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INDEX
INTERVIEWS
GUESTBOOK
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DEATH/
BLACK METAL - FRANCE
1. Hello! Even if a part of my readers should be a little informed, we’ll make a diabolical summary : ABNORM, who is it, what is it and where it is?
Hello Gab,
Abnorm
is a band from the far west of Brittany (Finistère) that was formed
in 2007… So it’s far from anything. The band is composed of four
members, Myself (K.) at the guitar and vocals, L. for the second
guitar, N. at the bass and T. behind the drums.
2. What’s new since the split with NECROS I released on tape? I think there were a bit of changes at the level of the troops' arrangement…
Since the split tape, well not so much things in fact, we are quite lazy hehe, and we’re also quite busy with other projects (You know it hehe). We were blocked for some time after the departure of our bassist/ vocalist that occurred after the demo’s release, so we welcomed N. to help us for two gigs, we were quite in the shit because these gigs were scheduled. Then, for different reasons we decided I would take care of the vocals, so I took time to seriously work this aspect (I never did vocals before)… So I became guitarist and vocalist while N. did only the bass guitar. During this time we composed new songs to be quite different from the demo, we played it during 2 or 3 gigs under the current line up. Two of these tracks will be released on a split, and we will record an Ep in the future, but nothing is certain for now.
3. I know your first demo quite well (Hopefully, huh) and it seems to me the following should contain bigger dark fruit pieces, it should be deeper on an emotional point of view… Describe us a bit what the listeners will be able to hear on your next recording! What are the differences with the tracks of the demo…
Hehe, in fact
I think you know the demo even better than we do, you should hate
it after so much time copying tapes (laughs).
In fact, what will
come up next is a bit different. The next songs are different because
I evolved as a composer, we all evolved as musicians and we have
a better idea of our direction. Peoples should expect an obscure,
quite nuanced music, containing both unhealthy atmospheres and more
savage parts, mid tempos and faster rhythms. I don’t like too much
to categorize it in a genre, the music will speak for itself.
LIVID
INSEMINATION IN PUTRID CONCERTO
4. These new songs are meant to be released on a split… Can you tell us more, or is it synonymous with a condemned and sutured mouth until the release date?
In fact the
split is already out (Yes, I took « a bit » of time to answer this
interview, sorry), so there’s no censorship, it’s a good point hehe.
The
idea came from the black metal band Deus Ignotus who contacted us
through myspace, saying they liked our music and they were interested
in releasing a split. Since we had new songs ready, we thought why
not.
As of now, it was released as a pro tape on the Greek label
De Umbris, for only 150 copies, I don’t know what’s up with distribution,
if it’s sold out or not. If things occur as planned, it should be
released quite soon (Beginning 2011) on CD through Wolf path records
(An unknown Greek label, at least for me). There will be 500 copies
if I remember well… Keep an eye opened!
5. How does musical composition occur with you? Is everyone tackling the furnace (You should hang on it very well, in case there’s an earthquake!) or is there a main contributor in disgusting riffs and nauseating ideas? Perhaps you own a « Gay riff moderator » who slaps on the fingers of those who try to import quite too melodic influences?
I take care of the composition. I come with parts of songs, and then we talk about it. Other members have a right to speak but generally it’s as smooth as a thin letter in a Po box, we have the same vision of the way Abnorm should so, at least it works well for now. On the other hand, if I come up with gay riffs they have the rights to slap on my fingers.
6. In ABNORM, do you feel closer to the Death metal or black metal scene? On one hand some say the border between both is quite thin, on the other hand there are quite an amount of differences (Only think about the state of mind, the production, the influences…). Musically and ideologically, your hearts feel closer to which of these genres ?
As I said before, I don’t like too much categorizations in a given style, but then of course you can find of these two genres in our music. Speaking for myself, I’d say I feel closer to the Death metal scene, especially since what is called black metal nowadays is polluted by lots of trendies who make up as pandas just because it’s cool. I like black metal in its primal form, even before the Norwegian wave : Venom, Bathory, Sarcofago... And today there are few black metal bands to stand out for my tastes. In the Death metal genre, I find a stronger sincerity and something to be much more unhealthy and dark than these bands who call themselves « black metal ». Of course, you have probably understood when I talk about Death metal, it’s not this one that gruiks and blasts all the way without any feeling, with a perfect sound, ok ?
