- Aug 18, 2002
- 9,421
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[IMGLEFT]http://www.russell.ultimatemetal.com/Interview/gorefest.jpg[/IMGLEFT] By Ryan Starr
Gorefest have Risen! They rose from the dead a few years ago, and now they have risen to the task of putting out new music and spreading their word. Along with releasing Rise to Ruin, they have been out in the world promoting and touring, and Ultimate Metal wanted to see how things were going.
You guys have been back together for a few years now. How has business been?
Excellent. We still enjoy doing this very much. It's a great addition to the lives we've built up after we split up, both as creative outlet, and as something that lets you blow off steam once in a while. So it's all good.
Whats the journey been like since your reunion?
Pretty, ehm, 'eventful'. Two CD's, lots of cool shows, lots of trips to places we'd never been. Basically, all the wonderful things the whole band experience can give you. Great stuff. Must write it down someday.
Has the scene changed much since the 90s?
No, I can't say it has. There's still loads of bands playing this stuff, and loads of people that enjoy listening to it. Lots of weirdoes who drink way too much. No change there.
I did the review for Rise to Ruin a few weeks back, and I was impressed. What kind of reactions are you guys getting?
Most have been very positive. There's always some people that just can't get into any new stuff you write, or simply don't like you, but that's fine. You can't please everyone, and we certainly have never tried to do so. But on the whole, people into Metal seem to dig the new one, and that's always a nice bonus.
One thing that really struck me about the album was the production. It adds a lot of weight and force to the music. How did you get such a fantastic sound, and how was the studio experience?
We just plug in and play. What you hear is basically our live sound. Tue Madsen did a great job on the mix though, so he deserves part of the credit. With this kind of downtuned stuff, it's always difficult to not let the guitars swamp out the drums, or vice versa. If you can find a way past that, you're well underway to a satisfying sound. Studio experience was what it's always been. Sit down, check your tuning, hit 'record', and lay down your tracks. Nothing fancy about it, I guess.
So youve been touring Europe pretty extensively in support of the new album, hows the road treating you?
It's all good. As long as you have a decent meal everyday, and try not to drink yourself silly each night, you'll survive. You always have to realise and make sure you still know why you're doing this, and if you don't stray too far from that, you can handle mostly everything.
Any chances of a US tour?
I don't see it happening in the next months. We've all got our daytime jobs, and won't be giving them up anytime soon - we're following up on the wise advice of many, many people over the years - and a US tour is not something we could afford at this point in time. We'd love to come over, but if we will, it'll probably be for a week or two, nothing too extensive.
You recently re-issued Chapter 13, along with Rise to Ruin, on vinyl. Do you think there is a rising interest in vinyl among die hard metal heads?
There's always been interest in vinyl. I don't think it's rising significantly, but there's always been a portion of Metal heads that prefer vinyl. For different reasons, too. Some like the artwork better, and many swear by their perception of the different audio levels vinyl gives you. For many years I collected vinyl myself, and still have a soft spot for it. But I don't see it becoming a major marketforce, ever again.
Any reason you chose Chapter 13?
We didn't choose it. A company called Night Of The Vinyl Dead, who are based in Italy, really wanted to release Ch13 on vinyl. I'm glad they did, since it's my favorite pre-split Gorefest album. They treated the whole thing with the utmost respect, which made us all very proud indeed. I even wrote some liner notes to it, which again made me realize how much I love this album. Too bad it never really got a fair chance.
Ive been reading a lot about Hail of Bullets, of which your drummer Ed Warby is a member. How is this going to affect the future of Gorefest?
I don't think it'll have that much of an impact on Gorefest. There's always time stretches we plan where we don't do anything with the band, so Ed'll probably use that time to do stuff with HoB. If anything, it'll actually work out better for us, since he'll keep up his strength and general condition that way.
Will there be any collaboration between the two bands?
I doubt it, I don't think Ed would want to do two shows in one night. It would make an awesome bill though. I love their stuff, and it's not like we're miles apart, sound wise. They're all cool guys as well, so it'd be a lot of fun to do. Time will tell, though.
Are there any new bands youre really into? Any local favorites?
Well, you just mentioned Hail of Bullets. Death Breath from Sweden are wonderful. There's a Dutch band called Massive Assault which I like a lot. A local band called Remains have been doing some cool shows around here, it'll be interesting to see where that's heading.
Any last comments?
Yeah, I hope some of the Ultimate Metal readers will give Rise To Ruin a try. Candlelight USA have released it in the US, so it can't be that hard to find. Anyway, we're all really proud of it, so give it a listen!
Thanks a lot guys. Hopefully well see a lot of Gorefest in the near future.
