|
 Q: Amazingly there's been quite a
resurgence in the grindcore sound lately. I mean, not since Carcass' "Symphonies of Sickness" opus has there been a grindgore record to make such a significant impact. What do you suppose has been partly
responsible for this newfound interest in such a long played out genre? And why do you suppose Necropolis took a big chance on it?
A: Umm.. Well, I think like Black Metal is really popular for a long time.
A lot of people didn't really like Death Metal at all and I like Black Metal too but I think people are sorta starting to lose interest in it and a lot of bands are putting out albums that are kind of lame and they
have like disco and stuff on ‘em. So I think people are just kind of starting to listen to their old tapes and realizing like, "Oh Carcass was like fucking awesome" or "Death was
great," ya know. So that's what I attribute to it.
Q: Well since you mentioned Carcass, I noticed that upon listening to your record, "Dead Shall Dead Remain" there's a
definitively strong Carcass influence permeating throughout. You even employed the same trademark medical textbook referrences within the lyrics. So I take it a lot of the self
righteous critics have taken it upon themselves to label Impaled as Carcass rip offs, no?
A: Oh yeah, definitely and personally I think that's a compliment. I mean, I don't have any problem with that at
all. We make no bones about being influenced by Carcass. I write a lot of the lyrics and I can tell you like I just totally rip off Carcass left and right (laughs), as far as like style and
sense of humor goes. I mean, we even named our solos and stuff so.. I mean, it's just kind of the same kind of deal. Yeah, I think we all like ‘em a lot.
Q: Yeah, but has that been in any way somewhat of a
setback for you guys at some point?
A: Well, there are probably people that feel that way as far as reviews are concerned but most of the people out there
have given us favorable reviews and they've all been saying, "Oh they're obviously influenced by Carcass" but that's a good thing. I don't really see how it's a bad thing since
Carcass was such a big band that everybody loved ‘em and they were like so influental, ya know? But now I think it's been really a detriment.. I mean maybe like all of the people
saying that we sound like Exhumed or Carcass are kind of like, "Well it would be nice to sound like yourself" but I don't really think it's a bad thing.
Q: Well, how is the debut doing thus far? What's the response been like since it was released?
A: From magazines and stuff, the feedback has been like really awesome. We've gotten like a lot of really good
reviews which I didn't expect at all. I wasn't sure whether the album was going to be received well or what but so far all the reviews have been like really, really good so that's
nice.. (starts laughing as if interrupted by something) Raul is giving me the finger right now and I don't know why. We got 4 K's in Kerrang! That was like a big thing for us even
though Kerrang! is a really stupid magazine. But it's been good I think.
Q: Yeah, that's quite an accomplishment considering a magazine that only covers Machine Head, Korn, and Soulfly.
A: I was surprised we were even reviewed in it personally. I mean, everytime I've seen the magazine it's got like a picture of Slipknot or Korn on the cover so maybe we're sellouts now, who knows?
Q: Well, wouldn't that be a good thing in a way? I mean, think about it if grindcore gets mainstream coverage then extreme music overall would get bigger which means people
would recognize the underground for what it's really worth.
A: Yeah, definitely.. I think it would be a good thing.
Q: Of course it would, that is unless you were
compromising your art for the sake of achieving mainstream status, then that's another story altogether. But if you say, had a video channel that started playing
videos again then I think that would ultimately give bands like Impaled a much needed boost.
A: Yeah, I think so too. I mean, then the other problem would be like if it got popular a lot of bands would start
softening up and writing songs that were more acceptable or whatever, I don't know. It would be nice to be that recognized or whatever but I'm not expecting it.
Q: True, but then another downside might be that a lot of bands would start writing much heavier music just for the sake of becoming more recognized which would spark a huge trend.
A: Yeah, there would be a lot of posers attracted to it so.. I don't know, I think we got enough posers (laughs).
Q: Oh that's for sure. Well, getting back on track I noticed that judging by the cover artwork on the CD, you guys are inspired heavily by horror movies, are you not?
