Lava aka Radek - Amok (November 2009)

Amok hails from Norway and I discovered them as the attachment to a Taake split EP "Nordens Doedsengel" (Where Amok delivers the "Sadistic Attack" demo). I wasn't that impressed by the music in the start, though after some spins the music started to grow on me, and when the band released their debut full length in 2006, I was hooked. Now 3 years later the band is working on their second album and I hooked up with mainman Lava also known as Radek to hear what was going on and a lot of other things!

1. Hails Radek, please start this interview up by telling a bit about yourself and what fuels your drive for metal!
I have earlier been playing guitar/bass in bands such as Aeternus, Taake and Slavia. I was also a member of Dead to This World for a short period, and did some minor contributions on Orcustus' selftitled full-length album (out on Southern Lord Records – check out this rabid grimness!). Beside that I have had Amok as my main band since 2000.

As for what fuels my drive for metal, there is a lot of stuff I guess. Today I would have to mention Megadeth's "Rust In Peace", Dissection's "Reinkaos", Tragedy's "Vengeance", Massacra's "Final Holocaust" and Deicide's "Deicide", "Legion" and "Serpents of the Light". I also recently got introduced to the Swedish band Agrimonia and had to get their album immediately. Check them out on www.myspace.com/agrimonia and buy their debut CD/LP!

When it comes to music inspiring me to compose music for Amok, it is stuff both within the metal genre as well as non-metal music.

2. You are the mastermind behind the entity Amok, how and when did you get the idea for this band?
Amok started up in 2000. I was playing in Aeternus at that point of time, but I wanted to do some more old school, furious, aggressive and chaotic music. The main inspiration then was Sadistik Exekution, VON, Blasphemy, Beherit, punk and raw thrash from the eighties. I started writing a few tracks, and got Stanley to help out with drums and bass. We recorded a 4-track rehearsal, it consisted of two tracks: "Flamethrower" and "Reptile Gate". In 2001 Mord joined us as the new drummer, and from then Stanley only handled the bass. With this line-up we recorded our two demos ("Sadistic Attack" and "LAVA Dictatorship") and did a few live performances.

3. The music you deliver with Amok is put together by quite a wide range of styles, elements and at times a quite claustrophobic atmosphere, how did you end up with that expression?
In the beginning we had kind of stricter frames we worked within, when composing material for Amok. But after a while I did not care to bother, because I felt the band would stagnate. I have always been inspired by a lot of stuff, both from music and from life in general, and I wanted to use all of this to get a more personal and diverse expression. In the end it all culminates with an annihilating darkness. This atmosphere is what we reach for while composing the material.

4. What is the philosophy behind the band?
Darkness, doom and self-honesty.

5. How do you work when you write music and how do you get inspired to make new music?
There is no certain way I create a song for Amok. Sometimes I get inspired by a lyric I have written or a lyrical theme I have come up with. Sometimes just the right chord is enough to get the ball rolling. Other times I have almost all the music already composed in my head before I start. When I have the music ready for a track, I make a pre-production of the track with guitars, programmed drums and occasionally bass. So the rest of the members can check out the stuff.

6. What is the main-inspiration behind Amok and what would you like the ones listening to your music to react from it?
As mentioned earlier, there is all kind of different stuff that inspires me to compose music. The important thing is that all the moments of inspiration are channeled through me and end up as Amok. I do not give much thought about how the listeners will react. But hopefully they will be sucked into morbidity their own mind-fucked brain processes, and discover pure beauty.

7. A thought that have popped into my head several times while listening to your music, is that it possesses the same youthful and experimenting elements as Mayhem's "Deathcrush". What does that album mean to you and have the music, atmosphere and expression from that release inspired you?
I personally like "Deathcrush" a lot. It sounds fresh even today. It is more raw and brutal than any "blast-beat band" and much more punk than any of today's bands playing punk/black metal/rock 'n' roll.

I can not say that we had this EP in mind while we composed music for Amok, but I sure can say that the expression "Deathcrush" delivers is a perfect example of the period of death/black Metal that inspires me even today.

8. You are as we speak, in the middle of preparing a new record, you have already made the pre-production for it, and is now looking for a label, if I'm not totally mistaken. Have you had contact with some interested labels and what kind of label would be a perfect fit for Amok?
We have fished the recording of all guitars and bass for the coming album.

In December we will record drums and vocals, and then mix the album in Grieghallen in the end of January 2010.

A few labels have been in touch, but nothing of great interest yet. Then again we have not been very active in contacting labels either, since we are in the middle of a studio recording. We want to make some sort of promo when the album is recorded, and send it out to some interesting labels. A label like The Ajna Offensive or Rise Above Records would be perfect.

9. Your first album "Necrospiritual Deathcore" was released by Planet Satan Revolution, why did you part with that label?

We want to sign to a bit more active label, which can support our coming album with proper promotion. The label also has to be able to pay for our studio costs and has to have a decent distribution network.
All serious labels with interest can get in touch: amoklava@gmail.com

10. How was that first album of yours received by the fanbase you made yourself with your demo and vinyl releases?
The reviews of "Necrospiritual Deathcore" have been both positive and negative. But I have got the impression that people who have been into our music since the beginning likes the album.

11. How do you yourself feel about the album, now when you have gotten some distance to it?
I am personally satisfied with that album. That goes for the music, the sound and the whole package (cover/booklet/design).

