American Heathen has never achieved such fame as their friends from Exodus or Testament.The fact of being under the radar does not mean, however, some loss in quality - quite the opposite.The band presented have always presented a high level and constantly tried to explore new areas within thrash metal genre. During Mystic Festival I was lucky enough to speak for a while with band’s singer- David White.

Hi! It’s nice to have you in Oldschool Metal Maniac Magazine. Let’s start with more recent times. There’s a ten years of difference between “The Evolution Of Chaos” and “Empire of The Blind”. That’s a lot- what caused it?

I’d say it’s mostly because of Exodus and Slayer. Gary Holt was filling in for Jeff Hanneman.

After Jeff passed away Gary joined Slayer as a full time guitarist. Kragen Lum had to temporary replace him in Exodus. With those shifts it was a bit difficult for us, especially that in the meantime we’ve signed a record deal with Nuclear Blast.

The fact that Lee (Altus) and Kragen were gone slowed done our writing process. Consequently- during that time Kragen was writing all the time and he wrote almost all of the record.

And that was good, because we knew that the clock was ticking and we had to release the record as soon as possible. We ran over Kragen’s material and decided to do it. But I agree, it took a lot of time.

You’re pretty close personally with Exodus. Do you think that it’s affecting Heathen directly? I mean the time aspect is pretty obvious, but do you think that Heathen is gaining some extra popularity because people recognize “Exodus guys” playing there?

There are good sides and bad sides of it. Lee is in Exodus for a full time and that makes us slowing down a bit. Even when we were putting together “The Evolution of Chaos” it caused some delays and we had to do 2005 tour with no record.

But we did it anyway - we were about to finish the material and we were aware of the fact, that some labels were constantly looking at us. When we went with Kragen to studio, Lee was touring a lot. And it was tough for him - he had to come home, go to the studio etc.

Luckily, the studio was very kind for us - they understood our situation and allowed us to take our time. But it was hard. When Gary joined Slayer it opened some opportunities for Kragen, but it made us having two guitarists less available. After “The Evolution of Chaos” we did three tours with Exodus, and it was good because we could play for their crowed.

We shared the bus with them etc. It was advantageous. Now we’re headlining the tour, and we took Toxik with us. But it’s only sixteen shows.

Than we’ll come back again in July to do a lot of shows with Exodus and Testament. So answering to your question - sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad, but we take it as it is and we’re trying to get some positives from it. And I don’t have to have a tour all the time - if I’m not playing I can stay home with my family or focus on the job that I love -teaching.

This time with Toxik, later Exodus and Testament - every time you are in Europe you are a part of some super-strong line-up. Is it intentional? Are you picky when it comes to choosing the bands that you want to play with?

Sure! Of course - sometimes we’re lucky, like with 1991 tour we did with Sepultura.

At first it was supposed to be Heathen, Metal Church and Sepultura, but Metal Church received an invitation to do tour with Judas Priest and Alice Cooper, so they took that and the band that replaced them in our tour was Sacred Reich.

After that we always wanted to have good tour and good shows. We also want to play with the people we like. When we did a tour with Overkill I didn’t know them that well. But that was a good tour and a lot of fun.Besides, Destruction also took part in that tour, and they’re our good friends. It’s strategic for us to always do a good tour.

Before COVID hit we were going to do a tour with Potential Threat - they’re good, they’re great friends and they’ve never been there, so we wanted to give them a shot. Unfortunately, pandemic happened. Right now Jim (DeMaria), our drummer also plays in Toxik so we wanted to help them, especially that they started in similar years as we do.

And they’re amazing, so I’m excited for that tour. We care about our fans and we want them to enjoy the tour. We aim for our fans thinking “wow that was great” after every gig of the tour.

Are there any plans for the new record? It’s been two years already.

Yeah, sure! Right now we all live in a different parts of country - Jim is in New York, I’m in Florida, Kragen is in the south and Jason is in LA. During the pandemic it was hard to get together, but everyone was working on stuff.

After all the tours we’re going to go into studio in October.

We have some material already that we need to put together. We hope to have a record next year. Sure, I said it last time and finally it was ten years. But the plan is to have it next year and to go with it to festivals.

I was wondering about Recovered compilation from 2004. It’s pretty unusual - there are some older songs, some covers. What was idea behing it?

After “Victims of Deception” we were thinking about doing an EP with one or two covers, but we were unsure about budget. We showed label our idea of doing “Kill The King” and our unfinished ideas of “Hellbound” and “Eye of The Storm”.

Later we went to the studio to do more songs - we did “The Holy War” and “Death on Two Legs”. We wanted to put something out. It was just after Lee was gone to play with Die Krupps.

We finished that and put everything on tape in 1993. We were sitting in the studio and listening it - we got the project started. Engineer played one of the songs and the tape started to slow down. He opened the machine and entire tape was black. You know, tapes were old and started to fall apart. They were baked.

We had to try to put it on digital format. Luckily we made it and finished all the recordings. We decided to release it ourselves, which was a huge thing for us. Sure, we were thinking to re-release it and add some songs, kinda like Metallica did with Garage Inc.

It’s good to do some covers, to face your inspirations. “Death on Two Legs” was my favorite- it was amazing to record our version of Queen song!

Let’s go a bit into your past - what are your memories from your time in Blind Illusion?

When Blind Illusion started it was me and Alvin Petty (artist who did the cover art to “Victims Of Deception”). He played the guitars and I was playing the drums.

Mark Biedermann was my neighbor and we were like three musketeers. But later Mark moved out of town, so we mostly hanged out during the weekends.

I took my drums to Alvin’s house and we wanted to make a band. Mark saw it and asked to join the band and got a bass guitar. Mark got really good and played also the guitar and started a band. Alvin left and we found another drummer.

At one party when we were jamming and listening Boston I started singing and the guys told me that I was really good. The next day Mark called me and asked to join the band.

I agreed and joined. I was playing with Chris Olsen by that time in some small band and took him with me, so we have established first serious line up- it was Mark, Chris, Bret (Hern) and me. I loved that band - we did demo with Chris, which was recently released on vinyl and CD. It contained four or five songs. We also recorded ten songs live - everything we had to pick which ones we’ll put on demo. I didn’t even remembered it.

Mark sent it to me recently and I forgot all songs. Anyway, we did that demo and it got into Rampage Radio. It was “WOW” for us, you know, we were in the radio! Unfortunately, back at those time nobody was booking metal or rock bands in Bay Area - everything was dominated by the new wave. We couldn’t get a gig.

We played parties and we had hundreds of people, but we wanted to take things to the next level. It was frustrating that we couldn’t. Some people left the band. After that one of the radio stations started a thing called “Metal Monday”. After that three clubs started doing that shows. I called Mark and we started doing it seriously.

Exodus blasted also in the area - we went to school with those guys. Exodus also played a lot at the parties, so when “Metal Monday” happened they were ready.

And they were force to be reckoned with. It started buzzing with Bay Area, especially that a bit later Metallica appeared and we all know the story. When Blind Illusion started I was seventeen and I was there until I was twenty three.

That six years seems like a lifetime. But at some point I was no longer happy, couldn’t get along with Mark. I went later on to some gig and met Lee’s girlfriend and I told here that I was about to go for an audition for some band.

She told me that Lee’s band was looking for a singer. I went to jam with them and it happened. Mark and me are close friends now Mark has a great band and I’m super happy for them.

Why your time in Defiance lasted only three years?

The whole metal scene died in Bay Area back then. It was just frustrating. Doug Harrington (with whom I have a close friendship later) was a man with whom he did not get along. Nothing happened musically, nothing was going on.

And if I don't feel joy, it's a waste of time. I had to leave. Anyway, Jim also left then. You know, we wrote new material that didn't sound like Defiance - they went more into Machine Head direction.

But I didn't feel happy there, avoided rehearsals, and just got tired. I have a lot of fun with Heathen, even if we don’t rehearse a lot. I also have other projects, sometimes playing drums here and there. I even have a reggae band! I get a lot of joy from it.

