Fleshgore
Wywiad przeprowadził Tomasz Osuch
This is a real brutal death grind machine. Fleshgore from Ukraine plays a little bit like its American friends and you may be sure that this is really powerful music. You will not be dissapointed with their album. I talked Igor, the founder, and he told me about their debut album "Killing Absorption" and also about few other, important things. just check it!
Hello Igor, how are you bro? What's the weather like is on the Ukraine now, are hats and scarves necessary already? In Poland we have winter now, but not that extreme as in your country.
"Thanx! I'm fine. Yea, we have winter in Ukraine too. Our winter is not so extreme as you think. Temperature was near from zero all last week. It's not so cold."
Do you enjoy any winter sports? You know what I mean. skiing, skating and stuff like that.
"Frankly speaking all my spare time I use for my band. Sometimes I like to watch Winter Olympic Games, but basically I like summer sports more than winter sports. And of course I like summer more than a winter. I hate this cold whether. "
You are back from the two week tour under the name Killing Absorption Tour where you played with bands like Rotten Sound, Disavowed, Houwitser, Resurrectred and others. What is the response to your music live, especially to the songs from the new album?
"This tour we played all songs from "Killing Absorption" album only. Also few covers: "Hammer Smashed Face" Cannibal Corpse, "Raining Blood" Slayer, "The Day The Dead Walked" Six Feet Under. The response of the crowd was great. People asked us play again and again and sometimes we played more than one hour on the stage."
I know that to promote your album you are planning next shows for March-April 2004. You will play with Meatknife and Gorezone. Are there any details confirmed yet - dates, venues?
"This moment we only start to book shows. Our manager Anna is booking shows for us and now I know about two confirmed dates with Meatknife, Gorezone and Lay Down Rotten in Germany. Also before this tour we are planning an East European Tour in Ukraine, Poland, Czech with DEFORMED (pl) and LANIENA MENTIS (cz). So we have many plans for 2004, I hope everything will be ok and we will visit your country in March 2004. Now we are trying to book so much gigs for 2004 as we can."
Let's talk about new Fleshgore album. Are you fully satisfied with the "Killing Absorption"? I mean the sound, songs, ideas. Is there anything which you would like to correct, delete, or add?
"First of all I want to say you that we recorded this material in studio three days only, also we had few days to make a master copy, but I think we made a good work in this short time. Album has a really good sound, which must be liked by many fans of brutal death metal. Stuff is really quality. Till this moment I've heard good reactions only. People like it! So I think we are satisfied!!!"
US brutal death grind from Ukraine - you use these words to describe your music and this is true - for sure. Is the American scene your main source of inspiration or maybe there is something else?
"I like a lot of brutal death metal music. I like gods & veterans like: Suffocation, Deeds Of Flesh, Devourment, Dying Fetus, Disgorge and others. Also I like young but not so popular bands as: Despondency, Sinners Bleed, Gorezone. Basically, I try to find and underscore new brutal things and elements in their music. This is very important I think, because we always must forge something new in our music."
What is the main difference between the album "Killing Absorption" and the demo "Interuterine Dilemms"?
"Music is really different. All songs for our first demo were written in 2000. Only one song from the demo was included into the debut full-length album "Killing Absorption", because first material wasn't so fast and brutal. I can describe our music from demo as old school death metal. This demo was not so professional as our new stuff, because three years ago we haven't so much experience as at this moment."
Fleshgore signed a deal with Germany's Metal Blast Records and this label was announced for releasing your album. Because of bankruptcy of Metal Blast in summer 2003 you were forced to produce and self-release "Killing Absorption". I would like to know your comment about this event. By the way, this is the one of the best albums produced by the band which I have seen! I mean artwork, graphics and stuff like that..
"Thanx for your good words about our new stuff!!! We just tried to make it on a high level. Of course when we understood that our label can't release our cd we were disconcerted, but we decided to release it as self produced cd, because we had a good record (label paid a studio for us). I can't to say bad words into MBR side, because I understand that this is a force major! This can be up with somebody."
