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TEARS OF DECAY

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1. Ok, let's go. You must know this question perfectly: Introduce your band!

 1) Tears of Decay comes from Emden (East-Frisia in Germany) and exists since 1997, however, the current team was formed in 1998. The main reason for founding the band was to make some heavy noise, to hang around and, of course, to have lots of fun. The very first session of the band was an excessive orgy. The founding members Henne (guitar), Michael (vocals) and Dirk (drums) were inspired by this experience and call it the "main reason" why they wanted to carry on with the project. A little time later Steffen (guitar) joined T-o-D. Steffen and Henne knew each other before due to their former band Mistrust (R.I.P.). From now on they decided to rehearse seriously in order to terrify mankind with a mixture of death/grind and groove.

After many irregular sessions and a completely chaotic first year Jörg (bass) from Bochum joined the band. First they met at Wacken-Open-Air (one of the biggest Festivals in Europe). Jörg suddenly appeared at the camp site of the band. They had lots of talks and it was found they have the same preferences. Soon the five musicians became best friends. A unity was formed.

The results of the sessions became better and better. The songs took shape and the members` thoughts and feelings turned out into musical brutality and aggression. In February 1999 the first gig took place with two other bands: ANASARCA and SANITYS DAWN.

The response to this event was very great. Therefore, Tears of Decay decided to record their first MCD. The recording took place in Time Warp Studios (now: Audio Check) and their first MCD was called: "Redemption" <http://www.cudgel.de/TODSite.htm>. The band was satisfied with the results of the MCD. The following reviews <http://www.tears-of-decay.de/reviews.html> and opinions were very positive. Furthermore, many gigs took place with participating bands like INCANTATION, KRISIUN, FLESHCRAWL, PROFANITY, ANASARCA, SANITYS DAWN. Also Festivals like FUCK THE COMMERCE III, EAR TERROR FESTIVAL I, DEATHFEST Ludwigshafen I, MOUNTAINS OF DEATH I etc. were terrorized by Tears of Decay.

In April 2000 Cudgel Agency <http://www.cudgel.de/> took over the distribution and Redemption was released anew. In January 2001 the band was finally contracted by Cudgel Agency <http://www.cudgel.de/>. Their debut record called "Saprophyt" is planned to be released at the beginning of 2002.

So blow your mind with Tears of Decay.

2. Are you influenced by Brutal Death metal only? Are there some other style you include in your compositions or you like to listen to?

We are 5 Freaks in the band and we all listen to other stuffs, but the
important thing is we like all the american death metal and Cryptopsy, so
you can hear it. But we try to put all influences we have in the songs. I
like only death/grind/thrash - metal, our guitarist Henne likes death/grind too,
but also bands like Korn, Slipknot etc. Our basser Jörg is more the
grindfreak ( Carcass, Napalm Death ) , our second guitarist Steffen like also the
melodic things like In Flames, Cradle of Filth etc and our drummer like all kind
of music. A mix of all this can tell you about our style. We want to play fast
and brutal.

 

3. Your bands name sounds quite unusual for me as I would have rather seen it being used by a depressive influenced band. What does tears of decay means? Does it shows the decay of a single human being (that would fit a depressive band in this case) or is it rather used for the decaying of the whole mankind/ society (Would sound better for an extreme band in this case)?

 We were a bit drunk and so we found the name. We didn`t want a
gorename or something else.
You are right, it means the decaying of the whole mankind/society and the
letters TOD means "Death" in german. That is a nice effect, too. Many people
think that we play gothic or so and when they hear the music, they can`t
believe it, hehe.

4. You're actually doing the promotion fo your first CD "APROPHYT" that'll be release the 22 jully. How were the few reactions you get until now? How did you feel to release your first album and what do you await from this release?

The CD is called "Saprophyt" and it will come out on 29.th july. I send
some material to some online-mags, because our label Cudgel Agency don`t
deliver too much. I know the thing because of an onlinemag ( I write for www.possessed.de ) and so I send them the stuff. The responses was really good and I get positive feedbacks. You can read the reviews on our homepage.
It`s a nice feeling to bring out the first album. Many people have
gratulated us for the Cd and that`s great, because we had many problems with our
rehearsalroom. Now, we have a new one, but we don't all live in the same town,
so it`s very difficult for us to rehearsal, but we give our best, hehe.

So, it was hard work, but now I have the Cd in my hands and I'm proud about it.
We don`t await anything. We want to play some gigs and we hope the Cd can
help us.

 

5. What does "Aprophyt" means?

 The real meaning is Micro organism, which excl.live on dead organic matter; facultative s. are also parasitic. It`s a symbol for our society and religion, and our living together.

 

6. I've felt some CRYPTOPSY (1st and 2nd CD ) influences in your music. How do you see their musical evolution and at which point did they mark you?