It’s hard to imagine you playing reggae.

You know, I grew up listening to different kinds of music. I’m influenced by Bob Marley, his philosophy and state of mind. I’m a bit of a hippy. I like good energy.

Last word goes to you - is there anything you’d like to tell our readers?

I just want to thank for support. Keep metal together, support your local bands and metal in general.

We do it for you.

Wojciech Michalak 

 It was quite a surprise for me, when Awakening Records decided to re-release Bezerker from Australia.

But what a pleasant one - band unknown to me (and I guess that to many other readers as well) turned out to be a pure, hidden gem of technical thrash.

I didn’t want to waste any time and contacted their bass player, Keith Stevens immediately.

Below you can read what I’ve learned from him

Juan Garcia (guitars) and Rob Alaniz (drums) are very proud of the new EvilDead record. And they should be, nobody expects returns like this!

Congratulations on the amazing comeback! This is a very strong record. No weak points!

Juan Garcia: Thank you, I think it’s a solid collection of Thrash Metal songs, and we worked very hard on making the best EVILDEAD album possible.

Rob Alaniz: Thank you! We definitely made sure that this record was “all killer, no filler.” It was very important to have a group of very strong songs. We are very pleased with the end result. It’s like 1988 all over again!

One of the songs dates back to your first reunion, 2011. It was originally recorded with Steve Nelson on vocals. Did you re-record the whole song this time?

Juan Garcia: Yes of course, the original version on “Blasphemy Divine” was recorded with Steve Nelson on vocals; we also recorded a demo a few years ago with Phil on vocals with Bill Metoyer producing. Then we recorded a new studio version; which is the one on the new album also produced by Bill Metoyer.

Rob Alaniz: The lyrics to “Blasphemy Divine” were written by a co-writer friend of ours; Bob Rangel, who contribute lots of lyrics of this album.

Speaking of the first reunion. The line-up was much different from this of today. Why? And why was it so short-lived?

Rob Alaniz: The first reunion had Mel Sanchez on bass and my roommate at the time Steve Nelson on vocals. We were fortunate to play live shows and also do West coast dates, and a mini-tour of Europe in 2010. There was some tension in the band and it had become more of a chore and no fun so we went into hibernation.

Juan Garcia: When we first reformed it was more about playing live, and having fun, and we did record the “Blasphemy Divine” song and put it out on the internet for free; eventually the line-up at the time was short lived because we were not all on the same page about what we wanted to accomplish; however we did do some great shows together, but fell flat on moving forward. Once we became more focused on direction and what we wanted to accomplish as a band, and once Phil Flores was able to get relief from his family commitments we were able to regroup.

How do you recall Thrasho De Mayo, playing for such a young crowd?

Juan Garcia: I recall a sold-out show with a new generation of Thrash-Metal fans and of course the diehard fans as well. Los Angeles has always been supportive of our style of music and for that we are grateful.

Rob Alaniz: That was our first indication of the scope of “new” fans and it was shocking. All these “kids” were fully into our music and showed support. It was definitely a great way to kick off an official reunion. It’s a shame that it all soured within a few months later. The amazing thing to me was about 90% of these kids weren’t even born when the debut release came in 1988.

Who has been the driving force behind the recent reunion?

Rob Alaniz: The catalyst was a performance in 2016 for my 50^th birthday. It showed us that we could continue without Mel and that there was still a reason for us to move on. Cut to current times where we could sellout smaller venues and do well on merchandise. We owe it all to the “new fans” and their rabid intensity. They have truly motivated us.

Juan Garcia: Rob made the effort to contact everyone and ask us if we wanted to do a set of EVILDEAD music for his 50^thbirthday, and to me it seemed like a fun idea. The logical step was to record some demos and that led to more live-shows and worldwide interest, and here we are today with a brand new album about to be unleashed on the Metal community.

It can easily be heard, that your work with Body Count has an influence on the record. What new have you learnt from playing with Ice-T?

Juan Garcia: I think both bands are totally different in my opinion, but I can see some similarities like both bands have a heavy sound live and on record; however the production is totally different between both bands. The main thing I’ve learned from being in Body Count is to relax, have and just play guitar; just control what I can control.

Phil’s vocals… I’d say he’s influenced by Ice-T a lot, and it’s all for good! Was it a collective idea to use spoken word instead of screaming?

Juan Garcia: Phil has been singing in Punk and Thrash Metal bands since the mid 80’s. I think Phil has his own style, and Ice-T has his own unique style, both are different and great in my opinion. There’s plenty of screaming on this new EvilDead album.

How long was the creative process for “United States Of Anarchy”? Are there any more songs as old as “Blasphemy Divine”?

Rob Alaniz:  One song in particular “Greenhouse” EvilDead used to play it in late 1989; which was then our “new” song. A good portion of these songs have been kicking around since then, later in our other band Rise Inc. and later Rise which was a completely different approach as a more “Florida-styled” death metal band. I guess you could say that the USOA has been processing for 30 years!

Juan Garcia: Thankfully there was material from the past; we re-tooled it in the EvilDead style and tuning; The creative process as a band for this band started with “Blasphemy Divine” with Steve Nelson on vocals. Like Rob mentioned they had demo recordings of completed songs from the past, and pieces of other ideas; but everything was re-worked in the EvilDead style, and of course EvilDead wrote newer songs as well. This record has influences and overtones from all previous EvilDead records and when everyone got together and threw their ideas in the ring we were able to make some great things happen 

According to your lyrics, you’re really angry at today’s world. What drives you crazy the most?

Rob Alaniz: Bob’s lyrics are timeless as they are totally relevant today despite being written over 29 years ago. I guess you could call him a pessimist in the true sense of the word. We liked to jokingly refer to him as NostroBobus for he easily predicted all of the chaos that has ensued after all these years. It’s certainly topical and totally relevant now. Phil’s lyrics have continued the path of truthfully insightful concepts and ideas. Evildead has never shied away from controversial subject matter and figured we’d continue with that ethos. “If it ain't broken, don’t fix it”…

Ed Repka’s cover art is one o his best recently. How did you make him not copy/paste his old works into it?

Juan Garcia: We had this concept for album cover art for over 25 years; the idea and concept was influenced by the movie “Soylent Green” that came out in the mid 70’s. starring Charlton Heston. We also were a bit influenced by the Los Angeles riots of 1992. It’s a bit strange how it’s very topical to current conditions in the United States.

Whose idea was the lounge intro? Do you know Richard Cheese, by chance?

Rob Alaniz: That was Me, and Albert. The intro has been around since 1990 as well. So, at least Ten years before Richard Cheese! Albert and I are big fans of Jazz and we decided to pay homage to that influence by recording a jazz-like intro featuring his best “Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass” influenced.  I think it’s fun, and shows a bit of diversity and maturity. We wanted to make the intro sound like an old 1940’s radio broadcast but, we left it alone as-is. It offers a bit of respite before becoming an ice pick to the forehead!

Your merch store is empty. When are you planning some new items?

Juan Garcia: Yes, it should be updated shortly; we sold out of a lot of merchandise, and were so busy with recording this album, and then the pandemic hit, so we left our merch store alone. We are working on new designs and everything should be updated soon.

What does the future hold in store for Evildead? With touring impossible due to covid, is making plans doable at all?

Rob Alaniz: We hope that we can get out there in support of this new chapter soon. Planning is tough now as there really is no way to see if, or when this pandemic ends. In the meantime, we will try to do as other bands have with live- streams, and special direct-to-fan events. Despite all, barring any personal health constraints, we’re all ready to go! Here’s to hoping its sooner than later!

Juan Garcia: We are working on a few things to promote this album. We would like to do live shows when possible; including possible Europe festivals, and selective shows.

When Evildead initially disbanded, you continued as Terror. What can you say about that band?

Juan Garcia: Terror was a continuation of EvilDead for me with lyrics in Spanish. It was a project and we signed with a record company in Mexico and released one album. If I was to go back in time; I would made a better effort to keep EvilDead together. We had lost focus at the time, and then the grunge movement hit, and it was a difficult time for Thrash bands on the West coast.

