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     Disgust

There’s quite a long time we had no news from DISGUST.
But a former guitarist is back and they’re working on news tracks, so a little interview with Benoît (vocals) won’t be superflous to refresh memories ! I can remind you that this technical brutal death/grind band’s first album « In Aeternum » may please the CANNIBAL CORPSE lovers and Cie.

1- Could just introduce your band to those who still don’t know it yet.

DISGUST exists for about ten years now, the band put up with many line-up changes, and got a good amount of problems…              

We’re looking for a new bassist again (a real one this time). We play a brutal death style, in the american vein, although this aspect came naturally, following our instincts and the representation we have of the music : brutal, violent and aggressive (sounding anti-french bands cheap rhytmics, a surging of tortured but lucid riffs, fast double bass-drums and M-16 snare coated with deep aggressive hysterical vocals). It disturbs me a bit to say so, but there’s still melodies in our music…Aggressive ones of course…HAHA.

2- A former guitarist of the band (Geoffres) makes his come back while the previous bassist has just left DISGUST. Will that situation have an influence on the tracks that will appear on the second DISGUST’s CD ? Is Geoffres going to bring more grindcore influences? (He plays in DOGMATIC STATE, a grind side-project).

The previous bassist has never been implicated in the previous songs because they were written before he came into the band. It took time for him to learn those tracks and to play it quite adequately (we still lost time for it) especially for the concerts !…
On the other hand, Geoff (second guitarist) has just come back and it may influence our next songs which are at their beginning’s form, we take our time. The DISGUST’s style is brutal and the grind parts always took their place in our songs… Geoff has many other inflences… Wait and see !…

3- Have you been playing on stage a lot ? Could you describe what your vision of a DISGUST’s concert is ? Does your merchandising sell good during the concerts ?

Yes we have made a lot of gigs all over the suburb, but not much compared to some foreign bands (Some of these gigs were shitty for most… especially the first parts) but, there are many trendy peoples, untasty ones, who listen to this music. Other ones may have some shit in the ears (as for the labels) and only follow the big metal medias… In fact we don’t care, we don’t want anything from this kind of public who often changes his mind…

A DISGUST’s concert must be brutal in trying to preserve a minimum of clarity for the fast carrying outs… HéHé !

For the merchandising, our label didn’t give us enough items to call it merchandising (about twenty CDs, that’s all ! ! !). No T-shirt were manufactured while many people are asking for it ! The label didn’t make many things in order to support us… That leaves a bitter taste in the mouth… It’s not sure we’ll work work with them again… They have a strange vision of the bands they’re working with…

4- Aren’t you annoyed by the fact sometimes, during a concert with an average sound, the peoples may not understand your lyrics? All the more in this style, lyrics aren’t very often understood at the first listening… (and there are some bands like DEVOURMENT I’ll newer understand the lyics of, snif…)

Most of the public don’t understand ! That’s clear ! The First point is it’s english lyrics and don’t forget we’re in France… Even so, for some brutal death music, I articulate at max and I don’t only growl… The ones who understand are the ones who listen to death metal… This is a bit frustating but the peoples who know us know that we have songs with meanings and that there are some lyrics… that are at least intelligent if not being intelligible.
The other ones can go back listening to this gays from CRADLE OF BORGIR.. We don’t give a fuck about it !

I don’t know DEVOURMENT but I’m sure they use « pitch », am I wrong ? I’m not against pitches but I prefer real and natural vocal performances. During the studio sessions or on stage, I only use a little « delay » and a little « reverb » but no trick else.

5- Has the meaning of the texts a real importance for you ? Could you sing with conviction and power some primary lyrics in the vein of CANNIBAL CORPSE?

The meaning of the texts can determinate the musical ambiance of a given track.The lyrics in the vein of CANNIBAL CORPSE don’t disturb me, on the countrary, but personally speaking I wouldn’t be able to do an entire album on that theme, even if some of my texts have got similitaries.

6- It seems to be difficult to find a decent place to rehearse in the north of France. Can you explain us where you play, how does it work (at an organization level, are you cohabiting with other bands, if there are some…). Have you ever had some problems about it ?

We’re still playing at the same place (since the beginning) that was called « castle of the death » for a moment because there were many death bands (1992-1996). But lot of them stopped every activities… We’ve been stolen all our stuff (almost everything, about one year has been needed to buy everythings back!) But now, the entire place is armoured ! A real fortress !

