I am pretty sure our older maniacs can and will recollect the band called BLOODLUST from the city of Nowa Ruda. Despite the very fact the band was responsible for two releases only, yet their name has been firmly carved into the history of our metal music underground; as an interesting and extreme metal outfit yeah! As Holocaust/Hideous recordings will be re-released shortly I thought it`d be a good idea to refresh your memories about this amazing band. It is beyond me why they weren’t too successful. With so much potential they had. BLOODLUST were aptly able to compete with such "tycoons" of our scene as ARMAGEDON, BETRAYER, LASTWAR or MORTAL SLAUGHTER. For some reason it didn’t work out and after the Hideous album was out, the group disbanded in 1995. And me, after all those years, I still can’t comprehend fully how powerful and good those recordings are. Killer for sure. Ok, no need to waste our time, let’s read what BLOODLUST`s front man, Dariusz Kulpinski had to share with us…

1. Hello Darek. Next year will be the 30^th anniversary of BLOODLUST. How do you see the band from a historical perspective; how do you perceive BLOODLUST in the context of our metal music scene?

Hi. Well, hadn’t you told me it`ll have been thirty years next year, I would have never guessed it myself! I am the kind of guy who never looks back. Time flies, we experience this and that and on we go. Well, BLOODLUST was, back then, a part of our lives, music ambitions, hopes and plans. We managed to write some amount of music, record it and play a bunch live shows here and there. It was fun times but also stood for hard work and various commitments. I should say the band name "bloodlust" was recognizable in the contemporary metal underground; that meant a lot to us. Yup, those were our first steps in (to) the metal world and, as it is clearly seen, those steps are still palpable as we`re talking about BLOODLUST right now.

2. Since we`re talking about the re-release of your both (and only) recordings, let me ask about the very beginning of BLOODLUST, ok? Officially, the band formed back in 1989. Can you still remember how you guys started BLOODLUST off? How did you folks meet up and who came forth with this "bloodlust" by the way?

Well, one can experience a number of different life scenarios, so BLOODLUST experienced their own ones too. Me, as a youngster deeply in love with harsh tunes, used to jam and rehearse with a bunch of local metal music bands/guys here and there. One day, I learned that Jan Kowalczyk, the contemporary OPEN FIRE`s guitarist was after starting his new, own project and by some miracle, me and him got together and began rehearsing. After a couple of weeks, we relocated to Nowa Ruda to hook up with the best local drummer (he was able to use two pedals which was quite a novelty back then). I need to mention that we were provided with a rehearsal room at a local community center so it all was going well. After some time, Jan gave up rehearsing due to some unspecified reasons but I got to know the locals as well as OPEN FIRE`s manager quite well so we decided to get it going on our own. And this is how it all started off.

3. Candidly, your band name seems to be strongly connected with one of mighty VENOM`s tracks. Is it where this came from, huh?

It was Krzysztof Brankowski who came up with the band`s name. We were supposed to play live at some gig and he was the guy responsible for that gig`s organizational side. We weren’t too sure how to name our band, no serious ideas at all so Kris, as the guy who paid close heed to what and how we were doing, did what he had to do and baptised us BLOODLUST.

4. How did you get into metal? Can you still remember your first metal band?

Of course, I can! TSA! They even made it to my hometown of Strzegom for two live shows, in 1982 or 1983 if my mind serves me well. Me and other people into metal/hard rock were really pleasantly surprised to see them. I was at primary school back then so I was too young to go see bands play live in other cities – but there you go! They came to my town. I managed to see the first gig as well as the second. I was broke and not able to buy a ticket; their both concerts had already been sold out, people were plain crazy about TSA. Thanks to some immensely nice female attendant I managed to hide in one of the venue`s washrooms; with plenty of other people, by the way, who were hiding in there too! I was just stunned with all what was going on! Long hair, extreme music and mayhem on stage! So impressive! When I got older I also managed to see SAXON, IRON MAIDEN and ACCEPT at Hala Ludowa in Wroclaw. That was how I got, so to say, "infected". And you know, all those albums from METALLICA, SLAYER, SEPULTURA or MORBID ANGEL made me eager to play music even more!

5. Was BLOODLUST your first band whatsoever or had you been involved in other projects/bands before it?

As I mentioned previously I had tried different "options" too; learning the ropes, so to speak. Played live shows too. Same for other guys. But I would say that was BLOODLUST where I did really pick up how to make/write/compose music seriously.  

6. So Holocaust was your first recording, spawned three years after the band had formed. The cassette was out through Master Sound Records. Can you please tell us some more about that stuff? Can you still remember how many copies were sold?

To be precise, Holocaust had been released before the Master Sound edition saw the light of day. No idea how many copies were sold but we were happy that people got to know about that tape and our music, which was of utmost importance.

7. I am really curious to know how the recording session looked like. Please provide us with a bunch of details. How long was the session itself? Where did the recording take place?

The session took place in the city of Rumia at a local studio. Different times and different technical conditions. And the very first lesson how to play music professionally. Because all of us had to play every song flawlessly in its entirety – we weren’t able to correct/alter anything afterward. Not possible. We were aware of that condition and readied ourselves really well. As far as I can remember, we did really OK and it all wasn’t that expensive, that session after all.

8. How do you rate this stuff now?

Man, I can’t even remember what this stuff actually features, I am not too sentimental a guy to think about it anymore. It is our past. Past years. This music is what we were and stood for back then. Not a big deal. Some people helped us out to get it recorded. I would say this recording depicts quite well what we were back then, what we listened to and how we were looking for our own music identity. Yeah.

9. BLOODLUST`s performance at Shark Attack Fest in Biala Podlaska (July 28, 1991) went very smoothly. Certainly, that wasn’t the only gig at which you promoted your demo Holocaust, eh? Please tell us some more about your live performances at the time? By the way, how do you recollect that Shark Attack Fest now?