A: Yeah, I am and I don't know about Raul who's sitting right here but yeah, I'm totally in love with horror movies. I watched them since I was a kid. I've got like a ton of them
on tape and stuff. I used to be into special effects when I was a kid and make masks and junk. And Ross is really into horror comics like Tales From the Crypt and stuff like that.
So yeah, as far as the visual stuff and the lyrical stuff I think it's not only inspired by gore bands but definitely by stuff like Tales From the Crypt and horror movies.
Q: Yeah, I figured I'd bring it up in the conversation because I'm a huge horror buff myself. But what do you normally go for in horror overall? Do you tend to go solely for the more
outright cheesy blood and gore or do you like tales of the supernatural as well?
A: I like.. like my favorite three movies are Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead so I
really like a lot of those kind of zombie movies, really gory and sorta semi-serious. And I like a lot of 70's horror like Last House on the Left and I Spit on Your Grave, and the
Texas Chainsaw Massacre, stuff like that. Those are like my favorite movies.
The Impaled 2000 World Tour, presented by Prelltm
Q: Yes! You mentioned my all time favorite, Dawn of the Dead. That was actually my favorite out of the three
because Romero had a way of incorporating social satire but without letting it lose its biting edge (no pun intended). Romero was an awesome director.
A: I actually hear he's going to do another one. They were talking about it. Him and Tom Savini were talking about doing a, what's it called, a Twilight of the Dead.
Q: Really, that's strange ‘cause I recently attended the Chiller Convention here out on the East Coast where I met Savini in person and he basically stated that his career was
finished and didn't want anything to do with horror.
A: Oh really?!
Q: Yeah, or whatever the hell he meant but he seemed a bit disgruntled in general because maybe his career has become way obsolete.
A: You mean with his special effects and all that?
Q: Yeah, yeah.. but if you notice there really hasn't been much of a market for horror films. I mean, now the closest
thing to a horror movie you'll get is fucking Scream.
A: And those just make fun of horror movies.
Q: Oh of course, but what do you suppose has been the reason for the decline in this genre?
A: I don't know. Well, you had movies in the 70's that were just totally insane and like really meanspirited, like there's psychos running around gutting girls and stuff. And then I
think the people that watched those movies grew up and so now you have more and people that like horror so it becomes a market. And then movies like Nightmare on Elm
St. and Friday the 13th come out and they're a little less than the movies in the 70's. They're a little more lightweight and now they're just totally lightweight. It's become like an
amusement park. Movies like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer are just a joke.
Q: That's true. It seems that they cut out a lot of the violence that we were used to viewing in films during the
late 70's and early 80's which to me doesn't make a lot of sense.
A: Yeah, I think people are more skittish about stuff like that too now. And it seems like there are a lot less small time
film makers. It's all big studios, ya know? So you don't have a guy like Wes Craven out there making little movies when he was like 25 or whatever.
Q: Oh, I agree there 100% Now did you say that you wrote
most if not all the lyrics on "Dead Shall Dead Remain?"
A: Yeah, I wrote most of them except for two songs. I think.. yeah, Ross wrote two whole songs and then there's
one song where me, Leon, and Ross all wrote some stuff but the rest of ‘em I wrote.
Q: Ok good because now I get to ask you this next question. What goes through your mind as you're writing
these lyrics? Do you have to be in a certain mood or scenario to come up with such explicit detail?
A: Could you hold on a second?
Q: Sure (leaves me on hold for like 5 minutes)..
A: Ok. Uhh.. yeah, but usually I start writing lyrics just because I have to, because the song needs ‘em. And then maybe like a third of the way through ‘em, I come up with
some concept and like start writing from there. And then I have to go back and change the beginning. It's a pretty crappy process ‘cause personally I really don't like writing
lyrics but usually they turn out ok. Actually Ross is a way better lyric writer than me. He just hasn't done that much of it for us. He did a lot for Exhumed though.
Q: So then since no one really wants the responsibility of being the lyricist, I take it that the lyric writing is always put on the backburner when it comes to this band, huh?
