Hello
Here is a new interview with the French barbaric blackend death metal band "Wrath From Above" who are getting ready to release their debut "Beyond Ruthless Cold" through the label Apathia Rec.So if you are a fan of mid 90's blackend death metal that is well executed and played with violent music then be sure to read this in-depth interview and buy the bands debut.
Regards
Patrick
fiendformetal@live.com
https://twitter.com/PDeathrasher
https://plus.google.com/110515263288050247357?hl=en
Interview with Wrath From Above done by Patrick
1.Hails! when did you two first meet and was it long before you all started the band? Who came up with Wrath From Above as the name for the band?
DM - Hails comrades ! Well, the first thing we can say is that the band does not have a regular history. At first Antar & me met by playing in the same Old School Death Metal Band (disbanded for the moment). But we kept contact as good friends and started having many other projects, along with our sound engineer, Korwent from Spearhead Sounds. One day, Antar was bored and said “Hey, doing Black Metal is easy as shit, I already made 4 songs, do somebody want to put vocals on an album ?” and so it began.
Antar - Yep, actually it was more because I got plenty of time due to my unemployment and I composed really quickly one third of the album (with a track that didn't made it to the final tracklist maybe a bonus in perspective). In fact we began to take the project more seriously with the next batch of songs (better ones) but everything was pretty quick in terms of writing… the rest was really not that fast !
The name was waiting in my head for the right project and no, it was never thought as an homage to Immortal.
2.I believe Wrath From Above is a two man band have you ever thought of adding more members to play live shows or do you prefer to work as a two piece?
Antar - The fact that we are a two piece is not a choice in the first place, but finding competent musicians in our area that are free is a pain in the ass. Hopefully the first album will give us a bit of a reputation and we will have a real drummer for the next release. A session drummer or full time member, that we don't know yet, but future shows will depend on it. Bass on the album is played by a good friend living in a city near us so we just lack a good drummer and a second guitar (which is easy to find) for live settings.
3. The band is getting ready to release the debut cd "Beyond Ruthless Cold" how long did it take the band to write to the music on this release? And for the readers who have never heard Wrath From Above music how would you best describe the bands sound?
DM - To write the music, maybe 2 weeks. To record it, 1 week. To re-record wrong parts, mix and master it, maybe 9 months. Music is so unfair. Describe the band in a few words ? Relentless Satanic Frost Assault ? Marduk, Infernal War, and soviets fighting Satan.
Antar - Truth is above. Songs are not so complex, they are really straightforward. I like it but the project was never meant to go that far in the beginning. Next album will be the same in terms of violence but more technical, varied and personal (at least I will try to achieve that).
4.Who usually writes the lyrics for the music and what are some topics the band writes about?
DM - I wrote the lyrics. Classified as secret files. Some historic true stories about when the demons joined the nazis a few years ago, you don’t want to know more about it.
Antar - Exactly. In life some things are better kept secret. We have all lived some events that gives meaning to this idea.
5.Besides the debut cd "Beyond Ruthless Cold" does the band have any past demo's or other merchandise available for the readers?If yes where can the readers buy your merchandise?
DM - Not yet. For the moment, everything that could ever be released belong to Apathia Records.
Antar - We have just that one track that didn't made it to the record (first one written). It's weaker than the rest but we may give it as a bonus on bandcamp at some point.
6.I believe the band comes out of France's black,death metal scene what is your opinion of the metal scene in France?
Antar - There is a lot of band that we can be proud of in extreme metal (we listen mostly to all the genres under that name). Death metal, grindcore & blasting black metal (raw or polished it doesn't matter) for the most part. We just LACK THE AUDIENCE !
DM - By far too much serious posers. We live in Nantes and right there the Metal Scene is pretty strong and unified, but I used to live in Paris and it is absolutely devastating. Hipsters and stupid elitists Black Metalheads everywhere. We listen to Grindcore and Brutal Death before everything else, and the scene right here in France is in complete agony, the promoters are struggling as much as the new bands who do their best. We’ve got a shitload of awesome bands, but no recognition.
7.Who are your all-time favorite French bands and are their any new French bands you feel the readers should check out soon?
Antar - Many french bands are worth a listen, especially in black metal. To me it's probably the only genre where we have some top tier bands musically speaking. Of course DsO, Antaeus… go check Metal Archives, all this scene is more than 20 years now and is really incestuous.
DM - Hum… I really love the avant-garde, progressive and crazy Metal scene in France. My favorite French Metal Bands are by far Kalisia, SUP, Sortilège and Misanthrope. But we’ve got a really strong Black Metal scene, one of the most productive and intense in the world (Deathspell Omega, Blut Aus Nord, Antaeus, Penissatan...).
To recommend new French bands, I’m recently digging the new material from Pryapisme and öOoOoOoOoOo, and the new albums from our friends Red Dawn, Nullentropy or Regarde les Hommes Tomber are really worth a listen.
8.Besides bands are their any honest and reliable labels or distro's you could recommend to the readers?
DM - I used to order a lot on Comatose Music, Lavadome, Blast Head Records and Sevared Records when I was buying a ton of CDs per months. Now I usually order directly to bands via Bandcamp if I can because that’s how they get the better retribution, or buy in concerts / festivals.
Antar - I only buy Brutal Death Metal nowadays (raw and filthy one). Go check all the bands signed to New Standard Elite. Fuck fake drums in BDM.
9.In your opinion what does underground metal mean to the two of you?
Antar - It means that we are poor.
DM - Nothing. Willing to be underground is as ridiculous as willing to be mainstream. Working hard should be rewarded, and not giving a shit is the best way of life ever.
10.Other then working in Wrath From Above do you currently play in any other bands or solo projects?
DM - Yeah. So much projects. We have many other albums pending with Antar and Korwent. Right now I’m playing in like… 5 or 6 bands. I’m doing the vocals with Helioss, a Melodic Death/Black project who will release its 3rd album March 24th, on Apathia Records too, and you should really check it.
Both of us are also playing in Gastropode, a full bass Goregrind act with no guitars, just a HM-2 Bass and 4 singers, and we released and album a few months ago, buy it please, we need moula.
I made a song with the Polish Dead Bread, and have an Old School Death Metal album to be released in the year with a dude from Egypt. And secret bullshit projects you don’t want to hear about (Paupiettes).
Antar - Actually I played, and will play, with friends in a lot of shitty projects too bad to mention (if curious go visit Garbage Tuesday Records facebook page or bandcamp). I'm also starting an ultra serious goregrind label called “One Shot One Kill Records”, where we will release album limited to one only copy (ever).
For the serious side hail Korwent from Spearhead Sounds that brought me a more professional approach and confidence about my music, so that my two first albums from different projects are both signed on competent labels. Lot of projects with this dude, in about every style I love, are incoming.
11.When not working on new music or band business what do you like to do in your free time?
DM - Smoke crack, fuck bitches and suck dicks in festivals.
Antar - Snort speed. Listen to blastbeats over whatever riffs.
12.Thank you for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any final words for the readers?
DM - We despise you, but thanks anyway.
Antar - Time will come when you'll have to choose which side of the hammer & the sickle you are. Be prepared.
