When UK death purveyors Gorerotted announced that they had changed their name to the punkier moniker, The Rotted earlier this year, the underground waited with baited breath. Was the dependable Death-Metal unit going to alter their sound too far from their proven formula? Now that their new album, Get Dead Or Die Trying in stores, its clear The Rotted not only are as brutal as ever, they’ve also changed their horror/gore inspired lyrical formula and written a batch of songs about a subject far scarier; themselves! SMN News caught up with guitarist Gian Pyers (ex-Cradle of Filth, Solstice) and had a quick chat about the new album.

The obvious question is why did you guys decide on changing the name?  Was it more of a “fresh start” kind of move?

Yes, the band wanted a fresh start without having to release this material under an older banner. Mates and fans have been calling us “The Rotted” as a friendly nickname for ages before the name change. So we did it out of respect for all the old Gorerotted fans and old band members.

The opening cut, “Nothin’ But A Nosebleed” is a real speed fest and definitely makes a statement! But then you close out the album with “28 Days Later” which is a slow-burning, trippy instrumental. How important was the sequencing on Get Dead Or Die Trying?

It’s a good thing you asked that because on Get Dead Or Die Trying we took the sequencing rather seriously, from the band all the way up to Mr. Russ Russell (the producer) at the mixing desk. For example, the song previously or after cannot defer from the current and that kind of thing. So emphasis was the key basically.

While the album still has the savage riffing and ferocity fans came to expect from Gorerotted, there are many more melodic moments throughout the material.  What’s the writing process like these days?  Do you all write on your own and then bring in ideas to practice?

A lot of bands these days write on their PCs or Macs at home and turn up to band practices with loads of riffs but not us, we’re old school. You get a better “feel” for music having the real deal, not sat in some bedroom with the volume turned down to 1 on some shitty pair of headphones.

We mainly jam the stuff altogether as a band in the rehearsal room with amps and drums blaring, that way you get the real feel of writing as a coherent live unit.

Lyrically, Ben has gone from horror/gore themed songs to writing about his and the band’s personal experience.  From the sound of it, you guys have had some “interesting” things happen on tour!  Can you get into the inspiration behind a song like “It’s Like There’s A Party In My Mouth (And Everyone’s Being Sick)” without incriminating anyone in the band?

Not really, it’s about a pretty depraved act we witnessed, I won’t name the perpetrator but if you read the lyrics it’s all fairly clear what happened.

Ever since the Gorerotted days, there’s been a refreshing sense of comedy to the lyrics.  There seems to be something innately “British” about them to me.  Is that a fair call?

Its kinda “British” to just have a cynical laugh at ourselves, but we are just more realistic about ourselves, how many South American, Eastern European or American DM bands have you seen all standing around in long sleeved shirts looking “deadly pissed off & serious”? Yeah, thousands right!?  The Rotted are more down to earth and real, what you see is what you get, there is no divide between the music and us, it’s all real and lived by the minute.

“Angel of Meth” has a really hooky chorus and there are other moments on the record that have a catchy quality to them.  It lends the songs a definite feel of classicism that other bands playing extreme Metal don’t seem to have.  When you put a song like that together, are you consciously trying to write a huge chorus?

I suppose a lot of musicians love to have a few hooks within the song, and a chorus is a good place to have one. Yeah, in a songwriting way we are aware that catchiness and groove should not be overlooked especially when the riff fits

Is there any musical element to playing in Cradle of Filth that you especially miss?

I do not have any elements missing from my musical “bag o’ tricks” and frequently draw upon most of my influences when writing riffs past present and future, If you listen carefully to The Rotted album you will hear a lot of those past influences in their somewhere

If there’s a younger reader looking at this right now who is just getting into playing guitar, what kind of advice would you give them?  How did you get started?

I started out when I was 15, just managed to get enough money from my paper round to get an electric Stratocaster copy and some shitty little 30 watt amp, it was a chunk of shit mind you lol, but it  served its purpose; to annoy everyone within a block of  my  bedroom!

