CROM (ESP) (THRASH METAL #8, 1989) < TRANSLATED

Thrash Metal was a Magazine from Spain, written in Spanish. But here's an article translated to English for you! 

History Repeats Itself

CROM

CROM HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CONTROVERSIAL BAND IN TERMS OF THEIR MUSICAL STYLE. PRAISED BY SOME AS A GOOD THRASH METAL BAND, AND AT THE SAME TIME REJECTED BY OTHER "HARDER" ONES AS A BAND THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS STYLE, LABELING THEM SOFT, CROM REMAINS, REMAINING AS ONE OF THE BEST BANDS IN OUR COUNTRY, IN TERMS OF MUSICAL QUALITY.

Having already passed several months since the release of "Wasteland", and still waiting for the band's arrival in the capital for the presentation of their album, I had a conversation with the band about different aspects of their music

-"We respect the music other people make, because we like them to respect ours, but you have to innovate, even though this country isn't for innovation. We're the first band to record an album in English, and at first everyone tore us to shreds, especially "El Pirata." We had to swim against the tide, and now... everyone records in English, which we're happy about, even if you end up never leaving Spain, or even your city. -But do you sing in English with an eye to the international market? -"No, we just like English, because it has more outlets than Spanish. There's one thing we don't quite understand. Kerrang! magazine gave us three-something stars, which isn't bad at all; and even so, we haven't released the album abroad, and there are all sorts of groups out there... In Spain they don't know the music business. There's no guys to play with, or anything. -Tell us about the cover of "Wasteland"

-"We had an idea, but we couldn't pull it off. We wanted something softer, more conceptual. A woman on a throne, half crying, half laughing, with a sword, very mystical. We made some sketches, and some seemed barbaric to us, others we didn't like... time ran out, and in the end that's the one we got, but it wasn't the idea. The cover is striking. You end up getting used to it."

-Are the new songs like the previous ones?

-"Some are similar to "Wasteland", others aren't. Something similar happened with our second album as with the first, "Steel for an Age". On the first album, the evolution between songs is very noticeable, from the first to the last. The same thing happened on the other, but the songs are more compact, and it's not as noticeable. There's an evolution that connects with "Steel for an Age". "Judgment Bell", from the first album, foreshadowed a bit what the second album was going to be like, and from this one, we connect with the next, although we're still evolving. It's the typical difference between a band that's starting out and a band that has three albums out. The other day I was listening to "Steel for an Age", on a depressing day, and I realized that apart from the sound, the vocals are very bad. When the cut was made, it lost a lot. I had two huge screens that sounded-

They sounded really good when you cranked it up. We weren't at the Ibiza mix, and it turned out really well, but it's missing something. Keep in mind it was recorded in six days, and on the first day, Gabi stayed at the hotel and missed the bar.

-How are things going with gigs now?

-"We want to deny something that's been said about Crom. When we were playing in Barcelona with Fuck Off and Muro, I was in the dressing room with a guy who was taking gigs to Madrid, and he wanted to take us to Madrid with Barricada. Barricada's manager said Crom wasn't playing. We're thrilled to play with them. There was no word that Crom didn't want to play with them. We don't care who we play with, as long as we play. And at a couple of gigs, we've even lost money. Some people think we don't play because we ask for too much money. Now we want to play in pubs and things like that. "The problem this country has is that it barely covers different styles of music. There you have the "Dynamo" festival, with an audience that listens to Savatage, Nuclear Assault, Sanctuary... There's no audience for that here. How many people buy records by these bands? However, abroad, those who listen to Judas Priest also listen to those bands.

Luis: "I've been saying since the band formed that we should look for a lead singer, and they're like: 'No way! No way! You sing! You sing!' If we don't have a lead singer, it's because we can't find one. A guy who sings amazingly, and me doing backing vocals, sounds fantastic. The thing is, we can't find one, at least not here in Valladolid."