SCHIZOPHONIC
CRESCENDO OF TENEBROUS VIOLENCE
7. And what about the French underground scene, do you like it? Do you feel close to some bands from your area/ country, or do you prefer to search in other countries to find your ration of diabolical vibrations? Now I will ask you to play the game of the visionary man for a minute: Which French band(s) do you think will have the talent and caliber to become almost musically frightening and much bigger?
I will speak
for myself, of course I like the French underground scene, of course
it’s less productive than in other countries but one shouldn’t always
deny it and we should enjoy the good bands we own : Bloody sign,
Resistance, Manzer, Necros, Necrowretch, Infinite Translation...
All these bands represent a good underground French scene in their
genres! We’re especially close to Bloody sign and Necros, first
on a musical style, but also at the level of mentality, vision of
music…
Then I also have contacts with all the other bands that
were quoted, Infinite translation are very good friends, we played
with them several times with my other band Perversifier. To make
it short, it’s good to have a decent scene and to see connections
between various activists of the scene are settings itselves.
In
my opinion, the band that could go upper, and who already is, it’s
Bloody sign : The last album is killer, it goes beyond the limits
of metal, yet it remains rooted in a given tradition, it’s honest…
That’s the reason why I feel quite close. I have the feeling
they understood a lot of things about music many didn’t, it’s magical.
8. You live in Brittany. A few years ago, one could see quite a little amount of bands claming their belonging to this area and their bonds to its traditions… Is it still the case? On an internal point of view, what can you say about your area compared to other ones such as « Nord pas de Calais » for example (Where we seem to be quite much fewer bond to traditions, to the past… We have the mines, the mining villages, peoples talk a bit in the local slang… But it seems to be much fewer developed than in your area).
To speak frankly, I like my area a lot, with its strong identity, but I never felt close to bands claiming their folklore. This kind of pseudo pagan gay genre to drink with horns and listen to Korpiklaani is quite trendy in there, and it succeeds in making me nervous.
9a. And the metallic traditions, do you enjoy it? Would you rather consider yourself to be a continuator of the old beer and rock’n roll tradition, or then do you collect old dusty demos, or even fanzines, patches, or the metal pins? (Yes, the « pins », it was volunteer lol)
Yeah, this
kind of traditions is much more for my tastes (Laughs). Of course
at my level I feel like a continuator of the beer and rock’n roll
spirit, those who don’t know it should listen to my project Perversifier,
you will understand hehe
Then I’m not a « collector » to be strictly
speaking, I mean I won’t expend the equivalent of my rent to order
the yellow goat of Bathory (Laughs), but of course I like the items,
to buy albums, demos. I can’t help thinking one really likes music
and its spirit if it’s only to own a Mp3s collections on a hard-drive,
it’s too easy… If I like a band, I order, if it’s not immediately
it will be later; Because of course you can’t order everything,
it’s little by little… Now the Internet facilitates a lot the access
to music, and I didn’t know tape-trading but I try to perpetuate
this spirit as much as I can, giving my money or my time… For a
passion.. Every metal fan should at least have a little of this
mentality if he really has it inside, otherwise he can go and listen
to Fun radio and all this throwaway ‘music’, it will fit much better.
EVOKATING
MALIGNANT SPIRITS OF THE BREWING MADNESS
9b. I find it quite surprising that after a good little ten years always going towards the modern, the new, the very clean under the influence of the Internet, quite a lot of peoples seem to little by little come back to more « ancient » metallic values, yet remaining online… Do you think it would be some kind of natural balancing of evolution (It would make an « intermediate » to digest the change), or would it be just another fashion? Or then it could be the current crisis to severely affect the moods of the metallic crowd?
I already gave
my answer in the previous one.
One shouldn’t spit on the Internet
to try and absolutely play it old school; On the contrary, we must
take the benefits from this super tool, but use it well without
forgetting the spirit I was talking about. I think it also engenders
followers who take it as a fashion, who masturbate each others on
forums, make their culture with myspace only, trying to find what
makes you seem cult or not, without even listening to an entire
album (Or maybe on Deezer). This said, I’m not more worried than
that because in few years these peoples will have switched to something
else, and then we’ll see who will remain…
10. If ABNORM was an animal, which would you choose? And if you could replace this same beast in time, in which epoch would you teleport it?
