Disinter (2001)

1- Hope Hell’s fire still burning within you with demonic inspiration... Why Disinter for your band’s name? How has been your career until know? From which bands have you gathered influences? Do you believe that Disinter could be described as an original band ( did anyone described you like that )? If so, why’s that?
Disinters’ first vocalist (EvilEd) used to work in a cemetery and they had to disinter corpses all the time and since we are a death metal band it seemed like the perfect name for the band. I’ll tell you, it’s been a long hard road with many set backs and hardships. Sometimes it seems that a black cloud is following us ready to rain disappointment anytime something goes well. The hard work is starting to pay off now as we are getting more recognition for our work and we really appreciate all of our fans, friends and ‘zines who have supported us along the way, without them we are nothing. We have been said to possess our own style, kind of a mix of old school metal w/ black/death metal. I think it’s because the songs we write are so diverse, we don’t believe that we have to write within one certain style and since all of us write the music you get many different styles blended into one.

2- You’ve released 'The Beauty of Suffering' Ep independantly! Why did you decided to release it as a shape cd? Anyway, “ Welcome to Oblivion “ was released a few days later... Why did that happened?
We wanted to do something different for the Ep and since we really like shaped cd’s we decided to release it that way. It is limited to one thousand copies and we will never make anymore. Welcome to Oblivion was released independently as well, both cd’s were recorded during the same session. The idea was to release The Beauty of Suffering first as a taste of what was to come, but due to financial setbacks we ended up getting the Ep out during the Milwaukee Metalfest and got “WTO” a few days later. We did everything for both cd’s ourselves so it took awhile.

3 – This is your second Cd and what a fucking great one it is! You’re also now attached to the german label Morbid Records having that same Cd licensed to them and DeadSun Records ( while you’re distributing the Cd on USA and Mexico )! How is this working? Why licensing it to two companies? How did you ended up signed to Morbid Records?
Thank you, we are glad you like it. DeadSun Recs contacted us first and then Morbid Records a few days later. Jean Francois of DeadSun is an honest and hard working guy and we had already told him that we would license “WTO” to him and did not want to back out on our word. So we told him about Morbids interest in Disinter and we eventually worked it out where we licensed it to DeadSun for most of Europe, Asia & Canada and they furthermore licensed it to Morbid for release in select countries while we retain the U.S. and Mexico markets. It seems to be working out well considering we have two labels promoting Disinter. We did eventually sign to Morbid for a two album deal, they offered us a great contract so we went with it. Jean Francois’ band Gurkkhas has signed with Morbid as well, so now we are label mates.

4 – How have been the reviews to your latest effort until this moment? What do you believe the reason to be, as stated elsewhere, that you’ve had a bigger response from the European scene rather than in your own country? Is Death metal loosing it’s power over there towards that shitty New – Metal(?) bands?
So far I have only read one negative review. We are very pleased about all of the positive feedback we have been getting. The scene in the U.S is not what it used to be, it’s full of trendy wannabe fags who like what the media tells them to like. The underground scene is still strong but very spread out so it’s hard to get big turnouts at the shows unless it’s a bigger touring band. We get many letters from all over the world from countries like Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, South America and Europe just to name a few. We really appreciate everyone who writes, even if it’s just to say hi.

5 - Welcome to Oblivion was recorded with Chris Djuricic at Studio One in Racine! What could you tell us about the recording moments over there? Did everything turned the way you expected? How long did you stayed there?
The Desecrated album was recorded with Chris as well so we knew what to expect when we went in. The environment there is very professional yet laid back comfortable. Chris is an excellent engineer who is into death metal and really wants to help a band achieve what they desire. We were in there for two weeks and the over all production turned out great. Our budget was small so we didn’t have time to get everything perfect, but the album sounds like we spent more.

6 – As I only have the promo for “ Welcome to Oblivion “, could you tell us who has done the cover and lay – out for that same Cd? Do you think it describes to it’s fullest the Cd’s title and songs? Do you always intend that to happen?
The cover was drawn by “The Headless Illustrator” a guy named Brian from Indiana, he drew the Desecrated cover as well. All of our layout was done by Paul Kuhrr of Novembers Doom, He does a fantastic job. I think the cover does a decent job of depicting the album title, since Oblivion means total nihility, death, what better than a vast cemetery named Oblivion. We do like the covers to be a visual of the music inside.

7 – The intros used on some of your songs only gives a more darker approach to your sound! Whose idea was that? From which movies did you used it?
We like to use samples, I think they sound cool if placed properly and are of good quality. We used samples from Hellraiser II, Wishmaster, Phantasm, Braveheart and some Gregorian chants. There will be a few on the next album as well.