What’s the current status of Masters Of Metal?

Juan Garcia: Bernie Versailles sustained a brain injury. We have decided to put everything on the shelf and not continue as a band. We did release a full album and a collection a few EPs. I don’t see us continuing as a band without Bernie Versailles.

One last question: why is the bonus track available on vinyl only, not on the digipak CD?

Juan Garcia: The bonus track is a song called “Planet Claire” we re-recorded in our style and it’s a bonus track for the vinyl version and also included on the digital version. It’s a song that we’ve been wanting to cover for sometime.

Thanks for the interview!!!

Juan Garcia: Thank you and we hope you enjoy the new EvilDead album “United States of Anarchy” and hope to see you on tour in 2021.

Vlad Nowajczyk

Photos: SPV

I admit that the recent actions of Sodom, the first full-length of the Thai Nuclear Warfare and just the debut album Ancestor, are three reasons why I have been watching the Thrash scene much more carefully, one I have neglected so far. And Ancestor is at the forefront here! This young team from China plays as if we wanted many veterans of the scene to play. They take handfuls of Teutonic Thrash under the sign of Destruction, Kreator or Sodom, adding to it something from the old American scene, like Death Angel and Dark Angel influences. I invite you to read the conversation I had last year with Li Meng - guitarist and leader of the band

1. Hi there Li Meng! What's new in Ancestor's camp? As far as I know there is a new album coming next year, right?

Hi buddy, I’m very excited to be interviewed by Oldschool Metal Maniac. We performed a massive tour in Asia in February for our last album, Lords of Destiny. After that, we have hardly scheduled a concert. As you said, we are currently working on our next album, but before we release that we will have a new song included on a compilation of Asian thrash metal.

2. I guess it's your very first interview for the Polish Metal press. Do you have a chance to reach European scene already? Johannes Chan from Destruktion Records is Ancestor's great supporter and I remember reading interview with you in his Bestial Desecration fanzine.

Yes, this is my first interview with Polish metal press. Previously, we were invited to perform in the Czech Republic, but during that time we were on tour in Asia. Johannes is a great guy; he’s really obsessed with the music of ANCESTOR. The interview that you mention was actually done by another guy named Jero. He owns a label called Eerie Hint Productions. The tape versions of the first ANCESTOR album and the EP were both released by him. Both Johannes and Jero are real underground metal maniacs! I'm very honored to have their support and help.

3. Let's get back to the beginnings of the band to introduce you a bit to the Polish maniacs. How you guys met and what inspired you then to start making your own music?

Hail, Polish maniacs, we are ANCESTOR, an underground thrash metal band from Beijing, China.

The band was formed in 2004 by our drummer and myself. There was only two of us at first. I recall, back in the summer of 2007, we got an opportunity to perform, so we found a temporary guitarist and a bass player to join us to complete the group for the show. After the show, a maniac fan came to us and insisted to join the band, so the duo became a trio! That was how we found our first official bass player. During this time in 2007, a true barbarian carrying a Jackson showed up and he became our guitarist. Finally, in 2009, for the first time, ANCESTOR got a complete line-up.

4. Your Thrash Metal art seems to be highly influenced by the old European bands, especially the ones from Germany, like Kreator, Sodom and Destruction. Do you have any memories when you listen to these for the first time? Why you have decided on such style instead of more popular US Thrash? Does your band name means that correspondence with the European Thrash godfathers?

Yes, our music is influenced by a large number of European metal bands. I am fascinated by the solemn, dark artistic atmosphere that they create. I also like US Thrash, such as the great MEGADETH, but when I heard KREATOR’s Pleasure to Kill, I knew this was the style of music I really wanted to play! Underground, brutal and aggressive! In fact, our name comes from a Chinese band called OVERLOAD. They have a famous single called The Shades of Ancestors. They were the very first Chinese Thrash Metal band.

5. Heard, that from the very beginning the band suffered from frequent line-up changes and because of that 10 years needed to pass to officially release your first material - "Age of Overload" EP. Could your recall that period and why it took so much time to stabilize the band?

From the beginning, only the drummer and I have been constant members. In 2008, we moved from our hometown to Beijing in order to see how far ANCESTOR could go. We’ve had a number of lineups - musicians came and left. In the past, this has made the band’s future unclear. The most crucial issue that we’ve collided with in the past is finding genuine, underground metal musicians. This is really difficult! When it comes to musicians in Beijing, some of them can be exceptional, skilled in technique, but they know nothing about metal music, leaving underground metal behind. As far as I’m concerned, without the underground spirit, a musician is only soulless and machine-like. The songs on Age of Overload were written and ready for recording in 2010, but at that time we went through the first major lineup change, so recording the album had to be postponed. 7 years later, in 2017, we successfully released Age of Overload on the band’s 10th anniversary.

6. So far you have one EP and a debut album, what was the response on both materials in China and other countries you've managed to reach? For me, and to be honest, such bands like your are the hope of Thrash scene.

Thanks for your kind words! Here in China metal fans are more familiar with US Thrash, Retro Thrash and Modern Thrash. So many of them don’t really understand what we are doing. We didn’t get much following after the release of the album. So, we were very surprised to be featured in several international metal music magazines and websites. Lords of Destiny was even included in some of their 2018 top 5 or top 10 lists. As a Chinese thrash metal band, this has made us feel more confident with the release and we consider this a huge accomplishment. Our achievements have encouraged us to forge ahead and put out even more heavyweight thrash metal assaults in the future.

7. Do you have any special memories connected with the recording of "Lords of Destiny" and concerts you gave to promote the album?

We started recording Lords of Destiny in May of 2018 with our former bass player, Zhang Jinliang. Age of Overload was also recorded by him and he did an excellent job with both albums.

The most memorable thing about recording Lords of Destiny is that Inner Struggle was written the day before we recorded it. We didn’t have any time to rehearse it. We just recorded it. On August 18, 2018, we took part in a gig called Thrashing Madness Attack, which was the official release date for the album. Then we started a large-scale Asian tour which lasted until February this year. The last stop was True Thrash Fest in Japan. There were about 50 gigs on this touring circuit, which here in China is considered unprecedented for an extreme metal band.

8. Could you tell me how the extreme Metal scene in China looks like? Could you recommend any bands, releases for us to check?

I don't think the way that China’s Extreme Metal is developing is proper. Many of the older bands don’t desire to continue, while the newer bands are lured by profit. These people lack an essential element of metal music—the true underground spirit. China also lacks excellent and fair metal music media. Fans no longer focused on music as before, they prefer to buy T-shirts, patches, anything that looks good and makes them seem metal. Even though I still find the Extreme Metal environment in promising. There are still some good bands I'd like to recommend, such as Dugu, Skeletal Augury, Holokastrial, Rupture, The Metaphor, Deathpact, Hellfire, Hellward, and Chaotic Aeon.

9.When talking about influences and stuff you listen to, I bet you do not limit yourself to Thrash only. What other genres are among your favourites, bands, maybe records if you like to mention a few? Are you going to add some Black/Death elements to your Ancestor's music on the upcoming record?

Besides Thrash Metal, I listen to a lot of Black Metal and Death Metal... I think the classic albums of the '80s and '90s influences every new band and will continue to do so until the day when there is no underground metal music on earth. I think the following bands are the ones that every metalhead must listen to, such as: KREATOR, BATHORY, SODOM, DESTRUCTION, PROTECTOR, POISON, AGRESSOR, DESASTER, MERCILESS, DEATH, POSSESSED, EGZEKUTHOR, TORMENTOR , SACRIFICE, DESTROYER 666, INCUBUS, DEAD HEAD, MESSIAH, MASSACRA, PESTILENCE, SADUS, SEPULTURA, NIFELHEIM, IMMORTAL, AURA NOIR and NECROMANTIA. There are too many great bands and they all have affected what music I create and the path that my life is all about. If I had to mention only one album, it has to be Pleasure To Kill. As far as I’m concerned, it's the best Thrash album ever and will never be surpassed. ANCESTOR’s next album will be more aggressive and will have a touch of Black/Death elements.

