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úterý 8. července 2025

Interview - GROMMT - Putrid, mangy, and dark death metal that will reduce you to dust!


Interview with death metal band from Denmark - GROMMT.

Answered Jonathan (Vocals) and Thomas (Drums), thank you!

Recenze/review - GROMMT - Aphotic (2025):

1. Ave GROMMT! On May 30, 2025, you released your first full-length album, "Aphotic." As the title suggests, it's a whirlwind of honest, old-school death metal. How did you feel when you left the studio? Please introduce the new album and the band to your fans.

Jonathan: “We felt really tired, hehe. I remember there was a bit of silence as we left the studio and drove home together, but it was a good silence. A moment to breath out after a few really intense days in Full Moon Studio where we recorded the whole album live, but also a sort of “we did it” feeling among the group. Back in 2023 Thomas and Fabian started working on a few things, Kim and I (Jonathan) joined them later in 2024 and during the fall we began to really collect and put structure to the songs that would end up forming “Aphotic”. We wanted to make something really honest, true to who we are, not only as musicians, but as music fans. In modern music it sometimes can be so difficult to distinguish between the bands because many use the same production style, the same techniques and so on, so we wanted to take a look back into the early days of death metal where people didn’t care so much about being perfect or generic, but where the songs had real personality and it was all about the power, the emotions and rawness of the music.”

Thomas - “The album Aphotic contains seven songs, which could be described as old school death metal. However, we have not tried to sound like a certain type of 90’s death metal like from either the Stockholm or Tampa scene. We have created some songs, which have some variation in terms of tempo, dark melodies and what you could call groove”.


2. You are a band made up of talented musicians who have death metal in their hearts. How did GROMMT actually come about? I'm guessing some good pub and lots of beer. Who first came up with the idea of playing death metal?

Thomas - “Thank you very much for your kind words, highly appreciated. We all definitely have death metal in our hearts. I started listening to death metal as an adolescent in the late 80´s and early 90’s when demo tape trading was a big thing and the early albums of Death, Morbid Angel, Carcass, Entombed, Bolt Thrower and many more were released. So, death metal is kind of the soundtrack to my youth and therefore a big musical reference. Fabian grew up in East Berlin behind the Berlin wall and was therefore prevented from buying records with his favorite metal bands. But when the iron curtain fell, he rushed to west Berlin to obtain all the great stuff he couldn’t get a hold of before. So, he too evolved during the early days of death metal. Grommt was basically initiated in 2023, when Fabian and I met at a garden party in Bornholm – and yes beers were involved, ha, ha. We were both looking for someone to play some music with again and arranged a jam session. We quickly found common ground music wise and started writing songs from day one. After six months we started looking for a bassist and a vocalist, which for death metal are not easily found in Bornholm. We had music written for five songs, but when Jonathan and Kim joined us, things started to speed up, when we all participated in the song writing”.

Jonathan: “Thomas wrote and asked me if I would want to play some death metal as a bassist, but at the time I was busy with another band called Raagafnat, so I unfortunately didn’t feel like I had the time, but a few months later that band went on a break, so I contacted Thomas again, at this point Kim had joined as the bassist though. Thomas then asked me if I wanted to do the vocals and at that point, I had never growled a day in my life. So it took me a few more months before I got the balls to come down in the rehearsal room and try it out, and yeah.. So it began.”


3. I must admit that your new album blew me away. I really like that you are not only orthodox and authentic, but you also don't forget about cold and dark melodies. Who is the author of the music and how do you compose and create new GROMMT songs?

Jonathan - “Thank you so much. Usually Fabian will have a riff and together with Thomas, the two of them will begin jamming it out until the pieces starts to form and fit, at which point Kim also comes in and help combine the ideas. Then, when most of the song is done, I will start to pick up on what sort of atmosphere I feel like the song is giving me and then write the lyrics on top of it to adapt the song.”

Thomas – “Thank you again, glad you have picked that up regarding the cold and dark melodies, which is part of what we aim for. Yeah, the songs on the album have mainly been written in the rehearsal room. The process has typically started with either Fabian writing a riff or me sending him some beats, which he then made a riff from. Then the pieces are put together. It can take some time, but we think that writing this way will add something to the songs that will shine through both live and on the recordings.”

4. I was really impressed by the raw and "dirty" sound on the new album. Where did you record and mix the album, and who is credited with the production?

Jonathan - “We recorded the album at Full Moon Studio, which is owned and run by my old buddy from elementary school, Simon, who I grew up with. Actually Simon and I sort of began our journey into metal music together when we formed a band as teenagers and Simon is now a leading member of the fantastic danish black metal band “Orm”, which I highly suggest everyone to go check out. So it was very special for me to work with him on this album. Simon stood for the whole recording process, mix and master and the production was sort of a collaberative effort between us all, so it was produced by both Simon and the band.”


5. I was also intrigued by the album cover. If I understand correctly, it shows the entrance to the underground. The cover is simple, mysterious, and fits the music perfectly. What is this theme supposed to express? Who is the author? How did you get together and why him?

Jonathan - “last year the band “Molder” from USA had released an amazing death metal album called “Catastrophic Reconfiguration”. I had bought the vinyl record and just loved the heck out of their cover art, so I looked up who had made it and it’s this very talented artist from Bogota, Colombia called Julian Felipe Mora Ibañez. So I jumped in his dm’s and we started writing back and forth on Instagram. Here in Bornholm, where we are from, we have this stunning rock cave, which you can sail 70 meters deep into, called “The Wet Oven” and I showed him som old photos of it as inspiration and asked, if he could make faces come out of the walls. He thought it was a great idea and created this beautiful work of art that we are very happy and proud to have as our album artwork.”

Thomas – “The Title “Aphotic” refers to the deep underwater zone where no light can reach and little life dwells. You can say that the album cover and the title reflects the entrance to complete darkness.”

6. As a band, your lyrics deal with dark fantasy and death. What are the new recordings about? What is the main theme and idea behind "Aphotic"? Where did you draw inspiration for the lyrics?

Jonathan - “yeah, it’s sort of death perceived in 7 different ways. I rarely plan what a song should be about beforehand but just listen to the music and try to dial in on what atmosphere it’s giving me. For example, the song “War Crush” have this really in-your-face main riff and a very pulsating energy that just got me ready to go into battle, so the song sort of become how a maniac would love to just go on this killing spree. Two of the songs though, “He Who Awaits Us” and “Grab Them”, the two singles, were written about some mythological creatures that Thomas came to me about and that was a fun challenge for me, cause it was a different way for me to work cause normally the inspiration comes more from inside of me and my own turmoil living in this mad world.”

 

7. I can't help but ask. You play an extreme style of metal. You live in Denmark. How are death metal bands perceived by the general public? Do you have any problems with that? Do you get any coverage on TV or in newspapers? How is life in your country influenced by religion? Wikipedia states that 74% of the population is Lutheran.

Jonathan - “I would say that metal is pretty well perceived here in Denmark, although the general public of course don’t really know anything about the scene or the music. Metal rarely get any coverage at all in the mainstream media and when it does, it’s most likely either when the festival Copenhell is going on or if Lars Ulrich is seen biking around Copenhagen. On the question of religion, it’s true that the majority is a member of the danish church, but that is more a sort of formality. The danes generally perceives themselves as very atheistic and as such the metal community is not really affected by any religious bigotry. Denmark is actually one of the most atheistic countries in the world.”

8. GROMMT has only been on the scene for a short time. How far do you want to go? To big festivals, on long tours? What are your visions and goals?

Jonathan - “I don’t know if we have any goals related to popularity or how far we can take it, but sort of more along the lines on how we will we carry ourselves along within the music. For me, I’ve always wanted to create albums and “Aphotic” was hopefully just the first in a line of more to come. We are also very driven by the live aspect of the band and it’s always just a great day when there is a show at the evening. Obviously it would be super fun to play big festival shows and go on tour, but we have a blast playing small local shows as well, so we are sort of happy either way.”

Thomas - “We all enjoy and pick up energy from creating music together and transferring this energy to an audience that picks it up, is really what it is all about. As metal heads we all know the feeling when some music really can get under your skin and get a crowd going - if we can do this with our music, it is perfect and all that we can ask for.” Then it does not really matter whether the venue is small or large, if we can feel that the audience get a kick from the music. But of course, it would be great playing big festivals at some stage”.

 

9. Looking at today's society, a lot has changed in recent years, hasn't it? Actually, everything – technology, sound, recording studios, we have the internet, music downloads. How have these changes affected the band? Have you had to adapt a lot? You play old death metal, but you have new resources at your disposal.

Jonathan - “Yeah, that was a thing that was really at the forefront of my mind actually, going into the recording of “Aphotic”, cause I was so tired of the super modern way of looking at music production and you know, in a minute everyone will probably be listening to AI music and stuff, so the word “honesty” kept returning in my mind regarding the album. We wanted everyone to hear that this was made by real people, with all the flaws that we carry, and with a true love of this music. We are of course using SoMe to promote it and different ways of connecting with the fans through the internet, but in all honesty, that online presence will probably never be our strong side. We are more hoping that people will remember us for our music or liveshows, rather then how fancy TikTok posts we can make”.