8 – You’re Disinter’s vocalist since 3 years ago! What have you given to Disinter that the previous vocalist, Evil Ed, didn’t gave? Why was he released from his duties? I’ve read on an interview that you will be experimenting with your vocals on the next Cd... Could you tell us something about that? Tom is your drummer since 99 hammering stormy blast beats and technical rhythms! Why did the old drummer left the band?
I think I give a lot more of myself to the band as well as a bit more vocal variety. Ed was released from Disinter because he could not commit 100% to the band. Ed is still a very good friend of ours and we drink with him occasionally. I’m glad to see you have done your homework, yes I am going to try some different things with the vocals this time, maybe record my own samples and just experiment with weird sounding things. Maybe even a natural voice thrown in there at one point. We shall see. Yeah our new drummer Tom is a killer addition to the band and we are glad to have him. Dave who was the old drummer didn’t seem to want to play fast music anymore so we replaced him.

9- Have you played in many concerts on the USA? Any with the more renowmed bands of the style? What makes a gig satisfying to you?How do you see the metal scene in Chicago?
We have played tons of shows here, with many local acts and touring acts such as Vader, Emperor, Immolation, Divine Empire, Monstrosity, Desecration, Morgue, Cryptopsy and the list goes on. Any gig is satisfying when I know we played well and gave our all, it does not matter how many people are there. Shitty turnouts are disappointing but that is something you have to overcome. The scene in Chicago has a lot of good bands but we are running out of places to play, there used to be a lot now there is only acouple. It’s sad because most clubs are afraid to have death metal bands play there.

10 - Signed to a great label such as Morbid Records you will have the possibility to enter in some tours outside USA! Any plans so far? If so, how will you support yourselves on that tour? Noticing that it’s very expensive to travel from the USA to Europe!
Yes, we are going on tour in July in Europe which includes a slot at The Nuclear Storm Fest in the Czech rep on July 21st. We are still gathering shows and when they are complete they will be posted on our website and Morbid’s as well. Yes it is very expensive to travel but we are saving money and hopefully will sell a lot of merch. We are also working out the details for an Asian tour next year with Gurkkhas which will be festivals in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and maybe Thailand.

11 – How would you describe your new songs? Have you experimented a bit with them? Do you believe that Metal is capable to evolve without having to join forces with electronic music or turning itself into a more mainstream approach?
It is kind of difficult for me to describe our new songs because they all have their own kind of sound and style. Some are a bit melodic some are totally brutal and some of them are oldschool sounding. I do believe metal can evolve without becoming mainstream, it’s been doing pretty well for the past 15 years. As we all know the poseurs get weeded out and fade away. Only the true survive in real metal.

12 - Why the title “ Beyond the grace of God “ for your next Cd that I know will be recorded in June? How many songs it will contain? Where will you record it? How many days will you stay in the studio? I’ve read somewhere that you will have on this next Cd also some old songs! Why’s that?
We decided on “Beyond the Grace of God” as an album title because it is part of a verse in one of the songs. It basically means that that we are beyond religious factions and do not need the blessing of a fictitious deity to succeed in our lives. The cd should contain 10 to 12 songs and will be recorded at Studio One in Racine, WI during the month of June. It is true that some of the songs that might show up ont the album are older. The reason for this is that we have some material that was written years ago that never made it to any recordings.

13 - How did you get Deather of Indeed Hell Zine ( Czech Republic ) to draw you the cover? Could you tell us what it will be like?
I have been writing to Deather for quite some time and he reviewed some of our material. When he sent me a copy of Indeed Hell I saw that some of the artwork had his signature so I wrote him and asked if he would be interested in doing some work for us. I was pleased when he agreed because he is an amazing artist. So far he has done a t-shirt design, drawn a new logo for us which will be on the new cover and did a conceptual symbol for us. The cover fits the title of the album perfectly and you will just have to see it.

14 - What do you think of the underground nowadays? Do you think that one can say that the true underground spirit is still alive? Are there any good releases, for you, out there?
The true spirit of metal is still alive is most of us. Metal has always been about being yourself no matter who you are no matter if you dress differently or whatever. It’s about individuality and not bowing down to trends. I get sick of people making fun of guys in metal bands that dress freaky, yet they are standing there in big baggy rapper cloths. It makes you want to smash their face in! Those are the trendy people who have no idea what metal is about.
I’ll tell you the new Napalm Death is killer as is the new Behemoth and Amon Amarth albums.


