After recording the album we are focusing on promotion, interviews and soon we will have a super cool pre-order package with exclusive cover artwork, guitar pics, t-shirts.From December we will start rehearsing to unleash Ritual Theophagy live in 2017. A set list, including songs taken from the new album as
well as from On the Inexistence of God and Devouring Deception is ready yet.
2.You have a new album coming out in October, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
Ritual Theophagy represents a turning point within our musical production, though our trademark is still clearly recognizable. As for the previous releases technical skills were often pushed to the limit (just because this is how we are used to play music) and no concessions were made to musical trends.Blasphemer has never been a wanna-be mainstream band and it is still deep rooted in the underground.On the other hand our arrangement skills evolved into a more mature form, focusing mostly on songwriting, achieving a new balance between brutality and blackened atmospheres (that were almost missing in the
previous full-length and ep), being able to deliver better structured songs.
3.This is the first album to be released in 6 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?
Since 2010, right after the releasing of Devouring Deception, Blasphemer suffered line-up problems. We kept playing show with different members until 2013 but the frequent changes didn’t allowed us to create music with a solid line up and finally discouraged us to the point that me and Paolo were about to give up and disband Blasphemer once and for all. Moreover at that time we were having troubles with the present members and we quit playing for a while. Finally we decide to build up a new line up, hoping that it would have brought Blasphemer back to life but the fact is that we couldn’t find a drummer. Musician we get in touch with, were asking for money and crazy conditions we couldn’t neither afford nor understand. We felt
clearly that the good days were behind us and, as it always happen, the great support we had in the scene almost disappeared. Moreover we felt that the Death Metal scene itself was changing, turning into
something that we couldn’t recognize anymore, something we were not part of. After 1 year spent searching without success a drummer in our country, we were literally sick of it (I have to say that we never asked Davide Billia about it, because we knew he were extreme busy with his various projects and now I know he would have helped us. Well, it went this way: we missed a chance!). One evening I was drinking whiskey with Paolo and told him I was reckoning to record what we composed in the meanwhile, at least just guitars, then and only then we would have tried once again to find a drummer in order to complete the album. He agreed immediately, we were probably drunk. So, some days later I went to Clod’s place and asked
him to join us in what seemed to be an impossible task. Of course he agreed, as I expected. At that time we just had 6 songs finished and a bunch of sketches. On July 2014 I entered the studios, recorded everything, composing what was missing during the recording session. We had 12 songs tracked and they were actually pretty good. At the end of the year me and Clod took care of the drums, writing its parts with a drum machine while Paolo started composing the vocal lines. It took a long time because we were really busy in our personal life. For example we could work for one entire night, quitting for a couple of weeks and then another night was spent on the album. However we finished and so we had to think seriously who could record the drums. We were brought back once again to the starting point: it was really frustrating and several times we were about to quit everything but we held on and moved forward anyway.
Since in the past we had better feedback in the USA (we actually started working with Eddy Hoffmann who recorded a raw version of I Deny which was awesome, but then he had to quit due to personal reason
such as luck of time, a new born son etc.) we decided to extend the research worldwide. We met in a bar and in front of some beers we all agreed that the one and only person we wanted to work with was our
favorite drummer ever. We were afraid that he would have declined but he had nothing to lose, so the day after I sent an E-Mail to Mr. Darren Cesca and…suddenly he was in! We were overexcited and the news
brought a new, unexpected and powerfull energy to the whole project. The impossible task was going to be realized. Darren refused the drum parts we had written and never listened to them, since we wanted to compose them by his own, from the very start. After a while we received the first sketch and we all thought: “Damn! That’s exactly what we were looking for!”.Darren did a great job and he is one of the most talented and professional artist I ever worked with. It has been a pleasure and an honor for me to have the chance to work with such an amazing drummer. Furthermore I put a lot of effort and passion in composing and playing
our stuff: I remember my cell-phone was always on and (due to time-difference) I received messages from him in the middle of the night, asking about lyrics, artwork, and everything related to the album. I couldn’t be more satisfied than this. The drums arrangement took a while and wasn’t easy cause me and Darren
never played together, we speak different languages etc. but it worked and worked so good! Once the drums were recorded we had to arrange all the vocals once again, changing lyrics here and there as well because a lot had been changed; plus we started writing the bass parts that Clod recorded on
the basis of the drum parts. This is the crazy story of how Ritual Theophagy was born. After a long
hiatus Blasphemer had a new album and looking back at all the troubles we went through, I still can’t believe it is real.
