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Open-minded grinders from Slovakia have finally out their new, innovative & totally unordinary release called "Something Wrong". I've talked with guitarist Ivan about this great album, past tours, future plans and things beyond. Enjoy this transmission of thoughts!
Hi Ivan! Your long-awaited new album "Something Wrong" has recently been released by Austrian Noisehead Records. How do you feel about the album after a few months later & tell us about your co-operation with Noisehead? Also share the reaction of fans and media onto it in a few words.
- Hi. Yes, the album was released by Noisehead Records with a 3/4 year delay, but that wasn't their failure, the album has to be released in autumn 2008 by Czech label Grodhaisn, but they had some financial troubles and they cancelled almost all their releases. Noisehead Records was the only label who was interested and we signed with them. What they did perfectly is that you can buy the album almost everywhere in EU and in USA through Relapse. What I'm a little bit disappointed about is that I expected more promo activity from their side. Fans are reacting very cool, maybe some of them are a little shocked with new OBLITERATE, but the majority is satisfied. And media? That is also different, what I'm noticed is that the Czech media don't like the new CD, but in the rest of the world the reactions are cool.
Compared to the band's previous albums "Something Wrong" definitely opens a new chapter for OBLITERATE. I suppose it happened mainly due to your addition to the line-up, am I right? So the question is: Was it a conscious decision from your side or the band in general to go this way music-wise in the future?
- Yes, it is true. When they asked me if I want to join in OBLITERATE I warned them that I have a different point of view on music (like some orthodox grinder). But when we made the material for "Something Wrong" I didn't push them, everything has become in a natural process.
During the recording sessions of "Something Wrong" you've also covered PINK FLOYD's famous "Another Brick in the Wall" song. Your version became quite innovative yet fresh to me and it just surprises me why this cover didn't land on the CD too. What will be the future of this cover song then?
- We had a very long chat in the band about this song, some of us wanted to put it on CD and some of us no. So we decided not to put this cover on CD, but right at this time I've uploaded it for free as a Xmas present here: http://bandzone.cz/obliterate. In October 2009 you visited Ukraine for a 7-day tour. It was your fourth visit to this country. Tell us your impressions about the tour, the fans and Ukraine in general. How was to play at the biggest metal festival, i.e. "Metal Heads' Mission", in 2008? Are you planning to visit us in 2010 as well?
- Tour was for me totally awesome. I've met so many cool people, especially guys from CASTRUM (Kory, Doni, Rodik) & Oleg. Also I'm very glad that I've been at places where we didn't play before. We liked playing at "Metal Heads' Mission" but, we were disappointed with a few organizational mistakes and chaos there. Yes, I think that I can say for all from the band that we certainly want to go and visit Ukraine again.
Besides the band everybody has a job or engaged in other fields. Tell us a bit about every band members' occupation. I know, you are working as a surveyor and dealing with geodesy and all the geographical aspects herein. How does it affect your life and time you have to bestow your family and the band?
- Barbie works as a serviceman in US steel (steel plant factory), Matkes is a seller in building materials and Gaby works in a restaurant as a waiter. Sometimes is hard to coordinate us together, but we are trying to do our best.
As I've noticed, through the past few years, you are a professional photographer. How and when this hobby appeared in your life? What urged you to step on this side of the art as well? How often you get invites to make photos on gigs and festivals?
- Thanks, but I'm not a pro just a fan. I'm started just a few years ago with my first digital camera. I was shooting pics everywhere and everybody. Then I started shooting gigs for my friend Jan Kosc (he is writing for metalopolis.net). Through the years I realized that I like more to make reportage pics than art.
The sound of "Something Wrong" owes a big one to you & your experience and talent in the producing fields. How long are you into mixing & mastering materials? And tell us what programs you use recently? Also what other works you produced besides the new OBLITERATE album?
- Thanks. I started in 2001 when we decided to record album with my previous band NOSTRUM & and the reason of it all was money and discontent with the sound from Slovak studios. With every record I learned something new. My tools are: Cakewalk, Soundforge, T-racks and many plugins. You can hear my work on both NOSTRUM albums, latest CARESS, ZOMBIEMOLES, G.P.G. "Spacetrip", V13AULT, OWNBLISS, BICYKLOTHORTURERERE, KE-GROUND, CRUENT and I did the master on latest CONTEMPT.
Before joining OBLITERATE you were also involved in the following bands: NOSTRUM, V13AULT and ZOMBIEMOLES. Please introduce us these bands and their releases. Do you plan to release any new material with NOSTRUM for example?
- ZOMBIEMOLES was a funproject with my friends from CRUENT (Ado & Tomy). With V13AULT I did one EP "A Carrion" and we have an almost complete material for album (from 2005!!!), but I didn't find a drummer, which would record live drums. And what can I say about the V13 music? I think it will be better if you would listen to it and make your own opinion. NOSTRUM – it is good that you asked about it right now, because we are planning to come back on stage and we will have, if we make, some new material, because everybody has major priority in other bands me in OBLITERATE, Alex in GOD DEFAMER and Kamil in SIEMPRE.
Tell us a bit about your "Autumn Massacre Tour" along with GOD DEFAMER. How was that experience? What cities you've visited with this tour and how the fans treated both bands?
- It was a weekend tour (Friday, Saturday) and we played in Strazske, Presov, Liptovsky Mikulas, Vrable, Poprad, Puchov, Prievidza, Lucenec. Tour was OK, but at some places were quite a few fans. Fans fortunately liked both bands.
I suppose it's a bit early to ask about your new songs, but is there anything new composed yet? And if so in what direction you will continue to write new material. And as usual when do you plan to record your next full-length?
- We are working on new material at this moment. We have done two songs yet. Direction is unknown yet, but we will find some, I promise. At first we have to finish the writing process and after that we will see...
Kosice has a big underground scene. What bands would you like to point out and which are your personal favorites and why?
- I'm not the right person to answer this question, because the bands that I liked most are dead now (DREAMS, XIBALBA, WEED, ERYTROSY), but you can check these bands: KILLCHAIN, CONTEMPT, BLOODRAGE, new ANDEATHONIUM, FADING TOMMOROW, FEEDING THE VULTURES, and I'm sure that I forgot a few names.
Thank you very much Ivan for the interview. Please send your wishes & regards to all our readers and last but not least to all the OBLITERATE fans in Ukraine. The space is yours!
- I'm sending again a big thank you to fans & people in Ukraine, which we met. Also I want to thank all readers of Encomium for their interest. And I wish for all OBLITERATE fans that next year will be better than 2009!
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