Press - Interviews

Global Domination

Interview April 09 - James Boulstridge

So how are things with you since we last spoke? Can you believe Nile and Devin Townsend didn’t even give me an answer? Thanks for your devotion to the fans; being one of them, I can’t tell you how giddy I am right now.

Things are good man, the last year has seen us completely rework our line-up in preparation for this second album, so we've been busy as hell getting back to a 'playing live' status.

Listened to the new tracks, and they sound killer; even darker than what I’ve heard from you guys in the past. Somehow you seem to have become a tighter band too – I thought the last one was cut down about as much as necessary, but with these new tracks, your twisting and turning more but at the same time having trimmed away more of "the unnecessary", if you could call anything from "Of Fracture and Failure" such. Was this a conscious decision, or simply the result of touring and maturing as a band?

Totally. Of Fracture was written over a period of a couple of years, we were never really writing with a specific outcome in mind, so there's a little disparity between the older tracks and those that were written towards the end of the process (Martyr of the Soil, Defaeco etc). With this album, from the outset we wanted to tone down the more chaotic elements, the thing that seems to really work best for us is the more moody, atmospheric sections. Not that this album isn't ruthless, there certainly no weakening of the sound.

Of Fracture was an experiment in song structure in a lot of respects - and after 2 years we've learned what works and what doesn't. The key element we wanted to exploit was the overall feeling and mood as for the most part, Of Fracture only hints at some of this stuff - whereas this time we had a clean slate to really push this through - every track utilises a lot of dynamic interplay, and hopefully a lot smoother and more organic transitions. Something that I think I need to point out here is that where possible, each song has more-or-less been written from start to finish, as opposed to just coming up with sections and slotting them in. We re-work things a lot, but the basic template and aim has been to write as organically and linearly as possible. It's a lot harder to do, but it just seems a lot smarter to ask 'what should come next' as opposed to 'where should this go'.

What did you think of the news’ coverage of the Gaza conflict? Did you not think they were being irresponsible reporting the people as "them Jews", as opposed to "Israelis"? Fuelling the fire, or just lazy, racist journalism? There will be a question on bugs and grass later; be prepared for it.

To be honest, haven't seen any news coverage of this, read bits and pieces on the web, but I haven't watched television in years. One would assume that 'them Jews' is an embellishment on your part? haha

Okay, what’s the deal with Neurotic records? A lot of people are still awaiting their Visceral Bleeding packages a couple of years on, and some bands seem to be moving on completely, Psycroptic for example having signed with Nuclear Blast. Willowtip do a fine job, even getting shit to Europe, and they’re you’re US distribution. Are you sticking with the Neurotic label for your next album, and do you think things will change once your contract is up? Why has nobody heard from Ruud?

We split with Neurotic Records mid-way through last year. At a crucial time the label decided to cease communication with us - we were forced to find another label, as it seemed our second album would be up in the air. Things then got very sour that almost resulted in us being very very fucked over. But we talked with a lawyer, and talked to the other ex-Neurotic bands (you'll be able to work out who) and it seemed everyone was getting the same outlandish treatment. So we put the nail in the coffin and moved on. No hard feelings, I'm not sure what is up with Ruud, and I know nothing of his personal life. But he has a responsibility to his customers and bands, and it totally seems like he's just given up. It's a shame, Neurotic was turning into a killer label.

On the other hand, Willowtip is great. Great reputation / service, and might be one of the few labels around that doesn't cave to sales trends. Coupled with Candlelight who by default handle the release in Europe, we're in a really fucking great position right now.

What do you think complements the taste of the common beetle the most? ^Festucca sativa^, ^Festuca rubra^ or ^Festuca subulata^?

Heinz ketchup man. Could give you a Latin term for that, but I'd just be making it up.

What happened with your old vocalist Ben? The new guy doesn’t sound very different, just less versatile – how do you reckon he’s filled Ben’s shoes? Was it ever a thought to go with something completely different for this new album, like Decapitated on "Organic Hallucinosis"? Tell us more about the new guy – how was the recruitment phase managed?

