Sarpanitum
Wywiad przeprowadził Wouter Roemers
Birmingham - a metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England - was forged as a powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution in Britain. Its bleak and desolate industrial environment has given the international extreme metal scene its fair share of legendary acts over the decades, going from Black Sabbath and Judas Priest to early death metal - and political grindcore pioneers Benediction and Napalm Death, respectively. From these surroundings comes Sarpanitum, the brightest star currently rapidly rising from the underground scene. Their Galactic Records debut "Despoilment Of Origin" makes their intention crystal clear. Sarpanitum are ambitious and as such vocalist/bassist Andy Techakosit was eager to talk to Masterful Magazine about their impressive debut, their record deal with Galactic Records and how it is being hailed as the next big thing from the UK.First off, I'd like to thank you for taking time to speak with me today. Congratulations for releasing such a great debut album! How are things going now? How's the album being received by the press and fans?
Thank you. The album has been received exceptionally well by the majority of the metal press from underground to mainstream publications. It means a lot of us that the metal community has embraced Sarpanitum and our music in such high regard and we hope it will continue into the future.
How long was the process of putting the album together, as far as writing the music, the concept and arrangements is concerned?
"Despoilment Of Origin" is the final product of over 3 years of work. Since the band's initial conception in 2003 we've continued to develop as a unit, both personably as well as musically, and thus, I think for us, all the tracks have their own place in the band's timeline, making each of them unique in our own eyes.
Tell us something about the recording process; the studio(s) you used, the producer, etc.
In all honesty, the recording process for this album has been a journey in itself; amidst the whole process, we got through three separate recording studios, two record labels, and a vocalist. There was a time when we honestly felt that the album wouldn't get to see the light of day, but thankfully Leon Macey (Galactic Records, Dreaming Studios) picked up the album and helped it in the production sense as well as getting out to the metal public.
I would like you to tell us a few words about the themes you treat in "Despoilment Of Origin". You deal with the mythology of Ancient Babylonia, Sumeria and Akkadia in your lyrical concept. What do you feel you have to offer to the listener in comparison to such established acts as Behemoth, Morbid Angel and Nile who treat similar subjects?
Personally, aside from the actual music, I feel what separates us from those bands is the delivery and lyrical stylings of Sarpanitum. Those who are more familiar with our lyrical output will probably tell you that the lyrical content, dealing with Mesopotamian myths and tales, can often be presented in a 3rd person narrative style, sometimes fusing with a 1st person delivery, rather than solely focusing on depicting the brutality of the era to mould your more familiar death metal lyrics. Don't get me wrong, the violent and barbaric nature of ancient Mesopotamia holds great interest with me, but it certainly isn't what our lyrical output is about entirely.
It's good to see a number of bands breaking away from the usual gore/horror, misogynist - and anti-religious themes. Were there any antediluvian scriptures or lore in particular that have inspired you? What prompted you to pursue this specific course in lyrical concept?
I would say the general and overwhelming culture and historical stance of ancient Mesopotamia swayed me more towards the writing of said themed lyrics rather than any sole scripture as you put it. However, there were certain well known tales in particular which got me interested in uncovering the mammoth subject, namely the well-known Epic of Gilgamesh, as well as the literature of Inanna as transcribed by Wolkstein and Kramer. Both of which enticed me quickly into the fascinating ancient empire.
One of the biggest compliments which paid to Sarpanitum, in my opinion, is the statement that you have brought back an air of legitimacy and intelligence to death/black metal. Do you feel that the underground - from a lyrical point of view in particular - has perhaps in the past suffered from a lack of intelligence?
In the current saturated climate of the extreme metal scene, I think bands, be they underground or in mainstream light, are wising up to the fact that a lot of metal fans are looking beyond the musicianship in the music they listen to. This has meant bands' have had to step up to be heard and separated from the crop. Personally, I see this as healthy progression for the metal scene and something that is necessary if this music is to reach the heights it once did over a decade ago.
In between certain tracks are compact ambient soundscapes which give the album an otherworldly aura. Are you planning on expanding upon and integrating these sections further in future material?
The soundscapes heard on "Despoilment Of Origin" will definitely be built upon on the next album and I feel were merely introduced on our first album. For album #2 we plan to utilise ambience and soundscapes to tie the album together as a solid unit, which will hopefully lead to a powerful record.
"Despoilment Of Origin" sounds both brutal as well as technical and is expertly delivered on virtually every aspect. How important is it for you as a band to sound skilful, as well as brutal?
