To get this out of the way: you just lost your drummer! I have to ask you are you actively looking for a replacement now or are you satisfied with the drum machine for now? Is the upcoming 7" EP going to feature real drumming? Or is it already completely recorded with your old drummer? By the way can you say anything about this EP? How many songs is it gonna be, etc...?
Vlad : Yes due to a total lack of motivation he decided to leave the band...
We're searching for another drummer to perform the shows, but we already have a session drummer for the studio recording.
The new EP will be recorded in december and will contain two songs : one disgusting ritual of NECROWRETCH and one cover of DEATH.
How did you get into this style of music? What's the first really extreme band you've ever heard & did you like it right away? What's the first gig you ever went to?
Vlad : Well it depends on which band you consider as extreme ? The first time I've heard JUDAS PRIEST "Painkiller" I was shocked by the speed of the guitars and the very extreme vocals !!
Now if you talk about Black & Death metal, I've started with MARDUK and DECAPITATED.
About the first gig, it was shitty nu metal, but it was the only thing in the shit hole I was used to live. Later at 17 years old, I've tasted my first real metal experience at Wacken ! You recently played a gig with a drum machine. I must say this stuff still seemed to sound killer! What do you use as drum machine? How many gigs/How often did you play before that? Which show was the most memorable to you so far? Do you get a good crowd response? Did you get offers to play in other countries or anything like that?
Vlad : That was the unique gig with a drum machine, a lot of bands would prefer to cancel a show rather than playing with a drum machine, but we don't give a fuck ! NECROWRETCH is a putrid abomination from hell, even without a drummer we can spread an infernal plea, and this show was one of the most bestial we've ever played.
We've puked on different kind of public, sometimes there are posers who stay at the bar all the gig and sometimes the mosh goes crazy just after one song, it depends on the place, the bill, the sound....
I think we've played something like 15 gigs, almost all in France but also one in Netherlands and the most memorable gig in Denmark at KILL TOWN DEATH FEST !
How do you write your riffs/songs? Is it a long process to get to the finishing stages? Do you study other bands music to come up with ideas? Or do you actually try to get away from getting too many influences into your compositions? It seems like you keep your songs 3 minutes or less which I think keeps things from getting boring... Is it a pre-requisite for you or would you ever compose longer running tracks?
Vlad : I drown my mind into a world of death and torment... Sometimes I can travel out there while listening a putrid and bestial band, or just by looking a movie or reading a book... At a certain point, I can feel darkness embrace me, then I can use my guitar to vomit those deadly visions.
Of course I'm influenced by a lot of bands, and I'm sure you can find some similarities between riffs. But the idea is to create something sick and twisted, I don't give a shit about being original or not.
That's also a reason about the lenght of NECROWRETCH's songs, I prefer something bestial and short than something long and boring, maybe later I'll have enough experience to create longer songs, but that isn't planned for now.
Have you already started working on the material for the full length too? Do you foresee a change of sound/mood/style in the song-writing? Or are you planning to persevere in this marriage of speed and putrid atmosphere?
Vlad : Yeah some songs are already written, it's gonna be pure NECROWRETCH : evil, sin, sorcery.... Catchy drums and delayed vocals a gogo !
Can you divulge how you're getting such a sick guitar tone? What kind of gear/fx do you guys use?
Vlad : We have never used any shit, we just need "gain" and "master"
The response to your mini-LP seems to have really positive across the board! Are you surprised or were you confident about it? Were there any bad reviews and are the reviewers still alive?
Vlad : Well before the MLP, the demos got some good reviews so I was optimist about the MLP. All was improved : lyrics, compositions, quality of recordings.... We are very proud of this MLP and I consider it's the best effort we've done. Maybe some weird people are bitching about us, but we don't give a shit...
Who did the cover artwork for the mini-LP? Do you plan to keep using the same artist/same style for the next releases? Would a full color cover be out of the question?
Vlad : The artwork was made by a real UNDERGROUND artist : Milovan Novakovic (from Montenegro). He also drawn the logo of NECROWRETCH, the artwork of "Necrollections" and "Ripping Souls of Sinners".
For the future, maybe we'll add some horrid colours to the artworks, but we won't work with any "famous artist", NECROWRETCH and Milovan are bounded, we're in conspiracy within the abyss.
By the way how did you hook up with DETEST Records? Are you satisfied with the label's work? Is it safe to say your next full length will be through them? Do you prefer to release all your stuff strictly on vinyl? Or do you have CD releases in mind for the future?
Vlad : I've been in contact with Jerry (DETEST RECORDS) after the recording of our first demo "Rising From Purulence". He traveled to France to see one of our gigs, and I suppose that he has been caught into our vortex, because he contacted us later to plan a MLP with DETEST RECORDS.
Jerry is a true die hard metal maniac, really dedicated to the style. I think it's primordial for a label runner to be one with the music you promote.
The NECROWRETCH full lenght will be released with DETEST RECORDS, on vinyl and maybe on CD, but the first priority is the 7" EP.
