I have been waiting
patiently to get this interview answered and finally it came today. Well,
Engulfed is damn killer band, if you ask me, their MCD “Through the Eternal
Damnation” made a huge impression on me and I seriously hoped for a nice chat
with Serkan. Unfortunately many questions got short and uninteresting answers,
which is a shame, but well, if Serkan is not interested in history or anything,
didn’t really say much about anything... what can I do? But I hope you’ll still
enjoy the interview anyway. You definitely need to support this band and get “Through
the Eternal Damnation”, as it is truly a killer piece of old school death
metal!!!!!!!!!
Hailz to thee
Serkan!!!!!! How are you doing? Please, open the can of beer or bottle of
whisky, play some good music and let’s roll on with this interview, ok?!
Yeah, Jack D. is near
and ready to get raped.
I would like to start
this short chat by asking you about the death metal scene in Turkey. I honestly
don’t know much about it and except of very few bands like Burial Invocation,
Cenotaph and Deggial I cannot memory any other bands. So, please introduce the
scene of your country a little bit. Are there any rising and promising bands,
which you can recommend, but also some very old ones, from the late 80’s and
early 90’s, which are almost forgotten, but which have been creating the
Turkish scene 20 years ago? You know, here in Poland we have such originators
as KAT, Vader, Imperator, etc, so do you also have some such cult acts?
Actually there is no
Death Metal scene in Turkey. Except Kadikoy. We (Kadikoy bands) are making true
and underground metal like Deggial, Godslaying Hellblast, Hellsodomy,
Impuration, Diabolizer. I remember some bands early 90's like Deathroom,
Asafated, Cenotaph and some others but my memory is not good to remember.
I can see that all of
Engulfed members have actually also played in some other bands. How have you
all met and what pushed you to form the band together? Did you meet at the pub
and said “hey, let’s form a new band” or the story is completely different than
that? You’ve been a member of Burial Invocation, which I guess is the most
recognized underground band from Turkey at the moment, whose MCD and split EP
with Anatomia were killer releases, but they’ve split up. Do you know the
reason why such a killer band has lived so shortly?
We are friends for
more than 10 years. Actually Mustafa and I were playing at Decaying Purity
together in the past. Aberrant is the drummer of Deggial and Impuration. We met
and said let's play some true, oldschool and hellish Death Metal. And Mustafa
was a member of Burial Invocation but I don't know why they split up.
There has already been
a split up between the original Engulfed members, so it is only you Serkan,
who’s left from the first line up. What happened there? Were you not impressed
with the effort of the first line up? Have the musical direction of Engulfed
music changed after the addition of new musicians to the line up?
Yeah it really
changed. Mustafa is the best creative guitarist I have ever known and Aberrant
is the best drummer for me. I wanted to change the line-up. We had some
differences with the old members about what I want to see in my grave. That's
why I wanted to change everything. Bu I want to say, Engulfed is really
Engulfed with this line-up.
Was this sort of
obscure, massive, old styled death metal something you actually have aimed to
play from the very beginning or such sounds just came out naturally and
spontaneously? And why death metal, not black metal or doom or whatever? When
you were forming Engulfed did you say “let’s play death metal!” or was it a
process of rehearsing and trying different thing?
Actually Death Metal
is the best metal genre for me. But we don't have any limits like "We play
only Death Metal". If you listen the release, you can also hear Black
Metal and Crusty riffs. We write the songs and don't discuss like "No,
it's not DM, it's BM, we won't play that!". Engulfed plays the true metal
which we believe.
Everyone, who’s not
deaf, should be impressed by the massive energy and brutality of your debut MCD
“Through the Eternal Damnation”. I felt like this actually is one of the most
interesting US styled death metal albums played in the old school vein. Tell
me, if my impression that Engulfed is highly influenced by this scene and bands
like Incantation, Goreaphobia, Immolation, Funerus, Baphomet is correct? What,
from your point of view, did you try to achieve musically with this release?
The comments are
really impressing and satisfying. Yeah Incantation is one of the bands that we’re
influenced by. And for me, Dead Congregation. But I don't want to say "We’re
influenced .............". As I said before, Engulfed plays the true metal
which we believe.
It seems like Bart
from Hellthrasher is doing a very fine job, promoting your CD everywhere he
can. Weren’t you afraid to sign a contract for the CD with such a small and
unknown label like this? Did you know any other releases from Hellthrasher
before and after? And tell me when can we expect the vinyl edition of “Through
the Eternal Damnation” to be released??
Hellthrasher is a
really good label. We are really glad to work with them. They are really good
promoters. Actually I wasn't afraid because small and unknown labels are doing
great jobs. They really care and they respect their job. Like Hellthrasher. I
would like to thank again. The vinyl
edition of “Through the Eternal Damnation” is a different artwork and inlay.
David made a great artwork for inlay and the back. I am really excited to get
this.
I know that with
Engulfed you’ve shared the scene with such bands as Undergang, Dead
Congregation… What are your resemblances from those evenings of death and
decay? Are you happy with the way Engulfed sounded live? Any funny and
memorable stories to share with us from those events?
