Interview with death metal band from Poland - OFFENCE.
Answered Maross, thank you!
Translated Duzl, thank you!
Questions prepared Jakub Asphyx.
Recenze/review - OFFENCE - You'll Never Rest In Peace (2021):
Ave OFFENCE! I didn´t find any interview with you in Czech. So firstly, I would like you to introduce your band to readers who don´t know you. You might as well start from the beginning and tell us the whole history of OFFENCE.
Hi! We started around 2011 when I was playing with Exhalation and our guitarist Chaos in Dimidium Mei. Our bands used to share the stage back then and we decided to start a new project focused on old Swedish Death metal. Firstly we called our new band Selfdestruction but quickly the line-up changed and we were left alone together with Chaos and changed the name to Offence. So far we have recorded 3 full length albums and 3 split Eps – with Throneum, Trauma and Hell-Born. We have played at some festivals in The Czech Republuc but it`s the first interview for the Czech zine.
I listen to your new album “You'll Never Rest In Peace” and I feel like I am locked in a dungeon along with DISMEMBER, NIHILST, ENTRAILS, INTERMENT, ASPHYX, BOLT THROWER, OBITUARY. The album has a great Swedish sound. Where did you record and are you satisfied with the finished product? Did you make some comments about the final sound?
I guess we have finally managed to get the sound we have always wanted. In the past we used to make a lot more or less succesful attempts during our previous recording sessions. This time we got the right man to do the mixing and mastering work, namely Haldor Grunberg from Satanic Audio. We are really satisifed with the sound we have achieved, When it goes about inspiration you got the right names in your question!
How was the new material for “You'll Never Rest In Peace” born? How OFFENCE compose and make new material?
Generally the whole stuff was ready about 3 years ago but we played a lot of shows back then and there was simply no time to get into the studio. Then we had to find a new bass player and the time of pandemic arrived, which enabled us to find enough time to record everything.
“You'll Never Rest In Peace” has a very colourful and horror cover. Robert A. von Ritter Illustrations did it. I like his work, but why did you choose the colourful motive? Did it have a special reason? How did you choose the idea for your cover?
All our previous cover artworks are colorful except for the split EP with Throneum. The whole idea behind it was made up by Chaos but I found the man to draw it. I think the picture suits well the lyrics and the concept idea of this album.
Who is the author of your lyrics and what are they about? Where do you find inspiration? It looks like you like horrors. Would you tell us which ones?
I lkie horror movies but they have nothing to do with the lyrics of our album. The main horror of our Polish society is the catholic church and from there we draw a lot of inspiration. Everyday we get a lot of “interesting“ information about this institution and sometimes these facts concern our every day life, like for example the censorship of metal shows in Poland. <ost of these lyrics are written by me but 3 of them are created by my good mate M.D. with whom I play in a band called Witchfuck. He is also playing in such band as Poisoned, Putrid Evil and Goat Tyrant. One of the lyrics (Inferno) is a poem by Tadeusz Miciński.
You have invited great guests to the new album - Roman Kostrzewski (KAT) Les (Damnation & Hell-Born) Don of The Dead (Nunslaughter) Mike Perun (Cianide) - how did you get together and why them? They all gave great performances!
I`ve known Roman Kostrzewski for a few years. We livee in the same town – Bytom. We have also played a lot of times as a support act for Kat. We invited Roman to appear on our previous album back in 2016 butr had a lot of other things to do then. During the pandemic I asked him again and this time he agreed. We`ve had a split with Hell-Born and I`m a huge Damnation fan so I decided ask Les to sing a few lines for us. It was the first time since the “Coronation“ mini album that he made some vocals. For us it`s a really important thing. He also made a solo for the song “Inferno“. I know Mike Parun and Don of the Dead because we`ve been trading CDs and writing each othe for some time. I asked them and they quickly agreed. We also played with Nun Slaughter in 2014. It`s a great honor for us to have such great musicians on our album!
You play a typical, classic Swedish death metal. You have never flinched from this genre, you are “orthodox”. Personally, it is the reason why I like your music so much. But have you ever thought about playing something different, to somehow make the music of OFFENCE special?
Thanks for your kind words. I don`t think we will ever change our style. We have other bands to play other kinds of music and we listen to a lot of different stuff. For example I play in a Black Metal band Witchfuck and a doom-goth Bauthen. The other guys have their Black Metal bands called Dimidium Mei and Besatt. Offence has the mission of playing this old-school Swedish death metal and it will remain this way until the death of this band or us.
