– Hello, thanks for taking your time, how are you holding up during these pandemic, almost dystopian days?

Tibor: Thanks for the opportunity! These are challenging times for everyone. We haven’t done much since we recorded our full length. No gigs and no rehearsals. I’m using my free time to write some new materials for upcoming releases which is good in a way but that’s it really.

Joe: It’s not made a huge difference to me but you certainly notice the little things, but all in all, like for every band, not being able to play live (especially after how well the MLP was received) is a massive shitter. I’m glad we got the drums for the full-length done before restrictions got stricter.

-The third press for your newest EP “Reeking Gunk of Abhorrence” is already sold out. That’s a landmark. How do you feel about it?

Tibor: Life After Death Records did a tremendous job promoting our record and the cassettes sold out very fast which is unreal. I never experienced this amount of interest in any of my other bands before so it’s a all new to me but it’s a great feeling definitely.

Joe: It’s nuts. I still haven’t quite come to terms with how well it went down. Life After Death did great selling nearly 400 copies of the cassette version and seeing the white vinyl version being sold out within 24 hours was not something I’m used to seeing in regards to my own bands!  I’m over the moon of course, so you should all take a deep breath with the full-length approaching!

-You’ve worked on it with both Me Saco un Ojo and Pulverised. Two of the best labels nowadays for Extreme Metal. How did this cooperation arise?

Tibor: They are definitely great labels and we have to mention Life After Death Records as well who were responsible for the cassette versions. Me Saco Un Ojo Records send me an email when our demo got released that he liked it and interested in our upcoming releases. Since both me and Joe were fans of his label it was a no brainer. They are also from the UK so we constantly meet up with him at gigs and talking on the phone etc. So it’s not the regular “contact via email” what I have with the other labels. MSUO suggested Pulverised Records when we were looking for labels to release it on CD and Cassette. I used to work with Pulverised before so I knew that it’s going to work out well. Life After Death contacted us later on our FB page. They literally just started the label a couple months before so we never heard of him but he seemed passionate about it and that was enough for us and he did a great job. We are definitely going to work with these 3 on our upcoming releases as well.

-You’ve been playing together for six years now. How is the EP a representation this? How have you evolved throughout these years?

Tibor: For the first couple of years we were just experimenting with our sound within the realms of death metal that’s why it took 3 years before our debut demo got released. We were keep changing the riffs, tones, tunes, vocals etc. I consider “Cadaveric Flesh Engorgement” the first song which truly represents us from our second EP even though after that we changed the guitar tone and the vocals drasticly. I think “Reeking Gunk of Abhorrence” is definitely our filthiest record up to date. Someone said that it’s like that we are devolving by each releases in a good way. But our upcoming debut full length record is going to sound way more clear which I hope it’s not going to be offputting for most our of fans. We’ll have more riffs in the vein of Demilich just maybe a bit groovier and it just didn’t work out with the filthy production. But maybe on our second full length we’ll have a filthier sound again. I like to experiment with the guitar tones so It’s highly likely that all of our releases going to sound a bit different.

-Have you reached your very own sound or that quest, as well as evolution, is a constant process?

Tibor: I think we know what we are doing now when it comes to songwriting. However we’ll try to make all of our upcoming releases a bit different so it’s definitely a constant process on the other hand.

-By just having a look at your covers or reading your name anyone can guess what style you’re playing. Do you think sticking to certain stereotypes is almost necessary to build this kind of old school aesthetic and to provide something entertaining?

Tibor: Never judge a book by it’s cover they say but I think it’s important to have a band name with a logo, songtitles and cover which represent your music. I like horror and sci-fi so if a band has these elements in their music it’s a win win for me. Death is perfect example. Their lyrics and covers on the first 2 albums were way more fun but I love all their later albums as well of course and it shows that it could work with different elements as well.

In fact your style is just OSDM in every aspect. What’s to you the most important in an opus of the genre? The overall feeling? The filthy sound? Or is it a mix of different elements?

Tibor: I prefer to simply say death metal. I don’t really like the term “old school”. The most important thing is to have the full picture. Having songs written is one thing but you have to catch the vibe of the songs as well during the recording for example. “Reeking Gunk of Abhorrence” wouldn’t work well with a top notch production and a Seagrave artwork.

There’s now an obvious resurrection of old school Death Metal. Is it easier to get out there due to the growing interest or the fact that there are a lot of bands doing this makes it harder?

Tibor: I think it’s easier. If you are a true fan of this genre you are always looking for new bands and new releases. I never understand if someone just only listening to the same old classics all the time. I consider myself lucky that I can be a part of this scene where promising new bands popping up every year with more and more fans of death metal.

Joe: I would also say its easier. More opportunites for networking and fidning people to work with for gigs and releases and so on.

I think we all already know Metal tends to be a quite nostalgic «community». When Simon Reynolds researched on the cult of retro on «Retromania: Pop Culture’s Addiction to Its Own Past» he wondered if: “Is nostalgia stopping our culture’s ability to surge forward, or are we nostalgic precisely because our culture has stopped moving forward and so we inevitably look back to more momentous and dynamic times?”. Applied to the Metal world, what’s your opinion? Do we use to look back because we feel there’s something missing on most of today’s music?

Tibor: It’s a hard topic because I think it’s really hard to come up with something entirely new nowadays. I don’t have any problem with today’s music though. There are some new bands which gives you the same old recipe but spiced up with something refreshing like Blood Incantation, Pissgrave or Frozen Soul at least for me because I know a lot of people say that it’s nothing new. Speaking for myself only I play death metal because this is what I want to do and not because I’m missing the glorious old days of the 80’s and 90’s.

-Lyrics on the EP, as always, are grotesque and twisted. What does inspire them?

Tibor: I don’t consider myself as a great lyirc writer. As a matter of fact it’s always a pain in the ass for me to write lyrics since nothing inspires me to write them but just the music itself which we play. All my lyrics are about death. I’m just trying to think about different ways to die and write it down.

-All this about “Reeking Gunk of Abhorrence” being said; how could you describe it in just 3 words?
Tibor:
Putrid fucking filth.

Joe: Savage putrid death.

-And before we wrap this interview up; what are now your near-future plans? Even though I know these are very uncertain times.

Tibor: Our debut album is at the mastering process and planned to be released by the same labels the second half of this year. In the meantime we’ll start rehearsing again and will put together some new songs, maybe even record it if it’s possible. I don’t think that we’ll going to have gigs in the first half of this year or maybe in the whole year at all.

That’s all from our side, thanks again for your time. If you’d like to add some final words, feel free to do it.

Tibor: Thank you for your questions! Support the underground!

Tania Giménez

Tania@queensofsteel.com

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