For all of the time they’ve been around, Denmark’s Exmortem has been recieving promising feedback from fans and such, while still never breaking into being one of the more talked about bands of the underground death metal genre. However, things have been getting better for the band ever since they started, and as we can see by them signing to Osmose Productions, only good things are in store for these guys. Recently I discussed issues surrounding Exmortem and their new album,"Pestilence Empire," with guitarist Sigtyr. Here is what he had to say:

Allan 'Enigma'


First and foremost, "Pestilence Empire" managed to put a smile on my face (or an evil grin, whichever you prefer). Congratulations on the fine work you’ve done!

Thanks a lot we are very satisfied with this album! I think that we achieved exactly what we wanted with this album!

First off, could you give the readers a brief overview of Exmortem’s history and how you we got to where we are today?

Sure! The band was started in 1992, by some friends of mine, but I didn’t play guitar at the time so I wasn’t in the band back then. In 1993 they recorded the first demo called "Sould Of Purity" and the band was called Mordor. In 1994 they recorded the debut album "Labyrinths Of Horror" and it was released in mid 1995. A few months before the release I joined the band and we came up with the name Exmortem. After that we recorded a couple of demos/promos and in 1998 the second album "Dejected In Obscurity" was released. Shortly after we recorded "Dejected.." we decided that we could no longer work with our drummer at the time, so we got a new one and with him we recorded a promo and two songs from that tape ended on a split 7" in 1999. But again there was trouble in the line-up so the drummer and singer got out and we got Reno and Simon instead and with that line-up we recorded "Berzerker Legions", but at this point original guitarist Kolle had got pretty tired of the whole thing, which also meant that I made most of the music for "Berzerker.." and recorded all guitars on the album. So again there was trouble and at the same time Reno decided that he wanted to go to the US, so I pretty fast found Michael and Andreas (drums and Bass (first real bassplayer in the band..)) and with them, Simon and myself we have made "Pestilence Empire"…and no one have left yet [laughs]!

Are you happy with how "Pestilence Empire" has turned out in the end, and is there anything you would change about it now?

I’m really satisfied with it, I think that we have made our best album and that we have succeeded in developing our style compared to earlier releases and that must always be the main goal, to make something better and take it a step further. We went for a more organic and darker sound on this album, because we wanted to get away from the very clinical and triggered sound that so many use and that is surely something that we will continue with. I guess that I could find some things to change if I wanted, but this album is done and I don’t really care to bother thinking too much about things that could have been done different. I’m satisfied with the result as it is now and will start to think about that kind of stuff when we are ready to make some new material.

When comparing "Pestilence Empire" to Exmortem’s older material, what do you consider to be the traits that make your latest work superior to the others?

There are a lot of things I would say. The basic riffs, the song-writing (structure etc..), the vocals and of course the production. I also think that with tracks like ‘Pestifer’ and ‘Icecold Ugliness’ we have incorporated some new elements compared with older material and we will of course try to take stuff like that further on the next release. I also think that we play more like a band than ever before, even with all the line-up changes, so I really look forward to see where we can take this!

What is the concept behind the new album "Pestilence Empire"?

The title is very much related to my personal view on this world! All the lyrics deal with the way we see the world and the people that lives here. I can feel really disgusted when I see how people think and behave around the world, it sickening!! So I have written lyrics about those subjects. This is a very misanthropic and negative vibe throughout all the lyrics and we try to express that through the music and visual aspects as well.

The cover art for the new album is quite excellent! What’s the deal behind that?

Thanks man. It’s very much connected to the lyrical concept and I have tried to make it fit with the whole atmosphere on the album. In the booklet there are actually two "extra" covers and a lot of other stuff that is meant to help building up the right visual concept. It’s not just four pages with lyrics and a thanks list!!! I will work a lot more with this stuff in the future as well, also for other bands!

In what ways has Exmortem improved over the course of its career?

We have become more and more focused and motivated. We have become much better musicians and are working on a more professional level (in studio, live and so on…) You learn a lot from your mistakes and I guess we have made our part [laughs]!!

Is there any specific goal that you guys try to reach when writing an album? Do you guys just shoot to make some ripping death metal or is it beyond that?

I’m very focused on what I want when I start to make new material, especially on the last two albums, because I have taken care of most of the material for those. But we have started to talk a bit about the next one and I got some riffs and Andreas got some riffs as well, but we will have a pretty clear idea about what we want before we start to put anything together! But you know, there is also room enough for improvisation and sometimes it can also depend on the kind of riff you make, cause some stuff just have to be played fast and so on...

"Pestilence Empire" is your first record with Osmose Productions, correct? How have they been treating you guys so far?

