voice if you wish too although a little bit more acceptable.
I don’t think the type of music we play or the boys in death metal and extreme metal world will ever be played in the radio that much but at least it’s getting a little bit closer. Maybe that’s why the media is taking a little bit more interest... It’s hard for a media to accept metal as a serious art form. For some reason it’s always been, it’s been so many clichés around that and it’s always been hard for media to really say “yeah, this is here to stay and it’s acceptable art form and respectable art form”. But there is also a lot of bands that encourage that negativity that media has towards metal by displaying blood and guts everywhere and just talking about raping this raping that. You can’t really get a positive image.

I think most of the time it’s the lyrics that stop heavy metal... regular people don’t want to listen to the music about gore, Satanism or topics like that...

No, it’s not sane. It’s not a reality. What the problem is a lot of bands think it’s real and want to be considered real but it’s a joke. These guys paint blood all over their faces or stuff like that and it’s not real blood... and if it is it’s even more stupid. Why give yourself that image? So you can go home, pop open a can of coke and watch loony toons or something afterwards? It doesn’t make any sense. I understand difference between live performance and reality but a lot of times that is done it’s given a really bad name. Look at Marilyn Manson, you see him on American Music Awards every year and he just gives metal such a shit name, I think he does. And he might do it as a joke too and it might be funny to him but for 14-15 years old kids and their parents it’s not. They don’t understand that humor so they going to interpret this as just a crap...

You just got back from Fuck The Commerce Fest in Germany, how was it? Anything unusual happen there?

No, it was just amazing. [laughs] It was really cool. A lot of cool people, a lot of cool bands and great treatment by a band called Spawn. Just awesome, awesome, super-nice guys. We made a lot of connections and had a really great time, just plain and simple.

So are you enjoying the road? How’s the tour treating you?

Good man, very good. I can’t say there’s really been some catastrophes, knock on the wood, but there hasn’t so far and it’s been really positive, really good, a lot of fans, a lot of pushing... just all around it feels good to go touring and actually see that you are accomplishing something more rather than just pedaling and getting nowhere type of thing.

After all that drum pounding do you have any back spasms?

No. [laughs] Knock on wood again, there you go (he actually did knock on wood - Zgred).
No, nothing. I try to develop techniques that make things a lot smoother for the body. I studied a lot of professional drummers just to get their technique and how they can go on with more like a jazz style where everything is more loose and how they can go really fast with their hands not getting tired, not breaking to a sweat. And that’s the key playing an instrument, is just to become comfortable and relaxed playing it as much as possible so that little energy is spent on the concentration and on the right movements. So, I try to do it that way, if not then for sure by the time that anybody gets like 25-whatever and has been playing for 9-10 years will definitely have some kind of health problems.

You just answered my next question... Do you have any secrets or special techniques on how to become one of the fastest drummers in the world?

There is technique, no secrets. There is no secret to play drums, just practice. They say practice makes perfect... and it’s not bullshit [laughs]

So, who inspired you?

I think music in general inspired me and not one particular drummer. You always have your influences but I never really ever mimic or try to copy any drummer, which could have been a mistake I did when I was young because it’s a good thing to start like that and then branch out. Right now, I don’t have a favorite drummer I just have a whole fucking selection of music that ranges from every genre possible. I just like listening to everything and all these ideas are coming to my head and create the ideas for whatever I drum.

What’s in your CD player right now, then?

Oh shit, you want me to take a look? Hold on it will take just a few seconds, I want to be exact on this question. It might be embarrassing though [laughs] OK, oh my god, my fiancé’s cd Madonna... there is the new Napalm Death and... I’m gonna cheat... I’m listening to a lot of new Dimmu Borgir, which I like a lot, Dave Weckl Band and stuff like that, pop-jazz. I listen to a new band called Coldplay, they always play on the radio, this is like a newer Pink Floyd type of folk-rock type band...

How often do you hear “slow down” from other members of the band?

