Demonical

interview by - Wouter Roemers

Sweden has always been an integral part of the international death metal scene. With long standing institutions as Dismember, Unleashed and Vomitory still delivering stellar albums in the traditional form, death metal is now more alive than ever. A couple of months ago Swedish death metallers Demonical released their second album "Hellsworn" through Germany's Cyclone Empire Records. Demonical bassist Martin Schulman talks to Masterful Magazine about the band's latest opus "Hellsworn", his past in Centinex and his love for all things death metal.

First of all, congratulations on "Hellsworn" which has been released recently through Cyclone Empire. My first question how is the album doing among press and fans according to the expectations you had before the release?

Thanx, yeah, I have to say it's a killer album. The reviews and reactions have been really good. Of course, we knew we had a good album in our hands when we left the studio, but of course it's cool to hear it from others as well.

Let's start with your new album, "Hellsworn". How do you feel it differs, if at all, from "Servants Of the Unlight"? I find it be more dynamic, a bit faster and even heavier.

Yes, all those things - but overall, on "Helsworn" the material is much better thought; we were much more focused as a band and knew what we wanted. I do still think "Servants of the Unlight" was a good album, but when we recorded it the band was totally new, we didn't know the vocalist, etc. But now for "Hellsworn" we had toured a lot and the band was a much more solid unit which also can be heard in the result.

Prior to Demonical most of the line-up was involved with Centinex, a solid band that never got the respect and recognition it deserved. Has your past with Centinex helped establish Demonical quicker, do you think?

Of course it helped, no doubts about that. Our history in Centinex helped Demonical in two ways.. First off, all labels, etc knew about Centinex so when we said we have this new band it was much easier, we didn't have to start from scratch, so to speak. Second, all the experience we had gained in the past when it comes to other business issues such as shows, etc helped us from making any big mistakes or getting screwed.

Given your storied history with Centinex. Anything you wish not to repeat again with Demonical?

I will never let go the creative side of Demonical and let other people, band members, turn the band into wimpy death metal.

The sound on "Hellsworn" is really heavy and crunchy. It has that typical early 90's Scandinavian sound but I guess you downtuned the guitars a bit so it sounds even heavier. Can you tell us a bit how you usually go about creating your sound?

We do it the typical way, the way it was done in the early 90's: guitars downtuned to A and a Boss HM2 pedal. That's it. The rest is in our fingers and spirit.

Sweden has always had a pivotal role in the evolution of the death metal genre. Either from the melodic kind like Dark Tranquillity or In Flames to the more traditional sounding exponents like Dismember, Unleashed or Vomitory. Is there much camaraderie amongst the bands in Sweden?

Yeah, most of us who play in death metal bands know each other somehow, at least briefly. Especially those who have been doing this since the early 90s, we have ran into each other a few times.

This will be your second album for Cyclone Empire. How has Cyclone Empire been accommodating the band's needs up to this point?

Cyclone Empire have been really good, they have done a great job for both our albums and treated and supported us in a good way. Cyclone Empire is clearly the best label I have worked with. Ever!

You have recently been touring around Europe with Torture Killer in support of "Hellsworn". How was that tour, considering the economic climate and declining number of visitors at shows? Was it different compared to the touring campaign you did in support of "Servants Of the Unlight"? How much roadwork do you expect to be doing this 2009?

The tour was really good. I had arranged it through my own booking agency, Dreamtide Music, so that was of course a plus. I knew what to expect and we were aware of all conditions etc. Didn't really notice anything about any global crisis or anything. The turn-outs were good, between 100 and 250 people at all club shows which is quite normal or even better than normal for these kind of packages. As this was a nightliner tour everything was really smooth and easy, very comfortable. We try to do as much live rituals as possible as that's a good way to spread our propaganda.

You've been in the music business for quite a number of years now. What drives you to keep going year after year while the music business is not in a very good state?

It's my passion, it's my call. Some people collect stamps, others play football, I deal with metal music. Simple as that. Don't know about the state of the business, don't really know if it is good or bad. I see it more like "you get what you deserve".

What has been the biggest highlight of Demonical to this point?

Hard to mention any highlight, really. Basically every release, every show, every small thing is a part of a bigger plan and a step on the path forward.

To conclude, what can we expect from Demonical for the remainder of the year?

We will do some German festivals in September and a before that a warm up show in Praha. Maybe some dates in Sweden as well during the fall... Then in February 2010 we will hit Europe again on a new headlining tour and hopefully we can include Poland in our crusade!!

Thanks for the interview! Good luck with all your future endeavours. I would like to extend my praise for your persistence in keeping the ancient flame burning. The last words are yours.

Thanx for your support, much appreciated!! Stay loyal and remember to keep the death metal banner high.

Live pictures by Markus Grasseck

Booking: www.myspace.com/dreamtidemusic
Info: www.demonical.net

Demonical

interview by - Wouter Roemers

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