How’s everything going in SOD camp?
Hail!!! Here Carlos F. Carballo, bass player of Scent Of Death, from Spain. How are you, my
friend? In the first place I would like to send a very big greeting to all the Tripalium Zine
maniacs. I hope you enjoy with this interview and it helps you to know more all that hides
after Scent Of Death. You will begin to smell the Scent Of Death!!!
And about the question, I can tell you that we are actually working in the composition of new
songs for our first full length CD which will be called “Woven in the Book of Hate”. We are
composing the last song for this album, so I hope all the killer stuff will be ready soon. But
perhaps the recording of the album will delay a bit because different personal reasons. Let’s
see what happen… ok?
Your demo “Entangled In Hate” contains a barrage of brutal songs but the two
instrumental tracks are a total contrast to them. Will you tell us more about those
instrumental tracks?
Yes, I agree with you! Those two instrumental tracks are a big contrast with the others brutal
tracks of the MCD, but this is just the proposal of recording these two songs. And this a point
in which some people say that he don’t like this idea, because they like it more brutal, and
other say that this is a very good idea, hehehe… But this sucks us!!! We liked and we did it!!!
The first one, “Perpetual”, was written and recorded by Daniel, but he’s not an actual member
of the band, neither an old member. He is just a good friend of the band. We had thought about
including some instrumental pieces in the MCD, and we want it was a melancholic and melodic
piece, as you say above in other question, in the pure vein of the gods Brutality. We could do
it by ourselves, but we liked more people went to the studio and take part in the record. And
he is a good friend, and came a lot of times to our rehearsal room to see us, although he
doesn’t like Death Metal at all, he doesn't belong to the Death Metal fans, because he comes
from the classic music and likes some progressive metal bands. So, after requesting him their
collaboration it consented without any problem and there the result is: over the perpetual sea
sound we can find a quite melancholic and melodic piece.
The same happens with the second one, “Epilogue”, which was created with the idea of being an
outro for the MCD.
Who came up with the idea of adding violin in the final track “Epilogue”? What does it
represent?
“Epilogue” is the last track of the MCD as an outro, and was composed by Jorge (guitar), and
was composed with the idea of adding a violin, because we meet Leonardo since years ago, and he
told us that that it would be a pleasure for him to take part of the recording. So Jorge
composes the song and Leonardo recorded the violin parts.
We wanted something different to close this MCD, something that makes the listener stay
astonished for a while, hehehe… But at the same time this outro must be a short song, so that
people when they begin to assimilate it, already finish the song. And I think the sound of a
violin is not usual in a Brutal Death album…. That’s the reason we use a violin. But in this
case, we’d never be able to record a violin without Leonardo participation’s, because we don’t
know how to play a violin, hahaha….
And at the same time, this song represent, in my opinion, the calm after the storm, the end of
the battle, and the end of a good work…
This MCD was recorded free. That must be a real killer. Is there some kind of
agreement between the band and the city in order for the band to record in that studio?
Yes, and because of this I can say we are lucky in our city. Here there is a studio property of
the council and it’s free. In this sense we can say that its existence is a good thing for our
city. Only local bands of all musical styles (pop, rock, heavy, classical, folk,…) can record
their albums on it for free. But on the other hand this is not good as it seems, because you
have to get tight into a list and wait your turn. But due to the amount of bands here in
Ourense of different musical styles, they call you about one or two years after. So, when they
call you, if the band is ready, ok, you enter the studio. But if you aren’t ready (for example,
for working, exams, sickness)… fuck you! You lost your turn after a year of waiting…
And we have only 35 hours to record, mixed and mastered the whole MCD “Entangled In Hate”,
divided in two weeks at a reason of 4 hour by day and only in 5 days per week. So I think this
is not enough for a good recording, and what’s more, I think the studio is not really equipped
with the last technology, hahaha… So I think they could do better things if the council of
Ourense will spend more money on it…
Although each members share the same passion for brutal death, each one does have an
inclination to other form of music both metal and non metal. How does that varied influence
affect your music?
