Interview with Devast 2009

By Bradley Smith

Your new album Art of Extermination has been released.  Can you tell me a little bit about what it represents to you and what all went into its creation?

Well, the release "Art Of Extermination" has changed a lot of thought, especially the metalheads and new bands of Algeria.  It has also given some confidence, and working without a mental complex in the international DM scene, and for us too, give a new space in the underground brutal death metal scene even though we come from an exotic country known by only a few people!!

You have an upcoming European tour.  When and where will you be going?  How does it feel to be hitting Europe?  Have you ever been here on a personal trip and if so where?

We will play in 3 countries: FRANCE, ITALY and BELGIUM, in our debut FEB 2009.  The tour will begin in MARSEILLE(fr) the 12 Feb and the last show is in TOULOUSE. It’s a big event here in Algeria that one metal band will do euro tour, the ideal for us that’s it will be a cool tour with our brothers Savage Annihilation and we will paste a good time and do shows hehe.  Yeah, all Algerians have direct relation or familial members in France especially, but all members reside in Algeria!!

One of the things I noticed what that you are really proud of the cover art for Art of Extermination.  Who was the artist and what input did you give him when he was creating it?  When you look at the cover art, what does it represent to you?

The cover art Of Art of Extermination is one of our advantages, a great imagination and professionalism when you see the work.  It’s similar with the release Yin and Yang and to represent for me the feeling of the artist who is doing this famous work.  There must be an experience and a larger imagination which are expressed by an album of 24 minutes in one picture!

On a similar note what are some of your Favorite album covers of all time and what about each cover did you find special?

My best and favorite cover is Altars of Madness of MORBID ANGEL, waw!!  It’s now 20 years since its creation but it remains THE original and legendary art and I always give an admiration to the artist!!

In another interview you mentioned the North African scene.  What bands are in this scene and what role do you play in it?  I mean do you see yourselves as the forefront of this little known area for extreme metal?  What makes the North African scene different from other scenes?

The Algerian metal scene has existed since 92-93 with Neonderalia and Litham (litham.free.fr).  After that a lot of extreme metal bands exploded but are little known in the international scene, because those bands don’t give a care to media coverage, they only play shows ..etc.  Now we work like every time bands here did, but the only difference is that we make our music over Algeria, we use media like Internet, radios.. and expose our work and image to the international scene.

Since you live in a slightly different society from where most extreme metal is created these days I was wondering what the cultural response to extreme metal is in Algeria?  I mean do you guys get strange looks wherever you go?  Do you have to deal with any sorts of censorship that your peers don’t have to? 

All aspects of metal are marginalized in Algeria, this culture is totally or almost unknown within our society.  The simple fact of having a different look from other people engenders curiosity incomprehension.
Certainly things evolved a lot these last years but that remains insufficient to encourage and facilitate a good working atmosphere.

Lyrically where does Devast get inspiration?  What topics do you feel are proper for your style of music?  Are there any types of lyrics in extreme metal that you despise?

Well, Our inspiration is directly drawn from events lived all over the world.  It's enough to open eyes on what takes place quite in daytime to understand that the world in which we live is far from being a paradise.  Oppression, injustice and famine are the everyday life of the world.
In our album, we talk about massive extermination naturally but also that we quoted previously, the words can have several senses and often a sentence can hide another one, the subjects of our words can be interpreted by various manners but the idea remains the same.
Every artist expresses himself differently, we think that the choice of the words concern only the artist in question this is why we have to respect it since there are not hostile and unhealthy message as regard to other persons.
But it is clear that we have a preference for the subjects inspired by the everyday life.

I read today that with the crisis in Gaza, Algeria is going to send aid and medical teams to assist the Palestinians.  Do you think that is the right move by your government?  How do you view this whole situation or do politics even interest you at all?

Personally we think that it's not appropriate in certain measures to mix the art and the politics.
However if we have to express ourselves on the subject, we approve totally supports from our government to Palestine and we deeply encourage all other nations to participate in this help. The public opinion has to wake up and carry more attention to what takes place at this moment in Palestine.

With the explosion of music on the internet, do you find it is easy to network with other bands and labels?  What are some of your musical heroes that influenced your interest in extreme metal and have you been able to reach them via the internet?

Internet is simply an indispensable tool nowadays to promote a band, at least it is our opinion.  Algeria knows a strong gap in cultural infrastructures and even more when it's about exchanges with the other countries. Internet allowed us to make and share our music with the other end of the earth and even to meet cool guys like our friend from France "savage annihilation".  It's by means of the internet as well that we were able to be in touch with various labels.
Our musical influences are very varied, it's difficult to encircle them with exactitude but it is clear that name of bands as deeds of flesh, cannibal corpse always return, however to return about the internet, this tool effectively allowed us to be in touch with quite a lot of groups.  We take advantage of it to make a distro and to inform us of newly released albums.

Tell me something about Algeria that interests you that neither me nor my readers would know about.  I mean something from history or something that you see around you in modern life there that you find fascinating?

For a return to the subject of music, there's in Algeria a kind called châabi which is an essential component of our culture, masters of châabi immortalize the tradition for generations and we are proud of it.  Indeed on that is only one of numerous facets of our heritage, we think that it is wise not to go away from its roots and to know where from we come.

(Note: Born in the Casbah, the Chaabi simply means "popular" in Algerian. First appeared in the late 19th century, inspired by vocal traditions of Arab Andalusian music , also the home of Flamenco music.

A typical song features mournful, Arabic/berber vocals, set against an orchestral backdrop of a dozen musicians, with violins and mandolins swelling and falling to a piano melody and the clap of percussion beats.

While it shares many set themes with Flamenco - love, loss, exile, friendship and betrayal, Chaabi is part of a deeply conservative tradition and its lyrics often carrying a strong moral message.)

What are the near-term future plans for Devast?  Any more music or other tours that we should be aware of?

Well, for the moment, all our attention is concentrated on the European tour of February, 2009.  That is going to be an excellent moment.
We continue in parallel to promote Art of Extermination and also have begun the writing and the composition of our second album.

Thanks again and I will leave any final words for you.  Please unleash a Deluge of Hate up my readers.  Heh heh.

We thank you and your readers for the interest which you carry for Devast.  We advise you to be informed about the continuation because a deluge of hate is nothing by report of what remains to come.