The Metal Crypt - Mörbid Vomit Interview

Interviews

Interview with guitarist Andre Lindgren
Interview conducted by Luxi Lahtinen

Date online: September 22, 2012

In death we trust, as the saying goes. Mörbid Vomit is a new, hopeful Death Metal act in an ever-growing line of bands that is creating serious noise in the Death Metal scene. Mörbid Vomit consists of experienced musicians that have earned their spurs in other bands and have chosen to perform their brand of Death Metal the old school way. It is unashamedly old-fashioned, brutal, and primitive and it reeks of corpses in a way that is a blast from the past. You can even recognize a few familiar names that have surely been an influence on these four gore and blood-soaked Finns.

How real is death in the morbid world of these death mongers? Let's begin our journey in the realm of Mörbid Vomit to find that out, and more, in the following interview with guitarist Andre Lindgren...

Luxi: Mörbid Vomit is a fresh new Finnish Death Metal outfit that was started in early 2012. Even though the band is new, three members have quite a lot experience from being in other bands. How did you find each other and end up forming Mörbid Vomit?

Andre: It was a drunken brainstorm between singer/guitarist Ville and drummer Teppo. We all knew each other from one place or another, so it was quite easy to gather the line-up. Even though the bass player has changed once already, Mörbid Vomit now has members that stand behind the music. All of us have years of experience from other bands such as The Zombi, Damngod and The Final Harvest, to name few. It was a common love for old school Death Metal that inspired us to form Mörbid Vomit.

Luxi: Was it clear from the beginning that if you put a band like Mörbid Vomit together, there wouldn't be any compromises, just a desire to capture the old vibe and feeling that made bands like Entombed, Bloodbath, Demonical and the likes?

Andre: Absolutely yes. Right from the beginning it was clear that the music of Mörbid Vomit would be full of blood and pus with and old school vibe. On the drawing board back in January, when we talked about starting Mörbid Vomit, things were a bit different. After a night of serious boozing the core idea we came up with was to record really lo-fi death metal with one microphone hanging from the ceiling. Super-primitive and simple stuff. But after one or two songs were ready it was clear that Mörbid Vomit wasn't going to take that road. The songs just took us in the direction where we are now.

Luxi: You have just released a 4-track promotional demo and it looks like the first page in the Mörbid Vomit history couldn't have been written any better. Fans who have heard it have pretty much dug the hell out of its ‘Sweden-ized' heavy and brutal Death Metal. Would you enlighten us a bit more about the recording process for this demo? Did you get the kind of demo recorded that was originally on your drawing board?

Andre: Originally we planned a weekend at our drummer's summerhouse where we would records songs just for ourselves, relax and get absolutely loaded, nothing too serious. We packed a van full of gear and as soon as we got there we started to assemble all the equipment and lay out the tracks. Late Saturday night, when all the instruments for "Blood Shall Be Shed" were recorded, we sat down and thought that this kicks so much ass, without any serious mixing, we should release it as a demo. We weren't expecting anything special, mainly because the sound was just from a laptop and few microphones, but once we heard the rough mixes the case was closed. The demo is just the way we wanted; low buzzy guitars, demonic vocals, explosive, slightly noisy overall atmosphere, etc. Everything you can find from old school Death Metal, but with a Mörbid Vomit twist.

Luxi: What about the band name Mörbid Vomit? Not that I am here to say you should change the name or anything, but on one hand it is kind of unoriginal but on the other hand it does have something really cool and old fashioned about it that reminds me of past underground Death Metal times. It fits in the same category as Bestial Vomit, Morbid Death, Vomit Christ, Mörbid Carnage, etc. I guess you chose this particular name to tie the band directly to the past Death Metal scene and, at the same time, separate Mörbid Vomit from the trendy metalcore bands that kids consider Metal nowadays. I am expecting to get some wiser words from you on this...

Andre: You know what you are going to get when you read the name Mörbid Vomit. I think that you will instantly get the association with the bands you mention above, and that is a good thing, in our opinion. One thing is clear and very few have asked for it; we're not going to change the name. I don't think that we chose Mörbid Vomit as way to separate us from the kinds of hybrids we have today, but more to underline our thing.

Luxi: Let's talk about the image Mörbid Vomit have; blood in the promotional pic you have poured all over you, spikes, penguin masks on some of your faces and shit. Undoubtedly it's important to make sure people get the right impression when they only see pictures of Mörbid Vomit, correct?

Andre: I think that the image must be in sync with the music. This was also a case where we wanted to highlight our music straight away. We could have taken more traditional promo pics, but this way the pictures definitely speak the same language as our music. You can't see our promo pics and think "Do these guys play acid jazz or something?"

Luxi: Do you consider the band's image equally as important as the music itself? I mean, a certain type image may speak a stronger language than the music itself?

Andre: Both are equally important. Both reinforce each other. Simple as that.