10.When mentioning an upcoming release there is a matter of tour as well, are there any plans for a Europe gigs, visiting Poland maybe?

A European tour is and has been our dream all along. If all goes well, maybe next year.

Currently, we are looking for a booking agency. Hopefully, we could take our new killer album to the underground metal scene in Europe! See you in Poland, man!

11. You are also a men behind Awakening Records, am I correct? You have already released the Ancestor's debut under this label, but also the reissue of "Gloomy Night Stories" by Inferno Requiem and Nightbound self-titled EP. Both bands are completely different, on one hand there is a Hard Rock stuff, and on the other raw Black Metal. I guess you are not limiting yourself to only extreme art. Please tell me how you got started with releasing stuff and what inspired you to do so?

Yes, you are right! I started Awakening Records with two friends in 2017. Both of them are 666 % pure metalheads. Personally, I prefer extreme metal of the '80s and '90s，their tastes are a lot more across-the-board than mine. So, AR’s releases are not limited to just Black, Death and Thrash.

No matter what, we all share the same viewpoint: to pursue high-quality metal music and produce high-quality records. I believe every diehard dreams of owning their own label to distribute records of the bands that they love. I had this dream 20 years ago when I was just an uninformed kid. Now I am finally realizing this dream, though there is still a lot of things I need to learn. Because of this, I would like to share my appreciation to all the underground metal music labels!

12.Now something different but still connected with the label. What is your opinion on downloading music, its digital version and the situation of the physical stuff? I think you are strongly defending the vinyl, cd, tape format and its quality.

Thank you for your kind words about Awakening Records. Yes, times are changing, science and technology are growing strong. Every new step produces both good and bad influences. When I started to listen to extreme metal, many of the older underground bands did not have their albums reprinted yet, and express delivery was not as convenient as it is today. So, it was difficult to get what you wanted. Because of this, I initially downloaded a lot of MP3s and in recent years and have been able to start purchasing these wonderful albums because they have been reprinted on a large scale.

I don’t look down upon any digital format. It’s more practical, especially when you’re on the road touring. I mean, no one wants to be lugging around tons of CDs.

I think that most people are like me. We still buy CDs, vinyl, and tapes but we also enjoy the convenience of digital format.

13.I know you are familiar with Polish metal scene, both old and new, are there any bands you like most? Do they have any influence on you when writing music for Ancestor?

Yes, I'm familiar withsome metal bands from Poland. In fact, I first became aware of Polish metal thanks to Thrashing Madness Productions. I’m impressed with EGZEKUTHOR, MERCILESS DEATH, HELLIAS, MORTAL SLAUGHTER, LASTWAR, and GHOST. The underground metal spirit and feeling of all these great bands have had some influence on my music. In general, all the TMP releases are worth collecting. In 2014, the Polish band Wolf Spider came to China. ANCESTOR had the honour to open the gig.

14.Ok, that's will be the end for now. Thanks for all the answers and your time. It was a damn pleasure to have you here and the possibility to introduce Ancestor to OMM readers. If you have anything to add, or any message to Polish Metal maniacs now it's the time. Metal regards and hope to see you soon in Poland!

It was great be interviewed by OMM. This will be a very important addition to ANCESTOR's experiences! Hail to all OMM readers! A killer show will soon be held for the Polish Metal maniacs! It's time to Rise by Sin!

  Przemysław Bukowski

Apocalypticists, the brand-new album by KSM was out on October 21, 2018. In my view, tis` a good reason to inquire M about some details in connection with this very recording. I also allowed myself to ask about MGLA who are going to provide us with their new album quite soon. Ok, no need to waste our time. Lads and ladies, please read on.

Hello M. It’s been nine years since we spoke. A lot has happened during those years. I think that the premiere of KRIEGSMASCHINE`s latest album as well as MGLA`s forthcoming recording are good reasons enough to talk about your music. Can we start?

1. Exercises in Futility was released four years ago. Same for Enemy of Man. So much and so little time has passed, indeed. I am sure that you`ve been quite busy over the last four years, am I correct?

As for MGLA, we played live during that time. We did almost 100 shows in three continents over the span of two years. Of course, 100 wouldn’t be a shocking amount if we were a proper, incessantly touring band but for an independent BM group this number seems quite impressive. In December 2017, we suspended playing live. We`ll resume in March 2019. In the meantime, we stealthily recorded and released KRIEGSMASCHINE`s new album and are currently working on MGLA, too. As previously, we`re dealing with all the components ourselves, I mean we compose, record, release and distribute our music on our own; so, we`re quite busy but can’t complain, really.

2. Apocalypticists by KRIEGSMASCHINE was released in late October 2018. This album is much slower than your previous recordings. I would say this stuff is more atmospheric and one can clearly notice how much KSM have progressed over the last four years. As artists, you still have a lot to say. What Apocalypticists features is hardly comparable to what other bands can come up with these days. How difficult is it to write/compose original music presently?

To make a pure black metal album was one of our goals, however, using a different foundation by contrast with standard BM recordings. Due to this unorthodox approach, blended with this very overwhelming atmosphere of the whole recording, repetitive arrangements and so on, I, in result, expected Apocalypticists would be given a much worse reception than it actually did. I was “pleasantly” disappointed, so to say.

3. To say the least, the way Apocalypticists` has been recorded and sounds is, by all means, stunning. All the elements, all the minute details have been meticulously elaborated and worked on. I am curious to know how much time you guys spend on rehearsing/working on music before a proper recording session takes place? How often do you rehearse, in general? Do you work on music at home alone and bring rough versions of songs to your rehearsals or does the music get done while jamming and rehearsing together?

Thank you for your kind words. The first phase of working on a new album begins when we start gathering up ideas the moment the previous recording is complete. It takes, usually, a couple of years; after which we take a look at the basic, raw material we`ve brought forth, select what we need, work on further arrangements and keep writing and adding new parts. This phase takes some months. While working on Apocalypticists we didn’t rehearse at all. It all was pre-produced, so to say; I mean we worked on rough versions on a computer, those versions featured previously recorded parts, and when we had the song structures ready, we started the proper recording of tracks. KRIEGSMASCHINE is nowadays a purely studio band and its music is created “in layers”, I mean after we had recorded drums and lead guitar tracks, we composed and recorded additional parts of guitar and bass lines, then worked on vocals and so on. It went quite smoothly; in total, from the very first recording day to final mastering it took us three months in total.

4. I am wondering why so vital people like you guys certainly are, are able to create such gloomy and dark music. What inspires you to play such sinister sounds?

We create music which mirrors our inner self, which is based on and shaped into forms that interact with ourselves. These very specific parts of our inner selves aren’t manifested by musical activates exclusively. We strive not to, at least.

5. The KSM`s new album was composed by you and another guy, without Destroyer. Does it imply Konrad ain`t part of KSM any longer?

That’s correct.

6. I can still remember the time when KRIEGSMASCHINE used to play live a lot. MGLA, on the flip side, was a studio project. Now, it’s the other way around. Does it mean we`ll not get a chance to see KSM play live again in the future? I would say to play the whole Apocalypticists album live may arduous a task indeed.

Well, if this happens it will take place in remote future. First off, to do so, we`d have to regularly rehearse the album songs for a couple of months and ought to expand our line-up, too. It won’t happen in the next months, for sure, maybe even years.

7. While working on Apocalypticalists you guys were also busy with MGLA`s new album. Can you please spill the beans and tell us some more about band’s forthcoming stuff? Is it going to be in the vein of your latest album or should we expect something new and revolutionary?

We`ve elaborated a particular black metal style of ours and this style hasn’t completely dried up yet. We don’t expect any drastic volte-face to take place.

8. When MGLA`s new album is out, you will embark on a European tour together with REVENGE/DOOMBRINGER/DEUS MORTEM. Can you please tell us some more about this tour? Where are you going to show up? When exactly are you starting off?

