Ever since I heard 2023's single "Relentless Chaotic", I knew that anything this Indonesian duo put out I would want to hear. That was only further confirmed by the band's full-length "Reek of Putrefaction on Excruciating Lust". Vertiginous continue to churn out faced paced brutal death metal complimented impeccably by Jossi Bima's nasty guttural vocals. The new album is entitled "Incessant Affliction" and is out now on Comatose Music! Read a small update/interview below and then go order the cd!
Hello! Hope you are well! Who are you and what do you do in Vertiginous?
Hello, I am Jossi Bima, vocalist of Vertiginous.
Who else is in the band?
Hendika is responsible for all instruments and song composition.
What is the whole story of Vertiginous so far?
To date, Vertiginous has continued to strive to deliver the best possible presentation of every release to the public, with the hope that our music can be embraced by listeners around the world.
"Reek of Putrefaction" was amazing!! How is Incessant Affliction different from that album?
Thank you for your appreciation. The most notable difference is likely in the album’s theme. However, in terms of musicianship, we always strive to bring something fresh and incorporate catchy elements into each piece of material.
So are you and Hendika long time friends? and how old are you guys?
Yes, we have been friends for quite a long time. We eventually decided to form Vertiginous and several other projects outside of our main bands, to explore ideas and compositions that may not be suitable for our respective primary bands. I am 31 years old ( Jossi Bima ) and Hendika is 31 years old.
How did the deal with Comatose happen and how is it going?
We are truly honored to be working with Comatose Music for the release of this album. Boss Steve has been an exceptionally kind and supportive individual throughout this project. Thank you very much, Boss Steve.
What bands are you most inspired by?
In terms of musical references, we share similarities with several bands worldwide. Our sound contains elements of Disgorge, Deeds Of Flesh, Indecent Excision, and other brutal death metal bands.
Who did the artwork for the new album?
The artwork for this album was created by Mas Timbul Cahyono of Bvll Metal Art. He is already well-known within the global underground art scene, and his work is consistently outstanding and brutal.
Will the United States ever get to see you guys play?
Maybe yes, maybe no haha. if we are given the opportunity to perform there, we would not decline the offer, provided that the terms and agreements are acceptable.
Anything else you’d like to say to the fans??
To all bands around the world: thank you for persevering and for consistently releasing your best work.
To metalheads worldwide: please continue to support the bands you love by purchasing their physical releases and merchandise.
To all record labels worldwide: thank you for providing a platform for bands that remain active in creating music, and thank you for releasing and distributing their work.
To all zines and promotional media worldwide: thank you for conducting interviews and serving as a promotional platform for bands that are promoting their work, so that it can be read, heard, and allow people to gain a deeper understanding of the band’s work.
What’s up Ant!!! Just ate a hot pocket on my lunch break I’m phenomenal, I apologize for any bad grammar or spelling I’m lowkey stupid
Please state your name and few things about yourself that might surprise us!
I’m Beckett fountain I’m currently 20 years old I woke up with an erection this morning! Fun fact I ate 4 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in one day when I was about 7 or 8
What bands are you in and what do you do in them?
Okay time to be serious, I do vocals in 3 bands, divulsive, coagulated and hydrocephalic excavation. I play drums in 2 others intestinal sodomy and a goregrind band called scxmfxck that is soon to be renamed, and possibly a revival of an old heavy hitting band. I do not wish to spoil the surprise if it dose end up happening
I was lucky enough to ask Intestinal Sodomy a few questions a couple of years ago. Then more recently Divulsive. Now here we are with both groups about to release new material. Will there also be a Coagulated full-length to look forward to?
So currently we are sitting on the intestinal album and divulsive album the divulsive album drops this Friday. The coagulated full length is in its very early stages of the writing process. It’s been a pretty slow process due to everyone starting there adult lives, me Issac, Cameron and Townsend all work so it’s going I little slow but I promise the full length won’t disappoint!!!
Can you talk a little about the differences in the projects and the pros and cons of having so much cooking at one time?
