This
is a legend, a marvelous crude, intense, furious, and incredible legend of the
brutal death metal music!!! HORDE OF WORMS coming from the more grotesque and underground
hole of the sickness metal womb of Canada. The band sign its name in the history
of brutal death with 3 impressive releases, the self-titled album, the second full-lenght
"Dreams and Dying Eyes" and the EP "Wormageddon", now they
create a new nightmare intitled "THE UNCREATION", without doubt, this
is the best album of the band and one of the more intense death metal attacks
that we already listen!!! KREPUSKULUM interview the two masterminds behind this
combo Alexander Erhardt (vocals, bass, guitars, programming) & Brent Assoun
(guitars, bass, vocals).KREPUSKULUM: HORDE OF WORMS had a long way in canadian underground metal scene, talk to us about the band history.
Alexander - Horde Of Worms was formed in the spring of 1996 by myself and Brent Assoun with the intent to compose and perform the most brutal, violent and original music we could make. We wrote, recorded and released our self-titled debut in 1997 with the assistance of our friend Chris Stepniewski on vokills. At this time I also decided to start the extreme metal label Bloodbucket Productions. In 1999, we released our second opus of brutality called "Dreams And Dying Eyes" and added bassist Gord McCubbin to the line up. We had been receiving great reviews from all over the world without even playing live. After the release of that album Chris left the fold to pursue his own interests with his Noisecore Freak, so we enlisted session vokillist Peter Cythrawl and with this line up we released our lethal mcd "Wormageddon" in 2001. This mcd is a limited edition release that has been received positively around the world. There are only a few copies remaining so if you want one of these little bastards, get in touch with us before it's too late!! During 2001 and 2002 we played live a lot with many great bands like Cryptopsy, Mayhem, Enslaved, Macabre and Necronomicon to name but a few. Last year, 2003, there were line up changes seeing the departure of both Peter and Gord due to other pursuits and musical differences perspectively. Brent and I decided to continue with the new album and to make things easier I decided to take over the lead vokills after some unsuccessful auditions. "The Uncreation", our latest blasterpiece was released this year and we have received many great responses to our newest musical uncreation. Currently, we are working with a session bassist for some shows this summer until we find a suitable new member. We already have 2 new songs written for our next release which should be a mcd in 2005. Beware the worms!!!
The band had several formations in the last years, getting to have 4 members. Why did you opt for continuing just the two?
Brent - We have been a band since 1996 and we felt that we did not have to end the band just because we got rid of members. Besides, Alexander and I write all the music and lyrics, so it would not make any difference if it is only the two of us.
Alexander - We started out as a two piece band anyway, so nothing really has changed to me. It just happened that way due to the above reasons. Brent and I have never let the odds against us stop us from releasing Canadian Blast Metal unto the masses!!
How do you compare the new album to the previous ones? You could make a brief comment on each one of its albums and that they mean for you.
Brent - The new album is our best yet as the song writing and production are our best to date. We wanted this new album to be produced very well yet retaining the raw guitar sound we are known for. We achieved what we set out to do with this album.
Horde Of Worms - this was our first album and there is a lot of pride in it.
Dreams And Dying Eyes - probably our heaviest album, I have a special liking for it because I had a major part in the song writing for this release.
Wormageddon - A great mcd with great production, yet is my least favorite of our albums.
Alexander - I am extremely proud of our new album as the song writing and structures are the most complete musically speaking. It showcases how we have developed musically, lyrically and production wise.
Horde Of Worms - To me this album is a piece of unbridled aggression with a very harsh and torturous production. I still feel very inspired when I listen to this release!
Dreams And Dying Eyes - This album is very extreme and has a very heavy and almost claustrophobic production. It is one of our most popular releases to date.
Wormageddon - I view this mcd as a prelude to our new album "The Uncreation" . I feel this release accomplished its goal of being a menacing and proves a transitional album in terms of song writing and overall production.
We think that "THE UNCREATION" is your best album, it has a lot of fury and it is more crude than the others. Did you agree with us?
