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OLD SCHOOL DEATH FROM CHILE

1. Greetings Chilean bangers! What are the last news with EXCORIATE? Is there something good to tease the eyes and hears of our European readers?

Hi Gabriel, first of all, thanks for your interest and support and for spread our Death Metal plague!
The most important thing for the band, in recent years, was the release of our split CD "A Dismal Journey to the Oblivion" with our countrymen HORRIFYING. Another important fact has also been the return to rehearsal, and prepare to whip the stage again, because we were without it for more than 5 years, during this time there were changes on the line up and were focused on the creation and finally the recording of the songs listed in the split.

2. How do you personally describe the music of EXCORIATE? Do you have special words to tease the hears of wandering metallers? Perhaps you have a special slogan to spell before every gigs?

The music of EXCORIATE could be describe as a musical representation of our feelings related to death, also to emotional events and consequences about it; uncertainty, violence, cruelty, frustration, despair, fear, anxiety, pain, cemeteries, fragility and insignificance of being, all this musicalized with the sound of Death Metal that has been left in our guts over the years. I do not really like labels in order to impress, rather than the music itself. Our style is pretty simple and straightforward, therefore, I not seek to excel with striking phrases or anything like that; it is through music we will try to impress and make something interesting for those who listen to us.
 

3. I was familiar with your two first demos, the "In the Darkest Anguish" tape from 2005 and "Pendulum Demise" from 2009. While your music remains rooted in old school Death metal, it seems your new songs have a more necro feeling, something a bit more filthy... Do you agree and how do you explain this evolution? Is it about the coming of this world’s demise?

It is comforting to know that our demos have reached to the indicated claws!
Our first two demos have clear differences in the sound, also in the composition and speed of the music. In the latter recording, there were some pretty dramatic changes, such as a new drummer. I believe that the drums is an instrument that delivers much of the musical identity to a band, therefore, I think at this point that this was major change, also the inclusion of some slow songs, it was something that denotes a "change" and deliver the "necro feeling" that you refer to. I wanted to include slow complete songs because the only "slow" song  which I had recorded that came out into the demo "Pendulum Demise", never left me satisfied, so I needed to expound the musical side, which, moreover, always  has been present in our music, but never in a full song, like now. The slow riffs always evoke denser and dark environments, so I think this was noticed, and I'm glad that this has been! Now, talking about that "filthy" touch, I think the equipment that took care for recording is the cause of it. In any case, I think that the "Old School" Death Metal had that "necro feeling" and that filthy touch you refer to, therefore, I think our sound is still “Old School" hahaha ...

4. You recently released a split CD with Horrifying on Apocalyptic Productions. How did this release came in the way? Were you already in touch with Horrifying (Also from Chile)? Perhaps a tape version of your songs will also come out?

This split, was managed by Raul, guitarist from HORRIFYING. He offered me to share this split CD with them because the label was just hoping to find a band to complete this release. We started recording in 2012, and ended in 2014. This recording took us longer than we expected, but we don`t want to rush things by force.
HORRIFYING is a band from my city, Puerto Montt, and therefore we know each other. They always commented to me how much they enjoyed our demos, and always were asking me about the activities of the band.
In the first instance, this recording would be released as a demo tape by the Italian label, Unholy Domain, but this proposal faded because once we finished recording, I never received an answer from him...
I would like to see this recording released on tape or CD, individually, so I do not rule out a new edition of this material, although we don`t have any offer to realize this yet.

5. Your songs have very sexy sounding titles such as "Ghostly Stench of Mortal Remains" or "Black Streams On The Ground of Cruelty"... Are the lyrics important for you, perhaps you see the texts as some kind of "morbid poetry" or sublime divinations to warm the goddesses from the other world? 

The lyrics are very important in EXCORIATE. Fernando, our vocalist, is in charge of the macabre texts, and I think the way he describes the different events or situations set out in lyrics in EXCORIATE fit perfectly with the music. I am sure we could catalog of "morbid poetry" some aspects of our lyrics, for example, one of the songs you mentioned in your question, "Black Streams on the Ground of Cruelty" is a metaphor in order to referring to the constant violence in the middle east, also to the direct relationship of all this death, violence and cruelty, ambition and the absurd faith. We seek reflection through the description of situations related to the dark aspects of life and the unknown of death in general.

6. I can say there are currently a lot of old school death and black death metal bands coming from the burning lands of Chile. It's even quite surprising when you think there are much fewer old school metal bands from other close countries like Peru or Bolivia... How can you explain this? Perhaps the facts earthquakes are numerous in Chile makes metal heads more nervous and hungry?

I think you've hit the nail, Chileans are something like a colony of killer ants, always restless and hungry, in a constant search for blood and fresh meat, and with every jolt that gives us the earth, we need to translate all that energy in our dark and violent Death Metal! It was the first thing that came to my mind with your theory ... hahaha. If someone does not feel nervous and hungry in this fucking shit society, then it is a lamb fucking shit! Now back to your question, I really do not know why that happens.

7. I wasn't able to find many infos about EXCORIATE on the web... Do you believe old school metal should remain offline and in the darkness? Is EXCORIATE the most important band of the musicians, or do they also take part in other ceremonial goat-praising penetrations?