The advice I have to give is, to have fun first and foremost, don’t be grinding your teeth trying to play stuff that is out of your league, and take it one step at a time. I find that most people learn faster and better if they actually enjoy what they are doing in the1st place

What 3 albums are essential in any Metalhead’s album collection?

Damn only 3?

OK, a hard one but here is a good start:

Testament - The New Order
Cathedral - The Carnival Bizarre
Emperor - In The Nightside Eclipse

By Carlos Ramirez

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Czech grinders INGROWING took the time to answer a few of our questions in anticipation for their appearance at this year’s Maryland Deathfest, where they were easily one of the best bands of the festival.

For those unfamiliar with Ingrowing, how would you describe yourself?

Well, we are four nice guys from the middle of nowhere, we love making noise and enjoying the life on this fucking planet!!! It could be enough in the start.

Why did you decide to accept a spot on this year’s Maryland Deathfest?

We always wanted to play there!!! Ryan and Evan are cool friends of us, first time we met in 2004 at Obscene Extreme fest in Czech republic and we have changed some e-mails before. Then Ryan moved to Europe and we started talking about our participation at MDF. The biggest problem for us was to get these fucking visas. Actually is everything fine, we got that fucking stamp so get ready for our coming!

Are you excited to be the first Czech band to play the festival, and probably the first Czech metal band to play in the United States?

Be sure that we can’t wait to come to the States! Of course, we have never been there and we’re full of expectation. MDF is very known underground festival worldwide and we’re proud to play there as the first band from Czech Republic. But we are looking forward being in U.S. in general. I only have to correct you with that we are first Czech band playing in the States. Before us FLESHLESS and KRABATHOR played there. FLESHLESS played there even twice (I mean two visits).

Could you beat up Jig-Ai if you wanted to?

Yeah, always! JIG-AI are cool guys playing an amazing musick and when they will be most popular than us, we can beat them up, hehehe!

With so many bands performing, what do you think sets you apart from the others, and why should people make sure to check out your set?

For that you should ask someone else. I’m not a person who should say something about INGROWING’s music. I only can promise that we will play the best set which we will be able and hope that people will enjoy it. As I said, we never played in the States and being there is a big challenge for us. We hope that people will support us.

Have you ever seen Ryan naked?
Fortunately no. It’s enough that I saw him without a cap, haha!

What other band/s on MDF are you most excited to see?

Mainly REPULSION and NUCLEAR ASSAULT. REPULSION are my grincore heroes since 1989 and even when I already once saw them on the stage, I will never throw away the chance to see them. I didn..t see yet a gig of NUCLEAR ASSAULT, so there it will be the first time, cool band as well, their albums from eighties are unforgetable!!! But there will play many cool bands what I want to see and never seen them. IMPALED, FUCK…I’M DEAD, GHOUL, COFFINS, HELLNATION, etc., etc…

What is your set list looking like for the show, and are you going to do anything special?

We made special set list for our U.S. gigs. We put there some songs which we already don’t play at the gigs here in Europe and we prepare a small surprise especially for MDF. Nothing really special, just only funny thing, you will see!

If you could pick one band to play next year’s MDF, who would it be?

Very hard to say. MORBID ANGEL would be cool, SLAYER would be awesome!!! Maybe NAPALM DEATH… I guess Ryan and Evan will try to invite more bands from central Europe.

Who would win in a fight, Pigsty or Mincing Fury?

Definitely PIGSTY. They play more grinding music and they smoke more weed than MINCING FURY, hehe.

Does MDF try too hard to be like Obscene Extreme?

I don’t think so. MDF and OEF are diferent festivals, although are a bit similar. Maybe Curby influenced both of guys to arrange something like OEF in the States. Presumably people do appreciate this…

How much alcohol do you think you will consume over the weekend?

As much as possible, we have no limits!!! Just kidding, we would like to enjoy whole the festival, not to be dead all the time. I don’t know, I’m used not to play anything, we will see what will happen!

Why are there so many amazing grindcore bands from the Czech Republic?

I don’t really know. I try to reply this question to myself really long time. But what I remember, here always been good conditions for playing of this kind of music. People always supported this one. Current situation is that Czech bands finally can play almost everywhere and they do it. That’s cool, finally Czech guys can show to everyone what Czech grindcore means! By the way, I think Sweden rules with grindcore scene in the world…

Do you miss Czechoslovakia?

