DEATH, THRASH, BLACK, HEAVY, DOOM AND ROCK METAL ZINE

- REVIEWS, REPORTS, INTERVIEWS - SUPPORT METAL UNDERGROUND

úterý 2. května 2017

Home » » Interview - REVEL IN FLESH - Album „Emissary of all Plagues“ is about evil priest, possessed in mind returns after being buried alive, among the living!

Interview - REVEL IN FLESH - Album „Emissary of all Plagues“ is about evil priest, possessed in mind returns after being buried alive, among the living!


Interview with death band from Germany - REVEL IN FLESH.

Answered Haubersson.

Translated by Markéta, thank you!

Recenze/review - REVEL IN FLESH - Emissary of All Plagues (2016)
Recenze/review - REVEL IN FLESH – Death Kult Legions (2014)

Ave REVEL IN FLESH! I listen to your new album “Emissary of All Plagues” over and over again and I cannot stop it! I really believe that the album is great. How do you feel about it when it has been released for some time now? Would you change anything? How are fans´ feedbacks? How about reviews and critics?

Haubersson: Glad to read that our 4th album manages to remain in your playlist for long time! It's a good sign, because usually we live in times where everything runs dry fast, u know! Well, the album was a huge process in production work; we worked more than a year on that album in our guitarist's own studio and the whole release process from August till December was really stressful and suffocating! There has been a lot of organisation work in the backround (preparing videos, press/media works etc.), but let me say it like this album truly had a happy end for us! The scene, media resposnse was amazing. We've got excellent reviews and also features in bigger medias than before. CYCLONE EMPIRE and our promotion agency did a good job in pushing and we were there at the right time with the right album! Furthermore I think it's the first time that we've got a lot more response from outside of Germany, too! About the album itself, when you are deeply involved into the whole process you always know what you could do better or which compromises are involved. Reaching final satisfaction is nearly impossible, but the challenge of “doing better” keep the motor moving. I think “Emissary of all plagues” is to us the next good and logical step forwards; it still represents REVEL IN FLESH in a true way, but also offers some new breaths of death, too.


The new album has a great cover which was made by Juanjo Castellano. You have always have great motives on your covers. Are you precise about how your covers should look like?
Haubersson: Yes, we have always worked with Juanjo Castallano on our full length albums for artworks thus far! He is in some way the man who gave this band a sort of visual face. To me the whole combination of music, production, artworks and lyrics must go hand in hand! Of course I have a strong vision about how a possible artwork could look alike. For “Emissary of all plagues” the idea was to have a main central figure that more or less takes action about the whole happening on the artwork. Special to us was that Juanjo had that artwork on hold so to say! It totally fulfilled our demands; it was actually supposed for a personal project of the artist, but since we were good customers and he is as well truly convinced about REVEL IN FLESH, so he offered us to buy that one for our 4th album! There's a also a sort of concept story behind the artwork, but let's talk more later about that!

How REVEL IN FLESH compose new songs? How does the whole process of making a new material go? Who is the author of your music?
Haubersson: We are blessed with the fact that our guitarist Maggesson has an own studio and since we are not a regular rehearsing band we more or less write the music directly in the studio! It's to us the best way to capture the ideas and to keep that whole process as productive as possible. In Metal music it's the guitarist and the fuckin' riff which is the main element in songwriting, so main contributors are in first line Maggesson and some stuff like “Casket ride” or “Servants of the deathkult” was contributed by Herrmannsgard, too. The main thing is that you need a sort of vivid team thinking in that process, especially to keep the satisfaction for everyone in the band alive!
Who did the lyrics on “Emissary of All Plagues” and what are the lyrics about? Where do you find inspiration for your lyrics?
Haubersson: The lyrics are based on the concept of the coverartwork, means a sort of evil priest, possessed in mind returns after being buried alive, among the living! He is the “Emissary of all plagues” and brings vengeance upcon mankind! It's a sort of concept that works really well for a Death Metal album; all songtitles / lyricas gather in some way more or less under that banner!