Well, I usually hear this from new members coming in. [laughs] They say “Oh god, can you slow down this part a little bit?” I tell them “in a live situation you got to get used to it, it’s only going to get worse” [laughs] “Don’t tell me to slow down in a practice cause you got to be ready for live” But, no it’s not that often.

What your most challenging song to play live?

That’s a very good question. Let’s see... from the songs that we don’t play anymore that would be ‘Loathe’ on “Whisper Supremacy”, that was pretty challenging... ‘Cold Hate, Warm Blood’ is pretty challenging... On the new one ‘Screams Go Unheard’ it’s a lot of fun but it’s really challenging. There is a bunch I guess... on "None So Vile" fun but challenging too was ‘Crown of Horns’... They all make me break into sweat and they are all challenging in their own way, it’s hard to pin point, they all got a little bit of something that it’s different... they are all challenging in their own way.

Than on an easer note... what’s your favorite to play live?

Probably ‘We Bleed’, that’s a lot of fun but I like newer stuff, like I said I like change. For live; ‘We Bleed’ and ‘Screams Go Unheard’ are a lot of fun. ‘We Bleed’ shows showcases if you wish, a lot of different stuff on the drums and on the guitars too so it’s a lot of fun to play. There is a whole bunch of stuff in it, it’s a long song...

“And Then You’ll Beg” is Cryptopsy’s the most technical and stunning accomplishment to date, how did you come up with material for this album?

We wanted to make it a little bit simpler as far as riffs, as guitars go. Not to have too much notes that nobody would really pick up, hear anything. So we wanted to make it a little bit simpler that way but we wanted to make it a lot more musical. So what I was doing on drums wasn’t that much simpler it was little bit more technical but it all fit. We tried to give each other breathing room, like the guitar does its part here that crazy I’m not gonna fill it up with something crazy too and vice versa.

How did the recording process go? Did you have any problems?

Studios are always tough because we are big time perfectionists and it’s hard and nerve-wracking. It took us about 2 months to do on and off and you know, there are always a little problems like how to get a better sound and this and that but generally it went really nice and smoothly. I think this is the album we are the proudest off as far as music goes.

The album is visually outstanding as well; to me it perfectly reflects the music inside, speed, chaos and death. Was it your intention during the design process?

Yeah it was. We wanted to have something really fast and heavy, just hit you face on and basically mow you over. [laughs] That was kind of our intentions and we wanted to create some kind of link between the artwork and intro, outro and the flow of the album.

Your web site is also very interesting and unusual. How much do you think Internet helps promoting your music?

Helps a lot. The same guy who does our internet stuff does our covers and our merchandise. He’s just a crazy genius. Yeah, it helps a lot... It’s free advertising, people can go any time and leave their comments... we don’t necessarily answer back cause it would be crazy answering back all the time but we take all the people’s advise and take into consideration. We got merchandise up there, we got news, anything that happens we try to let the people know as soon as it happens. I think it’s a great promotion tool.

Being on the subject, what your opinion on Napster and MP3s?

MP3s I think are positive because they can generate a little bit of income for the bands. Napster, on the other hand, it’s good for those who can afford it, can afford the albums, but it’s mostly the people who can’t afford it, who have computers, who can go on and download all that stuff. I think it’s counterproductive. What’s the point of fighting with the record labels, negotiating, going through this mess and shit if people can just take it from the computer. It makes us work like five times as hard and having absolutely no reward for it. I mean, we can’t kid ourselves it’s gonna be some way to make a little bit of money doing this or else we couldn’t buy instruments, we couldn’t have a better sound on our next album... I don’t like Napster personally, I’ve never been on Napster even though I can get free stuff I always try to support bands. I like to have a cover, original CD, what have you. But MP3s I think are positive. They can give you a little bit of band history and it’s productive. Small bands can put their songs out there and start making a little bit of money, get 3 cents every time it downloads or something like that.

I guess with your busy tour schedule you don’t have time to think about the new material yet or do you?

No, not really. Actually we’re starting to think about it a little bit but not fully. So, no new songs, titles, nothing yet but it will come. It’ll be interesting...