No more. I missed Czechoslovakia when that republic was divided, in 1993. You know, everyone here was used to share one state with Slovakia, we were two nations in one state. Everything was just only dirty politics, no one ordinary man wanted to divide that state. What to do… I’m happy that ordinary people kept the friendship and here is no hate between both nations. That’s cool, politics shouldn’t divide the people.

Are you going to try and fuck an American woman on your trip, or are they too annoying/ugly?

Oh no, man, we have no prejudice! We’re excited about U.S. girls! I personally know many American girls and no one of them is ugly even not annoying. Hope we’ll meet cool girls with big breasts which will want to meet fine guys from central Europe!

Any final words for our readers?

Thanx for intie! Get ready for Czech attack! See you at MDF. Cheers!!!

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For everyone unfamiliar with Rev Theory, describe the band in one sentence.

We are a high energy, in your face rock band who works extremely hard and takes pride in putting on the best show we can every night.

Now that’s out of the way – Rev Theory didn’t just happen over night, in fact you have recently changed your name from Revelation Theory to Rev Theory. Does the change in name represent an evolution in your music and/or personal lives?

I guess in a way it does. We changed our name because a lot of people were saying it wrong and most of our fans would call us Rev Theory anyway. We have a new record, a new sound, and a new band member, so it just felt right to change our name.

People have described your single “Hell Yeah” and title track “Light It Up” as stadium ready rock anthems. Do you go into the studio with the mindset of writing songs that will easily translate to arena settings?

For this record we definitely wanted to write songs that appealed more to the masses.  I don’t think we really tried to write “anthems,” but we were definitely trying to go for those fist pumping, straight ahead rock songs that everyone can sing along to. We have never really written songs like that so it was a challenge for us but we also had a great time doing it.   

The video for “Hell Yeah” recently premiered on XBOX Live, making it the first ever music video premiere there. What is that feeling like?

It is an incredible feeling knowing that this is the first time that XBOX has ever done that. We are honored that they chose us and it is a great opportunity for a large audience to see our video. Hopefully we can continue working with them in the future on other projects. 

What other firsts are there in the pipeline for Rev Theory?

We are playing at the first ever Maloof money cup which is a skateboarding festival in Orange County produced by the Maloof brothers. The performance will be aired on CBS in July.  We are also playing the Sturgis bikefest motorcycle rally in August which I believe more than half a million people will be in attendance.

Both “Hell Yeah” and “Light It Up” have been used by the WWE and Nascar. It seems like your music really resonates with fans of both sports, do you have any insight into that? It has to be more than the music just being featured during events and in games.

A lot of WWE and Nascar fans are rock fans and they have really embraced our music.  Both sports are high energy and fast paced and that’s what both songs are as well.  When fans go to sporting events they want to have a good time and get pumped up, and both songs seem to have that affect on people.  

Speaking of the WWE, you wrote and recorded an original song (“Voices”) for Randy Orton. Tell us about that experience and how it came to be.

After the WWE used “Light it Up” for wrestlemania, we talked about working on other projects.  They asked us if we would do the new theme music for Randy Orton so we recorded it on our days off in between shows.  We have had an amazing response from fans saying that they really like the song.        

Can fans expect to hear “Voices” on Light It Up?

 ”Voices” will not be on “Light it Up.” It is only being used as the entrance music for Randy Orton. Hopefully it will be available on a WWE compilation CD. 

Where do you pull your influences from? Any metal influences that shine through on Light ItUp?

We like all types of music as a band.  For this record we were listening to a lot of Guns N Roses, Motley Crue, and STP.  We wanted to get back to our roots and write songs with those bands in mind.  As far a metal influences, a lot of people have said that the song “Ten Years,” has a Metallica sounding intro. They are one of my favorite bands of all time so that is a huge compliment. 

You recently added a5th member to the band with Rikki Lixx (previously of Operator)– what is it like going from a 4 piece to a 5? Is there a certain dynamic and/or sound that was missing from the band that Lixx brings to the table?

