Interview with death grind band from Spain - NASTY SURGEONS.
Answered Raúl (guitars and vocals), thank you!
Ave NASTY SURGEONS! Greetings to the Spanish autopsy rooms! I must confess right at the beginning that I have been a fan of yours since your first album "Exhumation Requiem". I remember I found a recommendation on the internet for your music by the great painter Juan Castellano. I immediately listened to the samples and had to write a review. Can you please tell us how you got together and what is the history of your band?
Hi man, this is Raúl (guitars and vocals), thanks a lot for this chance. Well, the story started in 2016. I was playing in my main band, back in that time, Mistweaver but I also had Mass Burial and I wanted to play a different stuff, with Carcass as my main influence. So I started to compose some songs and this is what you find in Exhumation Requiem. When I had all the stuff I asked Ramón (drummer) who was with me in Mistweaver if he´d like to join and he accepted. I gave him the stuff and a few months later we recorded drums in our rehearsal room and then I recorded the rest in my home studio. When the album was ready, we started to move it in labels and Xtreem Music was interested. Then, we had to find members to create the band and we called Gonzalo on the guitars and a bassist named Adrian, who was just a few months with us and played our first gig supporting Deranged from Sweden.
Then came Fabian on the replacement and since then we´ve had the same line up, recording four albums and two Eps and playing a lot of concerts wherever we´ve been called.
I have your new release this year "Anatomy Lessons" in my player right now and I'm really enjoying it. I've always liked the sound of you guys. This time around, you seem an order of magnitude more brutal, wilder. Where and how did you record the album? Who did the mixing, mastering? How was the recording process?
This time we could record drums in a real studio (LA puerta negra) and then the rest, as usual, in my own studio. Once we had all the tracks, we sent it to Moontower Studios with Javi Felez (Graveyard, Balmog,...) who did the mixing/mastering one more time. We´ve always done this process except for our fisrt album.
The recording process was relaxed and quiet because we do it by our own so we don´t feel that pressure that you have in a studio where you pay for hours and you are always in a rush. We usually record more songs and so we can release an Ep or Split between the albums but this time we prefered not to do that, it´s more stressing.
As far as the packaging is concerned, you have been loyal to Juanja Castellano since your beginnings. I interviewed him once and he's exactly the kind of artist I would like to have a record cover too. How did you guys get together and why did you choose this particular album theme this year?
There many good designers out there but I have been working with Juanjo with my other bands for more than ten years. The first cover he did for me was Of carrion and pestilence of Mass Burial, and so the logo. I know he loves this styles of music and I love all his work. It´s very easy to work with him so... why do I need to change?
Normally I send him the lyrics and he creates what he wants, then we say ok or not, but this time, we knew the title would be Anatomy Lessons and a friend of us told us to use the painting of Rembrand but more gore and with the zombies and stuff. The final outcome is fantastic.
What I like about your music is that it's sophisticated, crafted very well. And at the same time it retains a rawness, drive and power, if you get my drift. I always feel like taking a hammer and breaking down a wall. But it's not just the frantic thrashing, you don't forget the melodies either. Can you tell us about the process of creating a new song? Do you get together in the rehearsal room and practice there, or does everyone bring their ideas and then put them together?
Yes, I think we´ve been doing music for many years so you get a better level of composition, more intrincate, sometimes hard to play even for us J but I think it´s good.
I usually create the songs at home, I have thousands of riffs recorded in my mobile phone and then I link one with other and so it is. Then I program the drums and record it and, once finished, I send it to the rest of the band. Then Ramón plays the drums with arrangements and more elaborated parts and Gonzalo and Fabián play their parts. The lyrics are always in the end (and it´s what takes me more time and headaches:). And once I have the lyrics, I know the places for the solos and melodies and everyone rehearses his solos at home until we record it. As we do it by our own, we usually do several solos, changing over and over until we have to say it´s enough.
For me, melody has always been important. I know it´s not usual in band of this style but it´s my kind of playing. I am not a shredder and I don´t know a lot about music theory and stuff but I love to find a good melody for some songs.
Can you please tell us who is the lyricist on "Anatomy Lessons"? What inspired them and what are they about?
