Vermin
Wywiad przeprowadził Wouter Roemers
The Dutch extreme metal scene is known be a potent one, churning out high quality acts that can compete with the best of them in the international scene. In a scene crowded by respected institutions such as Sinister, Pentacle, etc and young upstarts as Arsebreed - it's no easy feat getting noticed. Despite all their hard work and number of quality demos Vermin hasn't yet reached quite the same level of name recognition as fellow Dutchmen Disavowed, Prostitute Disfigurement or Gorefest. Talking to us is Vermin guitarist/backing vocalist Ron as we sat down to talk about the band's debut effort "A Nihilistic Swarm", their deal with ambitious Dutch label Deity Down Records and his new hobby of video-shooting/editing. Enter the Swallowing Vortex...
How are things in the Vermin camp at the moment?
We're getting started again after a brief holiday. July-August was a bit messy agenda-wise: some gone on holiday, some visiting the festivals. So, we did the first rehearsal last weekend after 4 weeks... It went smooth, played the set twice and jammed on a couple of ideas I'm working on.
Tell us briefly how was Vermin formed, some of you have a lineage in The Mess Age supposedly?
Haha, The Mess Age. Yeah, well man. I could go on about history, but I won't. Just is that Pascal (drums) and I (guitar) were in TMA - a band that existed for 5 years, had a lot of line-up changes and a full length album that never got out, due to all kinds of reasons. In the end of the band's career it seemed to have developed into a steady kind with a bit of future. Right at the beginning of a little tour our bassplayer stated to quit with metal at all, so we - Pascal and I - decided to get our (at the time) little side-project - a full time 100% main thing to do. We rehearsed up to 4 times a week in those days and got up with quite a lot of ideas, recorded them and found the remaining members to finish those recordings. We released it as "Alea Iacta Est"-demo, containing first 3 songs. In the beginning we also had Daniel with us on guitars, he was the singer in The Mess Age. He's still with us: designing our site and edited both our video clips that appear on both our full length releases.
What do you feel you can offer to the worldwide audience with "A Nihilistic Swarm"?
"A Nihilistic Swarm" should give the worldwide audience yet another vision on metal, and maybe death metal in particular. In the 'old' days an album lasted at least 40-50 minutes and that this album can hold the listeners attention a bit longer than the 'average' 30 minute releases of today. No fillers included. Our personal goal was to set a record that closed a period with our old singer Thomas who did the vocals on "Swarm", helping us out big time giving us a good start to get on with our new singer Laurens. The songs on "A Nihilistic Swarm" are mainly diverse because of that reason, overlooking the first 2 and a half years of Vermin. The album also is illustrated with some fine artwork by Bart Hennephof (guitars in Textures). Another reason to get the album in its physical state is the cd-extra part: an interactive menu that includes 2 videos and photo gallery of making the video
What does the album title exactly refer to?
"A Nihilistic Swarm" as a title refers to Vermin swarming around the world, being minimal (a 5 piece swarm is pretty nihil) and playing with words. One can interpret its title also as a nihilistic Swarm: a total annihilating bunch of vermin... and there's the song 'A Nihilist'.
Musically, where would you say the biggest progression has been compared to your demo "Solypsis"?
The biggest progression compared to the "Solypsis" demo should be the even more technical state of the newer songs, most likely due to our personal development as musicians, I guess. Although, I must admit that "Solypsis" was sort of a blueprint for our debut album. However, "Solypsis" was not complete without the extra song material given on "A Nihilistic Swarm".
Where would you position the band, lyrically?
Lyrically, I can say that they were written by Thomas - with the exception of 'Dislekt', 'Scientific Domination' and a few lines here and there - in a way describing his thoughts on the world leaving the listener with a wider perspective, all in a more defending matter. The new songs coming up are written in a more aggressor-way of telling, probably also a bit more direct. "A Nihilistic Swarm" contains a lot of metaphors, which will definitely be on the newer material but added with more clear lyrics.
Why was it deemed relevant to re-record the entire "Solypsis" sessions for your new album "A Nihilistic Swarm"- the material in question dates back from 2003?
To close a period with our old singer in a professional and happy way. But also because of the demo state "Solypsis" had, it was 'just a demo', our debut album should have these songs as well in a much better sound. Being an official album, those songs should reach the wide world as well, "Solypsis" of course didn't.
Did you achieve the sound you were hoping for? The guitars and drums sound a little overbearing at times.
We did achieve the sound we wanted, yes. A wall of sound with quite a lot clarity in the guitar sound - actually another bit of 'progression' compared with a lot of death metal releases. There's also a lot of space created for dynamics/ambience, atmosphere so to say. The bass guitar gets around a lot as well!
The recording sessions ran from October 2004 to May 2005. I guess it's safe to assume that you were recording on and off in between those months. What led to such a lengthy session for this debut? Did you run into any problems when recording this album?
Indeed, it took us a while to finish the album. October 29th, right after a try-out gig for Laurens on the Sunday before, having both old and new vocalists sharing the stage with each a part of the set, we went into the studio for the full seven days. Recording all basic tracks (drums were recorded in one day) and a lot of stuff. Arrangements, solo's, bassguitar were done on separate days in the weeks after. Due to illness in the studio crew some sessions were postponed to later dates to end halfway in May 2005 with the final mixdown on Wednesday and mastering on Thursday. The weeks in-between we used to carefully listen and edit the recordings pre-mixes to get more result back in the studio. Nice to add that Laurens insisted to sing 'Falling Deathwards' himself, because it was decided that this song would be the new video and since he was the singer people would see on the gigs after the recordings
It sounds like for instance Meshuggah, (early) Immolation and Deranged have been a source to inspiration?
