INVASION - Interview.
When I stumbled upon these maniacs on myspace I was shocked! They fucking ripped and I thought they needed to be heard by the metal masses. I had no idea that they had been around for so long. And now 2010 will bring us their 3rd full length album of awesome old school death metal! I had a talk with Vokillist/Guitarist Phlegm about what has been and will be going on with this Indiana death metal war machine!
Interview By: Mike Abominator
1. Hails to the mighty Invasion. How are things in the war bunker?
Phlegm: Hails my brother! Things are going very well thanks! We just got done writing & rehearsing material for an EP we hope to release by the end of the year! It’s a continuation of the INVASION blitzkrieg attack!
2. You maniacs have actually been around for quite a while now, formed in 1989. What has been the delay in getting Invasion out there to the metal masses?
Phlegm: You name it! The usual circumstances actually… personnel changes, work, money, and life in general. It’s been an uphill battle to get things back on track after having taken 5 years off. When we finished the recordings of “Berserk Artillery Barrage” we lost our drummer Crusader and brought in our friend Wrathorn from Dysphoria. At the same time Tyrant had to take a job in Australia and was leaving every 2 or 3 months, which put a damper on things. After a few false starts we finally we took time off to regroup and decide what was best for the band. In 2007 I ran into Crusader at a local pub and after a few beers he decided to return behind the kit and rehearse for a new cd. We replaced Tyrant with Cannons’ Nifelhenious on guitar since Tyrants’ job status was still taking its toll and we pulled Warbastard out of his grave for blower bass. That is the line up that recorded the new cd.
When I stumbled upon these maniacs on myspace I was shocked! They fucking ripped and I thought they needed to be heard by the metal masses. I had no idea that they had been around for so long. And now 2010 will bring us their 3rd full length album of awesome old school death metal! I had a talk with Vokillist/Guitarist Phlegm about what has been and will be going on with this Indiana death metal war machine!
Interview By: Mike Abominator
1. Hails to the mighty Invasion. How are things in the war bunker?
Phlegm: Hails my brother! Things are going very well thanks! We just got done writing & rehearsing material for an EP we hope to release by the end of the year! It’s a continuation of the INVASION blitzkrieg attack!
2. You maniacs have actually been around for quite a while now, formed in 1989. What has been the delay in getting Invasion out there to the metal masses?
Phlegm: You name it! The usual circumstances actually… personnel changes, work, money, and life in general. It’s been an uphill battle to get things back on track after having taken 5 years off. When we finished the recordings of “Berserk Artillery Barrage” we lost our drummer Crusader and brought in our friend Wrathorn from Dysphoria. At the same time Tyrant had to take a job in Australia and was leaving every 2 or 3 months, which put a damper on things. After a few false starts we finally we took time off to regroup and decide what was best for the band. In 2007 I ran into Crusader at a local pub and after a few beers he decided to return behind the kit and rehearse for a new cd. We replaced Tyrant with Cannons’ Nifelhenious on guitar since Tyrants’ job status was still taking its toll and we pulled Warbastard out of his grave for blower bass. That is the line up that recorded the new cd.
3. I understand that there is an album coming here this year? What is the release date and tell me about the songs and how did the recording go? What label is putting this out? And what is it called?
Phlegm: Hopefully the album will be out by April/May 2010 on the label Rotting Corpse Records out of Chicago. We have great support from fellow old school brother Ron Dake and he’s psyched to push the Invasion cd to the masses. The title of the album is “Orchestrated Kill Maneuver” and has been in the works since the release of “Berserk Artillery Barrage.” I cannot wait to see this bastard hit the streets! Originally we had 14 songs ready for the album but we didn’t want the damn thing to be 70 minutes long so we pushed 2 of the new songs to the side & will record them for the EP. Some of the titles are specific as to their lyrical content such as “And Three Survived – The Sinking of the HMS Hood” or “Stuka JU-87.” We originally were going to do a cover of some obscure death metal band from the 80s/90s but decided against it this time. Maybe for the EP will do 2 or 3 covers.
4. The sound of Invasion is that of relentless old school death metal. What bands and topics do you guys draw influence and inspiration from? There is a huge war theme going on with the band yes?