When we play live,
everything is turning into some madness. Actually "some" is not
correct, "a lot of" is true. It was really great to share the stage
with Dead Congregation and Undergang. These were our organizations and
Undergang gig was the first one. We will make some in the future. Because
posers are always getting Katationa,
Rotting Christ etc. you know. We don't have any funny memories, we have
only 3 shows for now. Maybe in the future.
Does it actually work
well for your band to shred on the scene as the three piece? I mean your music
is really brutal and heavy, so to achieve such sound also live, as a trio, must
be relatively difficult, I guess?
No, it's ok but maybe
we will find a second guitarist.
I wonder what do you
think of such underground festivals like Killtown Deathfest, which invite only
the most awesome and killer underground death and black metal bands of the
moment? Have Engulfed played there also or maybe you have visited it as a fan?
Mustafa and Aberrant
played with Burial Invocation at KTDF but it will be the first time for me. I
am sure it will be amazing.
This question pops up
every time people question old styled death metal bands, but really this kind
of playing have had some really exciting and great last two-three years. What
new bands from this kind of playing have interested you most? I mean such acts
like Coffin Texts, Chapel of Disease, Maim, Puteraeon, Father Befouled… There
are so many great names to mention. Are you interested in these bands or not at
all and you share the opinion that it’s better just to stick to the old,
classic albums and not to bother with those new bands, which only resurrect
this feeling and playing, but don’t add anything new – which is bullshit theory
in my opinion!!!!!!!!!???
I like to listen to
the old ones but I'm don’t close myself for the new ones. Necrowretch,
Undergang, Miasmal, Krypts and many others but I can't remember.
I usually try to find
time and read the lyrics of every album I listen to… and when I’ve read those
from “Through the Eternal Damnation” I have felt like this is very antireligious,
hateful record. But Turkey is more a muslim country than christian, am I right?
Yes, you are right.
Very hardcore muslim.
There are many albums,
which directly attack the christianity, but not so many which would actually
throw the blasphemy towards islam. Do you think it’s because people are scared
of the direct attack from the islamic lunatics,
who often can be very
dangerous, much more than the weak and feeble christian lambs? I mean look at
the situation when someone in Denmark drew the caricatures of allah. Or
recently, when a guy in USA did a movie called "Innocence of
Muslims". I honestly don’t think that any metal band would dare to attack
this religion so directly… Is it just easier to attack the christianity?
Yes. If you attack
Islam, you can find your head in a different city. Because they will cut it
off. Engulfed is not attacking any religion like christianity, muslim or
others. It's attacking to the religion directly and the humanity. It's really
stupid if we attack christianity while we are living in a muslim country. We
are against the religion itself.
Why do you think
people still need the religion, to fill their empty lives? I mean these are
modern times and no one yet have ever proved than any gods would exist, they’re
all just fairytales, no god have ever answered any prayers, but people still
tend you believe and pray and be religiously fanatical. Why is that? From the
other hand I wonder if the world without religion wouldn’t be just a chaos.
It's a hard question
but you know the answer. Humanity is weak. Every person need to believe in something.
Actually I believe in beer and weed. They want to believe because they don't
have any power to live without a god. They want to prey because they are really
alone. They want to fill their emptiness like you said. It's not for me. My
life is in my hands and I am the one who’s controlling it.
Turkey for many years
have tried to join EU, but for many reasons they probably never will (and the
fear of the muslims among Europeans is one of them). Would you personally like
to see your country joining EU or you’re not bothered that the country is
slightly torn apart between the Western civilization and the Mideast?
No, I don't want to
see my country in EU because they it deserve it. Maybe I can leave my country
and move somewhere else. Actually I don't like my country and I don't want to
live here. Being a human means being free. We don't have it in Turkey.
Turkish history is
quite interesting with Constantinople – the most important city in the Middle
Ages… with the Ottomans, you were conquering the Europe until the Polish king
Sobieski beaten your asses in Vienna. Are you personally interested in the
history, the Middle Ages history of your country especially? Which periods of
it are the most interesting for you?
I'm not interested in
the history. I know a little bit what they told us in the school but I wasn't
listening. History is not for me.
OK, let’s go back to
Engulfed, shortly before we finish this interview. “Through the Eternal
Damnation” was chosen by many maniacs as one of the better releases of the last
year. What do you think of the criticism, which this CD got? Are you personally
satisfied with the reactions to your music?
Yeah I'm satisfied
because we have really good critics and points. Metalheads like it and shows were
really great, more than we expected.
What are the next
plans for the band? Since “Through the Eternal Damnation” was just a MCD our
hunger for some more lethal music is growing and growing… When can we expect
some more music to be released with the Engulfed logo on the cover? How
do you see the future of your band?
The future will be
darker and hateful than the past. We will record our first album at the end of
this year. I think after the KillTown DeathFest. You must prepare yourself.
OK, we’ll finish here…
For the end, for relax, since 2012 has finished and everyone makes their best
of the year lists, give me your list of five most noticeable releases of 2012! Cheers
for your answers!
Thanks for this interview.
Support only the true metal and cut the posers heads and rape them. Here is my
favourite list: Incantation – “Vanquish In Vengeance”, Grave – “Endless
Procession of Souls”, Terrorizer – “Hordes Of Zombies”, Asphyx –“ Deathhammer”
and Revenge – “Scum.Collapse.Eradication”.
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