This band is a project of four persons, four members, with their ideas, their likings, their
opinions… We all love Extreme Metal, especially Brutal Death Metal, and bands as Morbid Angel,
Immolation, Behemoth, Dying Fetus, Gorgasm, Nile, Deeds Of Flesh, Cryptopsy, Suffocation (Rules
again!!!!!!), are usually played in our cd players, hehehe… And I think all brutal bands are an
influence for Scent Of Death, but we listen too different kind of music, and each member has
different likings from another. For example:
-Bernardo (guitar) likes to listen old stufff from Kreator (“Extreme aggression”), Sepultura,
Destruction, old Slayer, Malevolent Creation, some progressive metal bands, and the classic
Heavy Metal from Iron Maiden, and more bands that I do not remember now….
-Jorge (guitar) listen lot of classic musicc like Wagner, Chopin,… because he plays piano too.
He likes too some folk singers as Loreena McKenitt (very good Canadian folk singer)
-Luis (vocals) is a Black Metal fan, but inn Scent Of death he does not sing with piercing
voice, hahaha… He likes a lot all the Unholy Black Metal, old Heavy Metal of Running Wild,
Accept…
-And I (Carlos, bass) love old stuff of Slaayer, because the new albums are a fucking shit,
folk music (Loreena McKenitt), some classic music as Wagner, Carmina Burana…
As you can see, we like very different music one to another, but all these bands are not an
influence for Scent Of Death, because we play Brutal Death Metal, and we’ll do it forever till
death!!! Only brutality shall prevail!!!!
Nuno recently left. How will his departure affect the band especially now that you’re
busy preparing for your debut CD?
His departure affect the band for the recording of the new album, because some songs was
totally composed with Nuno in the band, and in this sense we spent a lot of time doing the drum
parts in the computer for rehearsal in our local. This is in my opinion the main inconvenience
in Nuno’s departure: time. So the album was delayed because we didn’t have time to compose
songs and we were very busy with drums.
But now we have done all the drum songs and play with programming drums in the rehearsal room
and in some live shows we have done recently. Perhaps you think that this is not the same, and
you are right: it’s not the same. We prefer to play with a human drummer, but if not possible,
will play with programmed drums. We have composed drum parts in the same way as Nuno or other
drummer would play it, not the shitty bored programmed drums as some bands used to do, only
fast and nothing more. Our drum parts are really technical!!!!! And I think our drum sound is
better than a real drum, because we use real samples taken for a real drum, even the cymbals,
but the difference is in the balance of each part of the drum, which is very good balanced one
with another so that you can hear all the parts clearly. I think this is a good advantage,
don’t you think?
But we are going to test two new drummers, because we like that a band be that: a band, not a
machine. But we are conscious that Ourense is very small city, so is very difficult to find a
Death Metal drummer here. But if some of them are valid, then he will be welcomed, if not we’ll
have anyway the programmed drums ready to play, hahaha…. But what’s sure is that the new album
will be recorded by a session drummer, and in my opinion is one of the best in Spain. He is
Alfred Berengena, the drummer of a Brutal and technical Death Metal band called Baalphegor. He
will record the new album, but he is 1000 kilometres far away from us so it’s difficult he
become a permanent member of the band.
So, after what I told you, you can imagine that we are very good now, and the band is working
very calm but hard in the new songs. We bought a new material for playing, guitars, sound
equipment… There is a good ambient between us, all problems solved, and we have a lot of
illusion with the new songs. The new album is going to be a fucking masterpiece!!!!!
What caused his departure anyway? Did he leave the band in good terms?
It happened because a disagreement between Nuno and the rest of the band. We had some personal
differences and we decide that Nuno should leave the band, and Nuno by his way, decided to
leave too. I think this fact is a pity, because he was with us since the beginning, but some
things have not a good solution… There were good moments a bad moments with Nuno in the band,
the major of them very good, of course. But now the time of Nuno in Scent of Death is past and
a new phase in Scent of Death has begun…
How’s your new vocalist going? How would you compare his voice to the previous one?
Ufff!!!! I think he is going fuckin’ well!!!! Luis is an Extreme Metal fan and he loves Death
Metal, so when we told him to enter in Scent Of Death, he accepted at the moment, because he
liked a lot our music and have seen us sometimes live. We have seen him live too with his other
band, called Immacula Mortem (RIP), a black metal band. And now, after two years in the band,
he is completely integrated in Scent Of Death, and we think he is a great vocalist, but better
person, what I think is very important in a band.
