Inhabitants Of Dis

BLOODSHED
I asked Robin to give me a clue regarding the title of this interview and he was very willing to help me, so he offered not just one title but a list titles...Here’s a list of suggestions: · BLOODSHED – a short article on the design of Dis and the anatomy of pure terror.
· We wish you hell.
· Sowers of discord.
· Make love to Bruce Campbell.
· Paradoxal experience.
· The dark side of the force.
· We hope you die (? ANTAEUS).
· Earth vs. The giant spider.
· Dis awaits.
· Total deassss".
...Now apart from these reasons, add one more...the guys KNOW how to play great death/black metal!

1.FIRST OF ALL POINT OUT THE MOST IMPORTANT MOMENTS OF THE BANDS HISTORY UP TO DATE. INTRODUCE THE BAND TO THE FANS.

We, BLOODSHED, are Death/Black Metal band from Stockholm that was formed in MCMXCVI. Five members: Tommy Åberg (guitar and vocals), Glenn Verho (vocals), Mikael Vannequé (drums), Joel Geffen (guitar) and I, Robin, (bass and vocals). Four releases: “When the night betrays the light” (demo, MCMXCVII), “Laugher of destruction” (demo, MCMXCIX), “Skullcrusher” (EP, CD-version MMI, vinyl version MMII) and “Inhabitants of Dis” (album, MMII).

2.HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR MUSICAL STYLE? YOUR PRESS RELEASE LABELS YOU AS BLOODSHED METAL. IT'S LIKE GIVING YOU YOUR OWN CATEGORY. WHY?

I usually call it Death/Black Metal (or Black/Death Metal). We are definitely influenced musically by both those genres. Some people may call us Death Metal, some Black Metal, some just Metal. They can call us what ever they want. We make music we like. That comes first, labels are secondary.

3.NAME SOME OF YOUR MOST BELOVED ALBUMS, SOME OF YOUR INFLUENCES.

SLAYER – everything up to “Divine intervention”

HYPOCRISY – “Osculum obscenum”

DISSECTION - everything

IMMORTAL – “Pure holocaust”, “Battles in the north” and “At the heart of winter”

DARKTHRONE – everything

MORBID ANGEL – “Altars of madness” and “Covenant”

VADER – everything

BATHORY – the four first albums

GORGOROTH – “Pentagram” and “Under the sign of hell”

MAYHEM – everything up to “Grand declaration of war”

SATYRICON – “The shadow throne” and “Nemesis divina”

MARDUK – “Fuck me Jesus”, “Opus nocturn”, “Heaven shall burn...” and “Nightwing”

METALLICA – “Kill ‘em all”, “Ride the lightning” and “Master of puppets”

4.WHY HAVE YOU NAMED THE BAND THIS WAY? DO YOU THINK THAT THE MONICKER OF A BAND SHOULD BE AN INDICATOR OF ITS MUSICAL STYLE OR NOT?

We wanted a simple and aggressive sounding name. Bands can call themselves what ever they like, but we wanted something that indicates that our music is not a matter of pop or techno. I think BLOODSHED reeks of Metal.

5.TELL US A FEW THINGS ABOUT "INHABITANTS OF DIS". WHEN WAS IT RECORDED, HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU, WHO WAS THE PRODUCER? ARE YOU STILL SATISFIED WITH IT OR IS THERE ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO CHANGE?

In march of 2002 we spent a total of two weeks at Studio Sunlight, together with Tomas Skogsberg, who served as our sound engineer. We had no real producer. We told Tomas how we wanted it and he came with advice when we asked him or when he had a good idea. I’m satisfied with how it turned out, but there is always room for improvement. I don’t think we’ll ever be 100 % satisfied.

6.HOW MANY RELEASES DO YOU HAVE THIS FAR? CAN YOU COMPARE THEM AND TELL US WHICH ARE THE DIFFERENCES AND WHICH ARE THE SIMILARITES AMONG THEM?