Some time ago, a friend of mine sent me the You Tube link over to that gig. VADER and MAGNUS played at that festival too. Awesome fests, all those surely were; one could meet up with plenty of people involved in the UG scene. It was always nice to participate. Plus, you know, we always had fun afterwards (after parties).

10. The late 80s is the time period when radio stations heavily influenced our metal maniacs here in Poland. Thanks to people like Kris Brankowski we were able to listen to what was new out there in the West as well as in our local scene. Can you still remember how you guys began your cooperation? And Kris was your first manager, is this correct?

Krzysiek Brankowski took care of a number of bands back then. He also hosted a radio show (Muzyka Mlodych) with his unique Metal Top 20. I can still remember when he used to come over to see us rehearse, we would go out for a beer and stuff. We got to know each other better and better so, in result, we were invited for two live shows in Moscow/Russia (with SLASHING DEATH and VADER). I will never forget it.

11. Thirst for music, no music stores and difficult access to albums which, back then, would cost an average fan a small fortune. And very, very few live shows of Western bands. That was Poland in the past, all over. But still, our underground scene was pretty strong, don’t you agree?

Plenty of young people aren’t, these days, able or willing to realize how difficult life was back then. Some sort of abstraction really. To watch some brutal metal music videos I had to travel for two hours in order to get to another city. No nothing at stores. No merchandise, no groceries. Each and every store was empty. All was grey, dirty and shabby. Streets full of potholes, ruined buildings. Well, despite our enormous willingness (since we didn’t know the right people to help us) it was very hard to get by, so to speak. All we heard was – no way, we don’t have anything like this, we won’t help you. And that was the time when I just started to play music. We dubbed tapes (using a Grundig cassette player or similar), adding some sort of "unlicensed" covers. We were always struggling to get strings, cords, drum skins and so on. In general, we need just everything, every single bolt and piece of wire. We used to buy heat-press shirts to put our favourite bands on those. We had to barter with all we had to get some band poster in return, not even thinking about Western music – too difficult to get. We had to struggle for ever cm of our hair so that they didn’t tell us to get our hair clipped short. We always looked forward to the Muzyka Mlodych radio show. We used to rehearse in some obscure basements or garages, working on our first tracks which weren’t exactly what we wanted as we had to utilize Eltron 30W coupled with three guitars which was a way too many for it. It all didn’t, in result, sound like the western groups we wanted to mime whatsoever. Imagine that our lyrics got always censored before live shows; if we hadn’t corrected those the way they wanted us to, the band wouldn’t have been allowed to perform at all. Our lyrical message was incomprehensibly interpreted and understood as politically suspicions. We literally had to struggle to get anything. We had nothing - not like it is these days. Hard times, but we were full of passion. Today, the young generation has all their need. But neither will nor passion to use it properly. When I started off with BLOODLUST the situation actually started to improve step by step. Yet, still the beginnings were hard. Well, now I can just smile and laugh at the past.

12. Can you still remember your first gig? What bands did you share the stage with? By the way, tell us about your most liked live performance of BLOODLUST?

I must confess our gig situation was very good. Thanks to Krzysztof Brankowski who did a lot in that field. We opened Metal Madness in Wroclaw (on the Slodowa Island) for TURBO, ACID DRINKERS, and VADER and so on. As well as Metal War in Nowa Ruda with PASCAL, IMPERATOR, and ARMAGEDON. Plus that cyclical Thrash-Kai Festival (in Strzegom).We also went to Bydgoszcz and some other live shows you`ve already mentioned. As well as two huge festivals in Moscow, Russia. The first one featured was us and SLASHING DEATH. A huge ice skating hall, like 5000 people, man that was a real gig! The second one was together with VADER and Mariusz Kmiolek. The audience thirsty of brutal sounds. It all was awesome, went very well; we spent almost a week at some ship-like kind of hotel (Walerij Briusow). We had our own cabins, there was a bar and a restaurant. Sightseeing during the day and partying at night. Plenty of funny stories. All right. We also performed at Jarocin and Metalmania.

13. When I listen to your stuff, I just can’t fathom why BLOODLUST weren’t successful back then? Holocaust was a way above the average – even taking into account the stuff considered "excellent" back then. What were the reasons, hey? Since there were plenty of bad, average or excellent bands at the time. All one needed was some good luck. What did BLOODLUST lack success-wise?

Good luck? No, not at all. The problem was the band itself. We were more or less sure what kind of music we wanted to make, the lineup was rather solid. Heter, the guy with plenty of ideas, was already firmly established in our band but something was, indeed, going wrong. Kerry was an excellent guitarist (back then) but the issue was he kept coming to our rehearsals totally unprepared. Lack of time or lack of interest? Or was it both? Well, we could notice that "deterioration" every time we played live. It affected the band itself. Plus everyday issues played their role too. Our drummer Lech became involved in a number of different bands at the same time. Five, if my mind serves me well now. Not surprisingly, he started to get really confused, too many bands and too many songs to play and remember. And you know, too many gigs and rehearsals to attend them all. So one day he called me up to say he would quit. So we were done with going to Nowa Ruda to rehearse. But I and Heter decided not to give up. But start off with a new band. This was how DISSENTER was born. All well that ends well.

14. A year after Holocaust was out, your second recording Hideous saw the light of day. It is, stylistically speaking, quite different…

Our guitarist Ludwig left and was replaced by a young fellow, Heter. A truly talented guy, young but with plenty of good, fresh ideas. And after a couple of rehearsals we realized he was a true volcano of riffs, ideas etc. which he skillfully transferred into guitar lines. All we had to do was to sort those out, polish them up a bit and voila, a new song ready and good to go. Hideous featured two tracks composed by Heter. He got more and more involved and started to bring forth more and more good quality music every time we rehearsed. You know, to want to play music is one thing. To be able to play music well is another. That guy matured and "produced" a lot of good stuff.

