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."

Ghost - GGFH (4th April 2002)

GGFH is an electronic/industrial/techno/mental/psycho band from USA and plays a fucked up kind of music which earned them a signing to Peaceville in the early 90s and saw them touring Europe together with My Dying Bride.


1.) Could you give us an introduction to and a small history of GGFH for the people who dont know you or are not too familiar with the band?
that question is lookin for a long answer...well..we started a gang in school wearing pentagrams and goat heads on or jackets..this was in east oakland in the 80's..basically the worst place youve ever been..took to much acid...recorded noise and samples from tv..recorded em together in our bathroom...came up with some sick shit...went from noise to makin real songs...put out our tapes everywhere we could..got signed by peaceville...toured...were way ahead of our time..died...and now im bringing it back!


2.) I read that the name was initially ment to be "goat guys from hell" but that it was later changed to "global genocide forget heaven" why was the name changed? and what do the Names represent to you?
Goat guys from hell was our original gang name...for the goats on our jackets...people started calling us that... we changed it cause it didnt sound serious enough for a band..even if we are sick fucks..we still have a sence of humor.. and goat guys is pretty funny...but i dont think everyone would have got the joke!


3.) What does the music you record with GGFH represent to you and Brian?
well its a release..you know..ya got ta get the bad shit out somehow...killin..fightin...and its a challenge to build a song and that energizes the artistic side of me....


4.) I was told you're into Jungle now, I was also told that if GGFH was to release a new album it would be in this style. Is there any truth to this?
ive been a dj for 13 years now...so im into all kinds of music ..always have been...as you can tell by our songs... so yea jungle, metal..whatever im takin in will get materialized in ggfh...and spit back out...


5.) You are now a dance music DJ. I saw GGFH as very loosely based on technoish music but with sick, perverted overtones and a style onto yourselves. Will the element of perversity and darkness stay with GGFH with the new stuff despite the style it may be, if there is a new style?
oh yea new shit will always be ggfh...dark..dead...but im sure stuff im listening to will influence it...
but im keeping it ggfh..youll be able to hear that....


6.) Will the new stuff (if there will be any new stuff) once again feature the your vocal expertise and the original GGFH line up with Brian?
I dont think brians into doin this anymore..i tried to get him to do the "beast of" with me and he kinda fucked it off... So im doin everything now...with a couple new people...its good workin with someone whos into what thier doin....


7.) In an interview i read with you guys from the early 90s you stated that the main influence was taken from horror movies. are there any other influences for the music?
Shit the world in general..fuckin terrorists, death, our fucked up human disease...horror movies influenced me since i was a kid... but now its life here on earth that gives me ideas.....


8.) GGFH have always put ona big act live, would there be any chances for tours after peaceville re-release the old material and the compilation? how about a chance of a video of your old concerts?
I dont know about a tour..we'd have to have enough $$$..to do what i wanted to do on stage..couldnt do a half-ass show nowadays...i dont know if a record company would back us.


9.) Peaceville is re releasing the GGFH albums, this is great because they are hard to get but will we see any bonus tracks? A pamphlet I recived with Preparing for war said the darkthrone re releases would feature bonus tracks but all we got was a gay slipcase. Is this what we can expect with the GGFH re-releases?
I dont know..ya see its not up to me..peaceville owns all that ..they can do whatever they want with it...
i wasnt happy with the mastering on "beast of"..and they rushed me on the songs i was workin on...
so i have no control over that...kinda sucks...but thats why im workin on new shit..and ill put it out my self if i have to....


10.) Peaceville is releasing a GGFH "best of", will this feature any new/demo stuff? Darkthrone's Preparing for war featured a grand total of about 2 tracks that fans wouldn't have easilly been able to obtain, how much input will you have as to which tracks are featured on the compilation? Any chance of live material?
As i said..no not really..they chose a bunch of old noise shit we did..and i would have put the faster songs on it.... wasnt really happy..but i could have sat back and had no contribution to it at all......


11.) About this music video for the track 'Real' which was recorded in the early 90s and is being released on the best of compilation, how come it was never released before? what kind of things will we see on this video? Will it be a movie type music video? or a live video or what?
It's a music video..i made...mtv europe wouldnt show it...dont ask me why..the blood was to red..i dont know... its kool ..i had fun makin it....we made some crap version of it when we came over there,,thats the one they showed...


12.) Will we ever see any of the numerous demos released in their entirety? Halloween had some great demos but it was more like a compilation.
I doubt it..we took most of the good shit off all of em...unless ya wanna hear more of our noise experiments.. cool back then..but people dont get it now...


13.) Looking back on what GGFH has recorded, how do you feel about your previous work?
Shit ya know...some good some crap!!..some songs still give the shivers when i hear em...some i cant stand.. alot we were just fuckin around..not really tryin...but new stuff ..i hope to capture that magic we had on a few old tunes..


14.) What should we expect from the future of GGFH, and from Your work as DJ ghost. and will we expect to see anything from Brian int he future?
Just hope i can make enough songs to put out new cd....as far as brian..???