10. How are your concerts going? Do you enjoy playing and do you play often? Do you prefer large festivals or small clubs? What about promoting the new album, are you planning a tour?

Jonathan - “Concerts have been great and we are learning, gaining experience for every show we play and from day one we have been really aware on what we demand from ourselves on the stage. We take it very seriously and try to be the best live-act we possibly can. We are playing a gig in Copenhagen in august and then at the Raise Your Horns festival in September at Bornholm, but no further tour plans. We would love to get on the road and play, we are working on it, but as of now there is nothing confirmed.”

Thomas - “We are super excited about playing live and personally I start longing for the next gig shortly after the last one has ended. At the moment we are searching for new jobs in the autumn. We have only been looking within Denmark so far, but if you know someone who wants us to come and play a show, we are happy to travel.”


11. What is it like to play extreme metal in Denmark? How did you get started? Did you go to music school? Who were your role models? What was your first concert like? And your first performance on stage? Lately, I've had the feeling that when it comes to extreme styles, things are really happening in Denmark. Death and black metal bands are especially great! I'm reviewing new albums, doing interviews, and I feel like your scene is very strong (I'm a big fan of DEIQUISITOR, PHRENELITH, UNDERGANG, and of course MACERATION). But that's my perspective as someone who lives outside Denmark. What's your opinion? What about concerts, promoters, clubs, and stores selling extreme metal music?

Jonathan - “I feel like the death metal community, not only in Denmark, but also in our local area of Bornholm is slowly growing and becoming stronger, more connected and yes, we are seeing a lot of death metal bands flourishing at the moment. There is an energy, a creative and inspirational sort of vibe going on in the country right now which is producing these great bands such as Terrorpy, Plaguemace, Neckbreakker and of course the ones you’re mentioning. Our personal role models are often from the early death metal scene, but we take inspiration from a lot of different places. Our first concert was really great, and it was kinda the perfect way to really begin this adventure with the band.”

Thomas – “Denmark is a great place for playing extreme metal and as Jonathan mentions there really are great talented bands here. Bands generally try to help each other out. For example, our friends in Anthropoid Idol invited us to play a show with them earlier this year in Roskilde and later this year a band called Rektum arranged a series of underground metal events in Copenhagen. You should go check both bands out, super great death metal. We also try to find possibilities for these bands to play concerts in Bornholm to return the favor. All four of us have been playing music before in various genres. Fabian has released several albums with a German band called Shrike and Kim has been teaching music. Some of us have had lessons, I started playing drums when I was 11 years and went to a music school in Aarhus for around 5 years. It was great for learning fundamental beats and techniques, but I learned so much more at a faster pace, when I started playing in death metal bands. Our inspiration mainly comes from early 90’s death metal bands like Death, Morbid Angel, Entombed, Deicide, Bolt Thrower, Carcass just to name a few, but of course we follow the scene. However, we also find inspiration in classical music and other non-metal genres, which we believe is important and makes it more of a challenge to write. Maceration along with Konkhra and Illdisposed are some of the first and oldest death metal bands from Denmark, and the fact that these bands still exist, release great music and put on intense shows, is perhaps a good indication of how well the Danish death metal scene is doing. As a sidenote, one of the nights during our recordings, Kim and I went to see Maceration playing a gig in Copenhagen, and in September we will be playing at the same festival as them and Illdisposed. Super chuffed about that”.


12. What does GROMMT have planned for the coming months? Is there anything you would like to say to your fans or promoters? Here's your chance.

Jonathan - “We are playing at Raahuset in Copenhagen on August the 7th with Rektum and Mortira and at the Raise Your Horns festival on Bornholm the 5th and 6th of September. We wanna say thank you very much to everyone who have been listening to the album, on Spotify, YouTube or bought the CD, everyone that goes follow us on Instagram, Facebook and of course who come out to the shows. Special thanks to Jacob Andersen, who have been at the front of the stage at every single show we have played so far. And thank you so much for this interview.”

Thomas – ”We are currently writing new songs and preparing for the two shows scheduled. If you are a promoter or organizer do not hesitate to reach out to us regarding a concert. Thank you Jakub, for this interview, which is the first of its kind with Grommt. We are really pleased to hear your reactions and comments about our music. We hope that we can maintain interest in future releases and are looking forward to seeing you at a show somewhere. All the best to you as well”.

Thank you very much for the interview, and I wish you great sales for your new album. May your concerts be sold out. I'm really looking forward to one of them. I wish you all the best in your personal lives. May the force be with you! GROMMT FOREVER!

Rozhovor - GROMMT - Hnilobný, prašivý a temný death metal, u kterého se rozpadnete v prach!


Rozhovor s death metalovou skupinou z Dánska - GROMMT.

Odpovídali Jonathan (zpěv) a Thomas (bicí), děkujeme!

Recenze/review - GROMMT - Aphotic (2025):

Ave GROMMT! 30. května 2025 vám vyšlo vaše první dlouhohrající album „Aphotic“. Jak už sám název napovídá, jedná se o smršť poctivého starého death metalu. Když jste šli ze studia, jaké jste měli pocity? Představ prosím fanouškům trošku nové album a vlastně i kapelu.

Jonathan: „Byli jsme opravdu unavení, hehe. Pamatuji si, že když jsme opouštěli studio a jeli společně domů, bylo chvíli ticho, ale bylo to příjemné ticho. Byl to okamžik, kdy jsme si mohli vydechnout po několika opravdu intenzivních dnech ve studiu Full Moon, kde jsme nahráli celé album živě, ale také pocit „zvládli jsme to“ mezi členy skupiny. V roce 2023 Thomas a Fabian začali pracovat na několika věcech, Kim a já (Jonathan) jsme se k nim připojili později v roce 2024 a na podzim jsme začali sbírat a dávat dohromady skladby, které nakonec vytvořily album „Aphotic“. Chtěli jsme vytvořit něco opravdu upřímného, věrného tomu, kým jsme, nejen jako hudebníci, ale i jako fanoušci hudby. V moderní hudbě je někdy velmi obtížné rozlišit jednotlivé kapely, protože mnoho z nich používá stejný styl produkce, stejné techniky atd., takže jsme se chtěli vrátit do počátků death metalu, kdy lidem tolik nezáleželo na dokonalosti nebo generickosti, ale kdy písně měly skutečnou osobnost a šlo hlavně o sílu, emoce a syrovost hudby.“

Thomas – „Album Aphotic obsahuje sedm skladeb, které by se daly popsat jako old school death metal. Nesnažili jsme se však znít jako určitý typ death metalu 90. let, jako například ze stockholmské nebo tampařské scény. Vytvořili jsme několik skladeb, které se liší tempem, temnými melodiemi a tím, co by se dalo nazvat groovem.“


Jste kapela, složená ze samých šikovných muzikantů, kteří mají death metal v srdci. Jak vlastně vznikli GROMMT? Tipuji si nějakou dobrou hospodu a spoustu piva. Kdo přišel jako první s nápadem hrát death metal?

Thomas – „Moc děkuji za milá slova, velmi si toho vážím. Death metal máme všichni v srdcích. Začal jsem ho poslouchat jako teenager na konci 80. a začátku 90. let, kdy bylo velkým hitem vyměňování demo nahrávek a vycházela první alba Death, Morbid Angel, Carcass, Entombed, Bolt Thrower a mnoha dalších. Death metal je tedy jakýmsi soundtrackem mého mládí a proto pro mě představuje velkou hudební inspiraci. Fabian vyrůstal ve východním Berlíně za berlínskou zdí, a proto nemohl kupovat desky svých oblíbených metalových kapel. Ale když padla železná opona, spěchal do západního Berlína, aby si pořídil všechny skvělé věci, které předtím nemohl sehnat. Také on se tedy vyvíjel během raných dob death metalu. Grommt vznikl v podstatě v roce 2023, když jsme se s Fabianem potkali na zahradní párty na Bornholmu – a ano, pivo v tom hrálo roli, ha ha. Oba jsme hledali někoho, s kým bychom mohli zase hrát, a domluvili jsme si jam session. Rychle jsme našli společnou řeč, co se týče hudby, a od prvního dne jsme začali psát písničky. Po šesti měsících jsme začali hledat basáka a zpěváka, což pro death metal není na Bornholmu snadné. Měli jsme napsaných pět písniček, ale když se k nám přidali Jonathan a Kim, věci se začaly zrychlovat, protože jsme se všichni podíleli na psaní písniček.

Jonathan: „Thomas mi napsal a zeptal se mě, jestli bych nechtěl hrát death metal jako basák, ale v té době jsem byl zaneprázdněn jinou kapelou jménem Raagafnat, takže jsem bohužel neměl pocit, že bych na to měl čas, ale o pár měsíců později ta kapela udělala pauzu, tak jsem Thomase znovu kontaktoval, ale v tu chvíli se už jako basák přidal Kim. Thomas se mě pak zeptal, jestli bych nechtěl zpívat, ale v té době jsem v životě ještě nikdy negrowloval. Trvalo mi tedy ještě pár měsíců, než jsem sebral odvahu přijít do zkušebny a zkusit to, a jo... Tak to začalo.“


Přiznám se, že mě vaše novinka posadila na zadek. Mně se na vás hrozně líbí, že jste nejen ortodoxní a opravdoví, ale nezapomínáte ani na studené a temné melodie. Kdo je autorem hudby a jak skládají a tvoří nové skladby GROMMT?

