Suhrim
Wywiad przeprowadził Wouter Roemers
For over 10 years Suhrim has been playing gigs, recording demo`s and converting people into their brutal old school death metal. After years of enduring commitment to their art and absolute determination to take their band to the next level Italian label Pulsar Light Records offered them a contract and recently released their "Old Scars, Fresh Wound" mini-cd. A career-spanning offering which includes new tracks as well. With the mini in the bag and a full length to be released in a not so distant tommorow, we sat down with founding member Johan Antonissen, vocalist/bassist for Suhrim.
Hi. Thanks for taking the time to answer our interview. How are things with the band?
Things are going very well for the band lately, we are working hard and intense.
"Old Scars Fresh Wound" (OSFW) is your most recent recording - how does this particular record compare to the albums and multitude of demos you did before this session?
Songwise not much really, only the production and sound are way better than the previous releases. We made this mini as an extra for the fans, it shows the band`s development through out the years. That`s the reason why we re-wrote some of the songs - so they differ a bit of the original creations. It was the first recording of our re-joined drummer Paul [Brunson, ed], and the last studio recording of ex guitarplayer Bart [Vergaert, now in Aborted, ed]. This record is for us sort of an `in between` release, if you know what I mean? Not a real album, but more like a discography of the band, to show what we have been doing the last 15 years. Call it an anniversary album. The fans get a lot of extras for a few bucks. Namely, the mini with five songs, then the "Gore Is the End" demo, which was sold out back in the day. People were still asking for this demo. So, we put it on the album. The extra free DVD contains a live show recorded and put together by the Lugburz crew on the gig we played for them in 2002. We thought it was a nice treat to the fans. Nothing spectacular.
As far as I could draw back OSFW got rather mildly constructive reviews, while some revelled in its blunt old school songwriting and feeling - others detested it for the exact same reason. How does this exposure concern the band as a whole?
Not much actually, we always did what we wanted and will continue this in the future. We like this release and the sales tell us the fans also dig it. Which is the most important issue here, I think. I read a lot of the reviews... the good and the bad ones. What becomes clear here is that a lot of reviewers don`t really know what they are talking about. Stating that this is our first release and stuff... kind of funny. But hey, every review is a review. The name is mentioned, and people still decide of if they like the cd or not. We get the most negative critics on the DVD part. We as a band know it`s not the best quality that there is - but it`s just an extra for the fans. If one day we decide to make a real DVD we`ll do it the professional way, believe me. This part was a free extra. It was a gift from the people of Lugburz to the band, so why not use it?
For most of its carreer - which lasts well over a decade already - Suhrim has been recording at the Cavern Studios in Antwerp, Belgium. Don`t you think that a change of studios and producer would be beneficial for the band`s musical growth?
I know what you mean here. We are very satisfied with the work of Cavern Studios. Don`t forget we are still working with low budget recordings here. So, there is always the monetary problem. For what we pay for the studio we get a good job done. We are thinking of moving to another studio for future Suhrim recordings.
Not sure which studio it will be or where - all options are open for discussion.
We do know that we want to get - a more mature/ brighter sound. So, to answer your question short: yes, we think it will benefit the band`s growth if we record somewhere else.
In retrospect, are you satisfied with your previous offering "Unidentified Flying Bodyparts" (UFB)? To be perfectly honest with you, I thought the album only partially lived up to Suhrim`s monumental status. The production values weren`t in par with other albums released in a similar timeframe and it came off rather sloppy in its execution. Am I being too critical here?
I agree on this with you, but as told before there is the low budget thingie that always comes around the corner. If I look back to the UFB album, then I admit it could have been much better. We probably will re-mix the album in the near future, because it has been out of print for a few years now. We will put some extras on it as well as a new cover art and lay-out. You will see it when the time comes. This idea is still being negotiated, as we speak. What really needs to be done better on this album is the drum - and guitar sound. If these two have a bit more definition, it [the album] will improve a lot soundwise already. We will see how it turns out. But I`m still very proud of this album - it`s our first, you know. The reviews weren`t too bad either.
Somehow Suhrim has always remained largely unknown, while other bands of the same time grew to greater heights of commercial success. I guess the wacky humor and odd samples are not appreciated by everyone. It brought quite a smile to my face when you blasted Calimero (popular local children`s cartoon) off with a shotgun rifle on UFB. Is the death metal scene still taking itself too serious for your taste? UK death/grind combo Gorerotted luckily proove a bit of humor never hurt anyone.
The thing of being largely unknown may be the harvest of having a total zero on promotion for the band by the previous labels. Somehow with "Old Scars, Fresh Wound" this problem is being solved, since we get more interviews and reviews. People from all over the world start to check out our website on a regular basis lately. Also orders from all over Europe are coming in more and more. It`s all about promotion. A label that really puts effort in supporting their bands. This is the hard lesson we learned. But hey, we are still here and stay here. I don`t think the odd samples and wacky humor are the reason the band stayed kind of unknown, I would even state the opposite. Yes, sometimes I think the scene is a bit too serious. In the first place music is entertainment and meant to be fun. Not to be serious or get suicidal ideas with. Life itself is already serious enough. But it`s getting better J
OSFW and your new album "the Cunt Collector" (TCC) are being released by Italian label Pulsar Light Records. While still being a young label, are you satisfied with the work - on the level of marketing, promotion and distribution - they have done for Suhrim so far?
Am I? Fuck yes! They do a lot of work to get us promoted and distributed all over the globe, some things take more time than others. They are doing a hell of a job.