His voice… Well, he has a powerful voice, very brutal, deep and flexible to introduce in the
songs a screams parts. Not in vain he comes from a Black Metal band, hahaha… Bernardo’s voice
was brutal anyway but more… let’s says “whispered”… But now with Luis the band wins in
brutality, although we do not want an ultra guttural voice for the new album. So we try to find
an intermediate term between these kinds of voices. Let’s see what happens in the recording,
ok?
And in live shows I can tell you that Luis is the perfect front man for a band like us. He is
continually moving his head around in the style of George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher of Cannibal
Corpse, hahaha… He is a complete show, hahahaha……
With all these line up changes, how can the band stay in focus particularly in song
writing?
I think I have answered in part to this question in the questions above. The only change was
the departure of Nuno, because the arrival of Luis is only an incorporation, but the rest of
the members are the same since the beginning in 1998. And as I told you above, the only problem
was the unnecessary expense of time that it supposed because of the composition of the drum
parts. So when Nuno left the band, it was an inflexion point for us, and then we decided to
carry on with this project because it’s the more important thing, and we thought that Scent Of
Death is a part of our lives really.
But the spirit of the band is intact and the only important thing for me is Scent Of Death as a
band. Luis brought a new saviour to the band because of his good humour. So we are working very
hard in the composition of very good, brutal and intense songs, and when you hear them, you’ll
see the final result of this line up changes, hehehe… We are very united and excited with the
new songs. Scent Of Death rules forever!!! Hehehe…
You have recently signed with Necromance Records. Will you tell us how it happened?
Yes, we have signed a deal with Necromance Records, from Spain, for the edition of our album.
It will be at the beginning of 2005, I hope, hehehe… We only have accepted his offer, but we
still have not worked together. Necromance Records is only one of our distributors here in
Spain, and a big friend of the band. He likes our music a lot, so I think this fact is very
important for a good promotion of our new album later. I think he is going to give all for us
in the promotion. So I have no more for asking him about. He is a maniac of brutal music, what
is demonstrated with the fact that he was the editor of the old Necromance Magazine (RIP)
devoted especially to Death Metal for more than 10 years, what I think is good for a Death
Metal band like us. He decided to leave the zine, to become Necrmance into a label. This is all
I can say for now about him, but we have good expectative in his work. Please check out his
website for the latest news about Necromance Records at www.necromancemag.com
We meet him because we sent a lot of promo copies of “Entangled in Hate” to all labels, distros
and zines around the world. One of them was Necromance and we become in a good friends. So when
he decided to change his activities in a label, the first band in Spain he contact was Scent Of
Death, made us an offer, and of course we said “yes”. He is doing publicity of our name, of our
MCD and of course about the new album… I think is good for us. Then he trusted in us and we
trust on him, that’s all…
You already have songs written for the album. How many are them so far and how would
you compare them to your older materials?
There are five new songs finished for the album with titles as: “A Thorn In The Forehead of
God”, “Extreme Body Modification”, “Self Inflicted Wounds”, “Woven In the Book of Hate”,
“Dancing Upon The Thin Line Of Insanity”. These are the new songs, but we’ll re-recorded the
song which entitled our MCD, “Entangled In Hate” because we think is one of the best we have
done ever, and it’s possible to include a cover of some band, perhaps “Heartwork, from the gods
Carcass. It will depend of the author rights of the song, but I hope not to have problems with
this fact. And of course one instrumental song, hehehe… This song is composed, but is not
entitled yet, because it needs some arrangements, because is only guitar and very atmospheric
piece, in the vein of Mithras. And finally the song we are working in now which will probably
be called “Circles” because we have an idea about the lyrics, so this can be its possible
title. This makes a total of 9 songs in the album.
