Blaspherian (Texas, U.S.)

Blaspherian (Texas, U.S.)
This year will be a special one for the band and its audience: death metal artisans Blaspherian have something exciting in store: Infernal Warriors of Death is the name of the release!
Matt (the cannons; and inverted crosses), Apollyon (the grit; and bullet belts), Joe (the thunder; and spikes), and Wes (the crunch; and pentagrams) bring the fire.
Houston = deer; Blaspherian = headlights. Your town is next!!! www.myspace.com/blaspherian
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Hello! Infernal Warriors of Death will be unleashed in 2010, correct? Blaspherian maniacs in Houston are ready for it!
Wes: Hails, Mauricio! Thanks again for the honor to be included in the pages of the Metal Bulletin! Yes, we will record Infernal Warriors of Death sometime around April/May 2010 Anno Satanas, so it should be released sometime in the summer 2010. Hails to the Houston metal hordes! It’s nice to see the scene getting better, not just for us but for other local bands as well.

In a previous interview we talked about your album Allegiance to the Will of Damnation. Where will you take the dark-heavy sounds of the blasting death doom?!
Wes: We are looking forward to unleashing new material upon the metal world. We've been busy writing sick unholy hymns, that will make you bang your fuckin head for Satan. New titles, “Exalted in Unspeakable Evil,” “The Disgrace of God,” “Invoking Abomination,” and of course the title track, “Infernal Warriors of Death.” I do believe they are a natural progression from our previous works, all the classic elements are there, the only real difference is that there are more tempo changes, as well as a touch more speed.

Maybe you can talk about a couple of songs?!
Wes: Well, I think the final 2 tracks we've written are among our best and most chaotic, doomy and yet sick that we've written, we are BESTIAL UNHOLY DEATH DOOM, I think that says it all! When the new cd is released I truly feel it will represent the true Blaspherian sound.

How’s Apollyon’s role evolving since joining? How’s the chemistry for songwriting been changing as Blaspherian advances?
Wes: Apollyon has added a new depth to the vokills, he has a much broader range than Desecrator, mixing in highs as well as the killer lows. Also, his lyrics are fuckin sick. The chemistry is strong, and powerful, he fits in perfectly. We could'nt have found a better replacement for Desecrator than Apollyon!

Where do Matt’s thoughts go when performing a Blaspherian song?
Matt: It depends on where we’re playing, I listen to the song as we play it, but also I pay attention to the crowd, and watch people going off, stage diving, etc. We rehearse so much that we all know the songs well enough that even if we fuck up, we know where were at. Also I think of scenes af absolute devastation, and hellish realms of demonic supremacy.

Where’s Joe Necro in the overall structures of Blaspherian?
Wes: Joe Necro has been a very good addition to the Blaspherian musical chemistry, getting him back in the band has been awesome, he’s a great musician, a true metal head. One other quick note, we're looking for a bass player, we would really like to move Joe over to guitar, so in reality Joe’s a fill in bassist till we get someone else. So if any bassists are reading this, if you wanna try out get in touch.

Where do you record? Is it in Houston?
Wes: So far we have only recorded at Dead City Sound, which is a studio on Houston’s north side. We feel absolutely comfortable there, the atmosphere is super relaxed, and trust me, that makes a huge difference. It’s owned by our friend Chris Ryan, he’s a killer engineer and I totally recommend all bands record there!

Blaspherian is now on Deathgasm Records, along with the metal allegiance known as Abominant. Are there any plans for getting these two metal loyalists on a tour, maybe a southern tour?
Wes: It’s an honor to be affiliated with Deathgasm Records. I've personally known Evan [Deathgasm mainman] for many years, hes’ a hardworking guy with strong metal ethics. We felt it would be the best thing for us to work with Deathgasm at this time, the only other label we would have considered would have been Ibex Moon, and fuck yes, I fuckin love Abominant. All their records are sick but my favorite is their newest release Warblast, it’s highly recommended, and a tour would be sick, we shall see.

What do you think about “pay-to-play” concerts? Is it from the 80s? And is it the most blatant, greed-driven operation? Napalm Death have criticized that mentality of money-above-all-else.
Wes: Pay to play simply is the gayest possible situation. It’s from the 80s and yes, of course, it’s greed driven. It began from promoters selling opening slots at concerts to the highest bidder, to make more money. It’s a good thing that Napalm has spoken out about that kind of bullshit, those type of ethics do not belong in the metal scene, as an example I would cite the downfall of the Milwaukee Metalfest, which was huge years ago. They offered pay-to-play opening slots and to me it creates a shitty situation for the concertgoers who were forced to see bands they didn’t want to and this, to me, is one reason the Maryland Deathfest is a much stronger event than Milwaukee ever was, because you cannot buy your way onto the stages on the Maryland Death fest, it has much more intergrity, and is a better value for the concertgoer.

Given your critique of religious dogma, do you feel the same about these endless wars, the corporate greed-dominance and all this thievery? Is it compatible to be a Blaspherian maniac, and then listen to Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck and agree with them?
Wes: Simply: yes, all the wars, greed, corporate thievery, all that bullshit is the same as the bullshit we fight against in Blaspherian; it’s all tied together. I do not and never will support the lies of corporate greed mongers, false messiahs, right-wing ideologues, with a Christian agenda, i.e. Lamebaugh, Beck, Hannity, etc., those cretins fight against freedom, and fight for a Christian America, they completely support a brainwashed subservient America, they do not want you to criticize or think for yourself. I will never support such un-American values. Also, I want to state that family values equal Christian values. I think that gets lost in the political debate, and I will never support Christian values, period.

What are y’all’s 3 most listened-to bands in the last six months?
Wes: Nile: Those Whom the Gods Detest, Asphyx: Death...the Brutal Way, Embrace of Thorns: Atonement Ritual
Matt: Blasphemophagher: For Chaos, Obscurity and Desolation, Cruciamentum demos, Vasaeleth 7"
Joe: Morbid Angel: Altars of Madness, Archgoat: The Light-Douvering Darkness, Pestilence: Consuming Impulse
Apollyon: Morpheus Descends: Ritual of Infinity, Mork Gryning: Tusen år har gått, Incantation: Mortal Throne of Nazarene

Who amongst you are the Candlemass listeners? Epicus Doomicus Metallicus and Nightfall, anyone?!
Wes: I think I can say we all love Candlemass, especially the first 2 records made a huge impact on me. I've been a fan, even before they were Candlemass, as I have a copy of Leif's previous band, they were called Nemesis, I have that 12" in my collection, and from what I hear its pretty rare, so they are an influence, to be sure, especially Epicus, which is an all-time doom metal classic!

Anything else you’d like everyone into Blaspherian to know?!
Wes: Thanks for the interview, and your support of metal. Metal Bulletin is a very important zine in Houston, and I'm glad someone is finally supporting the metal scene with this type of endeavor, because we must show that metal is about a lot more than computers, and downloading music. It’s good to see you, Mauricio, doing the hard work it takes to support the scene. I think sometimes people forget how much work, time and effort that goes into a zine, and I want you to know that we appreciate it, so thank you and hails for the excellent support.
Also, look for our split 12" with Mutilated Messiah, which will be out through Hells Headbagers records in the coming months. For more info on that release keep an eye out at www.hellsheadbangers.com. Of course, look for our debut full length this summer! Hails!!!!!!!!
Wes Infernal, 2010 Anno Satanas. THE END.