Jonathan – „Moc děkuji. Obvykle Fabian přijde s riffem a společně s Thomasem začnou jamovat, dokud se skladba nezačne formovat a skládat dohromady. V tu chvíli se přidá i Kim a pomáhá kombinovat nápady. Poté, když je většina skladby hotová, začnu vnímat, jakou atmosféru mi skladba evokuje, a na základě toho napíšu text, který se k ní hodí.“

Thomas – „Ještě jednou děkujeme, jsme rádi, že jste si všimli těch chladných a temných melodií, které jsou součástí toho, o co se snažíme. Jo, písničky na albu byly napsány hlavně v zkušebně. Proces obvykle začal tím, že Fabian napsal riff nebo jsem mu poslal nějaké beaty, ze kterých pak vytvořil riff. Pak se kousky dají dohromady. Může to chvíli trvat, ale myslíme si, že psaní tímto způsobem přidá písničkám něco, co vynikne jak naživo, tak na nahrávkách.“

Na novince mě zaujal opravdu hodně syrový a „prašivý“ zvuk. Kde jste desku nahrávali, mixovali, kdo je podepsán pod produkcí?

Jonathan – „Album jsme nahráli ve studiu Full Moon Studio, které vlastní a provozuje můj starý kamarád ze základní školy Simon, se kterým jsem vyrůstal. Simon a já jsme vlastně společně začali naši cestu do světa metalové hudby, když jsme jako teenageři založili kapelu, a Simon je nyní vedoucím členem fantastické dánské black metalové kapely „Orm“, kterou vřele doporučuji všem poslechnout. Bylo pro mě tedy velmi zvláštní s ním na tomto albu spolupracovat. Simon se postaral o celý proces nahrávání, mixování a masteringu a produkce byla takovým společným úsilím nás všech, takže album produkoval jak Simon, tak kapela.“


Zaujal mě i obal desky. Jestli to dobře chápu, tak je na něm vstup do podzemí. Cover je jednoduchý, tajemný a perfektně se hodí k hudbě. Co má tento námět vyjadřovat? Kdo je autorem? Jak jste se dali dohromady a proč právě on?

Jonathan – „Loni vydala americká kapela Molder úžasné death metalové album s názvem Catastrophic Reconfiguration. Koupil jsem si vinylovou desku a jejich obal se mi strašně líbil, tak jsem si vyhledal, kdo ho vytvořil, a zjistil jsem, že je to velmi talentovaný umělec z Bogoty v Kolumbii jménem Julian Felipe Mora Ibañez. Napsal jsem mu do soukromé zprávy a začali jsme si psát na Instagramu. Tady na Bornholmu, odkud pocházíme, máme úžasnou skalní jeskyni, do které se dá vplout 70 metrů hluboko, nazvanou „The Wet Oven“, a ukázal jsem mu nějaké staré fotky jako inspiraci a zeptal se ho, jestli by mohl vytvořit tváře vystupující ze stěn. Považoval to za skvělý nápad a vytvořil toto krásné umělecké dílo, které jsme velmi rádi a hrdí, že ho můžeme mít jako obal našeho alba.“

Thomas – „Název „Aphotic“ odkazuje na hlubokou podvodní zónu, kam nedosahuje světlo a žije jen málo života. Dá se říct, že obal alba a název odrážejí vstup do úplné tmy.“

Jako kapela se ve svých textech zaobíráte temnou fantazií, smrtí. O čem jsou na nové nahrávce? Jaké je hlavní téma a myšlenka „Aphotic“? Kde jste pro texty čerpali inspiraci?

Jonathan – „Jo, je to něco jako smrt vnímána sedmi různými způsoby. Málokdy si předem plánuji, o čem by měla být písnička, ale prostě poslouchám hudbu a snažím se vnímat atmosféru, kterou ve mně vyvolává. Například písnička „War Crush“ má opravdu výrazný hlavní riff a velmi pulzující energii, která mě připravila na boj, takže se ta písnička stala něčím, co by maniak rád udělal, kdyby se vydal na zabíjecí řádění. Dvě písně, „He Who Awaits Us“ a „Grab Them“, dva singly, byly napsány o některých mytologických tvorech, o kterých mi řekl Thomas, a to pro mě byla zábavná výzva, protože to pro mě byl jiný způsob práce, protože normálně inspirace přichází spíše zevnitř mě a z mého vlastního zmatení žijícího v tomto šíleném světě.“

 

Nedá mi to a musím se zeptat. Hrajete metalový styl, který je extrémní. Žijete v Dánsku. Jak jsou death metalové metalové kapely vnímány běžnou veřejností? Nemáte s tím nějaké problémy? Dostanete prostor třeba v televizi, v novinách? Jak je vůbec život ve vaší zemi ovlivněn náboženstvími? Wikipedie uvádí, že 74% obyvatel jsou luteránské víry.

Jonathan – „Řekl bych, že metal je tady v Dánsku vnímán docela dobře, i když široká veřejnost samozřejmě o této scéně ani o této hudbě nic neví. Metal se v mainstreamových médiích objevuje jen zřídka, a když už se tak stane, je to nejspíš v souvislosti s festivalem Copenhell nebo když je Lars Ulrich viděn na kole v Kodani. Pokud jde o náboženství, je pravda, že většina obyvatel je členy dánské církve, ale je to spíše formální záležitost. Dánové se obecně považují za velmi ateistické a metalová komunita proto není nijak ovlivněna náboženskou bigotností. Dánsko je ve skutečnosti jednou z nejateističtějších zemí na světě.“

GROMMT jsou na scéně teprve chvíli. Kam až se chcete posunout? Na velké festivaly, na dlouhé turné? Jaké máte vize a cíle?

Jonathan – „Nevím, jestli máme nějaké cíle týkající se popularity nebo toho, jak daleko se můžeme dostat, ale spíš se zaměřujeme na to, jak se budeme v hudbě prezentovat. Já osobně jsem vždycky chtěl vytvářet alba a „Aphotic“ bylo doufám jen prvním z řady dalších, která přijdou. Velkou motivací pro nás je také živé vystupování a vždycky je to skvělý den, když máme večer koncert. Samozřejmě by bylo super hrát na velkých festivalech a jet na turné, ale baví nás i malé lokální koncerty, takže jsme spokojení tak jako tak.“

Thomas – „Všichni si užíváme a čerpáme energii z toho, že společně tvoříme hudbu, a předáváme tuto energii publiku, které ji přijímá, o to vlastně jde. Jako metalisti všichni známe ten pocit, když vám nějaká hudba opravdu vlezla pod kůži a rozproudila dav – pokud to dokážeme s naší hudbou, je to perfektní a víc si nemůžeme přát.“ Pak nezáleží na tom, jestli je sál malý nebo velký, pokud cítíme, že publikum má z hudby radost. Ale samozřejmě by bylo skvělé někdy hrát na velkých festivalech.“

 

Když se podíváme na současnou společnost, tak se poslední roky změnilo spousta věcí? Vlastně všechno – technologie, zvuk, nahrávací studia, máme internet, stahování hudby. Jak se tyto změny promítly do fungování kapely? Museli jste se hodně přizpůsobit? Hrajete starý death metal, ale máte k dispozici nové prostředky.

Jonathan – „Jo, to byla věc, která mi vlastně při nahrávání alba „Aphotic“ opravdu ležela v hlavě, protože jsem byl unavený z toho supermoderního přístupu k produkci hudby a víš, za chvíli budou asi všichni poslouchat hudbu vytvořenou umělou inteligencí a tak, takže mi v souvislosti s tím albem pořád v hlavě rezonovalo slovo „upřímnost“. Chtěli jsme, aby všichni slyšeli, že to vytvořili skuteční lidé, se všemi svými nedostatky a s opravdovou láskou k této hudbě. Samozřejmě používáme sociální sítě k propagaci a různé způsoby, jak se spojit s fanoušky přes internet, ale upřímně řečeno, online přítomnost asi nikdy nebude naší silnou stránkou. Spíš doufáme, že si nás lidé budou pamatovat kvůli naší hudbě nebo živým vystoupením, než kvůli tomu, jaké efektní příspěvky dokážeme vytvořit na TikToku.“

Jak jste na tom s koncerty? Hrajete rádi a často? A vyhovují vám více velké festivaly nebo malé kluby? A co propagace nového alba, nechystáte turné?

