Hail David! I think there is no need to introduce AVULSED, so right to the bone! At the beginning I would like to please you to introduce your new album "Yearning For The Grotesque". What can AVULSED and brutal music fans expect?
Hi Deather!! Well, the new AVULSED album is just a step forward in relation to our previous work "Stabwound Orgasm", I mean, it's in the same wein, but not falling in the repetition of riffs or melodies. we continue mixing brutality and heaviness with hints of melody, but always adding new structures and riffs. We don't want to bore anyone always doing the same kind of songs, you know... Perhaps our album sounds more brutal, fast and intense than the previous one, and also the vocals is more guttural, but never forgetting the good and memorable melodies that makes our music catchy and not boring. The production is also better!!
I will return to the album. I am quite worried about the REPULSE stuff. if you want to, could you specify the situation you were in? I mean that the recent time of existence/non-existence was REPULSE delayed, just anything hasn't operated. What and why have been AVULSED doing this time?
Sorry, I don't understand very well this question... do you mean how the dissolution of REPULSE affected to AVULSED?? Well, in case that's the quesiton, I would say this hasn't affected the band that much, because since the year 2000 we were aware that the label wasn't doing good, so we decided to find another label that could support us with our next album, so that's how we got in touch with AvantGarde Music. The delay between one album and another is just a normal thing in the band. There's always been 3 years between one album and another. We're not such a prolific band that can write one album every year not even two years... we have many things to do and shows in between each album, so that makes everything to go slower.
I remember REPULSE were a patron of Death Metal in Europe, it tried to press US, etc. bands to Europe. I know people attacked you that you are working with AVULSED against others, but I think it was an absurdity, because I know your love to Death Metal was clear and strong-willed! Nowadays, how do you see all the stuff? The label name was changed. do you wanna work as hard as in the past? Or how will it operate now? And I am interested in your opinion of all the stuff around Death Metal nowadays. How do you see it? Which bands have surprised you and which have irritated you, you can write as much as you want, I will be only pleased!
I see all my work with REPULSE with great proud. I think I've done many good things for the Death Metal scene. For example, when I started the label in '94, I remember many other label & people told me what why I was still supporting Death metal when the big trend was Black Metal?? My answer was easy: I love Detah Metal!! I released the first DERANGED album, which became a great success, and also released the two first DEEDS OF FLESH albums, and exactly since then there's been growing a big trend with brutal Death Metal bands. Now everybody seems to be into brutal Death and they don't want more Black Metal... anyway, now with XTREEM MUSIC, my inspiration remains like always, I work harder than ever, with wider ambitions and more experience on my back. The Death Metal scene nowaydays is perhaps too crowded with toon many bands, but in the other hand, the quality of the recordings & musicians is better every time. The main thing I miss is the underground demo-circulation. OK, I accept that now all demos are done on CD-R and not on tape. Things develop, but... most of the bands don't want to start recording one, two or three demos... theyir first recording is generally a full length album and they immediately want to get signed!! The ancient underground spirit is totally lost. There's nearly no printed or photocopied fanzines...
There was MCD "Bloodcovered" published in 2001. What is the recording like? I haven't ever heard it. Who published it and what is there? Wasn't it an alibi for AVULSED, that they're not dead, that they were only waiting for a better time?
No, it was not any kind of alibi or anything like that, ha, ha!! "Bloodcovered" is a self-financed mini CD containing four studio cover songs (SODOM, CANNIBAL CORPSE, MORBID ANGEL and CANNBAL CORPSE9 plus a live one by SEPULTURA. We entered the studios in January 2001 because we got different offers to participate in trubutes to these bands. The funny thing is that these labels sent us the money for the studio, but only the CARCASS tribute saw the light... so we decided, by some of our fan's demand, to publish all covers together and make it available only to our true fans. We did a limited edition of 500 copies that can only be bought through us. No distirbutors or anything. Otherwise it wouldn't be such a special thing... So, only people that contact the band directly or go to our shows, can have the oportunity of buything this MCD for a very cheap price!!
How did you get to AVANTGARDE REC. and what results do you await from this step? Do you think people work better there than in REPULSE? Haha. be judicious, haha.
Our deal with AvantGarde Music was casual. I know Roberto, the owner since 1990 or so and when he knew that we were looking for a deal, he immediately offered us a deal. After some negotiations, we accepted and signed for two albums. However, I must say we're absolutely not satisfied with their work. First off, the album was delayed some months without serious reaons behind. It was supposed to come out in November 2002, but came out in February 2003. Then they fucked up the complete CD design and the worst thing is that they're doing a very bad promotion & support to the band. They don't want to support us with anything concerning tours, their promotion is only rediced to mailing out of promos and that's it. We got nearly no interviews settled and we haven't seen nearly no advertisements or songs in compilations anywhere... In Spain there has never been any singled advertisement for our album, can you believe this?? As for distribution... it's very poor, they only work with few distributors, don't care too much about the underground mailorders... I can say their work is 50% of what we got on REPULSE, and considering that REPULSE was smaller and more underground, we sold many more copies of our previous album!! We're not asking them for anything special... but we see they're doing nothing!! We're definitely not satisfied with their work and most probably we'll end our contract with them and release our next album with any other label.