It has been amazing.  We have been a 4 piece for a long time but new music we were writing called for 2 guitar parts so we decided it was time to add another guitar player.  We feel our sound has reached a new level with Rikki.  He is a great guitar player and adds a whole new element to our sound that we have never had. 

If you had one goal for the band in the coming year, what would it be?

Our goal is to just continue to work hard in everything we do and not lose focus.  It going to be a crazy year and we can’t wait to see what happens next

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Hail of Bullets is a new death metal supergroup of sorts.  Featuring Martin van Drunen (ex-Pestilence, Asphyx), Theo van Eekelen (ex-Houwitser), Ed Warby (Gorefest) and Thanatos guitarists, Paul Baayens and Stephan Gebédi, the band are just about to release their debut album, …of Frost and War.  Signed to Metal Blade Records, the quintet has united to play the kind of no-nonsense death metal that is sorely lacking in todays underground.  SMN News spoke with Gebédi about their mission statement.

First off, some of our readers will know you from Thanatos.  What is the status of that band?

Thanatos is still going.  We just hit a low-point on the last record.  We were signed to a Greek label called Black Lotus Records who went out of business so we were left in a bad situation.  We lost some money and it was a bad time for the band.  We are currently looking for a new deal.  We’re probably going to be getting Dan Swanö to mix some of the material for the new release.  He worked on the Hail of Bullets album and he did a great job!  So yeah, Thanatos will be back soon.

How long have you known Martin and why did you feel the need to start HOB?

I’ve known Ed for 12-15 years.  We used to get together and check out horror movies and listen to metal.  He’s also in Gorefest so we play in the same scene.  Martin is a different story.  The metal press created a big rivalry here in Holland between Thanatos and Pestilence back in the late 80’s but we didn’t really meet.  It wasn’t until he was in the band Death By Dawn and Thanatos played some shows with them that we really talked.  We had a few beers and then got into talking about all the stuff we had in common.  We are into a lot of the older death metal stuff and then we finally got Hail of Bullets together in 2006.

I hear a lot of the elements of all the bands you guys have been involved with through the years and there is a definite older flavor to the riffing and arrangements.  Was this a conscious decision?

I actually don’t really hear too much of Thanatos or Gorefest in what Hail of Bullets does.  Yeah, there is that old-school feeling to the music but not so much of those specific bands.  I hear some Asphyx in there.  When we wrote the songs, we were definitely thinking more along the lines of bands like Massacre, Autopsy and Celtic Frost.  Those are the bands that I think we really sound like.

The obvious theme on the album is war but you get into WWII and not the current crisis in the Middle East.  Was there a reason for this?

It’s probably because we are European and we are much more intrigued with WWII here.  Martin wrote the lyrics and he’s always been interested in the historical aspect of it.  He has read many books and collected DVDs about WWII.  He’s always wanted to do a concept album about it so this was a great chance for him to do it.  The lyrics fit the music so perfectly. 

I love how the whole CD packaging captures the lyrical themes giving you a total experience. 

Yeah man!  It’s too bad you guys in the States don’t get the Digipak.  Metal Blade did a great job with it!  A tank pops up when you open the packaging!

You guys have so many years of experience, was it tough getting all the egos in check in the studio and when you were writing the material?

It was actually really easy when we were writing the music.  I thought Ed, the drummer, was going to be tough to get in the studio because of his schedule with Gorefest.  He actually turned out to be great to work with!  He plays guitar too and he came in with all these great riffs and song ideas right away.  He ended up writing about 50% of the songs on the album.  The studio went smoothly too.  We’ve all had so much experience so we know what to do once we’re in there.

Can we expect any surprises when we see you live like maybe a Pestilence or Thanatos song?

There will be no songs from any of our other past or current bands.  We did talk about possibly doing an old Pestilence song but once we saw that Patrick Mamam (he tries to pronounce Patrick Mameli’s last name) or however you pronounce it, was getting a new Pestilence together, we figured there was no point really.  We are probably going to throw in a couple of covers just because we don’t have enough stuff for a headlining set.

Can fans expect a tour from Hail of Bullets in the near future?