So right now it’s honestly not too much on my plate now that we have 2 albums done but there definitely was a point in time where I was extremely overwhelmed with all the projects. Pros I would say it really helps getting your name out there I honestly don’t really care about stuff like that cause at the end of the day I’m a normal ass dude that’s going to clock in to work in the morning, it definitely really pushes your creativity making you form different styles for each project and I think that’s a huge pro, vocals are pretty easy to me and not very time consuming so it helps balance all the projects . Cons I would say the biggest one is no matter how hard you try your going to neglect a band or 2 I consider all my bandmates brothers but it’s impossible to work a full time job and balance all those bands that being said I still try my very hardest to keep up with everyone and stay up to date with everything but I wouldn’t trade it for anything I’d do anything for those guys we were all friends before we were bandmates
What else, other than heavy music, inspires you as an artist?
That’s a good question! For vocals Houston and Memphis rap really inspire me such as dj screw, lil keke, beltway 8, botany boys, Tommy wright and shawty pimp when I go play shows and I’m doing vocals that night it really gets me into the mood for drums I really enjoy some Japanese artists such as casiopea and masayoshi takanaka.
Can you remember a crazy story from a recent live gig that you could share?
Dude not going to lie there’s always some shit when we play shows but the craziest thing was back when I lived in Houston intestinal played a show and these guys came to the show in shiestys and they didn’t seem like they were there for the music. Houston is an extremely hardcore oriented city so even at death metal shows it’s not uncommon to see someone doing karate in the pit. Some kid maybe 15-16 kicked one of the guys in a shiesty in the face and they weren’t happy after the band was done playing they were talking shit back and forth outside and the kid ended up getting a gun pulled on him after they pulled the gun on him they just started jumping him and then when his girlfriend tried to intervene his girlfriend got jumped aswell. Very bad night I got many other crazy story’s I will forever love Houston but fuck that shit
Who are some vocalists that you really look up to?
I definitely have a big 4 for vocalist and that’s Ruben rosas of Devourment, angel ochoa from cephalotripsy, Justin boehm from orchidectomy and rob webber from enmity. Crazy thing is I feel like I don’t sound like any of them except angel lol
Drummers?
I’ll try and keep this short lol my all time favorite drummer has to be Jon engman of brodequin, foetospy, liturgy and many more sick projects no questions asked he’s my absolute favorite drummer I’m extremely grateful to consider Jon a friend I talk to him pretty frequently on Facebook extremely humble and down to earth guy he’s always sharing story’s about brodequin, foe and liturgy I also look up to many other drummers such as the homie Nate Gonzales, Townsend Humphrey, alfie vienneau of orchidectomy is a big one, Lille gruber, Brennan from fake dust, max McMullen, Giovanni from corporal raid is sick too. Man I know I’m leaving out so many more sick drummers I could name sick drummers for days man
When I was at NSE fest, Ryan was so pumped to have Coagulated playing and was telling me how awesome you were and warned me to watch for big things from you.
Really made me tune-in to that coagulated set and then check out all of your projects even deeper than I already had!
Shout out to Ryan Baker and New Standard Elite! Can you talk a little bit about that relationship, how you first started working with NSE, and then also how it's been having Divulsive sign to Comatose?
It’s kind of a funny story how intestinal got on NSE back when we did our first 2024 demo we sent it to ryan, that demo was decent but it was when I first started really trying to blast, we sent it to ryan and he hated it lol then later on we wrote erotic and we sent it to him and he loved it,
as time goes on I’ve gotten closer with ryan he’s a very respectable dude who really takes care of our bands intestinal would definitely not be where it is today without ryan or Sam. Working with Steve green from comatose has been great aswell I have zero complaints about both labels!!!
Bro, the Divulsive album is so so good, and your vocals are unique and inspiring! Can you tell us more about your journey doing vocals? Is it something you practice?
Honestly I don’t really practice vocals too much I do them here and there walking around the crib but typically I only practice before shows, I’ve been doing vocals almost as long as I’ve been playing drums it started with osdm vocals and grind highs then one day it just clicked I could do inhale gutturals then and little after I learned exhales and now that’s all I do for all the bands. Thank you man I’m extremely stoked on the divulsive album!!
Also how did you get into hip hop?