New songs are better than old stuff (all in the band say that, hehehe…), more furious, brutal,
technical and darkest. I think new songs are better structured, more worked, with a lot of
variations and slow temps that make you head crash against the wall of your room!!!! There are
real heavy parts on these songs, at the same time that ultra fast parts, and the guitar riffs
are intense and brutal, you’ll see…
We have evolved as musicians and persons, and our music did it too. We only have to take care
of the sound of the album, and if we obtain a good sound and production, and with the voice of
Luis, the album can be a great work of Brutal Death Metal for sure!!!!
The song Entangled In hate will be re-recorded for the upcoming album. What are the
changes that are made in this song?
Yes, “Entangled In Hate” will be recorded again for the album, but are not going to change the
music and lyrics. This will be the same as in the MCD. But the vocal parts by Luis and drum
parts by Alfred, will add another perspective to the song. And of course, the new sound of the
band will help to get it. We decided to include it again because we think that this is one of
our favourite songs, brutal and fast as the rest of the new songs.
You have mentioned in another interview that your new materials are more in the Morbid
Angel and Immolation vein. Aren’t you afraid that listeners might label you as mere clone of
those bands?
Bands as Immolation, Morbid Angel, Behemoth, Suffocation, Hate Eternal, Gorgasm, … are our
favourite bands, because we think they are great bands and musicians. Albums like “Pierced…”
“Gateways…”, Unholy Cult” are fuckin’ great!!!! We love this music, dark and unique, but I
think those riffs from Morbid Angel and Immolation are inimitable for any band, at least that I
know, hehehe… If you know one band in these styles, please, let me know immediately, hahaha…
In the new songs, we are influenced by these bands, but perhaps more in the atmosphere than in
the riffs for themselves. And perhaps some riffs can sound to you in this vein, but this not
means we are a clone of these bands, because there are so many different riffs in one song that
if one reminds you to Immolation, the following will not have nothing of Immolation style and
perhaps will remind you another band, and finally the whole song will have the identity of
Scent Of Death, hahaha… But of course when you do a review from your zine, you usually compare
the music with some bands, isn’t? So this is what I mean when I talk about Immolation or Morbid
Angel, because I think is very difficult to play with the precision and intensity of these
bands. And on the other hand, if some people say we are a mere clone of these bands, we will be
very proud on it because this will mean that we are great musicians, hahahaha….
What are the elements in your songs that you can clearly say is SOD music?
I think this is a question for the listener, hehehe… But to answer you question I think that
our identity is based in the structure of the songs, in the way how we compose our songs. We
don’t like to repeat more than four times successively one riff, because it’s very bored,
hahaha… But this not means that we change the riff for the mere fact of doing it, because the
song has to have at the same time an clear structure and one riff must lead you to the
following riff and so on successively. If not the riffs are not valid for me. The clearest
example in my opinion and leave at side the new songs that you still have not heard is the song
“Entangled In Hate”. Please, if you want to know exactly what I mean, listen that song and
count the number of riff changes on it. And when we repeat one riff that seems to be the same
riff than before, notice that some notes or some parts of the riff or drum parts are changed
although only be a little. After doing it, tell me if this is true or not, hehehe… And the
maniacs should do the same. This song can be found in our website to download in mp3 at high
quality, ok?
And I think the voice of Luis can be a new element in our music, so let’s see the final result
after recording the album. We like to play fast and intense with a lot of changes, with voices
or dissonances for two guitars and a fast drum, this is our style, and we know we have to work
very hard to, and with time and patience, we will play more and more fast, technical and
aggressive.
How technical and complex do you think the band can be?
As I told you in the last question, we like to play music more and more complex, and each time
we compose a song we try to introduce a different riffs from the other songs and in other
styles. This in my opinion makes the album more varied and the same composition style is not
repeated till boring. I think Scent Of Death is little bit technical band. But for this, we
need a good day with inspiration, hahaha…
And speaking of technical music, what’s your take on prog metal?
I don’t understand that term. If progressive metal is called to music like Dream Theatre for
example, I don’t like that music. I think that progressive metal is music from Prejudice, Cynic
(RIP), Death (RIP), Theory in Practice, Neglected Fields,… I like music well played but with
feeling, and other kind of complex music as for example that which has a very fast guitar solos
in the vein of Malmstein, don’t say me nothing because of the lack of feeling on it. I think
its only run. Music must be played with feeling in your heart, if not it has no sense.