That would be all, anything you’d like to add?

Just thank you. Thanks for the support and keep on doing this, it helps out the bands a lot.

German black-thrashers Desaster don't need any big introduction. Always delivering great stuff. I had a very long and nice chat with guitarist Infernal K. about the new album and some things I had read in a German magazine. Out came a very interesting, funny and profound interview. Enjoy reading.

Michael

Hi Markus, my wife is always making fun of me that my first question usually is "how are you"? So this time let me ask you: are you crazy?

Haha, why, are you crazy?

Well, I read that you don't want to do another album any more. What's going on? You cannot mean this serious!

Well, you never know exactly. At the moment we really have come to the point that we felt it quite exhausting to record the album. We worked about nine months on it very intense and once again we had a lot of technical issues, the vocals lines had vanished and had to be recorded completely new so it was a complete disaster, as always. It is always difficult to do a whole album because we don't rehearse that often anymore. We rehearse once in a month or even once in two months and you also have to practice old songs for live gigs. And if you do a new album, you have to do ten more songs at each rehearsal and this is super exhausting. For sure we like the song writing the most but we want to focus more on some temporarily projects such as singles or EPs. My idea right now would be to release a single every time we have finished three songs and when three singles are released to put the songs as a whole on an album. This is something I can imagine but a whole album after four or five years, no let it be (laughs). I was short before a burn-out.

Well, to be honest, I guess releasing some singles and putting them on a full-length afterwards is something that might not be too popular for the fans…

You don't think so? I always thought that our fans are underground and I also like this kind of releases.

Hm, I don't have the best feeling with things like these. But this is my opinion, of course it is possible that everybody else thinks that this is a cool thing.

I think that these days it becomes more and more difficult to keep the people listing to a whole album. I have the feeling that nobody except us old farts nobody does that anymore. The younger people just listen on Spotify some songs, sometimes even just for 15 seconds and then they skip. I doubt that they have the patience listening to a record with a beer and to skip sides in the middle of the album. The listening habits have changed. Of course we wouldn't say that we don't make any more records because of that but it really is a phenomenon of the modern times.

Fair enough but then Hollywood could also say that they don't make any more movies because the kids can't follow the plot after 20 minutes.

To be honest, sometimes I like this thought. I almost watch series only where one episode lasts about 45 minutes. Best is half an hour. After that I cannot focus on it, haha! This "Lord Of The Rings" movie with three hours running time – no, for this I don't have any time and also no mood for that!

Then you have watch it in two sessions.

Yep, when we watch movies, they are split and I always fall asleep.

Yeah, we all don't get younger.

And what comes to all that, I have so much to do. I had with Moontowers, my other band, also a new album in creation process. It isn't released yet although we started earlier with that one and also there a lot of things went wrong. Only catastrophes!

Coming back to Desaster – if you would record some stuff again, what about the idea to re-record "Evil Arschloch" (means "Evil Asshole"in English) from your first demo? I mean, every day you can see so many evil assholes in the news and somewhere else.

Laughs. That's right! Then we could dedicate that song to a lot of politicians and many more, haha! What is going on these days is really strange. Due to that, the album title was created. In the past we had, apart from "Evil Arschloch" songs like "God Is Dead" or "Scream For Mercy". As Venom fans, it was mandatory that we sing about hell, Satan and demons. Of course it was never meant to be that serious. I have to do my outing here. I am actually no Satanist. I am sorry, dear fans! In the past we sang about the hell that is described in the bible which is some sort of fantasy book like "Lord Of The Rings", today we sing about the real hell. This is here. Just turn on the news. It is all around us. Our vocalist is quite pissed-off and lets it all out in his lyrics. All these self-proclaimed idols, all these politicians and religious fanatics that destroy the Earth and who are just led by greed and pull out the money out of the people's pockets to spend a luxury life themselves…it is really terrible what's going on in the world. So our vocalist said that he dedicates the album title to all of that. But everybody can put in his own idol into that. For some also teachers are idols, haha! And I bet that you have also some teacher colleagues about whom you might say that they failed in their profession. But they are put in front of the class as some kind of role models and you don't get rid of them. They are there and you have to suffer them for years. I had the same. I also had some colleagues who were really shitty. Nothing else to say about that.