It was kind of a long journey getting into niche rap when I was super young my stepbrother would play rap while playing video games so I found some songs from that. My ex had shown me dj screw and I kinda went on my own journey finding a bunch of Houston artists I used to go to car meets In Houston and Houston rap is played pretty often at those meets. All the Memphis shit came from Emrys from necrotic and virologist he kinda put the whole crew onto Memphis shit like blackout and Tommy wright III and a super underrated artist called lil yo who actually is yo gotti when he was a kid.
Do you have any goals for yourself or for any of the bands?
My life goals right now is to just continuing to persue a career in automotive I decided to goof off in high school so I’m stuck doing this lol, for all the bands I just want to keep trying to push the boundaries and produce a sound people haven’t heard. We try and just make music we would want to hear. My biggest goal is for us to stay in our own lane and do our own thing too many guys are caught up worrying about the next band and too worried about being better than someone else
What is something about you that no one would guess?
I really enjoy nature and long drives
What would be your last meal?
Seafood boil all the way or any Cajun food dude that’s the best shit ever my dads side of the family is from Louisiana and my favorite thing about visiting them was the food they’d make and the hospitality. Huge shoutout to mikes seafood off hwy 6 and bissonet
What are 3 movies that you love?
Who killed captain Alex(terrible Nigerian movie but it’s so fucking good). Star Wars attack of the clones. The good the bad and the ugly. If anyone reading this is actually going to watch one of these movies please watch who killed captain Alex
Who are 3 bands or musical artists you are into that would surprise us?
I mentioned them earlier but Casiopea is fucking great. Flats and Scruggs is amazing bluegrass. Marty Robbin’s is amazing aswell.
What sort of automotive work do you do? Do you have a dream car?
I’m currently at a Toyota dealership working on gas cars I’ve been thinking about getting into diesel work. My dream car is really anything Datsun made from the 60s to 70s
What celebrity do you have a crush on?
Fleece Johnson 😂
Do you use drugs and/or alcohol?
Unfortunately I have a terrible addiction to gas station boner pills I don’t even take them for sex I just take them and go run hard as fuck dawg, on a real note I’ve been clean for 6 years off all the hard shit
Do you have any pets?
I dont have any pets of my own at the moment but growing up I’ve had a lot of pit bulls very sweet dogs
I dont play drums. Never have. but I know rhythm and beats. Fire beats.
If I dedicated myself, how long would I need to practice to be a proficient drummer, but for bdm, complete with wrist-killing blasts?
I think if you seriously gave it your all you could be blasting in 2 years. My good friend Sam little is a prime example of it I wanna say Sam’s been playing for 2 and a half years and now he plays submerged shit, Sam’s a great drummer. I’ve been playing for about 4 and a half years, if you want to get into blasting then learn the flying fingers technique and never neglect one of your hands that’s one of my biggest regrets. My left hand can play 285 bpms max when my right hand can play 320+
Also, if I had the songs written, would you be my drummer for a country western project?
haha bro hell yeah I’d be down
Did you do any sports in school?
I actually used to play football from 10-13 I lost interest cause they Texans suck, last season I played football every Sunday we’d get our asses handed to then I’d go home and watch the Texans game and the same would happen to them Lmaooo
Explain what a date with Beckett would be like. Where would you take me? What would you say? Would we kiss? more?
the perfect date for me would involve us smoking meth and stealing catalytic converters
What is your favorite color?
it was yellow when I was a kid but I think I just said that to be different I grew up and realized yellow fucking sucks fuck that color yo!
What kind of gifts would you want for your birthday?
firearms. I want to obtain a grenade launcher with a switch on it for home defense
What is 1 smell you hate and 1 smell you love?
The smell of Cajun food is the best. I hate the smell of the bathroom after my coworker blows that shit up, like bro it’s so bad these dudes diets are terrible
What would you do with a day off?
Since we finished the intestinal album I don’t do much on my off days but relax around the house and watch dumb shows and play drums here and there
What is next, musically?
