Nekkromaniac hails from Hungary! Welcome to the pungent pages of Tales of the Morbid Butchers underground fnzine. How did you receive my interview request? Did you accept it immediately, or first you did some checking who is this animal interested in your work? Hehehe.
Akheron: Hails! We didn’t need to think about it very long. We immediately thought it would be cool to do this, although we didn’t know about your fanzine. It didn’t take long for us to find out that it is the format for us, hehe. We really appreciate what you’re doing.
Impiöus Evilizör: Also hails to you, Attila and Tales of the Morbid Butcher! Total thanks for your interest and the interview request. We were instantly interested in doing it, this is also the first time for us to do something like this international. At first we had no idea about Tales of the Morbid Butcher but after a short research you can say it’s a very nice format with the total load of underground charme. Good job so far, I would say!
Any special experience from Hungary, or interesting adventure with a courtesan, or a drunken trip or anything?
Akheron: None of us has been to Hungary, but it would be awesome to take a visit and play a show or two someday.
Impiöus Evilizör: So far none of has been to Hungary, but we’re always open to drunk journeys. Maybe we got the chance in the future.
Before I started to prepare these questions, I was working on the interview for Polish Nekrofukk. Have you heard about those perverts? I am asking this because both of you are suffering from the infection of dobule ”K”s. What's the meaning of this, what would you like to express with it? Letter ”Ö” is an obvious tribute to Lemmy but I cannot really come up with an explanation for this ”K” fetish.
Akheron: When we chose our band name we were thinking about options to make it „unique”. I think we took the double „k” because it looks cool and somehow differs us from other bands that are just named „Necromaniac”, so we just wanted to make shure that people know which bands it is about. Of course we know that old bands like Sadistik Exekution also used this, but I don’t think that anyone had that in mind at the time. So unfortunately there is no real meaning or tribute behind it. It just....happened.
Impiöus Evilizör: Yeah, we heard of this Band after releasing ”Nekkrofukk”. As we uploaded the full leangth video to our Youtube channel, Nekkrofukk was metioned in the similar video list. Very badass band with a mighty sound and crushing riffs. Huge respect to them and total support! Our intention by playing with this double ”K”s is maybe inspired by the Sadistik Exekutions Fukkoff-attitude, but not a copy. As the idea of using double ”K”s came up, we were absolutly fine with that. So sadly no deep meaning behind it, just a pissed off middlefinger to the fukking world.
You are a relatively fresh band in the scene. Please tell us first in what bands you played before Nekkromaniac.
Akheron: Me and our bass player started a thrash band called „Peremptor” in 2008/2009 I quess, when we were totally absorbed by the old school thrash thing. So we started by covering songs of DESTRUCTION, ANTHRAX, MOTÖRHEAD and so on. Due to some lineup issues we had to split up and it was quite for some time. When the later NEKKROMANIAC first came together we were called DIOXIN first and continued to play just thrash metal. Again after some lineup changes and also changes in style we decided to change the name to NEKKROMAINAC.
Whose idea was to create this beast? Did you find each other easily? Or you are from the same circle of friends and your child was born on a dirty alcoholic night?
Akheron: We all knew each other and we had always been friends since we grew up side by side. The idea to start the band was mainly due to the pressure of making music again after our former band split up. So while hanging out at our favourite bar having some beers, we decided to start a band since we shared pretty similar tastes in music and knew each other very well. That functioned quite easy. So you can say, yes, it was a dirty alcoholic night.
Impiöus Evilizör: Basicly Nekkromaniac (former while planing Dioxin) was the logic result of a drunk night at our favourite bar. Since some years before we’ve grew up side by side and so we knew what to do. We just had the same opinions about music and that was more and more clear after uncountable cans of beers. So of cause your right with the dirty alcoholic night. Cheers to that!
Unintentionally, but besides darkness, hate and blasphemy, your music makes me think of, among others, a tribute and love to alcohol. Is that so, or I am wrong? Listening to such music in good company is a great to way to get wasted...
