Interview with INTOXIKATOR
!!!SPEED/BLACK METAL FROM FRANCE!!!
Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.
Tell us a few things about INTOXIKATÖR (Members, Starting Year etc).
Intoxikatör is a Speed/Black Metal project started litteraly the day of the release. I am alone working on the project. The goal was to see if I could do some speed/black stuff. So, I took my oldest guitar and played some riffs, then I recorded what I came up with. It took me the whole afternoon and evening to do everything, writing lyrics, recording everything, doing the logo and artwork, finding a name etc... Also, I have many other project, but I don't want to cite them yet.
You have recently released your demo ''Intoxikatör''. What is the feedback from your audience as well as from the press?
There's no feedback yet, but if anyone has anything to say about it I'd be glad to hear it.
Label or DIY and why?
I don't really have a preference. It depends on many things. For my albums, I prefer releasing them through labels, and for other kind of stuff DIY is the best option, especially for short releases.
Do you prefer Vinyl, Tape, CD or Digital Format and why is that?
Again, I don't really have a preference, everything has its own charm, especially the vinyl, it's always nice to have your artwork in big format. Digital is easy to share and tapes have a old school feeling but often looks cheap.
Your music style is Black/Speed Metal. Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
I do play Black/Speed Metal, but I'm not so much into that genre, mostly because there isn't a ton of bands labelled like this. Midnight might be the biggest of the bunch. But, yes nothing else, I'm way more into Black/Thrash Metal like : Absu, Sarcoma Inc., Urn, Deströyer 666, Nifelheim, Toxic Holocaust and so on...
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?
I guess, that if you want to succeed, you have to give your "soul" to music, take every opportunities you have and transform them into something that'll push you forward. Some people sacrifice their job, to work full time on their music, that's what I'd like to do as well. Intoxikatör is just a "test", I released the demo to see how my take on Speed/Black could sound. I know there are imperfections and misplays even though it lasts only 5 minutes. If I decide to release something bigger, I would take the time to record everyhting properly, and to work a lot more on it. So, for Intoxikatör, I never sacrificied anything since it was just born, but if I start getting hyped by doing an EP or an album, I might make some choices.
Describe your ideal live show as a performance band. Have you already experienced that?
Never, I was asked to play live just before the covid with another of my project, but it has been cancelled, because of the quarantine, and because of the lack of a solid line-up. But, yeah I wish I could play someday. I don't have a ideal live show performance in mind, just playing live sounds already fun.
What attributes do you think that a new Black/Speed Metal Band should have in order to gain identity and be unique?
They shouldn't play with clichés as I did ahah.
Do you believe that Digital Platforms help the new Black/Speed Metal Bands? Which, do you think, is the ideal way for a band to promote its work?
Indeed digital platforms helps, I absolutely hate it when people say it doesn't. People discover your music thanks to them, I've known many labels thinking they would sell a lot more if the releases weren't free online. But that's bullshit, they do sell a lot more when the band's releases are online. There is so much releases everyday, what will make people buy your stuff instead of someone else's? If they can't listen to your stuff, people will just skip you, and spend money on something they liked. In the "metal music community" there is this spirit of collection, of supporting what they like, of wanting physical releases, if they want something they buy it.
Tell us a few things about the New Underground Metal Scene in France (Bands, Fanzines, Webzines, Metal Clubs etc.)
I know a ton of actual undergound bands, there is the "Pourpre Nébuleuse" circle that have many underground bands going from Symphonic Black Metal to Raw/Atmospheric BM bands. There is this band I'm a huge fan of "Sépulcre" that is for sure a future big name of the french death metal scene. We also have all these labels: Antiq Records, Les Acteurs de L'ombre, Listenable, Season of Mist, Osmose Productions, Feu Follet etc... Underground french metal scene is honestly one of the best actual underground scenes, maybe I say that because I'm part of it, but I sincerly thinks it.
Do you know anything about the Hellenic Metal Scene?
Yes sure, I listen to a ton of bands everyday, even though there isn't a lot of bands that catch my attention, there's a few I really enjoy : Zemial, Sorry... with their last album which is fucking dope (yeah it's Greece/USA), Hail Spirit Noir might be one the best things I recently discovered. Indeed I also know about Necromantia and Rotting Christ, but I'm really not into these, even though I tried many times to listen to them.
The last 3 years, worldwide in the world, we have faced many dark, strange & new situations in our everyday life (covid, lock-down etc.) Did all of this affect you positively or negatively?
I wouldn't say it was positive nor negative, I didn't care that much. I was at the university of Nantes when all of this happened, and at this time I already stopped hopping to get my license. So I was just at home, playing video games and listen to music all day long for 3 or 4 months. I used this time to record an album for my main project which has its fanbase and was greatly received. Now I think about it, it was more positive for me.
What are your future plans?
One of my goals is to create a project everytime I want to play another style of music. I recently released a Slam/Brutal Death Metal demo, and a Brutal Death/Goregrind EP, now I would like to release an Atmospheric Black Metal project and a Black/Death one. After that I would have completed most of the genres I want to(/Can) play. About Intoxikatör, a serious EP with more work and efforts could be great.
Thank you very much for your time & keep up the good work! The closure is yours.
Thanks a lot for the opportunity to talk, I didn't have a lot to say, Hopefully, the future will be bright, and some cool stuff will happen!
By Steve the Filthy Dog.
INTOXIKATOR CONTACT:
https://intoxikator.bandcamp.com/album/intoxikat-r