I come from Saint Quentin in the Aine, so I drive many kilometers in order to play in the north (140Km coming/back per week ! If that’s not by passion for the music, what can it be ?)…

7- Does the track called « Epileptic Ascendancy » means to be high for having taking drugs ? Do you take or have ever taken any kind of «strong» drug ? Do you need, as OSSUARY INSANE (USA), to take «strong» drugs (coke, heroine) to find or rather launch the inspiration?

This song has been written by the ex-singer, before I came into DISGUST in 1997. Everyone can interprete it as he wants !
Beer helps us a lot in order to launch the inspiration ! ! ! HAHA ! We’re able to play without it, but that’s gloomyer.

8- Can the rehearsals be considered as some orgies ? I’ve heard something like « one song, a beer ». You must be totally drunk at the end of the rehearsales, isn’t it ? Can you still play in those conditions ?

We have to quench our thirst ! We are able to play and on the contrary, this is stimulating. This is maybe the convivial aspect of the work we’re looking for during the rehearsals, we are experienced addicts to several toxic drugs !

9- Are you satisfied of the Denis GRRR’s cover work ? Did you meet him in order to explain what your vision was or did he do as we wanted to ? How much did you pay his work and will you work with him again ?

Denis GRRR did an excellent work, We phoned him in order to explain him the vision of the ensemble. We guided him for that idea of a corridor of the death as for that bloody river and that cadaveric smell…The worst is that we forgot to mention his name on the album… We’ll make an amend!
If he has got the time to, we’ll propably ask for his services again because he’s a great illustrator and a real artist…

10- « In Aeternum », the title of your last album certainly refers to the sentence : « Death metal ‘till death… ». Are you conviced to be in the right place in this musical scene, and this until your oldest days ?
In other words, do you believe an individual who’s 60 years old, having no more any hormones or an active life (retirement is cooler), still can be brutal with his microphone or his drums ?

The interpretation of the title « In Aeternum » is free.
At first, it means that « In eternity, death strikes wherever and whenever she wants, and always does… » Life is a big lottery. We’ll play that style as long as we’ll feel that thrill and as long as our health allow us to do it… It’s true that is quite physical and that we can compare it to a fighting sport… But passion has no price !

11- What do you think about the french extreme metal scene ? Is there any band in France you like on a musical or human point of view?

The french scene actually has a surge of pride, but I’m afraid it won’t last… We know well the eternal trends’ problems… Moreover, I think that a quantity of bands, more than average and mediocre, prevent the honest ones from succeding and pollute the underground. Finally, all the bands are considered as being on the same level and the trust of people towards french bands which is already weak becomes blurred. That’s the danger when trends are coming back… I especially think about those black metal bands who suddenly play death metal while they were repudiating that style before…

Lots of « come-backs » seem to have a dubious approach to me as well (people who were repudiating their musical past and who are coming back unscrupulously, as if they hadn’t left the scene before) !

Luckily for those bands (that are known and whose personnalities are flaterred by the metal press) there a lot of sheeps in that pseudo scene in which the money and the appearance are the only Leit Motives…

DISGUST en couverture de NIHILISTIC HOLOCAUST#2

12- Have you got other projects than DISGUST ?

Some personnal projects are on their way, but there’s nothing really concrete and nothing that could affect DISGUST !

13- Your personnal opinion about noise bands as ANAL CUNT ?

I got an ANAL CUNT’s album, « Everyone should be killed »…
Yeah, that’s noise. « Noise » and « brutality » musn’t be confused but it’s real that in fact « music is a noise that thinks ». I’m not an ANAL CUNT fan but they have dared to do it and they also also the chance to have found a serious label… Contradictory for a noise band !

14- What are the next DISGUST plans ?

We just start working on our second album and it may take some time because we really want to aplly ourselves and to get some good brutal quality. Our style is maybe going to diversify itself a bit, but it will be some pure DISGUST! We’re also going to try to work our sound. We want sound that would be huge and flowing freely at the same time.

15- Those last words are yours, thanks for having taken the time to answer my questions !

Thanks to you Gab for your never ending support and your devotion for the extreme scene! For this interview and for the site too ! Thanks to the peoples who like DISGUST , you’re the true warriors ! Make a petition for a new edition of the « In Aeternum » CD and send it to Warpath. Because it is sold out for too long now. And for T-shirts as well (666 signatures should be enough…) Interested bassists can contact us ! No poser ! We hope we’ll give you an explosive second album soon.

WEBSITE: http://site.voila.fr/DISGUSTBRUTALDEATH