Jonathan – „Koncerty byly skvělé a my se učíme, získáváme zkušenosti s každým vystoupením a od prvního dne si jsme velmi dobře vědomi toho, co od sebe na pódiu vyžadujeme. Bereme to velmi vážně a snažíme se být co nejlepší živou kapelou, jakou můžeme být. V srpnu hrajeme koncert v Kodani a v září na festivalu Raise Your Horns na Bornholmu, ale další plány na turné zatím nemáme. Rádi bychom vyrazili na turné a hráli, pracujeme na tom, ale zatím není nic potvrzené.“

Thomas – „Jsme nadšení z živého hraní a já osobně se na další koncert začnu těšit krátce po skončení toho předchozího. Momentálně hledáme nové akce na podzim. Zatím jsme hledali jen v Dánsku, ale pokud znáte někoho, kdo by chtěl, abychom přijeli zahrát, rádi vyrazíme na cestu.“

Jaké to je vlastně hrát extrémní metal v Dánsku? Jaké byly tvoje začátky? Chodil si třeba někam do hudební školy? Jaké si měl vzory? Co první koncert? A první vystoupení na pódiu?

Jonathan – „Mám pocit, že death metalová komunita nejen v Dánsku, ale i v našem regionu Bornholm pomalu roste a sílí, je více propojená a ano, v současné době vidíme rozkvět mnoha death metalových kapel. V zemi momentálně panuje energie, kreativní a inspirativní atmosféra, která produkuje skvělé kapely jako Terrorpy, Plaguemace, Neckbreakker a samozřejmě ty, které zmiňuješ. Naši osobní vzory často pocházejí z rané death metalové scény, ale inspiraci čerpáme z mnoha různých zdrojů. Náš první koncert byl opravdu skvělý a byl to tak trochu perfektní způsob, jak s kapelou začít toto dobrodružství.“

Mám poslední dobou pocit, že co se týká extrémních stylů, tak to u vás v Dánsku opravdu žije. Obzvlášť death a black metalové kapely jsou skvělé! Chodí mi na recenzi nové desky, dělám rozhovory a mám pocit, že je vaše scéna velmi silná (jsem velkým fanouškem DEIQUISITOR, PHRENELITH, UNDERGANG a samozřejmě MACERATION). To je ale můj pohled člověka, který žije mimo Dánsko. Jaký je váš názor? Co třeba koncerty, promotéři, kluby, obchody s extrémní metalovou hudbou?

Thomas – „Dánsko je skvělé místo pro hraní extrémního metalu a jak Jonathan zmínil, jsou tu opravdu talentované kapely. Kapely se obecně snaží navzájem pomáhat. Například naši přátelé z Anthropoid Idol nás pozvali, abychom s nimi hráli na koncertě v Roskilde na začátku tohoto roku a později v tomto roce kapela Rektum uspořádala sérii undergroundových metalových akcí v Kodani. Měli byste si obě kapely poslechnout, je to super death metal. Snažíme se také najít možnosti, jak těmto kapelám oplatit laskavost a uspořádat pro ně koncerty na Bornholmu. Všichni čtyři jsme dříve hráli různé žánry. Fabian vydal několik alb s německou kapelou Shrike a Kim učil hudbu. Někteří z nás chodili na hodiny, já jsem začal hrát na bicí, když mi bylo 11 let, a asi 5 let jsem chodil na hudební školu v Aarhusu. Bylo to skvělé pro naučení se základních rytmů a technik, ale mnohem víc jsem se naučil v kratším čase, když jsem začal hrát v death metalových kapelách. Naše inspirace pochází hlavně z death metalových kapel z počátku 90. let, jako jsou Death, Morbid Angel, Entombed, Deicide, Bolt Thrower, Carcass, abychom jmenovali alespoň některé, ale samozřejmě sledujeme i současnou scénu. Inspiraci však nacházíme i v klasické hudbě a jiných než metalových žánrech, což považujeme za důležité a díky čemuž je skládání větší výzvou. Maceration spolu s Konkhra a Illdisposed patří k prvním a nejstarším death metalovým kapelám z Dánska a skutečnost, že tyto kapely stále existují, vydávají skvělou hudbu a pořádají intenzivní koncerty, je možná dobrým ukazatelem toho, jak dobře se dánské death metalové scéně daří. Mimochodem, během nahrávání jsme s Kimem šli na koncert Maceration v Kodani a v září budeme hrát na stejném festivalu jako oni a Illdisposed. Jsme z toho nadšení.


Co chystají GROMMT v nejbližších měsících? Máš něco na srdci, co bys chtěl vzkázat fanouškům, promotérům? Zde je prostor.

Jonathan – „7. srpna hrajeme v Raahuset v Kodani s Rektum a Mortira a 5. a 6. září na festivalu Raise Your Horns na Bornholmu. Chceme poděkovat všem, kteří poslouchají naše album na Spotify, YouTube nebo si koupili CD, všem, kteří nás sledují na Instagramu, Facebooku a samozřejmě všem, kteří chodí na naše koncerty. Zvláštní poděkování patří Jacobovi Andersenovi, který byl na každém koncertě, který jsme dosud odehráli, v první řadě. A moc děkujeme za tento rozhovor.“

Thomas – „V současné době píšeme nové písně a připravujeme se na dva plánované koncerty. Pokud jste promotér nebo organizátor, neváhejte nás kontaktovat ohledně koncertu. Děkujeme Jakube za tento rozhovor, který je prvním svého druhu s Grommt. Jsme opravdu rádi, že jsme se dozvěděli vaše reakce a komentáře k naší hudbě. Doufáme, že si udržíme váš zájem i o budoucí alba a těšíme se, až se někde uvidíme na koncertě. Přejeme vám vše nejlepší.“

Děkuji moc za rozhovor a přeji nejen novému albu skvělou prodejnost. Ať jsou vaše koncerty vyprodané. Budu se na některém z nich moc těšit. Přeji vám vše dobré i v osobních životech. Ať vás provází síla! GROMMT FOREVER!

pondělí 30. června 2025

Interview - REPUGNATOR - Dark, raw, devastating black death metal where you meet your own demons!


Interview with black death metal band from Portugal - REPUGNATOR.

Recenze/review - REPUGNATOR - Foul Transfixation (2025):

Ave REPUGNATOR! Hello to the Portuguese underground. I hope all is well with you. It should be, you have the first great EP of your career this year. I have to admit, it literally drove me up the wall. It's dark, it's energetic, it cuts with a knife edge. It's very telling that you've done a great job and a great deal of talent too. How do you feel about the new record? Could you please introduce your band?

Hails! Thank you so much for having us. First of all, I'd like to thank you for these questions, they're great, coming from someone who really cares and gets what we're about. Now to answer your question, we are Repugnator, a putrescent black death band from Porto, Portugal consisting of Scourge Degragator on vocals, Sulfuric Wraith on guitar, Cryptic Smog on bass and Poisonous Fumes on drums. We're really proud of our release; we believe it truly demonstrates our power. We poured our soul into this release, and it's sick to see that so many people enjoyed it. One of our goals was to make something malignant, spastic, and unique, and I think we achieved it.


"Foul Transfixation" has all the attributes of good black death metal. For me personally, it is a record that I love to come back to. How was it created? How did REPUGNATOR compose the new material?

Sulfuric Wraith: The band started with me wanting to just really create a barbaric and primitive sounding black/death band with all the right influences, but one that could, in a way, stick out and not just be a worship band. So, I eventually just called up the other members, having already played before with two of them in two different bands, and we just made it happen. One aspect that really made us grind and do what we had to do to make this work was to book a gig as soon as possible, so we’d have a deadline to actually focus and make music. It was a great opportunity since the first gig was with Morbific from Finland, which is a band we truly respect. In terms of artistic process, I usually just composed guitar riffs and song structures at home, and then, layer by layer, we added the other elements. Poisonous Fumes and I start out just jamming the song structures, constantly changing them and rearranging the riffs, really trying to perfect the composition of the song. Then we just include the other members who come up with the lyrics and the bass part. The lyrical aspect is made by our vocalist Scourge Degradator, and we all pitch in with our opinion on the lyrics.

I have to confirm that I like the production of the EP. It still makes me turn up the volume on the hi-fi tower. Who made you a sound that is harsh, raw and dark and animalistic at the same time. How did you work with him and why him? What studio did you record in and how did everything go?

Glad you asked that, Foul Transfixation was produced by André Fernandes at his studio called Tanoaria (Instagram: tanoaria_music.complex). We recorded the EP in his studio as a live take, with a few overdubs to ensure the sound was as organic as possible and not too choppy. We chose him because we had heard great things about his professional methods and his studio. Since he was really intrigued by our project and actually eager to produce it, we had to go with him, and honestly, it was the perfect choice.


The album has a dark cover. I imagine, I perceive, the image as a once desecrated church. Who is the author? How did you choose the motif and how does it relate to the music on the album?

The author of our cover is Maria Madalena (ig: nosfewatuwu), who is an amazing artist and our obvious first choice for our album cover. The art is basically a visual representation of the "Foul Transfixation" song. We depict an alternative hellish dimension of degradation and rot in our lyrics and, in a way, try to connect this alternative reality to our current society. Everything in our lyrics is just pure morbid fantasy that is supposed to be perceived as a metaphor for the filth that is humankind and, in a way, a punishment for all its wrongdoings.

I've been wandering the underworld for over thirty years and I go to Portugal to get music for sure. I think we have similar moods and tastes when it comes to metal. I like your bands a lot and I follow your scene very closely. Maybe I'm a bit jealous, we only have a few death metal bands in our country that are worth it. What do you explain that extreme metal is so successful in your country? How do you perceive your scene, fans, labels?

