[ Ablach ]

Ok grindfreaks, here’s the English version of Rayk’s fantastic interview with ABLACH from Scotland. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do and if you are not familiar with ABLACH yet, check this killer grindcore band out. You won’t regret it! (CFMD, April 2010)

Hi Alby and Bazz. Holy shit, your smashing debut album “Aon” really made me brim with enthusiasm! Thank you, that’s the way it ought to be. I hope you are fine, what are you doing at the moment?

- Alby - Hi Rayk, Alby here and I play Bass. I'm fine and I'm answering (in a round about way) your questions at the moment.
- Bazz: Hi Rayk, Glad you like our slab, it’s kinda crazy how many people dig it! Personally I’m sat here at 2:30am answering questions right after noticing Alby got in here first. I’ll fill in blanks as I go..

Over here in Germany Ablach are not too well known up to now. I know this question is annoying, but how did the band come together, how long have Ablach been around and which people are in the band?

- Alby - We got together a couple of years back after the demise of Filthpact which Bazz, Mitch (aka Dave) and myself played in. We wanted to do something a bit more intense musically than what we had been doing and with the monkey fast beats that Calum pulls out we knew we were on our way. How my fingers ached to begin with!
- Bazz: Yeah, Ablach was one of a few post-Filthpact bands that jammed. I got bored real quick after we suddenly split. I knew an untapped drumming talent locally (namely Calum). Got him, my ex-pact buddies, Andy (Bonesaw vocals) and myself into a room. The result was well… fucking FAST!! haha

How was your tour through Scotland? Is it worthwhile for an underground band to perform in Scotland or do you rather play in front of half empty venues? Here in Germany it’s often very hard for smaller bands to stand their ground. True metalfreaks who really support the underground are getting less and less. How are things in your country?

- Alby - I think wherever you go in the world its usually hit and miss with how many people turn up at your gig. In Scotland its no less different. Unless you play in a well known popular band then it can be a trial getting people turning up. But on the flipside we have been surprised with new faces appearing at some of the shows we've played. Its nice the kids are catching up with us!
- Bazz: The mini-tour with FUBAR went pretty well. As Alby says.. it’s very much hit or miss. The trend does seem to be going up though. As we continue to increase our profile as much as we can. Supporting Anaal Nathrakh in Glasgow helped us greatly. With Glasgow easily being the biggest City for Metal in Scotland. So therefore, competition for support slots can be fierce. Generally going to local acts due to there locality and knowing promoters personally. Our slice of brutality went down pretty well with Anaal’s audience!

In what way does your label support you concerning concerts, or do you take care of gigs yourselves?

- Alby - Mitch and Bazz take the credit for orgainsing our gigs. Hats off sirs!!
- Bazz: We get no support at all from our label. Its 100% D.I.Y, with the exception going to CD pressing.

A look at your band picture shows that you guys look still quite young, I guess you’re in your early/mid twenties. Nonetheless you play your old school grindcore with crust influences in an absolutely competent way and with a technical skill that simply flabbergasts me. All of you are no raw recruits as Ablach is made up of ex-members of Filthpact and some people of the death metal horde Bonesaw, right? The styles of these two bands are quite different, is that rather a problem or is this what makes up the variety of Ablach?

- Alby - Hahaha, you sound like a nice man giving us compliments like that! We range from early twenties to early thirties so there is a mixture on tastes in music which can hold us back at times, but other times it works well and thats the stuff we record ;)
- Bazz: I love you. I’m the oldest at 32 (almost 33). I’m glad you think we sound competent! It always seems like such a mess when we’re doing it haha. I had never even played a guitar till I joined Filthpact, so clocking up 4years now. I liked the difference in style of playing, so wanted to keep that going in my next project (with me on guitar). Filthpact and now Ablach is generally much, much faster than Bonesaw. The tuning is different too.. so the two never really step on each others toes when it comes to writing.

“Aon” was released on the Malaysian label Blastwork Records of Rudy Jaffri. How did you actually get in touch with him? Did you become aware of Rudy’s label via Myspace like it is so often the case nowadays? Rudy seems to be the prime address for your dirty grind/crust, right?

