Thanatos
Wywiad przeprowadził Wouter Roemers
Thanatos is probably without a single doubt the oldest, still active death metal outfit in the Netherlands. With two classic death metal records (1990's "Emerging From the Netherworlds" and 1992's "Realm Of Ecstacy") released in the early nineties Thanatos has faced more adversity and bad luck than any band in their genre. After releasing "Angelic Encounters" at the dawn of the new millennium and following it up with the equally fantastic "Undead.Unholy.Divine" in 2004, the band headed into a period of inactivity. Recently, Dutch label Deity Down Records released the highly anticipated "Justified Genocide". Masterful Magazine recently had the opportunity to have a chat with vocalist/guitarist Stephan Gebédi (S) and guitarist Paul Baayens (P).
Hi Stephan and Paul! Thanks for doing this interview with us! What are you guys currently up to?
S: Hi there, I'm currently up to my neck in Thanatos interviews waiting to be answered, so I decided to let our guitarist Paul join in the fun on this one as well!
P: Hey Wouter! No problem... drinking my beers while doing this interview!
Your new album "Justified Genocide" was recently released by Dutch label Deity Down Records. What are your expectations for this record, seeing how your previous album "Undead.Unholy.Divine" was released by now defunct Greek label Black Lotus Records?
P: This label is very enthusiastic and besides that it's very realistic and professional. Because Deity Down is a Dutch label and it's a one-man-company, the communication goes very easy and swiftly.
S: We know it's a small label without tons of money to invest into promotional activities but the communication is very open and we have a good feeling about it, after all the bullshit with Black Lotus.
How have the reactions to "Justified Genocide" been thus far? We, here at Masterful Magazine, gave it a positive review due to your staying loyal to the tried-and-true formula and delivering some of the most violent death/thrash metal of recent times.
P: Thanks for the compliments! First of all, we didn't expect ourselves that the album would turn out this great. To record "Justified Genocide" we went to the studio in 2006, but because our then label Black Lotus went bankrupt we were forced to pay for the recordings partly ourselves. During the recording sessions everything what could go wrong, went wrong. So, we never had the idea that this album ever would see the daylight. Until the mixing sessions with Dan Swanö.... I guess the man has golden ears and hands!! The recordings sound up-to-date and right-in-your-face. It feels like Thanatos came back to live again with a vengeance!
Besides that Deity Down Records is Dutch, what were the deciding factors to led them handle and release this new album?
S: We were looking for a label that was willing to invest some money into the recordings and mixing and that was close to home. We had already talked with DDR before and also with bigger labels, but this simply felt more comfortable than the negotiations with some other labels.
"Justified Genocide" sounds even more tighter and together compared to "Undead.Unholy.Divine" and "Angelic Encounters". In what ways do you feel you have improved compared to your previous two albums from a couple of years ago?
P: Frankly, we did discuss that this weekend during the rehearsals. I think that we now know how to benefit from each others' talents and have to drive ourselves and other members to the maximum level.
S: It's also more of a team effort. Paul and Marco also came up with great riffs and songs, so I could also concentrate more on quality than quantity
This new album "Justified Genocide" deals with a lot more socio-political topics, regarding war and religion in particular. The state of the world today is inspiration enough to write an album's worth of material. Do you feel that topical events are more horrific and relevant than your usual horror fantasies at this point?
S: Yeah, I guess so. These lyrics simply came up after watching the news, reading books and newspapers. Actually analyzing the state of the world today and reading about certain historical events. I didn't stop watching horror movies or anything, but I never felt the urge to write 10 songs about zombies for one album. I think even a lot of the new horror movies have a more realistic feel to them, which makes them even more intense sometimes. We always mixed horror lyrics with anti-religious stuff, so basically there's no big difference to previous albums. It just got a bit more direct and realistic, I guess.
You've recently also made a detailed statement about the album's lyrics on your official website. Needless to say, some people will interpret the lyrics wrong no matter what precautions you take. I guess you don't feel like courting controversy. Why did you deem it necessary to explain the lyrics in such length and depth?
S: In spite of touching on socio-political subjects sometimes, we're not a political band at all. But like you said some people will always misinterpret the lyrics. Although the lyrics speak for themselves and are purely based on historical events and/or our view on religion, we did this to make the lyrics even more clear to certain ignorant people that are too lazy/stupid to actually comprehend the context of the lyrics. We are not a political band; never have been, never will be.
The new album comes once again with stunning artwork by bassist Marco de Bruin. The image he has conjured up for the album artwork is truly mesmerizing. Very creepy and really traditional, in a sense. Did he manage to translate your ideas, themes and concepts to the canvas?
P: Thanks! We're also very proud of this artwork. No bloody skulls or torn apart limbs in this, but only an eerie atmosphere full of negativity and tension. I think that this describes the lyrics very well. It's much easier for a graphic designer to give shape to the ideas of a band when you're involved in it closely.
All members of Thanatos are involved in other bands. Paul Baayens (guitars) is involved with death/doom metal veterans Asphyx. Yuri Rinkel also plays drums with black/thrashers Melechesh. Hail Of Bullets features both Paul and yourself. Is it difficult to match everybody's schedules to fit in rehearsals, plan live shows, do general promotion, etc?
P: So far it isn't that hard to combine all bands. We are in contact with each other frequently about (tour) dates etc. Somehow matching the schedules with the bands which are involved is no problem at all.
Hail Of Bullets was mentioned earlier. Did you feel that the band would take off as good as it did, when you recorded the three track promo a couple of years ago? The debut album "Of Frost and War" is certainly the most pure and dark death metal record I've heard in the last couple of years. How's Metal Blade Records treating you guys?
P: We could only hope that people would like the songs of Hail of Bullets. The members are experienced and are in well-known bands, but that doesn't guarantee anything. Before we signed we heard good reactions from other Metal Blade recording artists. We are in very good contact with the label, even better than I expected with a major label like Metal Blade!
The Dutch extreme metal scene has always appeared to be very diverse and productive. How is it doing nowadays? Any up-and-coming bands we should know about?
P: Since a couple of years ago the Dutch scene is alive again. This year only, other major bands (will) release their albums, like Hail of Bullets (mini cd), God Dethroned, Asphyx, Pestilence,.... The latest Gorefest and Sinister CD's are great. I'm very proud to be part of this Dutch metal scene!
Stephan, it's generally known that you are a horror fanatic. Any good movies in particular you saw recently that stood out from the crop? I, personally, found "Teeth" and "Calvaire" to be very refreshing takes on the genre, that is currently plagued by remakes and sequels. Any recommendations?
S: I've been quite busy with both my bands recently, so I haven't got time to watch a lot of new movies. You're right about all those remakes. From a creative point of view the American horror scene is quite dead as far as I can judge it. I'd rather concentrate on European movies. I must admit that I haven't seen "Teeth" and "Calvaire" yet. Some movies that I recently saw and liked are "Frontier(e)s", "Midnight Meat Train" and "[rec]". At the moment I'm really looking forward to "Martyrs" that I recently pre-ordered. I'm also expecting "Tokyo Gore Police" in my mailbox pretty soon , but I'll definitely check these 2 films you mentioned as soon as I get the chance!
Thanks for the interview! Good luck with all your future endeavours. I would like to extend my praise for a killer fifth album. The last words are yours.
P: Thanks for your time, Wouter! Hope to meet each other on the road somewhere! Just stay in touch! For info, shows, merchandise and latest news, just check out our site:
www.myspace.com/thanatos666 or www.thanatos.info .
Band pictures by Sonja Schuringa
Booking: www.thanatos.info
Info: www.deitydownrecords.com