A: Definitely. I mean, I think they turn out pretty good for that because we really don't pay much attention to ‘em that much. So what they are, I think they turn out pretty well
but yeah, I don't think anyone really enjoys the task of writing lyrics in the band (laughs).. although once we come up with something or once someone says, "Holy shit! I
have a song about this or that," then it's a little easier and it becomes a little more fun. So I don't mind it that much.
Q: Well for someone that doesn't put much thought or
effort into the lyrics, you certainly have a way with illustrating explicit detail. In fact, if I may I'd just like to refer to the song, "Trocar" as an example. It says here,
"Macerated veins are with a trocar dislodged. Playing host to my probe, your pelvis now sprays. Abdominal saliva is splattered from your anus." Now where and how the hell do
you come up with this shit?! Do you like study medical textbooks on a daily basis or does it originate from a very vivid imagination?
 A: Well, probably about half of it is just from like listening to Carcass when I was a teenager and looking at the words. I always thought it was cool
that there was this band out there that was writing lyrics with words that no one ever uses. So I'd look at the lyric books and then I'd look up the words and find out what they meant.
So I know what a lot of the stuff means already just from reading or whatever. But yeah, I got a couple of thesauruses and dictionaries here that have bizarre words
and stuff in ‘em. So I just use them whenever I need it. So if I ever get stuck, I can just look up some dumb words that no one's ever heard before (laughs).
Q: Yeah, I understand. So with all of the research you've done thus far, has it given you enough insight into the world of medicine, or embalming or whatever?
A: Oh yeah. Actually when I was a kid my Dad was and still is a private investigator. And so he's got this book called Medical Legal Investigation of Death which a lot of people
out there that have probably been to Goregallery.com or whatever have probably seen because they use pictures from it all the time. So when I was a kid I used to look
through it and it just explains how people died and stuff like murders, ya know? And I was like always interested in that kind of stuff. I would also like read out of medical
dictionaries and junk like that when I was a kid. So yeah, I was always interested in it. Now I was actually going to go to the San Francisco Academy of Mortuary Science to go to
school and like learn how to be a mortician but I thought it was kind of ghoulish so.. (laughs). It would be a very fun job but I kind of lost interest in that kind of stuff now. I'm
like more into the campy horror movie side of stuff but yeah, it's pretty interesting.
Q: I could actually relate to your situation somewhat because my Dad actually served on the police force here in
NYC for over 25 years and he's related a lot of gruesome stories to me at home which kind of piqued my interest about death a bit. However, what's strange about it is that
normally stuff like that would automatically repulse people into fear and make them want to forget about that shit. Yet, somehow there exists people like you and I that
become more fascinated with the day to day morbid reality of life. What is it do you suppose that attracts us to death or rather become so enthralled by the violence depicted in horror films and on the internet?
A: I really don't know. I mean, I know that when I was a kid like my Dad would let me watch Night of the Living Dead and stuff. And I saw the Shining when I was really little. I
saw it when I was like 6 or something and maybe it was just that exposure to it, ya know. It was like I was so young that I was actually scared of a movie and it kind of made
me feel like, "Whoa, it's a movie but I'm totally freaked out by it." Maybe I was interested in that aspect of it but I don't know. It's probably due to upbringing or something. I don't
know what it is that makes people like that kind of crap.
Q: For me, I think what initiated my enthusiasm about that movie, The Shining was the whole surrealistic aspect of it. I
mean, like anyone else I'm aware that it's not real but then sometimes it makes you think, "What if?" Like even til this day when again, I'll watch Dawn of the Dead or even
Zombie for that matter, I'll kind of have these thoughts in the back of my mind like what if the dead actually did come back to life and start ripping apart the living?
A: Oh definitely. I remember when I was like 10 or 11 hanging out with my friends and we were just like, (saying with youthful enthusiasm) "What would you do if the dead
came back to life now?" And we all came up with scenarios like, "Oh, I'd get my Dad's gun," ya know. It was just kind of fun.