Akheron: Alcohol is always closely tied to that kind of metal I think. Having a party with a soundtrack like VENOM or BATHORY with such a dirty and raw sound always leaves you behind in a tainted night, crawling on the floor, if you know what I mean. We really want to reproduce such a feeling. Our concerts are always soaked in alcohol and we love it, haha.
Impiöus Evilizör: Yeah, simply the way we’ve always been. Listening to bands like Venom is for me a total homage to celebrate and feast hell as intoxicated as you can get. Good to hear that you as a listener get delivered that feeling as well. I think, for example „Total Antichrist” and ”Mark Of The Devil” from ”Nekkrofukk” are absolutly, as I sad above, songs that make you feel like raising hell.
When you are on stage, is alcohol consumption allowed or do you drink strictly after the gig? I have heard of such strategy when the band is rehearsing always drunk and when they are the last to play there is no problem because this way they can drink until the gig, hehe. What do you think of this?
As he said, alcohol is always flowing, no matter when. Sometimes it also can fuck up our show but who cares, we’re having fun and as long as the audience also likes it, I don’t care about mistakes. It’s all about the mood.
Impiöus Evilizör: Good point and easy to awnser! No gigs sober, never! We’re drinking before the show, onstage and it ain’t gonna stop after the show. Due to that we all have to drive to our rehearsling-room we’re forced to keep that sober at least.
I am not ashamed to admit that there were times when I went to a concert and there were some many people with whom I meet rarely that I was completely drunk and missed most of the gigs. Looking back, it is a bit annoying but, to me, gigs are not about music only but meeting with comerades as well. Did you have similar experiences when you missed the gig of your fave band?
Akheron: Haha, VERY often. I go to concerts mainly because I like the lineup. But is happens that when I’m talking to someone and there’s a band playing I normally would watch, I’m often like „Well, I’m gonna go watch the next one”. I rarely miss my favourite bands, though.
But I also think that concerts are not about the gigs only, but to meet up with poeple you don’t see that much is quite important.
Impiöus Evilizör: The bar is always enemy and pleasure. Mostly I choose to go to concerts because of the billing they have. But mostly you’re meeting a hole lot of people there. Sometimes I loose some ”ah, i’m maybe going to see this one”-bands on this way, but when the true favourites of the evening are playing, I’m kind of strickt to my self that no mader which condition I’m in, I’m going to see the band I’m there for. Doesn’t madder if it’s the 100th time Sodom or Desaster.
I saw that you already played gig with Tulsadom and Mortal Strike. They also visited us a few times and it was fun. Are you in contact with them? Tell us about your experience with them. They are cool bands, also cool live bands, by the way.
Akheron: Cool bands and really nice people! I always had a laugh with them. Their gigs are really fun to, they’re pretty active on stage and sepecially TULSADOOM’s theme is cool.
Impiöus Evilizör: That’s what our experience with them was as well. We had an awesome evening with them. Everytime again. In the beginning of 2017 Blasphemous Hellripper did a trip to Vienna seeing a Urfaust-show, on this run his accommodation was at Tulsadoom’s place. Cool dudes, awesome live band, nothing more to say. But as you said before, same for the thrashers of Mortal Strike!
Your first demo was ”Pit of Ghouls” in 2014. How much are you satisfied with it now? Please tell us about those times. Was it recorded in your rehearsal place? Tell us everything you find of importance.
Akheron: PIT OF GHOULS are the last songs we wrote with DIOXIN and we had to get them out somehow. We didn’t want to just throw them away and pretend that they never happened. The idea behind DIOXIN was just to play thrash and that’s it. But it naturally occured that we went more and more in the black metal direction. It was very important for us extend our sound to get more „freedom” so to speak. Our newer songs were much mor black than the thrash stuff from DIOXIN was. And because of that we also changed our name. It wasn’t fitting anymore. When I see it from a nowadays perspective, I would say that these are to different bands and the chapter DIOXIN is closed. So I think it is a satisfying result for DIOXIN but certainly not for NEKKROMAINAC.
