Interview of Dave Rotten (vocals)

    It is necessary to present this cult band !!! No, all death-metal fans know Avulsed, the Spanish band, known for their extrem albums. Avulsed is come back with a new production "Stabwound Orgasm", second full release of the band, and I have contacted Dave in order to gather his words about this new album and about Avulsed more generally...
 

  Q - In 1998, you have released a special album "Cybergore", mixture between your old compositions and new sounds. Why this ? Have you obtained good responses of your fans and press ? Don't you find that an C-D such "Cybergore" is very strange for a fan of true Death-metal/Grind ? Do you hope to open a new musical way ?

    D. R. : We released the "Cybergore" CD because we wanted to do some kind of experiment between one album and another. We mixed Death Metal & Techno and created a really powerful music, better than expected!! We knew that many of our Death/Grind fans would repudiate it, but some others loved it. Well, we can't get into everyone's taste. The fact is that we did what we really wanted, and we're very proud of it. I don't hink we can open any musical way with that, because Death metal people is so narrow minded that this wil lnever work, but at least we showed that there's no boundaries in the musical universe!!

    Q - Avulsed is come back with a new production "Stabwound Orgasm". Maybe, could you tell us more about it ? I think that "Stabwound Orgasm" will be released in limited edition...

    D. R. : Yes, it has already been released on the 9.9.99 and the first 2.000 copies comes with embossed cartoon sleeve. However, this edition is alomost sold out and you can get it through some mailorders actually. "Stabwound Orgasm" represents AVULSED at its best, I mean we have achieved a musical level that we wanted to get and it has a killer produciton, so now everybody can enjoy our music 100% without the limitations of an average production...

    Q - The cover art has been released by a Danish artist, Robert Sindermann. Could you tell us more about it ? Have you not afraid to be censor ? What is your point of veiw about the censorship of the artists (Cannibal Corpse, Marduk in an other category...) ?

    D. R. : Yes, we wanted to change from the drawings we always used for our covers, and this time we wanted to try with real images, so we got in touch with Robert, who already did the cover for ANASARCA. He's great with computer designs and he did a great job. I know the cover is pretty shocking, but that's precisely what we wanted to achieve. I don't care about censorship. Our cover is provocative, but I don't think it's enough to get censored. Maybe in the most extremist governments, but again, I don't give a fuck about that. I think censorship to artists is another way of fascism. the only thing I'm against is nazism, racism & xenophobia. I think that kind of covers has nothing to do with music and they attempt to people's integrity, which is a very different thing...

    Q - "Stabwound Orgasm" is only your second full album since the begining of the band that is to say since 1992. Don't you think that it is little ? Do you prefer release few albums with a an excellent quality rather than many albums but with a poor quality ?

    D. R. : Yes, you're 100% right!! We released our first album 5 years after we got formed, and this 2nd album like 8 years later our inception. We had very clear, since the beginning, that our first album had to be something that we would proud of it after the years. We released demos, EP's and other stuff before our album to make sure that we were ready to do an album. This is not a race for us to see who has more albums in less period of time... After listening to our new album, I guess most of people will agree that it was worth the wait!!

    Q - This year, a Colombian label Quirofano Productions has released your demos and old recordings on CD, "Seven Years Of Decay". Could you tell us more this release ? How do you see your evolution between the begining of AVULSED and now ? Are you always proud to listen these old recordings and demos ?

    D. R. : "Seven Years Of Decay" contains all our demos since '92 until '98. it's all non-CD stuff, rare material that it's hard to get for most of our fans, so we accepted the offer when we got it. It shows our progression since our first recording in '92 until the previous one in '98 before the new album. There you can see all our line-up changes and how we have developed through the years always into the Death Metal sound. Now that I listen to our first demos, I can't avoid a slight smile, because I find these songs a little bit rudimentary and bad played, but I'm proud of all these recordings, because they were done in its time. They helped us to get recognition in the underground through the years, and helped us to learn how to play better and better. If we weren't proud of them, we wouldn't have agreed to release them on CD.

    Q - You have played many gigs mainly in Europe, you have played also few gigs in Venezuela. How is the public in this country in comparison with the European public ? I think that you have appointed a new tour in 2000...

    D. R. : We have already played two complete European tours, one with SINISTER in january '96 and other with INCANTATION & DEEDS OF FLESH in May '97. Then we have also played some shows in France, Belgium & Venezuela in '99. We have also played a lot all around Spain!! People in Venezuela is fucking great!! We got one of the best responses ever!! They're crazy, just like in most of the spanish places. Unfortunately, most of the European people isn't that way. it looks like they have seen so many gigs that it doesn't excite them any more... It's cool to play in Europe, in fact we did a great gig in Rennes back in April, but generally I prefer to play in Spain, because people is a lot more into it!!

    Q - I believe that in parallel of Avulsed, you work in Repulse. Could you tell us more about your job for the label ? What is the future of Repulse ? If Avulsed should leave Repulse, I think that the situation will not be very easy for you...

    D. R. : Why shouldn't be an easy situation for me?? What do you mean exactly?? AVULSED is very happy being in REPULSE, but if we get an offer from a bigger label who can offer us more promotion & tours, then we might think about it. I want the best for my band, but not at any cost, you know.
    As for REPULSE RECORDS, I'm the owner of the label and we're five guys working here. This is also a record store, so we wrok from monday to saturday. It's a good job, but some times I have so much work and I hardly have time enough to do everything...

    Q - The Spanish Death-Metal scene is less known in Europe in comparison with the Swedish scene or with the eastern Europe. Could you tell us more about the Death-Metal in your country ? What are the bands that you support in Spain ?

    D. R. : The fact that we're less known that other scenes, it's because we still don't have a band that has signed to a really big label, so then people can take a look to the rest of the scene. We have great bands, with very good quality and nothing to envy to any other scene. I would name bands like NIGHT TO DIE, GOLGOTHA, WORMED, REINCARNATION, OUIJA, UNCREATION, CHAMBER OF SHRED, ASGAROTH, AMALTHEA, NAHEMAH and of course CHRIST DENIED, as some of the best of today!!

    Q - What has been the most important fear of your life ?

    D. R. : I don't really understand this question. Perhaps the only fear I would have is not doig what I want to do in my life, but luckily I've always been doing what I want, so I could say I'm pretty happy. I don't have fear of Death, because that will happen when it has to happen, so it's stupid to fear something that you can't really avoid...

    Q - The last words are for you...

    D. R. : Thanx Fab for the interview. A big hello to all French AVULSED fans, and I hope we can play over there some day soon!! Listen to the new AVULSED and discover how real Death Metal has to sound like!! Support this music and go to your local gigs!! Contact us for any extra information about AVULSED!!
dave.rotten@repulserecords.com
http://www.repulserecords.com/avulsed

   DISCOGRAPHY
    - Embalmed In Blood (1992, demo)
    - Deformed Beyond Belief (1993, demo)
    - Carnivoracity (1994, EP re-release in 1995 on mini C-D)
    - Promo 95 (1995, promo tape)
    - Split LP with Acid Death (1994, LP)
    - Eminence In Putrescence (1996, Repulse Records, C-D)
    - Cybergore (1998, Repulse Records, C-D)
    - Seven Years Of Decay (1999, Quirofano Productions, C-D, re-release of demos and rare recordings)
    - Stabwound Orgasm (1999, Repulse Records, C-D)
 

    Repulse Records
    PO Box 50562
    28080 Madrid
    Spain