Interview for DEATHTHRASHER MAGAZINE by ARMANDO MUTILATOR : 

DT: When and why the band was formed?. 
A: Hails ARMANDO, Thanks for the interview. ACCURSED formed in late 2001. I had recently moved to Melbourne from New Zealand, and had been in touch with PETER LAW (Guitar) for a while as I was very interested in forming a band to create Brutal and Dark Metal. The other Members of ACCURSED knew each other before this for years, so everything came together pretty quickly once the will to do so was there.

DT: Your current line - up?. 
A: PETER LAW : Lead Guitar
JAEL EDWARDS: Vocals
DAVE ADELBERG: Rhythm Guitar
RYAN MCKEY: Bass
ALBERT DEBOSE: Drums

DT: You're fave beer?. 
A: Personally, My favourite is MONTEITHS from NZ, followed by COOPERS (Oz)

DT: Tell me about the "LYCANTHROPIC HATE MAGIK" (Demo 2002).
A: The Demo was recorded in a single marathon 13hr session, and showed that limitation in terms of sound quality. This, coupled with our dissatisfaction with our Drummer of the time (who has since left the band), has meant that we never officially released the recording beyond giving a few copies to friends of ours. Since then we have had numerous requests for the demo to be made available again, so we have put mp3's of the better tracks online to satisfy the curious.

DT: Your best Aussie band from ever?. 
A: Contenders would be NAZXUL, SADISTIC EXECUTION,PORTAL, ABREMILIN, DESTROYER 666, GOSPEL OF THE HORNS……… a long list.

DT: Do you like the old Heavy Metal?. 
A: Very much so. I grew up listening to BLACK SABBATH, DEEP PURPLE, LED ZEPPELIN and such, later getting into IRON MAIDEN, CELTIC FROST, SODOM, VENOM, KREATOR and the like. Peter in particular hails the 80's Thrash stuff like TESTAMENT and EXODUS.

DT: Do you like AC/DC?... 
A: AC/DC are close to every Aussie Metalhead's heart, the soundtrack to many drunken evenings throughout my life for sure.

DT: What do you think about the Norwegian Black Metal Scene?. 
A: I definitely hail the early works of that scene, the EMPEROR / ENSLAVED split and DE MYSTERIIS…are never far away from my stereo. Lately they are faced with the problem of development of sound vs risking losing the "True" feeling, and many bands whose early works I admire have lapsed into irrelevancy or turned into Rockstars. I still regard DARKTHRONE, GORGOROTH, THORNS, KHOLD, ENSLAVED, TAAKE, 1349 and a few others very highly though.

DT: Do you prefer IRON MAIDEN or JUDAS PRIEST?. 
A: IRON MAIDEN

DT: Your fave Aussie food?. 
A: Kangaroo meat is great. I am yet to sample Crocodile.

DT: Are you friends with FALLEN SOULS from El Salvador?. 
A: I cant say I've heard of them.

DT: What do you think about Hardcore / Punk?... do you like bands like THE EXPLOITED, VARUKERS, RAMONES, CHAOS UK?.
A: I like first generation Punk / Grind much more than its modern incarnation. Bands Like THE CLASH, THE DAMNED, AMEBIX, CRASS still sound great today. I also frequently listen to 80's Postpunk / Goth like JOY DIVISION, SISTERS OF MERCY, BAUHAUS, FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM. Outside of the realms of Metal however, my favourite bands of that period are by far old Industrial stuff like THROBBING GRISTLE, NON, TEST DEPARTMENT, SPK, EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN etc, plus stuff like DEATH IN JUNE and CURRENT 93.