 Yes, CRYPTOPSY.We like them very much. I`m a great fan of their music
and they are very nice guys. During two concerts I've been drinking some beer with the guys ( they was on tour with our death-metal brothers Profanity and Spawn -
greetings ) and we have many fun. The new singer is great, but nobody can shout
like Lord Worm. He was the best singer for me in the whole world. I like more
the first and the second album, because the new one are very technical for
me.I 'm only a singer and not a musican, hehe. Their musical evolution is okay
and very great. They are great musican and Flo is a drumgod. What a fast
man, great. Cryptopsy become bigger and bigger. Some friends of mine, ( they
doesn`t listen to metal ) listened to their new Cd and said they were very strong. They couldn`t believe it.
They've marked me on every point, hehe.
Cryptopsy is the best band at this moment, but we all hope that Suffocation will
come back.

 

7. Did you play in other bands before? Have you got some parallel projects?

 Steffen and Henne play in a band called Mistrust, a little Project that exists since before we started Tears of Decay. Henne have a Grindproject called : To kill, with
the basser from Meatknife. Steffen and Jörg have not project. Dirk plays in
some bands, from Punk to Metal. He has got a great musicanship and he's a great
drummer.
I was singer in a band called Mystery Death, but I had to leave the band because I couldn`t shout so deep. That was in 1993 and now, hehe. Times changes.
Now, I have no Sideproject. But I sang some vocalparts on the Meatknife and
Morsgatt CDs, That is very funny.

 

8. The German scene seems to be in a good health with a lot of Death metal bands. Can you quote some bands worth being checked out? How do you see the german underground metal evolution through the years?

 The evolution in the last years is very great and there are many great
bands. I can you tell so much, but I wont do it, because I'll forget someone and
then they'll hit me, hehe. No, for example, there are: Profanity, Kadath, Orth,
Obscenity, Harmony Dies, Ingurgitating Oblivion, Spawn, Embedded, Very Wicked,
Maledictive Pigs, Impure, Anasarca, Gallery of Darkness, Gorezone, Homocidal
Violence, Fearer, Festering Salvia, Jack Slater and some more nice and brutal
bands.
There was a nice band called Mental Aberration, but they splitted up.
Shit.Greetings to these guys, we had a nice time on tour

9. And what about the FUCK THE COMMERCE. Did you play here and if so, how was it? That must be cool to be able to meet some guys you knew before only through emails and paper mails...

Do you know some other festivals such as the SKULL FUCKED FEST or the SOUL GRINDING FESTIVAL?

Yes, we have played in 2000 at the Fuck the commerce III, a great festival.
We were the openeres and more than 200 people standed in front of the stage.(Many friends of ours and many people, which we have e-mail contact before). We had the possibility to play an extra song. ( the first opening band who has made this ).It was a Great, a really great time. We have been sleeping with all the visitors on the campingplace and we have made a big party. I was drunk for three days, hehe. Ask the other guys from the
festivals, hehe. What a nice time. The last day, Dying Fetus was the headliner and
we standed with others before the stage and prayed them. What a hammerband. It was the best on this festival, but bands like Monstrosity, Sinister, Fleshgrind were really
brutal, too. Fuck the commerce is the best festival. 30 bands in 3 day, a really
death and grind festival. That is our pilgerstation, yeah. Thanks to Cudgel
Agency and Bruchsteinrecords.

I know the festivals in France only from the name
and the promo e-mail.

10. Your label CUDGEL Agency seems to become something quite important in the German extreme Death metal scene. (Next releases: SEIRIM, KADATH and TEARS OF DECAY. Previous: DAMNATION, PROFANITY...). How big are they in Germany? We don't hear so much about them in France, why that?

 I don`t think that Cudgel is a big label in germany, and I know that
they don't want to become one. The freaks are really freaks and like the music. They are fans of the music and they sign only band they like. Not a business - shit
with this meaning, you can be a big one in this world. The have their own
mailorder and they send many promos into the world. I don`t know why peoples in
France don`t know the name:" Cudgel Agency ". I think, its a great label for
death/grind underground bands, so support them and buy their CDs. Take a look at their
homepage www.cudgel.de

11. Was it easy to sign on CUDGEL?

It wasn`t easy. It is not easy today for a band to get a deal, then can
you believe me and we tried to get a good one.

So, I sent our material tou Cudgel Agency, our self - burned Mini CD with Cover and then they mailed me that they found it good and perhaps the'd like to cooperate with us. Then, i send them everyday a mail (or more) and they said:"Okay, we'll release the Mini Cd out ".
After this output, they gave us a contract for over 2 CD`s. Yes, we are happy
and proud about it.

 

12. And what about MORBID Records? It must  be an enormous thing here!I haven't heard some news from them since sometime, and the site is dead. Are they still active?