We recorded it in a friends room with pretty shitty conditions as you can hear, hehe. Nothing too spectacular. We just needed someone to record it.
Impiöus Evilizör: Our ”Pit of Ghouls”-Demo was kind of a throw out of our material we’ve written with Dioxin. Today we’re playing no songs of it anynome. We’ve been kind of grown out of that style. Back than the songs had thrashing groove parts, nothing we would add to our music today. I think our Thrash parts we use today like in ”Total Antichrist” are way more raw and had grown up. So as you can read, as a viewer of today, we’re not that satisfied anymore. It takes not that much weight to what Nekkromaniac is about.
If I am right, it was not released physically. Why? If it was recorded, wouldn't it be good to put it out, at least in a self-released form and give away at gigs?
Akheron: We really don’t want to release it physically because, as mentioned before, it doesn’t make sense for us. It as no meaning for NEKKROMANIAC and the download options it perfectly fine.
Impiöus Evilizör: Yeah the point is, it’s just been a throw out of old stuff. Our musically focus has changed, since we’ve written all those songs. So we think, it’s nothing that would represents us today. Maybe we should have released it under the name of Dioxin, as it all has been written.
Your next material was titled ”Nekkrofukk” which includes 4 black/thrash orgies. Was there any change in the music or anything compared to the previous stuff?
Akheron: I would say these are two different worlds. As we said before, we were pretty deep into the old school thrash thing at the time and just wanted to celebrate it. The songs were „goofy” if you can say so and that just wasn’t enough anymoe. Our stuff with NEKKROMAINAC is much more serious with way more musical variety. Not to mention that we all got better at what we’re doing in the band and most importantly in the songwriting. But we’re still playing strictly by the old school rules and wont let anything break that.
Our newer stuff has much more dark atmosphere in the vein of CELTIC FROST, BATHORY and all the old school black metal shit. But of course the thrash is still a main influence for us.
Impiöus Evilizör: In my oppinion our music has completly changed. After the accession of Head Chopper (Drums) we had, by far, more creative space. Seriously a level up to us and the way we wanted to create music. Thanks for calling ”Nekkrofukk” an orgie, pretty nice comparison! Also Blasphemous Hellripper and me had more ideas to bring in melodies and other leadparts. You could say the importance of bands like Motörhead, Venom, Darkthrone, Deströyer 666, Deathhammer, Sodom, Hellhammer, Desaster and Nifelheim rose a lot to us. Of cause we heard those bands before, but our possiblillitys and the idea to play similar stuff just came later.
I do not know how much we can trust the info on ”metal-archives” but, according to that, the early lyrics were about wars and zombies and later your turned toward more occult stuff. Is this true? Judging by the track titles, it seems correct. Why did you change direction?
Akheron: I think it was because it just fits the music better and gives it a more serious direction. The best comparison would be the difference between a trashy splatter film like TOXIC AVENGER and a real serious horror movie like THE EXORCIST.
Impiöus Evilizör: The war and zombies part in the lyrics is down to our ”nothing but thrash” era. So our lyrics were kind of inspired by Tankard, Toxic Holocaust and a lot of crossover thrash bands, but also the wars themed bands like later Sodom and uncoutable more. Maybe we’ve grown more bitter and pissed off over time and our interest in darker spheres and themes grew as well. So we’ve kind of lost our connection to work with those former themes and got more serious.
Was that release out and distributed by you? How many copies you pressed and how many you sold? Did you send it to labels and 'zines? Is this still available? I'd gladly trade a copy myself.
Akheron: We made 150 copies by ourselves and gave them away to people at shows mainly. There are about 8 copies left. Some labels have got them too. But it was important for us to keep it personal and let people see the effort we put in it.
