For those who are unfamiliar with Nasum, how would you introduce your band and describe your sound?
Nasum (Jesper, bass): Nasum is basically a grindcore group that has tried to move forward a bit. Instead of just following the usual basic grindcore formula, we�ve tried to include different aspects of music into our sound so that it will be a bit more interesting to both play and listen to. Death of music will occur when bands don�t try and make something new, when they don�t have any ambition to come up with new and interesting musical paths, and that, I guess, is Nasum�s view. Grindcore with a hint of originality maybe.
What do you think sets you apart from other grindcore bands?
Nasum: Well, as I said in the previous question, it�s our wish to take grindcore one step further. We have tried to induce many aspects from other forms of music into our sound, be it hardcore, death metal, punk, crust or even some pop undertones at times. All to try and obtain a more unique sound that captures our and our listeners attention and interest more than your basic all-out blasting grindcore.
How would you describe the Swedish scene these days?
Nasum: What scene are you referring to? The swedish grindcore scene? 
Death metal scene? Hardcore scene? Punk/crust scene? These days the whole underground music scene is not as big as it used to be i guess, at least there is a lot less dedication around. Sure there are still people who are committed to underground music, but the active side of the underground isn�t to vital i�m afraid. Not many �zines exist anymore, which is sad since it is the only true and idealistic medium underground music can have. Another thing that is kind of bad is that bands don�t really make demos these days, they just record promos and send to labels and that�s it. In that sense the "real" underground doesn�t exist in the same manner it used to. But of course there are a lot of great bands out there, and a lot of people really into the music, but not like before when there was a death metal/punk/hardcore band in every town of more than 500 people. The good thing about that, though, is that the quality of bands is a lot higher than it used to be; bands are better than ever these days.
What bands from Sweden would you want people to check out?
Nasum: Woo, that�s a tough one. I would recommend Breach, D:S: 13, Man In Shackles, Skitsystem, Entombed (their newest recording kicks ass), Circle 6, Gadget, Cult Of Luna, Switchblade, Vomitory and a hundred others. These bands that i�ve just mentioned are mostly small bands, but definately worth checking out. There are of course a million more that could be mentioned, but I don�t have the time or the space to mention them all...
What keeps you busy, aside from the band?
Nasum: We all have our time filled with different kinds of stuff. Anders, the drummer, works at a newspaper, Mieszko, guitar and vocals, owns a recording studio which is booked all the time, and personally i am a student of political science at one of the swedish university�s. Other than that we all have other bands that we also release records with and tour sometimes, we have girlfriends and friends, interests besides music, and this more or less fills our time.
If you were to do a tribute album for a certain band, who will it be? Why?
Nasum: that�s a tough one. I guess the obvious thing for Nasum would be to do a split-tribute to Repulsion, Discharge, Terrorizer, Drop Dead, Napalm Death, Carcass. Even though our musical influences range further than you can imagine, everything from the most violent grindcore to lush electronic music, I think the aforementioned bands are the most obvious influences on our sound.
What causes and/or organizations do you support or are involved with?
Nasum: Nasum doesn�t support any organization as a group, since we are all individuals with different views on the world. We don�t have a common agenda that we all stand for, therefore our thoughts on what is most important is a lot different. Personally I am an active supporter for Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Greenpeace, A.F.A., and a couple of others. I know Mieszko feels a lot for the animal rights movement, but i rights, anti-racism/facism and other issues similar to that.
Will the 'discography' double cd push through? Will the songs be re-recorded for this release?
Nasum: The big compilation with Nasum�s entire back-catalogue will hopefully be released sometime at the end of this year. No songs will be re-recorded for as the songs were originally recorded.
Your comment about others saying that Grindcore/noise bands political stance are totally useless since the lyrics can't be understood clearly.
Nasum: Well, fuck off. I mean, we have the fullest respect for bands that sing about gore and blood and porn and shit like that, so why shouldn�t we get the same respect? First of all, the people that say that politics or analytics or pensive thought don�t belong in grindcore don�t seem to know the history of grindcore. Our influences were always about being critical and analytical, take Napalm Death for instance: you don�t see any lyrics about fucking corpses there do you? Grindcore is a fusion between metal and hardcore crustpunk, and the punk movement was always more or less political, at least back in the day.
The gore topics that some people think is an essential part of grindcore comes from death metal, not the roots of grindcore. And if the lyrics can�t be understood clearly, then it�s not the band�s fault, it�s the listeners. If you can read, then you can understand. If a band doesn�t have it�s lyrics printed in the booklet of the album, then try to make out what they are singing, and if you can�t hear what is sung, then what is the fuzz about? It can�t bother you if you can�t understand the lyrics, can it? Furthermore, politics is way too important to not care about, it concerns us all, so why shouldn�t we care? People that don�t care about the world or themselves or their fellow human beings are just lazy and un-empathetic. Fuck it man, people fight wars over the right to vote and shit like that. It can mean life or death for some people. Why shouldn�t political messages be a part of music when it surrounds everyone and everything else? We sing about what we goddamn please!
Do you believe in the saying protest songs without actions are just empty threats, what are your comments on this.
Nasum: No, I think that making a statement that reaches thousands of people is action enough. However, if people that sing about change actually try to take real action for their beliefs, then it is admirable. I think that the most important thing is to stand by your message, to practice what you preach as much as it is possible. If a band that sings 
about something they in real life don�t believe in or follow, then they are hypocrites.
Thanks for doing this interview... any last words, etc...
Nasum: Thanks a lot for caring enough to make a fanzine and actually doing something for the underground movement. It�s really cool to get response from a country so far away from Sweden as the Philippines. I hope that you guys will keep going and do what you can to keep the underground music going. Further, I hope that Nasum might some day be able to come over to Asia and do a couple of gigs, it would be killer to see what your country thinks about grindcore in a live setting. Also, check out human 2.0 - it is a lot better than Inhale/Exhale....
interview by: Sannee Reveche & Noel Francia