These guys really work hard and do what they tell us they will do. Quite a contrast in comparison to our previous label. They work in a very professional way. No complains at all.
TCC turns out to be an all-important release - on various levels. Not only is it the first Suhrim album on a new label, it`s also the first record to contain all new material, in contrary to both UFB and OSFW. This is also the first time that you decided to do the artwork yourself. Can you tell us what brought on this decision?
Hmm, we didn`t look to it that way. For us it`s just the next step in our musical career. Of course, we stand 100% behind this record and we are fucking proud of it as well. It shows a newer Suhrim, still pretty old school death metal but with a slightly modern touch to it. I think we can say that we have always achieved to have very differentiating albums and songs compared to each other. This line we intend to follow, so there is a lot of diversity on the album. About the cover art: we wanted a real old school lay-out and also a cover. I did it myself cause I used to draw and paint for more than ten years even 
before starting with Suhrim. It ended up in a comic drawing. We all like it. The thing was we got a bit bored with all the Photoshop cover arts lately. Everybody is bitching about one wrong pixel in an image, Jesus! Now they have something to nag about! (laughs) As told earlier in this interview, we always did what we want and what we like. If others like it - cool, if not... so be it. It`s the music that counts not the wrapping of the record.
Suhrim also recently concluded a promotion deal with Hardebaran Agency. Please tell us exactly what this deal consists of. Are they responsible for bookings, setting up tours and interviews, etc?
Yes, we are happy to work with Hardebaran. They work very professional, serious and are very cool persons as well. They take care of promotion in Germany and the Benelux, through them we get a lot of airplay on radios which is good. Interviews and reviews are coming on a very regular basis, so yes - it pays off. About gigs and tours: it was the meaning to work with Hardebaran, and things were looking good. Consequently, a new law was passed in Belgium which put some ashes in the drinks.
They need to have a license given by the goverment for booking gigs for bands.
So for now the bookings for gigs and tours is back in my hands. When all clears up there is a way of working for booking gigs with Hardebaran. We sure intend to work together with them in the future.
Recently Suhrim invaded Poland for quite a big festival. I reckon your old school death metal must have been welcomed quite warmly. As Belgium (the band`s homecountry) isn`t the most fertile soil for a brutal death metal band, will Suhrim play abroad more when offered the possibility?
Playing on a Sunday in front of 350 people who actually don`t know your band nor its music, and getting cool response during and after the show kicks ass! Yeah, we were welcomed very warm. We are eager to go back for more shows. Poland rocks! Great and crazy audience. Of course, we will play abroad when we are asked to do so, but getting gigs outside Belgium goes hand in hand with a good promotion. Promotion is going well and shows abroad are coming in as we speak. Plans for a South European tour (Portugal, Spain, Italy and France) are in the negotiating phase, this will probably happen autumn 2004. Plans are being made to go to England, and to return to Poland as well. People will see us all around Europe in the nearby future. If everything goes well, that is. Anything can happen.
With OSFW the band delivers a collection of old and new material. Besides the new tracks, there`s also a new guitarist that has entered the band`s otherwise veteran line-up. Has Jeroen Vingerhoed displayed himself as an agile songwriter - did he contribute any fresh ideas to the new material (TCC, specifically) or was everything written well before he entered the picture?
The writing process of a Suhrim album is always done with the whole band. Every member brings in ideas: it may be a whole rough version of a new song or a single riff. We all work on it until completion, that is until we are all satisfied. So in that aspect he brought in some nice new ideas in Suhrim`s music. But he still has to get used to our way of writing songs. He delivers cool riffings and licks on parts of songs where the rest of the band got stuck. He`s a nice person and a cool musician to work with. We completed songwriting for TCC in one month. Suhrim songs have to be spontaneous. Working 3 weeks on one song is nothing for us - then we rather put that one aside and create a new one. Songwriting goes rather natural.
Tell us something about the lyrical concept behind Suhrim - for the unitiated that now hear of the band for the first time. I suspect there`s no central theme that ties the band`s backcatalogue nicely together?
No. Only a very skeptic view of the things that happen in the world that surrounds us. Most of the time it`s the regular splatter sick gore humor we use. It depends on my mood and the song in particular. They are not to be taken serious, if you know what I mean? Just plain sick fun.
It seems the Belgian scene is slowly but steadily blossoming; technical death metal formation Prejudice tours with established genre bands such as Six Feet Under and Unique Leader recording artists Beheaded. Leng Tché, Aborted and Emeth all have feasible contracts and toured through out the United States. Is Belgium finally delivering the goods after years of silence?
We are known of being always ten years behind with everything. It`s the same with metal music, I think. No seriously, Belgian bands nowadays are way better off then ten years ago. Ten years ago Belgian metalheads didn`t support their own bands.
They rather went to see an American or a Scandinavian band playing a gig then a Belgian band. That changed a lot now, and because of this bands get more support and start to get known outside the country as well. In the past, labels were not interested in Belgian bands at all. Just because they were Belgian. If you put on an ad "From Belgium" it didn`t sell. If it was a Dutch band (no offense here) it was no problem. There always has to be that first one who gets accepted outside the borders. Then the rest will follow, it`s always like that. Damn, I`m getting an old fart!
Thanks for your time and willingness to talk to us. Last words are all yours...
Yes, thanks for this refreshing interview. It was fun to do. If we hit the stage some where in your area, pay us a visit and support the band! We won`t disappoint you!
See you all!
Band information.
Site: suhrim.deathmetal.be/
Info/booking: johan.suhrim@pandora.be