Around the time of the writing for this album, we were dead-set that this time around we wanted to return the more classic vocal approach we had with our first vocalist James Wallace. It seemed evident that Ben was a little uncomfortable with this approach, as it's just not the natural tone of his voice. We also had been toying with the idea of getting rid of the 'frontman' idea, and having one of the instrumentalists handle both duties. It was a really hard decision to split with him, but we're still buds, no bullshit between us there.

So, bassist Paul stepped up and practised his ass off, and in a very short space of time mastered the sound we were after, very commanding and powerful, and most importantly he fits the vibe of this material a lot better. For us, we view the vocal as a supplement to the music, so when you say 'less versatile' bear in mind that in this case, a more monotone approach is exactly what we're after. We've had a lot of people welcoming back the classic death metal sound, so it really feels like we've made the right move. Visually, as a 4-piece, we're a lot tighter on stage with less distractions between vocal parts, which is perfect.

How do you think each of you have improved as musicians since the last album? I hear you haven’t even begun considering toning it down on your parts. What the fuck do you eat for breakfast, man? Would you say you’ve incorporated any new sounds into the Ulcerate formula? Any change of gear?

Well the usual, we're more comfortable with playing this stuff, and we're more ale to bring outside influences into our playing without it sounding trite. I personally had always had troubles with getting from full-out blast sections into ghost-noted back-beats without sounding really stiff, but I think now it's starting to feel a lot better. We also care a little less than before about the macho trappings of the style - couldn't care less about how fast, brutal, 'technical' our songs are. Not that we ever really did in the past, but we've just disassociated ourselves even more from this train of thought. I've never been impressed with bands who consider bpm's and arpeggios as reference points for 'good' tunes.

In terms of drum parts etc - I mean yes and no to the toning it down - there's a lot more drawn out sections, and it feels a lot cooler to hold back than it did in the past. But every musician gets older and starts to figure out that over-playing is juvenile haha. We haven't really incorporated 'new' sounds - just developed and extended ideas we've always had. So you'll find very sparse, delicate moments that develop into huge crescendos, some of the most 'fucked' moments we've created with 4-way counterpoint, and our sense of what makes an Ulcerate riff unique is much more concrete now.

What do you think of the new Psycroptic? A lot of people seem turned off by that album; any views on this? Discovered any other bands you’d like to talk about since we last crossed paths that fabled day? Howsabout the new Hate Eternal, seeing as you cite them as influences – I definitely pick up on them in a bulk of your sound, which is uncommon these days.

The new Psycro is great. Possibly a little too clean for my liking, and I'm not so into the vocal approach (certainly not bad though), but there's some great, great stuff on there. I'm always in awe of the Haley's abilities. As for the new Hate Eternal, it's a good album, but stylistically, I prefer their first two by a long shot. They lost a pretty big force in Derek Roddy. Other bands? Deathspell Omega, new Isis is great, new Exmortem, Dead Congregation, Bohren und der Club of Gore.

So what’s next for Ulcerate? You guys don’t get enough exposure, in my mind; is this likely to increase your desire to tour once the new album’s out, or can’t you afford it so much? How do you find the hosts of these gigs to be anyways?

We've always been very keen and very willing to tour. The cost is fucking monumental for us to go to Europe for example, but we're certainly keen. It's not as easy as just saying 'let's tour'. We have to grab support slots on package tours, which are easier-said-than done to get. We've been in the running for 5 or 6 of the major tours during the past 2 years, but a lot of bands want the slots, and we've missed out so far. It hasn't helped in the past with having 5 members, we've been turned away a lot for having 'one too many members for the tour bus'. Hopefully this will change with our streamlined line-up.

We have tentative plans of relocation following this year to make things easier financially for us, until then, we're going to try our best to land something.

We already know you’re all huge Isis fans – have you heard the latest yet? What-d’ya-reckahn? Any other efforts for 2009 you’re looking forward to/have already blown you away? This year is insane when it comes to new releases, the past two being a little ho-hum what with even the greats not releasing their best efforts and all.

Yeah man, it's a great album. Their last was a little bit of a let-down, and in retrospect seems like a stepping stone for this release. But yeah, solid fucking effort.

I’ve pre-ordered the long-sleeve package from Willowtip; are you proud of me? People might track you down expecting Britney Spears (I wear my hair in pigtails), and be pleasantly surprised. What’s your view on the current music scene, how’s downloading affect a band like yours (I woulda thought being quite obscure, those listening to your music are faithful enough to make a purchase), and is the compact disc already obsolete?

