Interview with Necrogoat of Grave Desecrator 2011
By Bradley Smith
Your new album Insult is slaughtering the underground. How do you view it as a
progression over Sign of Doom? And how has the non-stop positive reception of
the album made you feel? There are tons of people praising the album, so you
must feel the cult of Grave Desecrator growing more powerful.
I’ve read many reviews around, most with positive feedback indeed. But few others with a not so positive thought concerning our music. But we welcome all. We don’t bear up under negative or misinterpreted opinions. In comparison to Sign of Doom, I think we have a different drum line, as we got a new drummer for this full-length. “Angeldust” is quite different of our former drummer “Adrameleck”, who used to be more an old school like drummer. Angeldust brought much of old Death Metal interventions and I think it could be noticed in this new cd. By the way, due to many problems, he has been just fired off the band! Cativeiro (also in Apokalyptic Raids) is our new drummer right now!
The band has endured some very problematic early years with drummer problems and other incidents. Has this made Grave Desecrator stronger both as a band as individuals?
Ha, it seems the problem will never stop! We just sited a new drummer on the kit, as above mentioned. To be sincere, it never made us to think in to surrender. But it turned the things harder and too fucking late! The years that we stayed without a permanent drummer were really hard times. I don’t know for how long I’ll stay with GD or for how long the band will continue, but I hope we’re lucky now!
Grave Desecrator seems to be carrying the flame for Brazilian extreme metal. How does it feel to uphold this legacy and how do you pay tribute to the South American gods from past? Any underrated bands that you feel were overlooked and deserve hails?
It came from the depth of our black hearts! We ever praised the european and north american bands a lot, but we ever felt a sincere emotion regarding old brazilian bands. I don’t think we’re too much inspired only by these bands or their influences, but we honour their existence. The good reputation we’re carrying with now make us believe we’re brought the thing off! There’re a lot of underrated bands that didn’t had the best chance to get well known, sometimes by lack of opportunities, others by their own incompetence, sorry.
Lyrically Grave Desecrator appears to have a taste for carnal experiences and
pure evilness? Do you think this is true and what motivates you as a musician,
I mean in regards to life experiences and ideological themes?
When I try to write something, it’s the result of my relation to the empire of unknown forces which surrounds me, with my particular experiences. Sometimes we express it too straight that I feel we could have been better on it. But for an album title like “Insult” for example, it suggest immediate rebellion through your ears! I try to break up this sick world of fantasy and touch the hurt of the moral and hypocrisy. Of course we deal to carnal temptation as it’s our gospel. Lust is the tool to reach intense love and hate through magic.
Do you feel that extreme metal has become a scene of over-produced bands with too much concentration of technical tricks and clean production rather than focussing on raw emotion and primal instrumentation? And how do we turn the tide against all this shit that is consuming the underground?
I don’t have any problem if a band is well played and well recorded. It depends for what this band is dealing with. I like to have GD well recorded and well produced, but we don’t have too much money to work more than we do. I think when a band wants to bring hell to the music, it’s not too positive to have it too fucking clean and gay. I dislike most over produced extreme Metal(!) bands nowadays. Neither their schemes of professional shit soundings.. I don’t think that we and these bands are in the same concordance in relation to professionalism. But I won’t waste my time to discuss it to them anyway, so fuck off!
How has living in Rio de Janeiro influenced your musical development? I read you view your city as “Dirty, Violent, and Decadent.” What qualities make your city fit that description and how is that reflected in your music?
Rio is a very well known city by the sun, beaches...and bitches! Hahaha...Like all big cities in the world, we face violence. Like all big cities in the world, we have bitches, drugs etc. It’s a common point. But I see the city with other eyes. Keep the city dirty, and it’s ok if you’re living in a slum! It won’t make any difference since carnival is arriving! Yeaahhh! We play something subversive into a protestant city! Yes, Rio is turning to an evangelical state (similar to protestant christianism). The things are the same shit as ever and becoming worse. But who cares? Tomorrow we’ll have a new sunny day to spend on the beaches...
You participated in the Live Evil Festival in London. How was the show and your performance while there? And how did you feel about being hailed by Fenriz and therefore included in this congregation of bands with correct sound and attitude?
Live Evil was really amazing. Killer bands, people, guys from South America were there to hail us. We are very proud of! Thanks to Mark, Merek and Fenriz of course. But we had a very hard work to stay in the UK. We had problems in the guitar and pedal effect during the set, but I think most people acted with rage and unlock their savage feelings when our Armageddon sound touched their hearts..and ears!!!!!!!!!! I thank Fenriz for his good words to GD! I ever liked Dark Throne a lot and the new stuffs are great as well!
And speaking of Darkthrone, on their Under a Funeral Moon album they
hailed/thanked the Brazilian Death squads. Did you ever get to see those guys
in action? And what is your opinion of that period when they were murdering
people?
I think the Brazilian Deathsquad, as far as I know, were formed by policemen who formed a group to kill outlawers, thieves, drug dealers etc. But I don’t know very much about it. It lives more in the urban legends here.
Right now the big news for us outsiders regarding Brazil is the mudslides which have killed hundreds. As an insider, how has your country reacted to this event? And do you view it as a horrific tragedy or as a perfect example that there is no white light god?
That was a natural occurrence, and people died due political shit ever! It’s a long story regarding the bad governments into these affected areas. There’s no god or light of course! People will die by the hands of nature forever! It could be me, my mother, you...and only not too smart people will believe there’s a god for saving them and killing others with the same hand. Judicious thought never was the stronger nature of a religious person. They’re too drowned into sophisms that cannot be rational.
How does a person live every day with Hate and what symbols within this world are targets of your hate? Do you consider your music as a generator of hate?
I prefer to do not bring people to think in GD as a generator of hate only, cos sometimes it’s irrational and stupid. I think people shouldn’t be lead by a band, music or something like that, but they must have sensibility to get the essence and produce their own tool, that can be destructive or constructive, depending of their reasons. When we express the word SATAN, it might bring a wide range of meanings. Of course we demand hate for it’s a creational and strength feeling. As love it could be as well! Love is a matter of respect and creation by first instance. Hate is uncreation and unleashing forces. The balance is on you! I prefer GD being a tool for the primal instincts within our soul. Then when you dig the darkest parts of your being, you’re able to know who you re in fact and destroy your idols and stop to serve!
What are some of your near-term plans for Grave Desecrator? Any live desecrations or future recordings coming our way?
We did a small but well succeeded tour in Europe last October. I´d like to send a fucking Hell-o to Angmar guys from France, which supported us a lot there. Also the infamous of Waffentrager Luzifers from Germany, my great brother Völk “Mantas” from Augrimmer!! By the way, our next step will be a split 7ep with Augrimmer and Martyrvore(USA), and work for the third assault. You can expect the best. Europe soon again!!! We hope some support for touring there with more dates!!
Thanks for the words of bestial hate from South American hell. Do you have any
blood left to drip from your veins and stain the world? Alcoholic Rites
forever!
We, the brazilian desecrators hails you Bradley for your support! Thanks a lot! Keep spreading the plague and pulling off the veils of a soulless paradise. For europeans, buy “Insult” at www.ketzer-records.de . For North/South America (excluding Brazil) get at www.hellsheadbangers.com. “Insult” in vinyl version soon by HH´s!!
www.myspace.com/gravedesecrator (soon new lay out)
www.gravedesecrator.com ( soon updated)
P.O. BOX 8018 Rio de Janeiro RJ 21032-970 Brazil