Interview with death doom metal band from Finland - DESECRESY.
Answered Tommi Grönqvist, thank you!
Translated Duzl, thank you!
Questions prepared Jakub Asphyx.
Recenze/review - DESECRESY - Unveil in the Abyss (2022):
Ave DESECRESY! Greetings to the underground. I hope everything is fine with you. It should be because this year you have released a seventh long-play full-length album in your band's career. I have to admit it has literally blown my mind. It is dark, energic and as if it cuts by the sharp edge of the knife. I can hear from the record you did a really good job and you added a big portion of the talent, too. How do you perceive the new album in comparison to the previous one? Where did you want to move and in what are these two records different?
Greetings Mr. Asphyx, the mighty bringer of Deadly Storm! I’m glad the album is making the desired effect. The songs in the new album have more elements of doom. They are bit less complex compared to the previous album, but the tempo and other changes are more carefully thought through. On this album I wanted to come down from the cosmic thematics a notch to more what is in the deep below, although there is no up and down in that sense. Over all it has heavier atmosphere and sound.
„Unveil in the Abyss“ includes all attributes of good death and doom metal. For me personally, it represents the record, which I really like to listen to. How did you produce it? How look the writing process of new material in the case of DESECRESY?
I did the songs one by one for this album, which is different from the usual process where Iḿ working on many songs simultaneously. This time I finished one track and only after that started thinking about the next one. I did not even plan to release them in an album form at first. I just threw them online for who ever stumbles into them to listen. I had a couple of offers to release them but it wasn’t until Dave Rotten from Xtreem asked about it before I warmed up to the idea.
Listening to the new album „Unveil in the Abyss“, I feel like I'm sinking into a deep bloody swamp. The excellent cool and dark sound contributes a lot. How and where did you record? Who produced and, mixed album?
I want the sound to have massiveness that surrounds the listener and easies him deeper into the vast realm of darkness. I record and mix in my own little dungeon. After the previous album I had updated my recording system and that affected the sound for better, after struggling with it at first. I feel like I was able to bring out the sound I wanted better than before. The dark feel of Desecresy requires certain kind of thick and dark sound.
An important part and a kind of extra bonus for fans today is the physical CD. You released the new album at CD in label Xtreem Music, and it has a corpsy cover art. Who is the author? How did you choose the motif and how does it relate to the music at the record?
The motif of skull and beams of light forming a triangular shape felt suitable for the album. I think of it as a shape forming out of the shapeless void of abyss and in it are the eyes staring back at you with the penetrating wedges of light. I painted this cover art as well as the other illustrations in all Desecresy albums. In the pages of the cds booklet there is illustrations for the songs of the album. These pictures were first in the visualiser video versions of the songs before the album came out.
I have been wandering the underground for over thirty years and I still go to Finland for music with certainty. I think we have a similar nature and taste when it comes to metal. I like your bands a lot and I monitor your scene carefully. Maybe I envy you a little, because we only have a few death metal bands that are worth it. How do you explain that death metal are doing so well in your country? How do you perceive your scene, fans, labels?
The early 90s was good time for dm in Finland (before my time, I became aware in late 90s ) but after that it took a deep dive. In 00s the scene started recovering. I don’t know if death metal is specifically that high regarded in Finland, theres just so many metal bands that some percent of them ought to play dm too. I think most of the bands are on other than Finnish labels. Fans and bands I think, like everywhere else are mostly middle aged guys by now. At some point the bands have to start considering death metal from the perspective of death from old age come to think of it. Anyways I think the scene is now way better than before in many ways. Theres at least couple of annual death metal festivals and there is much more going on than twenty years or so ago.
You play doom death metal influenced by, among other things, the old school. Today, the band can't avoid comparisons, but I would like to know how the idea to start DESECRESY was born, who was and is your metal idol? Where do you want to move your band? Are you attracted to large foreign festivals, for example, are you willing to go on tour with a more famous band?
I’d say Bolt Thrower is among biggest influences to Desecresy, although I don’t know how good comparison this is. I wouldn’t go so far to idolize any band in the strict meaning of the word.
