Interview with grindcore death metal band from Poland - STRAIGHT HATE.
Answered Kuba Brewczyński, thank you!
Translated by Petra, thank you!
Questions prepared Jakub Asphyx.
Recenze/review - STRAIGHT HATE - Black Sheep Parade (2019):
Ave STRAIGHT HATE! I didn’t find any interview with your band in the Czech language. Could you please introduce STRAIGHT HATE to Czech metal fans? You can start by establishing the band and go through the full band’s history.
The origin of Straight Hate dates back to 2008. The name of the band was based on the Sepultura number. Since then, we have undergone a number of stylistic and personal changes. Unfortunately, until 2013 we were not a very active band. We played concerts sporadically. In 2014, we recorded our debut EP entitled "Mental Disorder". In July of the same year there was also a split recorded with the Indonesian Speedy Gonzales "Born To Grind" in the form of a cassette. On May 6, 2016, we released our debut album entitled "Every Scum Is A Straight Arrow". We are currently promoting the second album "Black Sheep Parade", which was released on September 21, 2019. Throughout this period, Straight Hate have played some successful gigs and festivals with many bands rooted in Polish and worldwide underground.
I am listening to your new record and I feel as if I am closed in some chamber with bands like DISMEMBER, NIHILIST, ENTRAILS, INTERMENT along with the grind core’s legends. The record has a great sound. Where did you record it and how are you satisfied with the result? Did you have the last word concerning the final sound?
The whole process of creating music through recordings and finally mixes took quite a long time. We do not regret this time, because all the details and shortcomings have been refined to the very end. Only the drums were recorded in the studio, the rest were recorded in home conditions. Our bass player Przemek was watching over everything, working and mixing everything.
How was the new material for the "Black Sheep Parade" created? How does STRAIGHT HATE actually compose/write music?
The numbers were created spontaneously. Our guitarist Kamil creates them at home, records drafts and sends them to the forum. Then we discuss possible corrections. Sometimes some of us will come up with a riff and in the rehearsal room together we create its whole. I write most of the texts myself. There are sometimes exceptions. Kamil and Wizun wrote the lyrics for the songs "Gnijące Istenie" and "The Kneaders".
On the „Black Sheep Parade“ front cover is an image of roped sheep. Who is an author? I like his work. How did you actually choose the idea for front cover and what does it represent? Should I understand it as a comparison to how people are bound by prejudice and ready for defeat?
The author of the cover is Maciek Kamuda. I had known his work before. When the concept of the new album appeared, I knew from the beginning that this man must make a cover for us. I just needed to describe the album title and explain the meaning of the lyrics. Black sheep are all characters mentioned in the texts. The common denominator that unites them into one herd is a series of negative dominant features in today's world. Black sheep can also include people who flow along with the current created by the mass media, uncritically and thoughtlessly accepting patterns dictated by modern trends. They can't think for themselves.
Could you reveal us who is the author of lyrics and what is their background? Where do you take your inspiration for topics in the lyrics?
The texts are a reflection of everyday life, viewed by the average bread eater. I am writing about the problems we have to face. About how we are fooled by the mass media, about people who flow thoughtlessly and uncritically along with the current created by contemporary trends. Overall, nothing new and revealing. I write most of the texts myself. There are sometimes exceptions. Kamil and Wizun wrote the lyrics for the songs "Gnijące Istnienie" and "The Kneaders".
The new album was released as a CD by Deformeathing Production. This label has a very good name in the underground and does a really great job. But, didn't you want to release the record in the larger label? Did you address any? How satisfied are you with Deformeathing Production?
We didn't think about a bigger label because Deformeathing offered us the conditions we expected. At the moment we are satisfied with working with Wojtek.
I saw your performance this year at SYMBOLIC fest in the Czech Republic. And I must admit you literally cut me up. The concert had great power, pressure, lots of energy. How did you enjoy it, how did you like the festival and what do you say about the Czech fans?
We treat every trip to the Czech Republic as a holiday. We love playing in your country. The organization of concerts and the atmosphere is always at a very high level. You have a lot of festivals where we would like to play. You are a role model for us. Every year I send dozens of emails asking about performances to various organizers found on the internet. Sometimes we manage to play like the Symbolic Festival. Unfortunately, these concerts are not many because we are little known to you. Czech fans are crazy people who have a distance. They are easygoing and friendly. We have very great respect for your country and for your music scene. I always talk about it in many interviews.
When I go through your records, I must say, you passed a long way from the beginnings. It's obvious that you're working on yourself as a band. How often does STRAIGHT HATE rehearsal? Are you an honest group that meets regularly, or are you rather punkers and meet in the rehearsal room only when it is needed?
We don't play regular rehearsals. We usually meet before the upcoming concert or when we create new material. We live in two different cities, we work at different times of the day. It's hard to organize.
Concerning your band as a whole, it is obvious how are you still better at each record, you are evolving, you are still better and better. Do you have some goals, which would you like to achieve? For some it is a famous label, for another is to play some concert with a famous band…
I just want our album to reach as many people as possible with different musical preferences. This would make “Black Sheep Parade” a very universal and accessible album.
Could you recommend some new records, which catch your attention recently?
I have to admit that Polish black metal bands have recently made a great impression on me. Albums of bands such as: Mord'A'Stigmata - "Quiet Places" or Gruzja "Wciąż Nie Mamy Na Was Pomysłu" have caused a lot of confusion on the native stage. Recently, American BruceXCampbell - "South To No Life" and the band from Prague - Insistent - "Suspect" caught my attention with grind themes.
Do you know and listen to some of our Czech metal bands?
Of course ! Czech bands had a great influence on my direction and musical development. I have been to Obscene Extreme six times where I met the leaders of your stage. I played with many Czech bands: Needful Things, Spasm, Tortharry, Abortion, Contrastic, Insistent, Critical Madness and many more. Fleshless made a brilliant performance at Symbolic Fest. You have one of the strongest grind / death scenes in all of Europe.
We are approaching the end of the interview, so let me ask you one philosophical question. How would you define the Swedish death/grind metal? How important is this music for you and why did you choose this kind of music?
This music is an important element of my everyday life. My sympathy for Grind came primarily from the simplicity and diversity offered by this genre. It can be freely varied by incorporating even Swedish sound, hardcore releases or death metal crap. It is literally a ride without a handle that releases endorphins and logs us out of everyday life.
What is STRAIGHT HATE planning in the next months?
This year we have already planned a few concerts. One in Lithuania, one probably in Slovakia and the rest in Poland. Of course, I sent a lot of messages to Czech festivals, but we'll see if I will have an answer. We want to release split later, but we haven't determined the details yet.
Thank you for the interview and I wish you a lot of sold records, hundreds of crazy fans and tons of great ideas!
Thank you very much Kuba for the opportunity to be interviewed. I hope that thanks to it we will reach more listeners in Czech Republic. Greetings from the eastern grind freaks !!!
Recenze/review - STRAIGHT HATE - Black Sheep Parade (2019):
Straight Hate online:
Label:
https://deformeathing.bandcamp.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
sledujte nás na sociálních sítích - follow us on the social media:
Instagram:
facebook:
twitter:
