THIS IS AN INTERVIEW WITH LETHAL FROM SWEDEN
Official Website:
http://algol.ath.cx/~erik/lethal/
THRASH 'TIL DEATH!
LA: Hello, fellow metalheads! This is Lunatic Asylum speaking to
Mikael Markström of Lethal.
First of all, I would like to thank you for bringing forth to the world such a brilliant album "Demolition", 2004 (Steelfire Invasion/Final Punishment Records). After listening to your demo and sharing it with the others I inferred that thrash will always have a staunch fan base and I would love to point out I was astounded at the sound of the guitars and bass roaring as a wall of neverending relentless attack making your head bang while insane drummer technique floods the songs with its true metal attitude.
Now to the questions, Mike, when did you first had an idea of creating Lethal and gathered up to rehearse? Were there a lot of problems to keep the original line-up together (money problems, no rehearsals' space) before recording the demo tape?
M: Hey man, first of all thanks for the interest!
Now towards the answers; The idea was born sometime during the late half of 2003 and then me, Erik and Bob started looking for a drummer. We found one and started actually doing stuff in early 2004, and yes, there was problems with the lineup. The first drummer we had (Chris) didn't last long so we got Emil like a month before our first gig and recording the demo, but luckily that worked out fine. We had a place to rehearse but we shared that with some other bands and there was all kinds of problems there as well, broken amps, missing drum kits and loads more.
LA: If you recall, how did your first recording go?
M: I think it went very well for a first recording with minimal funds, the equipment was crap and the studio guy had never been in that studio before but I think it turned out OK anyway - and it did get us signed, hehe.
LA: Do you personally know those bands who are on your "The Cocoon of Asphyx" split, released in 2005. In a few words, what can you tell us about them? What is the tracklist on that split?
M: I don't know them personally, Gab of nihilistic holocaust contacted me about being on that split and I thought the company looked ace so we were in. There was some communication problems so not all of the tracks from the demo are on there (We had other plans that didn't work out and finally settled for the demo - but the last two tracks got left out)
The tracklisting is as follows:
Incinerator (Swe)
1. Disciples of Sodom
2. The Return of the Thrashing Dead
3. Premeditated Murder
Vacarme
4. Blade
5. Inconceivable Brutality
6. Death Sentence
7. Men Eater
8. Dead Bastard
9. Infertile Suffer
Lethal (Swe)
10. Devastation
11. Lethal Injection
12. Silent Strike
13. Violent Solution
Re-Creation
14. Idol Worship
15. Dead-Alive
16. Cause-Effect
LA: The world waits for your 7" - Deliverance, which is on Diabolical Constellation, Final Punishment and Witches Brew labels, the tracks
off that album are undoubtfully recorded at a professional level which surprises many a listener with its classic sound from eighties and heavy thrash attitude along with your German-thrash-inspired vocals (I can point out Destruction, Kreator influences here, right?), when will it be released and could you unreveal some aspects of differences of that album from the tape?
M: Well, it was SUPPOSED to be released at least six months ago, but latest word I heard was early 2006 so hopefully you won't have to wait much longer! Everything about it is simply better in my opinion, soundwise as well as the material... And the influences are pretty dead on but not enough, we don't really copy bands and aren't that narrow in our influences - even if I've
heard lots of comparisons with Tom Angelripper vocalwise on the demo... The vox aren't very similar on the 7", and overall I think the Razor comparisons will be fewer. There's two fast, violent thrashers and one more longer, fast violent thrasher, something for all tastes! As long as they include fast, violent thrash! Plenty more kickass breaks and hellbanger riffs as well.
Mike Unleashing His Fury
LA: The band is moving further into thrash metal madness with the
latest release, what is the general conception of the latest 7"?
M: Not sure what I should answer here, do you mean concept or what people think about it? Those who have heard it are very positive anyway, but that's not too many since it's not out yet... And the songs don't follow one general concept, but of course we're dealing with violence and bloodshed! Deliverance will come to you.
LA: Mike, you had a problem with your last guitar player (Erik), who moved to states to get education right after the recording of Demoltion and Jonte Jonsson is going to fill in now, how did you meet him?
M: Erik moved to Piteå here in Sweden, but it's still too far to keep the thrashing madness up with rehearsals and all of that...
Jonte saw on our website that we were looking for a new guitarist, contacted me and we had him over to rehearse. So far it's going well so it looks like he'll stay.
LA: From an interview from Cheryl (The owner of the Witches Brew label) I heard you are preparing to enter a studio and record a full-length in 2006, is there any material prepared for that record?
M: Yes, we've got maybe half an album or so done, hopefully it'll be out in the first half of 2006... So keep your eyes open by 2035 or so! Anyways, the news songs we have already kick ass like we never have before, it's more varied and just plain fucking good.