It’s funny that you say that because we don’t really look at our scene that way. We feel that our extreme metal scene has a few great bands, but it really lacks originality and the primitive and raw feeling we truly appreciate in extreme metal. Honestly, the metal crowd sometimes lacks passion and emotion at most gigs. I wouldn't say that extreme metal thrives here in Portugal, and we’d go as far as to say that the punk crowd is far more enthusiastic and fun to play to, but there are always exceptions.


The population of Portugal is ten million according to wikipedia. We, the Czechs, are the same number. But in your country eighty percent of the population is Christian. We're almost all atheists here. Does the church interfere in your lives? What about music? Have you ever had problems with concerts, etc.? What's your relationship to your faith?

Well, even though Portugal is a religious country, it's not conservative. We don't feel it being shoved down our throats, even though it has been getting more conservative with the uprising of the fascist scum throughout all Europe... it's 100% there culturally since we all grew up with a religious upbringing and even most patrimony has a religious connotation. But, even though we despise Christianity and catholicism (and any other religion) it doesn't really affect our daily lives or our concerts. However we hate oppression and for us, religion is just another form of oppression that obviously fuels our hate towards mankind.

You play old school influenced death/black metal. Nowadays a band can't really avoid comparisons, but I'm curious to know how the idea of starting REPUGNATOR actually came about, who was and is your role model and where do you want to take your band? Are you tempted by big festivals abroad, for example, are you willing to go on tour with a more famous pack?

Repugnator’s story was already answered above and obviously this urge to create the band came from the die hard mentality we have towards this type of music. Even though we have our identity, we obviously have many bands we worship and channel through our music, to name a few that we love: Necrovore, Order From Chaos, Profanatica, Sarcófago, Vulcano, Sex Messiah, Bestial Warlust, Blasphemy, Mortuary Drape, Von, Rottrevore, Revenge, Impetigo, Repulsion, Autopsy, Incantation etc. We want to go everywhere and play with many different bands that align with our sound. We’ll play at a big festival if it has great bands and is not riddled with poser bullshit, to keep it simple.

When I started my site eight years ago, I had a vision of trying to support bands that I thought weren't as visible. Let the world know about them. I think I've been pretty successful at that, at least judging by the response. How do you approach promotion? Do you leave it up to the label or do you send out CDs yourself for various reviews? I buy albums that I really enjoy, for example. How are you? Are you also a fan who likes to support your colleagues often? Do you go to concerts? Do you party?

We are all huge music fanatics, each one of us with different projects and different obsessions but we all definitely share this passion and we all love buying physical format and buying merch. We do a little bit of both when it comes to promotion, we send out merch and cds ourselves and we also trust the labels to handle their side of the promotion, whether it be Noxious Ruin or Gods ov War.

We believe it is mandatory for an underground music fan to support their scene, even if sometimes the music doesn't align perfectly with their music taste like for exemple in Portugal the underground scene is kind of a melting pot of multiple different genres. Even us, sometimes play with bands that have nothing to do with black or death metal but if we respect the spirit of it, we’ll definitely play. We need to keep it alive, we need to go to gigs, rage out and buy other band’s stuff. In terms of partying, we obviously love to party but we never let it affect our end goal with our band. I feel like sometimes bands loose track of their passion with booze and drugs and we personally like to stay focused.


On the one hand, a band starting out today has a lot of opportunities to make their presence known, but on the other hand, there are a huge number of bands and fans get lost in them. A lot of people are just downloading mp3s from the internet and spitting venomous spittle on Facebook instead of going to a gig. How does modern technology affect you as a REPUGNATOR? What do you think about downloading music, google metal, streaming music etc.?

Honestly there are way more chances for exposure with the internet nowadays and obviously we take advantage of it but what matters for us is the human interactions, performing our lives rituals, selling stuff in person, having passionate discussions about music with other maniacs. For us, the scene is saturated and the music is getting gradually more soulless in general. Obviously the scene is 100% alive for now and amazing bands come out every year but online platforms are turning even the most underground music a bit like fast food, everyone knows everything but nobody has a passion for it. It seems as if every band is disposable cause there isn’t any effort in finding music and there are too many bands and not that many fans. For these reasons, underground magazines are not nearly as supported as they used to be. I feel like technology can sometimes be the enemy of underground music with stuff like AI. Underground music should be a celebration of the human feeling, from listening to underground demos with flaws and mistakes to amateur artworks, it’s all raw and organic and we must accept for what it is. If I listen to a band like necrovore, what makes it beautiful for me is the raw emotion in every bit of it. For us it is an insult to the genre having bands like Deicide and Pestilence just using a fucking machine to do their art. The artwork is as important as the music and the artists have an equal part in the scene as the musicians. If we take the raw visual aesthetic away from death and black metal I won’t be interested in the genre anymore.

I like to ask musicians what death/black metal means to them. How would they define it, is it more of a philosophy and lifestyle for them or "just" relaxation. What does it mean to you? How do you perceive and experience it?

For me this sub sub genre brings out the best of metal. The mystical and occult energy of black metal and growling and cavernous feeling of death metal. With this subgenre we try to balance everything from each genre, the continuous momentum of black metal and the spastic energy of death metal. In a way it is just how we can identify our band and channel our love for this music scene and bands who made it in 80s and 90s but it can be way more than that. Repugnator goes beyond what it is categorized, it’s its own lifeform with no shackles and no restraints. We want to use everything we got to be barbaric but also original and for us this small sub genre isn’t more than just a label on our band so people can get grasp of what we’re about.

Finally, a classic but important question. What are REPUGNATOR planning in the coming months? Where can we see you in concert and when will you visit the Czech Republic?

A new release and new gigs in different places, hopefully outside of Portugal. We’d be more than happy to play in Czech Republic and if we get someone to book us that I’ll definitely happen.

Thank you very much for the interview. I wish not only the new album a lot of success and may the ranks of your fans expand as much as possible. I'll be looking forward to seeing you live somewhere and may you do well both musically and on a personal level. I'm gonna go shove "Foul Transfixation" in my head again!

Thank you so much for the interview! It's clear you genuinely understand what we're aiming for with REPUGNATOR. We really appreciate your kind words and we're thrilled to hear that "Foul Transfixation" is still getting under your skin! For anyone that is interested in booking us throughout Europe, please reach out through our email: repugnator.band@gmail.com.

Recenze/review - REPUGNATOR - Foul Transfixation (2025):


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Rozhovor - REPUGNATOR - Temný, syrový, devastující black death metal, u kterého potkáte své vlastní démony!


Rozhovor s black death metalovou skupinou z Portugalska - REPUGNATOR.

Recenze/review - REPUGNATOR - Foul Transfixation (2025):

Ave REPUGNATOR! Zdravím do portugalského undergroundu. Doufám, že je u vás vše v pořádku. Mělo by, máte na kontě letos první skvělé EP své kariéry. Musím se přiznat, že mě doslova přikovalo na zeď. Je temné, energické, řeže ostrou hranou nože. Je hodně slyšet, že jste odvedli skvělou práci a taky velká porce talentu. Jak vnímáš novou desku ty? Mohl bys prosím představit vaší kapelu?

Zdravím! Moc děkujeme za rozhovor. Nejprve bych chtěl poděkovat za tyto otázky, jsou skvělé, pocházejí od někoho, komu na nás opravdu záleží a kdo rozumí tomu, o co nám jde. Nyní k odpovědi na vaši otázku: jsme Repugnator, hnilobná black death metalová kapela z Porta v Portugalsku, kterou tvoří Scourge Degragator (zpěv), Sulfuric Wraith (kytara), Cryptic Smog (basa) a Poisonous Fumes (bicí). Jsme opravdu hrdí na naše album; věříme, že skutečně demonstruje naši sílu. Vložili jsme do něj celou svou duši a je úžasné vidět, že se tolik lidem líbí. Jedním z našich cílů bylo vytvořit něco zlovolného, spastického a jedinečného, a myslím, že se nám to podařilo.


„Foul Transfixation“ v sobě obsahuje všechny atributy dobrého black death metalu. Pro mě osobně se jedná o desku, ke které se hrozně rád vracím. Jakým způsobem vznikala? Jak skládají nový materiál REPUGNATOR?

Sulfuric Wraith: Kapela vznikla z mé touhy vytvořit barbarskou a primitivně znějící black/death metalovou kapelu se všemi správnými vlivy, která by ale zároveň nějakým způsobem vyčnívala a nebyla jen kapelou uctívající své vzory. Nakonec jsem tedy zavolal ostatním členům, se dvěma z nich jsem už předtím hrál ve dvou různých kapelách, a prostě jsme to rozjeli. Jedním z aspektů, který nás opravdu motivoval a donutil udělat vše pro to, aby to fungovalo, bylo co nejdříve domluvit koncert, abychom měli termín, na který jsme se mohli soustředit a tvořit hudbu. Byla to skvělá příležitost, protože první koncert byl s finskou kapelou Morbific, kterou opravdu respektujeme. Co se týče uměleckého procesu, obvykle jsem doma složil kytarové riffy a struktury skladeb a pak jsme vrstvu po vrstvě přidávali další prvky. Poisonous Fumes a já jsme začali tím, že jsme jamovali struktury písní, neustále je měnili a přeskupovali riffy, abychom dosáhli dokonalé kompozice písně. Pak jsme zapojili ostatní členy, kteří vymýšleli texty a basovou linku. Texty píše náš zpěvák Scourge Degradator a všichni se podílejí svými názory na jejich tvorbu.

