Interview with grindcore death metal band from Poland - ASS TO MOUTH.
Answered Vanilla Jarek (bass, vocals), thank you!
Recenze/review - ASS TO MOUTH - Enemy of the Human Race (2024):
Ave ASS TO MOUTH! Greetings to the Polish underground and beautiful Wroclaw. Let's get straight to the important stuff. You have a new album out "Enemy of the Human Race", which is literally packed with honest, dirty grindcore death metal. How was the album made and how do you feel about it? What direction did ASS TO MOUTH move in?
Hi Jakub. This is Jarek – bassist//vocalist in Ass To Mouth. First of all – thanks for your interest in the band and kind words about our new album. As for how the album was made....
I think it's pretty standard – a few guys meet in a rehearsal room and make some music. Then they record it in the studio, mix it etc. etc. Unfortunately, for some reasons that I don't want to talk about now, this album took a very long time to come together. However, I'm glad it's finally here, people like it and I'm happy with it myself.
I'm listening to it right now and I have to write that this time it took a while to get into my blood. I put the album in my player, I'm listening to it in the car. I like the sound a lot. It's lively, organic, old school, and at the same time very clear. Where did you record it and who is responsible for the sound?
Thanx a lot for a good word about the sound. We recorded the whole album in Soundscope Recording Studio – Wrocław // Poland. I’m the owner of this studio and a sound engineering is my full time job..... so I was responsible for all the recordings, mixing and mastering of this album. In fact, it was the same on all previous ATM releases.
You'll probably agree with me that the cover sells. You guys have it pretty brutal this year. The author is Mirek "Mirekis" Iskra. Personally I like the cover, it's dark, apocalyptic. How did you and Mirek get together and what exactly is the theme supposed to express in relation to music?
While we were looking for someone who can make a cover for our album, one of my frineds shared some of Mireks’s art on his social media. I checed whole gallery of Mirek’s art, and I said – I want him to do a cover for that album. Everybody in the band agreed. I wrote to Mirek, and he agreed. I’ve send him music, lyrics and this is what he did. All of us in the band really like it. End of the story ;)
As for the question what is suppose to express... I got my own interpretation, but I think that if You read the lyrics on the album, and You’ll look at the cover – everybody can find his own interpretation ;)
On the new album, I was attracted by the lyrics, which also express my views on the current strange world. Who is their author and where did you get inspiration for them?
I’m an author of all the lyrics. Where I get inspirations ? Mostly from life.... and from all the shitty reality that surrond us...... unfortunetlly.
I put "Enemy of the Human Race" over and over again in my head and I think what I like most about the album is probably that hard to describe old school grind death metal feeling. We seem to be of the same blood. Who was and is your role model? Every musician started out somehow, there are role models that have shaped their signature. What were yours?
I started listening to grind-core somewhere araoud 2000 or 2001. I think the biggest influence on me was the music that was created earlier, and the music that was created between 2000 and 2008. In these years I listened to a lot of new grind, death metal and hard-core releases. Right now I do not listen a lot of new music. Sometimes I find a new record that I really like, but mostly I listen to old stuff. I don’t think I have some role models… maybe I have, but I’m not even aware of it ;)) Anyway – for sure, music I’m listening to is somehow inspiration for music of ATM.
In 2008 you released a compilation from Obscene Extreme festival. It's been a while since then. Do you return to the festival as a fan? Have you ever played here in the Czech Republic before? And how do you feel about live shows as a band? Do you like to play? And what about club events, for example, in Wroclaw?
Yeah – we played at OEF in 2008. Awsome memories. As a fan, I've been to every OEF festival since 2002. Also Pablo - our drummer used to come as a fan, but he hasn't been doing it for few years. Kobi – our new guitarist, probably never went to this festival, but I know, that every year he’s attending at Brutal Assault Fest in Czech Republic. I prefer OEF, as it’s smaller and more into grindcore ;)))
In years 2005-2016 we played many shows in Czech Republic, and it was always a blast… I have always enjoyed playing concerts, but unfortunately in 2016 we stopped being active as a live band. I hope we'll get back to that someday, but nothing is certain at this point.