The tour starts on April 27 in Berlin and will feature 19 gigs in Central-Western Europe, mostly in Germany, France as well as four live shows in Poland. All the participants have known and respected each other for years. The enterprise itself is a bottom-up project, including Steve who was responsible for our previous European tour with AOSOTH, as well as Mintaj of Left Hand Sounds, who`s been helping us out with organizational issues since the beginning of this year. We prefer to get our hands dirty but to stay independent with no heavily breathing tour agency supervising us; an agency run by a bunch of dynamic yuppies, skillfully adapting to trending requirements imposed by contemporary music industry. In other words, by sneaky rats.

9. You`ve already played live in Europe, USA as well as Australia. Are you going to show up in other Asian countries, like Japan, for instance, too? Are you going to partake in other events apart from the above-mentioned tour with REVENGE?

So far, we`ve got nearly 40 live shows confirmed. This year, it`ll be Europe only. In 2020, we`ll focus on other continents. Japan is planned on our way to Australia. South and North America will follow, that’s for sure.

10. Apart from KRIEGSMASCHINE/MGŁA you also are busy with recording other bands` music. Tell us about your recent doings, please?

My studio work is restricted to working on bands that belong to my friends. I am so busy with my own shit I have no time to run a full-time studio. In 2018, I cooperated with OWLS WOODS GRAVES, DEATH LIKE MASS, LVCIFYRE. The DEUS MORTEM`s new album is almost done and fully mixed. Also, there is something going on with MEDICO PESTE`s new stuff,

11. While chatting some time ago, you mentioned you had quite a number of ambient ideas you would like to record. Is it going to be another chapter of ARCA FUNEBRIS or something new?

I have recorded a lot of ideas but I have no time, motivation or interest to work on these, finalize these and release. In the recent years, I finally managed to enter the world of modular synthesizers, with the focal point on DIY and if time allows, I am going to realize a couple of ideas connected to generative music, which stands for self-generating where my role will be located somewhere between being an engineer and conductor. Stylistically, it can be considered dark ambient or some heavier forms of death industrial/power electronics; or somewhere in between – it all depends on my mood or what part of a day it is.

12. Let’s get back to Apocalypticists for a moment, shall we. I would say this album is very drumming – oriented. Was it your initial idea to expose this instrument that much or did it just happen on its own?

Yes, that’s correct. I would say that since Enemy of Man was out, KSM has become more and more rhythm oriented. The main idea wasn’t to make the drums sound as loud as possible but to base the structure of an album on other types of rhythms – different from blast beats and double pedal. In other words, to create a black metal album devoid of what I call a fundamental, rhythmic BM structure. MGLA is more conservative in this context. Riffs and vocals are of utmost importance, the aim of the percussion section is to provide a proper pulse.

13. A lot of great music to show up in 2018, for sure. Any favourite, stunning albums you can recommend to us? Is it black metal only or some other types of music, too?

Frankly, I don’t follow what’s new too much. I did enjoy CLANDESTINE BLAZE`s new album though. I also got to like FUNERAL MIST – did take me some time, I must say. As for BM I used to listen to KATHARSIS` World without End and BURZUM`s Hvis Lyset Tar Oss alternately and those two were enough for me. Plus, industrial, experimental and modern music. I tried to catch up with a number of older items too. To relax I listened to a lot of Obituary of the Americas by GENOCIDE ORGAN.

14. These days, we witness a number of spectacular reunions. TORMENTOR is back, Tom Warrior reanacts HELLHAMMER`s songs live. What is your view on this matter?

I have no view, whatsoever. It is because my perception of music is based on the 90s music. I have no sentiment about earlier stuff I mean it aint strong enough to get me interested again in it. Well, if Vikernes feels like reactivating his band in 5-10 years, I will surely have more to say.

15. Many ardent black metal fans claim black metal must correspond to Devil himself. What do you think about such an approach? Your lyrics don’t deal with Satan too much, I would say. If ever, indeed.

Indirectly yes, not mentioning the very Name. Because it, indeed, narrows down the issue, automatically. In my view black metal must be based on an emotional foundation as well as conceptual or ideological one. If these aren’t present, well, this sort of music becomes popular music which is beyond what I am interested in. Both as receiver and creator.

16. Over the years, black metal has evolved a lot. Frankly speaking, it doesn’t resemble the music it was in the beginning. Is it good or bad that this genre has changed so drastically.

First off, due to better distribution and increased availability, BM has ceased to be a niche kind of music. And thus, at least for an average listener, it`s become just another music genre. In result, many elements of black metal have penetrated pop culture, be it through inspirations other artists operating in other fields draw from BM; like aesthetics or symbolism, music arrangements and so on, then placed in totally different context. This is the tip of the iceberg, so to say. I mean these artists have learned about the most popular bands only; which doesn’t imply these bands are most important. For a person who originates from black metal underground, his natural reaction is somewhere between doubt and revulsion. Yet, statically speaking, we are a minority group. As for BM`s stylistic evolution, well, this is metal`s only subgenre where, I would say, new, interesting and inspiring things appear, constantly. Bearing in mind that black metal was supposed (all along) to be an anti-mainstream type of music, different from anything around there might be, well, I prefer looking for new ideas than listening to tribute bands.

17. Time to wrap up, I guess. If you want to add anything for our Old School Metal Maniac Magazine readers, feel free to do so. Thanks for your answers. Take care.

Thank you.

By NecronosferatuS

DEKAPITED is another interesting  band which represents mighty Chilean  metal scene. And since Defense Rec released their new EP this year, I considered it to be a reason enough to find out what’s new in Chileans’ camp. Enjoy your reading.

1. Hello and how are you? Well, long time no see! How you’ve been since we talked last?

Long time brother! I've been fine, always making music. Also on tours and working on my bands and projects, DEKAPITED and INVOCATION SPELLS.

2.Well, the reason we`re chatting right now is your new EP which I happened to get from your Polish distributor. This CD features a bunch of live tracks plus four brand new studio cuts with this ‘Evil Dead’ movie cult intro. This is a really stunning stuff, but not long enough! Please tell me why you guys haven’t opted for a full length instead, hey?

The way in which we create is based on EP-LP-EP-LP order. We opted like this, because in that way we are able to put out our material constantly. To make an EP requires half less work and costs than an LP, and since 2 years ago we changed formation. We wanted to shape some record and now we are working on the next LP!!!

3. ‘Sin Misericordia’ was originally released through Suicide Records in 2017 and re-released through Defense Records with extra live tracks from your gig with SLAYER. Can you please tell us some more about it? Thank you.

Yes, there are also the editions from El Salvador, China, and soon Mexico! The only version that brings the live tracks played in SLAYER’s gig is under Defense Records. And the truth is that we are very happy that Defense can launch and distribute our new EP in Europe, as well as our previous album "Nacidos del odio".

4. How did it feel to be able to share the stage with such a cult outfit which SLAYER surely is? What other bands have you played with? Which gig has been best so far?

The year 2017 was incredible for us!!! We could play with SLAYER-TESTAMENT-VENOM-EXUMER-VIOLATOR-NERVOSA. It would be a dream year for any band!!! In previous years we also played with TOXIC HOLOCAUST, TOXIK, RATOS DE PORAO and WARBRINGER, but without a doubt SLAYER for us is of the most relevant bands to play with!!!
The best part was the way we got there! Since people chose us as a Chilean support band for SLAYER! There were no tricky things like are usual to happen in South America... So very happy for the support of the people that was also reflected in our show!

5. ‘Nacidos Del Odio’ was out three years ago. Are you going to record any new stuff this year? A full length perhaps?

I was thinking that during this year I should dedicate myself to the creation of the LP album, to be able to record in 2019 and to do some tour around Europe soon!

6. Here in Poland there`ve always been plenty of people who`ve always been into the Chilean scene. Me too, man, I have always revered the bands from your side of the world. Just the sheer amount of bands is strikingly huge, how’s it possible there are so many good bands in there? I think it is a safe assumption to say, that if you`re from Chile you must be either a football player or a metal music musician. Is it really so?