Alexander - Absolutely! "The Uncreation" is our best album to date. I feel it captures and reflects our style and sound better than the other albums. If you listen to our albums starting at the debut up to "The Uncreation" you can clearly hear the development of our unique sound
Brent - Yes! As I stated before, the production is the best yet, without compromising our chainsaw guitar sound and the songs on it are the best we have every written to date.
The lyrics of the album are creative and talk about a lot of subjects, including references to cosmic & astral aspects, as in the interestings "Solar Execreation", "Galactic Hammer" & " The Uncreation", talk to us about the inspiration to create this lyrics.
Alexander - I had an image in my mind which as a whole is "The Uncreation" or the end of the end of the end etc.. Each lyric is a different segment of "The Uncreation" story. The songs you mentioned.. "Solar Execration" is about when one person in what is left of mankind after the ozone disappears curses the sun and it's burning rays. A war cry for eternal night. "Galactic Hammer" is inspired by a massive asteroid that crushes planets without ever losing velocity in its endless quest of universal destruction. The title track is my misanthropic view of how mankind/humanoids will in trying to save themselves cause "The Uncreation" a most awful yet fitting demise for all!!!
The cover picture of "The Uncreation" are from NASA site and this show a kind of galaxy. What are the meaning of it for you?
Alexander - To me it represents a greater power or force and perhaps wisdom. The image stares at you while you look at it. It is maybe a galaxy, nebula or something else that is all to real?!!
The album is divided in 2 parts by a melodic interlude. Which the reason of that division?
Brent - The reason for the interlude is that when I came to Alexander with this piece, I wanted to call it "The Eye Of The Hurricane" but we ended up calling it "Interlude". It is the calm spot in the sonic hurricane that is "The Uncreation"!!!
The music of HORDE OF WORMS is very influenced by the 90th death metal bands, what are your prefered bands of the 90th and what are the best 10 albums of death metal history in your opinion?
Alexander - That's a tough question to answer, to many bands to mention, but I will say that for me some of the bands that I think everyone should know of are, in no particular order: Tsatthoggua, Bathory, Venom, Sodom, Kreator, Destruction, Razor, My Dying Bride, Morbid Angel, Immortal, Krisiun, Dead Infection, Cyrptopsy, Dismember and Arcturus. Really any band that has true metal spirit and believe me you can tell the difference between a band that plays metal because they think it is cool and a band that lives, breathes and eats molten metal!!!
"The Uncreation" is, in our opinion, one of the best brutal death metal albums of the new millenium. What is the reception of the album by the metal music media worldwide?
Brent - We have only just started promoting "The Uncreation" , however, thus far everyone who has listened to it have been greatly impressed! The main comment is on how good the production is for extreme metal and that the raw energy remains intact!!
Many metal fans have prejudice with programming drums. What do you think about it?
Brent - I just laugh and say fuck it. If we waited around for the perfect drummer, we would have never released any of our music yet. We do lose a little without a human drummer, mainly drum fills, but the drum machine never makes a mistake, is never to high or drunk to play. In other words we sacrifice the human touch for reliability. If someone has a problem with the drum machine I really don't fucking care!!! Let them find us a drummer then..
Alexander - I no longer care what people say.. If they don't like it fuck off and die!!!
Do you live of your music? If not what are your another activities?
Brent - If you mean do we have day jobs, the answer is yes. I am a truck driver by day. If you mean do I live the lifestyle of the music, the answer is still yes. I don't really listen to a lot of metal anymore, if I do it's the old gods of the genre. I mostly listen to classical music, I never seem to get sick of that. I am 38 years old and have a wife and daughter to take care of now.
Alexander - I eat, sleep, breathe and shit metal!! Sadly, even with the band and label Bloodbucket Productions, I must still work a day job. I work as an account executive in an office hell..
Congratulation for your powerful music & thank you very much for the interview! Give your last words to the HORDE OF WORMS south american fans!
Brent - As usual, I want to thank you all for your undying support over the years. You are the best!! If we ever have the opportunity to play or be in South America we are definitely going! It's only a matter of money. Once again, thank you very much.
Alexander - All hails to you and our South American hordes! You fucking rule. Thanks for the support and interview opportunity. Buy our albums so we can come and blast across S.A. Stay metal!! Beware the Worms!!!
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