BLESSED BE THE UNBLESSED

Do you remember when death metal was young? Ah... Those were the times. The music did not necessarily have to be that complicated and feature supernatural instrumental talents, as is the case today. I think a wide selection of modern metal has become complicated, and some bands can be difficult and inaccessible to listen to. There seems to be an awful lot of attention to musical abilities these days. I don’t go for that. I’m searching for that special feeling some music provides for me. I don’t really care how many difficult riffs there is in a song, or how scary and occult a band can be. For me it is a certain feel. I like the term ‘less is more’, and I think it fits well with the music I like the most. Strip the fucker to the bone, and get rid of all the superfluous and indifferent filling. You could easily use the term to sum up Ribspreader’s easily accessible old-school death metal. The Swedes have pledged allegiance to the early nineties Swedish death metal scene, and this recipe for a basic form of metal has cooked many a Swedish death metal album through the nineties. But none just quite in the charming way that Ribspreader does it. I e-mailed singer Rogga to get the latest info from the blackboard at the ‘old school’.

# Describe Ribspreader’s music in your own words to those who have not been introduced to it. 

“Old-school death metal, plain and simple. Of course, we’re influenced by many different bands from different scenes but you can easily hear that the early Swedish death metal is what has mostly influenced us. I’d say we sound like a mix of Grave, Unleashed and Autopsy with maybe one or two original riffs thrown in the mix, haha. Or wait... no original riffs.” 

# Ribspreader have just released their second album Congregating the Sick on Karmageddon Records. In that connection you chose to put your other band Paganizer on a hold indefinitely. What were the main reasons for this decision?

 “From our point of view Paganizer has made some really good albums through the years, with the latest album being our most worked through release so far. Considering this we feel that apart from becoming a touring band there’s not much left for us to do, releasing a new album every year as a non-touring trio doesn’t feel very exciting at all. Unfortunately we’ve abandoned the idea of finding a functioning line-up with enough time to play gigs and rehearse properly. We’ve been trying from time to time with new members since we lost the line-up we had on Dead Unburied in 2002, but lack of time, motivation and personal shit always seem to fuck things up and then we’re back just recording a new album as a trio with no means to back it up properly in a live situation. Same actually goes for Ribspreader which, essentially, is only a project at this stage, with me as the only remaining member.”

# Except for the grind-parts, Paganizer and Ribspreader are rather similar musically, and even the band members are the same, so why not just continue under the Paganizer name? 

“The intention was that the bands would be not as alike as they eventually became. However, the last decision made was to go on as Ribspreader with the last remains of the Paganizer line-up, but that has been cancelled as well. I’m afraid the website is a bit out of date maybe, haha. Anyway, at this stage Paganizer is as mentioned on ice but I have never said anything about the band being completely dead. I have enough material for two more albums so I guess the only motivation I need is a label paying for the studio and layout and I might consider giving it a final try to find some members to back me up on a new album as well as some long overdue live shows. However, I doubt there is such interest in the band from any label. I mean, we’re not really one of those bands people list as faves and we haven’t written any classics.”

# What do you wish to communicate with the Congregating the Sick album artwork and title?

“Not much, really, than the same old-same old. Just the main theme I use in my lyrics: that people are retarded and refuse to think for themselves. Congregating the Sick can be considered just a line describing how religion manages to always gather the most disturbed people under one roof and then give them the means to freely oppress and violate others. You know, the basic shit humanity has been doing from the dawn of time.”

# Ribspreader have chosen not to play any concerts. For what reasons? And is there any chance that you might reconsider this decision in the future?

“As stated above the band is more like a collective or something than a real band right now. On the debut album former Paganizer member Andreas and Dan Swanö helped out and on this album Swanö and a new guy named Johan was involved. The idea was to have a separate line-up for live shows but that has proved to be hard to realize unfortunately. Kinda sad, really, as I think the opening song on the debut album would almost qualify as a classic track in catchy and brutal death metal. Would have been cool as hell to play that one live. The reconsidering aspect is as always open; if I find energy and members I might get a band together but I’m kinda too hooked on drinking and that consumes most my time, money and mental willpower. Shitty but true, haha.”

# What does the future hold for a band like Ribspreader and old-school death metal in general in your opinion?

“Well, for Ribspreader I have no idea really. For old-school death metal and all other brutal music I think it’ll be the same as always, though. In a year – or hopefully several years – it’ll sink back into the underground again and then even further ahead it might resurface. If not, that’s ok too. There will always be people listening to it and playing it anyway and that’s what counts. That people enjoy it and draw energy from it.” 

# You had the honour of working with Edge Of Sanity just recently. What can you tell us about that experience?

“Actually, that was before the creation of Ribspreader. Dan Swanö, whom I’ve known for some years as he’s been mastering the Paganizer albums, contacted me about helping him out on an album he was making. Later it turned out to be the Crimson II that was in the making and that was indeed cool for me as Edge Of Sanity have always been a one of my fave bands. The work was just during a couple of days where I did the growls, and also managed to talk him into doing some of his own after a few beers. Then I actually asked him to do the drums on the Ribspreader material as a favor and that’s basically how that band came to be.”

# The catastrophic tsunami in December 2004 took many victims and among them the Swedish producer and musician Mieszko Talarczyk (of Nasum fame), with whom you recorded Congregating the Sick. What was your reaction to the news of his death?

“Even if I didn’t knew him as well as his closer friends I considered him a friend, and I can only imagine then how this must feel for those close to him. It’s always sad when someone really talented dies and leaves a gaping hole like this. He did have immense quantities of unwritten music inside him I think and it’s a part of the tragedy that he will not be around to share this anymore.”

# Future plans and releases for Ribspreader?

“No plans at all, really. I think the label wants to get their money back on the album by selling as many as possible, of course, but from our side we have nothing planned in forms of releases or anything like that.”

# Any last comments, final thoughts and closing statements?

“Listen to Ribspreader (and Paganizer, of course) and drink fucking beer. That’s what I do, anyway.”

Conducted and written by Jester.