Ahahaha,  yes, I also feel that here in Chile we have the best metal bands currently! And the issue of quantity is also given because many musicians usually have 2 or 3 bands. The truth is that the potential in Chile is very good, too many good bands! Here is the essence, here are the roots, here is the hatred!!!

7. What is so awesome is 99 per cent of your bands hail the old school metal approach – in result, all the stuff coming from your country is characterized by the lack of over-polished sound. That’s amazing man, and pretty hard to achieve these days. How easy/difficult is it to get such filthy, putrid sound?

Yes! many bands look and prefer the old sound!!! This is where the essence and the magic of metal is! We do not like the bands that have modern sound or riffs; here, metal is aggressiveness, rage, hate! We are defined in 100% by a rustic sound! We look for that and we like to be and sound like that! Many members of bands also have home studios where they make their records. Others prefer more complete recording studios, but are also looking for the old sound! Using old equipment too! Drums of 90s, amps of 90 era.. etc.!

8. Talking about your latest EP, well it features a really nice front cover. Who`s responsible for this infernal fire?

The designer is Elias Tormentor (elias art) from Chile, fifth region of Valparaíso. Also responsible for the art of our first EP ‘Contra iglesia y estado’. It is as simple as the man devastates with pencils! he understands very well the concepts/ideas and what the band is looking for! He knows how to take the paper! A great artist!

9. Your music is undeniably defined as thrash metal. Yet, one can sense how devilish it also is! Do you believe in the existence of this horned deity?

We do not believe in any being, neither good nor bad. We believe in the badness and the capacity of the people! Let's say that it moves us more the earthly world, the rotten things of the current life! How they consume us... The goal of this living death societies! Believe only in yourself!

10. Every part of the world is characterized by their own myths and legends, with local gods, deities and demons of course, too. I am talking about the pre-Christian times certainly. Most of the Chile’s population is Roman Catholic so tell me some more about your local devils, demons or evil spirits, please.

In Chile, the whole mythological part is located in the south of the country, specifically in the island of Chiloe, where there are many characters such as pincoya, cai-cai-vilu, invunche, caleuche, trauko, fiura, carbunco, etc. An example is the story of the trauco, which are known for seducing women with their eyes, throwing their breath into their dreams and seducing them to leave them pregnant.

11. I am pretty sure you listen to a lot of music, don’t you? Any bands from Poland you know/like?

Yes! I know TERRORDOME with whom we have a split CD! I also know ACID DRINKERS, DECAPITATED, VADER, BEHEMOTH!!! Fucking killer bands!!!

12. What do you want me to wish DEKAPITED this year, huh?

Play live! Compose and make the next LP in silence! And always be aware and receiving new offers! New tours, dates, etc.! We are available!!! Just contact us!

13. Thank you very much and please feel free to add anything you like!

Cheers from Chile Leszek!!! Thanks for the killer support for DEKAPITED! I see you in Europe hell soon!!! We stand in fight!!! Support bands, support shows, support scene!!! Buy stuff of your favorite bands and keep in touch!!!

Best regards bangers!!! Aggressive and cursed thrash metal!!!

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The Chilean scene never ceases to amaze me. Since I can remember, their underground has always had a lot to say. And most importantly, it had its own unique character, combining extraordinary layers of energy with incredible passion, determination and unlimited devotion. That is why I am so eager to reach for the achievements of Chilean bands, because it is a guarantee of real emotions; here there is no falsehood, pursuit of fashion, just 100% real and heartfelt playing. The hero of our today's interview is the extremely gifted FORCE OF DARKNESS, more and more recognizable in the world! Ladies and gentlemen, I give you this amazing interview with FORCE OF DARKNESS!

• Hello and how are you? What’s the weather like in Santiago/Chile?

Hells! I am just fine, nowadays it is hot as hell!! We have summer now here.

• Well, I will tell you I have always been interested in this very particular fact. Some countries has had a long tradition when it comes to their underground metal scene whereas others have not. Just take a look at former West Germany for instance – where, at a particular time and place, there formed a bunch of great Teutonic thrash bands (MINOTAUR, DESTRUCTION, POISON and so on); by contrast, in neighboring Luxembourg or Belgium there were, indeed, very few! Another example would be Norway and Sweden with plenty of amazing bands whereas Denmark or Iceland has always had relatively a very small number of bands. And so, I want to ask you what is so special about Chile (and its people) that your scene has always been able to "spit out" evil bands of highest caliber and neighboring Argentina or Uruguay ain’t… at least from the European point of view.

Very interesting question, I think there are several factors that influence this kind of musical expression_. First, this kind of music started in places where normally there was repression and/or urban centers where a new identity could be generated in order to differentiate oneself from the rest of the population, as a way of escape and expression_ associated to a rebel feeling and the need of a new identity.

In the case of other countries (I mean the ones which are not the style originators, like South America), factors like access and music distribution of those originating countries have an influence, as well as the search for a new identity representing rebelliousness and response to the oppression, either religious, political or social, ruling the environment. I mean that if you live in a society that is constantly oppressing you, you have to react to this “attack” in some way, and there are too many ways to react. I think that the Chilean society has some kind of “psychological claustrophobia”, just for the fact that we are very far from the rest of the world and we got strong natural frontiers (Dessert, Ocean and the Andes Mountains).

When the metal movement was on its peak,  Chile was under a military regime but at the same time there was a strong influence from the USA regarding fashion and trends. In that context, the propagation of a style like metal turns faster, compared to what happened maybe in Argentina, where the war conflict with England affected the influence of British bands and English-speaking bands in general, which to my understanding caused its propagation to be slower and stayed more into “rock” influences.

• How did your perception of metal music form? When did you switch from being just a mere passive listener to an active musician? Was it, well, a natural process, I mean you had listened to and soaked with music, so to say, that you realized you needed to express yourself and add something personal to the genre or was it a purely spontaneous decision which, with time, resulted in a number of bands and recordings?

I think it became a natural and spontaneous process, I mean obviously first you liked the music and followed it many years to the point you dare try to play an instrument. Later becoming a sort of “musician” takes much more time because of the practice  that it requires to achieve a decent composition and proper songs.

At the end I believe in a constant motivation to create your own songs and sound, this is why there are always new bands spawning metal year after year.

• How is Santiago as for its metal scene? Bearing in mind how many bands there are, every second citizen of this city seems to be involved in some metal music-related project. Ha-ha. But hey, seriously speaking, is the scene tight and healthy, I mean it all involves committed people who support the scene on a daily basis? How is it compared to what it was before? Is it better or worse now? How is Santiago as for playing live and rehearsing?

Santiago is a big city (at least for us), and yes, there are a lot of people involved in metal, but as you may imagine also a lot of posers, false people and wannabes trying to create an image based on social media and cyber shit like that.

For metal sake I think is better now than 20 years ago in a lot of ways. I mean today you can find several metal record stores with quality and quantity. 20 years ago most of records stores only got the mainstream bands and basically from big labels.

We got a very healthy scene in terms of gigs, and mainly a lot of bands that are playing in the most diverse kind of metal; from death, heavy, speed, black, and everything in between and some of those are very good and serious acts. As for playing live,  actually we don’t play very often, only 3 to 4 gigs a year, and most of them not in Santiago.

• How is the rest of the country compared to Santiago as for the metal music (gigs, promotion, labels etc.)? Is it the city of Santiago which is the most important area?

Yes, actually in Santiago lives almost half the population of the whole country, but when it comes to Metal there are several important places, at least, regarding underground metal. It is a long country and in general most of band are in the concentrate in the center and south of the country, some other important cities are Valparaiso, Iquique, Temuco, Valdivia, among many others.

• What’s the main difference between metal in Chile and the rest of South America, for instance from Brazil? And from Europe in this context? Is there any point in trying to compare all these scenes to each other?