But I know that Bernardo likes some progressive metal bands as Dream Theatre, Pain Of Salvation
(very beautiful music, hahaha…) and Planet X… This last band is very different from the others,
because their music is very obscure and dark and the song’s tempo is rare as hell. But anyway I
don’t like it…
What’s the scene like in your area?
Hahaha… In our city, Ourense, there isn’t scene… Only one solid band here, Xerion, a Black
Metal band, and now there are another Brutal Death band, called Ephemeral, in which Nuno play
drums with his brother and other members. And only one distributor, called Nigra Mors, which at
the same time is a zine.
But in the other cities of Galicia, the community where we live, there are some interesting
bands as Unreal Overflows (Death Metal in the vein of Death) Machetazo (well known band in the
world), Hashassin (Grind), Barbarian Prophecies (Black Metal), Wisdom, Brainwash, and perhaps
some other I may forgot.
At the whole Spanish level the most well known band here is Avulsed. But there are some bands
which I think they are a great musicians and bands, as Eczema, Baalphegor, Human Mincer,
Wormed, Chamber Of Shred, Mockery, Crystalmoors, Daemonlord, Cerebral Effusion, Diffenacum,
Suffering Down, Numen, Witche’s Sabbath, Forensick, Kevlar Skin, Velocidad Absurda, Dyspraxia,
…
I think the main problem is that although these are great bands, they survive a very short
period of time, because they disappoint themselves very soon when people do not go to the live
shows or not buy their cd’s or demos. I think the support by the fans is not as good as we
wish. But this is what we have and we have to learn to survive with it.
Aside from the demo and the upcoming full length what do you consider as the highlight
of the bands career so far?
I think that the highlight of a band is when he gets a good deal with a label which allows them
to edit a lot of CD´s and play live in a lot of places around the world, with tour and so on…
This is important at a big scale, but on the other hand I think that the first time you play
live is very exciting, and this is a situation you’ll never live again, hahaha… And for sure
the sound was fuckin noisy, hahaha… And you don’t hear anything of your band mates, your
instruments do not sound as you want… Arrrrgggghhhhhh!!! No money pays this!!!! Hahaha…
What do you think was the most fucked up thing that happened with the band?
I think it was when we decided to expel our first vocalist David, because we have had problems
with him because he was an irresponsible man. So, we talk with him and recognize that it was
true what we said but he was not able to do another thing else. So we decided it was better for
him and for the band that he leaves Scent Of Death. At that time we were a young band, and
suddenly we have not a vocalist and with no other vocalist at sight, hehehe… This fact makes us
to be a time without any direction and this depress us a few.
Actually we have not a drummer, but we know the band rules and we have our ideas very clear.
Now we are other persons with another perspective of what we want. So the lack of a drummer
it’s a problem resolved for us. As I told you above, we have composed the drum part in our
computer for training till another drummer appear, and of course for playing live too. There
are some bands that play with programmed drums and I think they are great bands anyway, as
example Mortician and Insidious Discrepancy.
When we were without a vocalist, we tried a lot of people for singing in SOD, but they were not
valid, because I think people think that being a singer of a Death Metal band is very easy and
simple. No!! I think is very difficult, it’s like playing an instrument, trying and trying. A
very good vocalist must know when to enter at time and what parts of the song has or hasn’t
vocals and the kind of vocals should be better for that part. Luis is a great vocalist, and
when you hear “Woven on the book of hate”, I hope you’ll be in accordance with me, hehehe…
Thanx for your time Carlos. Last words are yours and I’m looking forward to hearing
your debut album.
I think is enough, and I hope not to bore anybody with my answers. Thank you very much, Roel,
and all the Tripalium Zine team, for this interesting interview. I hope this interview will
introduce a little bit more to Philippine maniacs into the world of Scent Of Death. If you want
to know more about us, please check out our website: WWW.SCENTOFDEATH.COM and there you can
find live pics, two full songs in mp3 at high quality to download, wallpapers, and of course,
you can leave your blasphemies in our Hatebook, hahaha... I think this is the best way for all
of Brutal Death maniacs to know our music… You won’t be disappointed!!!!!
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