Right now we don’t have any set plans on hitting the States but we would love to if there is a demand.  At this point, we don’t really want to do long tours.  We’ll go out for maybe a week or so at a time at this point.  We would love to play some death metal festivals in the summer and fall.  America could happen but I guess we’ll have to see how the album sells there first.

I know you mentioned you had kids.  Are they into metal at all?

My daughter likes a lot of different types of music but she’s been getting into heavier stuff lately.  She is 12 so she likes stuff like Shakira but she’s really into Iron Maiden and Rammstein too.  I think she’ll get into the brutal stuff too!

Which metal album had the most impact on you early in your life?

Well, for music in general, I would have to say Destroyer from Kiss really got me going.  I know Patrick is also a big Kiss fan so they were important.  In terms of metal it was definitely Venom’s Welcome to Hell.  That album made me feel like it was possible to actually play in a band.  It was so heavy and straight forward.  Iron Maiden and stuff like that seemed so impossible to do.  Venom really made me want to be in a band.

By Carlos Ramirez

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If you are reading this and you are fan of Entombed, crust and hardcore. Trap Them might be your favorite new band! The Seattle/New Hampshire/Massachusetts based band fuses together all of the aforementioned elements and the results are stunning. The proof is found on their Séance Prime EP which the folks at Deathwish Inc. released in late 2007. To keep fans satisfied until the release of their next full-length, the band have just released a split 7” with UK grindcore godfathers, Extreme Noise Terror. SMN News recently spoke with Trap Them vocalist, Ryan McKenney about the band’s history and their love for classic Entombed!

When you first truly discovered your love for music as a kid, which bands did you really fall for first?

My early favorites were bands I saw in and around the Boston area. I loved Wrecking Crew, Slapshot, Only Living Witness, etc and then I dove deeper and dirtier and fell for bands like Discharge, Napalm Death, Godflesh. Swans was the band that really changed the way I looked at and felt about music.

So the obvious thing about Trap Them would be the sonic similarities between you and classic Entombed. Was this a conscious thing?

Fuck yeah! The sunlight sound is THE sound. I think it was a conscious decision from the start to wear our influences on our sleeve without making ourselves complete doppelgangers.

The material on Séance Prime is more death metal than anything you’ve done before but it also has an almost rock-n-roll feel to it. Do you see yourselves exploring these aspects even further on the next full-length?

We enjoy our d-beats more than our blast beats at this point. With the thousands of grind bands out there, the world has enough blast beats. And honestly, after the new Rotten Sound LP, Cycles, it’s almost pointless to make a record at hyperspeed because that band made a masterpiece that is pretty damn close to untouchable. So to directly answer the question, yes, the new LP will bring rock chocked full of dirt.

“Pulse Mavens” is a bastard of a song! Can you talk about the lyrical stuff going on in that particular track?

I can’t really break the pieces down into separate themes or soapbox banners. Each song has no specific subject. They all deal with everyday desperation, depression and sadism. In other words, we are fucked!

The energy on that song and really, the rest of the newer material is really exciting. It’s like the classic Sunlight Studios (Necrophobic, General Surgery) stuff but livelier. How did Kurt (Ballou, producer of Séance Prime) set you up in the studio to help you achieve such a vibrant recording?

Kurt knew exactly what sound we were going for. Brian (Izzi, guitarist and songwriter) and Kurt spent as much time as needed to concrete the exact tone and feel to replicate what Brian felt was the necessary sound for the music we were making. It’s taken him a few years to piece together his distorted puzzle, but I can speak for all of us when I say it was worth the effort.

You have a new split with Extreme Noise Terror out now and you are going out with Disfear. Do you feel like you have more in common, stylistically, with bands like that than with some of the more straight-up hardcore bands you often share bills with?

We absolutely feel closer to bands such as Disfear and ENT than to most hardcore bands. It has nothing to do with a dislike of hardcore. Most of us, in the band, grew up listening to the genre, but I personally always leaned towards the heavier, dirtier side of music and a lot of the bands didn’t make me feel the same as when I dropped a needle on a crust or punk record. Brian grew up on lots and lots of metal. He was tape trading black metal demos and going to see Entombed back in the late 80’s/ early 90’s. This was what heavy music was to him. I loved punk. I loved crust. So between the two separate paths of music we traveled, we found a common ground, dove into our respective pasts and created the band we’ve always wanted to create.

