Answered Matt Harvey.
Translated and questions prepared by Duzl, thank you!
Hi Gruesome!
You recently released your second Album "Twisted Prayers”, which is kind of a response to the album "Spiritual Healing" and I have to admit that it's definitely a great work for me! As expected, it is more melodic and technical ... so what kind of reception does the album have so far from fans and metal media?
So far, people have been very kind about the record and they seem to really dig it, which has been great to hear. It's the happiest I've been with a record of ours, in terms of achieving what we set out to do, which is of course to make a record that sounds, looks and feels like an unreleased DEATH record!
Matt in some interview you said that you're not entirely happy with the vocals on the first album, but that you'll improve it in the future, how is it now? And how challenging is to reach the sound of DEATH? Is it easy to throw off the sound of your other bands? How satisfied are you with this record?
The vocals have been a challenge more so than the music and production for me personally. This record is an improvement for sure though. I feel like I can capture either Chuck's pitch or timbre, but getting both at the same time is a bit of a challenge. Plus, my throat is shot from 20+ years of doing Death Metal vocals, so there are times when I know what I want to get out of my voice, but it's physically difficult due damage / scar tissue etc.
The author of the cover is Ed Repka, the artist who as well painted covers for DEATH, how hard it was to persuade him to make a Death-style covers even for you? Does he absolutely have a free hand in his creations or you give him your idea of the motif and tell him how the cover should look like?
Getting Ed involved was crucial for us since the beginning. When we signed the record deal, we specifically made sure that the art budget would accommodate his fee. With an artist as great as Repka who has done so much great work, we just give him a general direction and then get out of his way. Every piece he's done for us has been great, and this one is no exception. I've really loved what he's come up with for us, and it's an essential element of capturing that early DEATH vibe.
On the „ Twisted Prayers“ James Murphy appears as a guest, how was your cooperation?
James has been really supportive of what we're doing since the beginning, and I've known him for 20 years now, since he mixed Gore Metal for EXHUMED back in '98. James is a recording engineer, so he was able to just do his tracks and send them to our engineer, Jarrett Pritchard. It was really seamless, and he hit it out of the park with his solos. We were really, really happy with what he did. For me as a DEATH fan, it's a huge deal having him guest on a track with us.
How important it is for you that people pay attention to your lyrics apart from listening to your music?
I'm not too terribly worried about people paying attention to the lyrics, I mean, obviously I try to make them as good as I can, and hopefully people want to sing along, but I don't really worry about people looking into them or whatever. There's plenty of meat there for the listener to dig into if they are so inclined, but it's not a crucial thing that will take away from the enjoyment of the song if you just wanna scream out the song title.
The second album has also been released by Relapse, did you choose them due to experiences with them from other bands (for example the EXHUMED release with them as well ) or did you also look aswell for another label or had you some offers from other labels?
We signed with Relapse since I have a long-standing working relationship with them, and we trust them to do good work. They've done a great job of promoting the band and spreading the word. It also fits really well because Relapse have all the DEATH catalog as well, so we're right at home there.
It's no secret that GRUESOME is a DEATH-rendition band . But writing your own songs according to their pattern. Do you feel like those who carry the message of DEATH? Is your aim to remind this band and the beginning and roots of death metal or what is your goal?
The goal is simply to celebrate the DEATH catalog and the work of Chuck and all of his bandmates. We hope to just make the legacy of the band burn a little brighter and express how much we did the style and play DEATH influenced music for DEATH fans, really. Pretty simple!
So who are your fans? Old pardals who grew up on music of DEATH or do you appeal to the young generation as well? How do you perceive the young generation of metal fans, the emerging bands, are you watching this evolution and what’s your opinions on the other kind of music?
It's a mix of old scene heads like myself that enjoy the nostalgia and looking back on the glory days of Death Metal and younger kids who love the music but were too young (or not even born yet) when the original DEATH records were hitting the shelves. I think that the younger generation is great, they have such a passion for the classics and also the records that were kind of unsung in the day but are getting their due now, like Tortured Existence or Nespithe, or Violent Restitution. Of course, Death Metal has changed a lot in the 33 years since Seven Churches, but it would be weird if the death metal of 2018 sounded like the Death Metal of 1998. That evolution is what keep the genre relevant, even though I'll always prefer the old stuff that I grew up on, it's amazing that the genre has continued to grow and branch out and stay vital for so long.
Are you still excited by today’s metal scene like you were „30“ years ago when Death start to play? Can you compare metal scene today with 80‘s and early 90‘s in USA versus Europe?
Of course the excitement I have now is different than how I felt as a kit. 30 years ago, I lived and died for every new record - but at that time, I didn't have a job or a girlfriend or a pet or a car or my own band and all of these things that make up "adult" life. I do like a lot of newer Death Metal bands though, like MORTUOUS, BONE SICKNESS, SKELETAL REMAINS, EXTREMITY, CEMETERY FILTH, COFFIN DUST, LAGO, RUIN, REPULSORY, and many others.
Most of you are achieved in other bands, which are not possible considering just as a side projects, as well you live in different corners of USA, so do you have some problems with organizing gigs or rehearsals before tour/gigs together?
It is a challenge organizing things with members living in different states, but we try to schedule things so we come prepared for gigs and recording. Also, we all practice at home to get prepared, but nothing really works as well as just jamming together as a band, which we don't get to do very often.
In July, you will play on Obscene Extreme fest in Czech Republic, can we look forward to something special? What songs are you most looking forward to playing live? With this festival you already have some experiences from other bands, how do you like this festival and atmosphere there?
I love the fest, it's probably my favorite one to play - the atmosphere is just such a positive thing. It's a place to be weird and crazy and let loose, just a great, freaky party. We'll be debuting some songs from the new album for Europe, which is exciting. With EXHUMED, the focus is more on doing a crazy stage-show, GRUESOME is very straightforward and simple, we just play some songs and fuck off, which is a nice contrast.
The same weekend you will also play in Prague in a slightly smaller club „Modrá Vopice“, do you prefer to play in clubs for few of true fans or do you enjoy more masses at festivals?
I prefer clubs because this kind of music always sounds better inside, and you have your own equipment and things like that. Of course it's cool to play in front of the larger festival audiences, but in terms of my personal enjoyment, the clubs are where it's at.
A little tricky question to the end - is there a band from the Czech Republic and you would like to go on the tour or just play with them?
I'd love to tour with BRUTALLY DECEASED, BYT, or INGROWING, just off the top of my head.
Thank you for your time and answers! I really appreciate it and I wish you a lot of success on the metal scene at home and abroad, see you soon in Czech Republic and the last words are yours… „Death“!
Cheers, thanks for the interview and the support! CHUCK LIVES!
about GRUESOME on DEADLY STORM ZINE:
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