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1.
Morton, thanks for taking the time to answer this interview.
TCME has their debut full-length CD coming out this month.
Please take some time to tell us a bit about it. How long
did it take to record? How many songs are on it? Are you
happy with the results?
Morton
Fairbanks: In a nutshell: Our full-length album “Forensic
Fugues and Medicolegal Medleys” clocks in at about
half an hour and is comprised of 12 songs. We had more songs
in the works but we all agreed that anything more than a
half an hour was excessive. Thirty minutes is perfectly
digestible, without numbing the listener too much, and it’s
better to bow out leaving the audience begging for an encore,
than evoking yawns. I wrote most of the songs myself, and
a large portion of the lyrics. The writing effort took about
six months, and, through careful scheduling, the band managed
to request time off from their other responsibilities in
order to record. We recorded at Tillinghast Workshop, because
they pledged us creative control over the whole process.
Try describing to an engineer that the whole concept of
your band is complete mimesis of a preexisting one, or try
telling him that the recording sounds too clean and professional
and that it should sound more flawed; he looked at us like
we were crazy. But they went along with it, and the process
took a week. We are pleased with the results; there are
elements we’d like to change, but overall we think
we’ve produced some solid underground entertainment.
The theme of the album: forensic pathology, as per my intimate
knowledge of it. Mind you, I’m still a forensic pathologist’s
apprentice with another long year to spare, but I’ve
been a medical examiner for a few years, and know my way
around a morgue—more than qualified to pen these types
of tunes. Don’t look to the lyrical content of the
album as a penultimate guide to forensic pathology, because
much of it is truncated and abbreviated, illustrated with
broad strokes for the layman. You won’t find anal minutiae—songs
regarding the layout and font size of the 522-I form used
for cataloguing specimens, or my locker combination in the
morgue shower room (though, perhaps if I run out of song
topics, I’ll turn to these!)—rather, you’ll
learn general morgue topics, such as the importance of the
initial necropsy incision, the unique postmortem interval
techniques we employ to determine time of death, and the
forensic entomologist’s role in assisting the medical
examiner.
2.
It's no secret you're all huge fans of CARCASS. You seem
to have a lot of pride for this and you don't try to dodge
any remarks that could include "Carcass-rip off",
"Carcass clone", etc. It seems that you're happy
about this! Some bands would be offended, but TCME is proud
of this. Please explain, and tell us about your love for
CARCASS. Why are they your favorite band? What's your favorite
CARCASS album? I take it it's NOT "Swan Song"!!
Morton:
We don’t shirk those titles at all. We encourage
them. You see, when your band goal is to offer music in
the vein of early CARCASS, those monikers are compliments
and apropos titles. I think this can be distilled down to
creative hubris and the fallacy of originality. Many musicians
mistakenly believe that originality should be the much sought
after Holy Grail of art. It’s not. Originality for
its own sake—new for the sake of new—is an exercise,
a treatise, a method, with which artistic evaluation and
aesthetic appreciation is wholly removed from. There is
no differential equality between art that is completely
new and that which is facsimiled. Individual evaluation
is only bestowed when an observer assigns it aesthetic beauty.
But there is this common misconception that new is better,
that to eternally and vigilantly stake new claims and blaze
new trails is honorable on its own accord. This is where
I think hubris comes into play. The ego of the musician
desperately desires fame that only creation and novelty
can bestow; to be the originator of a new sound, the staple
of a newly formed genre. I believe there is just as much
honor and nobility in refining, honing, perfecting, and
continuing a long dead style. Neither of the two paths breaks
this philosophy. They’re both equally valid. Those
who criticize THE COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINERS by crying “rip-offs”
or howling “clones” are—in one fell swoop—demonstrating
their shallow understanding of art and complimenting us.
It’s all in how you look at it. Why CARCASS as the
subject of worship? It was so new and untapped at that time.
I was still reeling from “Reek of Putrefaction”
when “Symphonies of Sickness” evolved, demonstrating
this “pure” concept and untainted theme. I’ll
admit, I’ve always had an interest in the macabre,
and CARCASS played to that curiosity like no other death
metal band. They showed a fierce intelligence and a subtextual
sociologic philosophy on death; they imbued the intelligentsia
with the notion that this subject was no longer taboo. And—most
importantly—it came along when I had just completed
pre-med and was going into medical school. I think it played
a part in my decision to become a medical examiner. Those
early, “pre-Necroticism” days were exciting. My
favorite CARCASS album is “Symphonies of Sickness”
with “Reek of Putrefaction” as a close second.
None of us even own “Swan Song.” With that said,
I don’t think I have to spell out our thoughts on later
CARCASS.
3.