I definitely have a lot of plans musically right now I’m taking a small break because I spent the last year writing the intestinal album with the guys. Next on the list is learning some songs for an old band that I might be joining soon and also writing new content for that project there really no rush on things for that. We’re going for a full length for the next coagulated release hopefully by around December July we’ll have that done and recorded we’ve been talking about possibly doing a split for intestinal, we’ve talked about doing that for awhile I just would like to get some really brutal bands together for that. I believe a split is next for divulsive aswell. Me and one of my best friends from Texas are going to revive our old goregrind band and rename it. Hydrocephalic is kind of a joke band to us we just kinda do it when we’re in the mood to do it so I have no clue what’s next for that
Thanks for gettin weird with me! Last words? See you in November bro!
Just wanna give you a huge shoutout man, you’ve shown nothing but amazing support with all my projects your the fucking man! It was a pleasure getting to answer all these questions, catch you in November bro!!
Divulsive is still a young band, and only has 4 songs in recorded existence, but their promo from last year was still in my top 3 releases. It is relentless blasty gurgly goodness. Please read the interview and support this band!
Yo! Thanks for being willing to answer some questions! We have been jamming your 3-track promo pretty much every single day for the past 6 months or so. It is one of the best of 2025!!
Who are we talking to? Who is all in Divulsive and what do they do?
Hey whats up l'm Nate I play drums.
We have Beckett on Vocals, Manny and Thomas on Guitar, Gabe on Bass and me on drums.
Are you guys signed to Comatose? How did that come about?
Yeah we are signed to Comatose and are super grateful for Steve helping us out being super supportive.
What is the story of how the band started?
We started as a online band mostly just an idea nothing serious especially since I had been a year hiatus from music. Isaiah and I had talked about making some music in the past but we never did anything until Isaiah flew out from Texas to meet up with Manny and I to hangout then wrote those 2 songs in a weekend. Jams fueled by colombian bam, spawn, tony hawks underground and halo. Since then we weren't sure what we would do with the band due to the fact we all lived far and life happens. Thats when Gabe, Beckett and Thomas joined the band we wrote the promo and are now working on finishing up the album.
How would you describe Divulsive's sound?
As far as Divulsives sound goes im not sure how to describe it, we just take inspiration from everything we like. The direction we've been going for is mostly colombian bdm, but everyone has there approach to it so its whatever we feel at the moment of writing as long as its fun to play.
Who are some of your influences?
Some of our influences are Internal Suffering, Blaze Inside, Infertile Surrogacy, Carnal, Amputated Genitals and Digested Flesh. There's a ton more but those are few just too many to list haha.
Who did the artwork for the promo?
The artwork is a mash up of video game art blended to look as one we did on photoshop.
Is a full-length on the way?!? Please tell us everything you can!
The full length is on the way and we've been working on it when we can just these holidays slowed everything down. The songs we wrote on the album have more of the sound we've been going for and are excited to drop it just needs polishing. Not just that but we have a split coming at the end of year too with some homie bands so be on the look out for that.
Can you name some movies/books/art, anything NOT music, that you guys take influence from?
A few movies would be like Predator, Terminator, Alien, The Thing.. just some of the classics even shows like Spawn and Transformers (G1) we really are into Bio-Mechanical Cybernetic Organism type of things, Things that are not of this world that can reap chaos. When we all get together to jam we play a ton of video games like Doom2, 3 and Quake 2. There's definitely a lot that influences us but these are a few memorable mentions.
If you could tour with 3 other bands, active or not, who would they be?
Man I think we'd tour with Goretrade, Internal Suffering and Infertile Surrogacy. Thats a tough one but definitely would love to tour with our good friends bands because its all about making fun memories with your friends doing what you love.
How did you decide on the name Divulsive?
We saw there's no other band named Divulsive so we decided to go with that since it's something that fits the sound but was inspired by the band Divulsive Impalement. It means to pull apart by force.
Sweet!! thanks for doing this, I cannot wait for that split and the album!!!! Any last words?
Thank you for having us and taking your time to interview us! We hope to bring the brutal jams to you all this year and maybe catch y'all at some of our upcoming shows! Stay Brutal m/
Here is a breif chat with Eston, vocalist of BDM act Vulnificus. The band's newest single will grow on you, like the bacteria known as vulnificus, and it will soon take over. This is some quality brutal death metal that has original riffs and ideas and we can't wait for the full length!
CEREBRALREVIEWMENT- Who are we talking with? How are you doing?