It seems your lineup will be unchanged. You are that much friends? Really, have there ever been any problems in the AVULSED lineup?
Yeah, the core of the band (Rotten, Cabra, Furni, Juancar) remains together for 9-10-11 years now!! Only the bass player, tana, entered 5 years ago, so yes, let's say that's because we're very good friends and we share the same visions of the music. We're very different persons, but we know how to accept us each other. A very important thing in a band is the friendship and of course the technical aspect. From our old members, Toni was kicked out because he was very bad musician, Lucky was average musician, but not our friend anymore, and the first guitarist Luisma was quicked out because he was very bad musician, and not friend of any member in the band. now we're all more or less good musicians and very good friends. The perfect balance!!
When I look at your photo, fuck it, David, you don't even get older. how do youreach that, haha. The same expression as well. and you are so a death veteran, haha.
Ha, ha!! Wel, yes, I get older, dude!! I'm now 34 years old and when I started playing in AVULSED I was 22, so you can see that time is passing on... And even older then when I started to get into the underground when I as like 16 years old!! I've lived many experiences and learned a lot, but perhaps the best secret is that I've always kept a young spirit and that's reflected outside too, ha, ha!! I don't mind dealing with people that's between 18-20 years old, as I enjoy music as much as they do, but somethings that's a slight problem, because they have too much to learn and their decisions and expectations are a little bit unmature, you know. But that's the way it is...
Let it be. At the album "Yearning." there appear melodic parts, which sound great. The one who helped you with singing, that is the one from NIGHT IN GALES, and when he really is, how did your cooperation look like and what did he took part at? And I am interested how did you meet him?
The idea of having Bjorn from N.I.G. doing some guest vocals was casual... since he was doing the artwork for our album and lived like 30 min. away from the studio, he told us he would visit us and show how the design was developing. Then we thought that since I was going to include some new aggressive vocals on this album, he would fit on these parts very well, so we asked him to singe here and there... The fact is that he did very well and this helped out the album to have more variety!!
The last song "Decrepit Sigh" is a song for goodbye. I think that joining brutal and melodic elements is a great idea. In the case of AVULSED it has always been the priority. You like a combination of melodies and brutality, don't you.
Let's say thet the last song of every AVULSED album, is the most different song... On "Eminence..." it was the cover song of BARON ROJO, on "Stabwound..." it was the song "Virtual Massacre", with somekind of different riffs.. and on this new album, the last song is "the Doom song". We all like Doom and since the song "Carnivoracity" written back in '93, we didn't do any Doom song, so we thought it would be cool to do such a dark and deep song. As I told you, we always liked to mix brutality and melody. We don't like to be the typical band that does either brutality OR melody. normally bands don't mix these elements because they're more afraid of the opinion of others than doing what they reallywatn... but AVULSED... we always do whatever we want. We like Death Metal, and Death metal is a very varied style, so we can play many different riffs, velocities, melodies...
Are you satisfied with "Yearning." or would you like to change anything after that time? And when you return to your past, which of your albums do you like the best? Please introduce them to IDH readers.
No, I wouldn't change anything in our new album. To be honest, I wouldn't change anything in any of our albums or demos. Each one was done in its time and shows our natural progression. Of course the production could be better in most of them, and also the musical skills, specially in the beginning, but... we're proud of all our past releases after all!! Of course, in a band, you always like your newer stuff, although there's certain songs here and there that are always your favourites...
David. what would you like to change in your life? Are you satisfied?
Nothing!! I wouldn't change anything, because I believe I've bene lucky enough to get everything I wanted since I was 18 years old and left my parent's home. The only thing I would like is money to live a normal life, ha, ha!! But money is not all. I prefer to do what I love (band, label...) and living with the girl I love. For me that's enough!!
You may not remember it, but when I made an interview with you somewhere in the past, there was a question about bull fights. You answered that it is an old anachronism, that young people are not interested in this anymore. How does it operate now? I still see these matches on TV time to time and I take such a delight when a bully kicks toreador's ass.
Nothing has changed my mind about the absurd bullfights anymore. Well, yes, perhaps that I feel happy when a bull kicks the "torero"'s ass, because they deserve it!! They earn too much money and it's their risk. Most of people don't accept it, but bullfights is a very morbid game. Deep inside of everyone, they all want to see how the bull kicks the bullfighter, and it's his missing not to be caught... that's why he's paid for, you know...
I say goodbye asking this question. if I forgot something, you can correct it, have a greeat time and bye!
Thanx again deather for your support and keep your great work and support for the underground!! I hope to play again in your country sometime and of course I encourage everyone to listen our latest album and visit our website www.avulsed.com and also my labels' site www.xtreemmusic.com. Support the scene and remember: DEATH METAL RULES!!!