12. Let's return to your coming album, it is entitled "Exodus Reversal Hex" and consists of 5 tracks, I reckon those tracks are of a certain length and contains the same pummeling power, as your music has hold so far. Though now when I have you, why don't you tell us what we can expect of the music, how it is compared to your earlier material and what the theme behind the lyrical side of the material is?
As you have mentioned, the album will consist of five tracks. The titles are: "Remembered With Uttermost Hatred", "East Of the River Where Life Is Drunk", "Triangular Corridors", "A Glimpse of His Splendor" and "Speak Up Your Sins, the Winds Are Howling From the Sea".

The tracks length varies a bit, the shortest one being 6 minutes and the longest one being 12 minutes.

It is difficult for me to explain the music on our new album. I guess I can say it is going to sound more doom and trance. Well, people should check it out when it is released next year sometime.

The lyrics are more open for the listener's interpretation this time. It might not seem as direct as the lyrics on our earlier releases, but the message behind them is still pretty clear-cut.

13. How long time did you use on writing the material and how long time did you use in the studio recording the pre-production?
I started to write the material in the end of 2006, after the release of "Necrospiritual Deathcore". The material was finished by the end of 2008/beginning of 2009. I took my time and let things flow naturally. I did not want to repeat myself nor stress the flow of development. I guess I used a few months for the pre-production.

14. Do you already have planned where you wanna do the actual recording, who you want to produce it and what about the cover artwork, is the actual work in place or have you pinned who you want to make it?
We have already recorded all the guitars and bass for the album. All keys/effects/programming are also finished. We will start recording the drums in the beginning of December, and start recording the vocals after the drums are done. We are recording the whole album ourselves. The plan is to mix the album in Grieghallen in the end of January 2010.

I have the cover and some of the design figured out. This time we are going to work with a designer that is a friend of mine, and who is located here in Bergen.

15. You have also changed vocalist since the last release, Necrocum is gone and Kybermensch has entered. Why the change and how is Kybermensch's vocals compared to those of Necrocum?
For this album we wanted a different approach regarding the vocals. The way things ended up, I will do the main vocals. There might be some contributions from Kybermensch. He did the clean vocals on "Goatflesh Removal" ("part I (Corpus Christi)" and "II (Memento Mori)") (From the "Necrospiritual Deathcore" album, Anders).

16. You are a part of the Misantrof AntiRecords family, a site where we can find a compilation of your demos and 7" material, some live material and so forth. Why did you enter the cooperation with Misantrof and how active is the organization nowadays?
I think that Misantrof AntiRecords is really interesting concept. They asked us if we wanted to contribute with some material, and I thought it would be a good way to make our old recordings available for new listeners in a very easily accessible format. We have put up the "Execution Compilation" (consisting of: "Sadistic Attack" [demo 2001], "LAVA Dictatorship" [demo 2002] and "Effective Mass-Torture" [promo 2003]) for download. The promo-video for "Effective Mass-Torture" and Amok's debut concert is also available for download.

I think Vrangsinn is putting quite an effort into his work with Misantrof AntiRecords. He is working with some new stuff with his Phobia project and it seems sick and wicked.

Misantrof AntiRecords is something fresh compared to the regular way the corrupt record business is ran. Beside music, Vrangsinn also gives tips about open-source programs etc. People should check it out for themselves: www.misantrof.net. Support!

17. Who came up with the idea for your awesome logo of Amok and who has drawn it?
Our former vocalist, Necrocum, has designed this logo. It is developed from our first logo, that also was drawn by him.

18. In the past you used to be a part of and helping out quite a few bands, which bands are you a part of and helping out nowadays?
These days I only play in Amok. The only thing that I have planned for the future is to contribute with guest vocals on a couple of tracks for the Danish band Sagntid (www.myspace.com/sagntid). People should check out this band, it is ambient music with a great atmosphere to it.

19. How does it look on the live front, do you have some gigs lined up?
We have not played lived since 2002, and we have no plans for doing that in the nearest future. Amok has been functioning as a studio band since 2003, and we are 100% confident with our situation. I am not saying that we will never perform live again, but I do not see the point in playing live for the sake of playing live. To put it in a different way, I would rather read a book myself than having the author reading it for me.

20. Do you have more material planned to be released on vinyl in the near future?
We have recorded two bonus tracks ("Chapel of Embalmment" and "Silent Worship") in 2007 for the LP edition of "Necrospiritual Deathcore". The plan is to mix these tracks when we will mix "Exodus Reversal Hex". If all goes as planned, this LP will be released through Nuclear War Now!. We want to release the LP in 1000 copies, where 300 copies will come as a “die hard” edition including a bonus 12" EP with these two tracks.

We also want to have our coming album released on LP.

There were, by the way, some plans about releasing a 10" split EP with Iperyt. Agonia Records contacted us in 2006 and wanted to do this release. They got all the material and layout stuff, but we have not heard from them since. Seems as a pretty fucked up and frivolous label, from what I have heard from other people working with them. Amok's side was supposed to be the 2003 promo "Effective Mass-Torture" (including a bonus outro), so it was really nothing new for the listeners. The only thing is that I think Iperyt is a really energetic and violent band, and releasing a split with them would be good.

21. Thanks a lot for answering my questions, if you think I have forgotten anything or you just have something to add, feel free to add it now!
Thanks for the interview. Check out the new Amok album, "Exodus Reversal Hex", to be released in 2010.

"His blood shall be upon us and on our children."