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Interview April 09

Hi there at ULCERATE! With "Everything Is Fire" you’ve got your second full length lined up for release. Congrats first of all! How long did it take you to get the material written and recorded and, first of all, since a lot of our readers might not have come across your name, could you please give us a short introduction to the realm of ULCERATE?

Hey man, cheers, it's good to finally see this coming to fruition. The writing process was 18 months or thereabouts, and we tracked everything in probably a week or so of actual time, but this was spread out over a couple of months as time permitted.

As for an introduction, check out our website ulcerate-official.com for any further info...

"Everything Is Fire" marks the return of the deep growls/grunts which remind me a bit of IMMOLATION, handled by bassist Paul Kelland. Those were also prominent when the band started, so did things simply turn out this way or were you deliberately not looking for a new vocalist sounding like Ben?

We wanted a return to the darker vocal approach that we originally started the band with. Prior to 'Of Fracture and Failure' we were keen to try a more varied vocal assault, and Ben certainly fitted that mould perfectly. But as we were writing 'Everything...' it became apparent that we really wanted the vocal to provide more of a solid backbone, and really support the music than sitting out front. So, we worked with Ben on this for a little bit to see if we could reach a point where everyone was happy, but it just never really worked out - it felt like we were forcing something out of him that just wasn't natural. So we made the very tough decision to not work with him. So, out of pure necessity, Paul gave it a shot, practised a great deal, and now a year later we've reached the point we're very very happy. All aspects of this decision are working out perfectly, we're a tighter unit all around, both musically and visually.

Since we are talking of Ben Read and other changes in the lineup: Why did he leave the band, are you still in contact (he’s been doing a couple of shows with you even after his announcement to call it quits) and what else happened since "Of Fracture Of Failure"? Who are the main songwriters, or is songwriting an entire band effort in ULCERATE?

As I said above, the ultimate decision to not work with Ben anymore was based on the sound we had in mind. Before then, it was also mutually decided that his time with us in a long-term sense would be ending - we just have differing priorities in life. Since 'Of Fracture..' we've done a slew of local support slots for Behemoth, Nile, Decapitated, Psycroptic, The Amenta, and others. We've also recruited a new second guitarist Oliver Goater, who's working out excellently.

Song-writing has and will always be handled by guitarist Mike H and myself, but we leave the lyrical output to our vocalists - although everyone has a hand in what does and doesn't make the cut. Musically we have a very specific way of working that is 100% collaboration between the 2 of us, to bring in a third party just wouldn't really gel (and hasn't in the past).

Can "Everything Is Fire" be considered as a concept album, with different chapters under the heading of the album title? What are you implying with this rather apocalyptic title/statement [which fits the record nicely]?

Loosely, yes. It's not a concept album in the traditional sense, but there is an obvious outlining theme. Basically, 'Everything is Fire' is a quote from Greek philosopher Heraclitus meaning everything is in a constant state of change and progression, more-so than chaos. One thing I have to point out is that it's not apocalyptic in any way, it's just a statement and an observation of how things are, or at least how they can be perceived.

As to the musical and lyrical content of the album: What inspires you regarding the lyrics, and could you please provide us with statements regarding each song on the album, referring to both music and lyrics as well as the ideas behind the individual songs, if possible?

I've let our vocalist Paul answer these as he's the best man for the job:

• Drown Within: The natural human desire of searching for solace amongst a proposed afterlife is the central focus here. Related to this - the control and exploitation of others through various parasitic means, to build a larger belief base to which more comfort over the fear of death can be derived for the preacher.
• We Are Nil: Amongst the unquantifiable vastness of the universe, human life and the scope of our knowledge is merely an insignificant grain of sand. 'We are Nil' expresses the realisation of this insignificance, also our ability to comprehend it and make the decision whether or not to delude ourselves in order to hide from it.
• Withered And Obsolete: 'Withered and Obsolete' as a title, as well as within the lyrics, is a description of all religion in current times. Notably, the arrogance of religion in demanding an unjustified respect; religion being protected by taboo from scientific scrutiny, and reason more generally. 'Withered...' also touches on the fallacy of human morality being derived from scripture (or any other spiritual source).
• Caecus: Human beings have evolved the ability to reason. This process is an essential and critical part of our ability to, not only survive in the purest sense of the word, but to lead a respectable life on 21st century Earth. Unfortunately, a portion of society seem to choose not to use this ability to its full effect, resulting in a baseless reliance on others. 'Caecus' is about an absolute lack of sympathy and pity for these people.
• Tyranny: The thirst for power among us is not all encompassing, and certainly not the sole human function in respect to social behaviour. I despise the use of 'Social Darwinism' as an excuse for a lack of empathy or compassion for others. We have developed altruistic traits through our ancestry for the betterment of the species, and ignoring these instincts is plain bigotry.
• The Earth At Its Knees: Humanity and the Earth have been crippled as a result of the sentiments outlined in 'Caecus' and 'Tyranny'. 'The Earth at its Knees' depicts this decay and touches on self-reliance in a bid to better ourselves. Self-reliance from a political perspective is not automatically intertwined with totalitarianism.
• Soullessness Embraced: As an extension of the first two songs, 'Soullessness...' outlines the acceptance of our insignificance in combination with the absence of an afterlife. Embracing the void and accepting ourselves as mortal.
• Everything Is Fire: The cornerstone of the album theme. Everything is in a constant state of change. We cannot accept anything as face value. Question and rationalise everything, and always continue to.

"You cannot step into the same river twice, for fresh waters are ever flowing in upon you."

The cover artwork of "Everything Is Fire" is abstract yet stunning and seems to be in a similar vein as "Of Fracture And Failure", with the colours befitting the album title excellently. Was Jamie again responsible for the design, by any chance?

