A few questions – interview with Maggressor from CONDOR.
Ave, can you introduce your band to our readers? – When was it founded and what style of music do you play , etc.?
- Hey, Condor is a thrash metal band founded in 2009 in Kolbotn, outside of Oslo. Members are Chris Sacrifice - guitars, bass and vox, Maggressor - guitars and Obskurvind - drums. We've released a demo in 2010 called "Facing the First Winter", an EP in 2011 called "Speedwagon", an S/T album in 2013, a split EP with Töxik Death in 2014 named "Victims of Burning Death" and a second full length album entitled "Unstoppable Power" that will be out in a few weeks.
Where and under what conditions were you recording the new album? Who was in charge of sound, production and mastering?
- We recorded the album in February 2016 at Berserker Ninja Studios in Eidsvoll, Norway. In the studio were Salvador Armijo and Tom Erik Hansen, the guys who own the studio, which both helped us out finding the sound, while Tom Erik did the mixing with directions by us. We knew the guys from earlier, so they gave us a great deal! We spent a whole week out there, staying at Salvador's house recording and drinking. Perfect way to do a recording in my opinion. The mastering was done by Engel at Temple of Disharmony.
How many copies were released and which medium was used for this new edition (CD, digital, vinyl, cassette)?
- The album hasn't actually been released yet, but the first press from High Roller Records will be 500 LPs and 1000 CDs. It will also be released on tape by Rush of Power record which will be limited to 100 copies I think. If its gonna be released digitally through Spotify or whatever, I dont know, and I dont really care.
Who is the author of the lyrics and how were they created and about what do the lyrics deal with?
- I wrote most of the lyrics on this album. I think I wrote 6 of them, and Chris the remaining two. There is one song about the Vietnam war and one about nuclear radiation. The rest about the usual stuff I guess; evil, hell and violence. I dont really know what Chris' lyrics are about hehe.
Who created the logo of the band, and who took care of the graphics and the website? What about you and social networks? Do you consider these things important?
- The logo was drawn by Tank, the drummer of Obliteration and Black Magic. It was based on out previous logo, which I dont really remember who drew. We haven't got a website. I think social networks are a great way of following bands. It makes it easy to stay up to date with releases, tours, gigs and so on. It's also a good way of contacting bands for merch and interview requests and so on. However, I do not really like these band-instagrams, to me they seem completely useless.
Which label did you choose for releasing your album and why this label? Are you satisfied by how your label represents you and takes care about you?
- High Roller Records is released this album. We know many people that have worked with HRR before, so we already knew that they were easy to deal with, and they certainly have been. High Roller has listened to out wishes and has not tried to push their opinions on out music or sound at all. Overall as very pleasant experience working with them.
Which bands do you idolize and where do you get your inspiration?
- I wouldn't say we idolize any bands, as most old bands turned bad after 1 or 2 records anyways. However, the major influence on our sound for this record is definitely Destruction. To me, their first three releases are the best thrash metal has to offer. There is just something about the whole atmosphere of their music that really gets to me. Other than that I would say we draw inspiration from a variety of new and old bands. Primarily german or german-sounding bands such as Deathrow, Sodom, Violent Force etc. Personally I am really inspired by the south american scene in the 80's like Sarcofago, Sepultura and so on, even though you can't really hear it in our music.
Did you send your record to some Labels - which are the labels? How was the response?
No, we didn't, we had the record deal with HRR prior to recording the album, so it was not necessary.
How many gigs have you played? Which type of gigs do you prefer, whether its (clubs or festivals) and which of your performances would you consider as the best?
- I have no idea really. We have played live since 2009, so the amount of shows, I dont know. I really like playing festivals, especially the ones that I would go to even if I didn't play, like for example Live Evil. It's great to get a free pass, flights and accommodation + free beers the night you play. It sounds a bit cliché, but I seriously believe that the last concert we played, this February in Oslo along with Rust, Rapid and Evoke might have been our best. At least one of the best.
What about your plans for the future? What do you want to achieve with the band?
- There are no future plans unfortunately. As I live in Australia the band has been on hold for quite a while, and I doubt that we'll become active again when I move back. So at the moment the band is on an indefinite hiatus.
How and where can your fans contact you? Can you provide some contact information?
- We can be reached at condornorway@gmail.com or through High Roller Recs for interviews, but there is no point in contacting us for merch or bookings, as we do not have any merch, and we do not play live.
Thanx for the interview.
- Cheers!