15. Did it ever cross up your mind to reactivate BLOODLUST? The time is right for this kind of rebirths these days.

To be frank, I will tell you it did not. The present seems to fly by faster and faster. BLOODLUST is just a piece of history you`ve excavated. Since BLOODLUST there have happened thousands of other things, more or less interesting I think. Or maybe we`ve been forced to make decisions based on other issues? Too many different things in life to cope with, how can one find time to deal with all these I want to ask?

16. A year after bloodlust disbanded you guys spawned another death metal beast – DISSENTER (with a much more abundant discography). Anything about that band to add, thank you?

DISSENTER is a totally different band, much closer to my heart I would say. The music that opened a totally different chapters in our lives. The lineup was initially different; including me, Stoker, Robo, Młody, Heter, as well as Sivy and Maniac (our initial recording only). A new band but we were all well-seasoned veterans. With plenty of faith in what we wanted to do/achieve.

17. Time to wrap up I guess. Thank you very much for your answers. Anything to add for BLOODLUST worshippers? Go ahead, the floor is all yours.

Thanks a lot, man. Hello to all the fan (both diehard and not that diehard ones) of extreme sounds. All the best to you all. What doesn’t kill us will make us stronger. 

Leszek Wojnicz-Sianożęcki

"Heck, I hate live interviews, really. I actually hate interviews in general. People asking about this and that piss me off. All I want to say one can actually find in my music. 45 minutes ort to be enough to explain what I want, hey?" This is what KK told me before I started recording the interview itself…So, in order to respect his attitude, I decided to ask him not about music per se, but all the rest which goes along with it. Did it work out well? All right, you be the judge, my dear readers.

1. First off, how did you like this Metalmania gig?

Hi there! Well, it was awesome, man! An amazing gig and a really good line-up! Ok, we had some technical issues, like with my guitar, so it felt like playing an acoustic one, to tell you the truth. That pissed me off like fuck but the audience seemed to be doing awesome so I decided to go on with it. Man, I love to play live in Poland, the response here has always been amazing! Yeah, despite this above mentioned problem, it was still a very good concert!

2. So tell us why you and KAT swapped the running order?

Well, yes, I would say it was due to some logistic and technical issues, apparently. And you know, I did want to see KAT live. I fucking love them! Ok, it was a bit different from what I`d expected but heck! To be able to listen to Roman`s vocals live! Amazing and awesome! A great gig, indeed.

3. Well, for the life of me, it is hard to fathom roman and his crew has achieved so much!

I love KAT. A lot. I got hooked years ago. Their sound is so classic, so old-school. Years back, I went to one of music stores in Australia. A huge one with all possible media you can imagine. There were like what, 50.000 items and I managed to check out maybe half of it, no kidding! In the end, I went through the discounted items bin. And you know what I found there? Metal and Hell, fuck yeah! The first press, no joke! Paid like two AUD for that! I didn’t know what to expect but I got hooked and still love KAT!

4. A quick question about Filipe. This guy comes from down under, used to play different music and now he`s joined D666. How did it happen?

Filipe is a cool dude, all right. Alan Averill from PRIMORDIAL recommended that buster to us at some gig. Well, initially Felipe was to play with us only once (instead of some other guy) but eventually he turned out to be getting along quite well with us so he joined. I am really happy about this fact. Hey! Check this out. Once we played at some gig in Norway. It wasn’t allowed to smoke backstage and so on. And that goddamn fire alarm went off out of the blue! The water sprinklers were activated too. My first thought was, fucking hell, it must be Filipe. Ha-ha, I was right of course.

5. It was interesting to read on your website about the tour cancellation and an open conflict with that bullshit Flaming Arts Agency. What exactly happened?

Well, a lot. So fucked up, hard to believe mate. But one thing was just really bad. We didn’t like the way they used to set up our drum kit, I mean they used to place it in front of the main drum kit. Therefore, it was hard for us to play properly and comfortably, we didn’t have enough space to move around freely. There was like 0.5 m free room for us to move around and just by some miracle I didn’t happen to stumble over those fucking drums. I want to stress this again. That was just one of the reasons. There were more, of course. So we decided to give that shit up. Fuck them. I decided not to talk to those guys any more, not to argue with them or play their fucked up games at all. We simply had enough. We lost a lot of money and it took its toll on our nerves too. When we quit, we were around 6.000 euro light. You know, our flights, all expenses, merchandise and so on. Still, we thought that was better to walk away rather than stay in that fucking crap with no dignity.

6. Peter Hobbs has said that Australia is a very difficult place when it comes to growing a music career. How do you see it?

Yeah, it’s true. It’s a very remote and isolated place. So far away from other parts of the world. In our early years, we used to play live solely within Australia, as it wasn’t possible for us to go abroad. You know, flying is fucking expensive. In result, there are a plethora of big, cult bands which, very few if any in Europe, know of. In my case, I had a GF and pretty good life at the time, but I had to make a decision to move to Europe. I love Australia but when you want to play music, well, there are better places.

7. You and INQUISITION are on the same label. What is your view on what is going on with this band these days?

Well, what can I say? Should I say to be a pedophile is a bad thing? Fuck, it goes without saying it fucking is. Shame. But you know what? What the Metalsucks pressmen did wasn’t nice, not at all. They dug into INQUISITION`s past, I mean what took place 4-5 years ago and looked for anything to get them screwed. And they did find some shit eventually. It is true this shit is bad, but hell, it’s trespassing on one`s privacy too. Well, what problem is it to find some shit to smear it over virtually anyone, right? Jimi Hendrix used to rough up his wife. Did it make him a worse musician? No. A worse person? Definitely. What I am driving at is this kind of invigilation and trespassing are vile too. And you know what? What goes around, comes around. I am pretty sure Metalsucks will suffer too, because of it all. Just right before this interview gets published. As to INQUISITION, well there is no justification for pedophilia, end of it.