Some people might say "why listen to TCME when I can
just listen to CARCASS", what would you say to someone
who would say that? Do you think TCME has anything to offer
to the fans of this music? I look at it as being a treat
for all the fans who have loved this style of music. I've
always been the kind of person that always loved bands that
had a CARCASS influence. Some people love bands that sound
like SUFFOCATION, but there's just something about the "sound"
that CARCASS had that I can never get bored with! Whether
it's with bands like Haemorrhage, Impaled, Pathologist,
and now TCME! I think a band like TCME is definitely needed
in today's boring "scene" of death metal bands
that really just sound like heavier versions of BIOHAZARD
and PANTERA with growling vocals and "gory" lyrics/song
titles and weak blast beats that only last 1 second each.
What do you think?
Morton:
THE COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINERS was borne out of a sincere
love for early CARCASS, the first two albums of which we
consider holy canon. After years of the maestro’s absence
and their abandonment of the subgenre, I wanted more. Turning
to other similar bands wasn’t enough: there was always
some crucial element misplaced, an imperative ingredient
or two employed incorrectly. Some of it was close to CARCASS
but missed the mark. I decided to do something about it,
to create the music that I wanted to hear. That’s what
TCME is: CARCASS emulation that I want to hear. I’m
happy that there are others out there who like it, too.
But above all, I do this for myself and for the diehard
CARCASS fanatics out there. So if it helps to think of TCME
as a project—an experiment limited in its scope—then
please share that outlook with others. We are not your typical
band. We will drop this project if our administration finds
out about it. We will not let it jeopardize our careers.
This is our hobby, and as professionals in the medical examiner
field (and one very eager student, not willing to cut her
future career short), it must remain a hobby. I think that’s
why the project can enjoy such purity—TCME is untouched
by fame and petty ambition. All we want is to release Carcassesque
music. So, to answer your first question, if someone questions
the validity of listening to TCME because they could just
listen to CARCASS, then that’s fine. They probably
aren’t rabid CARCASS fans. Those who hunger for this
genre will find and gravitate towards TCME. That’s
our sole audience, as well as whom we answer to. Concerning
our opinions on the current death metal scene, I’d
say we have a predilection for raw recordings. I prefer
European sounding death metal. The American style sounds
too MTV for me; replace the vocals with some nu-metal crooning
and it could be played on popular radio. I like things noisy
and unpolished. I don’t want to hear the separation
of instruments, nor the actual notes played. I want the
snare drum to sink into the blast beat rather than be emphasized
in the mix. I want the drum hardware to homogenize every
instrument into a thick, chaotic soup. I like layered vocals
because they’re messy. I dislike sudden tempo changes,
as well as technical math riffs, and other musical masturbation.
I want a song to flow from one section to the next, and
if you can’t tap your foot to it (sorry, bang your
head [my decrepit age is starting to show]), then you’re
confusing the audience. This isn’t jazz. This is far
from 20th Century Classical music. Try your hand at Xenakisesque
stochastic composition or Pearle-styled pitch sets if you
want to impress other musicians with your wankery. This
is death metal. This is grind core. Don’t think like
an instrumentalist and don’t let your pride interfere.
This music is a gestalt, where the whole is not the sum
of its parts—it’s much more.
4.
One of the problems I have with many of today's "pathological
grind/gore" bands, is that they don't seem to have
a real idea about what they're singing or writing about.
Most bands just take pictures off the internet of car accident
scenes and other real-life atrocity/death footage, and splash
them on their cover layouts with no thought or touch or
originality. The only band I felt that used this kind of
"artwork" with originality and class was CARCASS!
I've seen the layout for the TCME CD and I find it to be
very stylish and done with a touch of class, even thought
the subject matter is very gruesome. Was this something
you had planned to do right from the start with the band?
What do you think of these bands that just use real-life
death imagery just because it looks "sick" and
"brutal"? Personally, I'm completely "SICK"
of it!
Morton:
Well, perhaps I’m not the person to ask this question
of, because the first thing I think of when seeing one of
those album covers is what type of injury they died from,
the stage of decomposition, possible cause of death, what
manner of death I’d decide on, etc. I approach it from
a technical side, so it’s all very interesting to me.
I see that imagery all the time on my table, so it’s
not offensive. I do think that, from an artistic standpoint,
things are a bit drab. CARCASS interjected collage techniques,
which I thought was brilliant; sort of a perverse Braque/Picasso
style. We did the same for the TCME full-length, using the
same texts as CARCASS did, our homage to the original album
covers that we’re all so familiar with. I don’t
get upset with bands that get the subject material wrong,
either. It’s not their faults. Perhaps some more research
could prove useful, but they aren’t going to know the
intimate details of the profession. The only thing I have
a problem with is when a band uses pathological lyrics,
but has an off topic band name. That type of general lack
of consistency. Sometimes when they get general pathology
and forensic pathology confused, or don’t understand
the difference. It makes me want to write the band and give
them a few pointers…help them out a bit!