I write the lyrics. You have some about medicine, operations and stuff like that, for example Desmoplasia of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma or Extirpating the Malignant Tumor but you also have others like Brain Driller which is about that film or Ogre of Aptos talking about Ed Kemper, the serial killer. Some gore and necrophic stuff in Exhumed and Ready to be Cooked,... I don´t know. Love is not our stuff :)).
You are from the north of Spain, from the city of Burgos. What's the situation with underground metal in your country? Do you have any clubs, bands? Or do you have to go to the port of Bilbao or Madrid? I'm always very interested in these things. Here in the Czech Republic we always have the same few people going to death metal shows. It's not exactly a style that sells out clubs. What's it like for you? What about the fans? To be honest, I get most of my information about bands mostly from Barcelona.
Well, Burgos is a small city but now we have several bands. But, for our styles, we are always the same people in different bands. We share Mass Burial, La Peste, Undead Breed and some more projects. We have a big venue here called Anden 56, and we organize our festival Burgore Deathfest in this venue. This year is our third edition with Gutalax, Haemorrhage, Balmog,.... and Nasty Surgeons as the hosts.
Man, we need to go to play to your country. You have the best festivals like Obscene Extreme or Brutal Assault. Can you hep us with that?:-) . We will play in August with our othe band LA Peste at More Noise for Life fest, go there and let´s drink some beers :)).
What about you and the gigs? Do NASTY SURGEONS like to play live? Do you prefer smaller clubs or big stages at festivals? And what about as visitors? Do you like to go to concerts often? Do you support your friends?
We are a band for live performances. Recording an album is ok and necesary but we are more confortable on stage. Smaller clubs are good and it´s there where we usually play but big festivals with a ggod sound and stuff is another level. And yes, we go to concerts of bands we are friends or tour coming here, we´ve done that for all our lives.
When you started with music, who was your role model? Who influenced you the most? Please describe your musical beginnings.
I started to listen to metal music when I was 12 and back in that time, I listened to Maiden, Dio, Helloween,... then came Metallica Slayer and then Death-metal with Entombed, Carcass, Morbid Angel,.. and so until our days.
Then, when I started to play the guitar I was 16, but I could´t play this stuff because I had no idea of playing. So I was practicing and practicing, playing simple stuff and so one day I got the level to play this types of music I now play.
The new album "Anatomy Lessons" is out digitally and on CD. Are you considering cassette or vinyl as well? Personally, I still collect CDs and have music in mp3, but today's trends are to release gramophone and cassette tapes as well. Can fans of these media enjoy them? What is your relationship with music on physical formats?
Yes, the cassette and Vinyls will be ready maybe in August. Base Records (one of the two partners who have released the cd) have already sold out all the cds in only six days man, we can´t believe it.
I have been buying vinyls since I was 12 and so I keep on doing it and Cds or course. I have more than 1000 cassttes from my youth but it´s a format I don´t like too much today. About digital... sorry, I live in the past. I don´t have spotify or things like that.
What does music mean to you and how do you perceive it? Is it a hobby or a lifestyle? Does music influence you a lot, do you relax with it?
Music is my life. Unfortunate it´s just a hobby because it´s not possible to do for a living with this styles but I listen to music when I drive, cooking in the kitchen,... it relaxes and creating new stuff is a passion which makes me suffer if I don´t let it out.
What are you planning with NASTY SURGEONS in the near future? Can we look forward to some concerts, tours? Please give fans a hint!
We have a few concerts in Autumn and our Burgore Deathfest on September 9th and we hope we will have more as people listen to our album. Our goal is playing at OEF next year so Curby, if you read this get in contact nastysurgeons@gmail.com :)).
Thank you very much for the interview. I have to say that this year it was very nice for me to accept the invitation to the dissection room and listen to "Anatomy Lessons". May the new album sell well and may you have a full house at the shows. I wish you all the best in your personal lives as well!
Thanks a lot my friend, thanks for your kind support. All the best and I hope we can drink some beers together. Cheers!
about NASTY SURGEONS on DEADLY STORM ZINE:
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