Usurper

Usurper has just released their second album "Skeletal Season" through Necropolis Records. This American band has got a very good reputation with their Celtic Frost influenced Black/Death Metal. Usurper is a highly original band and we contacted Necromancer (bass) for an insight in the world of Usurper.

1. Congratulations with your new album. How has the reactions been so far ?

So far the reaction has been really killer. The album's only been available for a few weeks officially, but there were a lot of magazines that received promo copies who reviewed it. Both the more underground "zines" and the much larger mags like Terrorizer, RockHard, etc., seem to really like it. That's cool with us. We weren't sure how the album was going to be received since we haven't released any new material for such a long time, but its still a little too early to tell....

2. Please tell us more about your "Visions From The Gods" demo.

Well, the "Visions from the Gods" demo was the first recording, and only demo ever done by Usurper. It was the result of "Rigor" Sythe's (Six-String Axe Attack), Diabolical Slaughter's (Vokills), and Apocalyptic Warlord's (Drums and Bongs) idea to form a metal project to get back to the roots of the kind of metal we all like. Back when Usurper was first forming in 1992 as a two-piece side project with just Sythe and Diabolical Slaughter, metal was in a serious slump here in the U.S. with every band sounding like a rip-off of Cannible Corpse, Morbid Angel, Deicide, or Obituary. There was very little to choose from. Almost every new album sounded the same, and the scene had become very stagnate to the older generation of metal fans. Everyone realized that if anyone wanted to hear music that was good, we'd have to write ourselves. That was the mentality the two guys had when Usurper was formed. By '94 they had a line-up that could record the new material they had been working on, so they recorded and then released the "Visions..." demo. It was recorded and mixed in three days with an extremely limited budget, but the result was an extremely strong recording. The sound was surprisingly high quality, and the production was quite good. It was packaged professionally, but simply. The demo contained 4 songs of classic Usurper. It captured everything Usurper was about. At that time, no one in the band was sure what the reaction would be to it, or if there would even be any reaction at all. There wasn't much metal quite like it at the time, and it was considered pretty uncool to be releasing anything that wasn't black or death metal, especially if you were from the States. We started sending out copies, slowly at first. The reaction coming back was really good, so we kept sending more and more. At first it was just to "fans", but then distros were writing for it, we started sending out lots to zines to be reviewed, and a few labels. It sold really well. The first pressing was of 750, and then there were 2 more pressings of 350 each. By December of '95 we just stopped printing them up. It was getting to be too expensive, and we wanted to focus our time and money on current projects, not older releases. We almost re-released it on cd a few years ago for Wild Rags, but they didn't want to send out a contract. Now we're considering re-releasing in the near future in cd with a bunch of bonus tracks, and maybe a live track or two.

3. Usurper was one of the first bands to be signed and release an album on Head Not Found. How did you get in touch with them ?

We were sending out demos to all different mags hoping to get them reviewed. One of the first ones we sent to was Metalion's classic Slayer Zine. He listened to it, and I guess he liked it because he wrote us back telling us about his label. He asked us if we would sign with it. Originally we weren't going to sign with any label. We were just going to record another demo, only the next one was going to be a vinyl only release. Originally, we were in no hurry to get signed at all. It just wasn't an immediate concern. We thought about it and then finally decided to do it.

4. Please tell us more about your first album "Diabolis" from 1995.

"Diabolosis..." was recorded in several recording sessions from January through March of '95. We'd go in for a few days, and then have a few days off. It was recorded at the same studio that the "Visions..." demo was recorded at. We like the sound from the demo so much that we wanted to keep a good thing going. About half of the material for the album was written at the same time as the "Visions.." material. Some of the songs dated back to '92. There was some killer new shit too though, and we really started to get a good feel for the studio while we were recording that album. We got to experiment a little bit more, but since we still had to pay for almost all of the studio time ourselves, we still had some time limit. We fucked with using a little acoustic guitar, and we even used a viola for one of the songs. That was our first album, so we wanted it to sound like an album, not like a demo. We are still completely pleased with the results. We still play tracks from the album live all the time.

5. Is this album still available ?

Yeah, its still out there. Voices of Wonder just released the third or fourth pressing of it. That's what the underground distros are telling us anyway. We haven't really been able to get a hold of Voices for a while now.