ESTON - I'm doing well. You are talking with Eston Browne, vocals/founding member of VULNIFICUS
Who are the members of Vulnificus
VULNIFICUS is:
E. Browne (Vocals)
J. Parker (Guitars)
E. Daniele (Guitars)
M. Jones (Bass)
J. McLean (Drums)
How long has the band existed? Can you tell the origin story?
VULNIFICUS has been in existence since October 2021. Halloween to be exact. The band originally started as a two piece and progressively morphed into the band that we are today. After the release of "INVOCATION", we had a member change and I recruited the members that are in the band currently
How would you describe the music you guys are making?
I would describe our music as old school brutal death metal. Brutal death that's a mix of the old Unique Leader era sound mixed with a new modern twist but I'm sure listeners to our new sound might have their own interpretation. We've gotten comparisons to Suffocation and Deprecated to Deeds of Flesh. I'm very honored to be in the same sentence with those bands I love and look up to.
So this October we will see the release of your first full-length, "Inclination". The first single is very promising, with creative songwriting and a guitar solo that dances over the opening riffs in a unique way. Is this a good representation of the album as a whole? Is the "modern twist" you speak of present throughout with more creative and layered songwriting?
I would say that it's a great representation. I don't want to give away too much but there's a lot of emotions involved in the riffs and vocals and in the twists and turns it provides the listener. I'd say the lyrical motivations and production is where the modern twist comes into play, but the listener will have their own perspective as to how that is for them. I don't think the album as a whole is a one size fits all. Even though it's old school brutal death metal, we've seen a lot of different comparisons to a variety of bands and people saying that it doesn't sound like anything else at all. It's all in the eye of the beholder.
What was the writing process like for the album?
It was a very exciting and smooth process seeing the ideas come to life. I'm excited to work on more material! I had several ideas for riffs and tracks based on my lyrics and everything came together very nicely. Jamison wrote about 5 tracks and Evan wrote 4 and I included my own ideas as needed within each song. I didn't impose much at all. I just set the framework based on how VULNIFICUS wrote songs in the past and let the guys do their own thing freely.
Where was it recorded?
"INCLINATION" was recorded at Backroom Studios in Rockaway, New Jersey by Scot Moriarty. Drums were tracked there by Evan, and the instruments and vocals were all done at our own home studios individually. Scot, the engineer, then mixed and mastered the rest.
The artwork is looking awesome, who is the artist?
Ricky Pile - Pileworm Guttural Art. He's done all the artwork for our releases thus far, besides our INEXPLICABLE compilation.
When did you start working with Comatose and how did that come about?
Things weren't going the way we wanted to with our previous label and we weren't really seeing eye to eye. I've always been an observer and supporter of Comatose over the years and they've put out some of my favorite releases like Imperial Execration, Dysentery, Dehumanized, etc. I just think it was a natural fit for us and once the album was finished I sent it over, it was received very well by Comatose and that's how the relationship came to be. I'm very satisfied thus far seeing my vision coming to life with the help of Comatose. It feels like all of the hard work and sacrifice that we put in to make this album is going in our favor. I can see this partnership being a great opportunity and long term success for us both.
What were some awesome things about recording Inclination? What were some difficulties?
How quickly the songs were put together and executed was one of the awesome things about recording INCLINATION. It feels great to be in a band where everyone shares the same mindset. These songs were written at the beginning of our new lineup being put together back in late 2022-early 2023 and it was very fun, very smooth and no egos were present. The real difficulty was the distance, since we don't live in the same state everything had to be very accurate and precise. One of the songs weren't exactly accurate so it had to be reworked and tweaked a bit.
Are there plans for some live shows to support the album?
I'd love for us to put some live shows together and possibly tour for this album, especially after the reception we had at Arkansas Deathfest. We have a show lined up for the end of August with Cordyceps, Prophecy of Suffering (Jamison's other band) and Epileptic Avulsions in Colorado. It will be our 11th show. We all have busy schedules and lives to live but I hope we could play a few fests or a few tours per year to stay active. With the rising costs of living and everything surrounding life it just makes it very difficult to execute a successful tour if it isn't with an established underground act.
Who are some of you favorite vocalists?