4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
Concerning the themes of the lyrics, we remained faithful to our Anti-Christian approach. I wrote down all the titles but the lyrics were mostly written by Paolo. I tried to write some ideas but they were way too conceptual and didn’t fit the music, its intensity and the whole mood of the album. Instead, Paolo has a no-compromise attitude, he just doesn’t give a fuck about offending people, so-called values and institutions, so he was the right person to express in words what we were with our instruments. Anti-Christian Extremism, for example, is the perfect epitome of Paolo’ style and I love the way it’s echoing early Deicide’s lyrics.
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Blasphemer'?
At the time me and Paolo started Blasphemer we just wanted to play straight anti-christian Death Metal in the vein of Deicide, one of our favorite bands and actually things ain’t changed. The band name come
from a Deicide song “Blaspherereion” that we adapted to Blasphemer. I still remember, back in the days during the late 90’s I met Paolo in a small park in our hometown, where we were used to go drinking and
talking about music. We sat on a bench drinking the worst low quality beer of the world, it was warm and tasted like rotting organs, delivered a strong, instant headache but, you know, we were the weird
guys with long hair and black clothes in a small town, so drinking that shit was part of the game and it seemed to ass so badass! Well, we were young and we cared only about music. We were looking for
band’s name and when Paolo came out with Blasphemer we agreed immediately: it had to be our band’s name!
6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Our best performances took place during the Comatour 2011, cause we were damn tight at that time. Nonetheless I remember lots of good shows we played and the main common thing of our shows was the
ferocity and intensity we created live. The 4 vocals attack, the fast riffing, the crazy blasting…well, it was almost noise but risen from the depth of hell!
7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
Definitely yes. We are going to bring Ritual Theophagy on stage. We are discussing right now with a super talented drummer about it. We’ll start rehearsing later this year but I think we won’t play live shows
before 2017.
8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of brutal death metal?
Feedback has always been great and faithful. As I told you before, we are not a mainstream band and we never will but though the long hiatus our fans are still there, asking for more brutality. Indonesia and USA
are our best audience. Europe is cool, has the biggest festivals and crowds, but somehow here people follow trends more than elsewhere. Nowadays our style of Death Metal isn’t very popular in Europe,metalheads here seem to dislike ultra-guttural voices, weird riffs and no-compromise blasting brutality. Luckily there are die hard brutal fans that still make shows possible.
9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
I read a couple of days ago that Darren is going to record the new Deeds Of Flesh album and I can’t wait to listen his amazing drumming within the context of such big band, that represents a milestone in
brutal death metal. Paolo recently recorded 2 songs on the Vacuus demo, which is very fucking good and Clod is working on the drums for the new Modus Delicti album. I play also in Beheaded (pretty awesome for me, since I always loved this band!) and later this year the new album Beast Incarnate will be released via Unique Leader.
10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Honestly I don’t know. I went through too many troubles and I know from my experience that long time prediction are impossible. I can tell you that we would like to record a new concept EP against any
kind of religion. Against religion itself. I have some stuff written, we’ll see how and when.
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
I could name tons of bands that directly or indirectly influenced our music, but this doesn’t mean that it sounds similar to one of them. Deicide, Morbid Angel, Broken Hope, Deeds of Flesh have always played
a big role in our music but if I should reach a total of 10 bands in my death metal pantheon I must add Incantation, Immolation, Obituary, Infernal Torment, Gorgasm and the mighty Dead Congregation.
Recently I am listening a lot of Inquisition, The Chasm, Disma and Coffins as well as King Diamond and Motorhead of course!
12.Does Satanism or Occultism play any role in your music?
Occultism is a trend nowadays (it seems that cryptic signs on Cds are more popular than pussy) but personally I don’t give a fuck about it. I hate every form of cult and occultism as well as Satanism seem to me like an hybrid form of religious, superstitious and irrational devotion, something that I detest. You can say that Ritual Theophagy is full of satanic issues, praise, etc. but I want to highlight that all reference to Satan in the album are metaphoric. Satan represents in our album the mere symbol of the opposition to god, religion, cult, church and similar shit. Moreover it has an aesthetical value and role within the entire concept.
13.What are some of your non musical interests?
I have tons of interests outside music, from philosophy (especially the german philosophy of the 18th century) and literature (especially the german one of the XIX and XX). I don’t collect human skulls or WW2 relics, I do have several horror movies but not that much and honestlyI prefer spaghetti western and porn!
14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
First of all, thank you very much for the interview. Second, and to all the death metal fans out there: check the new album out and be prepared for a sonic annihilation! Final words…well I remember the verse of a Deicide song about it: “ gofuck your god, will be my final words!”
www.facebook.com/blasphemerbrutal
www.comatosemusic.com
No comments:
Post a Comment