6. Why did you leave Head Not Found ? How was your relation with their parent company Voices Of Wonder ?

Voices we never really had any kind of relationship with. We would call them once and awhile to remind them that they owed us a statement or something, but that was about it. We had a little better contact with HNF in the beginning. Metalion was very honest about everything that was in the contract, and he never ripped us off or anything. But, after "Diabolosis..." was released he became very hard to keep in touch with. We had the material for the "Threshold of the Usurper" mcd all ready to go, and we wanted to release it through HNF. Metalion had gone on vacation to Australia for a really long time, and we were just waiting and waiting to see what the deal was for "Threshold...". We were also working on releasing the "Diabolosis..." album on vinyl and we had no answers on that either. Finally we couldn't wait any longer, and began shopping around for other labels. We also let Chicago based R.I.P. Music release the vinyl version of "Diabolosis..." with a gatefold, new cover art and photos, a bonus track and a poster/lyric sheet. It was nothing personal towards Metalion, but we just couldn't keep waiting around any more. The material on "Threshold..." was older material to begin with, and we just couldn't keep waiting to release it.

7. Why did you sign on Necropolis Records ?

After shopping labels for awhile we had some pretty good offers from a variety of different labels. We thought about each one, weighing out the pros and cons. Finally we thought that Necropolis would be the best label for us. They were (and still are) a great underground label to us. They're releases were all super extreme, and they saw things the same way that we did. We wanted better distribution, and they were constantly working to improve they're already decent distribution worldwide. They also aren't afraid to promote they're bands. On HNF, there was virtually no promotion. Just underground fliers through the mail, and a 4-song promo cassette that we basically funded for "Diabolosis...". Necropolis not only prints up over a thousand promo cds, but they also know the importance of taking out ads in zines, both underground and the "bigger" ones. They gave us an actual studio budget and told us that the sky's the limit when it comes to cd packaging. Most importantly they wanted to put their bands on tour, which was a lifetime goal for us. We believe that one of the best ways to promote your album is to get out there on the road and bang it out night after night live. This was exactly the attitude we wanted out of a record label. We signed a 2 album deal with them. The first release was the "Threshold..." mcd, and then the new "Skeletal Season" album. They have been great to work with. We work closely together sharing ideas and approaches. They put us out on the road twice. Once on a mini tour of the States with Dark Funeral, and once on tour in Europe with Enthroned and Hecate Enthroned. So far everything has worked out great, and now we're talking about possibly resigning for the next new album, and possibly the "Visions from the Gods" demo re-release.

8. Please tell us more about your "Threshold Of The Usurper" MCD.

"Threshold..." is a compilation of previously recorded, yet never released material. Originally the tracks were recorded for 2 separate 7" releases that we were going to do, but at the time HNF had a problem releasing material for another label due to the way our contract was worded. We thought then that we would combine all the songs together for one mcd release. Some of the material was recorded in early '95 during the "Diabolosis..." recording sessions, and some of it was recorded separately exclusively for the 7"s. We were surprised when we put them all together. The songs all flow together smoothly. There are 5 songs on the cd. 4 originals and a cover of Mercyful Fate's "Black Funeral". They were all recorded at Eaton Records, the same studio that we recorded the other releases at. The sound quality is excellent, and the songs themselves are an extension of what we did on "Diabolosis...". We started experimenting a little bit more with the songwriting. Its still heavy as Hell, in-your-fucking-face-headbanging metal, but we added a strange song called "The Dead of Winter" which is a deeply heavy saga style metal song. We are totally proud of the end result of this release. It was excepted well by the both the fans and the zines, and it was an introduction to the new album "Skeletal Season".

9. Please give us an insight in your new album "Skeletal Season". The recording, featured tracks, artwork, booklet, line - up etc. etc.

