I
have contacted with Bod, the drummer of this british cult
thrash band, who kindly answered me these questions about the
past, and actual reuion of the band.
Martín: Bod, thank you very
much for taking the time to answer these questions. To start
the interview, let's talk about the present. How did become
the idea of reunite the band?
Bod:
Well firstly I would like to thank you for asking me to do
this interview, it's always good to be able keep in touch with
our fans in Argentina. We had been getting loads of mail
asking if a reunion was likely and we also had the re-releases
on the cards. Si had been hinting to Mark that he was up for
seeing if we could get back together, then when I became
available too, it kind of just fell into place. What started
out as "lets get together for a jam" ended up as a
song writing session and the old chemistry came flooding back.
Martín:
Anihilated was and is a "cult band" in the thrash
scene. As a musician of that scene that during those years was
plenty of bands, could you tell me how was the underground
thrash scene in England in terms of bands, zines, shows?
Bod: In the beginning
there were a relatively small number of bands who were all
developing and shaping the scene. It was an exciting time and
there was a great output of superb material and also a great
comeraderie between the bands, but within a few years, the
scene became too flooded and certain major record labels began
to take control which had a huge effect on the way the music
evolved. They dictated which bands became successfull and who
failed, Many good bands were signed and went on to release
superb albums, but the labels often got it terribly wrong,
signing vastly inferior bands who released utter garbage. Many
ended up being rejected and resented by the crowds (you can't
fool the fans). Many new ususpecting bands were signed because
of their big fan bases and then shelved, so the labels could
expose their more favoured artists to their crowds. Too many
great bands disappeared into obscurity as a result of this
practice. It is widely known that so many bands were
completely ripped off in the eighties and became so frustrated
they disbanded. I hope I don..t sound too negative, but this
is actually what went on back then and is something that never
seems to be discussed in interviews. There were of course,
massive successes but it wasnt all rosey and fun for those who
suffered and dissapeared and we knew many of those. There were
some great zines at the time such as "final curtain"
and "problem child" that really got deep into the
scene. They were the life blood in the early years and spread
the word about the up and coming bands and where the best gigs
were. There were also some great shows too such as the thrash
metal festival we played in Bradford which had about 12 bands
on and some of the early Slayer, celtic frost and death angel
shows were awesome.
Martín: Reading the booklet
of the re release of "Created In Hate", I have
noticed that in the beginning, Anihilated participated in Punk
compilations. How do you believe that this style influenced
your earlier sound?
Bod: We are very proud
of our early punk roots and even now I would say there is a
splash of punk in what we do, the aggression and the lyrical
side of things are still there. Although i love metal, I was,
and still am, a punk at heart.
Between
"Path To Destruction" and "Created In
Hate" the thrash metal sound was more remarkable in the
band. Could you tell me if it was a natural progress or it was
an influence of the american thrash scene?
Bod: It was a natural
progression, we became more confident to express ourselves
musically and break away from certain constrictions that
existed in the punk scene at that time. Thrash Metal evolved
from a mixture of Hardcore punk and Metal and our part in that
evolution has been well documented. I would be lying if I said
that Slayer's early works didn't influence us (laughs).
Martín: I consider Anihilated an "Old School Thrash
Band". Does this term represent something special to
you?. I like the rawness and aggression of your works, and it
is a trademark of this kind of style.
Bod: We are proud to be
considered an old school band and also believe that our new
material will cross over to people who like a more modern
sound as well. It's definitely old school but has some new
dynamics.
Martín: The lyric of
"Chase The Dragon" talks about people that abused
with heroin, it has an interesting point of view. What was
your idea when you've put it on the song?. Give a message of
the danger of hard drugs to the fans?.
Bod: We had some close
friends who had become hooked on heroin and we saw the way
they spent all their money on it and how their lives revolved
around getting their next hit. There was a period when heroin
was riff in our community, it was not a good time to say the
least, some did not make it. And a message? well i called Si
to ask him as he does a lot of social work with very vunerable
people and he said this..."I won't tell you what to do
guys, but I have worked with people whose lives have been
destroyed by using drugs, I hope none of you have to go
through that, when you have prostituted yourself to some
filthy pervert who has raped you for enough money for a hit
then the highs that drugs bring just aren't enough
compensation for the degradation you have put yourself
through". ..... I think that says it all really
Martín:
Did you tour with another thrash metal bands in the past? Feel
free to comment whatever you like to say.
Bod:We played with many
iconic bands of the time, Death Angel, Onslaught, Acid Reign,
Sabbat, English Dogs, Doom and so, so many more. We had a
great time on the road, made loads of friends and always did
our best to put on a good show.
Martín: You have
self-financed your EP "Path To Destruction". Was it
a decision forced by a lack of interest of labels in this kind
of music or a way of doing yourself the entire release and
recording process?
Bod: It was very early
days in the scene, we had a product that no one really knew
what to do with and to get it out we had to do it ourselves!
It did the job and sold out fast and was a great experience.
It even knocked Madonna off the top of the charts in our part
of the country. In fact the Japaneese re-issues have all sold
out too and we are now re-negotiating another deal.
Martín: You have re released the first two albums in Marquee
Records. How did became the idea of bring back on CD this old
stuff?
Bod: Public demand, we had so many people asking if there was
a posibility of us reforming. Also people wanted the albums
and couldn't get them. Marquee approached us, they are a
highly respected label who have great expertise in eighties
re-issues, they have described The Ultimate Desecration album
as "One of the finest UK Thrash Metal releases
ever". How could we resist that? May I also mention that
we now have T-shirts available from www.myspace.com/anihilated
as so many people have been asking about them.
Being a
member of a band that started in the eighties, are you
interested in actual and more modern bands like Lamb Of God,
Mastodon, or you prefer more traditional thrash bands?
Bod:
Si and Mark like many of the modern bands, I prefere listening
to new unsigned bands as i get so many coming through our
myspace page but i think it would be fair to say that we are
all mainly fans of older style metal.
Martín: What is you opinion about using the computers or
tools to achieve a better performance for a record?. I think
that the final result is a less genuine product.
Bod: There are very few
studios that use good old tape these days. I love the warm
sound of tape but I can also fully appreciate the advantages
of digital media. I suppose it depends on how you use the
computer. To clean up a recording or to sharpen up the sound
of an old LP is a good thing. However altering speed or pitch
or doing something to the music that absolutely changes it can
mask it's intrinsic honesty. Modern technology is a fine thing
but there is no point if you cannot genuinly perform to begin
with. Thats why so many bands fall down with their live shows,
they just can't cut it live.
Martín: Do you have any
hobbie in special that you like to mention?
Bod: Apart from the
band, Si is well into playing World of Warcraft when he has
the time (he has five children with another due in December),
Mark loves to work on music and writing new songs which is
also my thing and I also run the MySpace site.
Martín:
What is your opinion about this massive tendency of
downloading albums and mp3 sharing?
Bod: I am not too sure
about all this yet, there are winners and losers, I guess as
long as the artist is not being exploited and is happy with
their music being used in this way its fine. I guess you have
to move with the times but I don..t think you can beat having
a CD or Vinyl copy of an album.
Martín: OK
Bod, thats all. Would you like to say something to Argentinian
thrash fans to finish this interview?
Bod:
Well I have to say that we have always been so proud to
have such a strong and loyal following in Argentina and the
South Americas. Thanks to each and every one of you for your
fantastic support, we take nothing for granted and know that
many of you have stood by us for years. We hope you enjoy the
re-issues and are sure you will approve of the new album which
will be out in 2009. Keep in touch - all the very best to you
from all of us at Anihilated.
