Caedere
Wywiad przeprowadził Wouter Roemers
Caedere is another great brutal death metal band coming to us from Holland. Like their peers in Disavowed, Brutus and older bands like Severe Torture and Sinister the band is able to combine the best of both the US and European death metal scenes. Recently, Caedere issued their "Promo 2007" EP to generate label interest for their second full length. This promo presented groovy, technical death metal influenced by the likes of latter day Dying Fetus and Suffocation. Talking to us at length is drummer Sjoerd Modderkolk about the band's latest EP, the reactions to their debut and the (international) death metal scene in general.
Hi! Thanks for answering our interview. What is presently going on with the band? What new things are happening for Caedere right now?
Hey Wouter! Caedere is doing fine. We're finishing our new songs at the moment. That means try to shape the edges and details! 8 songs are almost done and ready to be released!
Introduce our readers to your band regarding its line-up, when and where you recorded the "Mass Emission" debut album, its musical direction, the lyrical field and the record company on which it was released.
Well, I'm Sjoerd [Modderkolk, ed], skinbeater (or drummer) Michiel [Lankhorst, ed] is doing vocals, Herbert [Cats, ed] on bass and then we have Niels [Ottink, ed], guitar/backing vocals and our 'newest' member Thomas [Luyken, ed], guitar. We recorded our debut "Mass Emission" at the Gr0und Zer0 Studios, back in may 2003. It feels like a long, long time ago! It's a very 'straight-to-your-face' album with lots of fast and brutal elements, combined with 'polka-alike' Swedish beats, well-known from bands like (old) Entombed, Dismember, etc. A clear but heavy production included! Goregiastic Records, based in New York, released this one in the beginning of 2004, I think? Lyric-wise, it's a combination of the failed humanity and their deeds, some gore elements etc! Just read it yourself to get a better idea of what it's about! (Michiel and Herbert wrote them btw)
Could you provide us with some hints of how the new promo EP compares to your previous effort?
It's a promo, you know. Just to give anybody an idea of how the new music will sound like. I think it's a little bit more technical and there's more variation. Some parts are slower and more dark, some parts are faster and more melodic compared to "Mass Emission".
When working on this new promo, were there any elements from your debut album that you wanted to keep and were there any particular things you were looking to improve?
Definitely the 'old-school' way of death metal we want to keep in our music. Everybody can play fast and brutal nowadays. But sometimes less is more, and it's very effective in our music to keep these elements. We also concentrated more on the duo-guitar parts, because a few years back we only had Niels on guitar. With Thomas as a second guitar player there are much more possibilities. You can say some parts are more melodic now, but brutal as always.
What were some of the intentions the band strived for when crafting the new promo?
Just get that thing finished. Time is short in a studio sometimes, and we want to deliver some quality. We recorded it in just 2 days. Although, we have some complaints, we're satisfied anyway.
When listening to the EP it becomes clear that it is very coherent; it sounds like a massive piece, did you use a special way of writing to accomplish that?
I guess that's a question for a guitar player! Well, since the beginning we had a massive and low sound, and the vocals of Michiel are very powerful and massive too. It's a matter of combinations we use. We are inspired by the Swedish death metal, whose recordings (and live performances) are always massive!
The EP is graced with an incredible pristine production that is very easy to listen to. I take it you are satisfied with the studios you've worked with to produce and mix this record?
Thx! We recorded it with Paul [Beltman, ed] (drummer of Sinister) at his HelterBelter Studio in just 2 days. We've had some mastering problems at his place, so we did this at Robbe's (Disavowed) studio. Most people I talk with are very surprised by its production. Although, I'm not satisfied with my tom and cymbal sound, it's a clear but brutal production indeed!
Your new EP is a pretty brutal effort that leaves little to the imagination and yet it does manage to surprise here and there. Do you use a lot of time on trying to vary the music or is it something that just comes naturally?
Well, we are VERY critical when it comes to writing. We are a 5-piece so every member has his own opinion about the riffing, vocals, drums etc. Sometimes it's a bit difficult to arrange a song, but we do not to force ourselves when writing. It must be a natural process to write good music, I think. So, most of the time it comes naturally, even though it takes a hell lotta time when out of inspiration.