- Bazz: Yeah, Rudy has done some work with numerous influential Grind bands. So when he messaged us via myspace (like it always is now-a-days) about releasing something through his label. We barely had to think twice! The significance of the contact being focused on that we had only put 2 tracks from our demo up on myspace a matter of days earlier!!

How is Rudy doing his job? Are you satisfied up to now? Is the far distance a problem? Does your contract cover just this one album?

- Bazz: Rudy/Blastworks is an Indie label. No contracts were signed and his part in the process was to finance the finished product. The recording and production was all funded and therefore copyrights/ownership retained by ourselves. Obviously we could have also pressed up CD’s ouselves, but having a known Grind label release it and the distribution via his trades/contacts is an opertunity not to miss. The idea is to perhaps reissue it via a larger label with better distribution at a later date.

I’m really a fan of tribute samplers, so I was very glad to read that you contributed to the Nasum tribute. Wicked! This record includes the complete alphabet in bandnames. The choice of bands is absolutely great. Tom of Power It Up once again (like many times) had a good nose. You chose the song “Too Naked To Distort”. Why just this one? Were you given a free hand choosing a song or were there any restrictions?

- Bazz: Yeah we were really chuffed he let us take part, I think we perhaps got in quite early when the list was being made, so thank our lucky stars! Haha of course, it could have been on our own merit. Our first choice was actually “Time To Act!”, which we had already recorded (and released as a bonus track on the Problem? Records 7”). We were told that track was (possibly) taken and so choose another. I forget why it ended up with TNTD, I guess it suits our short, sharp, (kick in the balls) shock approach! haha

You also contributed five songs to a 5-way split CD. I don’t know this sampler, but I found out that there’s a song in German called “Anstandsrevoltenaufruf” with a female guest singer. You are surprising me again and again. How did this constellation come up? How did you first get in touch with Arnika?

- Alby - Anika is a good friend of ours who we met while she was studying over here in Scotland. After hearing Anika sang in Blackish metal band we were keen to hear her and one night at a gig she done some impromtu vocals for us. Pretty much then we decided to ask her sing and gave her free reign over the lyrics. Its based on an old german poem if I remember correctly...

Seems like Problem Records have a crush on you as well as they released your demo on a cult 7’’ vinyl EP. Cool! Well, would you ever have dreamt of people being so crazy for your music? It must be an absolutely great feeling when the labour and time you spend rehearsing do pay off. Seems like you are doing things the right way, hehe.

- Alby - Aye, its not what you know, rather WHO you know! Roddy (problem records) is yet another good friend of ours (fit like min!!). Check out his band Atomgevitter, 4298 thrash all the way baby!!

Your style makes me think of bands like very early Napalm Death, Brutal Truth or Nasum. All these are bands I’ve been appreciating for many years. So I have to ask, which are the bands you Bazz and the other guys in the band grew up with? I guess it wasn’t Slayer, Morbid Angel, Kreator and Death, right? Or has your musical taste changed over the years? What does for example come to your mind thinking of Cephalic Carnage, Driller Killer, Afgrund, (early) Sepultura…? What are you listening to currently?

- Alby - Big thanks to my older brother for blasting heaps of metal when I was too young to really understand it all. Definately shaped my life! Terrorizer were my favourite when I was about 16 (ah, back in the day...), and through meeting new people and playing in different bands has opened my eyes to all new sorts of music. Afgrund blew us away on tour with them last year. Solid as fuck!
- Bazz: You guessed wrong dude! I was around 12 (1989) when I first got into Heavy music. I actually started with Alice Cooper and Ozzy Ozbourne for me. Quickly moving into Metallica (..and Justice had just been released), Slayer (pre-Seasons era) and Sepultura (Beneath the Remains). My Thrash phase quickly moved into Death Metal via, Deicide’s debut, Terrorizer, Obituary, Autopsy, Entombed’s debut, Morbid Angel’s debut, Carcass, Repulsion, Brutal Truth. Everything that gets called “Classic” now, makes me feel old! Haha Aberdeen is a pretty small City and so there is less (or no) subdivision within the Metal scene as far as Genre goes. It’s all about the Metal! Haha Right now, I’m really loving the new Converge LP Axe to Fall.