Who do you consider your contemporaries in terms of sound and vision?

I can tell you bands we collectively enjoy, respect and love working with Rotten Sound, Disfear, Victims, Converge, ENT, Coliseum, and Cursed. There are a lot more. We love what we do and appreciate any bands that feel the same about what they do.

How do you maintain a touring lifestyle financially? How hard is it on you, emotionally speaking? Does the strain wear on you?

You end up selling off alot of your shit to pay rent, bills, etc. Sometimes you luck out and come home with enough to pay for a few things. We’ve all downsized our lives in order to be ready and willing to tour at any moment and there’s nothing that will get in our way. Of course, there are moments when shit gets heavy, but if everything in your life is gravy, you shouldn’t be playing this type of music to begin with.

What kinds of things are you going to get into thematically on the next album?

A little town called Barren Praise….and dead men walking.

Left Hand Path or Clandestine?

Clandestine. This opinion may not reflect the opinion of the rest of the band, but I’m the one doing the interview, so it looks like I get to call this shot.

By Carlos Ramirez

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Forget the countless foreign bands flying over for their rare or one time U.S. appearances, if you want to know the one band you shouldn’t miss at this year’s Maryland Deathfest…it’s New York City’s BEHOLD…THE ARCTOPUS. Easily one of the most talented and original bands in the metal scene today, they’re sure to make their mark on this year’s festival. Warr guitarist Colin Marston was kind enough to answer a few of our questions, so be sure to return the favor and check out their set on Saturday, May 24th at 4:10pm. You wont want to miss it!

For those unfamiliar with Behold…The Arctopus, how would you describe yourself?

Heavy metal

Why did you decide to accept a spot on this year’s Maryland Deathfest?

Never played a metal fest before.

With so many bands performing, what do you think sets you apart from the others, and why should people make sure to check out your set?

We have more strings and less vocals than any other band at the fest.

What other band on MDF are you most excited to see?

Martyr!!!

Should Genghis Tron replace Waco Jesus?

Genghis Tron should be president.

What’s shittier, Baltimore or Brooklyn?

Baltimore. Oh yeah, Baltimore.

Why are there so few good NYC metal bands?

I DONT KNOW!

What is your set list looking like for the show, and are you going to do anything special?

Yes. Secret 80’s thrash cover. Sing-along required.

Are you secretly glad that Sleep Terror dropped off?

um…

How do you think the death metal/grindcore fans will react to your set?

With fists.

If you could pick one band to play next year’s MDF, who would it be?

Behold…The Arctopus.

Are you going to drug Ryan and Evan so that you can get Blotted Science or Dysrhythmia on the festival next year?

We wont have to drug them. I’m a debate team champion.

Are you cooler than Electro Quarterstaff?

Of course.

Would you trade in your tour with Intronaut for a higher spot on the lineup?

No.

Any final words for our readers?

Drudkh!!!

www.myspace.com/beholdthearctopus

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New York City grinders DEFEATIST continue to prove that the NY metal scene is actually capable of producing something worthwhile every now and then. Guitarist/vocalist Aaron Nichols took the time to answer a few of our questions about the band’s return to the Maryland Deathfest, after opening last year’s pre-show. Going on at 1:05pm on Saturday, May 24th, the band is sure to set the bar high for the rest of the day.

For those unfamiliar with Defeatist, how would you describe yourself?

Bad vibes. Upset stomachs. Repeating the same mistakes over and over again.

Why did you decide to accept a spot on this year’s Maryland Deathfest?

Must be our love of playing on stages and barricades.

With so many bands performing, what do you think sets you apart from the others, and why should people make sure to check out your set?

This will be our first show in 6 months. Everyone loves to watch a train wreck.

What other bands on MDF are you most excited to see?

Not so much bands, but I’m looking forward to catching up with friends from around the country who can come out. Repulsion will be nice.

Would you considering locking Behold…The Arctopus in a closet so you could win best NYC band on the festival?

