Information
Author: Mourning
Translation: Insanity
Line Up
Pavel - Drums
Serge - Guitars
Ivan - Vocals
The pounding Eastern Europe, the ex USSR is full of bands whose primary weapon is brutality. Are with us today Relics Of Humanity, a band that follow and interpret that commandment with an admirable feeling.
Welcome to Aristocrazia Webzine, how are you? How do you spend your summer?
Sergey: Hello bro. Feeling good! This summer is fuckin' sick!
Let's start with presentations: let's speak about the history of the band, its members and also giving some informations about "Guided By The Soulless Call", I leave you the word.
Ok. I started a band in 2005 or 2006 as one-man-project and posted some demo tracks on extreme metal forums. The first band name was Disfigured Bitch Corpses. Then I started searching guys who could play with me this stuff, but this attempt was unfortunate. During 2009-2010 I wrote some new stuff and decided to release it as a new promo, "The Core Of Everything Is Rotting". I made a cover for that CD, created drum machines for tracks, played guitars and bass parts and mastered that stuff. After that Ivan joined me and did some crazy vocals for this stuff. I created Myspace and Facebook pages and post this songs on ROH profiles. Shortly afterwards Pavel joined us as a drummer. We played our first gig at Moscow Death Fest with Prostitute Disfigurement in april 2011. During autumn and winter 2011 we played some gigs, recorded an album that was called "Guided By The Soulless Call" and released it on Amputated Vein Records on 2 July. I have no rights to tell something more about it, so just check it out.
How did you get to play this kind of music? What were the listenings and the bands that have characterized the growth of your desire to give life to your own band?
I’ve started listening to Death Metal about ten years ago. My first experiences were Cannibal Corpse, Six Feet Under, Deicide, Morbid Angel, Immolation, Broken Hope, Banished and others. Me and my friends began trying to make our own demo records at once. There was not so much of quality but we did it with soul. I don’t know what I was led by back there, but I was already sure that I would never leave this thing. Then I heard Suffocation and that was the real turnover in my view of composing music. After Disgorge (USA), Devourment, Severed Savior, Deeds Of Flesh, Decrepit Birth added to my favourites. I wanted to play as much technical as slamming and sticky brutal as well. I spent nights polishing my technique. I made record after record. And somewhere around 2006 when the wave of acid logos and superslamming riffs came I started introducing my tracks in the internet. All that experience somehow affected my view of composing music. There are not so many bands on today’s stage that impress me really hard, I think that's because of my taste that was formed long ago. I’d like to point out Defeated Sanity, Condemned, Disentomb. I’m also glad that the great Disgorge are back. I’m looking forward to hear their new album. And I’m pretty sure that Sanchez & co. will throw the edge of the style to the unreachable level once again.
Do you have a very nineties approach, how did your songs born? How many hours or days do you dedicate to meet yourself in rehearsal room?
I compose all the music and make drafts to all the other instruments, then each member adds his own tricks and chops improving them. At least that’s the way we did it in "Guided By The Soulless Call". We rehearse not as much as we would like to. Yep.
How do you give life to lyrics and what are the issues that you face?
The lyrics are about spiritual blindness of the mankind, leading the “civilization” to the abyss. This is the essential part of our stuff. But it is not some kind of propaganda. We are not set warlike. We are not going to burn churches or something like that. It’s just surrealistic fantasies, bound with biblical scripts, containing deep meaning. The listener should define his attitude to the lyrics himself. You know what they say: "The one who has reason, will see his number...".
This is a question I often do because I hope people don't ever consider wrongly this type of proposals because based only on clichés without ever having pursued the issue: how important for you to communicate? People have so much haste and they didn't have the desire to read a booklet?
You may define our desire to communicate on your own example. Generally yes, we must be together!
When we speak about the "extreme", one of the complaints that I received is a "flattening", too many clones that sounds as they were in a hurry to finish each song by then filling with "nothing" a fifty minutes album. What is your thinking about the death metal today? Strengths, weaknesses, there is something you would like to eliminate it altogether?
There is one bullshit from my point if view. I mean there is a popular form of DM which is easy to play and don’t require from musicians certain commitment to the style. And there is an impression that people who play that kind of DM don’t know the roots. I think this is total bullshit! But there will always be the real bands making brutal stuff and pushing the style forward. Hope someday someone will include us in this list.
In addition to your album, I have write about "Blast From The Underground" of Unlucky Buried, I listened to the debut of Ossuary "One Against The World", how is your national scene? What are the bands that you feel worthy, with whom you have friendship and with maybe often sharing the stage with?
Our stage is not so powerful and cooperative. But the dynamics are positive generally. I hope to answer questions like this more eager in some years.
How did you came in contact with Amputated Vein (estimated label that has give birth to great releases in these years)?
Totally agreed! Amputated Vein is one of the strongest labels on contemporary brutal stage. That’s why it is so hard to convey what I felt when I read the message from Masakatsu which he inboxed in our myspace page where he offered us a contract on our debut release. We are glad and entirely satisfied with our collaboration. He did so much for us! And we cordially thank him a lot!
Have you even heard of or have you came in contact with the "pay to play" phenomenon? If yes, what is your thought about it?
This "pay to play" is a damn thing. But I see the problem here not in organizers but in bands themselves, who agree to work this scheme out. They lose respect to themselves, to their stage collegues who deserve to play with this or that monster, and to a man who attends concert, ‘cause he deserves to see the best on stage more that anyone. I can put it that way, underground ends where PTP starts.
What are the last albums you bought?
Condemned's "Realms Of The Ungodly", Disentomb's “Sunken Chambers of Nephilim” and promo cd of Euphoric Defilement!
In most styles come back strongly in vogue the vinyl format, have you even had the idea to print your album on vinyl? Would you like it or for your sound the cd format is the best?
Yep, that would be definitely great, but for now it’s just a dream.
It is now more than a decade that we struggles whether it is appropriate to use the internet in the regard of art but, talking about music, the digitization has led a loss of contact with the essence of music, many people have hard disk crammed with stuff that they don't know, what we want to say to these people?
It is a personal choise of everyone. I think everyone who has HD full of music knows that there are CDs, vinyls and I think no one will deny that listening to the music straight from the official media is thousands times more pleasant. Listening to mp3 format is like watching sunsets, mountains, rivers, landscapes and so forth on pictures I would say. So, the choice is on you, whether you want to look at pictures or to see everything with your own eyes.
In addition to the issues pulled so far, what do you think are the problems that afflict the metal world today? And from what it are derived?
I can’t see any colossal problem, ‘cause underground is alive and breathing even during such difficult times for music as a whole. And that proves the independence of the real metal stage again.
Let's talk about live, are you out to play? There are scheduled dates outside your national borders?
We are going to play in many cities and countries, but it is difficult to tell about some definite dates and events yet.
What was the performance of which you were most satisfied? And how was the first time you were on stage?
Every gig we played was special and good. But it is the first our show that we’ll never forget. We can spend a day telling about that trip to Moscow. Nothing compares to the debut.
Are you already preparing a sequel of "Guided By The Soulless Call"?
Yeah man! I'm writing stuff for a new promo! Hope we will release it in the beginning of the next year! "Guided By The Soulless Call" is just the beginning!
I think it is enough, the final message is up to you.
Thank you for the interview, brothers! We thank all brutalheads for support and kind words. Your support is our fuel! Value the real and may the obscurity be with you!