DT: What can you talk me about "WEAPON BE THY NAME" 
A: "WEAPON BE THY NAME" comprises 8 tracks of punishing Australian Death / Black Metal. With this release we aimed to show our synthesis of the brutality of Death Metal with the evil atmosphere of Black Metal, as we hail the times when Death Metal wasn't nice and melodic, but rather something dark and threatening. Also, by this point our Thrash roots were beginning to influence our sound, so what we ended up with blends Technical Death Metal with Black riffs and Vocals, and a good dose of headbanging Thrash madness. The lyrics on "WEAPON.." deal with topics revolving around power, violence and contempt for humanity. I wanted to write them in such a way as to convey the power of their sentiments without the need for overly wordy or obscure phrasing. I could easily have done them that way , but felt it more of a challenge to address deep themes in simple language. The Album was completed in January 2004, and released through IRON HARVEST PRODUCTIONS, which is the banner under which most if not all of my activities are conducted. We are currently seeking expressions of interest for overseas distribution for "Weapon…", and working on releasing some other acts materiel, including another project I am providing Vocals for, EXERCITUS, which is a local Doom / Black band.

DT: What is the gender of PIKACHU?. 
A: Don't they hatch out of the brains of Japanese schoolgirls?

DT: Are you into gore movies?. 
A: Yes. I enjoy very much 70's eurotrash horror cinema in particular, Directors like DARIO ARGENTO, JESS FRANCO, LUCIO FULGI, JEAN ROLLIN etc, HAMMER films, MONDO CAINE and the "Documentary" stuff like CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST. More so than straight gore, I enjoy twisted disturbing films like PASSOLINI'S "SALO", ERASERHEAD, MAN BITES DOG (a brilliant Belgian film), HAPPINESS, the MEN BEHIND THE SUN, "ILSE, SHE-WOLF OF THE SS", THE NIGHT PORTER and so on.
I work for a DVD distributor, so luckily I'm able to track down some obscure gems.

DT: Do you like POWER RANGERS?. 
A: No

DT: Do you drink lemonade with piss?. 
A: I used to, but I developed problems….and after I was arrested lurking around the girls-school toilets in a desperate attempt to satisfy my cravings for piss & lemonade I knew I had a problem and had to stop.

DT: How do you feel about keyboards in Death Metal, like NOCTURNUS?. 
A: Depends on how it's used. If utilised well they can add a great atmosphere and sense of depth to the music. More often I think they cheapen the sound and detract from the brutality. I would be more interested to hear a blend of Death Metal and noise/loops than the usual parping choruses and tacky synthesised strings.

DT: What do you know about South American Scene?. 
A: I like SARCOFAGO, VULCANO, old (first three albums) SEPULTURA, MYSTIFIER. KRYSIUN and the new generation of hyper Death Metal bands, while technically impressive, don't do much for me. Every South - American Metal fan I've ever met has been a crazy bastard, and I'm assured that touring there is a full-on experience.

DT: Do you prefer HORNA or IMPALED NAZARENE? ... do you know LUCHO HORNA?. 
A: I haven't heard a whole lot of HORNA material, just what people have played to me over the years. I saw IMPALED NAZARENE a couple of years ago, and I've always admired the alcoholic chaos of the band.

DT: Are you into Tennis?... do you play Tennis with the members of HORNA?. 
A: If I could hit a tennis ball from Australia to Finland I could level cities with the destructive power and brutality of my backhand, and rule the world. That would be great.

DT: Are you into drugs?. 
A: Yes and No. I used to take a lot of Acid and Mushrooms (explains a lot hehe), but not often these days. When you do psychedelics a fair bit, after a while you find that the insights and opening of perspective revealed to you remains after the drug is long gone. Thus, a valuable experience but not one that is too vital to repeat often, although a good jolt of acid is a great antidote against complacency. These days I enjoy red wine and joints more than anything exotic. 
I'm against opiates for two reasons, the first being that I don't enjoy them myself, anytime I tried opium etc I felt very Ill indeed. Secondly, I have seen the effects up close too much - the part of Melbourne we are from is the Heroin capital of the state and wading through begging scum to catch a train or whatever isn't a great experience.

