NECRONOMICON
Necronomicon was a German thrash metal band who released a few great talbums during the late 80's and early 90's, albums like Necronomicon (1986), Apocalyptic Nightmare (1987) and Escalation (1988). Jose Luis Cano has conducted this interview with Necronomicon.
Please, tell us about the current situation in NECRONOMICON. I think most of people out there think you have been dead for ages.
NECRONOMICON never was dead, one thing is, that we had to wait for a couple of years to finish a contract. Now we are free, looking for a new deal and we are going to record our next album.
It has been a long time since the last NECRONOMICON album, in fact four albums in almost 20 years are very few I think... What have you been doing these years? Did you disbanded and reformed again or simply stopped for some time?
We never reformed and we never stopped! We had some problems with the companies and the bassplayers changed a couple of times. We always performed on stage but it was not easy to get gigs - thrash was out, everybody was listening to numetal, lots of the old bands were going in the more poppy direction - hard times for the thrashers. Now it's going to rise again, people ask you for playing festivals and concerts, good chances to get back in the mind of the old fans and to infect some of the young.
Necronomicon
You have a new demo out now, which in my opinion is typically NECRONOMICON sounding, do you think that a label will give you a deal to record your new album? Do you consider that your style of Thrash is still of interest for the crowd or you still appeal to the old thrashers who surely will love the stuff??
We have some offers for a deal, and we are in contact with some of the interested companys. Don't know yet if one of these will work. We are going to record our new album, with ore without a company in the back. The new songs are good enough to sell a lot of records on our website. Of our demo we sold more than 500 copies. We like the people who are into our stuff, but we would never change the music we do because of what people like or not.
Your style hasn´t changed radically from your fist album to the last one..why is this? Do you think you have developed into your own style instead of changed it? How much has influenced the lack of line-up changes to keep the same thrash metal style?
It's pretty easy: We do the music that we most like to play. Sometimes we are surprised that it sounds like Necronomicon. Maybe it's because the line-up never changed (apart of bass).
Suddenly much bands of today label you as a big influence, what’s your opinion of the cult status the band has gotten lately? Do you think that you have the chance now to be recognized as a great band? How much important would be that for you all anyway?
We enjoy it being handled as cult - but if you are close to your fans it prevents you from becoming an asshole. We were one of the first bands doing that sound in europe, in those days there were only a few thrashbands the people could listen to. All of the thrashers of the 'first hour' are kind of cult.
Whats your opinion of NECRONOMICON now and in the mid 80’s? Do you think you stood the test of time and still fit in the Metal scene, which is more dominated by Hibrid styles like Goth, Dark or Folk Metal?
There is a tendency in every style of todays music to split into more and more categories. Let's say 'It's only rock'n roll, but I like it'.
If we fit in the scene, we keep on. If not, we keep on. We do not see our music as a test of time in termes of the scene, it's a test of how long people can be friends, drinking beer together and having fun doing music twice a week
You always has been compared to Destruction(mostly by journalist), even when your music has much more Punk elements and own characteristcs. Is this situation some kind of stigmata for you? Anyway, do you think that your fans were more punks or metalheads?
Destruction are good friends of us, as we grew up in the same place. The roots of Destruction are more in hardrock and the old metalbands like Black Sabbath and Maiden, our root is the punkrock. We started as a punkband and listened to bands like Discharge, GBH and Crucifix. In that sense the background is totally different. But when we and Destruction recorded our first LP's we listened to the same kind of music which was Slayer, Metallica, Motorhead...
So that part of influence is the same in both bands and that is the part the journalists compared, they forgot to compare the other stilistics and characteristics. Most of these comparisons were good for a lough. But it's a stigmata for us that a good number of journalists prayed that we are from Swizerland, from Bavaria or from Austria... ;-) WE ARE NOT!!!
Most of our fans are metalheads, some coming from the punkrock or listen to punkrock.
Even when your image and music was very punkish, your lyrics and covers for the two first albums are quite fantastic, even more into Death or Black metal kind. Did this situation cause you any kind of problems with radical fans or something? What are the lyrics you are dealing with these days?
We never had problems with radical fans. Most of them know, that our lyrics pick up social and political problems in a fantastic story. The old covers deal with that storys. These days the lyrics are direct, but still concerning the lacks of humans.
Have you ever been contacted by someone who would be interested in releasing your demo-tape on cd? Anyway, would you like to release that recording since much of your fans have never heard it yet? Do you still have old songs which were never released and which some day we will hear?
Some of the songs on our demo soon will be released on some samplers and we also sell the demo-cd on our website. We have lots of old songs that we never recorded. Some of them we played live, just to check out if they go straight in the bones of the audience. If not, we never play them again. Sometimes we take parts of these songs if they fit in a new song.
Escalation
Do you have any good memories about your live gigs? What can you tell us about your set and live performing? I have a live tape from back 1986 I think, and you sound rough and raw! Which bands were your fave ones to play with live?
We really liked to play in Eastern-Europe after the fall of the 'Iron Curtain'. We had and still have more fans over there than in other countries. These thrashers are just crazy. We are just working on a new show with a little fire and some puppets. It's still very straight and the songs are much faster as they are on the records. We'd like to play with every band that is doing the same kind of music and having full arenas. You can reach more people with your sound and the crowd goes wild. And we like to play festivals where you meet lots of bands and metalheads. Festivals are more of a party.
Can we expect to see you on stage in any of the Metal festivals this year or next one? Anyway, would you accept the invitation if anyone ask you to play in, lets say Wacken?
The point is that they do not invite you to any of the major festivals if you don't have one of the 'well known' companies in the back. We would like to thrash at these festivals.
Do you have any idea when we will have a new NECRONOMICON album out? Can you give us some words about the stuff and it will contain? If no Label gives you a good deal, would you release it by yourself?
We are going to record our new album definitly this year, with or without a deal. We have a couple of brutal tracks to record. The thrashers will like it!
Ok, this is the end of the interview, any last words?
Thanx to all thrashers who belief in the scene.
Be sure NECRONOMICON will thrash 'till death.
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