Answered PRION.
Translated and questions prepared by Duzl, thank you!
Recenze/review - PRION - Aberrant Calamity (2019):
I had the chance to hear your new album "Aberant Calamity", which officially will be released in less than a month on 22 February at Comatose Music records. The album is dark, brutal, has an atmosphere and an amazingly legible sound, a link to bands such as Hate Eternal, Morbid Angel, Immolation is obvious, but it's definitely not just a copy of them and I really like your way of interpretation! Great work! How satisfied you are with new album?
GREGORIO: Hi, many thanks! You are right; the bands you mention are a huge influence to us. In fact, we had the opportunity to play in Argentina with Morbid Angel (2009) and Immolation (2018). Even my dog is called Rutan (like Eric Rutan, haha!). In PRION we have always tried to compose in the most original way possible, without trying to sound neither like anyone, nor to ourselves through the 25 years of career. We simply make the music we feel, beyond the genre. It’s like a permanent search of a new sound. For us, our band is something that serves mainly to feel good, do what we like in the best way possible. We are very satisfied with our new album, and anxious to present it in the next shows. The goal of the band was always to improve ourselves and get better album after album, I think we have achieved this widely with this new release. There will be always things to get better, but it’s time to enjoy, also we are strongly working on the new material.
I wanted to pre-order the album, but unfortunately, vinyl is again not available, just a CD's version. If I am right, none of your records was released as vinyl, what is the reason and do you have plan to release vinyl’s in the future?
WALTER: It’s true, unfortunately there are none of our albums in vinyl, but that’s not our own decision, but of the label, it’s the actual situation of most part of the underground death metal scene and various labels that release the albums in this format. The vynil is rising in the market, but it’s expensive and less practical than the CD and that makes the possibilities of sales much lower. Beyond the advantages of the vinyl, in terms of sound quality, among other things. Another problem is that less people are buying albums in physical format than after. I hope the next editions can be released in vinyl too; it’s going to depend of the sales of our albums, so please get it now! Hahaha.
On album is first time introduced your new drummer Flavio Coscarella, his speed and drumming experience definitely raised the whole record, what you think?
FLAVIO: You are right, it’s the first album with me on drums, I tried to put it into a superior level to the previous efforts, raising the bar at some points. There are some more fast songs, and also more technical in terms of patterns for example, my main purpose was to create some unique sound and arrangements. My drum set makes an important part on that, I use some splashes, not so common in brutal death metal, I´m influenced by the sound of Richard Christy in “The Sound of Perseverance“ (there’s no need to name the band I guess)
Could you briefly describe the music-making process of this album and how has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?
GREGORIO: Flavio joined the band in 2016. While we were working on already edited songs as for the commitments we had for the live shows, at the same time, we were looking on the 10 tracks that made “Aberrant Calamity”. At first we composed the guitar riffs, and then the drummer (Flavio) from his most personal point of view he was in charge of all the percussion. We try that each of us puts his vision in every song, to make a richer composition of the content, and also make the artistic spectrum wider. Then the lyrics, which as in the rest of the other albums of PRION, we written by Walter and I. Finally some brushstrokes of arrangements for each song, prior to the final mix, and that’s all. It had been really easy to work with Flavio from the very beginning, although the previous drummer was almost 20 years old with the band, we adapt quickly. I think we growth as a musicians in all this 3 years, producing the new material, that is coming soon.
Marco Hassman is the author of the cover for last album, is it same even with this new one? Is it purely his work or did you have a concrete idea of what would be on the cover?
WALTER: We know Marco years ago, not only as an artist; he is capable of design incredible paintings, and very originals. Also as a guitar player in Blasphemer (Italy), a band that I love and we got the luck to share the stage in Milano. Marco did an exclusive design to our first European tour in 2011, then he did (as you know) the artwork for our previous album “Uncertain Process" and now "Aberrant Calamity" and we hope he remains responsible for all the next art. Our way of working with Marco was always the same; we are people aware of what we want and also of the great artist who he is. Therefore, we only tell him the name of the album, the lyrics and some minimal references, we tell him that we need a big frontal image, and ask to be very detailed with the rest of the design, and the color we want to be predominant, nothing else. We know about his vast career and we trust 100% in him. He’s the artist and we think if we give him a lot of indications, it would be a way to curb his imagination.
Somebody doesn’t read lyrics at all, someone else sweeps every word, can you tell the name of one song from a new album whose text is worth for read and why?
WALTER: I will choose “I Remembered to Breathe". Talks about a conflictive relationship between a father and his son, the violence exercised by the father, who presents a break when his son is capable of defend against him. That tension can be seen across the entire lyric and it makes us reflect many things about the damages that they achieve in terms of the image that one must take from their parents and how they act, which is ultimately what forms our identity at first.
Somewhere I read that the name of the band came from the inspiration of the Carcass and their medical terminology at a time when you listened to them a lot, so I ask you which their album do you consider as a best and why?
GREGORIO: Yeah, Carcass was one of the bands that I mostly listened at the time. I had the luck to saw them in Argentina; it was an unforgettable show, loaded with lots of emotion. There are two albums that I personally think are undisputed icons: first “Heartwork” where the sound quality, the melodies mixed with the brutality makes unique sound, and then also “Necroticism Descanting the Insalubrious“. Both albums have nothing to criticize, any lover of death metal need to listen to that albums. Returning with the name of the band, this happened to a friend who studied chemistry for the year 1994, basically the PRION it’s a bacterium that attacks the brain and destroys it… and what better name for a death metal band when we were barely 19!
You remain faithful to the Comatose Music record, does it mean that you are fully satisfied with their cooperation? Or is it something what you would like to improve?