8. Hell, with every year there are more and more fans of D666 here in Poland. After Wildfire was out, well, it`s been a real craze here! Is it palpable? I mean, can you see this madness at your live shows? D666 is getting stronger in this country, no doubt, hey?

Well, never thought about it like that. I don’t like all this labelling – big bands and small bands, whatever. I don’t do this for fame, money or crowds. I play music because I love to play music. It gives me pleasure. It pisses me off when I ask other musicians about their live shows. What they answer me is well, there were such and such turnout. It does bother me, man. What I am asking about is the gig itself, not the amount of people. I don’t care if there have been 40, 400 or 4.000 people at my show. My brain still enjoys the very process of playing live. Festivals are like this. There are like 10.000 people yet there come just 2.000 – at most. The rest don’t give a flying fuck. Shag them, let them go and have a drink. I want to play for those who care. What I mean is this special bond between the audience and the band. Not like being a lame ass to tick off another band one`s seen live. Poland? Hell, as I said I love Poland, man. We have plenty of fans here, who respond to our music in a perfect way. And this fiery mayhem in front of the stage! Like this gig this evening!

9. Ok, the last one. Which you prefer? Polish vodka or beer?

Vodka, of course!

Wojciech Michalak 

A mighty beast called MEGATHÉRION was born in 2015, when two musicians from EURYNOMOS: Aíthōn (guitar) and Magma (bass) joined forces with Summānus, a longtime friend and devoted fan of Metal. Although he has not played drums for more than 10 years, he accepted the invitation and tried to refresh his musical skills. Although the first intentionwas only the ordinary rehearsal,it all turned into a new sordid band, which was then baptized by the name of MEGATHÉRION. Over time, the songs took to the right form and were professionally recorded in March 2017. Shortly after, Aíthōn asked Carnivore (vocalist in the CRUEL FORCE and SHRINE bands) to join the rest of the team. After just one rehearsal, in July of the same year, Carnivore adds his vocals, making the songs complete, and the band eventually records their material, which takes the form of a debut mini album (self-titled MEGATHÉRION). The recorded songs will appear on LP and CD under the banner of IRON PEGASUS RECORDS.MEGATHERION music is primitive, full of energy, simple, crude, straightforward and sort of raw. An attentive listener will be able to pick up some punk elements, apart from Metal, of course! The band is currently working on their new songs that will be recorded in 2018. So, you have been warned…

 1.Well, I am just done listening to EURYNOMOS and must say this music`s impressed me a lot and hey – you have just unleahsed another relentless attack –a nice punch right between my eyes. Man, tell me where you get all these ideas to make such fucking awesome music?

Aithon: Hails Leszek, nice to hear that you dig the sound of MEGATHÉRION. There is too much energy and creativity stuffed in our brain damaged skulls, it needed to be unleashed before we run amok and get locked up, hehe.

2. Ok, I will say the band name isn’t just a random one. Frankly, I was expecting the music to be more CELTIC FROST oriented rather than being (sonically) closer to EURYNOMOS. You know, riffs, guitar sound and so on. I would say it results from the fact both bands share same members, is this correct? Anyhow, awesome music in the old-school vein which is, in fact, near to my heart. Consider it flattery, man!

Aithon: Well, we knew that people expect a CELTIC FROST clone behind the name MEGATHÉRION, cause that’s how it usually is nowadays when bands choose a brandname that is connected to another band’s song or title. Not here. CELTIC FROST, or in our case it is more HELLHAMMER, is only one element of the metallic cocktail that we have with MEGATHÉRION. We have chosen the name because it sounded good in our ears plus it stands for heaviness and open kind of riffing IF you want to compare it with „To Mega Therion“, CELTIC FROST’s album.

The similarity to EURYNOMOS has several reasons… first of all, just like in EURYNOMOS, I do the major part of the songwriting, like all the riffs and songstructures, plus Magma (bass guitar) brings in his heavy bass and playing and creates a similar basic sound mix of bass and guitar. Additionally, I use the same pedals, guitar, amp and most important, it is the same studio. And Magma produced it as well, just like with EURYNOMOS. So that’s what both bands share here.
But there is a difference of course. The riffing is a bit more open, sometimes with a punk edge. And our vocalist „Carnivore“ has a total different vocal style compared to „Okkulto", they don’t have much in common and both singers have their very own style. And last but not least, drummer „Summanus" has a different punch than „Vesuv“. He has a more „vintage“ style of playing.

3. Dude, the logo of your band is amazing! Who`s responsible for this? It looks great and matches your music excellently!

Aithon: Thanks for the words, much appreciated. I did the logo. It is a very simple one, I wanted to give it a true old school vibe without making it look like Spaghetti Bolognese, hehe.

4. Initially MEGATHERION was a two-piece. Now you`ve got a full line-up. Does it mean MT will become a full time band and will play live shows?

Aithon: No, we were a three piece from the start. Magma, Summanus and myself. Carnivore joined in 2017. Live shows are possible. We need to finish our new songs so we have a full live set and then the sonic madness can begin.

5. I am curious to know why you guys didn’t decide on recording a full length album. Does it mean you want to make people more eager for your music (like EURYNOMOS who recorded three eps before recording a full length)?

