Interview with SA Destroyer of Nocturnal Breed 2005
By Bradley Smith
It has been quite awhile since your last full length album. I know you have also had some line-up changes in the recent past. How did this affect the out put of music on your part and when can we expect a new full length?
Hell...it's been way too long...
- Well to take the line-up changes first, it's ofcause a transition the band have to get through , changing a lead guitarist.
But when it comes to affecting the bands music as far as a new album goes... It's affected the music only in the sense that we've got a lot of songs laying around. Some recorded and some not. And about half of these have been made with T.Thrawn in the band reflecting on the songs we've put together during the lazy 3-4 years.
And the other half made with our new brilliant axe-man, A.E Rattlehead pullin' his trix,,, Giving the band a musical horizon that is wider than ever.
So all for the better I say, ,, , there is just more people into the process of the music making...
- On the part of when we'll have a new album out. I must say I hope February - March '06 depending on a lot of factors.
We'll be finished mixing and mastering some new tracks soon, so hopefully we'll have it out within lets say,,, half a year...
You have participated in the Uberthrash 7” compilations and corresponding gigs with fellow scene stalwarts Aura Noir, Inferno and Audiopain. Who came up with that concept and what do you think of the whole Uberthrash idea? Is there a special bond between you four bands?
- I guess we came up with it together Sverre Dehlie from Audiopain, Einar from Duplicate and Inferno and I.
After a lot of talk back and forth about it while on the rampage in clubs and gigs and such, we found out it was about time we did some ass-kicking together, since we're all part of the very few Thrash bands in the area.
The bands were sick of the whole scene of "New wave" metal and a lot of the shitty attitudes out there. Wanting to bring the Thrashscene up from the grave and into your face again.
So we all pulled some strings and together with Duplicate records it all came about at last, and seeing from the reaction we got, the result of it came out pretty good...
Tell me about the remasters boxed set that came out recently. How did that project come to fruition? Why is there all that new cover art for each of the releases except Tools of the Trade?
-We've actually been working on that project since around 2000. The idea of it came as a result to us leaving Hammerheart Records, cuz the result they did for us got pretty lousy after a while, and the "No Retreat No Surrender" album stands as a testimony to that. The first press came out so horrible we really wanted to release that one properly for the fans.
And after we released "The Tools of the Trade" album, our deal with Holycaust Records went to Hell as well. Making sure the first pressing of that album was almost impossible to get your hands on until' recently.
At that moment when we cut the deal, we really wanted to get our stuff released properly and in the way it was supposed to be. So we took our plans and laid them out for Painkiller Records in Belgium. (Who had made a grate Lp version of the "Tools..." album.)
So we started on the layouts and stuff for a 5 Cd /Lp box set with all the albums and extra tracks we had laying around.
In the middle of that process we had a little problem with Painkiller which sat us about 2 years out of the time schedule. (In the meantime we recorded and released the four 7 " and toured. )
But finally we got back on track again with Painkiller, and all things sorted out, we have now a great contact with the label. And during the last half year Ben Hellion mostly, and I have laid down a monstrous work getting the whole thing back and rolling again, and with some million mails and phone calls we finally got the box set out in September.
The reason only " The Tools Of The Trade" album is left without a new cover is as I said earlier the fact that the album never got out to the public in a decent way, and in most places you can’t get it. And we think the cover is the best we ever had and deserves one more try...
While we are on the topic of the boxed set why did you choose not to include the Motormouth and Warthog 7”s in there? Will you release these on CD in the future maybe as a compilation or something?
- Hehe ... We'll then you have to check your box again man... all the tracks from the 7" have been included in the cd box set. We did this because the response for both the 7" have been awesome, and we thought the tracks should be shared with a wider audience since both the 7" have been sold out for quite a long time now. The "Motörmouth" tracks are featured on the "Tools..." album, while the "Warthog" track is on the "No Retreat..." album and The "Special Edition" of "Triumph Of The Blasphemer" is on the "Aggressor" Re-issue
Where did you come across Painkiller records and will they release your new album? By the way, when will you be recording a new album? Can we expect one in the near future?
Well as I mentioned earlier we're working on quite a few new songs. And we'll be using 3 different studios in the process.
So there’s no special date for the completion of the album. But as I said, we hope to have it out by February - March next year...
Painkiller we came over when they did a Lp version of "The Tools Of The Trade" album. And It came out so good we decided to work with them...
There is a strong Neo-thrash movement coming out of Norway lately. I feel you guys have more rock and roll in your music than say….Audiopain or Aura Noir. How do you see your place in that scene and what makes you stand out from the rest of your peers?
I guess all of us have our own path down that road. But I think Breed strays from the others in the way we are more influenced from all over the spectrum of music. Our thrash is more a mixture of thrash the US way and the European, as well as we bring in a lot of our rock'n roll inspirations like W.A.S.P., Mötley Crüe or Motörhead and stuff like that. When you got that mixed in with a good share of nostalgia for the old death metal cult like Obituary, Morbid Angel and their likes. The result is a good mix of all sorts of styles, which we blend into our music... and of cause there is a certain kind of aggression running through the band as well, making us running like a Nuclear Dynamo when we get our wheels moving.
Also you have been using a sort of rock and roll cowboy image these days. Where did you come up with this and what inspired it?
-Too much Whiskey and a ton of bricks hehe...
Nocturno Culto played bass with you at the Uberthrash 2 Gig last year. How did you work that out and what was it like having him up there playing live?
-Well since he’s an old friend of mine I called him up, and we had a talk about the concept of the show and the bands involved and such, and being a big Thrash fan he immediately joined in on it.
So we had a rehearsal with Nocturno' and Breed the day before the gig, and went out there ripping "Evil Dead" and "Sodomy And Lust" the day after. It was great doing these tracks with him personally since we shared a stage while we were playing in Satyricon 10 years ago,,, and he’s still one of the most inspiring persons I know to hammer some tracks with .
I have noticed that you have strippers on stage performing with you. Who came up with that idea? I bet the crowd reacts wildly to that spectacle. Does it achieve the desired affect and why did you decide to incorporate into your performances?
We did it mostly because we love beautiful women. And having one rubbing her ass on you while you play is pretty nice hehe
I don't remember who, why and where we came up with it, but it must have been while drunk'n rambling about.
Anyhow,,, It turned out great on stage... and from the looks on peoples faces there’s more than us ,who like a good ass to look at...
Does it achieve the desired effect, ??? We'll I guess so, judging on the drooling Thrashiacks in front of the stage. I would say so.
Since I mentioned the strippers I must say on your website the tool bar is quite possibly the most interesting I have seen Why don’t you have those pictures full sized somewhere out there? I am certain you would get a lot more hits. Heh heh.
- Hehe, true, I will mention it to the web-master hehe... And as you say, the tool bar is killer is'nit...
Right now in the US there is a raging debate of evolution versus “intelligent design”. I just can’t fathom the stupidity and gullibility of some people when it comes to believing these sorts of archaic Fairytales. What is your stance on religion and evolution?
Primus Inter Pares... "first among equals" .
I've got more than enough to put my mind into than to join a debate about this shit.
I truly believe there's some wicked shit going on around us which we can't even start to try to recognise. But science is pretty clear on the evolution side. So I more ore less spend my days taking care of my self and keeping my own thoughts of the big questions in life to my self...
Are there any last bits of decadence and defiance that you want to unleash upon your fans?
Yeah... Check out the new box-set which also is released on separate Re-mastered Cd's and take a look at the new web site NOCTURNALBREED.NO
And keep your eyes open for a new Breed release soon...
Metal To The Bone
D.