LA: Have your musical influences changed during the time spent in a band?
M: Not really, at least for me, but we've all gotten better as musicians (Especially me I'd say since I was pretty crap to start with, haha) which means we can use more of what's within when we make new stuff.
LA: Your listeners want to get your album worldwide, what can you tell
people who download your tracks off file sharing computer programs?
M: I have no problems with it at all, but I trust that those who like it will get the real thing to help us and the label to afford to release more stuff... Most important, of course, is that those who want to listen can listen.
LA: What are your hobbies besides playing in a band, do you have to
work to buy equipment and pay for a living? It is clear that one's
preoccupations affect their music much, do you agree with that?
M: I don't really have many other hobbies than music actually... Getting drunk, does that count? I listen to music practically all day every day. And yes, we all have to work to get equipment and pay for a living, but during the semesters I live on study loans and both Böb and Emil are unemployed at the moment we we're not a rich bunch... Work all summer to live all year basically, and that includes equipment, rent, study costs, food... Everything. And no, I see music as a completely detached part of work/study life, but maybe not the other way around... OK, that was unclear so i'll try again: I take hellthrashing madness with me to work/school, but I leave work/school out of the hellthrashing.
LA: If you had an offer to swap places with a Hustler photographer
would you do that?
M: Fuck yeah if the pay was nice and I got enough free time to thrash.
Emil Ramming His Drumset
LA: How long does it take to untangle your hair after your live shows?
M: Tough question... I don't think man has crafted a way to measure such periods of time yet. But mostly I don't bother for a while.
LA: Can you tell a funny story or two from your band's life?
M: I don't know what would fit in here really, thinking so hard my brain is aching but I can't come up with anything appropriate, just old drunk stories and such. I broke my pelvis once, that was heaps of fun and the scene is re-enacted in the video for Fire Reigns the Sky (off the Deliverance 7"), check it out! It's on our website or use this link:
http://nw.ath.cx/~erik/lethal/Lethal_-_Fire_Reigns_the_Sky.avi
LA: Thank you, for your full answers, Mike. And, finally, your words
to the metalheads who are supporting and keeping the metal scene
alive!
M: Thank YOU for shown interest and giving me some blabbering space!
Find some stupid bastard to pay a trip for us to your place and book us a gig!
THRASH WITH THE DEVIL!
Hell Mike Motörbike of
Lethal, Sweden - http://algol.ath.cx/~erik/lethal/
Official Website:
http://algol.ath.cx/~erik/lethal/
THRASH 'TIL DEATH!
LA: Hello, fellow metalheads! This is Lunatic Asylum speaking to
Mikael Markström of Lethal.
First of all, I would like to thank you for bringing forth to the world such a brilliant album "Demolition", 2004 (Steelfire Invasion/Final Punishment Records). After listening to your demo and sharing it with the others I inferred that thrash will always have a staunch fan base and I would love to point out I was astounded at the sound of the guitars and bass roaring as a wall of neverending relentless attack making your head bang while insane drummer technique floods the songs with its true metal attitude.
Now to the questions, Mike, when did you first had an idea of creating Lethal and gathered up to rehearse? Were there a lot of problems to keep the original line-up together (money problems, no rehearsals' space) before recording the demo tape?
M: Hey man, first of all thanks for the interest!
Now towards the answers; The idea was born sometime during the late half of 2003 and then me, Erik and Bob started looking for a drummer. We found one and started actually doing stuff in early 2004, and yes, there was problems with the lineup. The first drummer we had (Chris) didn't last long so we got Emil like a month before our first gig and recording the demo, but luckily that worked out fine. We had a place to rehearse but we shared that with some other bands and there was all kinds of problems there as well, broken amps, missing drum kits and loads more.
LA: If you recall, how did your first recording go?
M: I think it went very well for a first recording with minimal funds, the equipment was crap and the studio guy had never been in that studio before but I think it turned out OK anyway - and it did get us signed, hehe.
LA: Do you personally know those bands who are on your "The Cocoon of Asphyx" split, released in 2005. In a few words, what can you tell us about them? What is the tracklist on that split?
M: I don't know them personally, Gab of nihilistic holocaust contacted me about being on that split and I thought the company looked ace so we were in. There was some communication problems so not all of the tracks from the demo are on there (We had other plans that didn't work out and finally settled for the demo - but the last two tracks got left out)
The tracklisting is as follows:
Incinerator (Swe)
1. Disciples of Sodom
2. The Return of the Thrashing Dead
3. Premeditated Murder
Vacarme
4. Blade
5. Inconceivable Brutality
6. Death Sentence
7. Men Eater
8. Dead Bastard
9. Infertile Suffer
Lethal (Swe)
10. Devastation
11. Lethal Injection
12. Silent Strike
13. Violent Solution
Re-Creation
14. Idol Worship
15. Dead-Alive
16. Cause-Effect
LA: The world waits for your 7" - Deliverance, which is on Diabolical Constellation, Final Punishment and Witches Brew labels, the tracks
off that album are undoubtfully recorded at a professional level which surprises many a listener with its classic sound from eighties and heavy thrash attitude along with your German-thrash-inspired vocals (I can point out Destruction, Kreator influences here, right?), when will it be released and could you unreveal some aspects of differences of that album from the tape?
