Anasarca
Wywiad przeprowadził Michał Kowalski
Anasarca's second album "Moribund" is very original one when it comes to the lyrical part. But that is not the main reason why I made an interview with that German band. Brutal death metal! Do you know what I mean? If so - read this, if not -go to hell!There is a Vomiting Corpses's CD'95 "Coma (The Spheres Of Innocence)" in the Anasarca's discography. So is Anasarca the continuation of the band called Vomiting Corpses (besides, great name ha, ha)?
"Nope, it is not. The V.C. drummer and me left the band in 95 and founded ANASARCA. V.C. and ANASARCA existed together about 2 years and it is a single band. Nothing to do with V.C. after we left them. Until today, I am the only one who has been in V.C., the drummer had to leave ANASARCA in 1998."
Anasarca's first official release was demo tape "Condemned Truth" (1995). What can you tell me about this stuff? Do you still listen to these five songs with the outspoken pleasure?
"Hm, the promo "Condemned Truth" was recorded three weeks after we founded ANASARCA. So, the five songs have been composed with material that came from me, but never was used in V.C. before. We just hurried to compose them. Nevertheless three of the 5 songs found their way onto our debut album. Today I am of course not that satisfied as we have been before, cause the production is just bad and the songs are very simple and less brutal."
Why does the debut CD "Godmachine" (Repulse Rec.) from 1998 have got the same title as your demo tape from 1996? If you were an ordinary fan, would you buy those two materials nowadays?
"Yes, I would cause all of those songs on our promotape are on the album, but with a better production and played by another drummer. So, noone had to buy our "demos", cause we didn't want any money for them. Everyone interested could have sent us a blank tape and postage. We recorded the demos for him and sent them back again. So the only thing we are selling are the albums."
In September'98 Repulse Rec. sent you (together with Centinex) on the tour crossing Spain and Portugal. What was the feeling when you went for your first ever tour?
"We felt good about the audiences, really cool people and we enjoyed that a lot. Bad feelings because the organizers ripped us off like hell. We didn't get the money we should have got and sometimes we had to pay for water on stage !!! That was the bad thing on that tour, but afterwards we were very glad having done it. Was a cool experience."
The quotation from the band's biography:"... in 1999 Anasarca broke with Repulse Rec. friendly...". What does it mean to you? Maybe something like:"...we are still friends, we still like you guys, but we hate to work with you!!!"? I'm just kidding of course...
"No, REPULSE told us, that we have the chance to find another label becaues they had financial problems. We are still in contact with REPULSE and they still help us out with doing merchandise and 
things. REPULSE had to drop the bands that didn't earn money for them and the sellings weren't that good, so we had to leave. We aren't angry about that. Of course there have been differences between us, but now we are very happy that we did it, cause Mighty Music are doing a better job for us now ! Nevertheless we are really thankful that we got the chance from REPULSE to release our debut album and that they helped us, to get a more known name."
Nowadays you cooperate with Mighty Music. I've found out from the label's promotional note that "Moribund" is a big priority release for Mighty Music. They must really believe in your band!!!
"Yes it seems so, because Mighty Music signed us without ever heard new material. They heard that we are looking for a new label and they liked "Godmachine". So they offered us a deal. So that was the point for us to say "hey, they believe in us and they will do a good job for". They started a big advertisement campaign and I think we are better known within the last two months, than in 2 years at REPULSE."
As I've read in your biography, you are "...the godfathers of 'symphonic brutal gore'..."! Was it your idea, or the guys from Mighty Music to call your music style in this way? Next time I suggest trying with 'christraping disco', or 'bonecrushing country' ha, ha...
"He, he, no, it was the description a Spanish metal mag gave us and so we thought it to be a cool "slogan" ha, ha... Of course it is somehow overdone, but we like that, he, he, he. They called us like that because of the melodies that are combined with the brutal US gore- style."
But I must agree with words from Anasarca's biography saying that your music is 'fast, brutal and right into face!'. So how do you create the sounds like that? What are your inspirations?
"You know, we are composing songs just like what comes out of our feelings. We have some riffs, putting them together and within the rehearsalroom the rest is done. Nothing special, it is hardly to describe.
There are of course times in which nothing is done cause of lack of ideas, but then times are coming in that we compose two songs in two weeks. We don't have a strategy, just playing and trying ...
My personal inspirations lay in all times of death metal. I am in the dm-scene since 1985 and a lot of bands inspired me to write riffs.The following bands seem to be the most important: US: SUFFOCATION, (old) CANNIBAL CORPSE, (old) DEATH, (old) OBITUARY, (old) MORBID ANGEL, POSSESSED ... much more, too much to mention...European: (old) EDGE OF SANITY, (old) GRAVE, AT THE GATES, (old) ENTOMBED, (old) DISMEMBER."
Your 2nd album "Moribund" has got much, much better production than the first CD "Godmachine"! What other advantages of "Moribund" are?