Musím potvrdit, že se mi líbí produkce EP. Pořád mě to nutí na hi-fi věži přidávat volume. Kdo vám vytvořil zvuk, který je krutý, surový a zároveň temný a živočišný. Jak se vám s ním spolupracovalo a proč právě on? V jakém studiu jste nahrávali a jak vše probíhalo?

Jsem rád, že se ptáš. Foul Transfixation produkoval André Fernandes ve svém studiu Tanoaria (Instagram: tanoaria_music.complex). EP jsme nahráli v jeho studiu jako živý záznam s několika overduby, aby byl zvuk co nejpřirozenější a nebyl příliš trhaný. Vybrali jsme si ho, protože jsme slyšeli samé dobré věci o jeho profesionálních metodách a studiu. Jelikož ho náš projekt opravdu zaujal a měl velkou chuť ho produkovat, museli jsme se rozhodnout pro něj a upřímně řečeno, byla to perfektní volba.


Album je opatřeno temným obalem. Představuji si, vnímám, obraz jako kdysi znesvěcený kostel. Kdo je jeho autorem? Jak jste motiv vybírali a jak souvisí s hudbou na novince?

Autorkou obalu je Maria Madalena (ig: nosfewatuwu), která je úžasnou umělkyní a naší jasnou první volbou pro obal alba. Umělecké dílo je v podstatě vizuálním ztvárněním skladby „Foul Transfixation“. V našich textech popisujeme alternativní pekelnou dimenzi degradace a rozkladu a svým způsobem se snažíme propojit tuto alternativní realitu s naší současnou společností. Všechno v našich textech je čistá morbidní fantazie, která má být vnímána jako metafora špíny, kterou je lidstvo, a v jistém smyslu jako trest za všechny jeho špatné skutky.

Toulám se podsvětím již přes třicet let a do Portugalska si chodím pro muziku vlastně na jistotu. Myslím, že máme podobnou náturu i vkus, co se týká metalu. Mám vaše kapely hodně rád a pečlivě sleduji vaši scénu. Možná vám i trošku závidím, my máme u nás jen pár death metalových smeček, které stojí za to. Čím si to vysvětluješ, že zrovna u vás se extrémnímu metalu tolik daří? Jak vnímáš vaši scénu, fanoušky, labely?

Je legrační, že to říkáš, protože my naši scénu takhle opravdu nevnímáme. Máme pocit, že naše extrémní metalová scéna má několik skvělých kapel, ale opravdu jí chybí originalita a primitivní a syrový pocit, který na extrémním metalu opravdu oceňujeme. Upřímně řečeno, metalovému publiku někdy na většině koncertů chybí vášeň a emoce. Neřekl bych, že extrémní metal v Portugalsku vzkvétá, a dokonce bychom řekli, že punkové publikum je mnohem nadšenější a je zábavnější pro něj hrát, ale vždy existují výjimky.


Počet obyvatel Portugalska je dle wikipedie deset miliónů. Nás, Čechů je stejně. U vás je ale až osmdesát procent populace křesťanů. U nás jsme skoro všichni ateisté. Zasahuje nějak církev do vašich životů? A co do muziky? Měli jste někdy třeba problémy s koncerty apod.? Jaký máš vlastně vztah k víře?

No, i když je Portugalsko náboženská země, není konzervativní. Necítíme, že by nám to bylo vnucováno, i když se s nástupem fašistické chátry v celé Evropě stává konzervativnější... Kulturně je to tam stoprocentní, protože jsme všichni vyrůstali v náboženském prostředí a dokonce i většina kulturního dědictví má náboženský podtext. Ale i když pohrdáme křesťanstvím a katolicismem (a jakýmkoli jiným náboženstvím), nemá to žádný vliv na náš každodenní život ani na naše koncerty. Nenávidíme však útlak a pro nás je náboženství jen další formou útlaku, která samozřejmě podněcuje naši nenávist vůči lidstvu.

Hrajete death/black metal ovlivněný starou školou. Dnes se vlastně kapela nemůže vyhnout srovnání, mě by ale zajímalo, jak vlastně vznikl nápad založit REPUGNATOR, kdo byl a je vaším vzorem a kam vaši kapelu chcete posunout? Lákají vás třeba velké zahraniční festivaly, jste ochotni vyrazit na turné s nějakou slavnější smečkou?

Na otázku ohledně historie Repugnatoru jsme již odpověděli výše a je zřejmé, že touha založit kapelu vycházela z naší neochvějné oddanosti tomuto hudebnímu žánru. I když máme svou identitu, samozřejmě máme mnoho kapel, které uctíváme a které se promítají do naší hudby. Abychom jmenovali alespoň některé, které milujeme: Necrovore, Order From Chaos, Profanatica, Sarcófago, Vulcano, Sex Messiah, Bestial Warlust, Blasphemy, Mortuary Drape, Von, Rottrevore, Revenge, Impetigo, Repulsion, Autopsy, Incantation atd. Chceme jezdit všude a hrát s mnoha různými kapelami, které se shodují s naším zvukem. Budeme hrát na velkém festivalu, pokud tam budou skvělé kapely a nebude to plné pozérských keců, abych to zjednodušil.

Když jsem před osmi lety zakládal svoje stránky, měl jsem vizi, že se budu snažit podporovat kapely, které podle mě nejsou tolik na očích. Dát o nich vědět světu. Myslím, že se mi to celkem daří, alespoň podle ohlasů. Jak přistupujete k propagaci vy? Necháváte to na labelu nebo sami posíláte CD různě na recenze? Já si třeba alba, která mě opravdu baví, kupuji. Jak jste na tom vy? Jste také fanoušci, co rádi a často podporují své kolegy? Chodíte na koncerty? Paříte?

Všichni jsme velcí hudební fanatici, každý z nás má i jiné projekty a jiné zájmy, ale rozhodně sdílíme tuto vášeň a všichni milujeme nákup fyzických nosičů a merchandisingu. Pokud jde o propagaci, děláme trochu obojí, sami rozesíláme merchandising a CD a také důvěřujeme labelům, že se postarají o svou část propagace, ať už je to Noxious Ruin nebo Gods ov War.

Věříme, že pro fanoušky undergroundové hudby je povinností podporovat svou scénu, i když někdy hudba neodpovídá úplně jejich vkusu, jako například v Portugalsku, kde je undergroundová scéna takovým tavícím kotlem různých žánrů. I my někdy hrajeme s kapelami, které nemají nic společného s black nebo death metalem, ale pokud respektujeme jejich ducha, rozhodně hrajeme. Musíme to udržovat naživu, musíme chodit na koncerty, pařit a kupovat věci jiných kapel. Co se týče paření, samozřejmě pařit milujeme, ale nikdy to nenecháme ovlivnit náš konečný cíl s kapelou. Mám pocit, že někdy kapely ztrácejí svou vášeň kvůli alkoholu a drogám, a my osobně se rádi soustředíme.


Na jednou stranu má dnes začínající kapela spoustu možností, jak o sobě dát vědět, ale zase na druhou stranu, skupin je obrovské množství a fanoušci se v nich ztrácejí. Hodně lidí jen stahuje mp3 z internetu a místo koncertu raději plive jedovaté sliny na facebooku. Jak vás, jako REPUGNATOR ovlivňují moderní technologie? Co si myslíš o stahování muziky, google metalistech, streamování muziky apod.?

Upřímně řečeno, v dnešní době je díky internetu mnohem více příležitostí k zviditelnění a my toho samozřejmě využíváme, ale pro nás jsou důležité lidské interakce, provádění našich životních rituálů, osobní prodej zboží, vášnivé diskuse o hudbě s ostatními fanatiky. Pro nás je scéna nasycená a hudba se obecně stává postupně bezduchou. Samozřejmě, že scéna je zatím stoprocentně živá a každý rok se objevují úžasné kapely, ale online platformy mění i tu nejundergroundovější hudbu v něco jako fast food – všichni všechno znají, ale nikdo k tomu nemá vášeň. Zdá se, jako by každá kapela byla na jedno použití, protože se nikdo nesnaží hudbu hledat a je příliš mnoho kapel a málo fanoušků. Z těchto důvodů nejsou undergroundové magazíny zdaleka tak podporovány jako dříve. Mám pocit, že technologie může být někdy nepřítelem undergroundové hudby, například v podobě umělé inteligence. Undergroundová hudba by měla být oslavou lidských pocitů, od poslechu undergroundových demonahrávek s chybami a nedostatky, po amatérská umělecká díla, vše je syrové a organické a musíme to přijmout tak, jak to je. Když poslouchám kapelu jako Necrovore, to, co mi na ní přijde krásné, jsou syrové emoce v každém jejím kousku. Pro nás je urážkou žánru, když kapely jako Deicide a Pestilence používají ke své tvorbě jen zasranou mašinu. Umělecká tvorba je stejně důležitá jako hudba a umělci mají na scéně stejný podíl jako hudebníci. Pokud bychom z death a black metalu odstranili syrovou vizuální estetiku, přestal by mě tento žánr zajímat.

