Interview with Excarnated

 EXCARNATED

INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS VOCALIST, DRUM PROGRAMMER FOR EXCARNATED....DONE BY PATRICK SCHROEDER

1. CHRIS HAILS MY BROTHER OF BRUTALITY!!! HOW IS LIFE IN AUSTRALIA? PLEASE TELL THE READERS A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF?

Hi Patrick. Things have been ok down here at the moment. I am on holidays from work and it is the end of the year. I am 30 years old and have listened to metal since I was 14 and have not stopped since. I have been in bands since I was 19 but Excarnated has been going the longest despite all of the line-up changes.

2. PLEASE GIVE A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BAND.WHAT MERCHANDISE DOES THE BAND HAVE AVAILIBLE? FOR THE METAL-HEADS WHO HAVE NOT HEARD EXCARNATED HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE BANDS SOUND?

We have our debut CD “Homicidal Decimation” available for $12 US or $10 Euro and it has been out for a couple of years now. It was recorded with a totally different line-up and since I formed the band I have remained through all of the line-ups. We recorded two demo’s “Let the hatred manifest” and “Genital Gallery” and they are sold out now. The band started under the name of Hacktician in August 97 and we changed the name to Excarnated when we recorded our first demo. Because of the line-up changes the sound has changed from the first demo. We were more death/grind then but now we are just straight dark death metal like Incantation, Morbid Angel and so on. The current lineup is myself on Vocals, Tony and Rodney on guitar, and Nick on Bass.

3..YOUR NEWEST CD. HOMICIDIAL DECIMATION WAS RELEASED UPON THE UNDERGROUND AWHILE BACK. HOW HAS THE REPONSE BEEN SO FAR? HOW MANY HAVE YOU TRADED/SOLD SO FAR?

The response has been great so far and I have traded and sold about 600 so far and that is good considering that it is self released and financed. I have 400 to go and will not press up more until a label is interested to do more. Although it was two years ago it seems like a while ago since it was recorded due to all of the personnel changes and a couple of songs date back to the Hacktician days.

4. HAS THE BAND HEARD FROM ANY LABELS? IF YOU COULD CHOOSE IS THERE ANY PARTICULAR LABEL YOU WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH?
We have had interest but mostly it has been from distros that want to carry our releases. It would be great if a label wanted to release something of ours as it would promote us better in the underground and there is more people working for the band to get our name out there. I think that Necroharmonic would be a perfect label for the type of music that we play. Mainly a label that is anti trend and only promotes the underground music and values.

5. I KNOW AUSTRALIA HAS A HUGE METAL SCENE. WHATS YOUR OPINION ON THE SCENE IN YOUR AREA/COUNTRY? WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE AUSSIE BANDS? ANY NEW BANDS THE UNDERGROUND SHOULD WATCH OUT FOR ?

We have a killer scene that is for sure. It seems to be getting better with more and more bands but it would be great to have more death metal bands in our local area. Melbourne has a healthy metal scene and there are lots of local gigs to see but to play interstate we have to travel quite a considerable distance. It is a large country and there are about 4 capital cities worth playing in and they are far away from each other. Our local scene in Melbourne has the greatest scene as it is the most diverse and has something that caters for all of the extreme metal genres so there is something for every metalhead. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SCENE !!!!!! We have great bands like Kutabare, Undinism, The Kill, Fuck Im Dead, 3 Victims, Intense Hammer Rage, Crucifire, Sadistik Exekution, Psychrist, Darklord, Bestial Warlust (rip), Corpse Molestation (rip), Necrotomy (rip), Acheron/Abremalin (?), Disembowelment (rip), Destruktor, Denouncement Pyre, Nocturnal Graves, Armoured Angel (rip), Injury To Eye, Random Violence (?), and many more from our southern lands.

6. ARE THERE ALOT OF CLUBS TO PLAY SHOWS? WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST SHOW? WHO ARE SOME BANDS YOU HAVE PLAYED WITH? IF YOU COULD SET UP A DREAM SHOW/TOUR WHO WOULD YOU LOVE TO PLAY WITH?

There are about 5 places we can play in Melbourne but heaps have closed their doors since the early 90’s and pokie venues have taken their place. We have played with some of the bands mentioned above but a dream show would be with some of the non existent Aussie bands reforming and have some OS bands headlining like Incantation, Morbid Angel and many more.

7. I BELIEVE YOU TOLD ME ONCE YOU ENJOYED READING "TRUE CRIME" BOOKS, SERIAL KILLERS ETC.. WHAT IS IT YOU FIND MOST INTERESTING ABOUT THEM? ANY PARTICULLAR SERIAL KILLER YOU ENJOY READING/STUDYING THE MOST? WHY?

It has been a while since I picked up a book on true crime as most of my newer lyrics have come from within. I still enjoy reading them as it shows that humanity has a twisted and perverse side that is hidden but can become dormant in a primitive instinct of savagery that shocks most of mainstream society. I have enjoyed most of the books but the Jeffery Dahmer was the most chilling. Why is it that the US produces some of the most sickest and vile killers known to man (also some of the sickest bands)?

8. MOST OF THE PSYCHOLIGIST I'VE EVER READ OR SEEN ON T.V SEEM TO BELIEVE PSYCHOTIC KILLERS EITHER HAVE A BRAIN DEFECT ORA FUCKED UP CHILDHOOD.WHAT DO YOU THINK? PERSONALLY I THINK EVERYONE HAS A "POTENTIAL" TO BE A KILLER BUT MOST OF US HAVE CONTROL OVER OUR MORE VIOLENT IMPULSES.

I think that a serial killer is a product of the society that they were brought up in. They have no control over their darker side and the only way to “control” themselves is to kill so they fit into society again. It was amazing how some of the killers do some abhorrent things and then they return to society “normal”, like hold down jobs, marriages ect.

9. GETTING BACK TO METAL FOR A MOMENT IN YOUR OPINION WHAT IS THE BEST AND THE WORST THING ABOUT THE UNDERGROUND TODAY? AND WHAT DOES THE TERM "UNDERGROUND METAL" MEAN TO YOU??

The best is that the true underground metalheads are not conformists and you have to search the scene yourself to find what it is about. It is not about glossy magazine hype, politically correct opinions, not shoved down peoples throats like Christianity and pop music, the music is direct, brutal and primitive and you either are a maniac who loves it or you are not. The underground is for strong people who think for themselves. On a negative point there seems to be bands, labels and magazines who want to make it commercial and make it trendy. It does not work with this type of music. The underground metal movement means everything to me and I have spent half of my life dedicating my existence to it.

10. WELL BROTHER I AM OUT OF QUESTIONS.DO YOU HAVE ANY FINAL COMMENTS BEFORE WE END??
Cheers Patrick and thanks for the interesting questions. It is great to do interviews with the underground zines. Thanks to people who have wrote to me and have supported us. Cheers and stay brutal.

Chris and Excarnated.