Extremely well I think! We have had a very good cooperation so far and I think that we can do a lot for each other!! They have good promotion and are working on some tour stuff, so I think it’s great!

I know it’s kind of early to say, but what’s in store for the future of Exmortem?

First of all we want to get out there and play some live shows (a lot!!) It’s my highest hope that we will also get the chance to play the US, but I guess it’s pretty expensive so we will see! We are also working on some video stuff and hope to shot it in February or so!! Apart from all that I’m working my ass of to promote this album and I hope that we will soon start to make some new material as well!

How is the metal scene in Denmark? Are you guys one of the only bands leaving the death metal mark?

The scene here is weak as always, but it seems that the more easy listening part of the scene is getting stronger and there are a few bands lately that have signed to some bigger labels like Nuclear Blast. But I don’t listen to that kind of music, so it doesn’t change the scene in my eyes it’s still weak and there is only a handful of bands that have anything to offer in my eyes! We hope that we can inspire some youngsters to play some more extreme music than the usual death n’roll, nu-metal, melodic etc…we could need that here!

I tend to pick up traces of black metal when I listen to "Pestilence Empire" (albeit small amounts). Am I completely off base here or what? What influences do you and the rest of Exmortem put into the music?

I guess you could be right there, cause we all listen to black metal as well, but I don’t normally think about that when we make music. I guess that we have adopted some of the cold and raw atmosphere that some of those bands have.

That’s about all I have for you at this time. Again, you did an excellent job on "Pestilence Empire". Do you have any last comments you’d like to leave the metalbite.com readership with?

Thanks a lot for the interview and the support! I hope that the readers has gotten interested in the band and you are hereby invited to check out our website and the MP3’s that you can find there from the new album! We have some other projects going on at the moment and I’m working on some other stuff as well, so look out for news on this on our website too! Cheerz

Immolation. Just the name of the band is enough to send other death metal bands home. With quite a history of hard work and multiple albums under their belt, Immolation continues to move up the ladder of success. Recently they signed with Century Media Records, a step up according to guitarist Bob Vigna, Immolation's guitarist. Now they've got a new album, "Unholy Cult," and it is without a doubt Immolation's most praised piece of work yet. Read on.

Allan 'Enigma'


First off, I've just got to congratulate you and the rest of the guys in Immolation for "Unholy Cult". It is easily one of the best death metal releases of the year 2002. Excellent work! So, How has the response been to the new material from the magazines or the fans that you've been performing for whilst being on the road?

Thanks for the cool words of support Allan, we appreciate it. The reaction has been really good. This is probably the first record that we have done where we are actually getting an overwhelming high response from the magazines, not to mention the fans. They are always supportive, but they really like this one a lot! We did two tours recently, one in the US with Vader, Berzerker and Origin, and we just finished the Xams fests in Europe. The reaction to the new material at the shows was especially good. I think there were many who had not heard "Unholy Cult" yet, but you could tell they really dug it!

Does the new material come out well in the live setting?

Oh yes, it sure does. We are at our best live. The newer stuff probably goes over better and actually comes out better than a lot of our older stuff. The new songs are just so much more powerful it really comes across live.

What are your thoughts on "Unholy Cult" after you've finished it and had some time to let it sink in? The best work yet for you guys maybe?

Oh definitely our best yet. I think that's what people have been getting excited about. They know that each release we put out gets better and better. They are confident in us and look forward to our new material. We always try new things and bring something fresh in, and with "Unholy Cult" we did that better than ever before. When we heard it for the first time, we could hardly believe how good it came out. Paul Orofino is the man!

Since the inception of Immolation how would you say you guys have grown, or improved?

Well we have matured a lot as musicians and as people of course. The more we create new music the better we get at it. You learn a lot from album to album. You see what works best and how to improve on things. Ross and I really fine-tuned each song right before we went into the studio. We wanted everything to flow, and this helped a lot. We would lose all the unnecessary parts or measures and concentrated on making each song direct and to the point.

More specifically, how did Immolation try to perfect their craft for "Unholy Cult," and how do you think that it differs with its predecessor, "Close To A World Below"?

Well it's what I just mentioned as well as just being as creative as possible. We strive to make dark music, but we want it to be interesting and meaningful too. To us there are no limitations. As long as the feeling you are trying to get across are there that's what matters. "Unholy Cult" takes what we did on "Close To A World Below" to the next level. We made sure the production was clearer and more intense, we added more layers to the music and broadened the lyrics a lot too. The lyrics on "Unholy Cult" are less specific, yet they have a lot more to say. They are more personal and more open to interpretation. They deal with religion, but more about what we see in the world today and how we are as people.