The Mini album was only done to get the band into the Heavy Metal arena, just to introduce ourselves. You have to know that we already recorded the music before we had a singer. Means, we didn’t even know how the vocals would have been when the songs were recorded. So that already was a kind of challenge and 5 songs were enough for this type of recording condition and experience.
When we record a full album, it will be recorded as a full band where the vocalist will have his creative input in advance, before the material gets recorded. With the MLP our singer „Carnivore“ had to deal with what was recorded and had no input in the instrumental parts of the songs. This will change with future material, I hope.

6. Where did you record and how long did it take?

Aithon: We recorded at the „Crypts of Züchner“. I honestly don’t remember how long it took. Maybe 4-5 days for everything… drums, vocals, two guitars, bass, intro, etc. It has always been done with time in between, not like we recorded 4 days in a row.

7. Mere four tracks and an intro isn’t a lot, don’t you think. Well, I am sure you`re aware people want more!

Aithon: It actually is 5 songs plus an intro, but yeah, I hope that people want more. If they don’t want more, then it means we suck, hehe. But I guarantee you that the new material will kick ass no matter what.

8. Can you please tell me what your lyrics are about?

Aithon:„Carnivore“ and I shared the lyrics. My lyrics were done before he joined… like the title track, which is just a sort of introduction of the band, where it stands for. „Secret Invocations“ is about a city that is under attack, and the last hope to save it is to call the spirits of the forefathers and ask for help. „Built for Sin“ is about a sex maniac who is on the hunt for sinful flesh.

9. Devil seems to be one of more important and inspirational creatures when we talk about metal music. How important is this horned fellow as far as you guys are concerned?

Aithon:We are not a satanic band. The devil can be seen as a symbol of rebellion, that’s why the Heavy Metal scene most likely welcomed him with open arms.

10. Does hell exist? Is it possible that our world is The Kingdom of Darkness called Hades? Because, in my view, when we take a look atwhat’s going on right now in the world, well, it is pretty much what in the medieval times was considered hellish abyss, death, hunger, pest and incessant wars. Not a very optimistic picture, don’t you think? Seems like the fulfilment of this old prophecy of doom, the self-destruction of the civilisation, really.

Aithon:Just like in medieval times, hell was and is on earth. See the history of the catholic church and you can see what the real hell on earth was all about.. crusades, inquisition, torture, etc etc etc., I think their fictional „hell“ wasn’t more brutal than this. And still today lots of destructive things are going on world-wide, the conflicts in the middle East, etc etc etc. But there is always light at the end of the tunnel, there are always people who are positive and make the best of the situation.

11. How do you perceive the Islamic flood taking place in Europe? Islam is apparently aiming at world`s domination, the way it took place during the times of the Holy Crusades; when Christianstried to rule over the eastern culture. Isn’t it weird the opposite is happening these days?

Aithon:Well, I am here for the music first, that’s why I play in MEGATHÉRION. I don’t want to get too political. I respect everyone who respects me and I am tolerant towards people who are tolerant as well. I think organized religions have always been a big enemy of freedom… the more religious people are, the less tolerance they have. It doesn’t matter if it is islam, christianity, etc.

Oppression has always been a tool for people who have power, be it political, religious or just physical power. And for me, protecting and defending freedom is one of the most important things in life. Freedom or death!

12. And how to stop what is taking place right now in Europe? It’s getting out of control, don’t you think? What the Muslims do in Europe is hard to comprehend, why are they allowed to be behaving like this?

Aithon: I am not a politician, so I cannot say anything about it. There are lots of theories around and it is very difficult to say which one is right, only the ones who are in power know the true facts. So I better do not comment on this. But to bring in something positive, for me it is great is that they bring their kitchen traditions to Europe. North African and oriental food rules if it is well done.

13. We all have, for sure, been exposed to various medieval pictures, sculptures and so on of Devil. But I want to ask you whether it is in fact devil that equals evil? Or something else, what do you think? Or maybe the devil’s not as black as he is painted?

Aithon:The Devil as we know him from Christianity is just a demonized version of the Greek god Pan who was not a negative figure. He is a funny, wine and music loving pagan god that just got misused by the new conquerors.

The christians stole lots of symbols and gods from the pagans and used and misused them for their own purposes, to manipulate people. Knowing this, it all takes away the magic and power of so many christian symbols.

14.Well, some form of Gnosticism perceives Lucifer as a positive deity who is on friendly terms with man. Jahve was, contrarily, an evil and sly demiurge, the tormentor of the human race; quite the opposite of what the church claims. What do you think?

Aithon: Honestly, I don’t know, I have not looked into this subject yet.

15. Why are people so attracted to the dark side of nature? The Church pictured it as a threat and a menace, however, with time, all this has become more and more attractive and fascinating; and eventually became a source of inspiration for art. What do you think?

Aithon: I believe it has always been like this. There has always been that light versus darkness conflict and people are fascinated by it. And if people wouldn’t be attracted to dark side of nature, drama would never ever have evolved in antiquity. And drama is also a powerful tool in Heavy Metal music in case you are not listening to bubble gum Hair Metal stuff, hehe.

16. All right, please tell me what you want me to wish MEGATHERION this year?

Aithon: If you like, wish us a good hand and instinct for new ripping songs, so we can break your necks with the upcoming release, hehe.

17. That’s pretty much it, I think. Anything too add for OMMM readers? Thanks a lot, take care.

Aithon: Hail to all brothers and sisters. Keep it heavy as hell. Thanks a lot for your support Leszek. And keep the old school Metal flame burning! Expect the MINI ALBUM to be out soon!!!

Necronosferatus

>> How to record heavy metal numbers and enjoy it<<

We could not have missed the first gig Angel Witch played in Poland in their 39 years history. Armed with a list of questions and appropriate passes we entered the ŁódźMagnetofon backstage, where two forthcoming Englishmen waited: Kevin Heybourne (K) and Will Palmer (W).

