mailer  by dalia "gryphon_spirit" di giacomo ___    

03.02.2005    

organized by Mario Klausner  and gryphonmetal.ch

 

OLD-SCHOOL ATTITUDE, YOU CAN NEVER LEAVE IT, IT'S IN OUR BLOOD. FUCK YEAH!

Speaking  about the  album, concerts, fans, label, studio, religion and sado-maso in Bible,  Apocalyptic Death  and lyrics, new horizons for Death Metal, exploring and feeling music, targets and messages, instrumental tracks, cover art, bass and vocals, rehearsals, Apocalypse and diabolic fears, Austria and Falco, future and time, projects, and of course the evil Game of the Tower!

dalia - Hail Mario, which are your considerations about „In deep Silence“, almost 6 months after the release date? How was the impact with the audience in the recent concerts? Do you think that the material works live?

Mario - Well, first of all and I think for us it´s a very important fact we´re still nothing but satisfied with our record. I mean the album was finished almost two years ago or something and even ourselves are getting not too bored of it, ha. The reactions were mostly above all expectations, so we can say that we´re still very happy with everything so far concerning “In deep Silence”. We had done our best to create a great atmosphere without being pathetic but there are always some things you could have done better. Next time I would like to find a good way to change my vocal parts a little to reach more variety within the songs. The drum-lines are also not the best but o.k. and the mighty twin-guitar work needs more extra harmonic overdubs to gain even more atmosphere on the album.

Now, at the beginning of this interview I want to tell you that our deal with Napalm Records is no longer existing in any way!

They finished with us after four months and nobody could say what´s really up with them, cause two months of that time was completely in the middle of the summer season and there was almost no chance to play tours, play festivals or even sell a lot of records of our album in such a short period of time. I think they were not that interested in our music from the very beginning and that was the reason why they had wasted so much time to release the album, which isn´t a good sign anyway. After that they told me they thought of selling more copies under my name, what a shit! We are a full functional band and everyone is like the same important than the other, I mean we don´t speak here of another uninteresting so called fucking side project. I think in now a days new bands have to hit the road to sell more records in this genre and it is sure the only way to compensate the internet download, or am I totally wrong? Next thing is you need a lot of time and I don´t speak about four months or so.

At the other hand the promotion was good and now there a lot of people who knows us everywhere and for us it´s indeed very positive. For sure it was a big bang and once again we were standing before the abyss, not knowing what to do next and stuff. But to quit at this point is to give up and that´s really not our style. If we would give up because of this next disappointment, we would not have existed for years……

So we considered to continue once again and to prove that our debut album was not a one time wonder. We were on tour in January with Pungent stench, Eisregen and Disastrous Murmur. It was a great time on the road cause we had a good time and we kicked some asses.

The reactions was great and we had a good performance and the new material does work fantastic live. I played two shows a day cause the new Pungent bass player was kicked out just before the tour. I do play all upcoming tours around the world until they find a new one.

Now, Collapse 7 are proud to battle on without any support or label in the back!

We play our own death metal-style and we are good musicians. I have aggressive vocals and there is this blasting drum-machine called mike! If we have a nice live sound we could lay the place in ashes……..we love to perform live and to let the crowd feel our dark melancholic, totally aggressive atmosphere. Once again the tour was amazing and after a few warm up shows we was ready to rock and to explode.

I would say pretty good and very relaxing within the most time. You know, we´re not just band mates but also very good friends which makes it so much easier to work together as a team. Martin of course is a great guy and very professional, he helped us pretty much to claim the result that we wanted to get all the time. We know each other well because of Pungent Stench and Hollenthon. But one time he was just about to went crazy with me and Werner. We have always big discussions about some things but at the end everything is alright for everyone……….that is the point!

These bands are building now (and for so long time!) the big part of the Austrian extreme metal-scene, that´s a fact. The connection of all bands should be clear, I think. We know each other for a long period of time and I am proud that I ever was a part of them all. Playing in these bands has helped me a lot to create my own style as a musician and to get more professional as well. There is good friendship among all!