It is very important for any death band to find the right balance between technicality, brutality, as well as with the atmospheres and moods conveyed within the music. Sarpanitum is no exception and at the end of the day music is an art form, the product of a person/persons' ideas and their analogy of the genre(s) they exist within. Although there are already bands who have tried to push solely technicality and brutality extremes, I feel finding a medium between the two allows for the most powerful death metal music.
Do you use a lot of time on trying to vary the music or is it something that just comes naturally?
Variety in our music stems from several different reasons; firstly every member contributes to the writing of our music, sometimes solely as well as together. Secondly, as members of the band, we all maintain pretty contrasting music tastes and interests varying from extreme metal to genres one could say are far removed from death metal. However, I believe this has allowed for the music to retain a unique trait, which could not have been accomplished if we all listened to the same death and black metal bands, exclusively.
With the album finished and in stores worldwide, what do you regard as the most accomplished song in hindsight?
That is a hard question, if I had to pick the most accomplished I would probably be 'Ascending The Divine' as it captures the intensity, brutality and atmosphere of the band in a single track. A reason why it was one of the two songs made available for download as well as being featured on covermount cd's for Terrorizer and Zero Tolerance magazines, respectively.
Galactic Records is a more or less new company and it would be nice to have a few words from you about its profile and your co-operation. How satisfied are you with their promotion, distribution and marketing of "Despoilment Of Origin"?
Galactic Records is as you say a relatively new record label, and even though they aren't strictly a death metal only label, they showed a great deal of confidence in our band and abilities and released "Despoilment Of Origin" as their first official release along with Sweden's, Sepia Dreamer. In terms of being satisfied with their work in getting the album out there; that we are. However, we are realistic in the sense that we know there is still a lot of hard work ahead of both parties to ensure the future and prosperity of both entities.
Having received many good reviews in magazines and webzines from across the globe, do you feel that judging by what people have said about your new material it has achieved the impact you thought it would?
That is a tough question; I don't think any of us had any preconceptions of the impact the album would have on the death metal scene. Being our first album and having proper backing, we were extremely excited to finally receiving feedback from webzines and fans alike. And having said that, the support and feedback from Leon and all at Galactic in regards to the strength of the album was overwhelming and made the release of our debut a much more exciting experience for the band as opposed to a nervous one, even after whatever obstacles we encountered during the recording of the album.
This record a very strong debut for a young band like yourselves. Have there been any substantial offers made by bigger labels at this point?
Thank you and as happy as we are with Galactic, to answer your question; there hasn't been any other formal label interest at this point.
Many bands play really fast today and that is sometimes illegible for uninitiated people. Do you feel that Sarpanitum is a contrast to all those bands? There are lots of underlying melody and tons of groove in your music that is not always played at inhumanly fast tempos.
We have always strived to fuse both brutality and memorable song writing in Sarpanitum. Not only is it the type of death metal that we love to both hear and play, but I don't think there is a big audience simply concerned with how fast a band can play; its been done to death nowadays.
Your logo was designed by Belgian/UK based artist Christophe Szpajdel. It is very recognizable and readable in its old school simplicity. Was that done intentionally as a counter reaction to the majority of underground death metal bands whose logos are usually quite messy and undecipherable at best?
Again, we have never tried to purposely go against the grain just for the sake of it. Simply the 'messy and undecipherable' underground logos, as you put it, aren't relevant to either the band or concept. And speaking personally, I'm a huge fan of unique eye-catching simple death metal logos such as those of the likes of Immolation and Nile, and I think Christophe did a great job with the design for Sarpanitum.
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?
The state of death metal and that of the 'extreme' metal genre as a whole is experiencing resurgence with the commercialism and popularity of modern metal bands breaking through, allowing for more underground sub-genres to build up a fortified following such as the re-emergence of thrash. The Internet is a perplexing subject especially in regards to more obscure genres of music such as death and black metal. I mean do you side with being penniless for the early stages of your career in favour of gaining a much larger audience for your music? I think most underground metal bands, fully aware of the realities of being a band in a genre like this, might to an extent empathise with that statement.
Thanks for the interview! Good luck with all your future endeavours. Feel free to add anything you want to close this interview.
Thanks to Wouter for the interview, and all at Masterful Magazine for your support in Sarpanitum. Cheers!
Booking: andy@sarpanitum.com
Site: www.sarpanitum.com