You were one of the precursors of NWOBHM, but you did not managed to live on it. Was this the reason for the split of your first line-up? Or maybe the termination of the contract with EMI had something to do with it?
K: EMI contract went down the drain even before the first album came out. It was difficult to play the tours and make a living. Later, we started to fall behind the other bands from NWOBHM. There were some personal issues as well - with my divorce in particular. You know how it is... divorce, work, it all makes record companies stop believing in you and prefer to invest in other bands. Let alone that it was my ex-wife who got us into the label.

In the past, record labels were more important. They practically decided who would succeed and who would not.
K: Not much has changed. To this day itit is relevant, but not crucial. They choose who they prefer to support, and that's what makes the difference. Each label also specializes in something - some like heavy rock, others prog music. You need to know where to go to get attention. If you get their attention, you have a chance of a deal. Some labels invest all in one band. And it's bad, because if this band leaves the label, often the whole thing falls apart.

Let's move tomodern times. In 2008 you came back for good, finally with a stable line-up after many years.
K: It's our longest lasting line-up so far! We play a lot, we are on the road most of the time. We are currently a very close-knit band. We've known each other for years and it works great.

You're the chief of "Iron Fist Magazine",so you have a press spokesman and a band musician at the same time. That's probably good for the band?
W: You know, it's good for business. I did all the press promotion for the last album - maybe except Germany, where we had somebody from outside. Surely thanks to this we keep our finger on the pulse, but it's not easy. You must like it or at least learn to like it and live with shit that sometimes spills out. Sure, when it’s cool, it is the best thing in the world, but sometimes it's a havoc that wears you downcompletely. You're in the van and you're working all the time.

Why did you include the second guitarist in the band?
In: Because it brings a lot of good. The two live guitars are not so flat, everything sounds fuller. Same as on the oldest demos, where there were two guitars as well. Sure, Angel Witch can exist as a power-trio, and it works. There were a few difficult tricks on the first CD. Despite the fact that none of the original line-up likes the sound of this album, we, the younger generation, grew up on this album. We love harmonies and how this band works. It is difficult to play it live. The first album gave the foundation for Angel Witchfinally playing two guitars! Kevin got seriously relieved and it is certainly a lot easier for him to play. Admittedly, it required a slight rearrangement, but it's a good idea!

We are waiting for your new album!
 
W: So are we, but we have not finished yet! We have 4 completely finished numbers, maybe a few lines of text are missing. Added to this there are three almost finished pieces. One of them we will play tonight, one we could play, but probably will not do it. And we have two that we will leave as a surprise for later. You know, it's hard to say when it comes out, we have to practice some more. But you'll like it, it is going to be very heavy metal.

K: The whole thing is being born somewhere in our heads. We feel great about it. We even have some demos recorded on a computer, but it all has to come together in a moment we play it as a band.

The demos from the 70's have been recently put on bandcamp as MP3s. Are you planning to releasethem the right way someday?
You know, they are added as bonuses to the disc reissues. This material was also included on the “Sinister History” compilation. We put it on the bandcamp, where you can buy these track for any price as charity. For now, we have already given over 2,000 pounds tocharity!

A few more historical questions. What made you think that Deep Machine and Blind Fury were more likely to succeed than Angel Witch?
K: I did not think so.

Then why did you join them? To have a chance to just play?
K: I am a compulsive player. When things went bad at Angel Witch, I wanted to have some sort of getaway. Besides, I liked it, especially Blind Fury. It was also good to not have everything on your mind. I have never recorded anything with Blind Fury. When their vocalist wanted to bring the band together "anew", I withdrew. They recorded a full album, but they did not use my numbers. It's just a small episode in my past.

"Screemin 'n' Bleedin '" was much lighter and more commercial. Was this tendency somehow imposed on you?
K: We were in a small label back then. Hmm, those were different times, we were going in different directions ourselves. We changed our mind a little at the time.There was also different vocalist.

Why didn’t you want to sing then?

K: I decided it was better for someone else to do it instead of me. I wanted to focus on the guitar, not on using my the voice.

Have you had any control over the 80's releases? These compilations sucked balls!

K: I've never had control! The label came up with all these compilations, we did not authorize this.

Why did you transfer to California in the late 1980s?

K: Hmm, some personal matters, I would not like to discuss it in public.

You recruited some great musicians there: Tom Hunting, Lee Altus, John Torres...

K: Yes, it was a bit of a tendency to experiment. But it went great, I enjoyed playing with them all! A lot of awesome songs came to life, but they did not sound like Angel Witch. Same with "Screemin 'n' Bleedin '", it does not sound like us at all. The Californian line-up changed a lot, because they had a big influence on the music. This band has ceased to sound British!

When did you realize that you are a cult band?

K: Since 2008, when we saw so many people coming to see us. Look, even our younger musicians say they were brought up on our music<laughs>. But we had no idea that we had such an influence. All that mattered to us was to record heavy metal numbers and enjoy it.

Thank you for the interview.

Vlad Nowajczyk and Michał Jóźwik

Live Pics Marek Maciejewski

Proofreading and translation Beata Paraszczak

It was thanks to Johannes of Destruktion Records who provided me with their tape. Beasts of Faith isn’t quite a fresh release, that’s for sure. Whatever. ButI will tell you guys, this stuff has made my skull look like DESTRUCTION`s Infernal Overkill front cover. Indeed. Damn, this is good shit! I decided instantly I had to interview those guys. Ok, read on.

1. Well yeah, DEATHCULT formed back in 2010. Yet, this is not the very first band of yours, is this correct?

Hail! Thanks a lot you for your words. That’s right! All of us have an musical background before Deathcult came alive, and we actually do play in other bands as well like Antiversum, Temple ov Perversion, Punish, Traumalice and Midas Touch, to name some of the bands. We also knew us long time before Deathcult was founded.

