Interview with death metal band from Germany - CARNAL TOMB.
Translated Duzl, thank you!
Recenze/review - CARNAL TOMB - Festering Presence (2021):
Ave CARNAL TOMB! Greetings to the Berlin underworld! I hope you are doing well in these difficult times. What does it actually look like in Berlin during a pandemic? Did it influence you as a band? What about clubs, concerts?
Hails! We are all good so far, but our last concert has been a few months. There is nothing going on in Berlin at the moment. Everything apart from work has been shut down, we are just hoping the summer will bring some options again. Hopefully the clubs and venues we hold dear will have survived somehow. We have not been rehearsing together for a while since the conditions to meet forbid it, but since there are no concerts there isn’t any proper object behind that anyway. At the moment we are just writing and learning the next album via Skype!
I'm still playing your latest EP "Festering Presence". I have a feeling that the graves of the nearby cemetery are opening at that plaque. How did it actually originate? Since your last full-length album "Abhorrent Veneration", I've only recorded a split and an EP. Isn't it time for another serial recording?
Festering Presence is actually our take on the pandemic. As soon as Covid hit, my first thought was ‘let’s write a song about some sort of virus.’ I wanted to record it quickly and we had worked on ‘Dust’ as well so we decided it could be a cool and quick Idea to release an EP. We didn’t think at the time that the pandemic would stay so long. The split was also pretty spontaneous, Gravehammer asked us and our drummer Vomitchrist had just finished writing that song: Osseous Sarcophagus. Like I mentioned earlier we are fully focused on our next album at the moment! It will probably 8 songs, we are learning and perfecting them at the moment and will enter the studio as soon as we are ready.
The EP "Festering Presence" has the old, dusty death metal sound that I love so much. Where did you record the album and who mixed it? I feel inspired by classic Swedish death metal, but also by the American underground. Was that your assignment when you went to the studio?
We recorded it with Tobias Engl in Englsound once again, Tobi also mixed it and Laurent of Sculpt Sound Studios handled the mastering. I think we have our ‘own’ sound that we continue to evolve and try to perfect. It is a mixture of a lot of influences and preferences. We usually change some things every time record because I believe that keeps things fresh. Different amps, different cabinets, different settings. I already have some ideas for the next album. But at the core it will always stay what it is, Death Metal.
As I say, I love old death metal, I grew up on it, it circulates in my blood. It also includes packaging. The one from Skaðvaldur is great in one word. Is there a zombie on "Festering Presence" just coming out of the grave? How did you get together with this artist and why them? Did they also motivate you for T-shirts? I had to order one, really great!
The idea was a corpse inside of a coffin and the ‘Presence’ being above it, Skaðvaldur used that and created what you can see on the cover! As always, we are incredibly happy with the outcome. I actually found out about him through his band Urðun! We talked and eventually played a show in Iceland together. Since then we have become good friends and always return to him for artwork as we believe he has the same vision and passion for what we are trying to create. He also did the shirt for the EP, correct!
In October 2018, I saw you in Prague alongside SENTINENT HORROR and BRUTALLY DECEASED. I remember this concert very fondly. There is always a great sound in the Modrá Vopice club. Underground, exactly as it should be! Do you remember? Was this the first time you played in the Czech Republic? How did you enjoy the concert and what do you say to Czech fans?
Yes of course we remember! It was our first time in Czech Republic and it was a lot of fun! What I can say is that we hope that we can return soon and play a lot more shows there!
If I'm not mistaken, this year you should have performed at the NTEY festival in the Czech Republic. I was really looking forward to it, but given the situation, it doesn't look like much. How do you perceive concerts? Do you enjoy them, do you walk as fans? And do you prefer to play in small clubs or at festivals?