Impiöus Evilizör: Yeah that’s right, ”Nekkrofukk” is completly released and distributed by our selfs. We did about 150 copies and at the moment we’re down to the last 8 copies. For us it was more about the personal contact, I think we’ve sent one to Iron Pegasus and Witches Brew. Part from that I’m in good contact with Undercover Records, they got one as well. But we were more focust on giving something physical to fans.
You also have bandcamp and facebook pages, we got in contact via the latter. How much do you find it important to be present on the internet actively? Or is this just a necessary thnig that came with the 21st century? Would you be OK without it? There are still people opposing the internet and they are not using it. What do you think of this?
Akheron: Let’s say I don’t really need the internet. For myself I use it very rarely and the band is mostly administrated by our guitarist because he agreed to do it. I think a band can be without internet and it isn’t necessary at all, but I also don’t hate it. It is a good way to stay in contact with most people and to spread our music to a wider audience. For myself, I’m just not interested in the things you can do in facebook and what not. But it is quite good to buy records, though.
Impiöus Evilizör: It’s not the most important update for a band in my oppinion, but it’s an easy way for someone who doesn’t know what you’re doing musically. So you got the chance to get an expression of what the band is doing, if you like what you hear you are able to spend them some money and get an mp3 version. Also the way of the ”pay what you want”-system was liked by us because that’s same way we had the „price” of Nekkrofukk. I saw that some bigger bands are using it as a new way of webshop.
Your song titled ”Nekkromaniac” is a 8-minute monster. Does it have the eseence of the horde? Can we expect such long tunes from you in the future, or was just a one time thing?
Akheron: The song Nekkromaniac just happened. It all fit in perfectly when we were writing it and we’re not less excited about it today. Also it’s the one song that resembles everything our sound is about until now.
Impiöus Evilizör: A good question, the song ”Nekkromaniac” just evolved it self before our eyes. Maybe this one writing process was the perfect cut for us to move forward into a darker future. I would say ”Nekkromaniac” realy is a track that shows the face of the band. It’s based on a lot of parts, but even today I think it’s not overcrowded or boring from time to time.
When we came up with our bandname we wanted to express something like death, darkness, filth, punching faces and fukk off. So Nekkromaniac was the result of it and the song is also keeping all those influences.
I got no idea if we’re going to write that long material again, but it’s by far not impossible.
Since 2015's ”Nekkrofukk”, it's autumn 2017 as I am writing this, you have not come up with any material. Are you working on a bigger thing? Maybe a debut album? How much do you find it important to have an album in your discography?
Akheron: We’re having some time related issues at the moment. Just because everyone is busy with work or all kinds of other things that have to do with life. We really don’t want to put out something that is half done. We’re working on new songs at the moment and we also play songs live that are not recorded at all so far. Those are gonna be on our next output, whatever it may be. We need to take our time to write songs just the way we want them to be and then, we hope to put out an album as soon as possible. But I think there are gonna be some demos and/or EPs before that. We don’t really have much pressure to put out an album. Sometimes you write some songs and you just have to release them right now, but it is not enough material for an album. So you’ve got to make an EP. But of course a full length album would be awesome and also is needed at some point.
Impiöus Evilizör: Many factors are to be named here, all of us had more and more problems with work and time, new orientations, exams and stuff like that. Of cause we havn’t been idle in the meantime and wrote some well thoughted material. So I’d say there are bigger things in progress. Most of this new material will be album-material. I also think a lot of bands are just being reduced to the albums they got out. Due to this some bands are not even respected and others are just producing shit to get an album done as fast as possible.
Your country is legendary from the teutonic thrash metal. What's your opinion about the activity of the Big Old bands? Do you still follow them, or do you stick to the old albums?