Phlegm: Ever since we saw AT WAR back in ’89 we’ve been inspired to create the sounds of devastating war metal! The veterans of the scene were a big inspiration & just the annihilated sounds from the mid 80’s have influenced us. It wasn’t until we heard the sounds of Grave/Corpse, Nihilist, Merciless & a few others that the Scandinavian unholiness crept into our rehearsals & practices. As for our subject matter we’ve delved deep in the history of World War II and the elements behind the scenes. Just a devastating time period that wiped out millions of people.
5. As being older veterans of the metal scene, what are your opinions of the current state of the metal underground. It has gone from tape trading and fanzines to myspace, ebay, and webzines. What do you think of the modern ways of these days?
Phlegm: I’ll be honest… it’s a lot different than the old days and a lot more impersonal. I remember waiting by the mailbox to open letters from Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio & from across the pond like Germany, France, Sweden & Russia. I still have shoeboxes full of mail from my correspondence with all the old bands like Carbonized, Unleashed, Grave, Necrophobic & 100s of other greats. The modern era takes a lot of that emotion out of it and it’s hard to get used to although the plethora of information is amazing. That website METAL ARCHIVES is just insane! Even just browsing on the net you can literally stumble across a band & hear the heaviest sounds!
6. How is the metal scene in Indiana?
Phlegm: It’s getting better. Indiana has always had a quality scene beneath the surface. There are a ton of excellent bands that fall by the wayside simply because everyone thinks Indiana has nothing to offer. I live in the northern part of the state near Chicago and I’m sure my brothers in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne & Evansville would agree that there are some excellent bands hidden simply by their obscure location.
7. How many times has Invasion played live in your history? And how have the recent gigs gone response wise?
Phlegm: Invasion has only played live 3 times. The 2nd time we played was at a placed called Cedar Tap in Michigan City, Indiana and we were able to record 3 songs that night. Small place but it was dark & gloomy and the atmosphere was excellent. We did a show with the guys in Skullview that turned out great! Now that I think about it’s been a long time, haha!!! We should be hooking up with the guys in Nocturnal Torment to do a few things in Chicago this year but will see what we will be offered. The last show we did was with Enthroned from Belgium and that was a fucking blast! Killer band!
8. What period of warfare is the best to focus on as far as lyrical content and presentation? Obviously WW2 is a good one. What about Vietnam, Civil Wars, WW1, Korea or even Modern Terrorist Warfare?
Phlegm: Hopefully the album will be out by April/May 2010 on the label Rotting Corpse Records out of Chicago. We have great support from fellow old school brother Ron Dake and he’s psyched to push the Invasion cd to the masses. The title of the album is “Orchestrated Kill Maneuver” and has been in the works since the release of “Berserk Artillery Barrage.” I cannot wait to see this bastard hit the streets! Originally we had 14 songs ready for the album but we didn’t want the damn thing to be 70 minutes long so we pushed 2 of the new songs to the side & will record them for the EP. Some of the titles are specific as to their lyrical content such as “And Three Survived – The Sinking of the HMS Hood” or “Stuka JU-87.” We originally were going to do a cover of some obscure death metal band from the 80s/90s but decided against it this time. Maybe for the EP will do 2 or 3 covers.
4. The sound of Invasion is that of relentless old school death metal. What bands and topics do you guys draw influence and inspiration from? There is a huge war theme going on with the band yes?
Phlegm: Ever since we saw AT WAR back in ’89 we’ve been inspired to create the sounds of devastating war metal! The veterans of the scene were a big inspiration & just the annihilated sounds from the mid 80’s have influenced us. It wasn’t until we heard the sounds of Grave/Corpse, Nihilist, Merciless & a few others that the Scandinavian unholiness crept into our rehearsals & practices. As for our subject matter we’ve delved deep in the history of World War II and the elements behind the scenes. Just a devastating time period that wiped out millions of people.
5. As being older veterans of the metal scene, what are your opinions of the current state of the metal underground. It has gone from tape trading and fanzines to myspace, ebay, and webzines. What do you think of the modern ways of these days?