In 2016 - 2024 you have suspended your activity. Why exactly? You couldn't find a guitarist? By the way, how did you get together with Kobi? Why him?
We’ll basically it our activity was suspended, but not in 100%. For example – we recorded new album ;))) And when it comes to the question of why we suspended our activity… sometimes not all things in your life, work out the way we want, and you have to do something else in your life than playing music… and that’s the reason.
Kobi and I had probably known each other for quite a long time. Anyway, at some point Kobi was recording an album in my studio with his second grind band – Ratflesh. He suited me as a person and I liked his style of playing guitar, so I asked him if he would like to play in Ass To Mouth. We talked... and he agreed ;)
If we go back to the beginning... What was the first impulse to put the band together? And why grindcore death metal? It's not exactly a style that would have gained you much "fame". Please take us through the history of ASS TO MOUTH.
I got into grindcore when I was something around 15-16 years old. When I was 17, I started to play live shows with my first death//grind band. I also started to organize live shows by myself for other bands. Then my band broke up, and one of my friends asked me If I wanted to join new hard/core-punk band. I was always also into hc/punk, so I said – Yes, let’s try. And this is how I met Maciek – first guitarist of ATM – he also played in this band. Our hc/punk band didn’t last long – we haven’t played any shows, we haven’t recorded anything….. One day we talked with Maciek, and we said – ok, let’s try to do a grindcore band. We both knew Pablo, so we asked him if he want to join the band. After few talks, he agreed – and he’s still the drummer for ATM. Then Pablo asked Sandro to play, and Sandro become our first vocalist. Yes, I know that playing in a grind band won't make me famous ;) But I don’t care. I did what I wanted to do, because I loved grindcore music.
You come from Poland, which I've had a soft spot for since I was young, and you play extreme grind death metal. Our readers would definitely be interested to know how your scene works? To be honest, I've been hearing nothing but great stuff from you guys lately. Does that mean that your scene is very strong at the moment? What about gigs, how many people come?
Well… we have really strong death metal scene, but that’s mostly not the type of death metal that I’m not really interested in. As for the grind scene…. it was pretty strong maybe 15 years ago, but now – there are just a few grindcore bands that remain, few new grind bands – not really much. There are some labels that are still releasing grind bands, and that cool. But as for the gigs and fans…. there are almost no grindcore gigs in Poland. Why ? Because really few people come to such concerts. Unfortunately. I really love Czech grind scene – in my opinion, it’s much stronger then in Poland.
You can feel from your music that you're influenced by both Swedish, Finnish and British school, kind of those old honest European bands. How are you as fans? Do you prefer the original death and grindcore metal of the nineties or do you draw inspiration from the new records as well? If so, I'd be interested to know which bands had/have the biggest influence on ASS TO MOUTH.
As I told few questions before – I do not listen to a lot of new music. Sometimes I find new records that I really like, but I think, that the biggest influence for ATM is the old bands. I think that music of ATM is a mix of oldscholl grind-core, hard-core, gore-grind and a little bit of death metal, and….rock’n’roll ;) But if you want me to give specific names of bands that inspired me, then unfortunately I simply unable. I think we never wanted to play like this or other band, we rather tried to develop something of our own.
We are coming to the end and I always ask a slightly philosophical question. How would you define death/grindcore metal and what does it mean to you? I don't mean now the technique of playing, but rather what it brings to you, takes, how you perceive it in relation to the fans. Did you grow up on it?
I think that the music is one of the most important things in my life. For most of my life I have been involved in various activities in the death/grind scene. I was playing in a bands, organizing shows, tours and also I work as a sound engineer – both in studio and at the shows. Yes - I grow up with music, and I think that without it, I wouldn't be who I am today.
Thank you very much for the interview. I appreciate it. Now let the music do the talking. I'm gonna go play "Enemy of the Human Race" really loud! I wish you all the best with the news and that all is well in your personal lives. Thank you!
Thanks Jakub for the interview. Thanks to all the readers of Deadly storm zine who found time to read this. Thanks to everyone who listened to Enemy Of The Human Race. See you somewhere on the grindy route of life!!! Cheers!
Recenze/review - ASS TO MOUTH - Enemy of the Human Race (2024):
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