intervmasterspeckmann

 

MASTER

PAUL SPECKMANN

I have interviewed Paul Speckmann from the legendary death metal band Master. Together with a few others Master pushed the limits of what was possible and Master became Death Metal-pioneers. Still Master aren't always given the cred they deserve for the impact they made. Especially their first two albums Master from 1990 and On The Seventh Day God Created... Master from 1991 put Master on the map as one of the best and most extreme bands on the planet. Master also recorded an album in 1985 which could have taken the world by storm but unfortunately the album wasn't released back then when new grounds were broken but it was eventually released by Displeased Records in 2003.

Master's more recent material has also received favourable reviews and their twelfth album The Witchhunt was released last year. Main man Paul Speckmann has also been an integral part of a lot of other bands since the early eighties, bands like: DeathStrike, Abomination, Speckmann Project, Martyr & Krabathor to mention a few. But Master has always been the band that Paul Speckmann returned to.

Hello Paul, We can begin with a small presentation of you and Master...

Master is an underground band, highly successful in terms of the underground I suppose, but the struggle to be accepted in the original genre continues. The band has been playing, recording and touring for more than 30 years. Master has been covered as well as been copied time and time again, but there is only one true Master! More info can be found in the biography section at the website. master-speckmetal.net

Lets go way back in time and talk about War Cry. It must have been amazing to have your song Forbidden Evil included on the legendary Metal Massacre-compilation.

It's funny as these were difficult times for the band as I was leaving the band by this time. The band had just really begun the Motley Crue wanna be stage, and by then I had had enough. I remember the day we were to head to the studio, guitarist Steve Ahlers proceeded to pick me up in his car after I just arrived home covered in puke with a hangover in my Ford Fairlane.

I remember having a bit of trouble driving home after the party with original Master drummer Schmidt and Rick from Iron Cross repectively. Those were the crazy days of the beginning of Master and the end of my tenure in Warcry.

Is it true that the thrash metal legends Forbidden took their name from your song?

You would have to ask the drummer. Bostaph told me this at the Foundations Forum in 1992, so it seems so. It's a bit of a silly question, why would I make up something like this? What would be the purpose?

Let's talk about Master, Was it frustrating that you recorded an album in 1985 and that it wasn't released until 2003 when Displeased Records released it? Especially when the material was so groundbreaking?

Sure, many mistakes were made in the early days and it took me years to find my rightful place in Metal. After I became the leader of my bands things had changed and the rest is history as they say. The original drummer Schmidt was afraid of his own shadow and this caused many problems for the band. 

Unfortunately today, you can find him walking around the forests of Chicago wearing a Master shirt and talking to himself or to anyone else who will listen. Drugs and alcohol can do this to a person! Bill was a killer drummer in the early days but stage fright and harder drugs took over his existence. After I left the guy at his mom's house in 1986, the journey for me really began and I am still here today creating songs, albums and touring the world over, so who made the right choice?

Paul Speckmann

Why wasn't the album released through Combat Records?

A legendary rock manager-producer called Kim Fowley of the Runaways fame, read the contract for 1 dollar a minute and turned the Combat contract into a multimillion dollar deal when at the time the genre was just beginning. Drummer Schmidt and his mother also made a few more changes I was unaware of and the contract was the thrown by Combat in the garbage! We received the first draft of the contract on December 31st 1984!

Another early band of yours was Death Strike. Your Fuckin' Death demo is legendary and still talked about today thirty years later. Why do you think that is?

Obviously the demo was a groundbreaking masterpiece. This was one of the first demos of the genre to go on and influence countless acts across the globe. But today many of these rockstars wish to forget their influences as they are now successful, but doesn't matter really as I was there in the beginning and know where the style comes from! The demo combines just the right amount of aggression! We obviously were in the experimental stages and this was the first time I sang this style of music so it was a learning experience too say the least.

How was the metal scene in Chicago in the eighties? Did you share the stage with any local bands like Trouble, Damien Thorne, Wrath, Stygian, Zoetrope, Znowhite and Cyclone Temple?

Actually only Warcry did share the stage with Trouble a few times, but yes, the scene was thriving with great bands as you say and many of us hung out together at the infamous Thirsty Whale on many an occasion. In the early eighties the Chicago scene was erupting and it was great to be a part of this scene certainly. I miss the comradery we shared amongst one another. It wasn't unusual to hang out with many of the guys from the bands as we drank and searched for our latest conquests with the babes that hung out at this establishment!

What bands had the biggest influence Master's sound?

GBH, MDC, Discharge, The Exploited, Motorhead and of course Black Sabbath!

You relocated to the Czech Republic, how did that happen?

After a tour in the late nineties with Malevolent Creation and Master, Vader canceled last minute and Krabathor were added to the bill. This would change my life as the bassist left the band after the 1999 tour and my life changed forever. The drummer and I began jamming at soundchecks and discussed a project after the 1999 tour called Martyr. Along with guitarist Christopher and drummer Skull I recorded my first project in the Czech Republic. I was asked to join Krabathor after these recordings.

On The Seventh Day God Created Master

Between 1999 and 2004 you were a member of Czech Death Metal pioneers Krabathor and you recorded two albums with them. How was that time?

This was a time of touring and drinking too much, but regardless also a great time in my life. Unfortunately the fans didn't receive the records well and in 2004 we parted ways. master was always on the backburner regardless of my tenure with Krabathor. We actually recorded Master's Let's start a War in 2002 together.

Master released their twelfth studio-album in 2013 titled The Witchhunt, are you satisfied with how it has been received by your fans?

Sure, fans and critics alike say it's the best release since On The Seventh Day. It continues to sell as we continue to tour constantly across the globe. In march Europe and in May the USA again! i have also written the next 18 songs to be recorded in the fall of next year.

I've read an interview with you and you said that Bill Schmidt took over as a band leader and that he did a lot of mistakes with his crappy leadership and that you have struggled ever since, what do you mean by that?

Originally Bill was the leader of Master until we broke up and I formed Deathstrike. After he begged and pleaded to return to jamming with me I made the mistake of giving him a second chance. He subsequently took over again and with my money we recorded the debut for Combat and all went to hell after this this. Again in 1989 we reformed to record for Nuclear Blast and the same attitude came to light and Bill was again fired and we toured Europe with an new lineup and I have been busy ever since!

Are there any plans of a new Master-album or perhaps a new Abomination-album?

Master will record in 2015!

What's your plans for the near future?

Tours and festivals with Master and Deathstrike!

What's the highlight of your career?

Still happening now!

Have you got any funny story to tell, if anything weird has happened while touring or so?

Every tour is an adventure, too many stories to tell. These will appear in Surviving the underground next year. Meanwhile fans can purchase Underground Survivor, The Pictorial for 40 euros, Paypal speckmannpaul@hotmail.com

Any last words for our readers?

Sure support the true underground!

By/Ruthless

(28-12-2014)