This is no expert opinion or anything like that, but nowadays I see in Chile we have a great variety of metal genres (from heavy metal to furious black metal) whereas in other countries you only get to see a particular specific genre highlighting from the rest…

I think there is no point to compare, only to enjoy the differences. I mean the German metal v/s Czech metal or v/s Greek Metal, etc.. They are all different and all are great, every country incorporates its own vision, passion, sound and particular atmosphere.

• Is Chile a good place for a metal band? How about moving to Europe for instance? Would it help as for promotion, playing live or just the opposite? Would it kill all that spontaneity the Chile’s bands have?

In Chile there are great underground bands but we also have a lot of poser shitty commercial bands nowhere related to the real underground (like in all countries I think), but the reason for living in metal may vary a lot from person to another, since not only it depends on your musical likes, but it also, and most importantly, depends on how you manage to combine and to strengthen your musical likes with your own ideology and take it to the next level… 

Lately Chile has become a very strong country when it comes to metal music. I think because in the past, there were awesome and strong bands as well that help forge a healthy scene, probably because of being at the end of the world and somehow, being away from most of the trends of the open world forge our sound and vision… so in a way, that contributes to a very particular style applied to metal.

Moving to Europe would definitely help the band it terms of promotion, exposure, playing live, etc. somehow, living in a different country would obviously affect a band, since it changes the environment of people, so that may influence other aspects as well but is not all written, I mean always depends on the bands members and the ideology behind the bands.

• Is it cheap and easy to travel over/through South America? How difficult is it, logistically and financially speaking, to fly/drive over from Chile to Brazil for instance, you know, to see some bands play live? The reason I want to know is here in Europe it is relatively easy and inexpensive to travel from one side to the other thanks to no-frills airlines and short distances. Also, it is a tradition here to go to other countries for so called summer festivals.

It’s a lot more expensive and difficult, actually I have only traveled (by air) once to see a live act to another country (Brazil actually), and it is not as easy as it is in Europe because of the distance and the offer is a lot worse. As I stated before, in Chile we are very much away from other countries and to travel by car is at least 3 days driving (almost non-stop driving).

• In Europe, "cult" would be bands like BATHORY, SODOM, SARCOFAGO and so on. Is it the same in Chile or what?

Yeah, it’s kind of the same bands are the godfathers of the underground metal movement. I think it’s something going beyond borders and timeless classics that will remain forever as the originators…

• Here in Poland, what we call "cult" bands are such crews as IMPERATOR, KAT, BETRAYER, old VADER or old PANDEMONIUM. How about Chile in this very context? Which Chilean bands are deemed cult among young metal UG maniacs over there, huh?

Yes, those Polish bands are bloody great and certainly come of them “cult” bands, as well others great bands as Exorcist, Magnus, Merciless Death, Mortal Slaughter, Scarecrow, Turbo, Xantotol, Armagedon, Egzekuthor, (Early) Hazael, among many others. Here we got our cults and classics too; acts like Pentagram, Atomic Aggressor, old Sadism, Totten Korps, Rust, old Torturer, old Death Yell, Darkness, Dominus, Inverted Cross, among many others…

• And beside the above mentioned bands, any other you know from Poland? Any old zines too? How about other East Euro bands – ROOT, TORMENTOR, MASTER`S HAMMER, CRUX?

Of course those East Euro bands are great inspiration for us. I personally really like many bands form East Europe. The ones you mentioned are my favorite ones along with Tôrr, Aria, (early) Korrozia Metalla, Kryptor, Kruiz, Pokolgep, Amon Goeth, Assessor, Evil Blood, Tudor, Antichrist (hun) etc.. Also great band from other “exotic” places like Abhorer, Impiety, Nuctemeron. Pentagram (Tur), Heller, Annathema (ser), etc.

• What is worth mentioning is FoD was formed back in 2001 but have released just two full length albums plus some demos, compilations etc. Personally, I do like such an approach, I mean it shows you`re focused on quality not quantity and are not trying to catch up with NUN SLAUGHTER, ha-ha. Isn’t it the right approach, to produce a small amount of well-executed and well-worked on stuff, what you think? Don’t get me wrong, NS is a good band, but flooding the scene with plenty of recordings of questionable quality seems flimsy. I would say one could compile maybe 2-3 full length album worth of all they`ve released.

Every band has its own way of composing. For instance, even though FoD has not released many LP albums during its lifecycle, all the songs created since the demos and ep’s and the albums are all different, so it’s been a reflection of arduous work as well. Also we believe that every song has its own aura an magick, thus recording again the same song corrupt it and changes it primal feeling.

I think that it all has to do and depends on inspiration, energies and other aspects…

By the way, nowadays we are recording our 3th album, so beware of this new revelation.                                                                   

• FORCE OF DARKNESS have, so far, cooperated with a number of labels. Your current label is NUCLEAR WAR NOW from the USA. Tell us some more about this cooperation, I mean, are you guys happy with it and does it look the way it was supposed to. Inform us a bit on the previous labels of yours, DEATH DIVISION RITUALS or PROSELYTISM. Why did you split your ways? Were those contracts "one-night stands" (ha-ha) so to say, or you weren’t too happy with promotion etc.?

Actually, NWN is Wrathprayer’s current label, and since we produced “The Wrath of Darkness” split with them, we decided to work with their label, based on the edition we all had in mind… it doesn’t mean we are signed to that label. We have been currently working with Iron Pegasus from Germany, and also Hells Headbangers from the US in our latest releases.

Regarding the old labels we worked with, we will always show our gratitude for the importance they had at that particular time, and for their support given to the band.

• I have always wondered why people participate in many different bands at the same time. For instance, does it mean, in your case, that FoD is not fully what you expect a band to be as for fulfillment of your ideas which, in turn, you utilize in other bands, like HADES ARCHER for instance? Please tell us some more about your other bands and projects you’re part of. How similar or different are these when compared to FoD (musically, lyrically etc.)?

Force of Darkness has its own and strong ideology and music genre, which means that even though many elements can be combined for our music creation, there are some boundaries within its identity, and as individuals, if one wants to innovate or simply try other elements in music, parallel bands is a valid option for us.

Similarities or differences? I think it is better to form your own opinion by listening to it.

• Your music radiates with a huge dose of dark energy; one can surely feel how strongly the band is dedicated to music and how sincere they are. It is not just the stage-related image but an everyday element in your lives too, right?

Well, what we can comment here is that the band is committed to its ideology and its music, and we are evolving along with it with every step we take. Individually, each one has its own ideology, which is later merged collectively. The composition sometimes takes too much time because we need to be inspired to do so, is not just playing…

• How do you cope with your everyday existence as this existence is of primarily Roman Catholic character? Your ideas and behaviour seem a bit different from these peculiar to the religion of the cross, right?

In South America the Spanish conquistadores brought the Christian faith, with all the shitty dogmas and belief moral systems, but that crap happened in more places around the globe, but to summarize, our culture is a mixture of internal and external traditions, which have been developed and embedded to the future generations.

Nowadays, being against Christianity and its lying system, it’s always complicated to cope with Christian morals in everyday life in a country ruled by Christian religions, and the new tolerant currents that invades us.

Since they’re embedded in our surroundings, government, etc. and they always try, directly or indirectly, governing people’s lives,  normally the best is just to ignore it and live our lives based on our ideology, and practicing our own values, irrespective of what other people may think. We don’t care about them as long as they don’t get in our way…

• To me, the Chilean scene seems to be adored by devil, no doubt about it! Plenty of devil-inspired bands over there! FoD is the name that perfectly reflects what your music is all about! It reeks sulphur and hell itself like fuck! How do you get inspired? What inspires you?

We are very far from everywhere in terms of distance, which is probably one reason why the music sounds more ‘classic’, and as you say, it’s also to do with our mentality.

The left hand path is much present in extreme metal in our country, not only the devil but also occult forces, evil, witchcraft and other relevant subjects. We get inspired by the darkness as a whole and all its aspects, which encloses many fields within the left hand path… That is later mixed with our personal and collective ideology and then put into dark hymns.

