Interview with SHRINE OF MAGGOTS
!!!BLACKENED METALPUNK FROM GERMANY!!!
Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.
Tell us a few things about SHRINE OF MAGGOTS (Members, Starting Year etc).
Shrine of Maggots is basically a solo project. It started as a side project to my other solo project called untier (blackened doom/ sludge; https://untier.bandcamp.com) and the band I'm currently playing in, called Gräuel (black metal; recordings are scheduled for the late summer of 2024). The songs were written over a period of one and a half years, I guess.
You have recently released your album ''Spiritual Feces''. What is the feedback from your audience as well as from the press?
The album is online for just one week right now, so there hasn't been that much feedback yet. But the reactions I got so far were quite positive.
Label or DIY and why?
My musical and ethical roots are in the Metal, as well as in the Punk scene. So DIY has always been an important subject for me. To me "music" is not just the auditory experience, but everything associated. You know, the music itself, the lyrics, the band logo, artwork and imagery of the record cover, live presentation and so on. And as the one who's writing the songs I feel responsible and enjoy creating everything of the above myself, because I feel that everything is an equal aspect of the complete work and should not be alienated by any outer influences. Regarding the release on the material, however, I gladly leave this to someone else. I don't really care about social media, promoting the stuff I created and so on. I find that rather time consuming, boring and even worse - it would keep me from being creative. Therefore I thankfully accepted, when Daniel from Rat Covenant (https://ratcovenant.bandcamp.com/) offered to release the Shrine of Maggots debut on tape. (My untier record, by the way has been released on tape via Rat Covenant, as well. And on CD via Crawling Chaos Records - https://thecrawlingchaos-records.de/). I would love to release the SoM album on vinyl, as well, but I still have to find a label for that.
Is there any funny or weird story from the recordings or from your live shows that you would like to share with us?
As SoM is a one-man-project there were and will be no live shows. Recording took place at home, so actually nothing really funny or weird happened during the process. However, it might be of interest, that the first song I wrote for SoM (temple of the worm) was originally supposed to be the first song for my band Gräuel. But as Gräuel musically went more and more into a darker direction, the song wouldn't really fit to the rest of the material. So I decided to use it for SoM. My Gräuel bandmates none the less are still trying to convince me to play "temple of the worm" live as a bonus track...
Do you prefer Vinyl, Tape, CD or Digital Format and why is that?
From an aesthetical standpoint I definitely prefer Vinyl. As mentioned above, I enjoy a record release as an entirety of different creative approaches. And a vinyl release with for instance its huge presentation of the artwork, lyrics etc. is just perfect for that.
Your music style is Black MetalPunk. Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
I've always been interested in quite a wide range of musical genres, but my main interest has always been Metal and Punk. Right now I'm listening to a lot of Doom (Cough, Body Void, Primitive Man), Crust (Martyrdöd, Skitsystem) and islandic Black Metal (Svartidaudi, Sinmara, Misthyrming). However, as main influences for SoM I would name the likes of Venom, Nifelheim, Midnight, Night's Blood (the other project of some of my Gräuel bandmates; https://nightsbloodrites.bandcamp.com/) or maybe Malokarpatan.
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?
Hard to say. Music (consuming as well as creating) has always been an integral part of my life. And I think if you really passionate about something, then making decisions in favor of that thing you love might not really feel as a sacrifice at all. On the other hand, something that's really poisonous for the creative flow in a band is an excessive amount of ego. So I would say, fuck that. Get rid of your fucking vanity and concentrate on what's really important, which is collectively creating something that is bigger than your pathetic self.
Describe your ideal live show as a performance band. Have you already experienced that?
I've had some really satisfying shows with bands I previously played in. Essential to those experiences were a small but dedicated crowd, a filthy DIY Location and a capable sound technician. I think that a good concert is sort of an exchange of energy - you get in touch with the other persons around you on a rather archaic level. There are no borders between the band and the audience. So to me a perfect show is about transcendence, ecstasy and unity, as cheesy as it may sound.
