Calvin Raspatul: It has been quite a while since our singer Ayim passed away, and there have always been thoughts about doing a new Raspatul album, probably like a new EP. But I really do not wish to give any promises, although there has been numerous amounts of people asking if Raspatul is still active. I am currently busy with my new band�s recording, and I expect myself to be pretty occupied for this year. But of course, I would never say never and it would definitely be possible if the timing is right.
� It seems that this album is being well received by zines and people. Did you expected something like this or are you surprised by this acceptance?
Calvin Raspatul: For now, there have only been a few of the reviews coming in for �Devils In Renewed Birth�, and this is the part where I can�t do much about it now. In the past, I used to work on every single detail on the promotional work, even from printing the promo CDs to sending them to magazines and webzines. I had total control of the magazine and label contacts that I wanted to send to. But things have changed, now that we are signed to a label. Obskure Sombre takes care of all the promotional side of things, and as well as the distribution. But knowing the person that I am, I really can�t sit down and let someone else handle the band, so I was helping Obskure Sombre on the magazines and distribution label contacts as well. It�s pretty hard to track on the magazine reviews sometimes, but I am aware that the promo CDs have been sent to some of the biggest magazines. As for the distribution part, I am very satisfied with what Obskure Sombre had done so far, with our CDs being distributed in labels like Century Media, Razorback Records, Red Stream, Xtreem Music, World Chaos Productions to mention a few. When I just started out doing promotion for Raspatul, it was never within my expectations that we would be so well-received outside the rest of the world, so it was definitely quite surprising to know that people appreciate and love what we do, and this is also part of the reason why I am still doing this until now.
� Many bands today, unfortunately, when are composing tracks think more on economy than in being happy with their work. What is your motivation when creating something new?
Calvin Raspatul: To be honest, I really would not want to write something that is for the sake of being �economic�. But then again, I am never satisfied with anything that I have written as I feel that there is always room for improvement. I guess the a lot of the motivation that comes from me are the fact that I live my lifestyle purely 100% Metal, and this is the only thing that I really believe in and it�s in my blood. For me now, the motivation does not come from a certain band or song that I just heard, it�s more of how I want the entire final product to sound and look like. I think it�s pretty weird to be influenced by a certain band and write something that sounds similar to what you hear.
� Do you think you can get to live by earning money with the music or it�s better play just for illusion and because one like it?
Calvin Raspatul: It is definitely not easy at all to do this form of music full-time, but then again this is not an illusion at all. The international Metal scene is very much alive and real with so many opportunities out there. I would very much love to do music full time, but unfortunately with my current status of being married; I have too many commitments to fulfill. I know that a lot of people will give up Metal once they are attached or married, but this is not the case for me. I am even more focused and have a much better vision of what needs to be done, and this is not just about jamming and making music anymore. I know that playing extreme music full-time everywhere else is not easy too, but I think that it�s even more difficult in Singapore. First of all, the culture here is very different, where most of the people here just treat music as a hobby or a phase in their lives. Once they outlive that phase, they will move on to find a stable job, getting married and have kids. Another thing is that doing music full-time is still not socially acceptable in Asia, and most of them think that this is definitely an unstable career. I have been into Metal for half of my life, so it does not really matter if I am still doing this 10 years later or not. This is who I am, what represents me and what I have worked hard for.
� Many labels around the world have expressed their interest in your work. What has been the secret to convince them?
Calvin Raspatul: Not much secret here really, but like I have said before, hard work and determination to achieve what the bands really want is the key to every band�s success. Believe me, it was not exactly smooth sailing for Raspatul and I got rejected by a number of labels, stating that they would rather work with a band with a full length release, and in most cases, I don�t get any replies from labels. But if you are talking about distribution labels to carry our CDs, then I think it�s not really that difficult if the band is signed. Labels do a lot of trading with each other, and if the label has got a good amount of contacts with other labels, the band�s release will definitely go places. I am also currently working for Pulverised Records, so I do have the knowledge of how most labels work, big or small.
� And finally. What can be found in Raspatul for someone who doesn�t know you?
Calvin Raspatul: We are actually a very boring band! Hahaha!
And that�s all. Thanks again for being there helping us with this project and good luck. If you have something else to say you are free to do it.
Calvin Raspatul: Thanks so much again for conducting this interview with Raspatul, it has been really fun answering this interview, some really interesting questions for sure! All the very best for Dead Alive Zine and keep up with the great work! Raspatul is going to release a professional cassette tape format for �Devils In Renewed Birth� with Total Death Records from Canada. This limited edition release will be strictly hand-numbered to 150 copies and it comes with a Raspatul sticker as well. Featuring a new sick artwork by French artist K. and also a brand new Raspatul logo by the legendary Christophe Szpajdel. To make this cassette release even more worthy, we have included a live rehearsal song as a bonus track, and this rehearsal session was the last few sessions before our singer Ayim passed away. Do keep a lookout for it, and we will definitely announce this when it�s finally released.
Raspatul official website: www.raspatul.tk
Raspatul official Myspace: www.myspace.com/raspatul