S oblibou se ptám muzikantů na to, co pro ně znamená death/black metal. Jak by jej definovali, jestli je pro ně spíše filozofií a životním stylem nebo „jen“ relaxem. Co znamená pro tebe? Jak jej vnímáš a prožíváš?

Pro mě tento subžánr přináší to nejlepší z metalu. Mystickou a okultní energii black metalu a growling a jeskynní pocit death metalu. V tomto subžánru se snažíme vyvážit vše z každého žánru, nepřetržitý impuls black metalu a spastickou energii death metalu. V jistém smyslu je to způsob, jakým můžeme identifikovat naši kapelu a vyjádřit naši lásku k této hudební scéně a kapelám, které ji vytvořily v 80. a 90. letech, ale může to být i mnohem víc. Repugnator přesahuje to, do čeho je zařazen, je to vlastní forma života bez pout a omezení. Chceme využít vše, co máme, abychom byli barbarští, ale také originální, a pro nás tento malý subžánr není víc než jen nálepka na naší kapele, aby lidé pochopili, o co nám jde.

Na závěr klasická, ale důležitá otázka. Co chystají REPUGNATOR v nejbližších měsících? Kde vás můžeme vidět na koncertě a kdy navštívíte Českou republiku?

Nové album a nové koncerty na různých místech, doufejme i mimo Portugalsko. Byli bychom velmi rádi, kdybychom mohli hrát v České republice, a pokud se nám podaří najít někoho, kdo nás zarezervuje, určitě se to podaří.

Děkuji moc za rozhovor. Přeji nejen nové desce spoustu úspěchů a ať se co nejvíc rozšíří řady vašich fanoušků. Budu se těšit někde naživo a ať se vám daří jak po hudební stránce, tak i v osobní rovině. Jdu si „Foul Transfixation“ zase narvat do hlavy!

Moc děkujeme za rozhovor! Je jasné, že opravdu rozumíš tomu, o co se s REPUGNATOR snažíme. Velmi si vážíme tvých milých slov a jsme nadšení, že tě „Foul Transfixation“ stále tak dostává! Kdokoli má zájem o naše vystoupení v Evropě, může nás kontaktovat na e-mailu: repugnator.band@gmail.com.

Recenze/review - REPUGNATOR - Foul Transfixation (2025):


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sobota 28. června 2025

Interview - DESTRUKTOR - A blasphemous, savage, devastating black death thrash metal assault from the deepest underground!


Interview with black death thrash metal band from Australia - DESTRUKTOR.

Answered Glenn Destruktor (vocals, guitars), thank you!

Recenze/review - DESTRUKTOR - Indomitable (2024):

Ave DESTRUKTOR! Hello to the Australian underground. Before we look at your album, I must thank you. I first heard the new album "Indomitable" one Friday when I was walking home from work totally pissed off. You know, everything was coming at me. People around me seemed dumb and stupid. I felt like putting the speakers up against them and turning your music up. You've made a record that breaks bones! How and where did you want to move on from the previous album "Opprobrium"? I find the new one more raw, wilder.

Hails Jakub! Thank you for your words and support man! Your simple analysis is very much what the intention was with the album. Nothing in particular was over-thought, but Jared and I decided early that the next album was going to be a bit wilder, and basically by that, we just got into the songs quicker with minimal epic sort of build ups. The next album, once again, will have the Destruktor trademarks, but might be a touch more varied, maybe a bit more mood, a little more black, we shall see though. I will be pulling some riffs from years ago, which no doubt means we won’t venture too far from what we have done the last 3 decades.


Not to forget, could you please introduce your band? Honest fans of death metal and black metal probably know you, but for the rest. Please take us through the history of DESTRUKTOR? How did you guys get together back in 1997 and why this particular style of music? Please reminisce for us.

DESTRUKTOR came to be around the the end of the year 1996, from the ashes of APHASIA. Jarro (original drummer) managed to tune into the radio show I was doing at the time, “Armageddon”, and got in touch. We both played instruments, but lived far away from each other and could not drive so we only jammed once and did a demo as Aphasia 1995. Jarro left, then rejoined and we did another demo in 1997, this time as Destruktor. Jarro basically left to play with D666 whilst I spread the demo, made connections and did interviews all over the place 1997-99 and Regan joined the ranks on Bass whilst Jarro eventually completely dropped off from the band before Chris Volcano offered to do the drums for our Brutal Desecration EP and first live show around 2001. Jarro rejoined not long after this and we did another 2 gigs, released a split live 7" with Nunslaughter, and recorded Nuclear Storm, then Jarro left for the last time early 2002 after one last gig. I continued primarily solo again until 203/2004 when I met local metalhead and drummer Jared. This started a strong, consistant and trusted connection as not just muso's and metalheads, but top fucking mates!

A split 10"/MCD with Bestial Mockery was the last recording to feature Regan on Bass, and he left DESTRUKTOR when we moved to Geelong, and recorded Nailed as a 2 piece around the time we recruited Brad to handle Bass duties, which he did on our split 7" with Throneum, and then Opprobrium. We played some killer gigs including internationals in New Zealand and then the USA, before Brad was moved on. Jared on I kept things rolling slowly for a period before getting Chris on Bass, who has been in the fold for 5 years now, and was the first person I asked to replace Regan when we moved to Geelong back in 2007, but he was too busy at the time!

Why this music? I guess it all starts from what got me into the extreme metal back in the day. Death Metal like Deicide and Morbid Angel, Black Metal like Emperor and Dark Throne, more savage shit like Blasphemy, Beherit, Sarcofago, darker shit like early My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost, Anathema. Heavy, Dark, Intense, Evil shit. I was not interested in the softer elements that many bands of the mid-90's started gravitating to.


Let's get to the news. Probably everyone who discovers some new music, even I put a lot on the cover, they say the cover sells. Who's the author of this year's hilarious theme? How did you guys get together? And how does the cover theme relate to the music?

NOTE-(Hilarious means “Funny” in English)

The tried and trusted Mark Riddick was the man behind the art, as he has done for all 3 of our full length albums. We became aware of him as Hells Headbangers used his art for our split with Bestial Mockery. We work closely with him when the time comes. We'll put the idea theme to him, and let him go for it, then adjsut to suit our needs before he finalises it all. It is not "off the shelf" stuff, jsut like the first two full lengths.

The cover directly relates to the title track, being about Death itself, and the line “I am the poisoned arrow aimed at the target on your back” connects the two specifically.

As I mentioned before, the songs literally crush my bones. The sound contributes a lot to that. It's dirty, it's raw, it's like a bulldozer in a cemetery. Tell us, where did you record, who is signed for mastering and mixing?

This time around, we worked with Adam Calaitzis at Toyland Studio in Melbourne, which is an hour or so from where we live. It was our first time with this set up, and we went in with the intent of not cleaning things up too much, keeping it as "live” as possible. We did our thing, and he brought it all together with a little creative freedom. He has been doing some of the more extreme stuff for many years, and is a master of his art.

For Mastering, we used Dav Byrne at Iridium Audio in Ballarat. He has done a lot of things with a heavy sound, so trusted he would take care of that side of things with aplomb, and he also knew to not compromise on that sharpness we lean towards. He was also responsible for the mastering/re-mastering for all content in the “Unholy Trinity” Compilation CD. We have known him for years, and we had him lined up a long way out! Like Adam, he is a master of his craft, and it is great to be able to keep things local! It worked out very well indeed!


What are the lyrics on "Indomitable" about? Is it a death black classic - graves, bones, skulls, graveyards? Or are you trying to convey something, a message? Who is the author?

I have taken care of most lyrics over the years, and for Indomitable, I wrote them all. They were done towards the end of the process, but in the initial stages of putting together lyrics, it appeared that all themes were leaning towards death (surprise!), and when considering what was actually “Indomitable”, I came to the simple conclusion that “death” is indomitable so I did end up developing a theme throughout the album, and once I started zoning in on the lyrics, they just came out of me song by song at a steady pace.

At this age, fair to say I have lived a life, and unlike before, I drew a lot more from personal shit, and it is by far the darkest, deepest lyrics I have written for basically anything from past to present.

My favourite question and I think the readers' too. How does DESTRUKTOR create new songs? Please let us take a peek into your kitchen. Who is the author of the basic themes? Is everything created in the rehearsal room? I would be interested in the actual process of composing new songs.

Well, over the years it has happened in many ways, but at the centre of it all has been the riffs I have written/put together. Some of the early stuff was written by me before any rehearsals had taken place as we did not have a drummer for periods in the older days. That is not so much the case now.

Generally, I’ll have a riff that is of Destruktor quality, sometimes a couple, and we will start rehearsing that as a band. I tend to have a basic idea of beats and feel to get things moving along, and then things just take form from there. I always have ideas, but Jared will introduce some accent that adds a dynamic, might change how the feel of the song should be, or initiates a new idea with another beat whilst just rehearsing which then in turn changes how the song is going to come along. Vocally, I know early where the vocals will be, but the lyrics and patterns do not get done until late in the process.

