Interview with blasphemic death metal band from Brazilia - GRAVE DESECRATOR.
translated by Markéta, thank you!
Ave GRAVE DESECRATOR! You have recently published new
album “Dust to Lust”. I am literally obsessed with it. How are the feedbacks
from fans a critics?
Élson “El” Necrogoat – Well, I haven´t seen too many reviews lately, since
the album has been recently released. I read only a few. Maybe it´ll take some
more time. But as far as I know, there some very good ones, others are average,
others absolutely destroying us haha! Actually, we don´t care about reviews
written by people who didn´t take a listen to the album properly. And we can
perceive it reading their texts with the same bullshit as ever, mainly from
bigger mags that suck the balls of so called nowadays “original” bands. The
same things ever like; “they’re old
school band, this band is nothing new, they are only singing blasphemies, bla
bla bla”. Come on, we don´t need good reviews to carry on with our work,
but of course, that we take into consideration all well conducted comments or
criticism, positively or negatively. In other cases, we just like to sound
terrible for stupid minds.
How does GRAVE DESECRATOR compose new songs? How the
whole process of making a new material does starts? Who is the author of your
music?
We took a long time since “Insult”, our album from
2010, to finally compose an entire album. I don´t think it´s necessary to delay
such a long time, but most of the songs are from Butcherazor´s(guitar/voice)
and Black Sin´s (guitar) and I composed only one full song and some lyrics. But
it´s how the things works with us. We hope to don´t take too much time for a
new album, but we have a very turbulent life, so we do the best we can.
The sound of your new album is great. It is dark, cold
and sharp at the same time. In what studio did you recorded? Did you talk about
the final sound and mastering as a band?
We were dealing to work with Harris Johns in his
well-known Music Lab studio in Berlin. But we had problems with money, budgets,
since Brazil just entered in a very severe crisis lately, complicating all the
things related to the euro to real (brazilian currency) transferences. Thus, we
decided to work with a guy who must be a new promise into Metal recordings at
least in Brazil, namely Daniel Escobar. We recorded at HR studios in Rio. I
think we got a very good result, regarding our fierce sonority, with a good
quality and identity, that´s a very important point. There´s no room for
flawlessly components in our music. We use technology, but we try to be the
most organic and malicious possible!
Who is the lyrics author and what are they about?
Where do you find inspiration for the themes? You sing about anti-Christianity,
Satanism, darkness, apocalypse. Why these topics? Do you want to express some
message with your lyrics? In the Czech Republic people are very tolerating to
these lyrics. How about Brazil? Have you ever had any problems with the Church,
have you ever been rejected?
Butcherazor prefer to write the lyrics for most of his
songs. He´s much more straight into his anti-religious, blasphemous and
apocalyptic views. This time he wrote a lyric about a whore who became a witch
in Rio, back in the XVIII century. “A Witching Whore” is the song I´m talking
about. All in all, this woman came from Portugal and started to live with
prostitution in a place called Arco do Teles (this place still exists in Rio).
She was really beauty and caused envy in her concurring. So the time passed
mercilessly, her beauty disappeared…she became ugly, old and shabby. The way
out was to find a kind of black magic bewitchment in order to bring back his
beauty, following the guides of an older witch. Bathing with newborn´s blood
was the solution then. And the story goes on. Yeah, you may think it´s a kind
of Elisabeth Bathory from Rio, hahaha. My lyrics are more a fine line between
the cruel world that we face, live and testify, with abstract elements, magick,
lust and chaos. Furthermore, something really crazy on it, probably because I´m
not an atheist. We, as bandmates, sometimes do not have the same feelings or
perspectives in our lyrics. But that´s the point that make us reach a mutual
similarity in the words that we write, in order to have some sense to turn all
the thing interesting. If there´s a message in our lyrics it might be cruel and
crusty. I can´t perceive an intention of a necessity for a message. I personally
think that we play/compose with fury and rebellion, provoking the disgust in
make part of such a world of shit, man! Where there’re slavery, servitude,
bloodspread, corruption, suffering, but still trying to have a more magnificent
and worthy path to follow. Make compromise with our vicious nature is the first
step. We´re nothing than energy and shit left behind by this cosmic sphere. In
other hand, we don´t want to feed the feeble imagination of psychopaths.