Exactly, it has been pushed to 2022, so let us hope that works out. We love concerts, I go to so many concerts or at least I used to do that before the pandemic. So for me it’s completely normal to hang out and drink with fans, friends or the other bands. We played our biggest show at PartySan Open Air, that was pretty amazing but I guess underground death metal works best in small foggy clubs! It all depends on the location and the energy the fans bring with them. Any show can be good or bad, but I think I prefer the smaller clubs.
The German death metal scene has always been strong, it's been true since the days of my favorites MORGOTH, but how is it today? How does it work in Berlin? Do you have a lot of concerts in clubs? And what about fans, support bands, buy media, merchandise? In the Czech Republic, it is outside Prague (but even there it is sometimes bad), quite a misery. Either the concert will actually be successful or only a few people will come.
Being fairly young I don’t know how it was back then, but I have the feeling it is pretty good in Germany. There are a lot of very passionate individuals organizing concerts or labels, very active bands and there is a strong sense of support between all those people! In Berlin there isn’t really an exclusive Death Metal scene. Or at least not a lot of local bands. But also, a lot of dedicated people supporting all the different genres. I feel that Berlin offers a place for everyone and we have found a place here with a few supporters. Our concerts in Berlin have been getting better and better, a lot of people show up and support the bands. But sometimes you would have multiple concerts on one evening. I hope that in the future there is more communication between promoters and hopefully more support and attendance from the people when this shit is finally over!
"Festering Presence" was released on vinyl at the great Lycanthropic Chants, on cassette and digitally. I understand vinyl, most people listen to music digitally today, but what about tapes? Does it really look like their return? Look, I remember the 1990s, their constant squinting, and then I was really happy for the arrival of the CD. How do you perceive physical carriers today? Are you a collector?
We have released tapes since our beginning, of course it has a huge nostalgic value even though we didn’t experience the ‘trading days’. But people like it and I on the other hand like physical formats. I listen to a lot of music digitally because it is practical and a great way to find new bands, but what I really like I buy (mostly on vinyl). I’ve been spending all my money on merch since the concerts are missing.
CARNAL TOMB can be ranked among the bands that play old honest death metal. How did the band come into being, how did you get together and why just dusty deadly metal? Please guide us through the history of your group.
I was playing in a death metal band that wasn’t really going anywhere, nobody felt the need to bundle the ideas and bring the band forward, since everyone had different ideas. I was getting more and more into Swe-Death at the time so I quit and founded Carnal Tomb in 2014. My old bassist Corpse joined me and we started recording demos in my apartment. In 2015 we finally found a drummer and a second guitarist, recorded our first album in 2016 and with some line-up changes have been going strong from there onwards! I think we have found our style and sound with the recent releases and now it’s just about perfecting what we are doing.
How would you define death metal and what does it mean to you? Feel free to start philosophical considerations, I would be interested in your view as a musician.
It is extremely important to me, it is my favourite genre and I couldn’t imagine my life without it. For me it is important that it’s heavy and embodies the name – death metal! Not a big fan of when bands water down their sound and give up heavyness for what some call musical progression. It should be honest and straight forward. I can’t stand huge stage props, fashion and all that crap. Fog, little light, heavy tone. Simplicity is what you could call it. My taste is very puristic, be it death metal or beer!
What are CARNAL TOMB planning in the coming months?
Right now I am working on a vinyl re-issue of our first album and two shirt designs, other than that we are working on album 3. The album and song titles are ready and we are just learning and perfecting the songs. We all have a lot of work to do besides the band so I hope we will be fast, but if it takes a bit longer I can tell you it will be worth the wait.
Thank you so much for the interview. I'm going to get "Festering Presence" in my head again. Both songs were really successful. I hope to see you live soon and have a few beers together. Good luck with both the band and your personal lives!
Definitely man, thank you for the interview and all your support of death metal. Can’t wait for those beers, see you soon hopefully! Cheers!
about CARNAL TOM on DEADLY STORM ZINE:
Recenze/review - CARNAL TOMB - Festering Presence (2021):
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