Yes, sometimes it can be pretty hard, I know what you're talking about. Sometimes you even have to switch your place of work. But you can also have soccer player as idols, for example players from Schalke 04 (Infernals' favorite German soccer club which has a huge rivalry with my soccer club; M.).

Haha!!! I really would like to kill them although the new season is pretty good at the moment.

Yeah, I really hope that they will ascend into the first league again. I am eager for a derby once again. That was way too long this hasn't happened. But coming back to the lyrics and social criticism: "Towards Oblivion" also deals with the topic that we destroy our planet but that our planet is surviving us.

That's right. Our vocalist made some thoughts about that and it goes a little bit into the direction of "Learn To Love The Void" from our last album. It dealt with the fact that there were probably much lesser conflicts between people if there weren't having wars because of religion and to just accept that after death comes nothing. You would not need to argue who has the best religion and the greatest god or where the most beautiful paradise is but if everybody would accept the void, we had much more peace. Into this direction tends "Towards Oblivion" also, everybody can notice what is happening on Earth, all the greed mankind has and we are the worst predator on this planet and we don't only kill each other but take everything we can. I don't want to know how many species we already have become extinct since mankind exists. At a certain point we will extinct ourselves but okay, Earth will survive. I guess there will be some bugs left when mankind has ceased. I wouldn't even say it's social criticism, this is a difficult term but our vocalist is describing. He is describing the state of our world and he also doesn't want to change anything, he just says it is as it is and man is presumptuous and thinks that he is the pride of creation. Since the Age of Enlightenment we think that we are so rational but no. You can see it every day how rational mankind is. Because of that we will destroy ourselves at a certain point. That's just a determination and Desaster are producing the soundtrack to that.

And it seems that you took some natural science books to mind also. "Ash Cloud Ritual" with the volcanic eruption, Earth starts to freeze and become dark….and "Stellar Remnant" might be about something in space that explodes. Don't know exactly, I don't have the lyrics.

Exact. Our vocalist subscribes some scientific magazines which he reads with a lot of passion, especially about some theories that are presented there. So it's about the big bang theory, black holes and I don't know what. That's too high for me (laughs). When I was a kid, I was also interested in astronomy but it was more about knowing the planets (laughs). A black hole goes far beyond my imagination. But our vocalist is interested in these things and puts it into his lyrics. And there are also a lot of personal things in them. He had a period of insomnia lately where "Thrones Of Ecstasy" was created. I still didn't get the connection between sitting on a throne of ecstasy when you cannot sleep but he is processing all this in his lyrics.

Yeah, I can tell you…when I come back from class trips that lasted some days I also feel like having consumed a lot of drugs.

Yes, this state has an influence on you. This can be euphoric but it can make you mad also. He has to take care about his health; also his job is very exhausting. He is the organizer for some events in the association community. They are doing some concerts with cover bands like Deep Purple or Pink Floyd and I guess he underestimated how much work it is. This is a lot of public work and he doesn't like to be in the focus. He also doesn't like to be in the spotlight which you might not guess. He really doesn't like this star hype. "Kill All Idols" is also against this hype around musicians and he doesn't like when people are coming to him and worshipping him because he is the vocalist of Desaster. On the other side he also isn't the guy who would get autographs from other people.

I didn't like your new album that much when I heard it the first times but it took me some time to get used to it. First of all are some doom songs on it and with "Ash Cloud Ritual" you have this war metal song on it. Can you comprehend that some people might have difficulties with it?