Akheron: I love the old records of bands like DESTRUCITON, KREATOR, SODOM, VIOLENT FORCE, SDI, etc.. The old teutonic thrash bands have put out some alltime favourites. But I don’t like the newer stuff at all. It just doesn’t possess the spirit anymore. Especially KREATOR is a joke, doing real mainstream shit. The rest also just doesn’t catch my interest. At this point I don’t even bother listening to any new album one of those bands releases. Maybe also because I’m completely satisfied with all the old shit that I can listen to. I just don’t need more stuff.
Impiöus Evilizör: Teutonic Thrash Metal is simply the constant part of our musictaste over the years. Sodom, Destruction, Kreator and Tankard are a huge institution we looked up to all the time. With the years there were some basical changes in there music. I think that hit Kreator the most. No tracks of todays Kreator can reach the aggression of ”Pleasure To Kill”. Sodom are, in my oppinion, by today the most original kept and authentic band of those I named. But the music of the older albums and the storys you got to hear from the band documentarys are something we feel familiar with. Today it seems that everything’s just based on bussiness. But before I forget it, never talk about german Thrash classics without naming Violent Force, Living Death, Necronomicon, Protector, Exhumer, S.D.I. or Minotaur. Total respect to them as well! I think we’re some of those nostalgics to times we haven’t even been born.
Of the younger bands like yours, who do you like, which bands of the extreme underground would you recommend to me and the readers? How is the scene in your country now? How much do you take part in it?
Akheron: We know most of the people in our scene and stand in good contact. Our scene over here is quite an active one and the events are always fun. For our part, we organize a concert every year in our home town. We always invite two to three bands and are also playing with NEKKROMANIAC. The event is called HELL’S CRUSADE and this year it is already gonna be part 6.
I think at this point it is only fair to recommend especially the bands that came over here to play with us, like WITCHING HOUR, WIFEBEATER, BLACKEVIL, NUCTEMERON, THE SPIRIT, INFERNAL ASSAULT, DESTRUKT.
Impiöus Evilizör: Some of the less known bands these days are maybe Nuctemeron, Infernal Assault, Rekrucifixön, Volcanic, Schafott, Sepulchral Voices, Nights Blood, Warlust, Prediction and Hellburst. As other bands that should be more respected I’d mention Black Force, The Spirit and Evil Warriors. As more productive bands with a rightful earned fame I’d always mention Burstin’ Out, Wifebeater, BlackEvil and Witching Hour. By far bigger than us but important underground comrades.
Are you planning a split release? Who would you like to share a split with?
Akheron: Nothing is planned yet. But if I had to choose.....Destrukt or Witching Hour
Impiöus Evilizör: Split releases are not planned so far, but I think it would be possible with Witching Hour, Nuctemeron, Burstin’ Out, Destukt or maybe Infernal Assault.
What do you think of Jörg Buttgereit's ”Nekromantik”? To me, it's one of the most beatiful works ever to exist. Few artists are able to create such mood as that one. While I was younger, I did not understand why the older generation feels bad about current movies but as I rew older, I understood. True, there are still good works with atmosphere but you have to dig deep in the shit.
Akheron: If you have to watch that movie more than once to understand it, I probably will never get it. I really didn’t like it that much, so I just can say any more about it.
Many have this attitude also in music that they are not interested in new bands only in the old albums. What is your opinion about this? In this issue, I am a bit more open-minden than with movies, but modern things do not attract me. Deathcore, metalcore, ultra brutal technical death metal which is created in the studio with a sterile production etc. No dirt, instinct wich are the essence of Metal.
Akheron: I’m always listening to new bands but I’m quite picky with the stuff that I really buy, simply because you have to seperate the stuff that really gets you from the stuff that just rolls along without leaving anything behind. There are so many new bands which play a similar style of music that I just have to sort out because there are some real standouts that I don’t want to miss.
Impiöus Evilizör: I’m the kind of person who gives new stuff a try, often I’m disapointed by that. Most of those records doesn’t have the package the band was able to deliver in their early days. There are not really many bands that have become better from time to time, i would say. But I’m pretty glad about newer bands who are keeping up the banners of the old times. Fukk sterile productions, live the dirt!