Definitely! Meshuggah, Immolation and Deranged are great influences. The first 2 for their way of rhythm approach and Immolation with their harmonics. Deranged (or even Cannibal Corpse) for the riffing.
A thing I noticed on "A Nihilistic Swarm" is that you have relatively many solos and harmonies for a death metal album. Is this something you have in mind when writing the music?
The harmonies I personally want them in the songs. Immolation or better Hate Eternal are Pascal's and my favourite bands, for that matter. The amount of solo's? There are just a couple, in my opinion just enough to profile our thrash background. The solo's serve the songs, no real ego-stuff on this album.
Since the recording of the full length session vocalist Thomas has been replaced by Laurens. Has the line-up stabilized for now, do you think?
Laurens is with us for over 2 years now. I think because the atmosphere also got better because of the better perspectives (a real album out, some bigger gigs), the line-up is pretty steady. All the guys want to really make it work, being seriously involved in the band. At this point we are still looking for a replacement for Jeroen, our former bassplayer whose interest for the death metal genre got lost through the years and now is involved in a math-metal band.
You also produced a promo video for 'Falling Deathwards'. Can you talk me through the production process, as to who came with the idea, the actual filming, etc?
Since I am a music video fanatic, I was definitely not waiting for a company to get us a budget to shoot a video. With the right people around (Daniel's skills in video editing where way ahead). "Solypsis" had our first clip for the song 'Deviate' from our first demo. This one was shot in about 12 takes, representing the band in our rehearsal room environment. With the next video we'd figured that it should be way better next time (working with a script, lesser or better dosed effects and maybe add some of my ideas in it since I got a taste of making videos my/ourselves). So, after the (pretty much) final mixes we listened to during December/January we thought 'Falling Deathwards' would present Vermin and the album at its best . The location was easy, at my daytime job we have a huge hall. I turned that into a bit of an industrial/futuristic room in the morning of the shoot. The afternoon was planned film the band's new video, some 14 takes with 4 camera's minimum running simultaneously. We had a lot of material to choose from, the editing job was done in the 6 months after. The "making the album" video: footage from the studio - was entirely mixed and edited by me. Being my first project ever, starting a new 'career ' in video-shooting and editing myself (so far I've done projects for bands like Foretold, Wishyouweredead, Thanatos and freelance work for Necrophagist, Vile, Psycroptic just to get me more experience). Also, when we do
gigs I most times shoot all the bands on those gigs and create a nice DVD from it for the bands. Last well-received project was the "Band Battle in Hamburg" - DVD.
What do you think sets you apart from your fellow countrymen in long-standing and established bands like Severe Torture, Sinister, Prostitute Disfigurement and Brutus?
The different approach to the death metal genre by us definitely sets us apart. But also adds us to these established bands because of yet this other approach these bands themselves are quite different from each other already.
What made you sign with Deity Down Records? I can't really recall any releases from them.
Deity Down Records, yep. They are a very ambitious label, we are the first signed band on the label. Actually, after a year in low priority-mode search for a suitable label - they contacted us! Gerard is a guy I know for 20 years or so, lost contact a bit for 15 years and since December we got together again. They searched a local, running band initially to get the label started. We decided that being the first - and only band for at least a year - we had all the benefits of being that only band. Promotion - and attention-wise as well with the aspect of the given artistic freedom. The one thing we would really need is the distribution of the album. The first plan of Deity Down Records also was to get the album out on mail-order basics without the interference of third parties, which actually works. The Western part of Europe still visits the record shop around the corner and there's a chance still open for us to get the album available.
When I was researching for this interview, I noticed that it's fairly hard to find past interviews with the band. Is there a specific reason for that?
"Solypsis" was a demo, it did not reach many zines other than - most - locals. My guess is that if anyone was interested, they probably waited until there was really something to tell.
Are any of you currently involved in other bands besides Vermin?
Pascal and Wolf are busy also in Sick Human Art (black metal), Laurens is also the frontman in Wishyouweredead (deathgrind).
Do you have any live activities planned?
September 15th we have our first gig of the new season. October, however, it is really getting started: a little mini-tour (5 days) through the Netherlands. Gigs are coming in right now, confirmations we're working on. Co-operations with some German bands we played with and met at this year's Fuck the Commerce Festival. Later on, also plans are made for our first gig(s) in Portugal
Anything you wish to add to conclude to this interview?
People can come to our site www.verminband.nl and find lots of links to check us out. There are going to be downloadable videos on a regular basis from our gigs (entirely or outtakes) - but most important of all: people and distributors visit our site or go directly to www.deitydownrecords.com to get our album. For bookings people can contact me as well (ronhead@wanadoo.nl). Keep an eye open on a new sampler cd, compiled by Schoft of Brutus. Supporting the Breda-scene with this release, Vermin will appear with 2 songs recorded live at the Fuck the Commerce Fest.
Site: www.verminband.nl
Booking: ronhead@wanadoo.nl