15.) Thanks for takin time out for this interview, any last words which you would like to send out to the fans?
Just to tell them thanx for the support over all thes years..and i never thought so many people out there shared my vision.. your all sick fucks..and proud of it....thanx..ghost666


16.) Any contact info or web page info you'd like to post for the interview to me located on the page?
yea check out ggfh.com..im workin on it right now...should have ggfh t-shirts up soon......stay sick...

Nordvargr - Mz.412 (October 2001)

mz.412 is a band from Sweden, now going for over a decade they are one of the leading acts in the black industrial world, and one of the bettter known acts from CMI. This interview was conducted with Nordvargr in October 2001.


1.) Greetings Nordvargr, For The Readers who dont know Mz.412 Could you please give an a small history to introduce them to your main project?
MZ. 412 was founded in 1988 and has since then delivered dark and disturbing true industrial music. We took a break between 1991 - 1995 since we somehow lost our inspiration... we regrouped with two new members from the BM scene in 1995.


2.) When i think about Mz.412 the first thing i think about the is the album Burning The Temple of god. this Album has texts and artwork which clearly display a disliking for christianity. Has this always been your main influence and inspiration when writing the music?
Almost... the morals which this society are founded on are so unnatural and wrong that it is impossible to not be inspired by it.


3.) on Burning The Temple of god we saw the band's love and support of the black metal scene with the track "Feasting on Khristian Blood" and also the band's image was a BM type image there, Would there be any Black Metal tracks on future Mz.412 releases?
It is impossible to answer with a yes or no... there is a possibility, but right now we are in a period where we are trying to bring forth the old sound of the first recordings, but in a more dark and Satanic way.


4.) Do your anti-christian views ever pose any problems since you are on a label which has in the past released various items by christian bands?
No, there has always been these rumours about MZ. 412 vs Mental Destruction etc... but thats all bullshit. Even though we dont like each others ideology, we can still enjoy each others company. Cold Meat Industry is like a big happy family.


5.) On your cds i have seen the label "True Swedish Black Industrial"... To you (and the band) what does this term represent? and what does the music you guys record with this band mean to you?
It is what we call the music... and that is exactly what it is, it represents the true spirit of our musical creation. The music is to us what religion/drugs/sex might be to others - total commitment.


6.) I read in an interview which was a few years old that you have only played two concerts in the past, and the first of these two appeared on Macht Durch Stimme CD which was recorded in gebruary 1990 and released in 1991. Have the 10years since this release only seen Mz.412 perform one other time? And if so how come Mz.412 hasnt been seen more on the stage? Will we be able to see mz.412 touring any time in the future?
Our music is better on record - it is impossible to make it in a live environment, still it is interesting to meet some of the people who enjoy what we do. I dont think there will ever be a tour in the future, but there will be some more gigs.


7.) The most recent Mz.412 release was a limited 7" on CMI (Cold Meat Industry) which i have heard was compiled solely using samples handed to you by members of a CMI mailing list. Is this correct? And, did this make it difficult to make the music in the Mz.412 style?
Yes it is correct. It was a bit tricky to get it right, but in the end we were very pleased with the result. The problem was to process the sounds so that they got that special "MZ. 412-feel"...
It took us twice the time it usually takes to finish the recordings.


8.) When i think about Side Projects of Mz.412 the only projects which comes to mind are the recently Deceased Folkstorm and Nordvargr/Drakh which i dont really know anything about. Would you like to inform us about any of these projects or others which i havent mentioned above?
Here´s a list of some of our projects, some only include MZ. 412 members, others are collaborations with other people:

Folkstorm: Harsh power electronics, kind of MZ. 412-ish, but much more primitive.
Nordvargr/Drakh: Darkambient / electronic soundscapes.
Muskel: Filthy oldschool noise / p.e.
HH9: Unrelentless noise attack!
Toroidh: Neoclassic/ambient


9.) The music by mz.412 has been linked called "ritualistic music" from time to time, I have also heard that "Submit And Obey" from the burning the temple of god album has ritualistic elements, could you please elaborate on this? Does this mean you have performed rituals which you have recorded and which have appeared on the song?
Yes, it contains real recorded rituals performed by MZ. 412.


10.) does your hatred for christianity have it roots with the hypocrisy and lies of the religion, or are the roots in a darker area, such as beliefs in the dark lord, lucifer himself?
I´d say that our beliefs has matured throughout the years. Personally I am fed up with the lies and the unnatural ways of christianity. I recently read that this century will be christianitys last - people are not going to church any more etc... it is sad to see that it took some 2000 years for people to wake up.


11.) What are the plans in the near future for mz.412?
We have just re-released our first LP on CD and the new album "Domin Rex Inferum" will be out in october. After that we are going to release our most important release sofar: "Infernal affairs" which will be a box containing 4 12" records. We are currently recording it... "Domine Rex Inferum" is a ritual prelude to the hell we will unleash on "Infernal Affairs"!


12.) Do you have any last words you'd like to throw out to the readers?
No.


13.) Do you have any contact info such as email, snail mail or homepage addresses which you would like to leave behind with this interview?
Check out our official site: http://listen.to/412