This was more or less the most important part of the whole interview, aside from jokes and curious things they told me about the band's history. There's no doubt that the guys have a very well-developed sense of humor, since we didn't stop laughing all afternoon. Aside from those aspects of their personality, I have to say that it's clear we're all eagerly awaiting the band's new songs, which will surely be better than the previous ones, because music is evolution, and evolution is Crom.

TEXT AND PHOTOS: ADUARDO DELGADO

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ABORYM (ITA)

 

RAW MAGAZINES MOST SIGNIFICANT ALBUMS OF THE 80's (#35, 1989)

 

DREAM THEATER "WHEN DREAM AND DAY UNITE" GERMAN ALBUM AD (1989)

 

DEEP MACHINE (UK) DISCOGRAPHY

N.W.O.B.H.M./Heavy Metal band from London, England. They released four demo tapes between 1980 and 1984 before hanging up! They have reunited couple of times after that.

They formed in 1977 in East London and even though they had a strong local following, they remained underground due to the fact that they never got a record deal. They split up in early 1984. They played one reunion gig at the Ruskin Arms in 1988 and then reunited again in 2009 up until 2015, before calling it a day.

In 1979 Bob Hooker auditioned for Iron Maiden, he landed among the Top 3 out of 30 other guitarists. Apart from the demo recordings presented here there are also quite a few live recordings in existence from this period. 

DEMO '80

1. Deep Machine

2. Witchild

3. The Wizard

DEMO '81

1. Demon Preacher

2. Asylum 

3. Witchild

4. Deep Machine

DEMO '82

1. Nightstalker 

2. Saga

DEMO '83

1. Feed the Fever 

2. Freeway

3. Sin Is Just a State of Mind

DEMO COMPILATION 1980-1983

The above four demo tapes combined into one video in order of release year.

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SLAYER

I love this photo from Harald Oimoen. You really feel the energy, speed, filth and fury in it. He published it 24 hrs ago on his Facebook, and I sat and looked at it for a long time ... and then put "Show No Mercy" on.

MORTUARY DRAPE (PROMO PHOTO)

 

DORO (RAW MAGAZINE #35, 1989)

FANTOM (HUN)

Black/Thrash Metal band from Budapest, Hungary.
Compilation of early rehearsals 1987-1988.

COVER ART OF ALICE COOPER 'MARVEL PREMIERE' #50 (1979) SPECIAL ISSUE

Published : October 10, 1979

Writer : Jim Salicrup, Alice Cooper, Ed Hannigan
Penciller : Tom Sutton
Inks : Terry Austin
Cover : Tom Sutton & Terry Austin
Original Cover Price : 40¢

In the proud tradition of personal difficulties transformed into art, Cooper’s alcoholism and subsequent sanitarium stay formed the subject matter for one of his albums, 1978’s 'From the Inside'. 'From the Inside' was then the subject matter for, of all things, the 50th issue of Marvel Premiere in 1979. Even though Cooper’s makeup and general presentation make him an aesthetic fit for the world of tights and capes, the marriage is an odd one. The script is credited to Cooper, Jim Salicrup, Roger Stern and Ed Hannigan, while the art is provided by Tom Sutton and Terry Austin. It’s a sequential art adaptation of the 'From The Inside' concept album, with assorted real-life characters who were subjects of songs on the album: Nurse Rozetta, Millie and Billie & Jackknife Johnny, are players in a Cuckoo's Nest-like mental ward, (if you squint real hard at one point, you can almost make out Jack Nicholson in the background). How Alice winds up in an insane asylum when he just needs to dry out requires some explanation, and the comic provides it!

There are background cameos galore, inserted by the mischievous pen of Mr. Austin, including Bluto, Wimpy, Popeye, Kermit The Frog & The Hulk. The grand statement of the book, and the album, is that we’re all nuts in our own way. We’re all crazy, from the certified to the mundane. Cooper would later go on to have other comic incarnations, notably with Neil Gaiman handling the scripting chores in the 1994 'Last Temptation Of Alice Cooper' series, but none of those later turns were as much fun as this 1st outing.

