There are certain cynical blowhards out there that would have you believe that death metal is a spent force, lost in a sea of flesh tunnels, breakdowns and Pro-Tools, but if you’ve been keeping your ear to the underground you’ll know that the rumours of the genre’s death have been greatly exaggerated. Finland’s Necrolepsy are but one of the many bands dragging the genre back to its depraved roots, and have just released ‘Deathnoise’, undoubtedly one of the most beautifully rancid demo tapes of the year. If you long for the stench of rotting death that emanates from the likes of Autopsy, Nihilist and Repulsion, then this tape is going to rule your world. Information about the band is pretty scarce, so Grind To Death contacted drummer/vocalist Toni Linden to find out more…
1 – First of all, could you tell us a bit about yourself and
what it is that you do?
I'm Toni and I beat the drums and shout.
2 – What inspired you to form Necrolepsy? What are your
musical backgrounds/influences?
At first I made some songs by myself and decided to make a
demo of them. Thats basically how Necrolepsy was born. Then I just started to
look for players and after a few lineup changes found a perfect lineup. The
most obvious influences are probably bands like Autopsy, Nihilist/Entombed,
Impetigo, Necrophagia etc. and old horror movies/soundtracks. Its more about
the morbid feeling than about the genre or style itself. I also listen a lot of
all kinds of metal and punk.
3 – There aren’t too many death metal bands out there where
the drummer also provides primary vocals (Autopsy and Nocturnus being the most
obvious examples I suppose). Why did you decide to take on both roles?
At first there was only me playing guitar and the bass
player, but it was a bit boring to play that way, so I changed to drums. Also
it was harder to find a proper drummer than a guitar player.
4 - ‘Deathnoise’ has a real gnarly old-school sound to it.
Whereabouts did you record it?
It was recorded and mixed in our rehearsal place by
ourselves. We want the sound to be really raw and couldn't find anyone who
would understand what we were looking for so we did it ourselves. No
compromise! DIY!
5 – The artwork for ‘Deathnoise’ is amazing, it has a
definite ‘Mental Funeral’ vibe, and really suits the music. Who was responsible
for creating this grotesque vision?
It was done by Archlord of Necromancy from Black Feast. He
also did the cover of our first demo. He's a fucking maniac and truly knows
what death metal should be.
6 – There are a couple of well-placed horror move samples on
‘Deathnoise’. Have you seen any good horror films recently that you’d
recommend?
I actually haven't really had time to watch movies lately.
Probably the latest were "At midnight I will take your soul" and
"Black magic rites". Also the Fulci classicks "The Beyond",
"City of the living dead" and "Zombi 2" work always.
7 – You recently put out a split with fellow Finns
Axeslaughter. How did you get in touch with these guys, and can we expect any
more split releases in the future?
Ville from Axeslaughter is a good friend of ours. There has
been talk about a split with Black Feast, but theres nothing planned or
anything. We don't have much material, but hopefully that will happen some day.
8 – There seems to be a lot of awesome death metal coming
out of Finland right now, with bands like Hooded Menace and Swallowed making
big impressions overseas. How are you finding the scene out there at the
moment? Are there any other bands we should check out?
Well I don't know about the scene, it seems that most people
are only into black metal, but there are some cool bands like Stench of Decay,
Ascended and Huoripukki. And Of course Black Feast and Axeslaughter too. Also
the punk scene here is awesome With bands like Kuolema, Ydintuho, Ristisaatto
and Konkurssi just to name a few.
9 – Do you have any plans to play shows outside of Finland?
A European tour would be awesome!
No, not any plans yet. But of course a gig or a small tour
in europe would be cool. We just don't have the necessary contacts to arrange
one. Of course if someone is willing to help, just get in touch.
10 – What’s next for Necrolepsy? Can we expect a full-length
anytime soon?
We'll probably release another demo. We have two songs and
an intro ready. Just need two or three songs more. Maybe after that we'll
record a full-length. We are just very slow making songs so it may take a
while.
11 – Thanks a lot for answering our questions! Any final
words?
Thanks for the interview! Death By Metal!