Ross Dolan (Immolation), Danny Nelson (Malignancy), Joe Ptacek (Broken Hope), Corpsegrinder (Cannibal Corpse), Jacoby/Erik (Deeds), Frank Mullen (Suffocation). Just to name a few. If you listen closely you'll find those influences in my vocals, for sure.
Well we are loving the single and following the rollout of this album closely! October 10th is on our calendar and it can’t come soon enough!!!! Thanks for taking the time and answering questions!!!! Any last words to the readers and your fans?
Thank you so much for having me and I truly appreciate the kind words and support. I hope our album will be one that will remain in the minds of brutal death metal fans for many years to come. Please stay tuned for more news regarding our upcoming record. If you want to buy merchandise from us you can visit our website or visit Comatose Music to purchase the new music.
The Philippines are now known for being home to some of the best and most talented brutal death bands out there. This album was perhaps the first I heard to come from there and it blew any expectations I had out of the water.
The way the guitars and drums work with each other is perfect! This is filled with a lot of catchy riffing, only to slow down to smart, calculated slams, letting the drums shine through in the mix.
One of my favorite songs has to be ‘Propagation of Divine Apostasy’. It has everything on display that makes this album amazing. Actually, you could pick any song of this record and your jaw should drop. If you don’t play an instrument and are strictly into guttural vocals, then this is also for you!
The songwriting here really imprersses me each time I re-visit this album.
"Propagation Of Divine Apostasy" -
Proclaiming your insanity to carry out humanity fall to ruin this unblessed spreading salvation abolished by the epedemic of conformity ingesting they holy words from teachings based upon lies endless torture manipulate above ignorance it brings mass destruction obscurity people are already trapped in this deception embraced by misery doomed to a life in dark hatred abomination for all. Intense loating greatly discharged and abhorred church ceased to exist abandoned, crumble as religions will fall rapidly into total devastation and will never have a chance to re-establish again Compelled to carry the doctrines of total apostasy humanity, condemned to the reality. Churches will be destroyed and all its doctrines will vanish abandonment of the principles from they false doctrines breaking through the traditional teachings conditional promises made to humanity by God, as revealed Scripture violently gorging as the followers suffer.
Vocalist Tristan Dela Cruz does an amazing job here and I am sure he has only improved and I cannot wait for more Down From the Wound!
This was the debut full-length from the band, then a couple demos, then another full-length effort in 2014.
I can only hope and pray that Down Ftrom The Wound are still active and will surprise us with new music soon!
You buy a disgusting, graphic, beautifully detailed and gory t-shirt from your favorite brutal death metal band. You proudly wear the shirt to school/church and you are surprised at the lack of questions you get about it. People are too thrown off or possibly offended to look past what they perceive as gross and offensive. The art itself is under appreciated. This is brutal death metal. The art that goes along with it is beautiful and full of passion and hard work. This is the first interview in a series of artist interviews with the purpose to further expose these artists and show what they do. Please share!
Arvin Palma is a 22 year old Filipino who creates art under the name Tortured Palm Art.
"I do Artworks. T-shirt designs, Logo, Cover art.. as long as you trust me.. I will do my best!"
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Cerebral Reviewment- Hello Arvin, thanks for taking the time to talk with me! Could you please tell everyone a brief history of you and how you got into drawing?
Arvin Palma- FIRST OF ALL, GOOD DAY CEREBRAL REVIEWMENT! I WANNA THANK YOU FOR THIS INTERVIEW. AS I REMEMBERED SINCE I WAS A KID I ALREADY DREW BUT IT WAS ONLY FOR FUN. I WAS 6 WHEN I STARTED DRAWING CURVES AND LINES TO FORM SOMETHING FROM MY MIND. NOW MY WORKS ARE WAY DIFFERENT. IT’S NOW RELATED TO MY KIND OF MUSIC AND THAT’S BRUTAL DEATH METAL. AND THAT’S HOW I STARTED UNTIL TODAY. HOPE TO DO MORE SICK BRUTAL ARTWORKS AND IMPROVE MY SKILLS. ‘COZ IM STILL LEARNING.
The Gurchick Tree
CR- Have you always done brutal/gore art?