It is a spoken sound-sample from Tarantino´s cult movie pulp fiction. We are all fans of him and during the mastering session, I had that idea to use this spoken intro for my Old-School Death Metal hymn “Blessed with Pain”. It fits almost perfectly to the lyrics of this song and there´s faith, believe & religion in it. I really like this sado-maso thing when it is involved with the bible and in my opinion this nice little book is almost full of that shit! I am kind of fascinated cause I can not imagine myself at all to get addicted of such brainwashed bullshit. Don´t get me wrong, I´am not an Antichrist or even Satanist but sometimes I get really sick of such people, that´s all.

I think next time I will write about some exploitative sects and their so called shepherds…..

Our lyrics are indeed the main source of the apocalyptic style which we do perform. They are pretty strong as the same as the music itself and together with the music it is melting to such a strong combination of dark menacing. Everything else is just more strengthening to the listener. There is so much knowledge we have used for the album and also a good producer as well. And do not forget that we have done a lot of records during our carrier which means we know to create the sound that manifest our song writing best. The Drumming is extreme but not overdone, vocals are aggressive but clear and the guitar-work is very transparent and almost distinct. If you concentrate on the mean thing during the recording, the essence, you not get lost in spheres you never wanted. We just wanted to transfer our special imagination of death metal which means to sound as natural as we could and, nothing more and less.

There are many bands who want to sound very extreme, mega-brutal or special threatening. I think if you force such things to get a “better” result, song writing, sound & atmosphere will never be as one!

It is sure one of the most dynamic expressive music-style in the metal genre but it depends on how bands sound and play like. I think when you play such an extreme form of music you should not be limited at all. At the end of the 80´s or even beginning of the 90´s there was limitation including sounds and of course song writing and that was good for that time. At that time I loved to buy a new record and I couldn´t wait to figure everything of the album out. There was always that special feeling when everything was on the limit without being sterile or even unnatural, which makes it very extreme for that time. That magic had vanished a little through the years and ten years ago there were no limitations of anything involving “Modern Extreme Metal”. For myself and as a musician it´s a shame but also a natural process I guess.

There are not really much borderlines in now a days when you think of the brilliant abilities of many musicians to play their instruments fast and very technical. At the other hand there are frontiers in another form which means to mix up this genre with other ones and to me this kind of crossover is not allowed to be called Pure Death Metal, I really don´t like that so much.

To call a “modern” extreme metal band unexplored or even very independent is almost impossible!

Maybe both because our style is a good mix of all the important ingredients which Death needs to ignite the spark to the listener. There are so many parts that reminds on the Old-School days, but also many which includes other extreme metal styles. Even Thrash or Speed is here and there. We could not exist if we would try to commit everything to one special source. Variety would never be the same. We need variety, it´s the key to satisfy ourselves best and entertain those people who likes that kind of music. If you love death or extreme metal and you listen carefully to Collapse 7, then you find out that we need to be experienced and to feel something very strong, that´s the point. In my opinion, music exists to get moved from it, to feel and explore it. A challenge if you want!

This track is just the result of a little accident! We always record new riffs and songs at home and one fine day the tape recorder was played backwards and this riff sounded so different. It was a magical alternate to this we original knew from it. Deep melancholic melt with a catching sadness, but sometimes a little positive as well. We loved this combination. Yes I think such tracks can get (keep) albums more interesting and a good example for this by the way is Death, At the Gates or the mighty Pestilence!

Everyone has his own fears, almost every individual of this earth. Fear of the future, sickness, wars and even just to grow older. You have to mange your life as best as you can to get a grip. I know that our lyrics & concept is very strong and mostly negative too, but maybe it´s our way to confront ourselves with such things. There are also many positive things in life and you just have to pick them out. I can not imagine myself to write just positive things, I mean it´s death metal and I want to scream it out. Fear, aggressions, pain, love and even joy.

Our target is to make real good music, to improve from record to record and to learn from our mistakes as a musician and also as a human being.