2.When I listen to Beasts of Faith, I can only say how impressed I am to learn about the influence of Scream Bloody Goreover your music. It is a good thing, in my opinion, as I am stunned by the exactness of the atmosphere of the death metal scene of mid-80s your music can bring forth. ThisDEATHcover is just amazing, really. Please tell us some more about your fascination of old school death metal. How did it all start? What bands/albums did you discover first? Beside DEATH, what other bands have been you most crucial inspirations?

Thank you again for your words. That honors me to read! I can speak about me, when I say that I started to listen Death Metal back in the glory days (1993). Well, about the start I think it's a common thing, that back then in the early 90s, I came in touch with all that classic stuff like "altars of madness, clandestine/left hand path, Deicide, butchered at birth, all Death album till ITP, Autopsy, Broken Hope, Tiamat, Obituary, Napalm Death, Necrovore and so" but also all the classic Black Metal stuff. That was a great time to discover extreme acts without internet. After a while in the late 90s I also start to listen bands like Cryptopsy and Dying Fetus when those two released their first two records. But those never get me the same fascination than the other underground acts like many Scandinavian ones like Hetshead, Gorement, Sentenced and others. Still today I only prefer the classic death metal because there is no other form of Death Metal at all. No modern trigger/technical plastic crap! I always preferred the morbid, blasphemous and satanic acts instead of the technical bands.

Back in the days I also spend a lot of time in record stores discovering new bands and reading fanzines. At this time, musically I took my first steps, but nothing serious.

You can see that background as my main inspiration for writing music in Deathcult. I think that’s one of the main reasons why Deathcult sounds more classic than mostly other bands nowadays.

3. What else, beside music, inspires you to compose this music of death you deal with?

Death in general.

4. Death, often it seems, is perceived as liberation of soul and leaving the substance behind, the substance that, to some extent, limits us. So what is death to you? The end or rather the beginning of the spiritual world? What happens to man when he dies?

Well, that’s a romantic and typical human point of view you describe. Also for me a spiritual world does not exist.I think it's all about energy and nothing more and at least it's simply said all about physics. What doesn't mean it’s a easily pronouncement and more complex for sure, but there is no heaven or hell. For example:A sorcerer who summons "a Demon" does not mean, that he's summon a creature from the underworld or a world beyond. He's working with cosmic energy, negative or positive. Also those terms are relative. Categorizing is a human thing, what means it doesn't matter at all. It's only our limited view of reality.But maybe I'm wrong and I will rot in hell for eternity. And how Bruce Dickinson sung in Iron Maidens 22 acacia avenue: "That's the place where we all go, You will find it's warm inside, The red light's burning bright tonight".

5. Do you believe in after-life?

Not in a religious context. When we die, energy will be setting free from the vessel called body. Some people call that "soul" but I don't agree either on that point.

There is an very interesting fact, that scientist already accepted that the "soul" exist. Some also believe in an after-life in some way. I'm curious what we can more expect from since in the future.

6.Do you believe in any unnatural forces? If so, how do you think The Horned Lord looks like?

I believe that all forces are natural. Just how I already said before, I don't think there's good or bad, no heaven, no hell and no Gods.

7. Do you believe in reincarnation or parallel universes?

Not in reincarnation but I believe in the string theory. That also can be an explanation for many "unnatural" phenomenon.

8. On November 28, 2012 you guys released your first demo. Please tell us some more about it, where did you record this stuff and how many copies were out/sold/traded?

We recorded the demo in spring/summer 2012 by our own at the studio the OSA Crypt ( what stands for Obscure Sacrificial Audience). The same studio where all the bands from our circle had recorded their music and still do. Also many other non-circle bands already record demos and full lengths at the OSA crypt.

All deathcult releases were recorded there and we also plan to record the next full length there.

There were 3 editions about 100 Tapes and each edition were sold out quickly. The first edition even in less than 24 hours as I remember.

9.How did the underground maniacs react to your music? Are you happy with how it all turns out?

Yes, we are satisfied with the huge positive reaction we got. Our demo tapes were sold out quickly and the many positive reviews for the E.P. and the full length were also great. I can speak for the band when I'm saying that we are thankful for every single support and also for the great work and support from all labels we work/worked with.

That does not mean to rest for us. 

10. Two years later, Me Saco UnOjo Records released your two-track ep with a really jet-black sound. Similar a bit to BOLT THROWER! What do you think?

We are satisfied with Jesus his work. The EP were sold many times and I prefer the mixing and mastering on this one. Cam Sinclair (ex Diocletian) has done a really good job. Actually the songs were written back in 2010/11, except the first and last chapter (written in 2012) for the drunkard in the skies.

That's the first time I read such a comparison. But yes, both productions are pounding.

11. On September 26, 2016 your Beast of Faith was out, and in my view, this has been your best recording to date. Please tell me which was first? Tape or cd version? The reason I am asking is the layout of the tape version is just amazing; it looks much better than the cd one. Why do these two differ from each other, by the way?

The CD version was released first in late September 2016 by mighty Invictus Productions. In January 2017 Iron Bonehead released the vinyl version.

We already were in contact with Johannes from destruktion Records before the album was released and he asked for the tape version. We decided to work with him because I already knew him. He's also a friend of me btw, so it was clear for me that in some way we will work together.

We had in our minds that the tape version should be something very exclusive. The artwork was first for a "exclusive shirt done by Antï Graphics" but at the end we decide to use it as the alternate BOF cover and its also fits better to the tape format than the LP cover. There is also very limited backpatch version of the album cover which can be ordered by muerto en la cruz from the states.

 12. We live in interesting times, don?t we? All these traditional media like tape or vinyl are back yet it seemed years ago that the electronic media would prevail and would, in result, kill off CD, for instance. But it didn?t happen. How do you see it? What are the reasons?

