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How would you compare “Failures For Gods”
to your other 2 releases? How was it for you in the studio this time around?
Do you get more comfortable each time you go?
“Failures For Gods” is
definitely our best album to date. It is far more intense, darker, heavier
and evil sounding than anything we have done before. We have matured as
people and as a band, and this shows on the new album. We basically think
that we have ended up with the best of our first two albums and taken that
to a higher level. “Failures For Gods” is really just the beginning for
IMMOLATION! As for the studio, that was the best one yet. We went to
Millbrook Sound Studios in
Millbrook,
NY. The producer was Paul Orofino and he was completely
cool and easy to get along with. Paul does not know death metal at all, but
the fact is he was interested in doing the project and he knows his shit! He
knows a lot about sound, studio, drums, music and he helped out in a lot of
ways to bring out the best in our music. It was stressful at times, due to
the long days and trying to get things right, but the end product came out
great. Although this is our third studio for an album, you always get that
excited feeling. You tend to get the nerves sometimes too, because you
putting something on to tape, and you know that when it is done, that will
be there forever and of course you want it to be good. We do learn a lot
each time though, and it’s that learning experience that helps out for the
next time.
The cover art is
incredible. Who came up with the concept? What does it represent in your
eyes? Is the cover the reason for the delay for your CD coming out?
We always come up with the
concepts. This time we sketched out the covers and the song icons in order
to let Andreas Marschall know what we were looking for. We sent him the
album as well as the lyrics too, and even sent paragraphs of information
describing the scenes. Andreas is an amazing artist and truly brings our
visions to life. He always does an exceptional job, and this time around he
truly out did himself! We recorded the album in July 1998, but in fact it
was very hard to get in touch with Andreas, so it did delay the album’s
release date. We did not receive the finished art until February ’99, so
that is why “Failures For Gods” is just coming out now in June (1999). It
was worth the wait though. It was more important to us to wait a bit longer
and have the packaging we wanted rather than settle for something less. The
cover depicts a devil like figure facing out to a mass crowd. You get the
impression it is one thing, then when you open the inside you see the face
of the figure is that of someone you did not expect. I do not want to ruin
it, but let’s just say that the art shows that what was thought to be good
and holy is truly evil.
Do you feel Metal Blade is doing a good job with the band?
What would you like to see them do more of? I understand this release is
coming out on vinyl, is that true and how do you think that it will sell
here in the states?
Metal Blade is doing a good job, although we believe that we
still have to prove ourselves to them. We think that this is a very strong
album and we plan to do a lot of touring for it. They seem to be doing what
they can to promote it. The fact that we are actually here now at Metal
Blade Germany doing
interviews is a good sign. Yes the release is coming out on vinyl, it will
be a gatefold album with printed sleeves and all. We are really happy with
this fact as we are vinyl lovers our selves. And for us to have a gatefold
is a dream come true!
Looking back what did you think of your
Peru show you did and the
various tours you did for “Here In After”?
Lima, Peru was a great
show. We had never been down to South America so it was great to finally get
there. The crowd was unholy and everyone was really cool. We met some really
cool people like Mortem, they showed us around the city and took us to some
underground catacombs with mass graves. It was all very interesting. As for
the other touring we have done, it has all been amazing! We did 5 tours for
“Here In After”. One with Six Feet Under and four with Cannibal Corpse. They
all had great shows and were each an experience we will never forget. The
European touring was especially good as we saw many different countries that
do not often get shows, like Croatia, Norway, Hungary,…it was pretty
awesome.
Are you planning on re-releasing “The Stepping On Angels”
release again? If so when and why?
Maybe we’ll see what happens.
Was it hard to come up with the music and the lyrics for
this release? You have some really off key changes and the music is very
technical, how long does an average song take to write?
It depends on the mood. We have created songs very quickly,
while others take more time. There is no average really, it is just done by
feeling. The structures of our songs are definitely not the ordinary thing,
and we aim to make them that way. We are always trying to be as innovative
as possible. We do not want to repeat ourselves and we want to always bring
fresh ideas into the music which I feel we definitely do on “Failures For
Gods”. With every new IMMOLATION album you can always expect the unexpected.
What is Sold Soul all about? Is that your label? What kind of
stuff do you sign?
Tom is doing that. He was originally working with Laurent and
Listenable (Records), but now will be doing his own label. It’s very much in
the beginning stages now, but he will start off small and work his way up (I
hear they will be releasing the long silent Ceremonium’s 2nd
album - Dale).
Do you thik having a web site is important to a band now?
Tell us a bit about your web site like what is on there ect. ect.?
Yes, but it is still in the works. It is very important these
days because the web is pretty much (the way) people are in touch these
days. It is today and the future so you can not, nor do we want to avoid it.
We love technology too, and we are glad to bring IMMOLATION to the web: The
address is www.immolationdirect.com
Do you feel you are a good live band? What are some of the
worst and best shows you have ever played in your eyes?
Yes I feel we are a great live band. We put a lot of energy
into our live shows because for us that’s where it is at. That’s what it is
all about. Getting out there, playing for the crowds, it’s a beautiful
thing! This time around we intend to incorporate more into the stage show
and bring a bit more intensity then most will expect! It is going to be an
event of unholy proportions!
What are your touring plans this time around? Do you feel
the scene is still healthy and can grow or do you see it sort of staying the
same now?
The scene is pretty rough
now, but we are going to do what we can in the way of playing shows. We
think that things will pick up, it is just a matter of time. Metal is
definitely on the uprise. We plan do some shows in the States and hopefully
Canada.
Canada has been a tough thing for us because we keep running into problems
with border patrol. They are very strict, and quite rediculous at times.
Everytime we go to the Canadian Border it is a 50/50 chance that we get
through. We are hoping that this all works out for August of this year. We
were lucky enough to play in Vancouver on our last outing with Cannibal
Corpse and it was unbelieveable!!
Is your passion still as strong for the band and music in
general today as it was when you started out? When you first picked up a
guitar did you anywhere in the back of your mind still think you would be
doing this today? Do you hope to make a living off of music?
We always hope to make a
living out of the music, but we are realistic about things and know that
it’s not something we are relying on. We never thought a years ago, when we
were younger, that we would still be playing music today and making albums
in 1999. It is all unexpected, so we do what we can and work hard to make
the best of it. Our passion is stronger than ever before and we are more
determined than ever before so we are here to stay!
Have you ever heard a band cover an Immolation song? If you
could pick one band to do one of your tunes, which band, which song and why?
We have heard some bands
cover our songs in their rehearsal spaces, ect, but have never heard an
IMMOLATION cover. It would be interesting for sure to hear such a thing, so
any band that does it we would want to hear.
Do you think with this release you can become a major force
in the underground?
We feel very strongly about
this album and we feel that if we keep pushing hard and get another album
out next year,…metal will definitely take place!!!
What stuff is for sale? Plug your website.
We will have new shirts /
merchandise soon so just keep yourselves posted on our website, as it will
all be there.
Any last words?
Thanks for the interview,
we hope to be playing Canada soon. In the meantime be sure to check out
“Failures For Gods”!!!! Thanks to everyone for their support and we’ll see
you soon! No Jesus, No Beast!!
IMMOLATION, P.O.
BOX 566,
Yonkers,
NY. 10710,
USA
http://www.everlastingfire.com/
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