Thanks, we'll do our best!
cheers,
Frank Harthoorn
Gorefest
Official Gorefest Website
Official Candlelight Website
Gorefest have Risen! They rose from the dead a few years ago, and now they have risen to the task of putting out new music and spreading their word. Along with releasing Rise to Ruin, they have been out in the world promoting and touring, and Ultimate Metal wanted to see how things were going.
You guys have been back together for a few years now. How has business been?
Excellent. We still enjoy doing this very much. It's a great addition to the lives we've built up after we split up, both as creative outlet, and as something that lets you blow off steam once in a while. So it's all good.
Whats the journey been like since your reunion?
Pretty, ehm, 'eventful'. Two CD's, lots of cool shows, lots of trips to places we'd never been. Basically, all the wonderful things the whole band experience can give you. Great stuff. Must write it down someday.
Has the scene changed much since the 90s?
No, I can't say it has. There's still loads of bands playing this stuff, and loads of people that enjoy listening to it. Lots of weirdoes who drink way too much. No change there.
I did the review for Rise to Ruin a few weeks back, and I was impressed. What kind of reactions are you guys getting?
Most have been very positive. There's always some people that just can't get into any new stuff you write, or simply don't like you, but that's fine. You can't please everyone, and we certainly have never tried to do so. But on the whole, people into Metal seem to dig the new one, and that's always a nice bonus.
One thing that really struck me about the album was the production. It adds a lot of weight and force to the music. How did you get such a fantastic sound, and how was the studio experience?
We just plug in and play. What you hear is basically our live sound. Tue Madsen did a great job on the mix though, so he deserves part of the credit. With this kind of downtuned stuff, it's always difficult to not let the guitars swamp out the drums, or vice versa. If you can find a way past that, you're well underway to a satisfying sound. Studio experience was what it's always been. Sit down, check your tuning, hit 'record', and lay down your tracks. Nothing fancy about it, I guess.
So youve been touring Europe pretty extensively in support of the new album, hows the road treating you?
It's all good. As long as you have a decent meal everyday, and try not to drink yourself silly each night, you'll survive. You always have to realise and make sure you still know why you're doing this, and if you don't stray too far from that, you can handle mostly everything.
Any chances of a US tour?
I don't see it happening in the next months. We've all got our daytime jobs, and won't be giving them up anytime soon - we're following up on the wise advice of many, many people over the years - and a US tour is not something we could afford at this point in time. We'd love to come over, but if we will, it'll probably be for a week or two, nothing too extensive.
You recently re-issued Chapter 13, along with Rise to Ruin, on vinyl. Do you think there is a rising interest in vinyl among die hard metal heads?
There's always been interest in vinyl. I don't think it's rising significantly, but there's always been a portion of Metal heads that prefer vinyl. For different reasons, too. Some like the artwork better, and many swear by their perception of the different audio levels vinyl gives you. For many years I collected vinyl myself, and still have a soft spot for it. But I don't see it becoming a major marketforce, ever again.
Any reason you chose Chapter 13?
We didn't choose it. A company called Night Of The Vinyl Dead, who are based in Italy, really wanted to release Ch13 on vinyl. I'm glad they did, since it's my favorite pre-split Gorefest album. They treated the whole thing with the utmost respect, which made us all very proud indeed. I even wrote some liner notes to it, which again made me realize how much I love this album. Too bad it never really got a fair chance.
Ive been reading a lot about Hail of Bullets, of which your drummer Ed Warby is a member. How is this going to affect the future of Gorefest?
I don't think it'll have that much of an impact on Gorefest. There's always time stretches we plan where we don't do anything with the band, so Ed'll probably use that time to do stuff with HoB. If anything, it'll actually work out better for us, since he'll keep up his strength and general condition that way.
Will there be any collaboration between the two bands?
I doubt it, I don't think Ed would want to do two shows in one night. It would make an awesome bill though. I love their stuff, and it's not like we're miles apart, sound wise. They're all cool guys as well, so it'd be a lot of fun to do. Time will tell, though.
Are there any new bands youre really into? Any local favorites?
Well, you just mentioned Hail of Bullets. Death Breath from Sweden are wonderful. There's a Dutch band called Massive Assault which I like a lot. A local band called Remains have been doing some cool shows around here, it'll be interesting to see where that's heading.
Any last comments?
Yeah, I hope some of the Ultimate Metal readers will give Rise To Ruin a try. Candlelight USA have released it in the US, so it can't be that hard to find. Anyway, we're all really proud of it, so give it a listen!
Thanks a lot guys. Hopefully well see a lot of Gorefest in the near future.
Thanks, we'll do our best!
cheers,
Frank Harthoorn
Gorefest
Official Gorefest Website
Official Candlelight Website
