translated by Markéta, thank you!
Ave INTERMENT! In April, after 6 long years you just released your second full-length album”Scent of the Buried". I cannot stand it and I have to ask - why so few releases? You are already playing since 1990. Sure, you have a lot of split, demos, etc., but since you guys are a legend, hence it’s not enough for a band like yourselves to have so few releases. What are the main reasons behind it?
Hey Jakub! Well, that’s because we did a break after the third demo „The Final Chapter“ 1994 to 2002 when we started to rehearse again. But it took four years more before we did our first recording in May 2006 for the split CD with Funebrarum that was released early 2007. Then it of course has been difficult because we also have had other bands during the same time.
The novelty „Scent of the Buried“ I listen to over and over again. I can‘t get this song out from my head. I think that it is really a good song, what do you think about this at hindsight? Would you change anything? How did the fans react to the songs? And what about the reviews and critics?
That song was actually the first song we wrote for the new album. It’s a cool song and of course Autopsy worship! I would not change anything on the album, maybe some better vocal parts but overall I’m very satisfied with the result!
The album has got great reviews, so that’s great and I think the “fans” have only positive reviews as well!
The cover of the new album is signed by none other than Juanjo Castellano. I really like his work but why did you choose white motive? Did it have some special reason? To be honest, I really like this white motive but I heard some different opinions that white motive does not suit you. How did you choose the motive on the cover?
The reason of the black/white artwork was that I really wanted to have the old school look on the album. Like the old demo days you know. Juanjo did the artwork for the re-issue of the Moondark album “The Shadowpath”, released by Xtreem Music 2015 that became so damn awesome, so that’s why I wanted him to do the artwork for Interment as well! Juanjo made the artwork just from my simple guidelines: the albumtitle and graveyard. I haven’t heard anyone who has said that the motive doesn’t suit us. I think the opposite!
The album has a classic Swedish sound. You have been recording in Sunlight Studios and the album was produced by Tomas Skogsberg. Its kicking well, I have to tell you! Despite this fact I have to compare it with your first demo recordings, where the sound was dirtier. Did you change the process of composing music? Time and technical possibilities are now just different than in the nineties.
Yeah, the songs on the old demos are more complicated and longer compared to the songs we make today. Especially on the second demo “Forward to the Unknown”. I think less is more and it hasn’t to be so complicated but of course the songs have to be written with some finesse.
The new album was released on CD by Pulverised Records and Dark Descent Records. Both labels have a very good reputation in the underground and doing a great job but were you tempted to release your album with a some bigger company? Did you try to reach some bigger label?
No, because we had one more album to release on Pulverised. Dark Descent just made a deal with Pulverised to release the North American version. For the next album I don’t know yet, we probably have to search for an new label and we’ll see what label that it will be.
Currently most of the people are downloading the new albums from the Internet and uses only digital form. What do you think about this? I am interested about your opinion as a musician.
I’m downloading by myself so I think it’s great if you want to do that. I buy all the albums I want to support the bands of course. My only limit is that I don’t have the cash to buy everything I want to have... I have discovered so many great bands via bandcamp, YouTube and Spotify etc. For Interment it’s an awesome option to reach more Death Metal addicts and to those who really likes us buy our albums and merch!
Only two of you guys are a part of the original line-up. You (Johan Jansson) and Kennet Englund. When I look at Encyclopaedia Metallum, the crowd of musicians who had passed INTERMENT is really impressive. How would you explain it? Why so frequent changes in the lineup?
Yeah, but actually it’s only me who is original. Kennet started 1991 after the first demo. After that we had the same lineup until like 2005. After that, when our bass played left, we have had two bass players until 2012 when Allan Lundholm started. In the end of 2010 the original guitarist John Forsberg left and Torbjörn Brynedal started that still is in the band. So I think it’s not so frequent changes...
You play a typical classic Swedish death metal. You have never flinched from this path, you are "orthodox". To be honest, it's one of the reasons why I like your work so much. But were you tempted to try to play something different or try to make INTERMENT in a different way?
Not at all! I can’t play anything else and I/we wouldn’t change the style at all. But I think we have developed a little with some of the songs on the new album. The songs “Dawn of Blasphemy” and “Chalice of Death” are two examples of that.