Originally you signed a deal with Metal Blast for release of demo cd-r "Interuterine Dilemms" and "Killing Absorption" album. The second of the mentioned above was self released, as we said earlier. What with the first one? Was "Interuterine Dilemms" released through Metal Blast finally?
"MBR released no one Fleshgore cd. Demo "Interuterine Dilemms" was self-released too on cd-r with full-color booklet in 500 copies one year ago."
Were there any other labels interested in your music when you were searching for a label (and found Metal Blast)? Was it the only label interested in releasing Fleshgore album?
"There was one Bulgarian label Butchery Music (before Metal Blast), who wanted to release "Interuterine Dilemms", but our cooperation wasn't very long."
It seems that there is a one positive and important event in that. That is the recording session of "Killing Absorption" which was financed by them. How did you spend the time in Domino Studio?
"We spend these days in a really hard work and we had no one spare minute! Only five days to make a completed cd and make it quality! This is really hard! So we started at 10-00 and finished at 20-00 o'clock."
What is your current situation with the label? Are you searching for a new label? Any news about that?
"Of course at this moment we are looking for a new label. But this time we will try to find a really good label which can give us a good promotion. We have a few offers, but now we think better than previous time before that we will sign a new deal."
Ok, for a moment let's talk about Fleshgore past. When you formed the band three years ago, you formed a line-up which has not changed since then. I suppose there is cool relation between you and other members, and you haven't had any serious problems inside the camp?
"Unfortunately it was so at the beginning, but now we have some problems in the band and maybe in the nearest future we will change something in our line-up. Sorry, but I can't say you more details right now. This path is very fierce for us, but we must decide it! We don't need guys who make nothing for the band! We are looking for a good bass player more than one year, because I can describe our last bass player as session or guest musician only! He made nothing essential for our band, and we don't need suchlike guy."
Shortly after band's birth, the vocalist - Cannibal joined the Fleshgore. In your bio I found the following sentence - Cannibal was famous in Kiev by his growling. Was he a vocalist in some other bands before he joined to Fleshgore?
"Yes, he fetches his growl in one unknown band Dead Sea here in Kiev. But this band died three years ago. "
There were a few session bassists in Fleshgore, but currently there is no one behind the bass in Fleshgore. So, who was responsible for the bass parts on the "Killing Absorption", and who helps you during the shows?
"Sad (our second guitar player) recorded all bass parts on this album. Also he played on bass last tour. Of course we need a good bass player, but unfortunately we can't find him and this moment we are looking for. I hope everything will be ok, and we'll find a good bass player soon."
Sad from Entrails Putrefecation is the second guitarist in Fleshgore. I haven't heard any news about this band recently, are they still active?
"Now Entrails Putrefaction is not active, because guys live in different cities. Band played ultra brutal death metal in veins ala old Deeds of Flesh. Only one their promo cd was released.."
You come from Ukraine, and Anna Snigur who lives in Germany is Fleshgore manager. How did it happen that you are working together?
"She is also from Kiev and we have been working together since March 2002, but since August 2003 she studies in Germany. A new location helps her more to make us a better promotion in Europe and organize gigs in Germany."
Are you satisfied with her work for Fleshgore? Are there any other bands in Anna'a management?
"She makes this work perfect! And we are very satisfied! Also she helps with concert booking some other bands. That's all I think."
And at the end of this interview I would like to ask you bro about the next album. are you working on the follow-up to great "Killing Absorption" album?
"Of course I am working on new songs for next cd. And I make it right now. I wrote riffs for new four songs. And now I see my progress, and think that my next song will be more powerful and professional than previous. Maybe till the end of next year we will be ready for studio. But we must make next album more killing than last cd. And we don't want to make it very fast. We must make really quality stuff only!!!"
These were all my questions. Thanx for the intie and I hope to see Fleshgore in Poland in Spring 2004!
"I also hope to see our metal brothers in Poland!!! Stay fucking brutal!!!"
website: www.fleshgore.com
