INVASION (EN)
1- Hello, thanks for answering to our questions. What are you guys currently up to?
Peter: I’m currently writing material for another project with some friends & trying to remain productive while winter is here. My friend Ted (former Morgue drummer) has enlisted me to write for his new thrash project (Afsotend) plus I’m finishing up material with my other bands Yellowtooth and Corporation SS as we speak. Normally, during rehearsals will all sit down and sort through the material we’ve written and piece songs together until we’re satisfied with the outcome. But INVASION is a different beast. Both our guitarists (John Hehman & Rafael Hernandez) have their own projects to work on so everyone has been keeping busy until I start writing new INVASION material and present it to them for studio recordings.
2- First off, could you tell us about the history of the band?
Peter: The idea for INVASION started back in the very early 90s with a couple friends. It was that era when Scandinavian death metal had found its way to the US. Bands like Carnage, Unleashed, Grave, Abhoth, Treblinka, Uncanny had a profound effect on what we were listening to at the time & naturally we found ourselves imitating their sounds & attack. The drummer at the time (Dave Cady) had been a friend of mine for years and it was his persistence that INVASION start writing material & recording, but we had other bands at the time (I was working in SEA OF TRANQUILLITY) and the other members were spread thin, so the whole idea of INVASION basically died until the late 90s when we met up again and started working on our debut cd «Conquered» released in 1999.
3- How would you describe your sound?
Peter: It’s a mixture of death, thrash & some hardcore tendencies. The influences from my past will always affect my writing and so many bands have made an impact on me it’s difficult to limit it to one particular style. You may not hear it but DBC & DRI had an influence on me, along with other hardcore bands, but I fell into the Swedeath sound early in life so that will always remain a prominent element in my writing style.
4- What are the band’s main musical influences?
Peter: Mainly for this release it’s been a mixture of old North American thrash from the late 80’s & American death metal. I’ve been on a Suffocation/Immolation/Malevolent Creation kick for the past couple years & just can’t stop listening to their older material, plus Infernal Majesty & Sacrifice have been in the cd player for a while now. It’s great to hear new material from upcoming bands, but the old days just pull you back in.
5- How has the feedback for your new album been?
Peter: It’s been great so far, but it’s still very fresh. We’ve had a lot of people tell us the new album is the best thing released & it’s great to hear. This album was a struggle because of the line-up changes that took place, and ultimately I’m very satisfied with it. Could there have been improvements? Yes, there might be a few things I’d go back and change in the studio but for the most part this is probably the best release we’ve done. Your always looking to change things after them become part of the public eye.
6- And are you personally satisfied with the final outcome?
Peter: Yes, I think it turned out damn good. The cd packaging & everything looks very professional thanks to our friends from Cursed Productions and the musician’s involved in this. Excellent job fellas!
7- How could you describe this opus in just 3 words?
Peter: Total Fucking Death!!!
8- How was the production process for your new release?
Peter: If you talk to John Hehman (our guitarist) he’d say it was very hectic. We fought with the sounds on the album & tried to make sure everything flowed and was audible in the final mix. When you record a death metal album it’s imperative that everything has its own space to breathe, and I think John found that with this recording. Vocals, guitars, drums, bass. Even the soundbytes we used between songs flow properly. It’s essential to create an atmosphere in the studio, and I think we found that beast with this new release. Mind you, we’ve been recording since the mid 90’s haha!
9- And how do you work together on the songwriting?
Peter: Essentially I am the principle song writer/lyricist for the band so in the studio we basically followed my rhythms and time changes, but with John playing guitar he would add his elements to parts certain parts and we’d listen to it repeatedly and make sure they fit what the song required. His harmony parts added something different than our past few releases, but I think it fits very well and I’m sure will continue working together in the future.
10 – Finally, what are you near-future plans?
Peter: Future plans? To try and promote this cd properly and possibly set up a few live shows in our area sometime in 2017. INVASION does not play live except at rehearsals. We did 2 shows in our existence over the 20+ years since forming, but we may unveil a few things this summer if things permit.
11- That’s all from our side, thanks again for taking your time to answer our questions. If you now want to add some final words; feel free to do it.
Peter: Thank you for the interview & for supporting underground METAL! You fucking Rule! Without you we’d have no outlet’s to vent our musical endevours!
Pre-order: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/abyss053cd-invasion-destroyer-of-mankind-cd.html
Promo Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85PeSgrLzzc
FB: www.facebook.com/InvasionUSA
