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INDEX
INTERVIEWS
GUESTBOOK
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-DEATH METAL FROM SWEDEN-
THE BURNING / THE HEAVINESS / THE BRUTALIZING
1. Hello. What has happened lately in the realm of SECTU? Are the first feedbacks for the second album good?
We've recently released our new album Gerra and have made some gigs to support that, our release-gig at a really good venue here at Stockholm Deathfeast with some amazingly good bands, AEON, DEMONICAL and our label-mates SOULDRAINER and us. The gig was our premiere with new bass-player Johan Niemann (EVERGREY). We also played at the great Swedish festival Metaltown. The critics for Gerra are so far really good.
2. First we will make a bit of vending, so here comes my question: How do you generally introduce or summarize the content of your second album "Gerra" to metallers? Would it be a sentence made of name-quotes or rather feeling transcribings?
If speaking to someone about our music I guess I donīt throw band-names, but of course we are influenced by some bands that are, and have been, around. The first thing we try to put down is that we really try to make intense music that is both intriguing listening to and also interesting playing. Every riff has to be present, or intense to pass, sometimes we can loosen the string of the bow, but just to tense it even more.
3. Listening to this second album, I can be reminded of some mid old MORBID ANGEL (For some heaviness and class), some NILE (For some atmospheres and technical moments), technical parts that could be somewhere between later DEATH of maybe SPAWN OF POSSESSION, touches of mid old CANNIBAL CORPSE (For some brutality) and more obscure bands. This might sound like a raw description... So would you score off some names, add a few others, and which mark would you give if you were the teacher correcting the home-work of his students? (I can live with something under 10/20, and everyone doesnt enjoy name-quotes)
I
definitely listen alot to MORBID ANGEL, DEATH are big influences
of course. KING DIAMOND, MEGADETH and SLAYER are bands that are
what we all listen to in SECTU and some things are strongly influenced
by those bands. But the whole group listen to a lot of different
music styles. A band that deserves to be mentioned is TERRA TENEBROSA
that we all listened to prior to recording GERRA. I donīt get
the score-giving thing, but I would give you quite a high score
just for mentioning MORBID ANGEL. B.t.w, swedish composer ALLAN
PETTERSSON is continuously present in our minds, close to the darkest
thing that have been created in Sweden (besides Vilse i Pannkakan).
4. SECTU is labeled as technical Death metal, but contrary to many bands of the genre you didn't forget the heaviness, the atmosphere, and didn't submit yourself to a super-thin guitar sound. It seems the production is once again very important for a record. Can you tell us more about the recording process, the place of auditory capture, and are you satisfied with the final listening experience? (Is this easy to be satisfied with an album when you know the other side of the process? (What has been done, how it was recorded...))
We
actually started SECTU with the intention to play simple old-fart-death,
but something went totally wrong, haha. Well, as Iīve said, we try
to make music to keep our own interest high.
Regarding the sound
and recording-process, the guitar sound is actually not that heavy
to give space to the drums and bass, but maybe weīve kept more of
the heaviness than others do? I really like the sound of the guitars,
itīs both crisp and the actual chords can be heard, as well as every
small mistake that is there, both dirty and distinct at the same
time. We recorded the drums at NECROMORBUS Studios with Sverker
Widgren, who is an really good engineer. Then we recorded guitars,
vocals and bass at my home-studio (with guidance from Sverker of
course). Then everything was sent to Sverker once again and we did
re-amping, mixing and mastering during a few days at the beginning
of March.
The whole recording-process went really fast and we
really worked towards getting it alive and in your face, but still
a bit polished.
The vocals were all put in 3 days only, while
someone think it seems alot Iīd say it is about 5 to few for so
many songs, but in the end I dig the rawness and you can really
hear the struggle. The reason for it being to little normally is
that you normally sing for 1-2 hours at the time, and all of a sudden
you force yourself to sing for 8-10 hours and I guess the voice
isnīt made for doing this.
As for the listening experience,
I really like the album sound-wise and also I really like the songs...
of course I can never be as objective as one not participating in
the songwriting process, but I think I have a good view on what
is good and what is not anyway.
5. The previous question let's me wonder if during live conditions your band would be better placed in the middle of current technical brutal death bands, or more regular death/ brutal death outfits... Which metal groups did you already play with, and which made the best banging package in your opinion?
Itīs
not up to me to label us during live-conditions, I think you have
to see us live to make your own impression, and I will never be
able to do that. Regardless of where we should be put I hope that
it shows how into the music we are while playing. Diabolical. Souldrainer,
Demonical and Aeon are some of the bands we have played with and
in some way or another have relations to, so Iīd say any of those.