Oh shit, this
is an original question!! This is a hard one. I don’t really know,
I would say an otter, because it can escape water by surprise, and
you didn’t expect it, and I like to take listeners by surprise (Laughs).
Then I would teleport it to prehistory, for it shall discover
music without any influence from our epoch, only to play with branches,
stoners and bones. I would be curious to hear the way it would sound
(Laughs).
11. Speaking of epochs, what’s your favorite one from the history and why? In which would you have liked to live ? Sometimes one can see peoples to phantasm quite a bit on middle age, 18th or 19th century… But maybe they only have a quite deformed, idealized vision of it, and it wasn’t so good (Only think about the life expectancy, 40-50 were already quite good… Without talking about diseases, pestilential smell… But maybe you love it, disease and pestilence, if you’re a big pervert hehe)
In fact I won’t
be very original, but if I could choose an epoch I wouldn’t go so
far in time, only in the 70s : To feel the excitement while discovering
all these interesting bands from the time, to discover sounds never
heard before.
But yeah, the middle age, why not, even if I think
I would have been something like an alcoholic beggar and dead at
30. As you said, this seemed to have been Death metal in all its
splendor (Laughs).
SLASH
TREMOLO PERPETUATOR
RIGOR MORTIS RESURRECTOR
12. Next to ABNORM you also have another black thrash project called PERVERSIFIER, and I also think there are more… Tell us a bit about these parallel musical occupations. Were it born at the time ABNORM was a bit on « pause » as band members lacked, or did you always want to fornicate in different ways ?
In fact I’m the creator of Perversifier, this project was born next to Abnorm even before the line up was puzzled. I’m a bit of a music bulimic and I like to explore the styles I particularly love… Then the free time and opportunities decide of each idea’s becoming… And Perversifier is a project that became a real band, meant to last in time, so prepare yourself to hear about it hehe.
13. The name of the band means abnormal, anomalous, the one of your project stands for « The one who perverts »… Do you consider yourself to be a deviant, a big disgusting bastard bearing the black flag and planning to spread the diabolical semen in every « animal » orifices under reach, so sum it up : Some kind of vile necro-inseminator! AhAh! Or am I interpreting things?
Ahah! I never really thought about it, but yeah you could say it that way, yes. My goal is to do what I feel, far beyond the normality and formatted side of the world surrounding us, spreading the wrong word to whoever agrees to hear it… Isn’t it a good summary?
14. If you had to describe your music to someone who doesn’t know the band, how would you do to try and be convincing, or at least interpellating? And if he wasn’t listening to metal, which paths would you take to draw the thing? And if he was a quite practicing Christian, do you think you would have chances to catch the interest of his musical side? And how would you do ? (After all, there are a few priests to be fans of metal… It’s not necessarily logical or coherent at the ethical or deep meaning level, especially when it blasphemes all the way, but well if they’re happy… And it’s true there’s metal and metal…)
If I had to
describe Abnorm to an uninformed person, I would say it’s a brutal
and dark but also sincere music, and if this person is a little
opened he could override the « inaudible » side to understand the
artistical aspect, if he doesn’t like it, he could at least understand
it.
Even if we do not use really blasphemous themes, I think
a practicing Christian of course couldn’t understand because
for them this music represents evil. These peoples have a closed
mind, the incapacity to think for themselves without adapting their
life, tastes and habits to hypocritical dogmas.
And so I don’t
understand the logic of a priest who likes metal, even if somewhere
it’s reassuring to see some of them are more intelligent. Since
metal stands for freedom of speech, rebellion and inversion of every
dogmas, every laws meant to enslave individuality, I wonder how
one could adhere to these two extremes. I would sincerely like to
meet one of these persons to exchange our points of view.
15. What are your future projects? If you have remains of black bile to spit, it’s the right moment… The interview is almost over, I will have to close the vault…
The split will
be released on CD through Wolf Path records at the beginning of
2011, then nothing is planned but we will certainly record an Ep
one of these days… Infos will circulate at the right time. Thanks
a lot of this interesting interview and for your devotion towards
putrid metal of death. Total respect.
Sorry again for the time
it took to send the answers, I’m rather quite slow. Keep supporting
extreme metal of death... Keep the cult alive.
Web page: http://www.myspace.com/thetrueabnormband