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FORBIDDEN

 

THE EQUINOX OV THE GODS (SWE)

BANZAI RECORDS T-SHIRT

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FORCED ENTRY (US/WA)

 

INTERVIEW WITH SET TEITAN OF DISSECTION (SWEDEN ROCK MAGAZINE #83) < TRANSLATED

Sweden Rock Magazine (SRM) is the legendary Swedish metal magazine founded in 2001 and is still going. It’s written in Swedish, but here is an article translated to English for you.

The interview is made by the mighty Niklas Göransson, check out his work at Bardo Methodology

Were you already familiar with Dissection's singer and guitarist Jon Nödtveidt when you registered your interest in the vacant guitarist position?
"Jon and I had been in contact for a couple of years and I'm convinced that this was something that was meant to happen," says guitarist Set Teitan. "For some reason, I've always had that feeling."

When Jon was looking for new members for Dissection, it was equally important, in addition to musical competence, that the worldview of potential new members was compatible with the band's message. Was there anything that appealed to you? 

This was the main reason why I felt compelled to help rebuild Dissection. Everything else was just logistics and trifles, just like everything else in life. I left my entire life in Rome behind and moved to Stockholm with only an iron will, a focused mind and a little bit of money in my pocket. The driving force behind my effort to help Jon complete this was his relentless and sincere vision of what he wanted to achieve. I shared this 100 percent. My intentions were genuine and sincere from the start, which is more than can be said for some others who became involved. However, we all know how human cattle work and in the long run, and in some cases even in the short run, those with reprehensible intentions always get what they deserve. You reap what you sow. 

So you went to Stockholm to audition for the band?

- I arrived a week before the first rehearsal and during that time I lived at Erik (Danielsson) in Watain, which I knew from before. He assisted me practicing Dissection's songs to drums during that week. It was invaluable. There is a big difference between actually rehearsing the songs live with a drummer and playing after a record, especially if the material is very complex. Already at this stage I discovered what a special flow occurs when Erik and I play together. The pieces of the puzzle already started to fall into place.

How did you get to know Erik? 

- I think it was in 2002 that I contacted him about a project that we were supposed to be involved in together with someone who was a mutual friend at the time. However, this fell through. We kept in touch and finally met face to face in February 2004 when Watain played in Italy together with Mortuary Drape and some French clown band. That's how it went. After that we have both worked and experienced a lot together.

Tell us about the audition with Dissection. 

- They went great and it sounded really good right from the start, at least since it was the first attempt. This was especially true of songs that I was a bit unsure about, like the ones with twin guitars. If I remember correctly, we played "Frozen", "Retribution-Storm of the light's bane", "The Somberlain", "Where dead angels lie" and "Unhallowed". Then Jon played the demo version of "Maha Kali" for me. It was the first thing I heard the new material. I learned the song and then we played it on the next rehearsal. The place we used belonged to the drummer. It also served as his recording studio and is located somewhere far outside central Stockholm. 

When did it become clear that you were in the band?

- Everything happened within a couple of days. It clicked pretty much immediately, especially when Jon and I met in person. It felt completely natural, powerful and disciplined. It was pure magic! It's a feeling that can't be expressed in words, when music becomes a vessel for the spiritual fire and at the same time for transcendent energies; a vessel and a hymn to the divine, to one's true love. 

Which members were already accepted at this time?
- The drummer (Tomas Asklund) and a certain French bassist (Brice Leclercq), who after the tour showed his true self and started whining about not getting enough money. We had a little private conversation with the person in question after his last gig and never saw him again. 

Some people have no shame in their bodies. I'm sure he's living a wonderful life now, just like the others who had to scramble away in shame and humiliation.

For the first time since 1997, Dissection took to the stage on September 30, 2004 at Arenan in Stockholm. What memories do you have of the gig? 

- Sometimes it almost feels like it never happened or that I was witnessing it from an outsider's perspective. I really can't explain it in words. It was a breathtaking evening with sacrifice, victory and celebration. 

