So Tormentor would you say, that Desaster had made a name for itself due to its convincing previous outputs, such as the Stormbringer Ep and the Hellfire’s Dominion album?
Escpecially when „Stormbringer” was released, the Metal Scene back than was flooded with Keyboard Black Metal bands. It was time than to show that Black Metal must be raw, wild and dirty. Also Okkulto started changing his vokills a bit which came later a trademark of the band. „Hellfire’s Dominion” was my first full length and was in my eyes also a tribute to the 80`s Speed Thrash scene with a new mix of some Black elements and Okkultos great vocals performing. For me „Hellfire’s Dominion” still is Desaster’s „Reigning Blood”. We celebrated METAL in that time 100%. Been a lot in the Ruhrpott area, first bigger contacts came in, Hellbangers was in the first year… and so on. Was a great time and we were total metal possessed young guys without watching left or right… just straight forward to hell!
Did the band built up a name as a power black-thrash act that is only growing with time?
Absolute! I also think that Desaster still is the biggest Undergound Band in Germany. And I am still proud of all what we have done in the past. No one in the band was a really good musician or something. It was just a bunch of metalheads doing what they love… METAL!
Before the releasing of your third album, you left Merciless Records and you were signed by Iron Pegasus, what was the reason of it?
At this time we thought it was time for a change. We never had trouble or problems with Volker. It was just the right time to change the label and start with „fresh” ideas.
At which point did you start working on Tyrants of the Netherworld?
As I am right we started directly after „Hellfires Dominion” writing new songs but we also played much more shows in and around Germany. We had a small rehearsal room in a local youth club, so we only went in the room and started rehearsing. And after a few hours we left. No parties, no extremly long rehersals. But we play nearly every day within the week. Recorded all songs with a cassette recorder haha!
How long did it take you to come up with new material? Have you been working on new songs all the time?
Infernal always was recording riffs at home on his „Idee-e cassett” ideas tape… and whenever he had enough material we made songs out of it.
Did the label perhaps ask you to hear new tunes?
No! We were always our own master!
You entered the Audio Artist Studio, Aichtal, Germany from July 14-19th, 2000, how did the recording sessions go?
We dicided going there because we really loved the Mayhemic Truth / Morrigan sound of the their records. Producer was Roman Schoensee, who also played bass back in time in Pyogenesis. That was a wild week, only in the recording studio, only us 4 plus him and sometimes the 2 mayhemic truth guys. Recordings went great as you hear on the album and first time we also tried to have some „inspirstions” in the recording room like candles, satanic symbols, pictures and Quorthon, Kerry King and so on 😀 Come on, we were kids and totally into Metal! Mny beers were drunk and at the end we recorded a great record with great songs and great sound!
Is it correct, that the album was produced by the band?
Yes, by the band and Roman. We had no clue to use the knobs, but we told him how thr record has to sound like.
In your opinion, is a third album a crucial point in every band’s career?
In my opinion I think every record is important for a band. Because its a contemporary testimony of each periode and shows what the band was able to release at that special point.
By the way, did you have material written, that didn’t make up on the record?
No! All songs we wrote came automaticaly directly on the upcoming record. Efficiency as fuck!
Did Tyrants… show the band’s musical style fully formed for the first time, as black metal and thrash elements have been finally nearly perfectly amalgamated?
I think until „Stormbringer” the band was finding their way to the typical sounds Desaster know is known for. Stormbringer was more thrashy and wild. „Hellfire’s Dominion” was inspirated a lot in 80s escpecially German Thrash scene combined with 90s Black Metal ans Slayer! So that’s what the foundation was to create „Tyrants Of The Netherworld”.
Did you truly outdid yourselves and every song is so carefully written?
We spent many of f hours in the rehearsal room to make that record perfect for us. In a way we liked it and in a way we thought that this is the best we can give to the fans and maniacs! We worked hours for hours on beginnings, endings, vocal parts etc. When you go in the complexity (if you can say that) of the songs you regognice many small things we did and I think we never had that on any other album. Maybe a bit on „Angelwhore” but that’s another topic!
You’ve really harnessed all the power they’ve manage to build from the prior material to really bring it into their finest form, right?
As I mentioned before, I think it was a kind of natural progression in the band’s history. We all learned over the years and „Tyrants” was a very special and important spot in the musical career and also the last album with Okkulto. Maybe he already was playing with this idea to left the band after we released the album.
Do you agree with, that the medieval elements, typical of the band’s early years are also present, although they play only a minor role on Tyrants of the Netherworld?
I think on every Desaster record you hear this typical medieval influences. Sometimes more, sometimes less.
Is this album more coherent than its predecessor?
Honestly I don’t think so. As I said before we spend hours of hours in the rehearsal room to make the sangs as great as we liked back in time. Every beginning, mid part or ending was 100%. So maybe thats the reason that Tyrants sounds coherent to some people.
Did you turn the black metal influence down just a tad, and the thrash way up?
I think in Desaster there was alsway an up and down with the influences. That is maybe the unique Desaster style. Playing more blacky, or more thrashy or sometimes medieval and Speed Metal but it’s all the time 666% Desaster! Especialy the guitars are the biggest trademark. Infernals guitar you can hear out of 1000s!
Is another thing characteristic of Desaster a consistent use of intro and outro which serve as a buckle bracing the album?
Lets say „yes”. Haha, I don’t know why, but I think on all full length records we had an intro and outro. Mostly intro by someone else, and outros by Infernal.
Considering Nekropolis Karthago, Desaster has never sounded so violent and pissed off before…
Thanks!
Did Disciples of Darkness perfectly balance weight between black metal and thrash?
That song was a good mixture of heavy, thrashy guitars mixed with deep bass growls and fast drumming. Yes, I think Disciples of Darkness is one of that songs that shows most for what DESASTER stands for!
How do you view, that Sworn to Avenge show a diversity in the band that allows you to alternate from Sodom type of themes to Manowar ones?
Haha, I have no clue what I can answer here. We love(d) both bands in the past and now. So why is this a problem to put all your influences in your music?
The record shows that the band are great musicians with a very strong understanding of what made thrash interesting from the begninning…
We saw us never as musicians in the traditional was. Desaster was always a bunch of metalfans celebrating and playing what they like. METAL! We never had any msucial lessions. We never tried to undertand music. We just made it and that was and still is Desaaster’s power!
Is the result brutal, yet somewhat catchy?
The result is „Tyrants of the Netherworld” a record which is a time-signature of the band’s staying in the scene and their musical understanding in that time!
Tyrants of the Netherworld was the last full-length album Okkulto would sing on before being replaced by Sataniac on Divine Blasphemies, but before leaving the band, he did hit the studio with you one last time for the recording of Souls of Infernity EP, did you part ways on a friendly term at the end? Why did he leave the band at all?
He became after that record more and more different to the rest. I think he wanted playing less and we wanted more! First bigger shows were in the pipeline, short tours in south america etc. That was maybe too much for him. After the 99th Desaster live show at Wacken Open Air he came after the show in the rehearsal room (we started writing songs for Divine Blasphemies that time) and saif he will quit the band. It was a shock. Rest is history. Nowadays we are fine. I live now in Gronau, which is like 350 km from Koblenz. So all contact is lost a bit. Sadly!
Is Tyrants Of The Netherworld the strongest Desaster effort considering the Occulto era?
Every Desaster album is strong! Sorry!
Tormentor, thanks a lot for your answers, what are your closing words for our readers?
Thanks for your great questions! Desaster is still going strong! All hail metal! I am damned proud being an important part of the DESASTER history.
