Interview with death metal band from Spain - MASS BURIAL.
Answered Raúl Weaver.
Translated by Markéta, thank you!
Ave MASS BURIAL! Recently, you have released your new album „Breeding Plagues“. I am very excited about it. How are the fans and critics´ reactions on it?
Hell-o, yes, our new album is out there since the last week of November. It´s a bit soon yet, but at the moments all feedbacks and reactions have been very positive and it seems people do like it. Only a few reviews at the moment but with higher punctuation.
How do MASS BURIAL compose new songs? How does the process go when you created new material? Who is the author of your music?
Now times have changed and we all are very busy so we can´t create new music all together in the rehearsal room as it was in the past so, using technologies, I (this is Raúl, vocals and guitar) compose all music at home. I program drums and record the guitars (basics) and then I give these stuff to other guys and, once learned, they can add their own trademark and then we do a real recording with real drums, guitars,... In this album I have composed all songs, in the previous ones Chicote did some songs as well.
I have been currently listening to your new album “Breeding Plagues” and I feel like being closed inside a tomb with DISMEMBER, NIHILIST, ENTRAILS and INTERMENT. The album has a great Swedish sound. Where did you record the album and are you satisfied with the result? Did you have any comments on the final sound?
Thanks a lot, yes, this is the style we love to do and we know how to do it. We don´t want to invent the wheel and we know this style is what some of the mentioned bands did 30 years ago but this is our passion and we´ll keep on playing this stuff. Maybe there are some bands playing this for fashion, for the new revival, but we do it for passion and we don´t care what others can say about this. We have recorded everything ourselves and I think the final outcome is a bit better with every recording.
Who is the author of your lyrics and what are they about? Where do you find inspiration?
I always write the lyrics because it´s easier for me, as I also have to play the guitar, if I write them. The themes are tipical things for this putrid style you know, about death, macabre things, killers, wars and experiments,... Inspiration? It depends, sometimes from a book (although i don´t have time for reading), some horror movies (neither for watching Tv :), stories from internet,....
You have always had a great covers of your albums. Do you take a special care about how your album looks like? Your new cover was done by Juanjo Castellano. Why him? His work is excellent!
Yes, we are old school and, when we were kids, we didn´t have internet and we had to choose bands only for the covers. Usually, when you bought an album with a killer cover you were never disappointed. Nowadays, kids are unable to appreciate the feeling of having a vinyl (nor Cd) and staring at the cover, reading the lirycs,.... now it´s only downloading music or on youtube. A real pity!
And yes, Juanjo is our usual artist and he has painted all our covers (except one for a split with Humiliation). He also did the logo and he is a real fan of ours so the choice is easy.
You play a typical, classic old death metal. You have never changed your style and you are “orthodox”. Personally, that is one of the reasons why I like your band so much but have you ever thought about trying something else just to spice the music of MASS BURIAL?
Yes, we are very typical but, as I told before, this is what we wanna do and so we will keep. We have (or have had) many other bands where we´ve played Grindcore, Melodic death-metal, Crust, Metal,... so if we want to explore things we can do it with the other bands or with new bands we can create, but Mass Burial is what it is and we will never change, for good or bad. We will improve as musicians, we may get a better sound, but the idea is as it is. By the way, we have more speed and blast beats than any of the classic bands like Dismember, Entombed, Grave,... so, in a certain way, we have our trademark as well.
In the Czech Republic I often hear on concerts that there is not enough people there that the attendance on concerts is getting lower. I would like to know how it is in Spain. For us, Spain is a big country with many bands and promoters. There is a lot of abroad bands coming to your country to play concerts and those bands do not go to the Czech Republic. Do people in Spain go on death metal concerts? Do you prefer smaller clubs or bigger festivals?
I fear that´s the normal thing everywhere. In Spain, people go to concerts of big bands although the price is really expensive, but they always do a sold out. Also bands coming to play every fucking year as Arch Enemy, Kreator,... and they also sell all tickets and then festivals. Always the same bands playing in the same festivals and people like to go there (although they don´t know any bands) people go to festivals only to be drunk and for having fun. I fear I am too old but I can´t understand some things. You have more and more festivals every year. I really prefer small venues for playing and for attending. Of course we´d like to play in festivals as Obscene Extreme, Brutal Assault,... because those ones still have “the essence” i think.
For us, Spain is a strongly catholic country. Is that true? Is there a problem with this music with the Church while concerts? Does the Church influence the education at schools or the life? I cannot really imagine it because in the Czech Republic people are mostly atheist.
Yes, this country is still under the shadow of the church but, at the moment, this kind of music is not censored or controlled by them as in Russia, Poland,... Education is changing a bit, at least, now you can choose schools without religion as a subject which is a first step.
I think that “Breeding Plagues” would look amazing in vinyl. Have you thought about that? How do you feel about vinyl its sound? Are you a collector?
Yes definitely. Our label promised to do a vinyl edition within the next months so I still want to see it and touch it with my hands. The sound, for me, is better on CD but the spiritual thing that you get with vinyls is impossible to get with CDs. Yes, I do collect but unfortunately I don´t have a huge collection :).
Nowadays the majority of people download music online and they only use its digital copy. How do you feel about this issue as a musician?
I told you before, I am too old and I fear I don´t understand that. I need to have the physical copy. Internet is good for discovering new bands or music but when I like something I need to own it in my hands.
In the past few years there have been many bands trying to play the “old school death metal”. There are some who are just trying and they do not succeed but some of them understand what is it about. Do you have any favourite band who will successfully bring the “good old days” back again?
Yes, there are many new bands who really bring the vibe. Revel in Flesh, Graveyard, Entrails, Deathrite,...
Are there any albums which have caught your attention recently?
The new ones from the above mentioned, The new one from Morbid Angel (after their previous shit), We are the gore from Haemorrhage, the two new tracks I´ve checked from Pestilence´s new stuff are awesome as well,...
Do you know and listen any Czech bands?
Of course, bands like Brutally Deceased, Krabathor, Ahomado Granujo, and I guess some others that I don´t know the origin.
What are MASS BURIAL´s plans for the next few months?
We are rehearsing the new stuff for the new live set and we are just waiting for promoters or festivals or whoever call us to play. In March we will support Pestilence in a gig in Spain and we have some songs to be released by any label, maybe in a split with one more band. We want to release it this year as an apperitive for the next album that will be out maybe in a couple years.
Thank you for this interview and I wish you many sold albums, hundreds of crazy fans and tons of great ideas.
Thanks a lot for your support. I hope one day we can go to play to your country and we can drink some pints of your good beer and some shots of Becherovska (is it like this?)
Stay dark and write us if you want to book us or need CDS or merch at: solobscurabitur@gmail.com
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