At home I have your split with the legendary band TRAUMA (2015). You both did a perfect killer job! The record was released on vinyl. Vinyl as a medium is returning and it is getting cool now. Do you want to release the new album “You'll Never Rest In Peace” on vinyl too? What about you and vinyl? Do you collect them? Do you have a large collection?
Thank you again for this great opinion. Sure, I like vinyls. Recently I even bought a new record player and a new killer amp! I`ve been collecting vinyls but I`m not really obsessed with it. At least not as much as ome people are. At home I`ve got a bigger tape and CD collection, Vinyl records have their high time now and it`s a real fashion thing now. I used to be more into collecting them around 15 years ago. Our album will be out on vinyl too and the label responsible for this version will be Witching Hour but at this moment we need to wait for it a bit due to a longer queues at the pressing plant.
You did a concert on CZECH DEATH FEST (2015). How did you like concert? Do you remember how did you felt after the concert? What do you mean about czech fans?
We like playing in the Czech Republic very much, even more than in Poland. We have played at a few festivals there so far and we still dream to play at Brutal Assault or Obscene Extreme. I hope we will one day. Czech peaple are great and friendly guys with whom it`s easy to make an agreement. At some point of time I was even thinking about moving to the Chech Republic as you don`t have this fucking church trying to get into every aspect of people`s lives. Unfortunately I didn`t play the show at Czech Death Fest as I had to go into the hospital a week before. It was the only show I didn`t play with Offence and I`m really sad about it. My friend Ulcer from Nuclear Vomit played there instead of me.
Here in the Czech Republic we perceive the Polish scene as something huge, something unattainable for our small country. You have a lot of clubs, a large number of great bands, labels, thousands of excited fans. Is it really like that? Do people go a lot on concerts? Do you feel a support as a band? Do people buy your CDs, vinyl, and merchandise? When you have a concert in a smaller club, how many people would go there?
It`s true that our scene is really strong and I`m really proud about it. Offence gets some support and paople like going to shows, even the smaller ones. I`m aso an organizer of such an event called Night of Terror and a festival Metal Doctrinbe and I`ve never complained about the number of people visiting these shows.
You play a quite unusual kind of death metal in Poland. Most of your bands combine death with black metal. I know the “Swedish death metal” from Poland just by ULCER, THE DEAD GOATS, ETERITUS by you and that´s it. Would you recommend some?
There was also a band called Vexatus and they made two great records. They are my favourites alongside with Ulcer. There is also the legendary Hazael from the early 90s. The left a lot of great music!
How do fans percept you in your country? Do they see you as the ones who “play like Swedes”, or are they more interested in your music? Today after all, the band who play more technically and brutally are more “reputable” in death metal.
It`s true – the technical kind of Death Metal seems to be more popular but this old-school style has also got a lot of followers. I think such style is much more honest and true. I can`t see myself doing a Decapitated – style of Death Metal.
Are there any new albums which caught your attention recently?
Sure. I`ve been recently listening a lot to the followin bands and albums - Erupted Evil - Ghoul and Teufel, Putrid Evil – Worm Infestation, Ulcer – Dead Souls Cathedral, Goat Tyrant materialy Into the Greater Chasm and Towards the Threshold of Death, Damage Case – Fuck‘n‘Roll Damnation
Do you know and listen some Czech bands?
Yes, I really like Root, Krabathor i Hypnos. I`m also into Inferno and Disfigured Corpse (cheers Hadgi!). Well, I`m a huge Master fan, too, but I don`t know if you consider them a Czech band? That would be a question to you!
What are OFFENCE´s plans for the next few months?
Right now we are waiting for the tape and vinyl version of our latest album and we are looking forward to some T-shirts as well. We try to book some shows, too, but we will see what happens. We`ve also recorded a cover song “Race War“ for the Carnivore tribute.
Thank you so much for this interview and I wish you a lot sold records, hundreds of crazy fans and tons of good ideas.
Thanks for the interview and your support. Remember “The Only Good Priest is a Dead One“.
Recenze/review - OFFENCE - You'll Never Rest In Peace (2021):
Recenze/review - OFFENCE - Adoration of Black Kingdom (2016):
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