I was very surprised that all reviews were great so far. In my private environment was only one person who said it wasn't his cup of tea. But music is personal taste, some things you like instantly, others not, some things you have to find into but of course I accept it when people don't like it. I won't change my song writing because of this and there are a lot of old fans that say we should do something in the vein of our first record with more black metal in it. Others say we should do more thrash metal – Desaster is a mixture of it all. I think we never had so many different things on an album like this time. Of course you can criticize that too because there is no common thread in it (laughs). But despite the fact that we have a punk song with "They Are The Law" and a super fast one with "Great Repulsive Force" you can always hear that it is Desaster.

It's just…when I got the promo and I always copy them on my watch, I wanted to go running but this was quite tough for me to get a good pace with that. Of course there are great songs on it and it is a good album but not easy listening. "They Are The Law" reminded me right from the start of "Iron Fist". Was that intentional?

That's more inspired by The Exploited. They also have a similar song with a bass at the start and we always wanted to do something like that. We all are punk fans and between the two albums we released this punk single with some cover versions ("Here Lies Desaster"; M.) and we always wanted to write a Desaster song in a punk dress.

"Ash Cloud Ritual" kicks off very slow but also has some war metal elements in it. Does it accidentally have anything to do with your other project "Doom Cult Commando"?

Haha, this is the whole time super fast stuff. This is also really great, I love it. There you can let loose and is something totally different. It was a lot of fun to make music with the guys and it can be that it had a little influence. We never had anything like that on a Desaster album before. I mean we had some fast black metal stuff but never such a blunt thrashing with a very simple riff and less melodies as possible. I thought that the song was very doomy in the middle part, even slower than Asphyx, and as a contrast something fast before and after that slow part would be cool and enhances more power to it.

The album cover is the first one after 20 years which was created by Chris Moyen. The last one he did for you is on "Angelwhore". Why did you ask him now once again?

That was more a coincidence it is 20 years now. It all was quite clear concerning the concept which was in our vocalists' brain. He had the title and a clear vision of what should be on the cover. Maybe you have recognized, it is a classic painting made by Caravaccio in the 16th century. He did a biblical scene called "Judith Beheading Holofernes". Holofernes was a general and they had conquered half of Palestine and oppressed the citizens there. Judith ensnared him and they had a nice encounter and the next morning she hit off his head and saved her people. It shall not have anything to do with today's politics, we don't interfere into that, but our vocalist liked this painting and also thought it would match perfect as cover and to the album title.

Well and soon the winter is coming and you move into your model railway basement?

Haha, actually I am quite often there. I have a dartboard there so I let the train drive, play darts and listen to music.

What model railway do you have?

I have a Fleischmann.

Ah, cool. I have a Märklin HO.

Yes, I have also HO. I inherited it from my dad and there is a cool story. My brothers are about 10 years older than me and at that time home births were quite often. One day the doctor came with the midwife to our house because my mother had contractions. So he came in and saw that model railway and was totally flashed. So he played with my dads' model railway and my mom was screaming. She wanted to deliver the baby and they played with the railway first. So I got the railways from my dad who died some years ago. I have it because of nostalgic reasons, I don't play with it every day nor do I work on it too often but I run it sometimes, think of my parents and the old times, this is really nice.

Yes, same here. So I have come to an end with my questions, the last words belong to you!

I want to say thank you to all our fans who in parts are accompanying us since our demo times. I talked to a guy lately who said that he even likes the new album, of course it isn't as good as the demos, haha! Since the demo they became shit, haha! But to be honest, every band has released their best album when they were young. You are fresh, wild and you have ideas and in the past all that was quite new. Today it is quite tricky to do something worldshaking. Even Iron Maiden – the new albums probably aren't bad but they never can reach "Killers" or "Number Of The Beast". We know it too and we know that our best ones were "Hellfire's Dominion" or "Tyrants Of The Netherworld" but still we have a lot of fans from the past and we won't win too many new fans anymore (laughs). But kids who like Midnight or stuff like that sometimes come to our shows and are telling us that they recently discovered us. Cheers to you all and thanks for the long support! We stay alive and even if we won't release a new album anymore there will be new stuff coming from us and also live we will move our old bones and get on stage.