Bit by bit Chris adds his thing, throws in ideas, and for Indomitable, he was great in working through the whole session, like an assistant engineer and also, in particular pushing me to go that bit harder and adding some creative input/feedback when I was laying down vocals.

Ultimately, the rehearsal room is where most songs get developed, but there are no rules on how things must be done. Due to my distance from the other 2 at the moment, I might have to knuckle down and do it the old way and get a majority of a song written, but I am close to seperating a heap of old usable riffs from old unusable riffs, and might take creative license to write something a little more epic on the side whilst we knuckle down and do a couple of typical Destruktor smashers. Really though, who the fuck knows? this tie we might do a bit of pre-production earlier in the piece, and that might change how we look at things. No rules!


I'm wondering a little bit about one thing. You're from Australia and I follow your scene quite closely. Most of your underground death metal bands play very dark, cold and at the same time their music has a certain wildness, animalism. For me that's the hallmark of Australian bands (at least that's how I perceive it). But you guys are "different", you have your own face! Raw, uncompromising. Do you feel music differently? Did you have other role models?

Oh yeah, I feel we have our own sort of spot man. I can say that most “underground” bands in Australia are not dark and cold, yet somewhat wild. Plenty of generic shit, wimpy melodic crap, but the “underground” as I knew it was Necrotomy, Corpse Molestation, Bestial Warlust, Sadistik Exekution, Martire, Abominator and the like, which we can source the more “wild” element to the local scene.

DESTRUKTOR for some time was driven almost exclusively by me, and I lived away from any scene. I was more a lone wolf in the wilderness on the outskirts of the desert. I had no one to impress apart from Jamie and another couple of mates. I absorbed myself in the underground with letters and buying/trading/selling

I grew up with a musical household. I saw Queen when I was 7 in 1985, I loved KISS when I was 4. My parents both played instruments/sang, We had instruments in the house, and music was pretty much the most important thing for me from a young age. Dad played Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, The Beatles and the like on the stereo, Mum played Queen and lot’s of random stuff. I was given free reign when it come to my music. I liked a bit of pop music (and still don't mind some of the pop I grew up with), but I liked the themes and sound and feel of the heavier stuff from a young age. I might not be unreasonable to suggest that some of the song craft would come from earlier pop and rock influences, with KISS and Metallica shaping me for the first 15 years of my life primarily. I guess when I moved onto the extreme stuff, I found my influences from a wide range of death/black/thrash/doom metal mostly from the late 80’s to the mid 90’s.

There has been influence from other members in many different ways, and the occasional line up changes combined with our time between releases means every EP and full length recording has been recorded with a different line up. The next album will be a bit different again as every song will be crafted with the Indomitable line-up (Chris joined after we had some stuff written for Indomitable). I also have a different living arrangement, and we do not jam in the shed at my old house as we had done for the last few years, so we will approach the new songs in a slightly different manner, but it will be when we jam, as always, that things will get repeated, improved, completed etc.


Everybody started somehow, learning, discovering. DESTRUKTOR are a band of experienced musicians. But what were your beginnings like? What was your first impulse to pick up an instrument, what kind of bands did you listen to when you were young?

Well, I guess I answered that in the previous questions. I learnt a few chords when I was 10 and went from there. It was probably Ace Frehley and KISS that inspired me more than any other band for my first years of life. I have gone through some stuff I liked, but it was in 1988 when Poison, GNR, Skid Row, Motley Crue and the like ruled the world that really set me on a path towards heavier and harder stuff.

It is best Jared and Chris speak for themselves, but Jared certainly had a musicians upbringing, his Dad was a muso, and Jared discovered jazz and the like from a pretty young age. Fair to say he is the most musical of us all. Can play guitar, bass, sing, a bit of piano, whatever else you put in front of him. And Chris, well he is into a wide range of shit also, not blinkered by extremity only but metal is his absolute passion, and his field of expertise. I am musically a little more diverse than would be perceived, but I am stauncher, and less open to non-metal shit (and metal shit). I take a bit of the ignorance is bliss attitude with my metal.

You've already released your third album on the excellent Hells Headbangers Records. Great choice! The new album was released as a cassette, CD and digitally. The album will even be released on vinyl. What's your relationship with music media? Are you a collector? Do you support bands?

Of course, due to my delay in answering this interview, everything has been released and is available, though some stuff might be getting a bit low or sold out already. I am not too sure as we have nearly ran out of our supply. Hells Headbangers have stuck with us, and us them for over 2 decades. It was a pact made in hell!

In regards to media, I have been a collector for many years. I have my old mags, plenty of old tapes, CD’s, records, posters etc. I have thinned the collection out slightly over the last 5 years, but I can’t help myself from picking up the occasional new thing also. I only have so much space to work with, and I have enough to do me until I am dead really, so it is more replacing, updating, and finding the occasional gem. I care very, very little for the digital side of things. Apart from a bit of youtube, I don’t really use streaming services for music at all.

I from time to time chase up something by newer bands, but not so often. I have plenty to keep me occupied, responsibilities etc, so I try to get stuff I will use/listen to, I am not interested in building a crazy huge collection, I am quite happy with what I have.

 

I'm always interested in what the underground is like in the country a band comes from. How is Australia and death black metal? Do people go to a lot of shows? Do they buy records, merchandise? How's it going in Australia, for example, which you think is a very good gig?

Australia has a moderately strong scene when it comes to the underground scene. It is not big by any means, but people get out and support shows, and buy merch. But, some things never change, and unless you are any good (or at least build a following of bandwagoners), you won’t get many people coming to your gigs, and you will not sell much merch.

There have been many great/good bands over many years, and no point me mentioning them really, do a bit of digging for yourself, too many to mention really

If you mean by attendance, really, for a more local show with 3 or 4 bands, and not of big status, 100 or so people is generally OK for most of the bigger cities, but really, 150-200 is probably considered successful for something with a couple of stronger Aussie bands headling/co-headling. We sold out a venue with a 250 capacity in Sydney, and for our sort of stuff, that is certainly above expectations, and a rarity for us. Get the right bill, on the right night, at the right venue, and things can still go very well.

For the occasional bigger show (not festivals), sometimes a touring band, or one of the bigger Aussie bands such as Portal 500-1000, would be as good as it gets aside from a very rare exception.

What about you and gigs in general? How important are they for you? Are you more into big festivals or small clubs? What about any touring, will there be any? Maybe Obscene Extreme or Brutal Assault would be ideal festivals for you!

For me, they are just a part of the bigger picture. It helps spread the word further, helps sell merch, but not necessarily essential. It is not my favourite part playing in a band, but it is cool to get out to see other places. and see people I aint seen in ages, or never met (but know) Hopefully plenty more to see!

I prefer smaller local gigs. Give me 200 people getting into over 500 people with 100 getting into it. The vibe and atmosphere rules over motionless people just coming for the scenery. I hope to find out more so what some bigger gigs will be like. We have played a few, but not often.

Chris has made the journey from Australia to Brutal Assault more than once, and has expressed his desire to get over for that. I’m sure it would be killer. If the right offer is put up to do such things, we are very open to going anywhere basically.

There are discussions happening in regards to getting off Australian land, and hopefully we can make an announcement before years end. It could be Europe, maybe the Americas, and if not, we expect to at least get to parts of Asia. It is time we started speaking to more people as we are keen to do this over 2026/27! Promoters, get in touch if you think you might be able to assist in getting us to your lands!


Finally, I'll allow myself one slightly philosophical question. What does music mean to you? How would you define death black metal. Is it a rest, relaxation or lifestyle for you?

Music is the key to my life really. It has been there through thick and thin. Death/Black Metal can be all 3 of rest, relaxation and lifestyle. I have music for all moods, and sometimes it is not extreme stuff. It can be enjoyed alone, socially, can be quiet, loud, fast, slow, sad, happy. Different metal (and other styles of music) suit different moods. I mean, when I was younger, and more depressed and the like, I would listen to moody, and dark music. Doom stuff like My Dying Bride, Anathema, Worship, Skepticism etc. Depressive music for depressive people. Happy, energetic music does not suit that mood. I am sure many people understand what I mean.

Please tell us more about what DESTRUKTOR is planning in the next few months? Give a little hint to the fans.

We have a couple of gigs in our Sourthern most state, Tasmania, booked for early April, and headling the pre-Essence festival in the nations capital, Canberra, in October.

We may play other gigs over the coming months, but we have had a few recently, and it would be good to maybe just jam, add a couple of old songs to the live repertoire, and start working on a couple of new songs. Playing new lands is also on the agenda, and needs to be moved on sooner than later. I certainly don’t expect such a long timespan between albums next time, but still, it can’t be forced. I am keen to get something on the move with that soon.

Thank you very much for the interview. When I get pissed off at work again or when I watch the news and need to clear my head, I know what I'll be listening to - of course "Indomitable"! It's a great album, thanks so much for it too! Good luck to you!

Recenze/review - DESTRUKTOR - Indomitable (2024):

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