IMMOLATION – Prepare for the majestic decay!

Skrivet av Fredrik Andersson

2010-02-18 20:49

For over twenty years now, IMMOLATION have delivered nothing but sheer unique death metal. The recipe behind it all? Pure passion and dedication, says guitar player Robert Vigna, one of the co-founders of the band.

Just about to uncover their eighth massive work “Majesty and Decay” in beginning of March, CRITICAL MASS was able to get in touch with the New York-quartet who's at the time are in the middle of touring around the US. Rob starts off giving a short update from the road.
- The tour here has been going great! All the shows have had great crowds and it’s one of the best tours we’ve done in a while. We’ve known the NILE guys for years and have already done a few tours with KRISIUN, so it’s been a fun one. Ourselves and KRISIUN are also sharing a bus here and its been a blast. DREAMING DEAD is a really good band too and are totally cool people. So, so far so good!

Your new effort ”Majesty and Decay” is about to hit the stores. How does it differ from the other albums in your opinion?
– I think ”Majesty and Decay” is probably our most streamlined record but one of our most dark and intense too. It is a very bleak and cold album in feel. Although it is a straightforward record there is still a ton of diversity on it. Each song is like a mini-epic, with both fast and heavy parts. Each song just has a lot of dynamics. Also in the writing process, this is the first time we had any kind of pre-production. I wrote all the songs in the computer complete with drums and multiple guitar tracks, solos and all that. So this time we were really able to hear what the songs sounded like before we recorded them, and at the same time able to make any necessary changes. It was a great process, making things much easier as well as more productive and creative. I think this played a big part in how strong the songs came out.

Once again you’ve worked with Paul Orofino at Millbrook Studios. It certainly seems he’s become your ”fifth” member since you started working with him during ”Failures For Gods” (1999).
– Yes, we have known Paul for years now, and he really is part of the family. We love tracking at Millbrook, it is always an easy going experience and a lot of fun too. We did however want to try something different this time, so we had Zack Ohren mix and master the record. We felt we needed the sound to have a more modern production, more powerful and Zack really did an amazing job. We ended up getting the best of both worlds, Paul’s old school experience and knowledge in getting great sounds and Zack’s modern approach to the mix. Together making the best sounding record of our career!

How did Paul approach you guys the first time? I mean, he’s not really the sort of ”metal” producer you think of right away, all though he’s been working with others like TWISTED SISTERS, CRADLE OF FILTH and ANTHRAX. And far as I know you’re the only death metal band he’s been working with.
– Well, we approached him, ha ha! A friend of ours who ran a local rehearsal studio tuned us on to Paul. We drove upstate to Paul’s studio one day and met with him first, as Paul did not know what to expect, being that we played death metal. He is not really familiar with it, so I think he wanted to see how we were as people first. So once we broke the ice with Paul....it’s now six albums later! But yeah, he was definitely more into the old school. ANTHRAX used to rehearse in his studio in Queens back in the day. CRADLE OF FILTH actually went and worked at Millbrook way after we had went there as Rob (Caggiano) from ANTHRAX did some vocal work with Dani (Filth) there on one of the records he was producing. So now Paul seems to have a bit of the heavy stuff coming his way now, and I’m sure he hates us for it, ha ha ha!

And what about this bar ”Barfungul”, from where there’s a pleasant photo of you boys with Mr. Orofino, sipping some freshly tapped mead. Is this place just around the corner connected to the recording studio?
– Oh, Barfungul is in the studio! Literally! There is the band house where we stay and then there is a sliding glass door that opens to the studio, but the first thing in the studio is the bar! Once you pass the bar you can make a left into Studio A or up the ramp into the control room. So yes, the bar is in the studio, not around the corner! And the beer he has on tap is phenomenal - Belgians best!

Back to the band. When you released ”Shadows in the Light” in 2007 the EP ”Hope and Horror” came out around the same time. The cd-version included a DVD, but what’s the story behind those songs and release itself? Weren’t they qualified for ”Shadows in the light”, or…?
– Listenable wanted to do an EP, which we thought was a great idea. However, we didn’t expect it to come out at the same time. We really wanted to wait a few months, but that’s just the way it happened. Everything was recorded in the same session though and the songs on that are really great though. We’ve been playing ”Den of Thieves” each night on this tour and it always goes over great. ”The Condemned” has gotten the most hits on our myspace and ”The struggle of hope and horror” is our very first instrumental. So we are happy with the release. The DVD included is also well done and really captures the live feel of the band!

Though you’ve had some minor line-up changes since the start in 1986, what’s the secret behind sticking around through all these years? You guys are certainly pioneers within death metal.
– The main thing is that we are into it 100%. There have been some rocky times, but through it all we never lost the passion and love of the music. We are very fortunate to have such a strong line-up, as we are all very dedicated and are all striving for the same thing. Everyone really has to be on the same page for the most part to really keep it all going.

IMMOLATION is by the way mentioned in Daniel Ekeroth's book “Swedish Death Metal” when the band paid Sweden a visit back in 1989. Where you were introduced to the weird world of the infamous gang “Bajsligan” (Shit league). Share to comment?
– Well, back in ’89 we decided to go to Europe and just check it out, hang out with some of the bands we had been in touch with. So we made a trip, went to London, France and Sweden. We met up with Barney (Greenway) and Mick (Harris) from NAPALM DEATH, met and stayed with Laurent Merle (Listenable records) for the first time, and then head off to Sweden to meet up with the NIHILIST guys. It was a great trip and we had some classic moments for sure! And yes, Ross (Dolan, bass/vocals) was part of the “Bajsligan” gang for a night. Back in those days, in the U.S., we would listen to metal and drink beers in the woods. Apparently in Sweden that ritual was performed in the underground trains!

What do you think of the book then, if you’ve read it?
– I haven’t read it, but I heard about it. I think Ross may have checked it out. I will put that on my list of books to read!

Time to round up. I’m very glad that I got the chance to see you live in Copenhagen almost two years ago. Before that I hadn’t seen you live since 1991 when you toured with MASSACRE and shared stage with AT THE GATES in Gothenburg. So, when will we hear anything concrete regarding Scandinavian dates again?
– We are just about to finish up this US tour now and then we will do some scattered festival dates throughout Europe in the spring and summer. We plan to start the entire full touring after the summer, so hopefully we will be over to Scandinavia before the end of the year!