Interview with death metal band from Germany - ZOMBIE RIOT.
Answered Christopher (Guitar), thank you!
Translated Duzl, thank you!
Questions prepared Jakub Asphyx.
https://www.deadlystormzine.com/2023/02/recenzereview-zombie-riot-world-epitaph.html
Ave ZOMBIE RIOT! Greetings to Germany. I hope you're doing well in these crazy times. Recently, I had to order all your CDs as a fan of old school death metal. They are great and this year's "World Epitaph" is literally killing. How and when did ZOMBIE RIOT get together and why did you choose to play old moldy death metal? Please take us through the band's history.
- Hi Jakub. Great to hear, that you like our stuff. We started back in 2014 as a typical “let´s play some music and drink a lot of beer”-project. The guy I started the band with, was a total Death Metal-lunatic and he knew that I had a Death Metal-background with my first band Abyss Lord, so there was no long discussion concerning the style ;-) In 2016 Marco and Niclas joined the band and we recorded the first Demo. Later that year we were offered a gig by our friends of Compressor, but had no singer at that time. So I asked my old friend Matze, if he´d help out for that night (.....and now, in 2023, he is still helping out ;-)) After that, we played some more gigs and prepared for the recording of Reign Of Rotten Flesh, which was released on Unholy Fire Records in 2018. After further gigs Corona hit us, as it hit everyone. A normal “band-life” with rehearsing, playing live and getting in touch with people was very far away. At least we recorded and released the Autophagia-Demo in 2021. Meanwhile we tried to work on new songs. And as we got back into normality more and more, we finished the new songs and recorded World Epitaph in 2022.
"World Epitaph" is your second album. How did it originate? If I compare it with the previous album "Reign of Rotten Flesh" (2018), it seems faster, sharper, darker. How do you see it? Where and how did you want to move?
- We started with very simple songs, which withstood the beer-drinkinig, mentioned above. But we developed a more and more serious attitude, started to write songs with more than 3 Riffs and advanced arrangements. With Marco joining the band in 2016 we had the possibility to play faster and tighter stuff, blast beats, speed changes and so on. In the years since Reign Of Rotten Flesh we all developed as musicians and songwriters. I think, the music improved in every aspect, compared to Reign Of Rotten Flesh.
When I listen to the record, I feel like I did in the 1990s. I discovered music then and I still listen to it to this day. How did you manage to make such a dusty sound? Where did you record this album and who mixed your album?
- We recorded the guitars and the bass-guitar at home, vocals and drums were recorded in our rehearsal room. We prefer a slightly dirty sound to a clinical and clean sound as it is common today. Andy Classen took care of mixing and mastering and did a fantastic job. He understood perfectly, what this music has to sound like.
The packaging is also subordinated to the old times. This year's cover evokes memories of old covers. Maybe it's the way of painting or just the cemetery and zombies, I don't know. What exactly is it supposed to represent in relation to your music? And who is the author?
- The artwork and the new logo are the work of Timon Kotokk. We developed a little concept, which is about mankind wasting the planet and becoming a huge zombie-like creature, which swallows (meaning destroys) the earth. The work with Timon was very intense and creative. We started from scratch and there were many little steps, until we the final result was created. The Artwork was drawn by hand, only the colors have been added with a computer. Perhaps that´s the reason for that old times-feeling.
The lyrics on the new album are traditional, classic, death metal. They seem good to me. How did they originate? Where do you get inspiration for them?
I don´t know exactly where Matze gets his inspiration from, but usually he starts creating the lyrics when the song is like 95% finished. He fits the lyrics to the sound, feeling and arrangement of the song. Before that, we use working titles for new songs and sometimes Matze doesn´t change the working title of a song, when he is doing the lyrics, that´s how the wayward title “Final Flesh Fiesta” made it onto the record ;-)
You released album on the German Kernkraftritter Records label. They also released a great album this year. Why did you choose this label? Did you send out promo records to major labels? What was your experience with that?
- This was a natural development. Many bands from this area release their stuff on KKR. So we got in contact some time. Then we recorded a song for a KKR-compilation, stayed in contact and now released the new record together. We did not contact any major label, as we all don´t have the time and ambition to become a big – or even worse – mainstream act.
You come from the beautiful city - Hannover, Lower Saxony. What's your metal scene like? Does underground work for you?
- The metal scene is very alive. There´s a big bunch of crazy people supporting the local bands, buying records and shirts and of course attending the concerts. On the 31st of march we are playing our release-show in hanover, on the same day Archspire are in town. But we are very confident, that both concerts will be well attended, so we did not postpone or cancel our show.
What were your musical beginnings? Do you still remember? How did you get into metal? And what - was the underground in Hanover like when you were young?
- I got into metal by a tape, which a friend of mine stole from his brother, when I was eleven. There were Warlock, Deep Purple-, Saxon and some other tunes on it. Man, we played this tape at least a million times. After that I started buying records of AC/DC and Accept and so on....that´s how everything started for me.
The hanover metal scene like 25 years ago was great. We had a lot talented underground bands like The Becoming or Desolation. The metal-clubs or -shows were very familiar, well known faces everywhere. And as I think about it, I have the impression, that there was not such a big split between the underground-scene and -bands and the big names of the business, how play in front of thousands of people. Metal was underground by definition. Today metal has become very mainstream and commercial. The big bands no longer become big because of their music, but by wearing stupid stage-outfits and having a certain image. I hate that.
How are ZOMBIE RIOT's concerts in general? Do you like to play and often? Have you done any tours yet?
- We play as often as we can. We don´t do a big show or crazy performing on stage, just our songs, loads of decibels and beer ;-)
We haven´t done any tours yet and we won´t be doing that, I think. We have jobs and kids and are just old farts, who wouldn´t survive weeks or months on the road ;-) But to be honest, it´s still on my bucketlist.
Do you have a band in your area that you would recommend to us? And what are people going to see when they are going to clubs in Hannover?
- Our friends of Compressor have developed very great. The started as something like a thrash-metal Band, but meanwhile they are doing death metal and are even more brutal than Zombie Riot ;-)
If you visit a club-show in Hanover, you can expect great music, a great sound, great people and surely a night to remember.
What can we look forward to from ZOMBIE RIOT in the upcoming months? Aren't you going to release "World Epitaph" on vinyl also?
- We are playing some shows, the new t-shirts, containing the World Epitaph artwork, arrived just today, the CD will be available on the 17th of Febuary. The vinyl- and tape-releases are planned too, but this will take some time. Keep an eye on our Facebook- or Bandcamp-page to keep track on our stuff.
Thank you so much for the interview. I wish you the best possible sales of your record, many fans at the gigs and also all the best in your personal lives! Pure death metal forever!
Recenze/review - ZOMBIE RIOT - World Epitaph (2023):
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