Feels like the CD is on it's way out. I couldn't give a fuck about people downloading illegally, because what are you gonna do? The way I see it, the people who we want listening to us, would support us by purchasing the material. We don't want casual listeners. The current music scene is pretty fucked in terms of returns, we've never made a cent off our last album. But if you're stupid enough to enter this business with the naive notion that you'll make money, you deserve all the disillusionment you're going to receive. We're just stoked that people are finding good things to say about our material - no-one's going to sway how we write, but it's certainly an affirmation that we don't completely suck!

The production on your new album appears denser, but there isn’t a radical difference overall. We discussed two years or so back that you seemed to know in your head the sound you wanted for "Of Fracture and Failure" before recording – did you just figure "if it ain’t broke…"? Was it a different studio, sound engineer (you’ve kept this part in-band in the past, no?) or what this time around?

Same studio, same engineers (ourselves). The process was almost identical, we've obviously used different tones and approaches, but we're mostly satisfied with the sound we capture for ourselves. I've said it a lot before, but we're a band that is intent on producing albums that don't sound fake and over-produced, so funnily enough, when you listen to our recordings, that's us. There's no production trickery to try and enhance how we sound. No mix engineer coming in and re-amping all the guitars or sound replacing the drums. I'd hate to have someone producing us, telling us what they think is best for our sound. We're way too hands-on in that respect.

Do you guys record in your hometown (that is, if you’re all from the same spot in Kiwi-land)? How are traveling arrangements taken care of, and do you reckon you get overseas as much as you’d like?

Yeah, we track everything in Auckland, which is where we all reside. We've only played Australia in terms of international shows, so the answer to that is a 'no' at the moment.

There are more classic death metal band reunions happening these days – Pestilence, Atheist, Gorguts, Asphyx and Seance to name a few. Are there any you can’t wait to hear new material from, and any that haven’t occurred yet but you’d encourage doing so by sacrificing a newborn child?

Gorguts is the only one I'm remotely interested in. They have a legitimate reason for getting things running again. I don't understand why all these other bands can't just let sleeping dogs lie.

How’s the financial atmosphere in New Zealand at the moment? How has it impacted your dedication to the band? Do you foresee Ulcerate ending any time soon, and if no, is there any leftover material that you didn’t use on either one of your full-lengths (discounting the re-issue of "The Coming of Genocide")? Speaking of said album, does it hold any special place in your heart, or do you think you’ve evolved so much it seems less important to you as a musician? Could you give reasons why someone who knows your two prime full-lengths should purchase it?

None of us feel the recession at all on a day-to-day basis. Nothing's felt like it's changed so far. In terms of ending soon, definitely not - we've only just begun! And no leftover material, we write from clean slates every time.

I like The Coming of Genocide for what it is, and it seems a lot of people really dig the tracks. I certainly don't think the material is weak, just has a lot less identity than we do now. I'd recommend checking it out if you want to see where we started and how we progressed our ideas. We still play a couple of the songs live, so it's certainly not forgotten.

I don’t think many bands are aware of Global Domination, maybe too well known for a smaller webzine that dominates all. When setting up the last interview, you said and I quote to the best of my knowledge "You work for Global Domination; that’s cool, as the website is mega-sexy-awesome". Have you kept abreast of our progress, and if so, is your love for us still going strong?

I see you're very fond of paraphrasing haha. Think I said 'mega-horny-awesome' but whatever. I'm fond of any group of people that actually put an effort in where reviews/interviews etc are concerned. I think we may have done our last 'when did your band start / what's your 5 favourite albums' bullshit 'interview'. I don't see how these people can expect legitimate responses from bands.

Any shout-outs now, buddy, and thanks once more for the time you’ve given us. If only Muhammed from Necrophagist could follow your example. I wish you all the best with your band, and hopefully see you three years on down the line when you release another album.

Cheers for the questions James, and for the generous helpings of sarcastic behaviour!
Jamie | Ulcerate

ulcerate-official.com
myspace.com/ulcerate
willowtip.com
candlelightrecords.co.uk