NECROWRETCH Discography
"Rising from Purulence" Demo(2009)
"Necrollection" Demo(2010)
"Putrefactive Infestation" Mini LP (2011)
"Ripping Souls of Sinners" Tape (2011) Demos Collection
The sound on the MLP was a clear improvement over the demo recordings! Any details on how the recording, mixing and everything took place? Any advice on how to obtain such an awesome sound?!
Vlad : It was recorded at Microclimat studio (Grenoble) and mixed at Echoes Studio (North France). It took us two days to record the songs. A little part of the vocals was recorded in the dark, the guitar leads were improvised in the studio, and the guitar (a BC Rich Beach of the 90's) was lent by Chain.S.Wray (COFFIN TERROR).
One of the biggest improvement were the bass lines of Amphycion, because in the demos, the bass suffered from the "home mixing". Furthermore, we didn't used as much delay on the vocals as in "Rising From Purulence".
I feel like your early demo recordings have a reek of the old Carcass stuff! Do you acknowledge this band as an influence as well? What are your conscious musical influences by the way? Your savage vocals are also very characteristic... Did any band in particular inspire you in the shrieking department?
Vlad : Yeah I'm a huge fan of early CARCASS stuff, I would like to create a song with a fucking evil intro such as "Reek of Putrefaction" or "Exhume to Consume"
My vocals were inspired by Robert Sennebäck on the DISMEMBER and the UNLEASHED demos, I can clearly remember the night when the shriek from "Death Evokation" scared me to death.
There seems to have been a real resurgence of old school death metal sound these last few years, especially in terms of swedish sounding stuff! So many killer sounding bands seem to pop up from Sweden like Morbus Chron, Putrid, Whore or the reformed Interment, etc... but also other parts of the world, Necrowretch in France or Undead Creep from Italy! Some would say it's a trend but if that's the case I'm totally grateful for it! It seems like good death metal songwriting is back? What's your opinion on all this? Are there any more bands you could mention in this "movement"? What are there some of the bands out there you would kill for in order to share a split release with them?
Vlad : I'm fucking digging this "new death old school" or whatever it is !
I know that's a very classical answer but when I started NECROWRETCH in 2008, I wasn't aware of all this wave. Since my 16 years old I've wanted to play music like "Scream Bloody Gore". I've started playing the guitar in late 2007, and we've recorded "Rising From Purulence" just one year later. Then, we've started trading our demos with others bands and we've discovered all this amount of "new death metal".
But I'm kind of bored by all the ENTOMBED clones, they just use an HM 2 to have the same sound... I prefer bands such as PUTRID, GRAVE MIASMA, NECROS CHRISTOS, MORBUS CHRON, ASCENDED, KRYPTS...
About a split, I would like to make an alliance with something very bestial such as ANAL VOMIT.
If you could compare Necrowretch to a movie which one would you choose? And are there any horror movies that inspire your music or lyrics?
Vlad : I would prefer to compare NECROWRETCH with a video game : DIABLO !!
Play DIABLO, enter to the crypts, and you'll feel like listening NECROWRETCH.
Concerning the movies I would like to say "Night of the living dead" but I think it's too "slow" for the NECROWRETCH music. Perhaps an old silent accelerated horror movie will fit our rituals.
I saw a mention of a goregrind project of yours in some older interview... Any more info/details on that? Is this thing old news, still going, dead in the water or what? Do you belong to any other bands or projects now or in the past? Is there any other music style you'd like to explore in the future besides death metal?
Vlad : Yes it was a project called "Graveyard Disturbance" with only three songs : one composition, one cover of CARCASS and one cover of CARNAGE.
All was recorded and mixed through the internet, it never had any rehearsals.
I think a tape was self released, but the project didn't continue after that.
For now I prefer to focus on my wretched spawn and sometimes I do some live guest vocals for covers.
Now I have to ask you a mandatory top ten for the most crucial death metal records/albums/ep/demos/splits/whatever of all time according to you...And optional: your top ten Grindcore or Goregrind stuff if you have one too!
1/ CARCASS – "Flesh Ripping Sonic Torment"
2/ CARCASS – "Symphonies of Sickness DEMO"
3/ HAEMORRHAGE – "Grume"
4/ HAEMORRHAGE – "Anatomical Inferno"
5/ GENERAL SURGERY – "Necrology"
6/ DEAD INFECTION – "World Full of Remains" (But I still consider this demo as Death Metal)
7/ GRUESOME STUFF RELISH – "Teenage Giallo Grind"
8/ SxOxB – "Leave Me Alone"
9/ IMPETIGO – "Ultimo Mondo Cannibale"
10/ REPULSION - "Horrified"
And then what's your current playlist... or just the bands and albums in general you're really digging right now!
Vlad : Those times I'm addicted to gore with : KRYPTS (7" EP), NECROPHOBIC (The Nocturnal Silence), DEPRAVITY, MERCILESS, MARDUK, DISSECTION, MORBUS CHRON, NECROWRETCH, ANAL VOMIT....
That's all I've got right now... Cheers for enduring this torture! Any final statements from the condemned?
Vlad : Thanks a lot for visiting our tomb, the 7" EP is coming soon...
Prepare yourself for horrible doom !!!