 Morbid Records is a good and nice label too and they grew and
grew because they have signed good acts under their banner. I think, they made a lot of money ( for this genre ) with the DYING FETUS CD`s . That was a good step for
Morbic Records and they have many brutal bands like Obscenity ( Hi, Marc Andre ),
Lividity ( Hi, Matt ), Orth, Haemorrhage and now Harmony Dies, a good
Death/Grind Band from Berlin ( Hi, Kai, thank you for your help ) too. They are
still alive and the site is not dead. Take a look at it. The new output are the
new CD from : Lividity.
I know Olaf and he is a nice guy, because he send me promomaterial for my
mags and radioshow, hehe.No, a joke, he is a nice guy.

 

13. You also run your own label (that releases sampler CDs) and a radio show. Is it easy to do all this and your band? How do you find the time?

 .I have no label. I have made two samplers and I had the name
"Deichkot" and when the samplers come out by " Deichrecords". Deich is a wall, which safe people for water and sturm. It`s typical for my area :"Eastfrisia " ( A part
from nothern germany), hehe. It`s more a joke. I must tell it, because I get
mails from many band, because they want to sign a deal. The child must have a name.
That`s the reason for it.
I work for a printmag called Necromaniaczine ( 2000 pieces, in german ) and
for the webmag www.possessed.de ( chiefredakteur ). I have a radioshow, too
with a friend of mine. We play only death/grind and Thrash and a little,
little bit of Black Metal. Bands, the ones who want their music promoted here can send me their promomaterial.
Sometimes it is very hard, because I must work everyday and I have a wife
and a little child too, but metal is my life and I need the stuffs. My wife
understand me and so I have a many fun.

14. What do you know from the french extreme metal scene?

 Hehe, I know a much, because I get many promomaterial from the scene. I
know bands like Inhumate, Gurkhas, Kronos, Gerbe of life, Solefad, Fate and a
lot more, because I stand in contact with french labels and people.. I think,
meanwhile there is a good scene, which many brutal acts. I love the music
of Inhumate. I think, that`s the real undergroundflair. Nice peoples. But I
think, I don`t know enough about the french scene, so send me your CD` and tapes or
something else.

15. What were the first Brutal releases you checked out?

 The first brutal releases I checked out? I don`t remember. What is
brutal? I listen to metal since 15 years, so I have heard a lot of brutal stuffs, but I
think the first and the second album from Death were my first steps into death
metal. I have listened to Kreator, Sodom, Destruction before.


 

16. What were the first Demos, zine you saw/ heard that introduced you to the underground? And what decided you to play a Brutal style?

 I think, the first Demo I got was Silent Terror's one, a frisian thrash/death
group with the guitarist from Vomiting Corpses ( signed on Invasion Records later). The first Mag: I don`t know, but I think it was the old material from Rockhard.


 

17. Your lyrics are more in a social/ realistic vein. What's your opinion about the ultra Gore Death metal bands that puts an orgy of Blood and guts on their cover and in their music?

 Hehe, Blood, yeah, I like it, really. Henne and i have written a text
called "Necrophile sodomy", hehe, but that`s not for Tears of Decay. But it
is okay for other bands. Goregrind must be goregrind. Check the Meatknife CD (
www.meatknife.de ), Goregrind in the vein of GUT. I like goremovie and stories,
but I think the lyrics must be a personal thing. I tell the way I see the world in my texts and that`s okay so. I think so many people talk about the lyrics... The
important think is the music. If you make bad songs, nobody will read your lyrics

18. Is there a metal band you can't bear at all? Tell us everythings about someone you'd like to spit on!

I don`t like Power Metal and I piss on the peoples of Hammerfall, hehe. But
I think: live and let live, or let they play their style, we make ours.
Nobody stands with a gun behind me and says to me: "Listen to Hammerfall", hehe.
But it'd be a good punishment. If I hade the choice between: Death through hanging or one hour of Hammerfall's music, I think I'd choose the hanging-way, hehe.

No, I`m a tolerant guy, so let them play their stuffs.

19. Did you get ripped off many times since the creation of the band? What kind of actions did you take to stop this shitheads?

 No, we have no problems with ripp offs, but we have heard somethings from
some labels and organizers. For one gig we did,we got no money, but that was all. We make no contract or so, but I work only with peoples I know or I try to be informed about the guys.

 

20. And what about your future plans? Use this last questions to conclude this intie!

We want to play a lot of gigs, some festivals ( this year: Morbide
Festspiele on 7.9 in Bischofswerdea / Germany ) , meet some freaks during concerts, to drink together and to listen to the underground stuffs. We want to make a split next year. I won't tell you with which with band it'll be, but this band comes from America. Thank you for your support and for your work for the underground. I wish you the best for your mag and your band. Take a look at our homepage www.tears-of-decay.de
You can buy our Cd : 10 Euro + Porto by Michael Eden, Althusiusstr.92, 26723
Emden. [email protected]
Support the underground, Kill, Fuck, Die and I hope we can play some days
in france.