For sure there is a little revival for that media if we talk about mainstream. It's a trend and you can see all those little hipster girlies at the flea market looking for Nirvana vinyls. But at least it was always a part of metal, since I listen to this music back in the early nineties until today. Many major labels begun with all those repress stories and they still going, what I personally don't like at all. But in a other way it is also a chance for the next generation to grow up and get in touch with analog media.

 13. A year later Iron Boneheadreleased Beasts of Faith in the vinyl format. How did it feel to hold the vinyl version of yourmusic inyour own hands?

Actually Iron Bonehead released beasts of faith three and a half months after the official CD release date. The cover artwork were drawn by Seventh Bell and once again Antï Graphics made the layout. So we already knew what we have to expect. We are always satisfied to hold our own records in our hands. Vinyl is the best way to represent the visual and musical art and concept of a band.

14. Is there any chance that all these kids who`ve always been playing their music from mp3files will follow their parents and start collecting vinyl releases? 

 Of course! if you are into real music you automatically get in touch with vinyl . It's more about the youth with their crapy taste in modern mainstream music that never get into it. But for example in rock, metal and other subgenres the vinyl presence is still very strong. There are many collectors outside, old and young ones. You have discogs and facebook with a lot of vinyl trade/sale groups and also at every festival there are many vinyl dealers. There are no chances needed, because it's already happen. 

 15. What are advantages and disadvantages of the Internet, music-wise? It is a great promotion tool; on the flipside, many people download the music illegally. How do you see it?

We don't live in the past, so we have to learn to use those tools to spread our music and promote the band. In one side you can promote your band worldwide quickly and spread it everywhere. At the other side there are no more secrets or myths about bands. The magic you had before the internet got lost.

For example: Venom worked perfectly back in the their early days. The band was mysterious, members had pseudonyms and most people didn't anything about Venom. Today everyone can get all information about a band and music from the internet.

If you are in Black Metal band nowadays it's very difficult to stay anonymous.

 16. Do you guys play live? Is there any chance to see you perform live this year?

Yes, we already played some several shows around Europe in the past and will keep going in the future.For this year we are not planning that much live activities because we in the writing process for the second full length. So there will be some few chosen gigs for 2018 as for example a performance at the "raging death date" in Germany.There are also plans to conquer eastern Europe in the future, but nothing concretely at the moment.

17. On July 20, 2017, a split release with a bunch of other bands was out. Can you please tell us some more about it?

Well, actually it is a split from the C.H.A.O.S. circle, were all our bands are involved. Each song is dedicated to our fallen brother D. Virgin Killer, namely Domi Keller, who played bass in Deathcult.

The circle was founded back in 2011, when we decided, that all our bands should work under the banner of chaos. The main idea was/is to support each other. On that split you can find 90% of all bands we are in. The chaos sigil (the flaming triangle combined with the inverted cross and the rotting eye)can be find on each release of a circle band beside Bözler.

We also run a festival called "CHAOS RITVAL" in the name of our circle. The concept is a high quality underground line up, mixed by traditional genres from Heavy Metal to Black Metal. Also per minimum one band of the C.H.A.O.S. circle has to be a part of it. A festival made by maniacs for maniacs.

18. Let?s talk about your lyrics, shall we? They deal with religious and apocalyptic issues, so please tell us what inspires you to write about the said things? Is it history or art ? these seem like some sort of inexhaustible source of inspiration for death metal music, don?t you think?

Creating art is something that every culture does, it is an expression of "spirit of the age", of things that matters of emotions, of moments or simplified just things who are relevant to the artist. And I think Death Metal itself is a kind of art and there is also a good thing, if you are just a bit into all that things you can separate the foul apple from the jewels. For me there is nothing unfruitful as when I listen to a band I really like and I think wow, that is intense, and by reading the lyrics I only find generic boredom... that kills it. What I mean is, there are tons of bands who are just scratching on the top of the theme and the lifestyle (not just Death Metal) and they don't really create the serious tunes we love to hear. And it's not just the sound, it is mostly the complete bundle, from the visual output to the music. Here I think is the point you're asking about the lyrics. For me, the lyrical concept must fit the output as whole. The lyrics had to be the mind and the music the spirit - like body and soul if you want. Personally I don't think our lyrics are apocalyptic. They are more introverted or reflecting on personal issues, but wrapped into a raiment. I won't say it's poesy but it is also about the word as methaphoric force. The fact that our lyrics deals with religious themes are at one hand the concept of our band and on the other also because of personal experiences. Religion to me is also extremely diversified and gives me a lot of inspiration to form thoughts into a shape. It's quite lyrical alchemy and of course somethimes things are not what they seems.

19. How about the Islam flooding our European continent? Can this situation lead to another worldwar? Iam asking since it all looks like war to me these days. Australia andJapan seem the onlycountries able and willing to stop this madness. Europe, well, not so much. What should be done to handle this situation, in your view?

 Well, in a world where the actual and the previous president of the united states are/were nominated for the nobel peace prize, there is something going completely wrong. There is nothing more to say about that. Also we aren't a political band at all.

 20. Time to wrap up, I think, so please tell us a bit about your plans this year, thank you. Any new stuff in the works?

2018 will be a quiet year if it comes to live activities because we are working intensely for the second full length. The songwriting process is going well and we already have the concept direction.

The plan is to enter the studio this year but it's not definitely now. Time will tell but for sure latest in early 2019 we start with the recording. Be prepared for Death Metal.

21. Ok, that? s it, I think. All the best and thanks a lot for your amazing answers. Hails to the DEATHCULT horde. Anything to add for our readers? Feel free, the floor is all yours. Your musicsurely proves the metal underground music is doing really fine.

Thank you for the support! Evil always returns!

NecronosferatuS