Q: Right. It's just so fascinating to think about because even
sometimes I'll even think about it on a more religious level. Like what if let's say there really was a God up above and seeing how fucked up people are in the world, he decided to
punish us by raising the dead to carry out retribution? I mean, it just provokes the imagination.
A: I think most people, even people that aren't into Death
Metal or whatever are in some way obviously interested in Death because it's like a subject that everybody's interested in since we all die. And if they're not interested in gore or
whatever and didn't like it but saw it, they'd look at it and be affected by it in some way. So I think it's just kind of a compelling subject and I think that most people that are into
gore grind or gory Death Metal probably are affected less by it than anybody else because they've seen it so many times.
Q: So what was the inspiration for the cover photo on the
CD and who's idea was it? Also, how did you manage to put together such nauseating imagery?
A: (laughing) Yeah, well I was actually thinking about doing that for a 7' cover at first, and that was before we got signed. I brought the idea up to Ross and I was like, "Yeah,
we gotta do this for a 7' cover. It'll be cool. We can just go into some public restroom and just put guts all over the place and have a guy's legs there." So everyone thought
the idea was okay but then when we got signed, I don't know how but I guess we really didn't have any other ideas so that idea came up as the idea for the cover. We just got
a bunch of fake blood and we bought some pig intestines from a local store here, this Chinese Supermarket and went in my bathroom and dumped it all over the place.
Q: Is that you lying on the floor?
A: Yeah, those are my legs.
Q: (laughing) Well what was going through your mind as you were lying there? Were you like, "Fuck, never again" or what?
A: Well we were all like cracking up and stuff but the worst part was it smelled like intestines in my bathroom for about a month. It was really horrible. It smelled like a
slaughterhouse in there and we have this fake blood that has that kind of minty taste. I don't know what they put in it but it kind of smelled like mint and old meat in there for a
really long time even though I cleaned the place and disinfected everything. It was pretty disgusting.
Q: Well it could have been worse. You could have been knee
deep in the real thing. Then again, I guess you could say this is the real thing considering that they are real intestines in a sense. I got to give it you, it's very convincing.
A: Yeah, it was pretty cool and we've gotten a couple of people that have been like, "Oh they got this picture off some gory website or something." But it's like, "No, we
took the picture! It's not like some picture we found in a book or something." Well if it convinces people then that's good but I don't know how anyone could actually think it
was a picture we found somewhere when I'm wearing a belt (laughs).
Q: No kidding. Well, at least Necropolis was bold enough to release it with the cover and all that is considering with all
the lawsuits these days. Then again they seem to be becoming the next pioneers of grindcore these days.
A: Yeah, they are gonna come out with the Engorged CD
and that's goona be awesome. Those guys kick ass. I'm like just really glad that they signed all these really good bands. Deadbodieseverywhere and Engorged are fucking two of the best.
Q: Now I understand that Ross was originally with Exhumed which I might add was similar to Impaled in format. What were the circumstances that lead him to leave Exhumed?
A: Well he got kicked out of Exhumed and I don't know the entire story. I know some of it but basically they just don't get along. Him and Exhumed don't work. They're not a
good match and I think Ross is a much better match for Impaled just ‘cause we all have the same kind of sense of humor. We're all kind of goofy and stupid. So Exhumed
really isn't like that. I like them. They're really nice guys but they're not receptive to that kind of stuff.
Q: Right but then there's the same gore format that both
bands revel in. So what I know is what, if there exists any, traits that separate both bands apart from each other? Does it often cross your mind that some listeners will mistake one for the other?
A: No, because we ARE way better than them (laughing).. No, I'm just kidding. I don't know. I think people will probably compare us like say, "Oh they sound like them or
Exhumed sounds like us" but since Exhumed came out first, they're gonna say we sound like them. But I don't think we sound the same aside from the vocals. I could see that
because of the fact that we have high and low vocals and we write about basically the same kind of stuff. But then really it's like us and Exhumed are both ripping off other
bands that came before us like Carcass or Impetigo or like musically ripping off, I don't know like At the Gates or whatever. So it's not a matter of us sounding like them or
them sounding like us, it's both of us like other bands. I mean, we're influenced by the same stuff I'd say.