Thanks man, glad you like it. Yeah, I'll always look after everything visual for us, I really couldn't imagine handing this kind of thing over to someone else to interpret when I have pretty strong ideas how things need to look.

What struck me as odd was that you were labelled as black metal – instead of possibly technical/progressive death metal – in the promo sheet? Where do you see such influences in your sound? I rather detect Post Hardcore influences in the vein of ISIS and NEUROSIS? Which types of music are you listening to as individuals and what inspires/influences you musically?

As much as we aren't black metal by a long shot, I'd prefer that description to 'technical' or 'progressive' haha. Both those labels imply that music's a competition to see who can out-play other bands, which is a huge problem within this genre, and something we really want to stay away from. I think that we certainly take cues from that 'post' kind of sound, but it's never been intentional. As soon as we started thinking about adding dynamics, because of the nature of this style of music, you just kind of end up in that area. Because you want your slower, drawn out passages to have as much power as the more ruthless up-tempo stuff, the idea of counterpoint overlay, delayed guitars etc just evolves naturally.

We all listen to a lot of differing styles of music, but we're all attracted to the bleak / sad / dark end of the spectrum with regards to metal / alternative. There's nothing worse than happy, party metal! I think anything with credibility and heart is mostly in the playlists, so that vetoes 99% of modern music haha

Since we are talking of promo sheets by record labels: "Of Fracture And Failure" was released by Neurotic Records, though with quite a delay. Now, "Everything Is Fire" was, to my knowledge, scheduled to be on Neurotic as well, however, now it’s coming out on Willowtip Records, licensed by Candlelight Records in Europe. What happened and why?

We ran into some complications with Neurotic regarding the release of our second album. Basically, we lost communication with them for a couple of months which was not a good place for us to be on the eve of completing the recording. So we were forced to seek a home elsewhere for the album, and Willowtip was the obvious choice due to the Neurotic /Willowtip partnership. I'm really not sure what the deal with Neurotic is these days, but I know a handful of their bands that left are certainly not so happy with how things have worked out.

Are there any touring plans on the horizon at the moment? I’ve seen that you’re part of the Summer Slaughter Tour NZ? Are there any plans to tour in Europe, by any chance? In this context, the guys from PSYCROPTIC recently pointed out the massive costs and the time/travelling needed for pulling this through for a band from either Australia or New Zealand? What is your opinion on that?

Well I can't help but agree with that! Bands from this neck of the woods basically have to pay twice as much to tour on the other side of the world. We're working on getting support slots for Europe, as we're certainly not in a headlining position. So therefore, it's not up to us in terms of when and where's etc.

What does the situation for extreme metal/death metal in New Zealand look like? Are there any bands you’d like to recommend to our readers and how difficult is it to make your name known worldwide as a band from New Zealand, even though MySpace surely helps?

At the moment the scene is very dead. There's a handful of mentionable bands, but there's been a real air of complacency here for the past few years. The local show scene has been more-or-less crushed by the recent influx of international touring acts, people seem to have lost the urge to setup shows and even play this style of music. In terms of making your name known - no, I definitely don't think so. It just involves effort and some foresight, and for the handful of people that actually possess this, they've all gone on to make movements internationally within their particular niches. I recommend Creeping, Diocletian, Witchrist, Dawn of Azazel, Akaname (technically an Aussie band now). All dedicated, hard-working individuals, all of whom have releases on reputable international labels.

What is your opinion on technical death metal and the production techniques [triggers etc.] in particular nowadays, where there is a thin red line between sheer technique and well-structured songs, with bands such as ORIGIN, BRAIN DRILL, BENEATH THE MASSACRE or THE FACELESS? In this context, "Everything Is Fire" to me sounds very organic and not clinical/sterile at all [as a lot of other current releases do…]. Any thoughts?

I'm really not a fan of 'technical death metal', and I can't stand the productions. There's a lot of albums that I bought as a teenager that I just can't listen to because they sound so fucking ridiculous. And bear in mind, I'm only 25 - and the bullshit factor of certain productions in the last 5 years is making a bit of a mockery out of this style. As for the trigger thing, I don't think that's where the problem lies. This style of music has been using sampled kick drums since the early 90's, it's only been the last 10 years where people seem to think the faster and faker you sound, the better you are. I use triggers live and we sound-replace the kick drums on our albums, but it's a matter of having it actually sound like a drum. Show an older person most modern albums and they'll say 'what the fuck is that constant clicking'. I'm really against using Pro Tools to manufacture and fix parts, but, similar to the loudness wars with mastering, these bands have reached the point where every CD is coming out faster and faker than the one before, and it's getting pretty close to the point of no return. You know you're in trouble when press releases start including the BPM tempos of songs as a selling point.

Do you pursue any further musical projects apart from ULCERATE, maybe heading in entirely different musical directions as the NEUROSIS and ISIS shirts on the promo pics might suggest? Additionally, Jamie has got a homepage for graphic design stuff/art online [Prehensile], for example?

We all dabble in other projects, but nothing serious. Paul and myself have a blackened death metal project Abystic Ritual that we sometimes work on, but Ulcerate rehearses a lot at the moment, so free time is sparse - and I end up putting that into personal practise and design work for example. I think we're all keen at some point to get some non-metal stuff up and running, but as I mentioned before, to really put in some honest effort, there needs to be more days in the week at the moment!

Okay, that’s us done! Thanks a lot for your time and for the interview! And all the best regarding "Everything Is Fire" and for ULCERATE! Are there any famous last words you’d like to address at our readers?
Cheers, Alex | Metalnews.de

Thanks a lot for the interview and support Alex - hopefully sooner than later we can make it to Europe to finally air this material we work so hard at!

Jamie | Ulcerate

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