What kind of influences play into shaping how Immolation sounds? Is it limited to music?

There are a lot, but I would have to say that a big factor in our being so unique is that we are very open-minded people. We listen to a large variety of music and this really helps us to be more creative in our own. We listen to everything form Bjork and Tori Amos to Jazz to early classic metal like Metallica and Iron Maiden and newer metal like Korn, Slipknot and System of A Down. I personally like to listen to new music. I can't just bury my head in death metal or old school bands. I love all the classics and I like death metal and black metal when done right, but there is a big world out there, and to hear what other things are going on is very inspiring. What we want to do with Immolation is really open up a new territory of metal - taking it to a completely new and indescribable level. There are plenty of other things that play a part in it too. Just life in general, the things we see around us, especially after 9/11. It is just proof of what extreme misuse of religion and leadership can cause.

Where do you think Immolation stands in the death metal genre? Certainly you guys are one of the leaders of the pack, but do you consider Immolation to have the upper hand, so to speak, in some aspects of the music?

Well we do what we do and we do it well. I think we are one of the few bands that are actually trying to make an effort here to move this genre forward, that’s for sure. We feel we have just skimmed the surface of our potential and are very excited about our next release to come.

Has anything changed this time around in terms of the lyrical concepts? Are there any specific ideas that stick out?

As I mentioned earlier, I would say we really have created some interesting lyrics here. They are very broad, but have much more to say than ever before. "Unholy Cult" definitely revolves around the current events of the world, like 'Of Martyrs and Men,' 'Sinful Nature' and 'Bring Them Down.' Even the title track 'Unholy Cult' can be taken in many different ways. We look at the cause and outcome of extreme religious ideas as well as the problem of power in the wrong hands. I hate to go into it too much. You just have to read the words yourself, and you will get your own ideas of the meaning. That's what we aim for. These words can relate to anything, depending on how each person takes the song.

What's the song writing process like for Immolation? Does one member tend to write most of the material, does everybody make an equal contribution, or what?

I come up with all the music and the initial song structures. Then I show what I'm trying to do to the rest of the guys and we get it down and see if it works. Sometimes we add parts, or make changes. On a rare occasion we scrap the whole song if it just doesn't work. That happened this last time. And in the end many of those parts made their way into the last track where they worked perfectly. The fact that we work on it all together helps to find the best material. Once the music is pretty solid Ross starts working on lyric ideas and song titles. I helped out with that as well, titles and lyric passages. And in some songs we would both have a number of paragraphs, and they would just fit together, like in 'Unholy Cult' and 'Bring Them Down.' We are coming from different angles and then everything fits together to make it complete. It's funny because we will have some things that are finished and as we rehearse them and Ross and I both realize certain parts are not working, and they are the same parts. So we really have close perception on how we want the songs to be, how we want them to feel.

What's most important for the guys in Immolation when you put the music together? Do riffs come before solos, do you care most about the atmosphere, whether or not the album is cohesive, etc., and other such things.

Once we are done with the actual song structure and riffs from beginning to end, and the lyrics are ready, then I work on the leads. And since by the time that happens we are usually in the studio recording, it can get a bit stressful! To me when writing I cannot even think about the leads until the whole song structure is done. I have to be happy with the song as a whole. This way I know Alex and Ross are good to go. We all have an understanding of the song. It's at that point that I start working on the leads. It's more important that the song is done and flows right, the leads I just write in the studio or on the spot when recording. Sometimes being more spontaneous is better for the solos. You tend to capture things you normally would not write.

Have you guys been happy with how Century Media has been treating you guys, as opposed to Metal Blade who you just left not to long ago?

Yes we are very happy with Century Media. They have really showed a lot of interest in the band as well as positive support, and Listenable Records in Europe is doing a great job as well. We are the labels top priority, which was needed. We are happy to be in this situation. We have our best album of our career here and it's good that there is a very positive support from those who are releasing it.

What's next for Immolation? Are there any goals you've set that you haven't reached yet?

We feel we have just begun. Our goals are to really bring some new sounds into this music and show those who are not familiar with it just how powerful dark metal can be. We are planning more touring for the next months to come, both in Europe and in the US. We hope to tackle a few places we have not been yet before too.

What albums of 2002 have you been the most pleased with?

"Unholy Cult" of course! Haha! What an asshole I am!

Well, thank you for your time. Again, "Unholy Cult" is one hell of an album and I congratulate you and the rest of the guys on it! Any final comments?

Thanks a lot Allan for the cool interview, we appreciate it! Thanks to all those who have stuck with us over the years and we hope those who have not will check out "Unholy Cult." It is a metal experience that you will enjoy!

Thanks and look out for Immolation in 2003!!!