Impaled on the Magical Cystory Tour.
Q: Now your newest release, Choice Cuts... although there are 13 tracks on it, it is considered to be an MCD. The
obvious answer to "why" would be that it is because this is not really a "new" album but rather re-released material. If you were to make up another, less obvious and more
interesting reason, what would it be?
A: The Knights of Malta, also known as the Knights Templar, had their stronghold sacked and were placed under arrest by Philip the Fair on October the 13th 1307. They were
tortured until they confessed to heresy so Philip could encroach upon properties owned by the Knights. We thought, "Dude, that was fucked up.". So to honor the day
of the Knights arrest, we put 13 songs on the cd.
Q: News about the problems with the cover art for Choice Cuts are being smeared all over by the label. Has that situation been resolved yet? Is there going to be a censored
version of the cover art?
A: There is going to be a censored version, but that will pretty much just consist of a slip cover with the actual cover underneath. I guess someone had a real problem with
the cover over at the printing plant or something but the artwork had already been done. They just decided not to put it together because they were feeling very menstrual
that day or something to that effect. Don't tell my mom I said that.
Q: Well assuming that you've been a part of this scene as long as I have, what's your fondest memory of Metal which
you still carry with you til this day?
A: Probably either getting "Live Undead" by Slayer because that was like the first real Metal album I got when I was
really young. I mean, I listened to goofy stuff like Motley Crue and Poison when I was like 10 or 11 but when I was 12, I got "Live Undead" and it was like, "Whoa!" It just
opened up a whole new world to me and it was just really crazy and stuff or seeing Carcass live on the "Necroticism" tour. It was like the best show I have ever seen. So yeah probably one of those.
Q: For an American band, Impaled definitely sounds more European. For instance, a lot of the melodies on this album are highly reminiscent of Dismember.
A: Yeah, Dismember is a big influence on us. Their first two albums are a totally huge influence and Carnage too, and Entombed. I mean, that to me is what Death Metal is when
I think of Death Metal. It's like fucking "Clandestine" or "Left Hand Path" or "Like an Everflowing Stream." Those are like Death Metal albums. I mean, I'm not gonna badmouth any
bands or whatever but I'm just not into American bands that much, especially contemporary ones.
Q: I understand, but just what is it about the American
scene that doesn't uphold to your definition of Death Metal? Is it say, the heavy abundance of mindless blast beats?
A: Yeah, that's part of it and it just seems kind of like
soulless music. Like there doesn't seem to be any feeling behind it. It seems like really by the numbers and stuff. I'm just not crazy about it. I mean, I'm impressed by how fast
the guys can play or whatever or how good of guitar players they are. I mean, I'm impressed as a musician. I'm like, "Wow, these guys are awesome musicians," but in my
eyes it's not like awesome music. I don't know.. I'm just not that really into the super technically stuff, even though I like guitar shredders like Yngwie Malmsteen and crap like that.
Q: Well, I could definitely see the Malmsteen influence shining through because there's also a lot of guitar dueling going on between the solos and such. It's even reminiscent
to earlier Mercyful Fate and Slayer where the intensity was heightened more by harmony than the 120 blast beats per minute deal.
A: Well I don't think we have any problem with like showing
our roots or whatever and we all listen to like Slayer and Metallica and Megadeth and all that kind of stuff. I mean, like me and Raul listen to a lot of Punk Rock. And so, yeah I
don't think we have a problem doing stuff like that. Like showing that were more into Metal in general as opposed to just being Brutal Death Metal, ya know. Like just be listening
to Cannibal Corpse 24 hours a day or whatever. I mean we all listen to a lot of stuff. We all have our really goofy bands that we like and a lot of influences so..
Q: What about the live performances? Since you mentioned creating this sort of over-the-top imagery musically, is there anything that you'd try to incorporate visually on-stage to maintain that image?
