1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
At the moment, we’re writing and demoing material for a new album and we have a couple of shows coming up over the next few months so we’re quite busy, we’re certainly not sitting around ha ha! “Karmenian Crypt” is being released by Swedish label Blood Harvest on October 24th on vinyl so we’ll be promoting that with our shows. Exciting times to be playing Death Metal!
2.In March you had released a new ep, 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?
When we initially started we just wanted to play extreme music, the earlier material on the self titled demo had grind influences in there, a lot of blast beats and was all played on 7 string guitars. Very chaotic sounding at times and dark. The progression to Karmenian Crypt was very natural, we all know what we like, late 80’s/early 90’s death metal, the old Florida bands and the early Earache releases, we all grew up listening to those bands as they were coming up so they are massive influences. We also tuned up to a higher pitch, to give the songs a bit more excitement and use the 7 strings for slower, heavier stuff.
3.This was your first release in 6 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during that time frame?
Ah, we went into the wilderness for a while, don’t get me wrong, we were still playing shows and working on material for a second release but that material was never released. We also started another project with other musicians at the time but that fell through so back in 2015, we went back to Zealot Cult and started writing again and the material that is on Karmenian Crypt is the result of that.
4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
The lyrical themes and topics vary from song to song. Some songs are based on fantasy, the darker side of humanity and other songs are based on very real topics such as war, brainwashed religious nutcases, tyranny, mental illness etc.... All the good stuff haha!
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Zealot Cult'?
A zealot is defined as a religious fanatic, back in early times they would have had authority, they would police people and had no problem killing for their beliefs. A Cult is pretty explanatory so the two words work together to make a very death metal band name. We feel it suits the music and the lyrical themes of the songs.
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?
Twice a year in our hometown of Limerick, there is an all day festival called “The Siege Of Limerick”. It has 3 stages, runs from noon til 2am and is always a great gig when we are asked to play. A lot of cool bands have played it over the years including bands like Primordial, Grave Miasma, Cruciamentum. The next instalment in October has Dead Congregation headlining and we feel very proud to be part of this upcoming one. Other shows that stand out for us, we were very lucky to share the stage with some great bands such as Decapitated, Exhumed, Atheist, Hail of Bullets, Necros Christos... The last show we did was an all day event with some Invictus acts like Malthusian, Vircolac and Coscradh, that one was a lot of fun, very underground. Our stage performance is very straightforward, we don’t rely on gimmicks like flames or inverted crosses, it’s just song after song after song. We like to fit as much material as possible into an allocated slot.
7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We don’t have any tours planned as of yet as we are busy writing for our debut album that’s coming out on Blood Harvest records but we have some shows booked. We have a show coming up with Akercocke in October, the Siege of Limerick fest at the end of October, we are playing alongside Destroyer 666 on New Years Eve and we have a show with Napalm Death in early 2017 so there is a lot to look forward to.
8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal?
So far, all the feedback we have received for Karmenian Crypt has been extremely positive. We are overwhelmed with the good reviews the EP has gotten so I’d say it is going down very well with death metal fans, everyone that has heard it enjoyed it.
9.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
The album should be done early 2017, everything going to plan. Musically, there isn’t that much of a deviation from the EP, the music we have written follows the same vibe and ideology. We have some fast stuff written, slower heavier stuff, a good mix of material that seems to flow well together.
10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
We still have all the same favourite bands as we had when were kids, I reckon time just reinforced that haha. We’re big fans of all the late 80’s/early 90’s releases so it would be bands like Morbid Angel, Death, Pestilence, Deicide, Obituary, Immolation, Carcass etc.... Nowadays we are still listening to the same bands and also stuff like early Sepultura, Dark Angel, Possessed but newer bands like Dead Congregation, Deathspell Omega, Cruciamentum etc...
11.What are some of your non musical interests?
I don’t think any of our interests are non musical to be honest. You’d have a better chance meeting any of us at gigs, drunk out of our minds than at, say, a football match or any “normal” event. All our interests are musical, either going to gigs, playing gigs or drinking at house parties listening to early Metallica and Slayer.
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you for the interview, we really appreciate it. Also, please be sure to grab a vinyl copy of Karmenian Crypt which is coming out on Blood Harvest records on October 24th. Be sure to check out the Blood Harvest bandcamp and Zealot Cult bandcamp pages too to listen the material. Thanks for your time!!