M: Well, it was SUPPOSED to be released at least six months ago, but latest word I heard was early 2006 so hopefully you won't have to wait much longer! Everything about it is simply better in my opinion, soundwise as well as the material... And the influences are pretty dead on but not enough, we don't really copy bands and aren't that narrow in our influences - even if I've
heard lots of comparisons with Tom Angelripper vocalwise on the demo... The vox aren't very similar on the 7", and overall I think the Razor comparisons will be fewer. There's two fast, violent thrashers and one more longer, fast violent thrasher, something for all tastes! As long as they include fast, violent thrash! Plenty more kickass breaks and hellbanger riffs as well.
Mike Unleashing His Fury
LA: The band is moving further into thrash metal madness with the
latest release, what is the general conception of the latest 7"?
M: Not sure what I should answer here, do you mean concept or what people think about it? Those who have heard it are very positive anyway, but that's not too many since it's not out yet... And the songs don't follow one general concept, but of course we're dealing with violence and bloodshed! Deliverance will come to you.
LA: Mike, you had a problem with your last guitar player (Erik), who moved to states to get education right after the recording of Demoltion and Jonte Jonsson is going to fill in now, how did you meet him?
M: Erik moved to Piteå here in Sweden, but it's still too far to keep the thrashing madness up with rehearsals and all of that...
Jonte saw on our website that we were looking for a new guitarist, contacted me and we had him over to rehearse. So far it's going well so it looks like he'll stay.
LA: From an interview from Cheryl (The owner of the Witches Brew label) I heard you are preparing to enter a studio and record a full-length in 2006, is there any material prepared for that record?
M: Yes, we've got maybe half an album or so done, hopefully it'll be out in the first half of 2006... So keep your eyes open by 2035 or so! Anyways, the news songs we have already kick ass like we never have before, it's more varied and just plain fucking good.
LA: Have your musical influences changed during the time spent in a band?
M: Not really, at least for me, but we've all gotten better as musicians (Especially me I'd say since I was pretty crap to start with, haha) which means we can use more of what's within when we make new stuff.
LA: Your listeners want to get your album worldwide, what can you tell
people who download your tracks off file sharing computer programs?
M: I have no problems with it at all, but I trust that those who like it will get the real thing to help us and the label to afford to release more stuff... Most important, of course, is that those who want to listen can listen.
LA: What are your hobbies besides playing in a band, do you have to
work to buy equipment and pay for a living? It is clear that one's
preoccupations affect their music much, do you agree with that?
M: I don't really have many other hobbies than music actually... Getting drunk, does that count? I listen to music practically all day every day. And yes, we all have to work to get equipment and pay for a living, but during the semesters I live on study loans and both Böb and Emil are unemployed at the moment we we're not a rich bunch... Work all summer to live all year basically, and that includes equipment, rent, study costs, food... Everything. And no, I see music as a completely detached part of work/study life, but maybe not the other way around... OK, that was unclear so i'll try again: I take hellthrashing madness with me to work/school, but I leave work/school out of the hellthrashing.
LA: If you had an offer to swap places with a Hustler photographer
would you do that?
M: Fuck yeah if the pay was nice and I got enough free time to thrash.
Emil Ramming His Drumset
LA: How long does it take to untangle your hair after your live shows?
M: Tough question... I don't think man has crafted a way to measure such periods of time yet. But mostly I don't bother for a while.
LA: Can you tell a funny story or two from your band's life?
M: I don't know what would fit in here really, thinking so hard my brain is aching but I can't come up with anything appropriate, just old drunk stories and such. I broke my pelvis once, that was heaps of fun and the scene is re-enacted in the video for Fire Reigns the Sky (off the Deliverance 7"), check it out! It's on our website or use this link:
http://nw.ath.cx/~erik/lethal/Lethal_-_Fire_Reigns_the_Sky.avi
LA: Thank you, for your full answers, Mike. And, finally, your words
to the metalheads who are supporting and keeping the metal scene
alive!
M: Thank YOU for shown interest and giving me some blabbering space!
Find some stupid bastard to pay a trip for us to your place and book us a gig!
THRASH WITH THE DEVIL!
Hell Mike Motörbike of
Lethal, Sweden - http://algol.ath.cx/~erik/lethal/