Phlegm: I’ll be honest… it’s a lot different than the old days and a lot more impersonal. I remember waiting by the mailbox to open letters from Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio & from across the pond like Germany, France, Sweden & Russia. I still have shoeboxes full of mail from my correspondence with all the old bands like Carbonized, Unleashed, Grave, Necrophobic & 100s of other greats. The modern era takes a lot of that emotion out of it and it’s hard to get used to although the plethora of information is amazing. That website METAL ARCHIVES is just insane! Even just browsing on the net you can literally stumble across a band & hear the heaviest sounds!
6. How is the metal scene in Indiana?
Phlegm: It’s getting better. Indiana has always had a quality scene beneath the surface. There are a ton of excellent bands that fall by the wayside simply because everyone thinks Indiana has nothing to offer. I live in the northern part of the state near Chicago and I’m sure my brothers in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne & Evansville would agree that there are some excellent bands hidden simply by their obscure location.
7. How many times has Invasion played live in your history? And how have the recent gigs gone response wise?
Phlegm: Invasion has only played live 3 times. The 2nd time we played was at a placed called Cedar Tap in Michigan City, Indiana and we were able to record 3 songs that night. Small place but it was dark & gloomy and the atmosphere was excellent. We did a show with the guys in Skullview that turned out great! Now that I think about it’s been a long time, haha!!! We should be hooking up with the guys in Nocturnal Torment to do a few things in Chicago this year but will see what we will be offered. The last show we did was with Enthroned from Belgium and that was a fucking blast! Killer band!
8. What period of warfare is the best to focus on as far as lyrical content and presentation? Obviously WW2 is a good one. What about Vietnam, Civil Wars, WW1, Korea or even Modern Terrorist Warfare?
Phlegm: In recent times I’ve only started to delve into the Korean & Vietnam conflicts. Maybe I consider those too “modern” since the introduction of the jet age so maybe that’s why I keep gravitating back to WW2. I’m sure some of your readers will say “but the Krauts had jets in WW2!” and yes, I’m fully aware of that. But just the ferocious nature of that war is just so damn intense. Just imagine 450 airplanes flying over your city dropping 500/1000 lb bombs to blow everything to shit! I recently flew in a B-24 Liberator 4 engine aeroplane & that was amazing! This thing just calls for your death!
9. What are some of the best live shows that you guys have ever seen? What bands blew you away?
Phlegm: The shows that stand out are the ones from the early days obviously because they left such an impression! Kreator, VoiVod, Sacrifice, early Morbid Angel, Grave, Blind Illusion, Vio-lence, Defiance, At War, DBC, Dark Angel, Atheist, Death, Carcass, Pestilence, Morgue, Num Skull and a few other shows. Sepultura’s first US Tour with Devastation, Malevolent Creation, Dissection… damn there were a lot. But things were a bit different back then. No responsibilities, haha!!!
10. Here is the famous question, if on a deserted island, what 10 albums would you have on that island with you?
Phlegm: Good fucking question, haha!!! There are so many killer bands out there I couldn’t even begin to list them all. I know I’d have to bring stuff from Sacrifice, Uncanny, Infernal Majesty, At War, Kreator, Celtic Frost, Entombed, Destruction, Grave, Séance, Sodom, Vio-lence, Xysma… fuck. How many is that?? Some of the early stuff like the first 2 Exodus albums or Slayer’s Hell Awaits and Reign in Blood would be required as well.
9. What are some of the best live shows that you guys have ever seen? What bands blew you away?
Phlegm: The shows that stand out are the ones from the early days obviously because they left such an impression! Kreator, VoiVod, Sacrifice, early Morbid Angel, Grave, Blind Illusion, Vio-lence, Defiance, At War, DBC, Dark Angel, Atheist, Death, Carcass, Pestilence, Morgue, Num Skull and a few other shows. Sepultura’s first US Tour with Devastation, Malevolent Creation, Dissection… damn there were a lot. But things were a bit different back then. No responsibilities, haha!!!
10. Here is the famous question, if on a deserted island, what 10 albums would you have on that island with you?
Phlegm: Good fucking question, haha!!! There are so many killer bands out there I couldn’t even begin to list them all. I know I’d have to bring stuff from Sacrifice, Uncanny, Infernal Majesty, At War, Kreator, Celtic Frost, Entombed, Destruction, Grave, Séance, Sodom, Vio-lence, Xysma… fuck. How many is that?? Some of the early stuff like the first 2 Exodus albums or Slayer’s Hell Awaits and Reign in Blood would be required as well.