Luxi: Now that your first Mörbid Vomit demo has catapulted out from the catacombs, I suppose the next logical step is to get the band signed to some non-trendy record label that will stand behind the band 100%, and do all the necessary things to get Mörbid Vomit to the next level. Have you attracted some labels and are there any updates on Mörbid Vomit signing a deal?

Andre: Reception for the demo has been very positive and reinforces that we're on the right tracks. Nothing major has been discussed, but people seem to be really interested. The next logic step would be to get signed, but at the moment there are no updates. Stay tuned!

Luxi: Do you have many songs written, apart from those that are on your promotional demo?

Andre: At the moment we have few more songs ready, a few are without lyrics and a bunch more are works in progress. I think if everything goes as well as up to now we'll be recording new material later this year or early next year.

Luxi: Have you been pondering where you might record the band's next (full-length?) release? What kind of ideas do you have for it? I must admit that you guys do have a pretty darn killer musical recipe in your possession already.

Andre: As far as where to record the next release, I don't think that it really matters. Nowadays you can get really good results with so little hardware. You can build a studio almost anywhere you want. You just need people that know what they are doing. And what comes to ideas for next release, that's something we haven't really thought out. We just want to give the best we can. And I can assure you that the recipe will feature the same blood-filled, gore-charged old school atmosphere.

Luxi: Finnish Death Metal has truly been making a comeback these past 3-4 years or so. Stench of Decay, Vorum, Sotajumala, Winterwolf, Krypts, Gorephilia, Swallowed, and Cryptborn are only a few of the bands that have been riding on the wings of this second coming of Finnish Death Metal. Some have been kind of successful and some not as much. How has it been for Mörbid Vomit and is there much cooperation between you and the existing Death Metal bands as far as supporting each other and spreading names around? Is there an overall feeling of unity in the name and spirit of old-school Death Metal?

Andre: I don't know if we have found our place yet, but we're going to do a lot of work to push through. In my opinion there's always been a good and strong Death Metal scene in Finland. This is a small country where there is a lot of cooperation with other bands because everybody knows everybody. Not just in Death Metal but Metal in general.

Luxi: What kind of influence has past Finnish Death Metal had on Mörbid Vomit? During the early-to-mid 90's, the Finnish Death Metal scene was flooded with many acknowledged acts; Funebre, Sentenced, Abhorrence/Amorphis, Convulse, Xysma, Sacred Crucifix, Disgrace, Purtenance, Phlegethon, Rippikoulu and others are just the tip of the iceberg, as I am sure you know. Were you interested in the Finnish Death Metal back in the 90's?

Andre: I have to say that not so much the Finnish than the Swedish. But to name few, Sentenced and Amorphis were some of the band we grew up with. I don't think that's something you can hear from our music, but those were ones that kept us with metal music.

Luxi: Back to Mörbid Vomit. What goals have you set for the band over the next couple of years?

Andre: Get a record label and lots of gigs. That's probably the answer for all bands starting out. We do this for the love for music and we do everything the best we can. With that in mind, we have not made any overall goals. We're not going to try to force anything, but we are eagerly waiting if something big comes along. Meanwhile we'll do as many shows as possible and promote and spread the Mörbid Vomit disease.

Luxi: Playing gigs is important for the majority of bands. What does playing gigs give you, personally, and what can someone attending a Mörbid Vomit gig expect to see on stage? I'm guessing it isn't nearly as radical a show as one with bible-throwing, dismembered pig heads, virgin sacrifices and things like that or am completely I mistaken?

Andre: Playing live is the best thing there is. For me, personally, it's that feeling you get after a good show. I definitely don't view gigs as a necessary evil and I pity those who do. Mörbid Vomit gigs maybe aren't as radical as someone like GG Allin but definitely more brutal than Taylor Swift, for example. If, and when, you come to our show you will get an intensive and brutal Death Metal blast that most surely won't leave you cold.

Luxi: Do you prefer playing bigger events where they have 5-7 bands booked for one night or the type in which there's 2-4 bands on the bill? Does it really matter to you as long as you can get Mörbid Vomit booked for these live events?

Andre: It doesn't matter at all. You can't be too picky. But for birthday parties, you won't be seeing us. You know what I mean? (I guess I do. - Luxi)

Luxi: Against or for band reunions?

Andre: If there's a good reason for a reunion, why not!

Luxi: Well that's it for now, I think. Thank you for taking time to get this interview done and last, but not least, I want to sincerely wish you all the best with your future endeavours. If there's still something more you'd like to say in this interview, or simply just want to send some greetings to all the readers of The Metal Crypt, then here's your chance...

Andre: Thanks for this opportunity! You have really tight questions. Like I said before, hopefully we'll be recording new material soon, so stay tuned. It's going to kick some serious ass.

Other information about Mörbid Vomit on this site

Review: Doctrine of Violence