6. Could you say how SECTU sounds live? Are you able to sound as heavy as the last album "Gerra", or would your music take a more aggressive, sometimes perhaps "grindcore" approach? During gigs do you pay more attention to the neat technical rendering, to the brutal emotional impact or to the stage performance?
Maybe we sound a little bit rawer, and we maybe play the songs a little bit faster than on the records, but we try to get the correct feeling, and I think that we also sound quite heavy live also. Overall I think itīs needed to listen to us live to make your own opinion.
7. Musically speaking there's no obvious common points between SECTU and your previous bands, which used to play black metal (For Necromicon) and symphonic doom (For Sobre nocturne). Since you're in the "inside" of the music you probably do not understand it the way listeners do... As the composer do you hear these bands as being quite close (Maybe in the way of composing), or do you consider the three to be very different entities with no musical links?
I am actually glad there is no common point to be heard, Sectu has no more to do with those bands than me being in them, they are and where important part of my development as a person and musician. I guess my way of composing is closer between Sobre Nocturne and Sectu than you immediately hear, but they are for sure two entities and has nothing to do with each other than me and Anders being in the bands. Sobre Nocturne actually have an whole album ready to be mixed. Weīll see if I do something with it. Itīs not only me who compose in the band, we are a group and work as a group.
8. Am I wrong, or would you sometimes sound a bit like NEVERMORE?
I'd say No since I donīt really know. What I have heard I do not fancy that much, but you can hear they are talented technically.
9. The cover artwork of "Gerra" is good looking and contains a good atmosphere, this is what led me to listen to your album. Can you tell us a bit about the creator and how this artwork occurred to take form? Is this an old school painting or a digital work?
Itīs
the drummer who have made the artwork, itīs a digital work. I really
like it.
10. According to a dictionary "Sectu" is a word in Latin... Can you tell us a bit more about this moniker and its meaning in your Death metal context? (At first approach I imagined it could be the Swedish word for "sects" but it's not the case...)
You are right that it is the Latin word weīve taken as bandname, since the meaning of it is tearing apart, cut and wound, it quite closely describes what feeling we try to put music to.
11. Could one say Sectu is music by hard-workers for hard-workers?
Of course it is! We work hard, and it is hard listening to, hard to find, hard playing...
12. The albums MORBID ANGEL released from "Domination" to "Gateways to annihilation" seem to be quite an influence on your compositions. Do you think it would have remained possible for Trey Azagtoth to keep on evolving in the same Death metal realm, or was it necessary to open the gates to new influences and enlarge their musical spectrum quite a lot on the last album? What are your favourite MORBID ANGEL records?
Maybe it isn't that obvious, but I think that the album Blessed Are The Sick is bigger influence than anything, but the whole Morbid Angel catalogue is good. Blessed Are The Sick is by far the most complete record in their history I think. I understand that MORBID ANGEL feel the urge to evolve or just explore, and they do it rightly. They as an entity arenīt in the service of fans as many seems to think, but the listeners are important for their being on the top position in the genre, maybe I donīt think itīs the best step theyīve made, but I appreciate them for exploring.
13. There's currently a wave of new old school Death metal bands, especially in Sweden. What are your feelings about it? Does it awake some old nostalgic feelings (Since you might have played in Death metal bands in the beginning 90's) or it's not really the kind of metal to awake your interest?
Is
it really a new wave thing? I think that Death Metal bands have
continuously continued to make music and rehearsed, but itīs just
that people have once again understood how interesting it is, and
if a band gets some gigs and start to sell some records again it
gives energy to continue. I am quite sure that even if we wouldnīt
be able to release anything or play live we would continue doing
what we do in some form. I like old-school Death Metal, but not
really into this Punk version of it. I did play Death/Black Metal
in early 90īs and Iīve continued doing that throughout the two decenniums.
I will always continue doing this in some form.
14. If you had to represent Death metal with a picture, a painting, sculpture or maybe a "famous" piece of art, what would you choose? (It could be an imaginary picture).
Iīd say Babels Tower! Or this Norwegian artist Odd Nerdrumīs Dawn?!
15. Which records were played the most in your Hi-fi the last weeks or months? Were there some albums released in 2012 that seriously hooked you?
Actually not one album that caught my interest besides Terra Tenebrosa (I think it was released last year).
16. What should Death-metallers expect from SECTU in the future? Tell us more about your future plans, and conclude this interview. Thanks for the answers.
After this summer we plan on making an inventory on our setlist, some gigs that are in the We will continue make music to eventually record a third record (probably it will take more than one year to finish it up). But gigs are our main focus now. Thanks for this interview, some interesting questions.
Website:
http://www.sectu.se