5.
The band had a demo/mini-CDR release out last year, is this
still for sale? How many copies did you distribute? What
was the response? I also hear you're doing a full 7"
ep release, please tell us about this, and any other future
releases you have planned? Any t-shirts coming?
Morton:
The “Fetid Putrescent Whiffs” demo is no longer
for sale. Two of the three songs were re-recorded and included
on the full-length, anyway. We’ll eventually release
the demo on a future recording as an extra. Less than 100
copies were sold or given away so those are pretty rare.
While the response was very positive, the only negative
criticisms were pointed towards the mechanical drum sound,
an electronic drum set with triggers that Jack used. It
was horrible! We’ve since bought a full acoustic kit,
and after 9 months of practice, Jack gets around on it pretty
good. Nice and noisy! There is a full 7” EP release
for Noise Squatch Records in the works. It’ll probably
be out early next year, and will showcase four songs that
we’re extremely proud of, each one dealing with one
of the four manners of death that a decedent can be classified
under: accidental, natural, suicidal, and homicidal (there
is a controversial fifth manner, undecided, which is not
always approved of in the field—we’re writing
a song about this, too, and would like to include it to
the collection if the 7” should ever be compiled on
CD). A special 50 copies of the 7” will be hand numbered
in autopsy specimen blood, a mixture of four decedent specimen
blood samples which have been sitting in storage with the
case files for close to 20 years and are being rotated out
and destroyed. Each of the samples comes from a decedent
that has been classified as one of the four manners of death
outlined on the 7”. The practice of using this blood
is ethically questionable, and we’re still looking
into it. Keep your eyes peeled for this one. It will be
VERY rare. T-shirts with graphics from the full-length album
are also in the works, and should be available shortly after
the album release.
6.
What are your thoughts on the death metal/grindcore
bands of today? Any bands that you feel are keeping the
classic style alive without being boring and generic? Do
you prefer the early 90's stuff over anything out today?
Could we ever see another great era for this style of music
like we did back in the late 80's/early 90's, or is there
just no chance in hell?!?
Morton:
I don’t have as much time to search out new bands these
days, so I’m a bit behind. I usually stick to my 80’s/90’s
catalogue. But I’m open to suggestions, so everyone
out there: send me your recommendations! I think it’s
too premature to comment on the future of death metal at
this point. We tend to deify the zygotic 80’s and early
90’s—the golden era—but any newborn movement
makes exciting leaps in its infancy. If this—somewhat
stale current era—is the turbulent teen years, then
wonderful things might be in store in the next 10 years
as death metal matures into adulthood. Time will tell.
7.
One of the earliest "Carcass-clone" types
of bands was GENERAL SURGERY. Have the guys in G.S. heard
TCME yet? What do they think of your music? What is your
opinion on other "Carcass-style" bands such as
PATHOLOGIST, IMPALED, EXHUMED, etc.? Do you think there
can ever be too many bands in this style?
Morton:
I think GENERAL SURGERY is essential listening. An indispensable
and critical 15 minutes. No other band has accomplished
so much with so little, and that is a credit to them. I’m
impatient to hear more; maybe the rumors will come true
and they’ll reform. I’m friendly with all the
bands you mentioned, and am honored to report that they
like, or at least approve of, TCME. Martin from PATHOLOGIST
was going to contribute vocals to the song “Putrescine
& Cadaverine” on the full-length, but time constraints
prevented it. He has graciously agreed to help us with future
recordings and we’d jump at the chance to work with
him in any capacity; perhaps the upcoming full 7”.
PATHOLOGIST are gods among men, and we feel privileged to
work with that icon of pathological metal. Matt Harvey of
EXHUMED recorded a brilliant solo for our song “Y-Shaped
Thoracoabdominal Incision.” We’d very much like
to work with them again, in the future. I think EXHUMED
are incredible. There can never be enough good bands in
this style.
8.
Do you own a lot of CARCASS merchandise? I'd imagine you
owning almost everything they ever did, including old shirts,
posters, magazines, etc.? Did you ever see the band live
back in the good old days? What do you think of the newer
bands the members are now in, such as FIREBIRD (I still
can't believe this), SPIRITUAL BEGGARS, etc.? How come every
time I read interviews with old members of CARCASS, they
always seem embarrassed about their earlier
recordings?
Morton:
I own the essential recordings (everything except Swansong),
but have given away or sold most of my shirts. I haven’t
worn t-shirts since I was a teenager! So I don’t have
a magical horde of CARCASS treasure lying about. You won’t
find any recordings of FIREBIRD, or the other bands the
ex-members are involved in now, either. No animosity involved,
it’s just not my kind of music. I can understand musicians
outgrowing styles and interests, quite a natural reaction
to lingering in a specific interest for too long, always
the chance of anomie, but to be embarrassed by something
as impressive and genre-defining as “Symphonies of
Sickness?” I just don’t see that as reasonable.
