Chris Reifert. All that needs to be said really. This guy is one of the godfathers of death metal and an innovator in the death metal genre, both with sound and performance. I had a chance to have a short chat with him recently about all that is going on with him.
Interview By:Mike Abominator
1.Hey Chris ya madman! Thanks for taking the time to talk. You mentioned the new
Abscess album is in the can. What is it called? How did the writing and
recording go for it? Is it still coming out on Tyrant Syndicate?
CHRIS:GREETINGS, GORE AND BEHEADINGS TO YOU! THE 8TH ABSCESS ALBUM IS CALLED 'DAWN OF
INHUMANITY' AND SHOULD BE OUT ON MARCH 15TH I BELIEVE. THE WRITING WENT FINE AND
WE HAD A DEFINITE VISION FOR WHAT WE WANTED FROM THIS BEAST. THE RECORDING WENT
GREAT AS WELL AND CAME OUT JUST HOW WE WANTED IT TO. LIFE WAS THROWING SOME
CRAZY SHIT AT US BUT WE OVERCAME ALL THE CRAZINESS AND DOVE IN TO THE DEEP END
OF THE DAWN OF INHUMANITY. IT IS INDEED IT'S OWN WORLD OF BRUTALITY AND DOOM.
AND YES, TYRANT SYNDICATE ARE THE ONES RESPONSBLE FOR BIRTHING THIS MUTANT.
2. Any plans for touring or festival gigs for 2010 for the album?
CHRIS:NO TOURING IS PLANNED. WE'LL LEAVE THAT TO OTHER BANDS WHO HAVE THE DESIRE AND
CAPABILITIES TO DO SO. A SELECT GIG HERE OR THERE IS MORE LIKELY FOR US. RIGHT
NOW WE ARE JUST ANXIOUS FOR THE ALBUM TO COME OUT AND SEE WHERE IT GOES FROM
THERE.
3. Well hell froze over, donkeys and pigs are flying, because Autopsy is playing
Maryland death fest this year. How did this come about and what has Eric been up
to since the end of Autopsy? Are there future plans to do more releases?
CHRIS:WELL WE'VE ALWAYS SAID WE'D NEVER DO AUTOPSY AGAIN, BUT WE ALSO RESERVE THE
RIGHT TO CHANGE OUR MINDS. HAH! IT STARTED WITH GETTING TOGETHER IN 2008 WHEN WE
RECORDED A COUPLE OF SONGS FOR A SINGLE AND THE SEVERED SURVIVAL 20TH
ANNIVERSARY REISSUE. THAT WAS LOTS OF FUN AND SEEMED TO GET PEOPLE SPECULATING A
BIT. NEXT THING WE KNOW, MARYLAND DEATH FEST APPROACHED US TO PLAY IN 2010 AND
THE TIMING SEEMED RIGHT SO HERE WE ARE GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER TO MDF. AS FOR
ERIC, HE HAS BEEN BUSY WITH HIS FAMILY AND HIS LIFE. HE'S BEEN DOING JUST FINE.
HE HAD A DEATH METAL BAND CALLED 'FUNERAL' IN '96 AND THEY DID A SICK DEMO AND
REHEARSAL TAPE. THAT STUFF IS ACTUALLY SEEING THE LIGHT OF DAY THIS YEAR ON
APHELION RECORDS.
4. Are you guys going to unleash the 2 new songs "Horrific Obsession" and "Feast
Of The Graveworm" into the set of classics?
CHRIS:SURE IS POSSIBLE......HHMMMM
5. Are there any other plans for touring or festivals here in the U.S. or maybe
Europe for Autopsy?
CHRIS:TOURING IS OUT OF THE QUESTION, BUT WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS AFTER MARYLAND DEATH
FEST. WE'LL LEAVE THE TOURING TO OTHER BANDS WHO HAVE THE DESIRE AND CAPACITY TO
DO SO.
6. You have always been a music freak and you listen to a lot of different
genres of music. I think that is one of the reasons that sets Autopsy and
Abscess apart from other bands. Tell me about the early days of discovering
albums as a kid, to the demo tape trading era, to now.
CHRIS:WHEN I WAS A LITTLE KID, IT WAS MAGICAL STUFF WHEN I DISCOVERED KISS, AEROSMITH,
CHEAP TRICK AND AC/DC. THIS BEGAN IN 1978 AT THE AGE OF NINE AND THOSE BANDS
MADE A MASSIVE IMPACT ON ME SOON AFTER THOSE BANDS I DISCOVERED ALICE COOPER AND
BLACK SABBATH. THINGS WERE GETTING REALLY INTERESTING INDEED! IT WAS ONLY
NATURAL TO FOLLOW THE PATH AND SEEK OUT HEAVIER BANDS AS THEY CAME ALONG. IRON
MAIDEN AND MOTORHEAD WERE NEXT THEN ONTO VENOM, THEN SLAYER, AND SO ON. I ALSO
BEGAN PICKING UP METAL FANZINES WHEREVER I COULD FIND THEM OR ORDER THEM BY MAIL
AND THE DOORS WERE TRULY KICKED OPEN INTO THE VAST METAL UNDERGROUND.
7. A friend of mine was the guy who video taped the classic Hong Kong Cafe show
up in Chinatown, Los Angeles that is on the Autopsy DVD. What a show eh? Cheap
Chinese beer, chow mein and Dismember! Tell me about your memories of this
infamous night!
CHRIS:I REMEMBER THAT ONE FAIRLY WELL CONSIDERING I WAS LITERALLY LIVING ON JIM BEAM
AND COLD CHEF BOYARDEE RIGHT OUT OF THE CAN FOR THE MAJORITY OF THAT TOUR. IT
WAS KILLER TO RUN INTO DISMEMBER AND HAVE THEM PLAY THE SHOW AT THE LAST MINUTE.
I REMEMBER PEOPLE'S FEET HITTING THE CEILING IN ALL THE CHAOS OF THE SHOW. GOOD
SHIT!
8. Now I remember, I was like 14 and Autopsy came down in 1988 to play a
backyard gig in L.A. Me and my buddy didn't have a ride to that show and we were
PISSED to miss your first time down here especially since the "Critical Madness"
demo was always playing in our players! haha. Who brought you down and do you
remember that gig?
CHRIS:I HATE TO SAY IT, BUT I DON'T REMEMBER ANY BACKYARD SHOWS IN L.A. EITHER MY
MEMORY IS JUST THAT BAD, OR WE DIDN'T DO ONE. THE FIRST SHOW IN L.A. I REMEMBER
WAS IN A CLUB WITH SADISTIC INTENT. HHHMMMMMM..... (Hmmm, maybe it was an actual
show that Sadistic had hooked up down here, but I do remember Autopsy playing here
at that time - Mike Abominator. Please remember Chris and I are old and the brain
cells are few and far between after all the fun, hehehe.)
9. OK man, you are on a killing spree, and the cops are right on your ass. You
have a flight leaving for Europe and you need to get there fast before the cops
get you. At this point, you only have room for 10 albums in your suitcase. What
10 albums would they be?
CHRIS:THE FIRST 10 I COULD GET MY HANDS ON, SINCE IT SOUNDS LIKE I'D BE IN A HURRY!
HAHA! (GREAT COP OUT, EH!)
10. OK, I'm going to try and not kiss ass, hehe. For me, "Critical Madness" is
the best demo ever and "Severed Survival" is the best death metal album EVER.
Quite a few people also cite "Mental Funeral" as the best death metal album
ever. What do you think now after all these years? Did you ever think Autopsy
would become the cult gods of death metal and so well loved and respected
worlwide?
CHRIS:THANKS FOR THE KIND WORDS, YA SICK FUCK! GREAT TO HEAR, INDEED....
WE NEVER LOOKED AHEAD MUCH AT ALL AT THE TIME, TO BE HONEST. WE WERE ALWAYS
CAUGHT UP IN THE MOMENT AND JUST HAD A GREAT TIME DOING WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS
HEAVY BRUTAL MUSIC THE WAY WE WANTED TO DO IT. THANKS TO ALL THE FIENDS WHO HAVE
MADE THIS BAND WHAT IT IS TODAY. BLOODY HELL YEAH!
11. Autopsy also had a chance to tour Europe back in the day with Pestilence.
How did that tour go and what other bands did you guys get to play with? What
countries did you guys hit?
CHRIS:ON THAT PARTICULAR TOUR WE PLAYED IN FRANCE, BELGIUM, HOLLAND, GERMANY AND
SWITZERLAND. THE TOUR WAS IN EARLY 1990 WITH PESTILENCE AND BOLT THROWER FOR THE
FIRST HALF OF THE TOUR. ON THE SECOND HALF, MORGOTH TOOK OVER FOR BOLT THROWER.
ALL THOSE BANDS WERE FUN AS HELL TO HANG WITH. REALLY COOL FOLKS WITH RIDUCULOUS
SENSES OF HUMOR LIKE US, SO WE HAD A GREAT TIME. THERE WERE SOME OPENING BANDS
ON SOME SHOWS TOO LIKE SINISTER AND ATROCITY. ALL IN ALL IT WAS PRETTY KICK ASS
EXCEPT GETTING RIPPED OFF BY THE PROMOTER! FUCKER.....
12. Is it true that you and your wife run a brutal satanic bakery up in Benicia,
California? And if so, do you ever yell at the customers "OK! I'LL DO IT!"?
CHRIS:WE DID FOR A TIME, BUT THE CLOSEST I EVER GOT TO YELLING THAT WAS 'AND WHAT KIND
OF FROSTING WOULD YOU LIKE ON THAT WEDDING CAKE?' NOT QUITE AS BRUTAL BUT I WAS
THINKING BRUTAL THOUGHTS AT THE TIME NONETHELESS! HAHA!!
13. Obviously heavy metal and horror movies go together like Jim Beam and
Cherios! I know that you are a horror movie freak. What are some of your all
time favorite horror movies?
CHRIS:MOSTLY THE OLD CLASSICS LIKE THE UNIVERSAL AND HAMMER STUFF. I JUST DON'T GET
SICK OF THAT SHIT. PLUS THE ROMERO ZOMBIE FLICKS ARE FAVORITES AS WELL.
14. What was with that lady screaming in the background during the rehearsal
footage on the Autopsy DVD?
CHRIS:ALL SORTS OF TWEAKER BABBLE. WE USED TO CALL THAT THE 'DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO
THE BITCH' TAPE.
15. The Swedish Death Metal Book is classic! How was that doing the forward and
re-visiting that era of classic death metal?
CHRIS:THAT BOOK CAME OUT TOTALLY KILLER AND IT WAS AN HONOR TO CONTRIBUTE SOMETHING TO
IT. THE SHEER AMOUNT OF BRUTAL BANDS TALKED ABOUT IN THERE IS INCREDIBLE! VERY
WELL DONE TOO.
16. You also played on "Scream Bloody Gore". How was that time and why did you
leave Death after that album?
CHRIS:IT WAS AMAZING AND MAGICAL FOR SURE! HARD TO BELIEVE IT WAS 24 YEARS AGO! HOLY
FUCK! ANYHOW, THE ONLY REASON I LEFT WAS BECAUSE CHUCK DECIDED TO RELOCATE BACK
TO FLORIDA AGAIN. I HAD THE INVITATION TO GO ALONG AND REMAIN IN THE BAND BUT I
WANTED TO STAY HERE. THAT FLORIDA HUMIDITY WAS ONE THING I JUST COULDN'T DEAL
WITH ON A DAILY BASIS, PLUS I JUST LOVE IT HERE. WE WISHED EACH OTHER THE BEST
AND GOT ON WITH OUR MUSICAL CONQUESTS.
17. Any more plans with The Ravenous or Murder Squad? Any more jamming with
them?
CHRIS:I THINK THOSE ARE BOTH DONE. I READ THAT MATTI (MURDER SQUAD) SAID THEY WERE
DONE WITH THAT BAND, SO I'M GLAD I GOT TO BE A PART OF THAT WHILE IT WAS AROUND.
AS FOR THE RAVENOUS, NOTHING HAS HAPPENED FOR QUITE A FEW YEARS NOW, SO I THINK
IT'S PRETTY MUCH DONE AS WELL. IT SURE WAS A GREAT TIME THOUGH AND I STILL LOVE
LISTENING TO THAT STUFF.
18. WHEN IS THE AUTOPSY/GRAVEHILL SPLIT COMING OUT MAN? OR ABSCESS/GRAVEHILL
SPLIT!?
CHRIS:YOU TELL ME, MAN! HAH!
19. OK man, I want to thank you for your time and also for being one of the
godfathers of death metal. Any last words of wisdom?
CHRIS:WELL, IF YOU CAME FOR WISDOM, YOU CAME TO THE WRONG GUY. HAHA! WHAT I DO IS
PROBABLY ONE OF THE LEAST RATIONAL THINGS I CAN THINK OF TO SPEND YOUR LIFE ON.
BUT FOR SOME REASON I'M NOT SICK OF IT AND NEW EXCITING THINGS SEEM TO BE AROUND
EVERY CORNER. THERE'S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT LOUD DISTORTED HEAVY MUSIC THAT GETS
MY BLOOD BOILING......
THANKS BACK AT YA AND KEEP IT SICK!
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