It stands for a deep, endless silence after all. We decided to use this artwork because it is for sure unusual for this genre and that means it fits almost perfectly to us. Love at first sight, I would describe our reactions, when we first saw it. Can you imagine a devastated, plague-hunted, hopeless civilization which “exists” in a kind of desert where no more life dwells?

And there is sitting this little creature and he is thinking to himself:”What happens here, who will survive and who is to blame?” There is nothing more to say…………….

How could you describe your playing bass and singing? Which are the innovations proposed by your techniques and, on the other hand, which are the fixed old-school schemes you would never leave?

It is a big different to just play bass or front a band. I started as a singer and bass player. With my original band Collapse 7 I can express my feelings best cause I write music and also do a big part of the lyrical concept. Through singing I get a lot of satisfaction, I can express myself and when I am on stage I can erupt like a Vulcan. Through Pungent Stench I learned to “relax” a little on stage because it just fits right to them but with my band I prefer more old-school-attitude, you can never leave it, it´s in our blood. Fuck yeah!

How much time do you dedicate to rehearsals, exercises, practice?

Not that much because for us it is very hard cause some live in Salzburg and some in Vienna. We prefer to practise at home and to just rehearse together before shows or studio work. Sometimes I wonder this really is enough but it does work, I don´t know why….

5 string bass or 6 string bass?

Let me guess, you want me to put you on the guest list next time, don´t you, ha ha?! I prefer four strings because it is for sure hard enough to handle that after five beers or something…

In your opinion, what can impress more the human sub consciousness: the Grotesque or the horrorific Menace?

Maybe both but I like the sarcastic way best.

What’s your opinion: is it more diabolic to laugh on everything or to fear everything?

To laugh……..

Apocalypse: how do you figure that? What is really apocalyptic for you? And why can save us from an apocalyptic vision: the faith?

Some people never have any apocalyptic visions in there whole life. Their only real fear is death and what´s coming after it, when they are lying six feet under. Since I was a little child I feared something like the apocalypse and I was thinking of that in many different forms. I guess I was watching too much Terminator which really is one of my all time favourite movies. Then I had the vision of the global decease and other forms of the world downfall. If you have enough thoughts, imagination, fears then you just have to use your eyes and ears and the apocalypse will grow and prosper in your head………….

As Austrian, do you feel to have a different vision of the extreme if compared with other artists coming from other countries?

In Austria everything is different.

What do you think about the Austrian artist Falco? (RIP)

Some songs I do like and some not but I have a deep respect of him and the way he had gained so much attention in the international music scene. I think he deserved not to die so young and of course not that way!

Do you agree with this sentence said by Albert Einstein: “I never think of the future. It comes soon enough”

I do not think that very often of the future because I mostly do live in the past. You must know that I am pretty nostalgic all the time. I love to think of the past, listening to some old music and watching old movies. I never was so much interested in the future because it will catches us up pretty soon, maybe too soon. Beside of that just look at your watch, next second you already are in the future, don´t you!

That means that our end time lies beyond the past and even the present, otherwise I would not sit here to write you this lines and maybe therefore I always think of an ultimate (technological) breakdown which brings us the infernal apocalypse!

Well now I cannot do anything else than asking about the future projects for C 7! ;)

Now we have to find a new label to record our new album which is almost written. I can promise that this record really has again big potential and will surprise a lot of people in a very positive way. It is still pure Collapse 7 but maybe in another form I would say.

We can not wait to spread the new material and to perform it on stage because it will work perfect live.

If I tell you these words: “ under the bleeding sun” well, what is the first thought that crosses your mind?

Is this a new summer festival?

Here we are now! On the mythical evil tower. The Game of the Tower is the game we play with the bands we interview for the very first time. On a high bloody tower, 3 bands wait for you: you can kick down 2 of them, saving just only one. The 3 bands for you Mario are: Ill Niño, Decapitated, Ark Enemy!

I would save nobody, save your self from the infernal apocalypse you fuckers!!!

Thank you so much Mario!

Thank you too, good luck with everything in the “future” and your fuckin´great zine!!!

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