You chose mix of Dan Swan again for your album “Emissary of All Pragues”.I really like that you sound cold, mangy and readable at the same time. It looks like Dan´s signature is great for you. I would like to know how did you made the new album? How was the process? Were you able to change something about the final sound? Did you record the album in Dan´s place or you were sending already done songs to him?
Haubersson: Yes! Swanö is our No.1 sound guru! Thus far we worked with him on all releases done by RIF in terms of mix, mastering or both duties. Our co – operation has grown and developed throughout the years and I think “Emissary of all plagues” is the sound highlight in that process, thus far! All communication is handled via e – mail and the files got simply transferred on the interent, so it's unfortunately not anymore about meeting in person and drinking beers together in the studio while sitting behind the mixing table; Ha! But it's still god and a vivid push to our music! Thanx a lot to Dan!
You play typical classic Swedish death metal. You are “orthodox” because you have never done anything else. Personally, that is one of the reasons why I like your music so much. However, have you ever thought about playing something a little bit different, to spice the music of REVEL IN FLESH up?
Haubersson: Yeah, the Swedish thing, Ha! Well, we us the BOSS HM2 pedal for the guitar sound and this and will always be the main tool for a Swedish sounding weapon of Death Metal mass destruction! But after close to 50 own REVEL IN FLESH tracks we do not think that much about how we could be compared etc.! I think nowadays we sound like REVEL IN FLESH do. I know that we've had that sort of “tribute thing” on the first album, but the whole styled developed, BUT without breaking with the roots of the genre. REVEL IN FLESH is deeply bound in the classical way of Death Metal, also in terms of lyrics, arts and the whole way of expression. If you compare each RIF album starting with “Deathevokation” up to the new one you will recognize that we developed slightly into something own. The 4th one is probably our most melodic on thus far, but it's still REVEL IN FLESH! So we don't miss the spice, but on the other hand we still stick to our guns! This band was formed to deliver DEATH METAL in the 90ies style and that's what we are here for!


I have your split with Polish THE DEAD GOATS (2014). You both did a great Swedish job! The records was released on vinyl. How did you manage to work with this band? What brought you together?
Haubersson: Well, we’ve got introduced to THE DEAD GOATS by SELFMADEGOD Records, who have been responsible for that split 7”EP we’ve did back then in 2014. Both bands provided their material for the split to the label and it ended up on a nice collector item 7”EP. It was limited to 500 copies, pressed on different colours! I heard that THE DEAD GOATS had a lot of line – up changes recently. I’ve been in contact with one of the guys back then and we’ve traded some stuff! I really like their style; it has a Swedish sounding vibe, but they have a more punk/crust like influences. Furthermore they have a damned cool way of visual expressions in terms of artworks, titles etc.! Good luck dudes, hopefully we can share the stage some day!
You released “Emissary of All Plagues” by Cyclone Empire and Defying Danger Records (cassette). Both labels are known as a good ones in the underground and they do a really good job. But still, have you thought about publishing an album by some other and bigger label? Did you try to talk to other labels?
Haubersson: Well, at the current state we are free of any contracts. “Free bird”, so to say! I don’t have an idea about future label co – operations at the currently! Our main concern at the moment is playing live, doing the bookings and organisation work. Then the next step would be writing new material before thinking of any label matters! To me personally I think working with dedicated and honest people is much more important than the business size of a firm!
The new album “Emissary of All Plagues” was published as LP version. How do you feel about vinyl? Are you a collector? Do you have a great collection? There are some bands who sell more vinyl than CDs. How about you?
Haubersson: “Emissary of all plagues” had a limited to 500 copies vinyl edition, which was sold out inr 2 weeks after the release date at the label’s and band’s stock, so we can say that we have some real vinyl lovers among our supporters! Also I know that there are some “die hard” collectors of our 7”Eps, fans that want all colours of the vinyls, which is freaking awesome! Personally I collect vinyl, but not on a constant basic since I prefer listening to CD when I’m at home since I’m a lazy turntable user, Ha! But for the Metal collector heart nothing matches a vinyl; especially 7”Eps are like a sort of “Kult” format!
Nowadays, a lot of young bands play “old school death metal”. The majority of them is not really good but there are some new bands who understand what is it about. Do you have any favourite band who would be able to “enliven the old days”?
Haubersson: The term “Old School” is highly overused these days! To me Death Metal needs a certain kind of spirit and a strong vision also in terms of the combination of music, art & lyrics. From latest release of so called younger bands I’m currently really impressed by BLOOD INCANTATION and HORRENDOUS. But there are still tons of good Death Metal releases poping up everywhere; actually it’s too much for the scene to swallow! Nobody has the time nor the money to check out all the stuff, Ha! From the German scene I really like newcomers like GRAVEYARD GHOUL, CRYPTIC BROOD or CARNAL TOMB, who deliver a sort of stylish and raw type of old fashioned Death Metal. Also keep an eye on SACROSCUM from Germany!