I will not say how I think "should" the underground metal or Death Metal be on its dissemination, I think anyone can do anything he can think of, and promote his music / band, as he deemed appropriate. Within these possibilities is being in the shadows, as far as possible from overexposure and superficiality that deliver social networking sites, which seem to be so necessary today. I think this factor serves as a kind of filter to keep out of all this circus of egos, and reach more easily to people who really appreciate what we have to show, and what the end of the matter, which is the music. With this I do not mean that all those in social networks are unworthy, but this type of platform is saturated with them, and we want to keep us as far as possible, such as indecipherable shadows for them.

8. I saw two members of the band used to play in DEMONIC RAGE... Their music keeps on improving and is always more extreme... It might have been a burning pleasure to be a part of their demonifications. How do you remember the time spent in the band?

I played in that band since its inception (99-2000), when I was 18-19 years until 2010, after the release of the MCD "Evoking the Pestilence". In fact EXCORIATE was gestated as a band by me and DEMONIC RAGE drummer. The other member that you refer must be Roberto, vocalist session, whose now have live performances with us. He also played in that band. He entered a while before I left the band, and continued until later. I have fond memories of that time; we played in several places in Chile, much alcohol, discussions and disagreements with some members, a lot of experience acquired.

9. Two members of the band also play in THE FALLEN, whose style is quite different... Much more influenced by doom, the monolithic way... Was it necessary for you to explore other ways of the dark? 

THE FALLEN is the main band of Roberto "Unholy". He is the session singer we have now and for our future live performances. A couple of weeks ago their first album was released, which is a lot better than what was their debut demo. I think Roberto finally was able to express the musical and concept ideas that always had for THE FALLEN. I also participated for a time in this band (2012-2013) although we did not realize any recording during that time; we only had 2 live performances here in Puerto Montt. Now I think I will play in this band again. Yes, the style of THE FALLEN is something very different from what I do with EXCORIATE. It is an abysmal, dense Doom Death. Of course I would be interested to explore any kind of dark music, and if I can participate in bands that are alike to me, there would be no objection to doing so.
 

10. There used to be another band called EXCORIATE coming from Germany, they also played Death metal and were approximately formed the same year... How did you react when you discovered this info? Was it a problem for you? Perhaps you got in touch with the German guys?

it never was a problem for us, we only had to get used to share this name with EXCORIATE "German" ... There are names of bands that are repeated, even in the same country, so this coincidence was not something terrible. Besides searching the metal-archives.com page, I knew that there were also an American EXCORIATE band, much older, so I just consider it an irrelevant coincidence. I never had contact with this band from Germany, although I heard their album, and I can tell you it was a great band, with one of the most excelled albums during those years.

11. While it seemed to be impossible for smaller South American bands to play in Europe 15 years ago, we see more and more bands from your unholy lands to come and spread their metallic gangrene in there. Do you think it could be possible for EXCORIATE to organize this kind of events in the future, or it remains too hard in a matter of money? Were you able to play in other South American countries, or unfortunately had to focus on Chilean gigs?

Well, I think this would depend on two main factors; time (work mainly) and money. I think, having a serious and concrete proposal from some organizer, at least I would go to play wherever. At the moment, we have only captured our live plague within Chile, but as I said before, I am personally willing to play wherever our marshy presence is required. A few years ago I went to play in Argentina as a guest in a friend's band here in my city called “REGNUM ET MORTEM”, and it was a great experience, the people there welcomed us very well, also travel by the southern Andes Mountain in the winter is a unique and unforgettable experience...

12. What does Death metal mean for you? How long ago did you discover this kind of putrid music and are you some kind of nostalgic individual?

Death Metal is the music of corpses that sympathized with the Devil. I think I always had that impression, since I first heard these vicious sounds of this macabre musical style.
I found the style with "Death by Manipulation", and "The Astral Sleep", back in the year '94. Then came such classics as "Leprosy", "Legion", "Eaten Back to Life", “Twisting brochus ", Cursed ", “Left Hand Path ", “Effigy of the Forgotten”, “The End Complete”, and a so long etcetera  which continues to this day, discovering new and old bestial bands all the time.

13. Which albums and demos did you listen to the most lately? Do you generally prefer to listen to the older bands, or there are new outfits you enjoy as much? 

I enjoy the old bands more than anything, but I also enjoy new aberrations that appear constantly in the underground, as Necrowretch, Venenum, Miasmal, Necro, Infernal Conjuration, Grave Miasma, Necros Christos, Morbid Execution, Mandatory, Anatomia, Cultes des ghoules, Vultur, Behead Christ, Psycopath Witch, Black Oath, Procession, Goatpsalm, Doomortalis and several others.

14. What are the future projects of EXCORIATE? Have you got something special to announce to the morbid readers? Thanks for the answers.

The nearest plans for now are to take full repertoire we have to present it in live gigs, and then start creating new songs for an upcoming production. About the type of production or format, I prefer to work on the way, because I do not like to create the music under any pressure, then we will look the way of release this material.
Thanks to you Gabriel for your interest in EXCORIATE, I hope the hungry Death Metal zombies there in Europe have known a little about us in order to to reach the dark minds of those who walk between the graves!
 

Listen: https://youtu.be/bD7TEw7ufbk

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