"The production is of course an advantage, but one of the main things is probably, that on "Godmachine" are songs that are composed within 4 years, on "Moribund" the songs are new and more brutal. On "Godmachine" we tried to be more variable, on "Moribund" we just wanted to be brutal, fast and aggressive. "Moribund" is the album we ever wanted to release and I think the next one will become like this, maybe even more fast and brutal!"
Let's talk about lyrics on the "Moribund" album. Another quotation from Anasarca's biography:"...The basic idea is that death row inmates aren't shown detailed in the medias, noone cares about their emotions and feelings...". It seems that you try to defend all those motherfuckers, I mean killers, rapists, etc., am I right?
"No, you are NOT right. We don't want to defend them, as I think there are many people that did really bad and cruel things. We just want to show emotions, as noone really knows them. This kind of real existing sadness and sorrow of their deeds sometimes is what we wanted to show. You know, if someone would rape or even kill my daughter I would personally kill him, but nevertheless I would be interested in what he is feeling within the years on death row ..."
So what's your opinion about the death penalty? I have got just one principle: an eye for an eye!
"We don't want to tell our own opinion, becaues we don't want to manipulate someones thoughts. Each one should read the lyrics, maybe getting interest on that theme, then reading books and build up an own opinion. We just want to show the feelings of the inmates, nothing more. No value. As I said before, it is difficult to say how I am thinking. There are situations, in which I understand a death penalty demand. So, if in the states parents are thinking like me, I can understand that demand. But there are so many people have been killed innocently and there have been so many accidents during executions, that I really think different. If it is proven, that someone killed for example, then we have to accept the law in that state, and if it is not death penalty, I would judge of my own, if I am involved- the example with my daughter. Another example: massmurderers, like Dahmer, who said that they would kill and torture again, if they would be let free. There I can understand if the death penalty is used. The problem is always, that there are so many things going wrong- all these accidents that happened because of bad execution-material. There are cases, in which gouverneurs used money, that was thought for repairings, to build up or repair their homes."
Many people say that they are masters of their own. They live like they want to and... they die like they want to! What do you think about suicide?
"Hm, I think it is ones own decision, whether he want to live or not. But before committing suicide, one has to think of the family and friends who are as well hit by such a situation. Sometimes it seems easy to solve problems just by dying and leave the problems on earth, but if you are a tough guy who don't want a victory of things that offend you, just fight and solve the problems the other way. Dying is the easiest way to get rid of probs, but as I said, think about the people that love you and that you are leaving alone."
Do you believe in life after death? With what do you associate words like: religion, god,
reincarnation?
"I am a strong atheist. My personal opinion is, that the god was the result aliens that came to earth a long time ago and that did show the "humans" that time things, they couldn't understand. So they became some kind of divinity. I hate religion (and I mean EVERY KIND of religion). Reincarnation? Hm, the only thing that happens with my body after I died is, that I am food for the worms and insects. I don't believe in that soul-shit!"
Tell me all about the "calendar of death" which owns place at the "Moribund"'s cover. Where did you 
take all those execution files (names, dates, causes of death) from?
"All dates can be found on homepages of several anti-death penalty organisations. There are listed the ones who are already executed, as well as those, who will soon be executed. Everything about that theme can be found in the net."
Let's back to music now. In the earlie 80ies there was a great thrash metal scene in Germany. I always wandered why the german death metal underground wasn't as strong as the 80ies thrash metal scene?
"Because most of them did black metal, as there was the black metal boom. Mostly people of this generation don't listen to extreme music anymore, or changed their favourite style into power metal and other stuff like that. They became grown-ups now, he, he, he. It doesn't matter to me, we are doing this shit as long as we can and if we would ever change the style, we would as well change the bands name, but I don't think it will ever happen like this! We adore death metal, at least I am!!!"
My favourite death metal band from Germany is Necrophagist. Do you know these musicians? What other german deathers could you recommend and why?
"Hey, we are not your favourite band? Damned !!! ha, ha, ha...No, I don't know them. Some cool German underground bands are: Profanity, Tears of Decay, Into Darkness, Sanitys Dawn, Mental Abberation, Eye Sea, Stillborn Child ..."
We are close to the end of this interview, so tell me about your plans of conquering the whole death metal universe! How are you going to make this happen?
"We don't have plans like that. We just wanna have fun, playing a lot live and celebrating death metal in general. If people like us it is great, sold albums help us and of course our label, but if they don't like us it is ok as well, if they spend a beer when we'll meet, ha, ha..."
OK my friend, to finish this interview tell me what do the word 'underground scene' means to you? Thanx for your patience in answering my questions!!!
"Underground means, what we don't have any more. The scene was great in the early 90s late 80s.
Then everyone wanted to have party. It wasn't that much important if he was a powermetal freak, or deather or whatever ... These days Nazis are in the scene and all different scene- splits are offending the others. The "I am the most true fan ever"- fraction grows and that's what I hate. To me it doesn't matter what music he is listening to, the main thing is: he is no Nazi and he wants to have fun! Thanx alot for your interview and support ! Stay fucking brutal!"
www.anasarca.de