Concerning your last question, we haven´t had any
problems with the brazilian church or similar so far, but we have seen a
menacing increasing of the protestant christians side by side with their
brotherhoods into shitty politically nationalist agendas in Brazil. Maybe
difficult times are coming for those into freedom. The inquisition may return
in the third world!! Our message to them? FUCK OFF YOU BIGOTS!!! SATAN LIVES!!!
You have always had a great covers of your albums. Is
it important to you to have a good cover? Who is the author of the cover on
“Dust to Lust”?
Yes, indeed the artwork is very important for us! Even
the artworks for our t-shirt motives, merch etc. We ever like to work with
talented guys on it with no photoshop mixing images! We support the
perpetuation of handcraft arts, like drawing, photography, paintings etc. One
of them is Daniel Corcuera (from Chile´s Slaughtbbath), who created one of our
symbols and other great things like the cover of our live album. “Insult” cover
was painted by our tattoo artist Leo Lavatori. He hasn´t working for Metal
bands, sadly. “Sign of Doom” cover is a photo taken at Butcherazor´s altar. By
the way, those are real skulls! The total black/white and red concept of “Sign
of Doom” was totally intentional, as well as the straightly evil songs and
lyrics of this cursed album. “Dust to Lust” artwork is really fantastic!
Zbigniew Bielak is the polish artist behind this piece of blackened art. He has
been working for Ghost, Watain, Behemoth, Mayhem and many other well-known
bands.
You play typical classic old death metal. You have
never go out of this way, you are “orthodox”. Personally, that is one of the
reasons I like your work that much. However, have you ever wanted to play
something different, to change the GRAVE DESECRATOR´s music?
I don´t think we are too orthodox. At least in my
opinion. Maybe, it´s not our intention.
We just like to progress into this task. It doesn´t make any sense to be so
much different of what we do nowadays. But yes, we like it raw, loud, Evil and
intense! We play music with heart, pumping blood, emotion, aesthetics, indiscipline
and devotion. I think that there´s a shrine for it still existing in some parts
of South America, far away of the plastic and insipid scenario that Metal has
turned up. Of course that we can see brilliant bands in Europe and other
countries, no doubt!! But they´ve been
overshadowed, destined to second rate, and they don´t deserve it! Listen to
chilean bands for example, they´re violent to the bone, and never regret! Metal
is supposed to be feared! You can sell 1 million copies, but even so, you can reap
souls and strike fear at anybody else´s heart!
If someone defines your music there is the term
“blasphemy death metal”. You play old, real death metal but in your music is
heard black metal also. Do you have any idols, someone who you look up to? Any
bands which inspire you?
Zico is my idol! Hahahahaha (note: former Flamengo
football player), but even that´s true, I´m joking since I know that you´re
talking about music! Regarding all the guys of the band, I think we have some
idols to look up to, like Lemmy/Fast/Philty, Thomas Gabriel, Cronos/Mantas/Abbadon,
Hanneman/King/Araya/Lombardo, KK/Tipton/Halford, Murray/Smith/Harris, Max/Igor
Cavalera, Butcher/DD Crazy, Sixx/Tommy/Mars/Neil, Schuldiner, Vândalo,
Iommi/Butler/Ward/Ozzy, Stanley/Simmons/Frehley/Carr, King Diamond, Quorton, Alice
Cooper, Wolf Hoffmann, Danzig, Becerra/Sus/Lalonde/Torrao, Angus/Malcom/Johnson,
Dio, Lawless/Holmes, Hetfield/Hammet/Burton/Lars, Angelripper/Witchhunter, Gordo/Jão/Boca
and etc, etc.. Got the thing that we have very few idols? Hahahaha..
In the Czech Republic, there is a low attendance in
concerts – at least I have heard that. I want to know what your experiences
from Brazil are. For us you are a big country with a lot of bands, promoters.
You have a lot of concerts by bands which often skip the Czech Republic. Do
people go to death metal concerts in your country? Do you prefer smaller clubs or bigger
festivals?
Well, I thought that as you´re in Europe, you´d had a
wide range of concerts. It surprises me to know that you don´t have too much
gigs happening over there. Brazil is still a “distant” country, but of course
that we can attend much more gigs nowadays than in the early 80´s or even 90´s.
It has been much more easily for sure. We cannot be compared to places like UK
or Germany yet, we don´t have big festivals, but many foreigner bands are
coming, even that some are really overrated compared to some we have here.