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

There are always forces and entities surrounding our lives and sometimes influencing us directly, so of course we acknowledge their existence… I don’t see the Devil (even though depicted) as the typical image with red skin, big horns and an arrow tale, but the icon itself may take many forms as we are all energy and a powerful entity can always become something else.

• Well, some form of Gnosticism perceives Lucifer as a positive deity who is on friendly terms with man. Yahve 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?

What I see generally is that most of these terms  (good/evil  or positive/negative) are used for one’s own convenience, and it is basically driven by one’s point of view – what is good for you may be evil for others and vice versa. For me, it’s all about the energy being transformed into different states; of course, since somehow we got the ability of thought we usually question everything, where we are coming from, what was or is our purpose in this life and so on, but most of the time we forget that our existence resulted from energy being transformed from another state, and we are just evolving from it and after our life cycle is over until we transcend.

Nowadays there are different views regarding Lucifer, “positive” and “negative”, depending on who is behind the relation of the subject. According to religions in general, mankind was meant to serve and obey the god(s), so on this point Lucifer represents an interesting concept of rebellion and questioning and disobedience that may inspire individuals to break their imposed chains of faith and free from their ways of ignorance and subduing…

• Maybe it is not Lucifer, Satan or any other infernal creature that is responsible for all the evil there is? What power is it then? Or maybe it is man himself who is? It is always the easiest way to blame others instead of yourself, right? How do you see it?

We wrote some lyrics related to this matter several years ago and we have unearthed them for our forthcoming release. The song is called “Genesis of Evil”, and basically it reflects that evil is in our essence, and through the ages we blamed to the “gods” or “devils” for our disgraces, with different names along the years and cultures. I think there is something very real behind all this, and we have been masked it with different stories, names and archetypes in order to avoid our true devilish savage nature.

• Your mythology is very colorful when it comes to presentation of gods. I was looking for some analogy to Lucifer, the one who brings light (or Satan, the ruler of Hell), but these myths doesn’t feature any of these. All I found was Pillan, the god of war who is able to unleash any cataclysm one can think of, and who rules over evil spirits. Does your culture not feature any hell- or demon-related deities? I am asking since even in the Mayan mythology there are demons like Ahpuh for instance.

Well, most of the pre-Hispanic traditions where banished and disappeared in the colonization process. So very few traditions, legends, poems, and script_ures resist the pass of time.  We certainly have more, but mostly are from the southern regions of Chile, I recommend to check some creatures like Cai-Cai Vilu, Trauco, Invunche, Pincoya, fuira, among many others.

• What does the moment of death mean to you? The end of our existence or maybe the start of the journey to another world?

Well, death is obviously an important topic for us since it represents the end of an energetic cycle, and at the same time, the starting of another process, which is the rotting phase behind it… Spiritual death is even more interesting basically for its dark relationship with the soul annihilation and the chaos force pulling all the pieces together, taking back everything which belongs to it…

At the end death is something which sooner or later we will embrace, and, of course, the end of our conscious existence… Beyond life is a veil we can only speculate, but I think there is a plain beyond our carnal jail.

• Have you ever heard the expression_ than hell itself is where we’re now in. How do you see it?

Yes, we’ve heard that expression_ many times. I believe it depends on how you view the world you live in. Nowadays some people are convinced the current world is hell or a test and depending on how you live it, you will have a reward in the afterlife. That, in turn, becomes a massive control system through fear so that the flock is not carried away… Personally, I don’t care about it, I’d rather seize my life as much as I can based on my ideals and my path…

• Blood has always been a very important element used in religious ceremonies as well as occult practices. It is sort of a "spiritual currency" one can use to contact with spiritual forces; to strengthen the bond between man and deity or for other purposes too. I am not talking about human sacrifices or torturing animals but conscious bloodletting one can do in the case of certain rituals. How important is blood in your religious rituals?

Blood is always important, but there are other ways as well to connect with the spiritual world… I guess it will all depend on what kind of ritual is being performed and it respective purpose.  More reasons on this would be personal, but sometimes bleeding allows you to have an insight to the bearer of life (blood) and to take heed to how easily it can vanish if freed significantly. Basically blood is the fluid that gives us both, our life…and death…

• What is your view on the following issue: replacing ritual blood with ritual art when making sacrifices? What I mean is to use your energy, time and effort to project it on a particular issue so you can achieve the same aim? Blood has always been a strong link between our world and the spiritual one – the bloody symbols were the light the ghosts use to navigate through up to our world. How do you see it?

On this I have nothing to comment rather than the acknowledgement of projection and suggestion based on symbols, which may assist the magician in achieving his or her goals. Blood can be an instrument, but is not the most important.

• Ok, let’s get back to music, shall we? NUCLEAR WAR NOW did, last year, release a split with your country mates WRATHPRAYER. Can you please tell us some more about this recording?

Hell yeah!!! That split is one aspect we wanted to materialize when we reviewed the possibility to release it with our comrades from Wrathprayer since it combined two elements which were part of both the band’s names, and we saw that we could create something unique when it comes to an energetic manifestation… the result is The Wrath of Darkness!!!

This release I see not as  a “split”. For me it is a collaborated work within two entities in league with the dark.

• The band is almost 18 years old. A long time, indeed. How do you perceive all those years? Are you happy with where you are now? How can you assess the contribution to the underground you`ve done, thanks to your music?
   
  

We are really satisfied and proud with what has been done and accomplished with Force of Darkness, and also with the evolution of the band and its energy beyond. As far as the band’s contribution to the underground is concerned, we only have a small idea based on personal experience and from all the support from the bangers in different places we have visited, but a third party involved in media may have a different view… What we can say is that the music style and energy of Force of Darkness has developed an unique match, so its materialization is an interesting contribution to the underground.

• What does playing live mean to you? Is it a sort of ritual? I am not talking about the physical act of playing live, stage decorations etc. but its spiritual, hidden meaning?

For us playing live is a necessary ritual the band has to have, but we don’t identify ourselves as a band that plays much. We believe it is important to play live though, to keep the band’s spirit running and to share our energy beyond, through our metal music…

• Your music is strongly influenced by hell itself as well as the old German scene (mid 80s). I can only suspect old KREATOR, SODOM, POISON or RUNNING WILD are still very important to you guys, am I correct?

You are correct on those bands as influences, but because we feel that in that time metal was made in a different way and passion. But there are many more influences for sure!!! Mostly heavy metal, black metal, death metal, thrash metal are part of our musical influences, and we could name a lot of bands we normally listen to, but the range varies a lot (among the ones not named above… Mayhem, Dissection, Satan, Angel Witch, Bathory, Sabbat (jap), Living Death, Slayer, Absu, Mortuary Drape, Tormentor (Hun), Infernal Majesty, Sacrifice, Order from Chaos and many, many others…)

• If you could travel in time, where would you like to go and why? What would you change (in the world’s history) if you could?

If that would be the case, I would change nothing, but would like to witness the ancient events occurred in Sumer, Egypt, Mesopotamia and other civilizations… it’d be interesting to see how they lived and how their spirituality was and what sort of contact they had with the deities they worshipped… I’d like to see where ancient history was lost and the big lie was established…

• Ok, that’s it, I think. All the best and thanks a lot for your amazing answers. Hails to the FORCE OF DARKNESS horde. Anything to add for our readers? Feel free, the floor is all yours.

Well, first of all, thank you very much for the support to the band. We are currently recording our third album and a new ep, both to be released this year (you will hear from us very soon…). We’d love to visit Europe sometime, so if there is any interest to make it possible, any interested tour related entity may contact us to our band email ( Adres poczty elektronicznej jest chroniony przed robotami spamującymi. W przeglądarce musi być włączona obsługa JavaScript, żeby go zobaczyć. ) or snail mail (P.O. BOX 17, Santiago 58 (Sucursal Grecia), Santiago, Chile, South America) and we will see what happens!!!

SICVT ERAT IN PRINCIPIO, ET IN SAECVLA SAECVLORVM…. DARKNESS SHALL PREVAIL!!

HAIL TO THE DARKNESS!!!

Paweł Wojtowicz & Leszek Wojnicz-Sianożęcki