"Skeletal Season" is our newest album, and so far it is our crowning achievement. It is the result of over two years of songwriting, practicing and touring. Some of the material dates back to early '96 when we were still jamming with our original drummer Apocalyptic Warlord. Around that time we were starting to get tour offers, and due to circumstances beyond his control, he was unable to tour. We talked about it, and in the end he realized that it was best for the band for him to step down from being our drummer. The three of us still kept writing and rehearsing new material while searching for a new drummer. We found this one kid who relocated to our area. He was o.k. for awhile, but his drumming skills were shitty and he was impossible to get along with on a personal level. He did the Dark Funeral tour with us, and then it was obvious that he wasn't the right for us. When we got back we told him to pack his bags. We still kept writing new shit while looking for another drummer again. Finally we started rehearing with our current drummer Dave Hellstorm, formerly of Chicago's Funeral Nation. He fit in right away. His drumming is extraordinary, and he's a beer chugging maniac just like the rest of the band. We finished writing the album and were finally ready to enter the studio in the summer of '98. We recorded for 2 weeks in the same studio we've always used, and we feel the result is an extremely strong album. We had 2 years to work on these songs, and they came out exactly the way we wanted them to. Musically it a much darker album than anything that we've released before. The slower tunes are dark, heavy, death-dirges. Total undead anthems! The fast stuff is extremely chaotic, yet is still followable. We kept experimenting with different guitar tones, vokill approaches, and songwriting techniques. There are some very subtle, almost subliminal sounds on the album. The kind of album you can listen to several times and hear something new each time. It has a 16 page booklet with full lyrics, photos and artwork. The cover is an original oilpainting done by Juha Vuorma. Sythe came up with the concept, drew a rough sketch, and then Juha took it from there. It came out killer.

The tracklist is: 1)Shadowfiend 2)Dismal Wings of Terror 3)Skeletal Season 4)Embrace of the Dead 5)Prowling Death (the demi-goddess) 6)Cemetarian 7)Brimstone Fist 8)Wolflord.

10. Please give us an insight to your lyrics.

Lyrically we deal with subjects that fascinate us, mostly from the hidden side of reality an beyond. Subjects like: wars and warriors, religions, the paranormal, the undead, be possessed in a drug induced haze, and death. The new album focuses more on the undead, lycanthropy, and weird paranormal activity. These are all subjects that we've touched on in the past, but explored a little more thoroughly on this album.

11. How would you compare your new album with your earlier recordings/releases ?

Its definitely a progression into an even heavier and more extreme realm. We tapped in a darker, more meloncholic vibe. Again, we had over 2 years to work on most of these songs. When we were rehearsing them, they kept on getting heavier and heavier. This is the album that we are the most proud of.

12. You have a very special sound and brand of Death/Black Metal. How would you describe the Usurper sound ?

We don't really think that we're a black, or death metal band. We have element of both I suppose, but we're not interested in conforming to either trend. We just describe it as "cold, dark metal" for lack of any better terms to classify it under. We wanted from the beginning to write songs that we think are heavy as hell, no matter what anyone else thought. We are into bands from both the death and black metal scene from all the reincarnations of it over the past 15 years. We just took our influences, and turned them into what we think are the ultimate songs. We can headbang to them every time. Its hard for us to label it. It is whatever anyone chooses to call it.

13. What is your political, religious and philosophical views ?

We are not religious at all. We worship no "gods" subscribe to no "philosophy", be it satanic or otherwise. And we are totally not into politics, environmental issues, and all that boring bullshit. We're into violent music, violent drugs, violent women, bar fights, alcohol, hard liquor, etc. Metal is our only god.

14. Usurper is a quite strange creature in the American metal scene. How would you describe this scene ?

The U.S. metal scene is confused at best. Its almost impossible to describe. Bands seem be broken down into divisions. There are the bands that think they have to rip off old death metal, bands that are tryin to cash in on "new" black metal-which usually sounds ridiculous, and then a bunch of lost rogues who change their sound more often than they change their underwear. There's no U.S. sound like there used too be when bands like Macabre, Possessed, Dark Angel and old Slayer roamed the land. I don't know if it "American mentality" or what, but bands seem to be more interested in cashing in on an existing scene, rather than just play what they want to play. There are some exceptions of course, but a lot of the scene here seems lost.

15. What is your plans for 1999 ?

Right now we just want to keep writing new songs. We have quite a few already for the next album. Mostly we want to go on tour again. We are playing a few shows in April on the west coast, but we're working on another full U.S. tour, and we really want to go to Europe again. We're also finally releasing the Necrocult Trilogy on 7" which will be available through the band only.