11. What other releases does Invasion have out from the past?
Phlegm: The stuff from the early ‘90s was so horrendous sounding we never released it. We recorded on those portable 4 tracks at the time and it sounded like total destruction. I remember we tried to listen to it a few years ago and songs kept wavering in/out like they were recorded under water. It wasn’t until we recorded our demo in 1997/1998 that Killjoy/Baphomet Records heard the demo and wanted to press it as our first full length. That first release, “Conquered,” was put out by Hammerheart/Baphomet Records back in 1999 and contains most of the demo songs like “In Battle,” “Conquered” and “Sounds of the War Drum”. In 2001 we recorded “Berserk Artillery Barrage” and Bill Smith from Forever Underground Records ended up releasing that for us. Good label & great brother! Too bad he went out of business.
Phlegm: The stuff from the early ‘90s was so horrendous sounding we never released it. We recorded on those portable 4 tracks at the time and it sounded like total destruction. I remember we tried to listen to it a few years ago and songs kept wavering in/out like they were recorded under water. It wasn’t until we recorded our demo in 1997/1998 that Killjoy/Baphomet Records heard the demo and wanted to press it as our first full length. That first release, “Conquered,” was put out by Hammerheart/Baphomet Records back in 1999 and contains most of the demo songs like “In Battle,” “Conquered” and “Sounds of the War Drum”. In 2001 we recorded “Berserk Artillery Barrage” and Bill Smith from Forever Underground Records ended up releasing that for us. Good label & great brother! Too bad he went out of business.
12. Invasion is one of many bands that are now ready to invade (haha) the metal masses with the olden way of death metal. What do you think of all these killer bands coming out and bringing back the classic ritual? What other bands have you been listening to with this ancient way?
Phlegm: I think its great! I love those sounds of old. I know I’ve been listening to a lot of Funebrarum, Mr. Death and Demonical. Just sick stuff!! If it wasn’t for people keeping me updated on my bands I’m pretty sure I’d have missed quite a shitload of killer releases. The guys in Nocturnal Torment were the ones that had me check you’re my space page & you’ve managed to keep me going you sick bastard, haha!!
13. Any plans for Invasion to tour, or play some out of state gigs in 2010? When is your next live massacre?
Phlegm: Probably not until the summer or fall of 2010. Our goal is to get this new release out & make sure it’s properly promoted and advertised. Hopefully the label will be printing shirts so I’ll make sure to send you some killer stuff my brother!! The guys in Nocturnal Torment have been very cool with us and hopefully will be doing some shows with them in the Chicago area!!! Salutations my night killing brothers ..m/
14. Well guys, thank you for your time and also for your face melting death metal attack! Any last words for the maniacs?
Phlegm: PREPARE FOR TOTAL FUCKING WAR!!! INVASION IS COMING!!!!!!!!!!
www.myspace.com/saturationbombing
Phlegm: I think its great! I love those sounds of old. I know I’ve been listening to a lot of Funebrarum, Mr. Death and Demonical. Just sick stuff!! If it wasn’t for people keeping me updated on my bands I’m pretty sure I’d have missed quite a shitload of killer releases. The guys in Nocturnal Torment were the ones that had me check you’re my space page & you’ve managed to keep me going you sick bastard, haha!!
13. Any plans for Invasion to tour, or play some out of state gigs in 2010? When is your next live massacre?
Phlegm: Probably not until the summer or fall of 2010. Our goal is to get this new release out & make sure it’s properly promoted and advertised. Hopefully the label will be printing shirts so I’ll make sure to send you some killer stuff my brother!! The guys in Nocturnal Torment have been very cool with us and hopefully will be doing some shows with them in the Chicago area!!! Salutations my night killing brothers ..m/
14. Well guys, thank you for your time and also for your face melting death metal attack! Any last words for the maniacs?
Phlegm: PREPARE FOR TOTAL FUCKING WAR!!! INVASION IS COMING!!!!!!!!!!
www.myspace.com/saturationbombing
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