Interview with ABHORRATION
!!!SATANIC DEATH METAL FROM NORWAY!!!
We had a a conversation with Magnus (Guitars). Enjoy!
Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.
Tell us a few things about ABHORRATION (Members, Starting Year etc).
Aberration started out around May 2020, with Øyvind on drums, and me, Magnus, on guitars. I had just moved back from Australia after four years, and contacted Øyvind pretty soon after arriving. Øyvind and I had played together in Condor before I moved to Australia, so I was eager to get back together and pound out some punishing death metal! We both played with Andreas in a band called Mabuse before, so we asked him to join after six months or so. The three of us recorded After Winter Comes War at his then rehearsal space a year or so later. We all knew Arild from Nekromantheon/Obliteration from before, and knowing his skills behind the mixing table we asked if he could mix the demo. After the mixing was done we asked if he wanted to join the band as lead guitarist, which he luckily said yes to!
You have recently released your album ''Demonolatry''. What is the feedback from your audience as well as from the press?
Feedback has been good. So far I haven’t read anything negative, other than a few people finding it too Altars-of-Madness-y, which it is. I wouldn't say we’ve copied Morbid Angel per se,no way we’d be able to for that matter, but the music is extremely inspired by their early recordings.
The cover artwork has a sick atmosphere! Tell us a few things about it.
The cover was made by Kristian Valbo, the drummer of Obliteration and other great bands. We sent him a collage of covers in the style we wanted, including Ancient Black Earth, Fetishism, Abominations, Satanic Blood, Obsessed by Cruelty and so on, but didn’t give him many pointers other than that. We wanted something primitive, evil and old-looking, and I’d say he nailed it.
And what about the lyrics?
The lyrics revolve around demon worship, ritual sacrifice, idolatry and apostasy, inspired by various grimoires, witchcraft treatises and other related texts. I had the idea of having an overarching theme of Demonolatry, hence the title.
How did your cooperation with Invictus Productions occur? What do you prefer most, Label or DIY and why?
I got in contact with Invitus through my previous band, Hecatomb. They did our demo, Horrid Invocations, on vinyl in 2021, so I contacted Darragh with the new material and he offered to release the demo. We’ve had a good experience with the label, so I think we’ll stay there for a while! I do prefer demos to be released outside of a label, even though we didn't do that this time around. To me it's not a demo if it's already on a label, so to do it the right way it should be DIY. However, it’s a lot of work doing it yourself, and when Invictus was actually interested in releasing it, of course we went with them.
Is there any funny or weird story from the recordings or from your live shows that you would like to share with us?
The most Spinal Tap-like episode I can think of off the top of my head is when we played in Sweden last. We’d all fallen asleep in the hotel room just before the concert, so we were short on time before going on stage. We had decided to skip one song in the playlist, but had forgotten to decide which one. We had also lost the initial setlists we had written, so 10 minutes before the show Andreas and I had to decide on the song, and write new ones. We wrote the four setlists in a hurry and went on stage. We had written in red marker, and fate would have it so that the lights on stage were also red, so we couldn’t actually see what we had written at all. That kinda sucked, but it worked out.
Do you prefer Vinyl, Tape, CD or Digital Format and why is that?
Vinyl for sure. Best overall format. The cover is bigger, the sound is better, and it becomes more of an experience listening to it.
Your music style is Death Metal. Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
Morbid Angel, Sadistic Intent, Possessed, Death Strike, Immolation, Vader and Sabbat (Jap) are what comes to mind, as well as various 80s and 90s demos.
Which things do you think a band should sacrifice in order to succeed? Have you ever sacrificed anything in your life for a better future for your band?
A career. Fuck your job, metal is whats important, along with family and friends of course. Metal is all consuming, and should to a certain extent be a lifestyle. I also think it’s a bad idea to play in too many bands if you want any of them to succeed, at least that’s how it is for me. Not that any of my bands have ever succeeded, but it’s impossible for me to give multiple bands 100%.
What does METAL means to you and tell to our readers10 Metal releases that have "entered" your blood.
Real metal means everything. As I said, it’s all consuming, and it impacts what you think about, who your friends are, where you live, where you travel, what you read, and generally your outlook on life and people. Ten of my most important records:
● Sarcofago - INRI
● Sadus - Illusions
● Mercyful Fate - Don’t Break the Oath
● Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness
● Destruction - Infernal Overkill
● Autopsy - Severed Survival
● Sadistic Intent - Resurrection
● Darkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky
● Aura Noir - Black Thrash Attack
● Sabbat - Fetishism
Describe your ideal live show as a performance band. Have you already experienced that?
The ideal performance would have been to be the touring support band for Morbid Angels European Madness tour in 1989. We have not experienced that just yet.
From your experience as a musicians to various metal music projects, what would you tell a new band to avoid or what to do?
Don’t be afraid to ask for what you deserve, and don't let promoters and labels fuck you around. Also, don’t limit your sound based on previous releases. Use all the riffs that sound good within your genre. If you have good taste, you’ll probably make good riffs. And lastly, don’t release anything you’re not 100% happy with. It’s better to wait until everything sounds the way it should.
Tell us a few things about the New Underground Metal Scene in Oslo, Norway (Bands, Fanzines, Webzines, Metal Clubs etc.)
No news to tell you about zines or bars, but there are some good bands. If you haven't already, you should check out Impugner, Sovereign, Dødskvad, Avmakt and Desolation Realm.
Do you know anything about the Hellenic Metal Scene?
Not much unfortunately. I’ve listened to a handful of bands through the years, but not nearly enough. I’m sure there are loads of great bands from Greece!
In the last 4 years, worldwide in the world, we have faced many dark, strange, and new situations in our everyday lives (covid, lockdown, etc.). Did all of this affect you positively or negatively?
We had some cancelled shows during Covid, but we didn’t become very active until after lockdowns ended, so it didn’t impact us much. Restrictions weren’t too bad in Norway compared to many other countries, and now it’s a distant memory so I can’t think of much. At least I had time to write riffs and rehearse, with everything else closed down!
What are your future plans?
We’re slowly working towards a new album, but 2025 will mostly be filled with concerts. We’ve got quite a few shows around Europe planned, though not many are announced just yet. So look out metal maniacs, evil death metal might be coming your way!!
Thank you very much for your time & keep up the good work! The closure is yours.
CRUSH, KILL, DESTROY!!
By Steve the Filthy Dog.
ABHORRATION CONTACT:
https://www.facebook.com/abhorration666
https://abhorration666.bandcamp.com/