AP- TO BE HONEST I WAS JUST A YEAR OR TWO DOING ARTWORKS THAT’S WHY I ALWAYS GRAB EVERY OPPORTUNITY I GOT IF SOMEBODY WILL HIT ME UP FOR A DESIGN OR SOMETHING. I ALSO DRAW SATANIC ARTWORKS. I’M A FREELANCE ARTIST I DO ONLY BLACK AND WHITE I DO LOGOS AS WELL.
CR- What are some things that influence you while drawing?
AP- ABSOLUTELY YES! METAL MUSIC! BRUTAL, DEATH, GRIND, BLACK AND THRASH! AND ALSO SEEING THE WORKS OF MY FAVORITE ARTIST SUCH AS MIKE MAJEWSKI, MARK RIDDICK AND CHRIS MOYEN! THEY ARE MY INFLUENCES. ESPECIALLY, IN BLACK AND WHITE ART DEPARMENT.
CR- What is some of your favorite music to draw to?
AP- MOSTLY I DRAW ARTWORKS FOR BRUTAL BANDS WHEN I WAS STARTING. BUT NOW I DO SOME DARK AND SATANIC ARTWORKS. I’M NOT CHOOSY, AS LONG AS WE GET ALONG WELL AND THEY ARE INTERESTED WITH MY WORKS. AND WE WORK SMOOTH.
Sevared Records
CR- In your opinion, can brutal art ever go too far or be too gross?
AP- FOR SOME PEOPLE THIS KIND OF ART IS NOT ART AND THEY WILL JUST SAYS IT’S GROSS! NASTY! BUT FOR THOSE WHO REALLY APPRECIATE ART THESE KIND OF WORKS ARE AWESOME. MOSTLY MY PATRONIZERS ARE MY FRIENDS AND THE BANDS LOCAL AND FOREIGN. OH! MY MOM IS ONE OF MY GREAT FANS ALSO. LOL
CR- What is a favorite piece of yours?
AP- I REALLY LOVE EVERY PIECE I MADE. BECAUSE IT’S THE FRUIT OF MY HARD WORK AND DEDICATION TO BRUTAL DEATH METAL. BUT IF I WAS TO CHOOSE MY ACES ARE THE ARTWORK FOR ATROCIOUS ABNORMALITY (STEVE GREEN OF COMATOSE MUSIC), DISFIGURED (TEXAS), AND MY VERY FIRST COVER ART SCREWROT (ISRAEL). FOR ME THOSE ARE MY BEST WORKS SO FAR!
Atrocious Abnormality
Disfigured
Screwrot
CR- Do you have a dream band that you have always want to draw for?
AP- OF COURSE I DO! I REALLY WANNA DO ART FOR MY FAVORITE BRUTAL BANDS: DEVOURMENT, ABOMINABLE PUTRIDITY, CONDEMNED, CEPHALOTRIPSY!
CR- I know the Philippines has a pretty good brutal death metal scene and the brutal art going along with all the music seems to be getting better and better. More less known artists are popping up all over the place. Are there a lot of artists doing this sort of art where you are?
AP- YEAH! BRUTAL DEATH METAL SCENE IS RISING NOW HERE IN PHILIPPINES AND I’M VERY GLAD FOR IT! LOTS OF SICK BANDS GETTING DISCOVERED. THERE ARE FEW ARTISTS I KNOW HERE. THE MOST KNOWN IS THE MIGHTY BIN BAUTISTA (BRAINDRAINED) AND MY HOMIE PRIX (PRIXTOI MADNESS ART) THEY ARE THE ONLY ARTIST I KNOW HERE. AND ALSO ME MYSELF! HAHA!
Autonomy
CR- Anything you would like to say to fans or aspiring artists?
AP- I WANNA SHOUT KEEP ON WORKING ON YOUR SHIT AND NEVER STOP THE DREAM! WORK HARD, PRACTICE, AND DEDICATION IN WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS REALLY THE KEY! I’M NOT THAT GOOD BUT I JUST WANNA SAY THESE THINGS TO THE ARTIST OUT THERE LIKE ME. KEEP IT BRUTAL MY FRIENDS!
LASTLY, I WANNA THANK YOU FOR THIS GREAT INTERVIEW! I’M VERY GLAD FOR THIS! YOU GOT MY SUPPORT MAN. THANKS AGAIN AND CHEERS!
