interview with Kömmand

The black thrash band Kömmand took time out of their busy schedule to confront this inquisition questionnaire interrogation (mostly written in Metalenglisch). Their debut album is from 2017 and it is called Nekrö Kömmandö Attack! because nekro is a way of viewing the world and playing music. Live it at the first link below and you too can rise to the rank of a kömmander of metal and of your life. Kömmander Z speaks.

Hällo! Metal Bulletin zine wants to interrogate the Kömmand krüe about your metal konspiracies. The debut was released in 2017, but when did the konzept für the blackthrash originally begin? Why the blackthrash in partikular? What motivates the Kömmand körps to dedikate so much devotion to this style of nekrometal?


I started writing Kömmand riffs in November of 2013. A lot changed for me in 2013 - the drummer of Skinwalker moved to Oregon, I got kicked out of Strychnine, my woman left me and I completed university. I had no feeling for the future, and a void in my output. Being fully marinated in BLACK METAL for years, my music vocabulary was stunted at the level of the cold, fast and hateful. But for me, the best parts of 2nd wave BM were always the D-beat sections and ROCK oriented songwriting. This, as well as the GREATS of yesteryear, Celtic Frost, Bathory, Destruction, Kreator, etc., are pure candy. I thought, “why wade through the fog of atmosphere to get to my candy riff?” Why not start a project of ALL candy riffs? Something I wouldn’t get bored of listening to in 1-2 months?

Before, during and after these moments, my listening preferences have trended toward the ancient and the riff oriented. CARNAGE and EXHUMER are also steeped in metal lore. We live, breath, drink, and self-destruct for ANCIENT FAST METAL. And we were quite frankly, tired of the shit, safe, eyeliner, multiple-adjective and diaper-metal bands out there.


Who are the members of the band now? One time I saw a post online of the kriminal aktivities of each bandmember für bands, podkasts, zines und other such things. Kann you please give us that information again here now so that we kann share it mit the fans?

Hiuhiuhiu, but of course! As I say, metal is everything for us. Carnage (4-string Krüshfukk) has been displacing neck-cartilage around Seattle for over 15 years with Nekro Morphosis and Process of Erosion, as well as booking shows at the 2 Bit Saloon (RIP) for years, and now booking Metal Mondays at the Substation. Exhumer (Ritualistikk Blackcircle Nekropounding) is one of the most dedicated people for the WAR-EFFORT I know! Until recently he played with Isenordal, he books various shows around Seattle and writes The Sentinel d.i.y. magazine. In addition to Kömmand, I play in Skinwalker and Wende, and record Zett’s Unsilent Storms Radio Podcast to soundcloud twice a month. Yesseah! Self-promotion is as ‘murican as baseball and wealth inequality!


Who rekorded which instruments on the album? Was it a projekt at that point? Does everyone in the band see eye to eye on what the band sound should be? By the way, what is the musical und band bakkground of the three kömmanders?



Well, according to your fine publikation, “They hate each other and can barely talk to each other to make songs together”, HIUHIUHIU!!!!! We’re all united in what Kömmand should sound like. We each have our preferences, but we only honör the OLD WAYS with Kömmand. On the album, I recorded drums, guitars, and vocals, in that order. The band has been playing shows since summer 2014, but never with a stable lineup, so during the summer of 2016, I did the drums out of necessity as Exhumer hadn’t enlisted yet. Carnage recorded bass and handled the mixing and mastering work using his NEKRÖ-DRENCHED audio knowledge. And our musical and band backgrounds were amplified in the above question - we are true metal freaks!

In order to rekord blackthrash korrektly what is necessary for Kömmand? Where do you find the right studios? What type of guitar do you need? What is the preferred ekuipment necessary? How is the bass supposed to sound? What about drums? Should the drums be only the real sound from the aktual drums when the hand and foot hit the instrument?



The way to record blackthrash korrektly is the way to record ALL music correctly: HONESTLY. No studio bullshit, not bells and whistles, every barnacle on the hull left INTACT!!!! Guitars, amplifiers, drums, studios - - almost completely irrelevant. Sound like you sound, and put in the work to sound good, and you’ll be fine. Play with feeling EMPHASIZED, and for FUKK-SAKES, make your instruments sound like themselves!!! Drums must sound like drums, not typewriters or consistent, sterile snooze-fest clicks. NO!!!!!! Guitars, Bass, Vocals shouldn’t sound like anything but YOUR band. Don’t trick things up on the album! This is one of the best things about the best albums - the UNIQUENESS of the sound on that album. No other album sounds like Paranoid. No other album sounds like first Bathory. No other album sounds like Transilvanian Hunger, etc. 
I recorded my drums, in one take per song, excepting for Plague Doctor and Hailstorms 100-Proof, at a godsdamned COUNTRY music studio. The guitars and bass were recorded in a basement. The vocals in a bedroom. It doesn’t matter. The feeling will seep out of any location, if it’s present at all.

Related to the above kuestion, is it not diffikult to rekord drums in fast, extreme metal, especially if it is blasting drums? In your opinion, how does a band avoid cheating in drums und still have a good, professional drum sound if it is blasting metal? Is it or is it not possible? Kann you think of any examples of fast drumming in extreme metal that you know has real drums with no cheating?