One must use caution when attempting to distance themselves
from past interests; there is always the chance of compromising
said art and alienating fans.
9.
Last year there was a very cool CARCASS tribute CD released,
what was your thoughts on that release? Were you upset that
TCME didn't make it on it in time? Do you think the album
could have been better? What would you have done to make
sure it was the absolute BEST Carcass tribute ever? I get
the feeling that the guys from CARCASS would probably hate
this release, as they seem to hate any bands that play this
style of music. Think they're embarrassed a release like
this exists?
Morton:
I absolutely loved “Requiems of Revulsion.”
It was great to hear newer incarnations of GENERAL SURGERY
and NECRONY, as well as superb covers by CATTLE DECAPITATION,
BODIES LAY BROKEN, IMPALED, EXHUMED, etc. Of course I wasn’t
upset that THE COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINERS didn’t appear!
At the time, we were only working on a demo. You have to
pay some dues before things happen for you. Perhaps, if
there is another CARCASS tribute, and enough listeners know
of us and build our name, we’ll be asked. I think that
CARCASS would hate the music on the “Requiems…”
tribute, but would be honored, despite the protests they
would holler, to see the tangible result of their influence.
It’s what we all really want: to leave an indelible
creative mark on the world.
10.
Seems like the "Heartwork" album is divided among
the CARCASS fans. The people who only love the old stuff
seem to hate this album, but some of the fans also seem
to enjoy "Heartwork". For me, I look it at as
being a great death/thrash metal album, but NOT a great
CARCASS album. What do you think? I really hate when I read
interviews with bands who say they were influenced by CARCASS,
but only the "Heartwork" and "Swan Song"
albums. They'll say something like "oh, their old stuff
was ok, but was too shitty sounding and not MATURE enough",
or something like that. I don't know about you, but I hate
all those bands like ARCH ENEMY and SOILWORK, etc. I don't
hear any CARCASS when I hear that stuff, just light sounding,
heavy metal. Hell, even the "Heartwork" album
was better than anything these bands did!
Morton:
Ah, the old “Heartwork” debate. I’ll
throw my two bits into the pot: Heartwork is a crushing
album, exculpable and confident, brilliantly and fully realized.
It created a CARCASS schism, where on one side of the dichotomy
lies vernal, nascent grind, and on the other a gifted death/thrash
personality. The two can coexist peacefully in my universe,
but only if I can sort and separate the two divisions—like
the sides of a coin— and overlook the gulf between
them. I cannot do that with “Necroticism: Descanting
the Insalubrious”, an album I find inferior to Heartwork.
Beyond the production and sound quality differences (Heartwork
being vastly superior to Necroticism), I find Necroticism
to be confused and compunctious. You could plainly see the
direction that they wanted to go in, but were too hesitant
to jump to. They diffidently maintained the gore image but
diluted it with excessive social interpretation; they included
blast beats, but polluted them with acoustic guitar. Musically,
it comes off as a bit muddled and unsure. It’s the
gulf between the two CARCASS extremes, a penumbral soundscape
of contradictions and compromises. Now comparatively—to
albums from other bands—it’s a fun listen, but
given the choice, I’d rather listen to Heartwork, as
I think it’s the mature and proud destination that
Necroticism should’ve been. And as for bands that cite
their CARCASS influences as solely being from the 90s, well,
I’d say that they probably don’t appreciate grind
elements that are noisily delivered. And that’s understandable.
It’s what makes us enlightened few elite.
11.
What are some goals that you would like to reach with
TCME? Would you like TCME to be a prolific band with many
different releases? How many years do you see yourself keeping
the band going? What are the other members’ thoughts
on this? Do you all get along? Are all the members totally
into CARCASS 100%? Any other favorite bands?
Morton:
The group dynamic is simple. We are all extremely busy people,
who enjoy listening to early CARCASS, and who happen to
play instruments (your definition of “play” may
vary). The catch is: in that order. Our careers dictate
our time, which is precious little, and soon medical school
will probably remove Michelle from the band altogether.
Releases will be few and far between. Our only goal is to
make this music until we feel like stopping. I’d say
we have at least two more full-lengths in us, as well as
a few 7”. We’re all into CARCASS 100%, but I’m
the biggest fan of the three of us. As for other bands,
I’m into tons of them, some favorites being Repulsion,
Impetigo, Pungent Stench, Terrorizer, etc. Much too long
of a list to create here!
12.
Thanks for taking time to answer all these questions.
Please feel free to talk about anything else you'd like!
Morton:
Thanks for the great interview! I hope everyone enjoys our
new album “Forensic Fugues and Medicolegal Medleys.”
We are having t-shirts made, so direct your browsers to
www.thecountymedicalexaminers.com
to order.
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