Your moniker is in Gaelic and means “mangled carcass”. At first this sounds like typical death metal stuff. However, your lyrics are not about clichéd subjects, but deal among other things with Scotland’s history. Could you tell me some more details about this?

- Bazz: Mitch (Dave), the higher of the two vocalists is generally the guy who sorts out the lyrics, although I do play a part in researching topics on which to base them, the word “Ablach” being a discovery of mine for instance. I suppose my/our thirst for knowledge of all things old, grim and preferably Scottish is rooted in Filthpact as it was something that was touched upon. Once our “moniker” for the new band was decided upon it made things, almost easier, to have a theme (for lack of a better word) to the band, but a cool one and not stupid fucking masks ‘n’ shite!! Haha Lots of horrendous things have been done to people for hundreds of years, all over the world, in this Scotland, is far from unique. It’s perhaps fortunate for us that people have an interest in Scotland generally and are perhaps a little tired of reading lyrics about “loving” dead children etc.
It’s not all Historical content though, we like to mix in some odd balls to keep you guessing. Anika’s song is a good example. “Whisky Violence” is about alcohols hold on modern society, “Master Faith” is about Religious Sectarianism and “Falin at Dawn” is about a mythical mountain demon with a huge head. Haha Lots of flavours.

Now I have to mention something which didn’t really appeal to me: Who had this daft idea to print the lyrics in the booklet of “Aon” in such narrow types and a badly arranged layout? Seeing that you give explanations to all your lyrics I guess the lyrics are important to you, so why are they printed in a way which makes it very difficult to read them?

- Alby - Mitch again? ;)
- Bazz: Yes indeed Alby. Mitch did the full layout, I personally objected due to the points you just made. He’s still of the opinion it’s fine, but I still disagree. I’ll apologise now for any headaches we (he) may have caused! Sorry!

The cover of “Aon” was designed by Stiv and shows a Celtic motif. Was Stiv your first choice and did you know from the beginning that you want a Celtic motif or had there also been some alternative ideas?

- Bazz: We were put in contact with Stiv via Trav @ Berzerker Wear (Phobia) and really liked his Crust infused style. We got in contact with him about adding his touch to our band logo, which came back with added skulls and rough edge etc. To our surprise he had also done this Celtic style wheel/shield which we were blown away at, as our previous designs had already been along the celtic lines. We liked it so much it became the LP cover.

Apart from Ablach you, Bazz, and two other Ablach-guys are also playing in Bonesaw, a band playing death metal in the gloriously dirty Autopsy style. Are you trying to fix your show dates in a way that enables you to play with both bands at the some concert? Unless I’m mistaken you even released a split EP with Mr. Reifert recently. Hey, how cool is that?! Please tell me more about it…

-Bazz: Locally we are often found on the same bill. This hasn’t happened outside of our local area though. I think mostly due to the logistical problems behind moving 10 guys plus equipment.
Yeah we (Bonesaw) did indeed release an EP with Abscess, via Aphelion Productions. It’s about the coolest thing we could ever have dreamt of achieving, it’s almost like everything is downhill from here! Haha Our guitarist Sid, is old friends with Chris et al via his previous, Candlelight Recs band, Korpse. I got in touch with Chris via there myspace, it was him who ran it at the time, we kept in touch via email and the topic of a split came up. He said yes!! The rest is awesome, awesome history.
Its release also helped grab Kam Lee’s attention (I’ll assume he needs to introduction!) and he messaged us about doing a split with his new band “Bone Gnawer” which is due out very, very soon via Aphelion Productions. It will be a CD followed by 10” Vinyl just like the Abscess release.

Seems like you like to cover songs of bands that influenced you. Up to now you’ve benn doing covers of Napalm Death, Terrorizer and Nasum. Which other bands are on your list of wishes? Ever thought about singing a cover song in Gaelic which is originally in English?