I remember in THISinterview I did with Martin, he talked about how lucky the band was with basically unlimited studio time. Well it really shines through. This album sounds amazing! It is obvious everyone took there time and was precise and that Colin Davis (IMPERIAL MASTERING) put hours and hours of hard work into mastering this. Such extreme attention to detail is very appreciated, especially in this genre of music where so much can easily go unheard or unnoticed. You will have no problem listening to this! It is pleasant on the ears in every way. Great musicianship meets suburb recording and mastering!
band photo taken by Martin Tonning-Strand
If you have not picked up on this yet, I love this album. “Post Mortal Coital Fixation" has impressed me beyond expectations. It had me smiling and bobbing my head the whole way through. I really enjoy writing reviews and posting them to this stupid blog, but sometimes I lack the motivation to write about records that do not stand out. This is not the easiest style of music to play while still being original and maintain a unique sound. Kraanium have done just that, making a great brutal, slamming, groovy, disgusting album while hanging on to their signature sounds and enhancing them in all the right places. Made for an easy and enjoyable review!
"Post Mortal Fixation" kicks things of with a beefy, simple, perfectly brutal instrumental track and is the perfect warm up and foreshadowing to what you are getting yourself into. What comes next is a “Stillborn Necrotic Fuck Feast" and it is delicious. It features massive servings of that perfect attention to detail I was talking about with a few pinches of groove. Martins vocals have improved by miles and I love them on this album. Vocalists do not get to these levels without putting in hard work and dedication and he is taking this very seriously. The end of this song is like a gradual buildup to nothing, which is actually quite satisfying due to the drums and subtle changes of pace and dynamic.
"Bursting Rectal Sores" uses repetition and simple changes. Catchy riffs are counter acted by something so different yet so fitting. Creativity flows freely here, like ooze from a rectal sore. I love the blasty parts with the drums and the fills. Also notable are the spots where the drums have a more minimal and tasteful approach, complimenting but not overbearing. Martin gets to show off his range here, something that is so gross and powerful that it reminds us that vocals can be such an effective instrument. “Compulsive Mutilation Disorder" starts with possibly the best sample ever and is luckily followed my an equally awesome three minutes. The pings and punches and pops and splashes and whatever other words you might use for these drum sounds, are perfect. The steady snare backbone keeps you bouncing along while everything else floats above. “Slurping The Vaginal Pus" is where I fully noticed the amazingly warm bass tone on this album. Straightforward chugging riffs mixed with melodic tremolo riffs lead up to around the 2 minute mark where everything melts into a gorgeous, swaying slam punctuated by splashing drums and disgusting vocals.
"Crack Whore Pounding" has a non stop chugging, pounding feel only to slowly bash your skull in before “Coprophagial Asphyxiation" fades in and brings you back to that familiar Kraanium sound, full of drum fills and pounding, repetitive riffs that are basically predictable but oh so satisfying. Has a sound around the 1:30 mark that I cannot figure out. Anyone? It doesn’t add much but it doesn’t take away either. Everything here is great and it speeds up for just a moment before one last return to this songs catchy riff.
The band released “Slammed Kranial Remains" via youtube as a sort of single before anything else was released. Smart move; in the midst of these tunes this one is actually quite amazing. I mean we all already thought so, but this track is way better surrounded by all of it’s ugly siblings rather than part of a diverse youtube playlist.
"Sculptures of Perverse Suffering" showcases the brilliance of having two guitarists and creating atmosphere. Very creative songwriting. These drums are awesome and I think everyone will love the snare sound on this album. Martins vocals remind me at times of Angel Ochoa’s earlier works.
The last two songs ( before the actual last song, an Abominable Putridity cover) sort of seem like they should be one. The brilliantly named “Baptized in Boiling Sewage" is a simple, short, catchy song that leaves me wanting more anyway. Then it perfectly fades into “Orgy of Cannibalistic Fornication", which starts with a woman screaming and a guitar in the background is playing a riff that sounds way too close to the one in “Baptized". These two songs make for one really good one with a sample in the middle.
Overall, this is easily Kraanium’s best release to date, and will be one of my favorites of the year. Go order it here:
