Well,Friends Of Aristocracy!
Line Up:
Spurcăciune On Guitars/Vocals
Bîrsatan On Bass
Omu' Rău On Guitars
Potaie On Drums
Guest:
Irinel Anghel On Guest Vocals on “Gut Mauled”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Fgcob1-aQU
We speak again of our newsroom, where in a little while, we will begin in all your emotions, the interview 127 of the Aristocracy.This time, we spoke with a band that seeks to consolidate its space in the metal world. This consolidation happened, because this is their second complete work.We're talking about the Romanian band Rotheads, a Death Metal band with capacity and constant evolution. Of course, they follow an old school path, but the spice that the band puts on is special and different from many bands I've heard. their second album titled as Slither in Slime. Let's go to this interview from now on. Well, between their photo and the album cover, you can hear a killer song from them. Interview Now!
A1:Talking about the composition work in Slither in Slime?
Matei: Well, the composition was pretty extensive, the songs,for the most part went through multiple versions,had parts added and modified multiple times until we got to the sound we wanted for them.
Bogdan:And by multiple,we mean an insane amount of versions {haha!}
A2:Why are 90's Finns so special to the band?
Matei:Finnish death metal is, at least from my point of view, one of the most creative and interesting styles of death metal.I feel there’s always something to learn from them, both from composition and skills.
Bogdan:They’re at times weird and at times melancholic.There’s a knack for setting up the mood. They also don’t always focus on blood and gore with the lyrics and imagery.
A3:Was switching from Death Metal to Stoner Metal necessary or previously agreed?
Bogdan:First of all, it wasn’t really Stoner Metal.Keeng Ra’at was an improvisational project, we didn’t have any written songs, we’d create everything on the spot at our shows. Yeah, we would almost always start with a Stoner/Doom type riff but we would almost always go through noise rock, psychedelic rock, blast beats, drone.It was an experimental setting. But eventually we decided to focus more on writing death metal songs as that’s what we were fans of. There was a show where we played our usual Keeng Ra’at improvisations,but also threw a couple of Rotheads songs in the middle.
A4:Vorus, Engrossed, and Eruptive.Which of these bands do you have a closer relationship with and why?
Matei: I would have to say Vorus, since they are from the same country as us. Also,Bogdan has featured on certain releases of theirs, and we made friends with them throughout time.
Bogdan:I also played a couple of shows with Vorus filling on second guitar back in 2020.I talk to Uriel from time to time. We show each other ideas we’re working on and exchange advice.
A5:Some literature or film inspire the band?
Matei:Sci-fi, classic horror, Lovecraftian stories, for the most part! I like old school, silent horror movies, and I think that that particularly creepy atmosphere can bring a lot to the table, when talking about death metal. You can never be too creepy.{haha!}
Bogdan: I’m into sci-fi and dark fantasy novels and enjoy weird fiction, sci-fi, magical realism and gothic horror short stories. There are Rotheads songs inspired by themes from such books. Also videogame lore influences.“C.H.U.D.” and “Return of the Living Dead” are movies that were an inspiration on Sewer Fiends.
A6:What kind of atmosphere band want in this album?
Matei:I think that “slime” best describes what the sound of the album should be.Pressing, sluggish vibes to keep you up at night!
Bogdan: You should definitely feel like you’re slithering through the slime {haha!}
A7:How is Rotheads different from your previous bands?
Bogdan:All of my other bands were/are a hybrid of multiple genres.Rotheads is single mindedly focused on playing death metal. Yeah, there might be some experimentation,but it’s done in a way that you wouldn’t notice. It’s a metal band through and through.
A8:What´s the idea behind artwork´s album?
Matei:The artwork represents an angel made out of worms, furthering the whole idea of slime, a monstrosity rising from the gutter with the sole purpose of scaring the shit outta this world!
Bogdan:Angels are really weird entities. They’re lovecraftian in the way that you would probably not understand what you’re seeing and might lose your sanity if you try to comprehend them. And on that note we decided to play around with the concept.It’s a continuation of the theme of God’s Winged Abominations off the 4-way split we did.We love weird and sacrilegious shit.
A9:Do you believe that if we judge the first song, vampires are a connection with Nietzsche?
MateI:Hmm,interesting question, but to be honest,I don’t think so, no.I would incline to actually connect it to Nosferatu!
Bogdan: If you gaze at the vampires they gaze back at you.Hah!That song is about vampires losing their mysticism because of their constant use in entertainment industries,pop culture and black metal settings. Pretty nihilistic,I guess.
A10:This album is conceptual?yes or no?
Matei:THE CONCEPT OF SLIME!
Bogdan: Unlike Sewer Fiends,this album doesn’t have a main theme connecting every song. But somebody told me the songs seem to portray nihilism in different settings.Something like nihilism in the forest, urban nihilism, nihilism at night etc.I’d say it’s actually existentialism, but still, just a coincidence or maybe a general theme in the band’s lyrics.
A11:How come emerged the invite to Irinel Anghel?
Matei:Well, Bogdan and David,the former drummer used to collab with her for certain performance art projects. In time, she invited everyone in the band to collab with her on various projects, so we’ve always worked great together,I guess inviting her to feature on a Rotheads song was only a mater of time.
Bogdan: We also wanted to ruin her musical legacy.
A12:Did the time you played together on Keeng Ra'at and the Rotheads bring you musical understanding much faster than you expected?
Bogdan: Oh, yeah, definitely. It helped us see how well we can work together and what musical direction would fit us best. I’m not sure if we developed our musical skills faster than expected though, probably normal speed.
A13:How band arrive to Memento Mori?
Matei: We sent demos to multiple labels, and Raul from Memento was the fastest and most enthusiastic about a collaboration. And after the release of Sewer Fiends, he decided to publish our next album, Slither in Slime, as well. The rest is death metal history. {hahahaha!}
A14:The three members are still the same as in 2014, but one is not. Is he still friends with the band?
Matei:Yeah, I mean, there were no hard feelings, and we still keep in touch sometimes.
Bogdan:He also lives in a different part of the country and is focused on different aspects of life than us. But he seemed interested in putting out more solo stuff.He showed me most of the song ideas for a new album and they sounded really promising.
A15:Reality isn't Keeng Ra'at, it's Rotheads. But do you like being titled as a cult band?
Bogdan:Probably not, I haven’t seen anyone worshiping at our altar yet. {haha!}I think we’ve just been present in the local underground in one way or another for a long time at this point. Some people will remember being at a show or another or have an old CD or t-shirt.
A16:Sewer Fiends and Slither in Slime are different albuns?Justify!
Matei:Yeah, there are differences! I like to believe that we’ve treated Slither in a much more mature fashion. We’ve learned a lot from the recording sessions for Sewer Fiends, there were mistakes we’ve avoided making this time. Also, in the 3 years between the 2 albums, we’ve rehearsed more, and grew both as musicians/composers,but as discipline and organizing. I think that will be pretty obvious on the album.
A17:Which specters visit the band's sound?
Matei:The specters of Old school finnish death metal, horror, and filth. We’re all lovers of Death metal, and we also get a lot of influences from the Crust/Hardcore punk scene. A mashup not to be messed with!
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