About the crowd, it depends. We have huge crowd only when mainstream bands are
playing here. I think the underground is the same everywhere. Heavy Metal
hasn´t been on the top for a while. It reflex in a decreasing of interest from
the youngers to create a blood tie with this style of music and life. We never
played in a big festival so far, but it might be good. But smaller clubs with
good backline, stage and insane crowd is really very, very cool!
Nowadays, people download new albums on the Internet
and they just use the digital forms. What do you think about this problem? I am
interested on your view as a musician.
It´s difficult to me to understand it because I´m an
old guy now. I mean, maybe it makes sense to this nowadays civilization and
their new rules and customs. They´re not used to look for the things, to have
emotions etc. People have been turned to opportunists and want everything
immediate! Fools are we who don´t fit with this new reality. I can´t answer you
if it´s a good or bad thing. But as long as I´m alive, I´ll never prefer a
digital file instead of a physical stuff. It makes no sense in my world!
When you look back…what was the first impulse to make
a band? Why death metal? It is not the field where people can be “very famous”.
Actually, I was not too much interested to have a band
in my youth. But I don´t know, this necessity increased within me with the
passing of time, I was attending lots of gigs back in the late 80´s and early
90´s. This idea turned to mature in time and I think Butcherazor, since he´s
younger than me, was really interested on it as well. It took too much time to
this idea being performed. We were into all kinds of Metal back then, but our
first demo tape from 2001 is actually too much 90´s Black Metal for our taste.
We fucking worship the best Black Metal acts from the past and some from
nowadays, but we were too much into old Mayhem, Dark Throne that time. But even
that this stuff have some cool Thrash Metal riffs here and there, we think it´s
not that good stuff and doesn´t represents what GD stands for. People have been
comparing us with lots of old bands from Brazil and South America, as well as
with Death Metal as you mean. Of course that we do like it, but our music comes
naturally. We don´t think specifically in a band when we are composing. But of
course that we can´t disguise some of our main influences.
Nowadays, a lot of young band begins to play the “old
school death metal”. Some of them are not very successful, however there are
some good new bands which figured out what is this music about. Do you have any
favourite band which can bring those “old good days” back to life?
We are not interested to know if some band sounds
“old” or “modern”. We demand good music above all. “Latest” bands that we like,
or have been listening most time, are The Devil´s Blood, Dead Congregation,
Communion, Slaughtbbath, Electric Wizard, Farscape, Reverend Bizarre, Midnight,
Whipstriker, Witchrist, Lucifer, Velho, Vulturine and a few others. As you can
see, we´re not only into Death or Black Metal at all.
Are there any albums which you like from a past few
months?
I haven´t bought many albums since a long, but new The
Unhaligäst album is very cool, new Coldblood as well. Both bands from Rio.
Actually, I can´t remember what I´ve listening lately..My mind sucks! I mean,
brand new things. I keep listening to all the old shit as ever! Take a look in
the above question.
Do you know and listen some Czech bands?
Oh yeah man!! Very precious music came out from
Czech!!! Since the early 90´s, I´m into the great Master´s Hammer!!! The demo
and first two albums are pure classic and I keep listening to them in a regular
basis. I´ve heard that they´re not too much into Metal anymore, at least Franta
Storm might had experienced strange things. Is that true? I know that they´ve
released a new album, but I didn´t have the chance (or money) to buy it! Maniac
Butcher (and their millions of projects), Agmen, Root (Zjeveni is pure
classic!!! I have my vinyl in Czech edition!!!), Debustrol etc. Some of these
bands aren´t very well known in Brazil, unless you´re a crazy Metal die-hard
fan! Not for all! I don´t know about newest bands, sorry..or maybe I´ve
forgotten!
What are GRAVE DESECRATOR´s plans
for the next few months?
To keep alive! Be sure, it´s not that easy if you live
in Rio!
Thank you so much for the interview. I wish you a lot
of sold music, full concerts, crazy fans and I am looking forward to seeing
you!
I thank you very much!! We hope to reach your
wonderful and very beautiful country very soon! Pay us some beers, I know
they´re one of the best! Check out our new fucking album “Dust to Lust” and buy
our merch, cds, lp´s at Season of Mist website! Also, a new split 7ep, probably
our last 7ep to date, with the Chilean bastardos of Slaughtbbath, coming out
next August by Hell´s Headbangers! We need your money to buy some weapons, pay
our bills and the suborn to not get shooted down by the drug dealers!
.JPG)