They can’t make a closet big enough to make us look good.

What is your set list looking like for the show, and are you going to do anything special?

Mixing in 6-7 new songs we’ve never played live before. It will be a mess.

If The Locust or Daughters were added to festival, would you kick their ass?

Did they say something about your mother?

What’s shittier, Baltimore or Brooklyn?

Are there trust fund hipsters in Baltimore?

If you could pick one band to play next year’s MDF, who would it be?

Neil Hamburger.

Is it going to suck going on at 1:05pm? Wouldn’t you be rather getting pancakes or something?

I would always rather get pancakes.

Are Agathocles too cool to play MDF?

I don’t know the code.

How much alcohol do you think you will consume over the weekend?

Enough to make me forget.

Do you secretly think you’re cooler than ASRA?

Have you seen their new promo photos?

Have you ever contemplated started a New York GrindCore club where you could make vests with matching patches?

Would there be meetings?

Why is there so much grind on a DEATHfest?

Have you ever seen the rider for a death metal band?

Do you have any new material coming out?

We have a lot of new material but haven’t been able to find a recording studio we can afford yet.

Any final words for our readers?

It gets worse.

www.myspace.com/defeatistgrind

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Guitarist/vocalist Pat Howe of up-and-coming Swedish grinders AFGRUND answered some of our questions about the band’s upcoming appearance at the Maryland Deathfest. Sure to be a highlight of the festival, and one of the most promising new grind bands around, make sure to check them out at 6pm on Friday, May 23rd, because you’ll feel like a loser if you miss one of the most talked about bands of the show!

For those unfamiliar with Afgrund, how would you describe yourself?

A multinational grindcore d-beat punk band (we’re swedish, half english/half czech, finnish and italian) based in Stockholm, Sweden and Helsinki, Finland.

Why did you decide to accept a spot on this year’s Maryland Deathfest?

Because it’s a cool fest presenting a lot of good bands and also to make a tour out of our US-visit.

With so many bands performing, what do you think sets you apart from the others, and why should people make sure to check out your set?

Well…I guess we like to think we’re pretty intense live and on stage or at least we try to be. We blend a lot of fast grind with d-beat punk and hardcore influences, I guess there might be some death metal in there too. We also scream our asses off. So if you like the sound of that, come see us live!

What other bands on MDF are you most excited to see?

Repulsion and probably Fuck…I’m Dead, Disfear will be cool too.

What is your set list looking like for the show, and are you going to do anything special?

Not that I know of at the moment, it’ll probably be a blend of songs from both our album and split album, maybe we’ll throw in a cover song there too.

If you could pick one band to play next year’s MDF, who would it be?

Our Swedish friends The Arson Project who had to cancel their show at MDF this year, they are easily one of the best grind bands I’ve both seen and heard this last year. Also Dr. Doom from Holland, fucking great grind band, tight and innovative as hell!

Who is better, Repulsion or Nasum?

That question needs to be defined better, Repulsion are better in their way because they’re a great influence to a lot of grind bands today, probably even Nasum. Nasum are however better to me personally as I prefer to listen to them and have been more influenced by them.

Disfear or At The Gates?

At The Gates easily! “Slaughter of the Soul” is one of my all-time favorite metal albums! However Disfear’s new album “Live The Storm” is fucking great too!

How much alcohol do you think you will consume over the weekend?

Too much to remember! I hope!

Why are there so many amazing grindcore and death metal bands from Sweden?

No idea, frustration over being surrounded by so many beautiful women? I guess that makes us play fast, and faster. Oh and the Scandinavian darkness!

Are In Flames an embarassment?

Who?

Are you going to try and fuck an American woman on your trip, or are they too annoying/ugly?

Well I’m single and not gay so you never know! However I haven’t met all American women yet but I’ll definitely try to avoid the annoying and ugly ones!

Any final words for our readers?

Erhm….come to our shows, buy our merch and CDs so we can pay for our flights over, our rental car and gas! Oh and beer! Or just give us beer too! Cheers! Oh yeah, check us out at MySpace too if you haven’t already!

www.afgrund.com
www.myspace.com/avgrund

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