How do your fans perceive you (in Germany)? Do they see you as “just some guys who play like Swedish” or are they actually deeply interested in your work? Today in death metal there are more famous the bands who play technical and brutal music.
Haubersson: We have a sort of “die hard” following in Germany, but REVEL IN FLESH has never been a sort of media hype band, so we worked hard with releases, shows etc. to get the band to the next level! It’s a process that needs bloody dedication and we are really thankful to those who helped and supported us on that path thus far! About BRUTAL & TECH DEATH: I don’t give a shit! Death Metal for me needs a headbanging drive and not a math lesson feeling!
Let´s look at the beginning again…What was the first impulse which made you create the band? Why did you choose Swedish metal? That is not the kind of music which would bring someone “fame”.
Haubersson: Yeah! You won't get laid by playing Death Metal, but fame etc. is not what we are here for! We play the music we like to and what feels good to us! When others like it – fine! When they doesn't we will still stick to our guns.
I think we still have in some way a same attitude like in the beginning since it's still about passion, the band is still mainly based on a DO IT YOURSELF level, it's still about the way how we see our concept of DEATH METAL. Personally I always prefered Swedish or let me say “old” European Death Metal instead of the US style. I still love the old Florida and 90ies stuff from the US, too, but I'm absolutely not into this faster, more brutal, more technical, more gore etc. competition!
How about REVEL IN FLESH and concerts? I looked online and it looks like you do not have many of those. I know that it is expensive but have you thought about a European tour? I would like to see you for example as a pre-band for INTERMENT on a small tour.
Haubersson: Don't forget that everyone of us has a sort of “shitty daily working life”, too. So playing shows and keeping this band going is always a compromise between your daily duties, too. Actually we play as much as we can, but the main factor is that we are lacking in serious bookings outside Germany! Shows and offers that would really make it reasonable to take a few days vacation and to let all hell break loose. For example we never play Czech Republic thus far; but I still cross my fingers that the 4th album will guide us to your country, too.

What are REVEL IN FLESH´s plans for the next few months?
Haubersson: We have 2 small scale tours coming up. One with FACEBREAKER in June and one with FLESHCRAWL in September. In between we play single shows and festivals; but mostly on German soil! We have new merchandise in progress etc.! Simply check our facebook page for regular updates. Furthermore we now have a new and really working offical homepage, too! Check: www.revelinflesh.com
Thank you so much for the interview and I wish you a lot of sold albums, hundreds of crazy fans and tons of great ideas. I also wish you luck in your personal lives.
Haubersson: Thanx a lot Jakub for your “die hard” support and for supporting the scene with DEADLY STORM! We hope to come to Czech Republic soon for some shows and of course as well for drinking a whole swimming pool of Pilsner Urquell!!! Cheerz & HAIL THE DEATHKULT!!!

https://www.revelinflesh.com/

Share this games :

TWITTER