>> 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