WALTER: We are very satisfied with Comatose Music that’s why we are with them more than 10 years ago, starting from the release of "Impressions". Steve, the owner of the label, besides having the knowledge on how to spread the bands that forms the Comatose catalog, it’s a superb musician, he plays in bands that are a long time ago (Lust of Decay & Atrocious Abnormality), he understands without telling him, the needs of the musician. Besides, it supports us in all our follies, such as the double album of “Uncertain Process" which comes with a DVD containing a full show of the band. Only the release of some album on vinyl would be missing, like you said previously...Haha.
Comatose Music is also known by the fact that they like to release split albums of their bands... is there a band from Comatose Music that you would like to join together to create another split album and is possible that it really will happen in the future?
GREGORIO: Of course, we would be very proud to participate in a future split with the following bands: “Blasphemer”, “Atrocious Abnormality”, “Kraanium”, “Decimation”, “Necrotic Disgorgement”. We have participated with “Mass Infection” in a SPLIT called “Torso Trauma” released in 2011, and with “Blasphemer” we had the chance to play with them on one of our European tours. We hope that the production of a new split along with any of these immense bands can be completed soon!
What about your instruments? Are you loyal to specific brand or are you able to play with whatever is available? What made you choose the instruments you have actually? Money, model, brand, color...preference?
FLAVIO: We play with what we have (lol), we aren’t the most rich guys from the country in our death metal scene, not even close, we don’t have loyalty to any brand, it’s all about sound, if we like the sound of any specific cymbal or bass mic, then go on.
You're just a three-member band, no doubt it has a lot of benefits in certain things, but have you ever thought about getting a second guitar player?
GREGORIO: That’s right! there are several benefits. Firstly, the cost of the trip in case of using airline or bus tickets. It‘s also always easier to organize schedules and dates among fewer people. In addition, it is easier to agree on the things that respect the band, much less discussion, haha. In our beginnings we had a 2nd guitar player (Diego Braña). When he leaves in 2000, We tried to follow as a trio and it did not seem at all that bad, we felt very comfortable. From there we never started a search for a 2nd guitarist. Although, in the shows the responsibility and the attention are bigger, so that the band sounds good with less musicians, at the same time everything is more intense and a great adrenaline is experienced. We never dismissed the possibility, but for now we're good.
Although I know a few big names from the Argentine death metal scene, I think that the heavy and thrash metal in Argentina is still clearly prevalent. Do you think it will ever change in the future?
FLAVIO: In my opinion there’s no room for extreme metal in general, the scene isn’t gaining support from the people, there’s like you said, and overpopulation of heavy/thrash metal bands in the vein of Ricardo Iorio bands (V8, Hermetica and Almafuerte), the most part of the metal scene goes in that way, we don’t hate them for choosing that path, but there’s a time when you say: “Come on guys! Listen to something else, there’s like million bands with better ideas, better sounding and better anything around there”, so, in conclusion, at near future it’s almost impossible
In 2015, you played in the Czech Republic alongside Avulsed, Natron and your countrymen La Sangre, do you still remember this concert? Can you share with us some unforgettable moments?
WALTER: Of course we remember the show in Czech Republic, a venue that brings a very intimate environment between the bands and the people. In fact, I do not know if you knew it, La Sangre, have the brothers Barrera which are Argentinean. By the way, one of them it’s a really good chef, we ate a goulash made by him. At that show we meet friends that we made in this years, love and respect to them (Heaving Earth, Brutally Deceased, Death Karma among others).
It's always nice to play in the Czech Republic, we have a lot of admiration to the country, and it’s small, but with very warm people and a good amount of bands. Talking about the tour with Avulsed and Natron, it’s was the best experience of our life. For us, it was a learning to be able to share shows every night with two bands with so much experience. Watching like every member of the bands manage things between them, how they handled with places where we play, with promoters, how professional they are when they play and how they prepare. Those are things we don’t usually see in our country. And besides all this as if it were not enough, we build a friendship that will last a lifetime. They are very humble people, with which you can treat as equals, despite what they are for the world scene. Many funny things that happened perhaps if I tell here do not have the same effect. One of the most fun things I remember when we see it (because it’s on tape) is that the last night we booked in a hotel which only had the capacity for 13 people and we were 14. A small accommodation in Brescia, Italy. One of us found himself in the van, we left all the luggage outside at the door and while we were entering the suitcases and returned for more, one of us stayed at the hotel and hid (I do not know if under the bed) so as not to be discovered. All this while we talk loudly and laugh, the concierge asked us to please stop because there were people trying to rest.
What are generally your future plans for PRION? Are you planning to come to Europe play new songs for us? Do you already have some offers? How difficult is it for you to come from South America to tour Europe tour?
WALTER: At this point, we have the idea to present our new album at any possible place. We have a date confirmed in a big festival in Chile with Nocturnus and Nasty savage. If it’s possible we will try to give shows across all Southamerica. Also we are thinking about tour again in Europe, that will be at the end of the year or maybe the next one, but we have nothing confirmed yet. We'll see if we can coordinate the dates with the times of our jobs and family, because unfortunately we do not live on the music. If we come back to Europe, we will play again in Czech Republic, that’s for sure.
We are on the end so can you tell me top song from new album that you can't wait to play live?
WALTER: It’s a really hard question, because we love the most part of the album, “I remembered to Breathe” it’s one of a kind song, it has some Behemoth vibe at the intro, we love it, also “Observed Relativity” in my opinion (Flavio) has some of the best arrangements ever on any song of the band. We go with that song, some kick-ass death metal!
Thank you guys for the interview, wish you great succes with your new album and hope to see you soon somewhere around...
about PRION on DEADLY STORM ZINE:
Recenze/review - PRION - Aberrant Calamity (2019):
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