- Alby - Good question, what do ye think guys?
- Bazz: The idea of translating a tune had never crossed my mind, not a cover version anyway. I think that very idea may feature on our 2nd LP though, with one of our own tracks from the “5way Grind Split”. We actually have a few other cover versions in our armoury though, namely: Brutal Truth – Ill-Neglect, Phobia – Slaying Bastards, Extreme Noise Terror – Bullshit Propaganda. I think those will see an end to us spending time on covers, although I’m quite keen on doing Carcass at some point. None of those have been recorded though, just a special treat for those who catch us live.

What does in your opinion make up a good cover song: a band coming close to the original or rather a band that is impressing their own style/character on the song? Could you imaging doing a cover of a song of a completely different musical genre, like for example “Whisky Bar” of The Doors (especially as a Scottish band, haha)? I guess that would be quite interesting…

- Alby - A bit of both on that one really. Its cool hearing guys copying their idols and doing it to the best of their abilities. But what can be more interesting is when people can take a song and turn it around into something different or in their own style. Check Macabre's cover of the Oompa Loopa song on the Dhamer album for example. Fuckin ace!
- Bazz: Yeah I’d say a bit of both. In our case we chose to leave the songs we picked as they were written. If you manage to get 6 guys to agree on one song, it must be perfection! Haha

How do you keep up with new bands/releases? Are you guys sitting in front of your PCs for hours or are you rather approaching things in fan-way and still buying albums instead of downloading them? What do you think about this music piracy thing? I’m rather sceptical about this.

- Alby - This is a cheeky answer to a cheeky question. Checking out bands online can be a great way to hear new artists etc, but if you really love something then your gonna buy the original to get the full deal. You definately treasure something that you can hold and pour over. Gives an insight into the band as well with their choice of artwork, lyric layout, group photo (if req'd!) and so on.
- Bazz: I have to admit I do download stuff. I always buy the releases I like, preferably on Vinyl too. I’m of the opinion that people hearing the music is the most important thing. The download links will be there long after the boxes of CD’s run dry.

To be honest I don’t know very much about Scotland’s metal scene, so which bands/labels/fanzines can you recommend? How do things look for metal in your country? Are people with long hair/metal outfit outsiders, or is society reacting in a rather liberal way?

-Bazz: Aberdeen, being the 3rd largest city in Scotland and a multicultural, oil/money ridden scar on the landscape is still very much a backwater when it comes to views on “Alternative” musical subcultures, with stories of attacks on “long hair” types being reported all too often. I don’t mean we are all under siege 24/7 but it’s disheartening when comparing to European countries I’ve enjoyed. Glasgow being our Metal hub commands a much larger scene though, so things could be much different there. Bands you should check out…
http://www.myspace.com/bonesawuk
http://www.myspace.com/korpsescotland
http://www.myspace.com/uncalmviolence
http://www.myspace.com/manmustdie - who are signed to Relapse.

What can you tell me about the songwriting process: Is everybody elaborating their parts at home or are you rather working together and developing ideas in the rehearsal room?

- Alby - Ha, its all a bit of everything really eh Bazz? ;)
- Bazz: We are still finding our way as far as process goes. So far it’s been a bit of both, with larger n larger amounts of writing being done at home before getting in a room to iron things out.

On which festivals have you played abroad? Have you ever been to Germany? What do you know about Germany’s metal scene or about Germany in general (apart from the fact that there are beautiful women and good beer)?

- Alby - Filthpact went to Germany a few times. Tasted a lot of nice beer but never got to taste any nice woman! ?
- Bazz: Bloodshed Festival in Eindhoven is the only festival Ablach has played in Europe. We and indeed i haven’t played in Germany as yet. Filthpact’s visit being before i joined. I have visited twice though. First time was to Leipzig to visit Andy (low vocals) who was living there at the time. He was there for about 2years staying with a local girl he was seeing. The 2nd time was during a Roadtrip i went on with our drummer Calum. We camped out lots but we checked out Munich and Backstage, Up From The Ground Fest @ Germunden to catch Morbid Angel! Leipzig & Koln before heading back to Holland. Great times, i’ll be back! Haha

What are you guys doing apart from your musical activities? What do you do to bring home the bacon?