DT: What do you think about the Swedish Death Metal Scene?.
A: Its produced some great bands: DISSECTION, GRAVE, GROTESQUE, AT THE GATES, DISMEMBER, etc. Unfortunately now its synonymous with shitty Pop-Metal. I listen to more Black Metal from Sweden, or Swedish industrial, then what passes for Death-Metal from that part of the world now.

DT: GOTHENBURG or FLORIDA?.
A: Florida. MORBID ANGEL alone shit all over the whole Gothenberg scene.

DT: Do you like weapons?. 
A: Yes. I studied Fencing for a few years, and progressed from there to Medieval swordfighting. I learned to fight with a wide variety of weapons and combinations while in armour, and learned of the techniques of forging weapons and armour, although I never attempted this seriously beyond making chain mail.

DT: Tell us about your friendship with GARY COLEMAN and DON FRANCISCO please. 
A: GARY COLEMAN transmits commands to me direct from Hell, coded in the dialogue of DIFF'RENT STROKES. Who would suspect a sassy black midget?
DON FRANCISCO has invited me to participate in the rituals at the Abbey. The activities of his Illustrious predecessors are detailed in "Justine" by De Sade, and I trust that standards have not slipped in the intervening 200 years.

DT: What do you think about ANTON SZANDOR LA VEY?. 
A: A pretty ambiguous figure. I find a lot in his works to agree with, and although there is not a lot in his writing which isn't a combination of NIETZCHE and other philosophers such as the Epicurians and Existentialists, his talent lay in popularising these ideas and injecting them into the mass media, bringing them to an audience that perhaps wouldn't otherwise come across them. I admire his Iconoclasm and talent for handling the media, also his tounge-in-cheek admission that a good part of his motivation for conducting his activities was his own gratification in the form of wealth and nubile witches. At least he was an honest crook. I wouldn't feel compelled to give him or his successors $100 for the priveledge of being a member though.

DT: Do you have STAR WARS action figures?. 
A: No

DT: Do you know bands like ARMOURED ANGEL, ANARAZEL and WHERE ECHOES END?. 
A: ARMOURED ANGEL are a great old Aussie metal act. ANARAZEL are an excellent band, not to mention top blokes. "UNDIVINE" should be killer when it gets released. 
Australia breeds some of the best Metal in the world, bands like ABOMINATOR, DESTROYER 666, GOSPEL OF THE HORNS, PSYCHRIST, PORTAL, ASTRIAAL, DARKLORD, EXCARNATED, GRENADE, ATOMIZER and a host of others. The Isolation of Australia has its benefits in that most bands have a greater degree of individualism born of the fact that Metal isn't supported or trendy, so only dedicated lunatics pursue it. 

DT: Do you prefer MACINTOSH or PC?. 
A: I am proficient in both, having an E-Mac and a P4 in my studio. I probably use the Pc more as the Mac is utilised by my Girlfriend for her Art / Graphics work and I have my Audio software and peripherals on the Pc.

DT: What do you think about ALEISTER CROWLEY, do you read THE BOOK OF THE LAW?. 
A: I remember being about 10 years old and coming across my father's copy of "MAGIK IN THEORY AND PRACTICE", so perhaps the idea of studying such works is not so alien as it might be for others. So, in answer to your question, I'm familiar with his writing, but to be honest I find Kabalism overly formalised and obscure (not to mention Jewish). I certainly admire him as a figure, especially given the danger during his lifetime of the type of subversion he persued.
I have serious doubts that the OTO exists today as anything more than a CROWLEY fanclub however.(Listen to Current 93's "Crowleymass" album for an excellent satire of slavish CROWLEY acolytes.)

DT: Your future plans?.
A: We are aiming to make "Weapon.." available in territories outside Australia soon, in addition to working on materiel for its successor. EXERCITUS' album "HERE LIES FORGIVENESS" should be available in the southern spring all going well, and there are a few other projects in various states of preperation.

DT: Your last growl for DEATHTHRASHER readers?. 
A: Check out our website at www.accursed.cjb.net and get in touch.
Flay the flesh from this earth with grim imperious distain!!!