This was the start of the two-month long 'Rebirth of Dissection' tour. How was the reception in Europe?
-The response was amazing everywhere. People were hungry. If only they knew what they were really feeding... 

How did Watain become the support act on the tour?
- They were the only band I had in mind, really. There was no other band that would have been worth taking with us. Possibly Nifelheim, but they had no opportunity to do any longer tours. Jon heard Watain when he was on leave from prison and got hooked on the album "Casus Luciferi". One evening Jon and I had a meeting with Erik and after that it was clear that we wanted them with us. I think Jon were attracted by the sincerity, passion and unbridled energy that permeates everything they do. It is still by far the best touring constellation that has ever existed. 

Once back home, the work began with "Reinkaos". Were the songs already written or did you have the opportunity to participate in the songwriting process?
- The material was written a long time ago, but as always the songs underwent a variety of modifications and arrangement changes. It is inevitable that this will happen when rehearsing with the full band. Jon wrote everything and I and the drummer participated in the rehearsing and recording process. The soul that is in the music on the record and the energy that flows through the notes helped to reshape and strengthen myself and my life forever. 

What is your strongest memory from the recording?

- Everything really. A distinct memory is when we finally got the final master production. Jon and I went home and listened to the finished album together for the first time and the unspoken realization of a completed magical work through the art of sound reached us.

How did you experience the studio visit itself? 

- If what you do is strong and true, it has consequences on all levels. That's how magic works. I live by the rules of the old days and therefore I don't speak about it and keep it for myself. The average person doesn't understand it, which makes it impossible for me to speak openly about it. Furthermore, it serves no real purpose other than generating more gossip and rumors, phenomena that I absolutely detest. 

When the album was released, it received a rather negative response with a whole bunch of disgruntled reviews from both hard rock media and fans. This turned around, however, but it seems to have taken a while for people to really take it in. What do you think is the reason for that?

- We didn't care at all about how the album was received by the outside world. On the contrary, we laughed at them. If someone dislikes an album, it simply wasn't meant for that person. People are generally retarded and uneducated, and they will unconditionally swallow whatever is forced on them. The album wasn't written to amuse or please these individuals, but it is a collection of hymns to the Unknown Deity. It doesn't matter to me if people have started to appreciate it recently. What does it matter? Even if it had never been released at all and instead been buried in the soil somewhere, it had achieved what it was intended to do. 

So you don't feel any kind of vindication now that people who previously complained are praising it? Not to mention ninth place in the readers' and 15th place in the writers' poll of the best albums of the last ten years.

- No! The few individuals who can appreciate the album for what it is have already done so. If blood relatives like it, that's great. I don't give a damn about the rest. For my part, it's in my opinion the best album ever made. It is a creation whose legacy will endure for all eternity.

The Midsummer Massacre concert at Hovet in Stockholm on June 24, 2006 was one of the most ambitious and spectacular live shows ever performed in extreme metal. A professional film crew was on site and a DVD was said to be in the works, but it's been a long time since anyone heard anything about this. What's the status of this? 

-Whoever lives will see! 

Persistent rumors claim that there was plenty of material ready for a fourth Dissection album - something that for obvious reasons will never come to fruition. Is this true?
- I refrain from either confirming or denying that. I can only imagine the kind of people who engage in that kind of rumor spreading. 

You are currently a permanent member of Watain's live set. When did you join them? 

- Originally I was a session bassist on two gigs in Finland and Russia 2005. We then did another concert in London in September 2006, an evening that we dedicated to Jon's name and memory.

Do you contribute musically to Watain? 

- Not directly. I have written two lyrics and a couple of guitar solos for some songs. Furthermore, I have recorded a few things here and there on the latest albums. I won't go into details. My musical achievements are nothing meant to satisfy my ego. That's what 'metal bands' usually do, not Watain. 

by Niklas Göransson 

JON NÖDTVEIDT AS REITAS IN THE BLACK

 

CHRIS HOLMES (METAL MANIA VOL.1 #3, 1986)

 

METALLICA (1985)

Courtesy of Michael Johansson, visit him here for more information and licensing his photos.

