Thanks to Nuno from Caverna Abismal Records The Lair of Filth is once again proud to reveal an exclusive track stream and interview with another underground band - Spain's Arkaik Excruciation. Please read on for an insight into the band and access the track at the foot of the interview.
Interview by Trevor Proctor.
Hi, I hope all’s good with Arkaik Excruciation, thanks for taking the time to answer these questions for The Lair of Filth, it’s very much appreciated. For those reading who may not be familiar with the band could you please tell us a little about the band, its music and aims/beliefs?
A.E.: We are flesh on bone forced to exist; Art as a mean of cathartic experience is our way to redeem the Curse.
Am I correct in saying you performed under the name of Kill As One for close to four years and if so what led to the name change and what relevance does the name Arkaik Excruciation have to your music?
A.E.: Our music evolved towards a direction in which we needed a new name.
Arkaik Excruciation was formed during 2014 with your debut demo, ‘Among the Vortex of Chaos,’ being released in April of the same year, was all the material for the demo written before changing the band’s name?
M.S.: Yes.
K.: All the material was written even before we begin to exist. We just follow the vortex.
You seem to keep details of membership and identity fairly limited with all members being identified by only one or two initials; what do you feel the benefits are with doing so?
M.S.: It has no benefits.
K.: The main difference is that we can actually exist in different forms on the stage. Otherwise we only could be an amalgam of unconscious flesh and bones.
Your debut full length, ‘Cursed Blood of Doom,’ followed nearly two years later in March 2016, how happy are you with the final recording and how do you feel the band has changed and progressed between releases?
A.E.: Nothing has changed but the sound itself.
The album was initially released on digital formats then on vinyl via Duplicate Records and is now getting a CD release from Caverna Abismal Records, were all three format releases originally planned and how did you come to be signed to Caverna Abismal?
K.: As we said before, all was already written.
M.S.: The original attempt was the release on vinyl with Duplicate Records; if the album is on bandcamp it is only because digital promotion works. Then, Nuno (Caverna Abismal) heard the album and contacted us for a CD release.
Your logo is the creation of Serbian artist Željko Lučić, is he a friend of the band and how did you come to work with him, also, who designed the artwork for the album?
A.E.: The design on Cursed Blood of Doom was done by our ally Alejandro Tedín. Zeljko did our logo, we have been in contact with him for years, he is a nice guy true to himself.
Your music has been compared to the likes of Sadistic Intent, Sarcófago, Necrovore and early Morbid Angel – do you feel this is an accurate comparison and which bands, past or present, would you say have influenced your sound the most?
M.S.: The bands you mention are legends of the extreme heavy metal madness. They have, obviously, influenced somehow our music.
K.: It's our experience in life what had influenced us the most.
I’m aware your guitarist/vocalist M.S. also plays for Spanish bands Bodybag, Extrema Unción and Suspiral – are any other band members involved in other bands and do you think these bands will ever share a stage?
A.E.: M.S. and F. played together in Umbrage too. These bands will never share a stage.
M.S. – you were responsible for recording the album, how much added pressure did this bring to you and what do you feel are the advantages with recording being done independently?
M.S.: There is no added pressure. To record by ourselves is the only way to do it.
M.S. – you’re in multiple bands, between practising, recording and playing live, how the hell do you find time to have a private life and do you find it hard balancing your loyalty and time between so many groups?
M.S.: To will is to act.
As mentioned, Lóstregos and yourselves are both from Galicia, as is Suspiral, is this indicative of a strong underground movement in that area and how’s the extreme underground in Spain in general terms?
K.: Fine, thank you.
M.S.: There is not a strong u/g movement but there are good bands in Galiza. The same for Spain.
I see you’re due to play a gig on the 15th of October which also features Helde and Lóstregos – both Spanish bands and Lóstregos come from the same area as yourselves. Have you close connections with both and have you many other live dates planned for the rest of 2016 and into 2017?
A.E.: The people in Lóstregos are our friends. M.S. and Lb. share positions in Bodybag. M. and Y.I.V. are childhood friends.
Are there many up-coming Spanish underground bands you feel deserve a wider audience than they currently enjoy, bands for us to watch out for?
A.E.: “Up-coming” is not the term for the bands we will mention but… Sheidim, Black Earth and Emanation.
I see you supported one of my favourite bands, Possession (Belgium), during April 2015 - how was the gig in terms of your performance and did you get to watch the other bands on the bill?
A.E.: It was a good performance and we saw both Balmog (they performed a killer show, as usual), and Possession.
What do you set out to achieve when playing live, have you played many gigs previously and which have been your favourites so far?
A.E.: Our aim is to close the Circle; defend our music properly. We have played infinite live shows as Kill As One in the past in our country and a couple in southern France and Barcelona. As Arkaik Excruciation we did less gigs but better, we can’t have favourites.
What are your plans for the rest of 2016 and what are your ambitions and aims for the next few years?
M.S.: Actually, we don’t know or care about it.
K: We just follow the vortex stream.
If you had the chance to share a stage with any four bands, past or present, which four would you select and why?
A.E.: Difficult question… We don’t know… probably Mighty Sphincter, Beherit, Naked Whipper and 80’s Swans.
Our underground is healthier than ever with seemingly more new bands than before – what do you think has led to this growth in popularity and do you think extreme metal will still have the same audience in five years’ time?
A.E.: We don’t know. Extreme metal has no audience here.
If you had the choice of releasing your music in the early 1990’s or in the present which would you select and why?
A.E.: We don’t care but… we would rather choose to release our music in the XIII century, Mongolian people kicked ass back then.
2016 is proving to be an even more prolific year than 2015 in terms of extreme music releases, which have you enjoyed most so far this year and which future releases are you looking forward to?
M.S.: One of my favs of 2016 is the new Puce Mary album. The best releases of 2016 are coming from: Head of the Demon, Howls of Ebb, Emanation, Suspiral, Black Earth, Vatican Shadow, Miguel A. Garcia, Raime...
Thanks again for your time in answering these questions and also for your interest in The Lair of Filth, any closing comments are all yours….
A.E.: Thank you for your interest in Arkaik Excruciation and the release of ‘Cursed Blood of Doom’. Best wishes to you and The Lair of Filth.
Contact: amongthevortexofchaos@gmail.com
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