Desecresy never played live, so no tours or festivals. I know for many bands playing live is the number one thing above all and thats all more power to them. For me though Desecresy was about conjuring something into existence through music and illustration. Others may think that an act is missing something without live shows especially when it comes to death metal, but I feel my aspirations are fulfilled in this way.
When I started my blog five years ago, I had a vision that I would try to support bands that are not so much popular, or they are lost in underground. To let the world knows about them. I think I'm doing quite well, at least according to the responses. How do you approach the promotion of your music? Do you rely upon the label or do you send the CDs for various reviews by yourself? For example, I buy albums that I really enjoy. What about you? Are you also fans who often support your colleagues? Do you go to concerts?
It is great that there are people like you keeping the flame burning by writing and stirring up interest for metal that way. Im not doing much promotion other than answering interviews if that counts. I think promoting is mostly done to sell something and I’m not that much in the business of selling. Im sure no one is shocked to hear that Im not making much out of this monetarily and no amount of promotion will change that. I rather use my remaining time, energy and money to do something more creative than self promotion (much of my time and energy go to my job and mandatory everyday stuff). Im not going to wait half an hour in line in a post office and pay postage so that someone can shit on my music, so I rarely send cds to anyone for a review. Overall for me it is doing the music that is important and everything else band related comes after that.
Yeah I buy an album when I especially like it too, or when the band is important for me. Theres no reason to fill my apartment with all possible records out there. I can’t say I go to live performances very often even in the best of times and the last couple of years have really put the lid on that. I heard there was some virus going around or something (I’m sure everyone is fed up hearing about that). I probably could be more active going to see bands live.
On the one hand, today the new band has a lot of opportunities to make themselves more known, but on the other hand, there are a huge number of groups and the fans are getting lost in this big metal sea. A lot of people just download mp3s from the internet and instead of to visit the concert they prefer to spit poisonous saliva on Facebook. How do modern technologies affect you as DESECRESY? What do you think about downloading music, google metalists, streaming music, etc.?
Well I didn’t even plan to make physical release of the ”Unveil in the Abyss” originally, so there’s that. I never downloaded much but I do listen to streams quite a lot. I remember hearing some band back in the day - as they say - on a compilation or a copied cassette and getting to buy their album maybe even years later. Now theres so much available at our fingertips that I guess I have become a bit of a google metalist my self. The downside as a listener is that it’s easy to burn through music and later have a complete memory loss about it.
I’m sure eventually cds with vinyl and cassettes will become more and more collectable items or fan merch like shirts and patches rather than the things bought for the sake of actual listening.
Social media in many ways is poison to the mind. I have a facebook page for Desecresy that I now use to hit people up when there is something new, but I’m thinking of dropping it.
I like to ask the musicians what death metal means to them. How would they define it, whether it is more the philosophy and lifestyle thing for them or "just" relaxation? What does it mean for you? How do you perceive and experience it.
To me Its a creative outlet but if you do something with passion it is often far from relaxing. Death metal is something I got into as a young guy and I have kept my interest in it through the years. I take some pride in dedication to my music and that I never just wondered off to do something else out of a whim. Death metal can be a vessel for many different themes so I don’t think it holds specific philosophy in it self. To me there is certain aspect of relentlessness and uncompromising draw to extreme form that I find appealing.
Finally, a classic but important question. What is DESECRESY planning in the upcoming months? Where can we see you at the stage?
Can’t be seen anywhere, DESECRESY is dwelling in the darkness dreaming up new musical incarnations to rise above the surface of earth one day. I am actually quite far in the process of a new album and working on new material all the time.
Thank you so much for the interview. I wish a lot of success to the new album and let the number of your fans expand as much as possible. I will look forward to seeing you somewhere live again. I wish you a lot of success both musically and personally. I'm going to push „Unveil in the Abyss“ into my head again!
Well I’m going to drink some Pilsner Urquell until it gets in my head! Just happens I’m actually drinking one as I’m writing this. Urquell and Budvar are my favorite beers and generally Czech beers are the best in the world. Great combination for the deadly storm of beer and metal! Thanks for the interview!
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