At the moment, we’re writing and demoing material for a new album and we have a couple of shows coming up over the next few months so we’re quite busy, we’re certainly not sitting around ha ha! “Karmenian Crypt” is being released by Swedish label Blood Harvest on October 24th on vinyl so we’ll be promoting that with our shows. Exciting times to be playing Death Metal!
2.In March you had released a new ep, 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?
When we initially started we just wanted to play extreme music, the earlier material on the self titled demo had grind influences in there, a lot of blast beats and was all played on 7 string guitars. Very chaotic sounding at times and dark. The progression to Karmenian Crypt was very natural, we all know what we like, late 80’s/early 90’s death metal, the old Florida bands and the early Earache releases, we all grew up listening to those bands as they were coming up so they are massive influences. We also tuned up to a higher pitch, to give the songs a bit more excitement and use the 7 strings for slower, heavier stuff.
3.This was your first release in 6 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during that time frame?
Ah, we went into the wilderness for a while, don’t get me wrong, we were still playing shows and working on material for a second release but that material was never released. We also started another project with other musicians at the time but that fell through so back in 2015, we went back to Zealot Cult and started writing again and the material that is on Karmenian Crypt is the result of that.
4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
The lyrical themes and topics vary from song to song. Some songs are based on fantasy, the darker side of humanity and other songs are based on very real topics such as war, brainwashed religious nutcases, tyranny, mental illness etc.... All the good stuff haha!
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Zealot Cult'?
A zealot is defined as a religious fanatic, back in early times they would have had authority, they would police people and had no problem killing for their beliefs. A Cult is pretty explanatory so the two words work together to make a very death metal band name. We feel it suits the music and the lyrical themes of the songs.
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?
Twice a year in our hometown of Limerick, there is an all day festival called “The Siege Of Limerick”. It has 3 stages, runs from noon til 2am and is always a great gig when we are asked to play. A lot of cool bands have played it over the years including bands like Primordial, Grave Miasma, Cruciamentum. The next instalment in October has Dead Congregation headlining and we feel very proud to be part of this upcoming one. Other shows that stand out for us, we were very lucky to share the stage with some great bands such as Decapitated, Exhumed, Atheist, Hail of Bullets, Necros Christos... The last show we did was an all day event with some Invictus acts like Malthusian, Vircolac and Coscradh, that one was a lot of fun, very underground. Our stage performance is very straightforward, we don’t rely on gimmicks like flames or inverted crosses, it’s just song after song after song. We like to fit as much material as possible into an allocated slot.
7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We don’t have any tours planned as of yet as we are busy writing for our debut album that’s coming out on Blood Harvest records but we have some shows booked. We have a show coming up with Akercocke in October, the Siege of Limerick fest at the end of October, we are playing alongside Destroyer 666 on New Years Eve and we have a show with Napalm Death in early 2017 so there is a lot to look forward to.
8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal?
So far, all the feedback we have received for Karmenian Crypt has been extremely positive. We are overwhelmed with the good reviews the EP has gotten so I’d say it is going down very well with death metal fans, everyone that has heard it enjoyed it.
9.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
The album should be done early 2017, everything going to plan. Musically, there isn’t that much of a deviation from the EP, the music we have written follows the same vibe and ideology. We have some fast stuff written, slower heavier stuff, a good mix of material that seems to flow well together.
10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
We still have all the same favourite bands as we had when were kids, I reckon time just reinforced that haha. We’re big fans of all the late 80’s/early 90’s releases so it would be bands like Morbid Angel, Death, Pestilence, Deicide, Obituary, Immolation, Carcass etc.... Nowadays we are still listening to the same bands and also stuff like early Sepultura, Dark Angel, Possessed but newer bands like Dead Congregation, Deathspell Omega, Cruciamentum etc...
11.What are some of your non musical interests?
I don’t think any of our interests are non musical to be honest. You’d have a better chance meeting any of us at gigs, drunk out of our minds than at, say, a football match or any “normal” event. All our interests are musical, either going to gigs, playing gigs or drinking at house parties listening to early Metallica and Slayer.
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you for the interview, we really appreciate it. Also, please be sure to grab a vinyl copy of Karmenian Crypt which is coming out on Blood Harvest records on October 24th. Be sure to check out the Blood Harvest bandcamp and Zealot Cult bandcamp pages too to listen the material. Thanks for your time!!
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