The three new tracks sound incredibly tight and technical. About how much do you guys practice on average?
Thanks dude. Well, as a collective we play one evening a week. That's all. There's no more time for more rehearsals. We try to focus as much as possible on the songwriting when we rehearse. And farting, of course.
Musically, where would you say the biggest progression has been compared to your debut album?
The structure in our songwriting. It has become a little bit more technical, more melodic and sometimes even faster or slower. I think the songs are more mature now. And, as I mentioned before, with the involvement of a second guitar player there are much more possibilities, which you will hear on our second full-length.
In my review I compared your new promo to established US death metal bands such as Dying Fetus and Suffocation. Do you feel this comparison does the material justice?
Yeah, in some way. Suffocation are an inspiration for almost every death metal band, I think. The groovy parts can be compared with Dying Fetus sometimes maybe, but that's because old DF-drummer Kevin Talley is one of my favourite death metal drummers. For Caedere, it's a battle between US death and Swedish death metal. But we try to keep the influences from other bands outside our music. There are many good bands you can listen too (even non-metal), and inspiration is everywhere.
From what I understand you have the majority of material completed for a second album. What direction is the band's sound taking?
Just as it is on our promo. Brutal, heavy but clear. Expect a lot of (death metal) diversity on this new record!
Which bands have had a huge impact on your playing and writing?
Personally, a lot of bands. I can name a few: Dying Fetus (with Kevin Talley on drums), Satyricon, The Prodigy, Cult of Luna, Venetian Snares, Ved Buens Ende, etc. As a band we have inspiration from a lot of bands of course. From Origin/Dismember to Daft Punk/Justin Timberlake, hahaha.
Death metal is on the rise again and there are plenty of talented bands to conform that. Caedere stands out due to their more "old school" songwriting approach, in my opinion. You actually manage to write definite songs, not a mere pile of riffs; whereas many bands today fall victim to senseless blasting without a concrete direction or purpose. Would you agree?
Yeah, I agree. After the mid 90s there was an unstoppable stream of "blast-beat fiesta" bands. Still there are so many bands who want too copy this brutal style of metal. It's very hard to write good songs at such a high speed. The art of good music is writing recognizable songs, and not playing as fast as possible. Listen to the first albums of Obituary, Entombed or Incantation and you know what I mean. I must say there are some good high-speed bands like Origin or Krisiun. I prefer a fine combination between these two elements, just as you can hear in our music. Back to basics! I don't follow the underground that much anymore, but there are some good "new" old-school bands like Repugnant from Sweden and Putrefied from Holland.
What's your view on the current state of death metal? How much do you identify with the rest of the underground scene? Is the Internet both a curse and a blessing to underground music?
Death metal is still alive and kicking. The scene has its own followers and the music still evolves. Caedere is only trying to make good music which we personally like and if people dig it, that's cool. It's a big scene and it's a challenge to get some affection and an own identity. Internet is a blessing when it comes to contacts and information. It's so easy to get in touch with lots of things, but that's also the danger of Internet. Anyway, it's a good medium and 'underground' is term that is useless now since the commercializing of Internet. Everybody is using it (and I mean bands) for spreading their propaganda, so we can not speak of a stabile underground anymore, I think.
What current death metal bands do you feel are worthy of being listened to?
I must say that Origin, Nile, Immolation, Disavowed and Necrophagist come directly up in my mind. Well, there are loads and loads of good bands nowadays. I compare it with a big forest where hungry humans dwell in search for good and tasty food. What is good food? That may vary within every person.
What's in the cards for Caedere in the next twelve to eighteen months?
Record our second album, do some gigs and hopefully a good tour with fine beer and food.
Alright. That sums it up pretty much. Thanks for talking to us. Last words are yours.
Thanks for this good interview and good luck with your e-zine! Cool stuff! People who don't know us, check out our music through our website or MySpace! Cheers!
Site: www.caedere.com
Info/booking: info@caedere.com