Michael Johansson: I took this photo of Metallica in Birmingham (England) back in August 1985. They were there for a couple of day rehearsing before Donington (Monsters of Rock).

As usual we had some of the latest issues of the magazine with us, Lars was not impressed with the Wahlgren siblings. And when I say 'we' I don't mean AT and I. AT had deserted to another Swedish magazine (Rocket) and I was doing most jobs with reporter Stefan Johansson.

No, not related. No, not related to Jens or Anders either... We are all called Johansson in Sweden... Ask the chat...

This photo was taken 6 beers before James ran after the old lady...

Funny fact... Rolling Stone magazine used this photo also. With them holding the OKEJ magazine... 🙂

And it was used in a Metallica book 'Back to the Front' a few years ago...

Actually, I now remember a couple of those 'running after the old lady' photos were also used in that book...

/ Michael Johansson (saguaro.se)

My notes: AT is a Swedish Music Journalist, named Anders Tegner. Okej Magazine was Sweden biggest music magazine in the 80's.

HEAVY LOAD "PRO RADIO RECORDING" (1982)

This is classic live recording by the Swedish Heavy Metal pioneers. Unoffical released as "Swedish Live Conquest" featuring a Pro Radio Recording from 1982.

CD 1

1. Full Speed At The High Level

2. Dark Nights

3. Interview

4. Daybreak Ecstasy

5. Caroline

6. Heatherns From The North

7. Joe Stiletto

8. You've Got The Power

9. Interview

10. Hey

11. Heavy Metal Heaven

CD 2

1. Full Speed At High Level

2. Dark Nights

3. Joe Stiletto

4. Caroline

5. Give It Time

6. Heatherns From The North

7. Hey

8. Tresspasser

9. Daybreak Ecstasy

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SCHIZO (ITA)

 

CEREBRUM (FIN)

One of the bands first live shows in Turku, Finland in 1993.

 

EXCALIBUR (UK)

 

ERIK OF WATAIN

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DEMON FLIGHT "FLIGHT OF THE DEMON" [EP]

The band was active in the early 1980's in Los Angeles, California.

This EP from 1982 was there only release!

Side A

1. Dead of the Night 02:38

2. Search and Destroy 03:14

Side B

3. Flight of the Demon 09:38

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SACRED REICH / FORBIDDEN / HOLY MOSES / KAZJUROL "ROCKBORGEN, FAGERSTA, SWEDEN" (MAY 5, 1989)

Legendary show at Rockborgen, Fagersta. The holy ground for the Thrash and Death Metal scene in Sweden in the late 1980's. 

Kazjurol  00.00 - 22.50

Holy Moses 22.51 - 01.13.10

Forbidden 01.13.45 - 02.02.35

Sacred Reich 02.02.36 - 02.52.42

BLASPHEMY (CAN)

Nuclear War Now Productions: I just got this photo from Bård Guldvik Eithun of Orcustus zine / Emperor.  The photo was taken at the infamous Warerfront gig in 1990 and features Marco Banco in the front and Black Winds in the back. I was just writing about this gig for the Blasphemy book so it was undivine fate that it would arrive today! 

TANK (UK)

DEEP MACHINE (UK) "RUSKIN ARMS, LONDON, UK" (APRIL 11, 1982)

PAGAN ALTAR "NOT QUIET YET" [LIVE] AUDIO

A soundboard recording of a Pagan Altar live show back in the 1980s, featuring 2 songs that never actually made it onto an album. It was never officially released by the band. 

SETLIST
01. The Lords Of Hypocrisy 00:00

02. Flight Of The Witch Queen 05:02

03. Judgement Of The Dead 09:12

04. The Black Mass 16:27

05. Armageddon 20:39

06. The Aftermath 31:17

07. The Interlude 36:48

08. Reincarnation 41:14

09. The Erl King 49:24

10. March Of The Dead 55:31

11. Kismet (Fate) 59:51

12. Moving (Change) 01:08:47