15 – Would you like to see some of your musical efforts released also on vinyl? Would you like to release, someday, a Disinter’s DVD? Maybe, it’s the future for special editions rather than digipacks...
Vinyl would be cool but a dvd is a great idea. I used to love watching metal videos when I was a kid now you rarely see them. I think it would be great to do some videos even if they are low budget they are still cool. I think that Cradle of Filth video was cool I think it was called From the Cradle to Enslave.

16 – Congratulations for your great site!!! Anyway, why have you disabled the right click button on it? I mean, is it a crime to have Disinter’s pictures on someone’s pc? Even renowmed bands such as Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel and Vader provides the fans with the possibility to copy their photos!!!
Thanks. Any one can use our pictures with our permission, all you have to do is ask. This was the idea of our webmaster.

17 – You’ve choosed such a nihilistic title for your cd! Why’s that?Apart from songs, do you consider that the lyrical side, has to be also extremely diversified? Let us know what topics do you write about! Ever thought in doing a conceptual cd? Ever had a bizzare dream that appeared as one of Disinter’s lyrics?
Anyway, it’s almost impossible to “obliviate” such a great albun like yours, mostly because your songs aren’t monotonous and give us always something extra that some other bands don’t!
Our lyrics are usually based on dark subjects like battle and war to occult, voodoo and witchcraft. Concept albums are very cool and I have thought about it but I’m not shure if I possess the writing skill to do it properly.
I do have many bizzare dreams but they never seem to make it into song form. They are usually too confusing to attempt and I always wake up before they end.


18 – How do you view Death? A passage to another dimension where the sickest fantasy can come true or just... the end?
I view death as an escape from the boundaries of life, a release from our singular dimension of thought. We are full of electricity that is what makes our brains function and when you die that energy has to go somewhere. The question is where and will that energy retain memory. Death is a very complex subject and fascinating as well. I don’t believe in heaven or hell that’s just a bunch of manmade bullshit. Our sickest fantasies can come true in our own imaginations, some people take the next step and actually act them out, they eventually end up in prison. Ha ha!!!

19 – What do you consider to be your influences in literature and philosophy? Do you believe that Man is a plague and therefore a being destined to destruction or that He can always create something that could embelish the world around him, therefore helping Nature?
This is a very good question. I enjoy works by H.P. Lovecraft and Friedrich Nietzche, mythology and history. Man is very greedy and often tries to better himself before the world. We are a plague of sorts and we have done some amazing things but also some very terrible things. If only we could be as one and work together as a planet. If we could do that humanity would be much more advanced even without loosing our individuality.

20 - Is religion, for you, a slavery’s theory put in practice many years ago by men that thought it was better to command others by being nice to them rather than frightening them?
I think that they needed to believe that there was something more out there you know? A god that would embrace them no matter what they did. I believe they went about it all wrong and it has gotten way out of hand. Since the dawn of humanity our species has worshiped gods of sorts, like a god of fertility, the sun, the night and death. But in the earlier times it was more of just saying thanks and giving praise to nature and the universe for the bounties we reap. Now religion is a terrible thing that causes many conflicts and much bloodshed. Just look at what the church did at the start of the 1400’s with the witch trials, that lasted for over 200 years and well over 200,000 innocent people were tortured and burned because of their ignorant ideology and people still embrace it. I find that troubling.

21 – I know that Disinter doesn’t intend to express any political views but what do you think about President Bush so far? It seems he’s now playing the ruler of the world nowadays!!!
And what about those two kids that in 93, when they were 10 years old, murdered a 3 year old kid and will probably be released by the court very soon? Do you think they should be released or that they should rot in prison because when they’re free they could kill again? Why do you think that USA has the largest number of Serial Killers?
I try not to think about it. I think Bush is an idiot and the kids here are stupid and messed up. I hate to place blame on music but rap is huge here unfortunately and all they talk about is shooting people and since a majority of kids listen to that shit they try to live it. With metal you know it’s fantasy and beliefs not gang crap. It’s very hard to talk about because no one really knows. Shitty parents have a lot to do with it. America is ruled by the media and it sucks. I’m not sure if those two kids really meant to kill that little girl but I cannot say.

22 – Well, tired as you may be, this is the end of the interview... Hope you’re not dead tired... hehe Would you like to leave us some rotten arguments recently dug from your decaying soul? All the best!!!
Thanks for this killer interview. Disinter thanks you for it. A mighty hail to all of our fans and friends all over the world. Visit our website at www.disinter.com and come see us on tour in Europe in July