A: Yeah, we have props and stuff. We should probably do a little more of that but we have like skulls, and bones and chains and stuff like that onstage. We spit blood and Ross
lights his bass on fire and blows fire on it. He'll blow this big fire ball and Raul kicks his drumset over once in awhile. You know, we try to make it an entertaining show. I really don't
like it when guys go up there in sweatpants and a white t- shirt and just stand there like they're waiting for the bus or something. You have to be entertaining if you're an
entertainer which is basically what we are.
"Scream for me, Long Beach!"
Q: Yeah sort of like Kiss back in the 70's when they incorporated a lot of visuals like fire breathing, sparklers coming out of the guitars and not to mention the costumes.
In fact, even Venom touched upon that a bit with a lot of the pyrotechnics and fancy laser lights they had rigged up all around the stage. So now is it safe to say that Impaled will
eventually like to follow that route as well?
A: I'd like to as long as it's not too expensive (laughs).. Yeah, it would be cool to have goofy pyrotechnics or
whatever, more gorey stuff or being able to rip apart corpses or something onstage. That would be fun but there aren't any plans for it yet but we do need to get more stuff
up onstage like skulls or whatever we have. Yeah, I think that would be good if we expanded our repetoire a little bit.
Q: Well what are some of the hardest ideas to execute
which perhaps might have already come across your mind?
A: Umm.. I don't think we really had any. We try not to go beyond our means as far as stage stuff. And lyrically or
whatever visually, we've kept it pretty simple. I mean, we did all of the artwork ourselves on the CD. All the photographs Ross took. We just used what we had around
us like there's a picture of us in what looks like an operating room with a girl. We just went to Ross' sister's work, she works at a Veternary Hospital and we took pictures there.
So we just used like whatever we could, whatever was cheap because that's the way you gotta do it if you don't have any money.
Q: Though obviously you haven't pursued it full force but
should you obtain the money and necessary resources to carry out the full fledged gore format even more, do you feel that it might in some way detract from what you do musically?
 A: No, I don't think so. That stuff is pretty easy compared to writing 50 minutes worth of music. Just putting a
little stage show or whatever isn't too hard. It's not too hard for us because Ross was in Exhumed so he has all their props (laughs). He took all of that with him.. but no I don't think any of that will
detract from the songwriting. If anything is gonna detract from the songwriting it's the fact that we get drunk all the time and don't write any songs.
Q: Well, when you live the Metal lifestyle,
Beer certainly becomes part of your diet.
A: Exactly.. (laughs). Actually, we recorded the whole album drunk. We were drunk every single night but I guess it turned out pretty good for being drunk.
Q: Ahh, I hear ya. Well then again a lot of the bands I tend to interview usually confess to me that they smoke weed on occasion ‘cause it kind of puts them in a relaxed state of
mind when writing or composing. In that case do you or any of your bandmembers have any other unusually weird vices that you like to partake in?
A: Nah, not really. We don't have any other vices besides
drinking and smoking, well only three of us smoke. Raul doesn't smoke because he's a health nut but nah, I don't think we have any other vices. Ross likes to get peed on once in awhile but that's about it.
Q: There ya go. Now you have something to re-enact onstage.
A: Yeah, we gotta get a girl onstage.
Q: Has he really had that done to him?
A: Yeah, he has and he'd be proud to tell you. I don't have any problem telling you because I know he's proud of it.
Q: How was the Incantation and Nile tour? Any really bad nights where only three or four people showed up?
A: Aside from the constant beatings from the members of Incantation and the mental abuse heaped on us by Nile and their road crew, everything went swimmingly. There were a
few nights where the crowd wasn't huge but we always do our best any time we play, whether it's in front of 10 people or 100 or 1000. A word to the show promoters: Even
Budweiser is better than Natural Light Ice or whatever that crap is. I mean, free beer is free beer, but when it tastes like the can it came in it's usually a sign that something has gone horribly horribly wrong.
Related Links:
www.impaled.net
Necropolis Records
|
|