What do you think of the grindcore genre? Can you listen to music focusing only on the music but not on the lyrics? Can you separate the two?
Akheron: Well, NAPALM DEATH is quite cool. Other than that I don’t really like grindcore that much. Too messy for me I think.
Music and lyrics just have to fit together. Lyrics are very important to me. Not so much the message, but how they add to the mood of the song.
Impiöus Evilizör: I came to Grindcore pretty early, so I got my favorites and it’s always a nostalgic feeling listening to that kind of noise.
Lyrics are an important factor to me, just as much as the instrumental part. In the way we’re doing our songs, the lyrics are always reflecting every riff or mood we got. But privatly I can simply focus myself to riffs, drumparts or even highlight the lyrics while hearing.
In the golden age people grabbed instruments to get girls. What is your opinion about this attitude?
Akheron: If you want to, go ahead, but I make music for myself in the first place. Don’t really care about the rest.
Impiöus Evilizör: Sad cause to grab an instrument, but if you think you have to, do so.
There is a phenomenon in the scene which makes me puke namely when a musician abandons his early genre because has has learnt to play professionally on his instrument. Moreover, he even turns its back to it and says that he was young and inexperienced. Ok, the answer is simple, we shouldn't give a crap about such guys, there are many bands being loyal to its genre. What do you think of this?
Akheron: The childish thing here really is to „abandon” your roots talking about how dumb you were in your youth. If you have to change styles, that’s ok. But if you do it for the wrong reasons people will always recognize it, and they will make you feel that. Many of the bigger bands have gone different paths to make money or something. Just stay true to yourself and you’re gonna be fine. If I wanted to do a different style of music, I probably just would do it under a different name.
Coming back to the band a bit, so far there was only one member change in the position of the drummer. How hard is to find suitable members? What are your expectations concerning a new member? Is there any member if he wold be out of the band, you would think of continuing or not?
Akheron: There are many drumers. But finding one that fits is a pain in the ass. We’re so fucking lucky with our drumer and we shure as hell won’t let him go, haha. There are some plans of making NEKKROMANIAC a five piece band with two guitars again. But it would be a really hard blow if anyone would leave the band because the band as it now is is the core of what we’re about. I don’t think we could keep on the same way as we do now.
How is the composing with the band? Are you working together in the rehearsal place, or are there people who bring complete songs to rehearsals and the other add their own parts?
Akheron: The answer is yes. We do it either way. Jamming is always prefered but there are many songs that were worked out after one member showed up with an almost complete song. Most of the time there are gonna be changes but we often come up with material that was written at home.
Today, bands can be kept alive even from thousand miles distance, with only occasional rehearsals, but I think this killss the essence of the music. It's the very charm of this whole when the band is rehearsing weekly and spend several hours with playing music. Am I right? Do you visit other band's rehearsals?
Akheron: Rehearsing is the best way to experience how your songs work and feel. A band without reheasals would be unimaginable for me. I’m having the best time rehearsing and working on the songs together.
Besides Nekkromaniac, do you have any other commitments?
Impiöus Evilizör: Since two years I’m playing Bass as a live member in Warfield, a fresh and thirsty Thrash Metal Band from Kaiserslautern.
Thank you for the interview. If you would like to mention something, it's your chance. How did you feel yourself while answering these questions? All the best! HAIL NEKKROMANIAC!
Akheron: I really appreciate that you didn’t give us all those standard questions. They really kept us entertained while answering. Nice job!
Keep your spirit alive! Don’t make it a trend! Don’t follow the trend!
Impiöus Evilizör: I was a pleasure doing this interviwe with you. You just found some interesting questions. I think that gives Tales of the Morbid Butchers underground fanzine a true face and character that can show it self!
So I can just say, keep going Attila and of keep on searching in the underground! Hails to hell and thanks again!
Interview by Dr. A
