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BACK
IMMOLATION
- A Wolf Among Sheep
By Adrian 'The Energizer' Bromley
Immolation
guitarist Robert Vigna lives for his music first and foremost. The
record label mumbo-jumbo and other bullshit that comes along with
being in this business is a distant second. Music is the key to
his success.
"We are very much into what we do as a band. Unlike some bands
who go out to make a certain type of record, or record it a certain
way, we just go out and make music that we feel passionate about
and not worry how it turns out. We are very much into what we do
and know it will still be an Immolation record.
"Experience is the key," he notes, "I think from
all the years that we have been making albums, each time out it
becomes easy to write music and make an album. We are always trying
to do our best. This album [Unholy Cult on Olympic Recordings, licensed
through Century Media] is a direct and in-your-face type of album.
Before we went in to record the songs Ross (Dolan, bass/vocals)
and I went through the songs and just cut out what songs didn't
exude confidence and a real heaviness that we were trying to deliver.
As a band we [the band is rounded out by guitarist Bill Taylor and
drummer Alex Hernandez] really wanted this album to top what we
had done before and show people that we could really put out something
incredibly unique sounding in this genre."
Having been around for more than a decade, over the years the band
has triumphantly merged elements of death and black metal as one,
offering up a solid array of ideas that gets the mind all frazzled
and the heart pounding. Each effort sees the band moving forward
in creativity and bringing along with themselves an ever-growing
fanbase, yet still the band has not really experienced any kind
of hype or mega-star status.
Comments Vigna, "Yeah, we know all about it, but we just can't
dwell on it. We work hard to make great music. Sure we've been around
for a long time and when a band comes out of left field and all
of a sudden there is a lot of hype it does get frustrating, but
these bands are just that: hype. They don't go anywhere and if they
do, it doesn't last that long. We are proud of the hard work we
have done with this band and the struggles we've faced at trying
to get the band's name out there. We obviously must love the music
a lot because we certainly aren't making money from this,"
he laughs.
He adds, "I think with the last few releases we have gained
a lot of respect from the people within the metal community. We
have worked hard and it is paying off for sure. I think with this
new record we have definitely set ourselves apart from bands in
the same genre and taken things up a notch for sure."
Making an album every year or so and taking it up a notch sounds
like a tough task. <br>
"Not really," he quips. "We are so into what we do,
and get so much out of this music we make that we really push ourselves
and strive hard. We are very ambitious. We loved the last album
[2000's Close to a World Below] and knew we had to do one equally
as good, if not better. But at the same time you can't go into writing
like that-you just can't. What we like to do is set a deadline and
finish that album by that date. We always just try to handle things
differently. We go by feeling and try to create something fresh.
We always bring something new to the table with each album, and
that is important for us and the fans."
Any blank moments during the creative process, Rob?
"Sure. There are certain times when we are hitting a roadblock,
but when it comes time to make a record, we need to be in the motions
and if that means trying to finish stuff in the studio, so be it.
We record albums in two months, no more time than that, so we need
to get it all straightened away. It happens, but we can get past
it."
Listening to the finished product must feel good. I know when I
finish writing a story after transcribing the interview and assembling
it, I feel relieved and proud of what I have done.
"Yeah," he agrees. "It is a great feeling to play
back an album once it has been recorded and go, 'Wow! That sounds
better than what I thought it would sound like.' It is always a
great feeling and experience."
The album cover artwork (see image) for Unholy Cult is phenomenal.
Andreas Marschall did a great job of bringing a real evil tone to
go along with the album title. Explain to me why that particular
album title was chosen. Is there an anti-Christian/anti-church theme
going on?
"I guess people can interpret the album title in many different
ways. The song itself deals with a cult, it could be a religious
one or not, that kind of draws people in and takes control of their
lives, etc. We look at Immolation as a cult too, so there is a double
meaning to it all," he laughs. "Like with our past albums,
Immolation has used this kind of religious-type atmosphere to help
form a foundation for the music, but we are always saying a lot
more in the songs than just lashing out at religion as some might
perceive us to be doing."
As mentioned before, Immolation is not just your average metal band.
There is a really different vibe going on with their music, far
from the standard (sometimes) clichéd sound of your "Average
Joe" death metal act. No trends, just pure evil and aggression.
"No doubt there are a lot of bands who pick up on a trend and
follow through with that," he notes. "In the end, those
are the bands that don't really get far because they get involved
with something they think they need to be a part of, but it doesn't
work. If you are not into what you are doing, then you aren't going
to go far. If we tried to play something I wasn't into, it would
be over real fast," he laughs.
Concludes Vigna, "We all like different types of metal music,
but we know what makes Immolation what it is and we know we have
to keep pushing that sound and direction to see results."
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