In Skinwalker, the drummer Blacksmith would remove the resonant head on his kick drum, and tune the beater head so it was slightly floppy. It was one of those with the fancy foam ring. Then he’d place the mic inside the shell near the Point Of Mallet ATTACK! That’ll do the trick. I’m no studio wizard or a drummer really, all I can say is… imperfect and organic > sterile and immaculate mechanization. 
As to the last queztion… even though he was a shameless perpetrator of “typewriter metal” in the mid-late 90s, Hellhammer’s performance on De Mysteriis in near flawless. It’s a shame Attila took a shit for vocals. Or just listen to Repulsion’s Horrified and Death Strike’s Fuckin’ Death demo for drums. You could do a lot worse than that.

In your opinion, where kann I find the best examples of the blackthrash guitar playing if I am studying this sound? Is it found in Destruction's early works? What about the early Celtic Frost albums? Nocturnal Breed? Nifelheim? What bands started the wildfire of Kömmand? Who does the hammer-ons a lot? Who does the tremolo a lot?

Just listen to 80s DARK THRASH. It will lead the way. Early “Teutonic”-thrash, Bathory, Celtic Frost/Hellhammer, Brazilian dark-80s-thrash, Italian dark-80s-thrash, Czech dark-80s-thrash, Slaughter Lord, Sabbat, Tormentor… But obviously, they would’ve never called their style “blackthrash”. Infernö/Aura Noir carried the torch in the dark days for the style… And currently… German blackthrash, Italian blackthrash, Brazilian blackthrash, Australian blackthrash, Sweden too - so much has changed! Hiu. Kolbotn bands are absolutely KILLING it. And Amerika is cultivating some great bands, especially on the coasts. Hail NORTHWEST THRASH CONTINGENT!!!!

Does the reaktion to your muzik enkourage Kömmand to kontinue? What did you expekkt the Seattle metalheads to think about your sound? Has the reaktion been what you expekted? Do you find that other metal bands are open-minded to sharing the stage with the nekrometal blackthrash of the kömmanders of the Kömmand köllektive?

Well I was crafting snotty, atonal BLACKTHRASH riffs before anyone cared about Kömmand, and I’ll continue after they’ve perhaps drunk their fill so to speak. But really, people are sloshing their brains about to our diddies, so we couldn’t be happier. Maybe it’s a kick in seat for people exhausted by SLOW-MUSIC MOPIES and Adjective-Adjective-Adjective-Metal curio-troupes. Who’s to say. We play loud, fast and snotty and that’s all there is to it. We’ve gotten on with most everyone, and most everyone has been congenial with us. It’s not rocket-science. Go to shows, support artists you value, and enjoy your terrestrial-span ‘cause the grave awaits us all.

Thanks for playing in Everett! It was great to hear the muzik live. What is next for the Kömmand konsortium now that you have an album done? Is it a good indikation of the band that you have already shown us what you mean by nekrometal right here in the state of Washington by rekording an album und you have written your name into the book of heavy metal.



As of drünkenly responding to your Prrrrrompts, I have four songues written, with whisperings of more on the way, so there should be another album forthwith. It’d be good to take our ÜGLYTHINGS on road soon too. Maybe even looking across wide waters? Can’t say, but it’ll be a real hööt.

Kömmander Z likes to do the Celtic Frost exklamation vociferations. However, I want more of those. I am wondering if you are thinking of adding to your repertoire more vociferations like sounds of vomit, gagging, choking, screaming, high yells, and phrases like "thrash!," "here we go again," "kömmand!," "attakk!," “This is nekrö ugh!," "ugh ugh wargh ugh!," und other things like that. Would you konsider putting in more of those? Maybe add one that goes “ugh ugh nekrö argh!”

I think I snuck in a “Thrash!” somewhere on the album, Yes? In any case, a “Pure Black Speed” is nestled lovingly in there, forsooth. No promises on any future interjections. They’re done IN THE MOMENT and any planning may result in proprietary payments to TOM G. All the vocals on the album were done in one take, straight through. Unchained melodies! The ‘ughs’ and the like will make a return though… happy hunting!

Does the Kömmander Z speak Norwegian? I think you know why I ask! The last song on the album seems to be in Norwegian. 



Indeed it is, though I’m sure quite poorly. I don’t speak Norwegian, though I’m trying to learn. I en sneglefårt! For faen! I took a holiday to Norway in the summer of 2015 and I was on the whole quite taken with the place. Bergen especially is a magical city - very much like the PNW really. So the song desribes things I experienced: drinking Syv Fjell beer at the Garage, a CAT that sleeps in a precious stone shoppe, sticks carved with mundane rune messages - an old-Norse “Letter that Johnny Walker Read”! Priceless! So I had to attempt writing in Norwegian - for the city.

Recently, there have been many important events taking place in the world. The end of the world is koming, I am told, und I do not have a plan. I have been listening to Nocturnal Breed’s Aggressor album. That’s the extent of my plan. Should I be doing something else to prepare for the end of the world? I recently threw a television set from the balkony of a hotel but that did not go well for me. Who do you think kould help me to pay my bail? Do you have the number of a good lawyer that kould help me?

A fine album for the apokalypse! End of the world? Grow your own food and get a big weapon? Oh, and the best lawyer in the world is Mr. Dontgetcaughtdoingit. He’s got me out of many a bind! And as this is the last Kuezztion… I say thanks for the interview… Hail Carnage and Exhumer, hail the skullshakers, the patchhorde, NWTC, the breweries, Insomniac and Blacksmith, and all music that doesn’t suck eggs! Wipe yer assholes!

kmmnd.bandcamp.com/releases

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