- Alby - Work work and fucking work. Oh and get drunk, binge drinker stylee.
- Bazz: As little as possible work-wise but mostly delivery work. Smoking lots n lots of weed!

Is music for you a kind of valve to release accumulated anger? If there’s something in society that really pisses you off – what would that be and which is the first thing you would change?

- Alby - Playing is a great release for anger and also a big builder of frustration! Hahaha. I think we should be rid of all the governments and just make me king of the world!! (This bit only really applies to Aberdeen, sorry) I 'd make any day that was sunny a holiday! ?
- Bazz: Yeah for sure playing is a great release, it’s fast n furious stuff but actually playing it the way it sounds in your head is often not as easy as it seems haha. I think anyone who pays attention at what is going on around them must be pissed off? I’d change everything but that’s impossible. I think i’ll just stick to my plan of becoming a hermit up in the hills somewhere. haha

Ablach have been playing live together with quite different bands. Which kind of crowd usually gives you the best reactions: crust/punk listeners, death metallers, grind fans or rather the Scottish groupies, haha?

- Alby - Unfortunately all our "scottish groupies" are men so maybe we'll have to go gay! ;)
- Bazz: The more we’ve played the more broad our appeal has seemed to grow. You’ll find all of the above at our shows on a regular basis. The shows we arrange/play tend to have a mixture of styles by default. The hope is to attract as many people as possible with an array of styles, much like a Festivals ethos, but on a smaller (4 band max) scale.

In January you will be playing together with Napalm Death – my congratulations!! I can imagine you will be a bit excited, right? I mean it’s a lucky situation to be supporting Napalm Death. I’ve been a big fan of Napalm Death for many years myself. Have you ever met Barney the English stage tornado in person or will it be the first time in January?

- Alby - Man, I'm gonna be shitting bricks going on before those guys!
- Bazz: That show is still to be confirmed, but yeah, it’ll be killer if it happens! This will actually be Andy & My second opportunity to support Napalm. Last time being with Bonesaw in 2007. I have indeed met and spoke to Barney, Mitch and luckily enough Jesse (RIP), although that was a few years prior to our supporting them. January will be there 3rd visit to Aberdeen.

What bizarre or weird stories can you tell us about your tour? Is there anything you want to get rid of? Tell me the naked facts, haha…

- Alby - On an earlier tour I guess finding out our driver Roddy (problem records) had a penchant for deep fried rat! A bit disconcerting! (jokin, it was a deep fried pepper but looked just like a rat!) And more recently, finding out I couldn't walk on the morning of our last Euro tour. Pain in the hip, sorry, arse!!
- Bazz: Yeah, we made a big mistake in trusting public transport when it came to planning our last jaunt into Europe. That was a lesson well learnt the hard way! So I’ll just give you words of advice, never go on tour using planes, trains n buses!!

Okay, that’s it, that’s all I could think of. The last words are yours. If you want to add something like advertising, accomodation ad or anything else, go ahead. Thank you very much for the time you spent for our musical noise paper. I wish you guys always a lot of visitors on your concerts, good (and chilled) beer wherever you perform. Do honour us with a new album soon. Greetings to Scotland, cheers and beers!

-Bazz: Ok, cheers for taking up 1.5hrs of my time! Haha It’s been fun and thoroughly in-depth, you clearly did your homework and I hope you all feel educated from it! Haha
Go check out our LP “Aon” which is available via ourselves, Blastworks Recs and itunes. Also, the 5way Grind split which should be in a distro near you, if not, drop us an email! Oh and as far as I know there are still 7” EP’s available via Roddy @ Problem? Recs.
We’ll be back next year with our 2nd LP. To be titled “Dha”
www.myspace.com/ablachgrind
ablachgrind@hotmail.co.uk

(Rayk)