What attributes do you think that a new Black MetalPunk Band should have in order to gain identity and be unique?
It should be like a mangy dog, fetid, aggressive and indifferent to where it leaves its feces.
Do you believe that Digital Platforms help the new Black MetalPunk Bands? Which, do you think, is the ideal way for a band to promote its work?
I feel quite ambivalent about those digital platforms. On one hand these are quite helpful to "spread the word". For instance I doubt that you would ever have invited me for this interview, or even have heard of SoM, if it wasn't for those platforms. On the other hand I think that these platforms change the reception of music in a way that I do not like at all. Back in the days (attention - old fart is talking right now) we went to a record shop, which usually took us some hours. Then we carefully digged through the pile of records until we finally decided, which one we wanted to buy from our puny savings. And when we finally got home, we listened to that record over and over again until we had learned it by heart. These days music is available without any effort or cost at all, which sometimes leads to less appreciation. It seems like many people aren't willing anymore to take the time to listen to a whole new album before they make their judgement. It's simply too easy to press skip and switch to the next band. I mean, I've got to learn a lot of great bands via these digital platforms that otherwise I might never had heard of. But it also creates some sort of oversaturation that I feel is not positive at all.
Tell us a few things about the New Underground Metal Scene in Germany (Bands, Fanzines, Webzines, Metal Clubs etc.)
After that plague-induced break during the Corona-years, the underground live music scene here in Germany is finally starting to recover. A few month ago I went to a festival called "a Sinister Purpose" that took place at UT Connewitz in Leipzig. The location is an old cinema and the atmosphere there was absolutely amazing. My favourite acts were Drowned and Mare. Other great German underground bands worth checking out are for instance Ultha, Grim van Doom, Night's Blood, Sphinx, Devil's Hour, Hexer, Mantar, The Night Eternal, Friisk, Imha Tarikat and Verheerer. Label-wise I would recommend checking out Vendetta Records, Crawling Chaos Records, Rat Covenant, Dying Victims Productions, Amor Fati Productions and Ván Records. Some of the locations I regularly attend live shows would be Helvete (not THAT Helvete) in Oberhausen, which is a concert Venue/ Bar that specializes on Metal, Don't Panic in Essen and the Junkyard in Dortmund.
Do you know anything about the Hellenic Metal Scene?
Some bands from Greece I know and like are Rotting Christ, Septic Flesh, Kawir, Black Blood Invocation, On Thorns I Lay, Cult of Eibon and Suicidal Angels. While doing this interview I actually got curious and will look up more stuff, as I've heard several times before, that the Hellenic metal scene is a very dedicated one!
The last 4 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?
Being bombarded with fucked up news on a daily basis surely influenced me as a person, as well as a musician. I have a strong social background and ressources like my interest in music for example, that kept me from becoming depressive or resigned. However, I realized that after a period of making non-political music (e.g. lyrics) I felt the urge to get my fuckin' ass up again and take a stand. While Som on the surface might seem a rather fun and more or less self-ironic project (or maybe not), there are quite some serious topics and hints to where I stand ideologically. For instance, a few years ago I would not have regarded it necessary to state on the cover of one of my releases that I despise fascism. These days, however, I feel that this is important. Regarding the lockdown - that was a real fucked up period, but I must say that at times I also quite enjoyed the solitude.
What are your future plans?
My main focus right now is on the recordings of Gräuel. If everything works out, we will be able to release the album in the fall of 2024 and then we will play shows as well. Regarding SoM, I'm still searching for a label that is willing to release the album on vinyl or at least on CD.
Thank you very much for your time & keep up the good work! The closure is yours.
Thank YOU for inviting and thus supporting Shrine of Maggots. Keep the underground alive!
By Steve the Filthy Dog.
SHRINE OF MAGGOTS CONTACT:
https://www.instagram.com/shrine_of_maggots/
https://shrineofmaggots.bandcamp.com/album/spiritual-feces