I have your split album with the Czech band Brutally Deceased at home. Both bands performed really great Swedish death metal! The recording was released on CD and vinyl . Vinyl as a medium is becoming popular again. New album “Scent of the Buried” was released on vinyl by German Cyclone Empire. What are your opinions on vinyl as a format? Do you collect them? Do you have a huge collection?
Hell yeah! Vinyl and cassette is the real deal! I’m an collector of both and I think the CD will disappear soon because that most people like me download the album as well. I’m actually thinking to get rid of my CD collection except of the bands I collect and my own bands of course. Then I can buy more vinyls and cassettes! I don’t have a huge collection but it’s decent...
You recently toured Europe. How was it? Which concert did you consider as the best? What about the fans? Where was the most insane fans and which gig was the best for you to play? Sadly you missed Czech Republic, are you going to visit us in the near future?
The “Pestilential Winds Over Europe” tour we did together with our brothers in Putrisect and Funebrarum was a killer tour!! The best show was without an question the first one we did on Netherlands Deathfest! The venue was packed and everything worked out very well! It was insane! The most insane fans must have been when we played in front of like 45 people in a small club outside Torino in Italy. Totally crazy and lots of fun! But overall the whole tour was like that!
Actually, we had the opinion to play in Czech but it didn’t fit in our tour schedule, it would have been too long distance unfortunately. So next time for sure! I love to play in Czech Republic, all gigs I have played there with my bands have been awesome! Haven’t played there since Obscene Extreme with Interment 2011, and that show was also insane!
Interment stood at the birth of the phenomenon called Swedish death metal. I would ask if you can give us a glimpse of how it started all back then. For us in the nineties it was only about born of democracy and you have formed something new, How was the nineties in Sweden? Do you still remember how you founded the band? Me and my readers are interested in how it all happened back then ?
Well, it was a great era back in the days, when we were on Death and Thrash Metal concerts every weekend and drinking beers and bought demo tapes etc. We were some record and tape collecting friends that started the band that later became Beyond after some name changes. In the beginning we played covers with Celtic Frost, Sodom, Hellhammer etc. but after a while we did our own songs. In May 1990 we recorded two songs demo on a four channel portable studio by ourselves called “Birth of the Dead” that we traded and sold on gigs etc. The sound on that tape is not the best but what the fuck, we were young and did it by ourselves. We did only five shows under the name Beyond.
In the autumn the same year the bass player Tomas Änstgård left the band and we also kicked out the vocalist Dan Larsson that lost the interest. So I took over the vocals and a new bass player was found called Michael Gunnarsson. At the same time we changed to Interment and then we booked the Sunlight Studio in the beginning of February 1991 and recorded the first demo “Where Death Will Increase”. The rest is history...
Have you heard some new albums which grabbed your attention?
Yeah, there are so many new bands coming up all the time. To mention some of this year best albums so far I must say:
Chthe’ilist – Le Dernier Crépuscule
Cadaveric Fumes – Dimensions Obscure
Grave Miasma – Endless Pilgrimage
Terra Tenebrosa – The Reverses
Schammasch - Triangle
Do you know or are you listening to some bands from Czech Republic?
Yes of course, here are some of the awesome bands that I know and have played with through the years: Root, March of the Hordes, Brutally Deceased, Fleshless, Krabathor, Hypnos, Isacaarum, Malignant Tumour, Master’s Hammer, Psychotic Despair...
What are the plans for Interment in the coming months?
Well, right now it’s time to rehearse the setlist before our upcoming show “Howls from the Coffin” festival outside Stockholm in August. Then we have some other shows coming up this autumn. Then we’re working on a short tour that will probably start in the end of March 2017. So hopefully Czech will be included this time! Otherwise we will start to send inquiries to all summer festivals next year and maybe we will start to work on some new stuff when we have time.
Thank you for the interview and wish you great CD sale, hundreds of crazy fans and tons of good ideas.
Thank you so much Jakub for interviewing us! I really hope that we will be back in Czech Republic very soon! Can’t wait to be there because I fucking love Czech beer, probably the best beer in the world! But Vodka is number one of course! Please check our websites for updates and upcoming shows, merch and stuff. Hail to the Death Metal maniacs in Czech, support the underground!
Cheers!
/Johan
INTERMENT