Four releases: “When the night betrays the light” (demo, MCMXCVII), “Laugher of destruction” (demo, MCMXCIX), “Skullcrusher” (EP, CD-version MMI, vinyl version MMII) and “Inhabitants of Dis” (album, MMII). “When the night...” could musically be described as some kind of mid-tempo Blackish Metal. It was recorded in a little studio located in a basement in a Stockholmian suburb. I’d say the sound picture turned out rather raw. “Laughter...” was the first thing we recorded at Sunlight. The sound is far more proffessional. Music-wise it’s faster, both more melodic and aggressive at the same time. On “Skullcrusher” things got faster and more aggressive still. The sound production also leaned more to Death Metal than before. We felt that we had to get the material more varied on “Inhabitants...”, since it was a matter of eleven songs in total. Said and done; the album contains fast Death/Black Metal, fast Black/Death Metal, slower songs, two acoustic pieces and a healthy dose of pure terror. The sound is also more necro than on “Skullcrusher”.

7.WHAT ARE YOUR LYRICS TALKING ABOUT? WHICH THEMES INSPIRE YOU IN WRITING LYRICS? IS YOUR ALBUM A CONCEPT? WHICH IS DIS? IS IT ANOTHER PLANET, ANOTHER DIMENSION, ANOTHER WORLD? WHAT?

Death, war, religion, sin, morals, the end of the world, perception, psychology, evolution, good and evil. About inspiration... What to say? It’s kind of hard to know exactly what does inspire one. Let’s say: books (mostly about religion, psychology etc), one’s own thoughts, images. It can basically be anything. “Inhabitants of Dis” is not really a concept album. Some lyrics have common parts or sources, but it’s not enough for it to be a concept album. Dis is a city, that we borrowed from Dante’s “The divine comedy”, located in the inner regions of hell. So, I’d say it’s a concept (Dis, not the album).

8.WHAT HAPPENED WITH THAT CONTRACT YOU WERE ABOUT TO SIGN WITH ANOTHER LABEL AND WHY WAS THE DEAL OFF AFTER ALL?

That label never sent us the contract. Why I don’t know, but I have some theories.

9.ARE YOU SATISFIED BY THE FEEDBACK? WHICH WERE THE REACTIONS SO FAR FROM THE PRESS AND THE FANS?

Yes, almost all the reviews I’ve seen have been very positive.

10.HAVE YOU DONE ANY LIVE SHOWS? DO YOU LIKE PERFORMING LIVE? HOW DID YOU FEEL THE FIRST TIME YOU GOT ON STAGE?

We’ve only done four concerts since the start, but I’d say we like it. I would very much like to get to play more in the future. The first concert we played was at a youth centre, which is far from the best place to play at since it’s always full of twelve year olds and alcohol is strictly forbidden. I felt a bit nervous when I got on stage, and since we got up right after a Pop band the audience, at that moment, consisted mostly of... well, Pop-people (of course). But we did rather well and I’m satisfied with it for being our stage debut.

11.WHICH IS THE BIGGEST DREAM YOU WANT TO MAKE TRUE THROUGH THIS BAND?

World domination and all the alcohol that comes with it.

12.IF YOU HAD THE ABILITY TO CHANGE SOMETHING IN THE WORLD WHAT WOULD THAT BE?

Gravity.

13.DO YOU THINK THE FACT THAT YOU COM FROM SWEDEN MAKES THINGS EASIER FOR YOU? I MEAN SWEDEN IS A BIG FORCE IN THE METAL SCENE, SO IS IT TRUE THAT LABELS KEEP AN EYE ON THE BAND SOVER THERE AND MIGHT NEGLECT SOME GREAT BANDS FROM COUNTRIES THAT DON'T HAVE A TRADITION IN THE METAL MUSIC?

I don’t think we’ve got more attention because we’re from Sweden, no. But we might have had it easier with rehearsal places, instruments, studios and so on than maybe bands from Malaysia, Argentina or Nangiala.

14.WHAT DO YOU LIKE AND WHAT DO YOU HATE IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY?

Like: that we get to record albums and spread our music. Dislike: how your music is reduced to a matter of business and dollars.

15.WHICH IS MAN'S BIGGEST TEMPTATION?

Patterns. Too many damn patterns. (They can be useful at times though.)

16.IF YOU COULD CHANGE SOMETHING IN THE WORLD WHAT WOULD THAT BE?

My underwear.

17.WHAT TITLE WOULD YOU LIKE THIS INTERVIEW TO HAVE?

Here’s a list of suggestions:

· BLOODSHED – a short article on the design of Dis and the anatomy of pure terror

· We wish you hell

· Sowers of discord

· Make love to Bruce Campbell