With two good demo tapes under their belt, Spanish outfit Vomit Messiah have proven, as far as I am concerned, to be a more than worthy continuation of what we can safely call the “Spanish Tradition” in Bestial Black/Death Metal. Anyone who cannot get enough of the unpolished and rugged tunes in the vein of Blasphemy, Vomitor, Beherit, Goatlord, Von and, of course, their Spanish musical ancestors Teitanblood and Proclamation, can indulge to their fullest with Vomit Messiah. I spoke to the band about what drives them and what else we can expect next from this illustrious ensemble…
Hi there, before we go into the music of Vomit Messiah let’s start with something more general. The music you have presented us on both your demos will feel quite familiar to many as it feeds on a few well-known examples in the Black/Death Metal genre – sometimes also called Bestial or War Black Metal. What made you start this band and pursue this particular sound?
The concept behind Vomit Messiah arose one day when the members of the band were together and decided to create the darkest and bestial music we could. The intention was also to be as spontaneous and pure as possible, so all the material we have recorded so far was composed on the same day as the recording itself, in order to achieve that feeling of purity.
Obviously, your music has clearly been influenced by the Black/Death Metal overlords like Blasphemy, Beherit, old Impaled Nazarene, Archgoat, Sarcófago and the likes. How would you describe the process of getting the essential cornerstones of the genre into your own Vomit Messiah songs?
We’ve always followed the more brutal scene, so it was easy to get that sound. In the end we have been listening to that music for many years and we have internalized that sound a lot, it emerges practically spontaneously. Furthermore, using the composition method that I mentioned in the previous question, that is, composing the same day we record helps to achieve that purer, simpler vision without any additions. It was like loading a gun and shooting without looking, creating chaos and madness.
In my review for ‘Demo II’ I mentioned a, to me, quite evident difference in sound. The first demo had a very massive, yet still raw sound, whereas the second demo has a sharper sound. Consequently, ‘Demo II’ has a more prominent Black Metal feel to, extra emphasised by the whispered/hoarse vocal approach. Was this all a deliberate choice or did it just appear this way?
You are partly right but partly you are not. The two demos were composed and recorded on the same day, so there really was no specific intention when it came to composing one song or another, but it is true that we decided to give meaning to the two tapes by splitting those songs between those two sides, one more massive and another sharper and more violent. The vocals are also an element that marks the character of those songs a bit and we also decided to mark the soul and sound of those two demos with slightly different mixes. It can also be seen in the use of some keyboards and atmospheres, which are a little different from one demo to another. But I insist once again, both demos were recorded and composed at the same time, the work came later when determining which songs should go on one demo or another.
Picking up on the previous question, is this more Black Metal oriented direction where we can find Vomit Messiah on future recordings as well?
We don’t know… in the end it will depend on what comes up when composing and we are going to continue using the same method trying to be as impulsive and thoughtless as we can, so we can’t say what it will sound like. It is clear that we will always look for that primal atmosphere of black and the most primitive death metal, when there was no difference between both styles.
What I also particularly loved in the music of both of your demos is a profound sense of dynamism. Where lots of bands go for full blown chaos and big walls of sound, you seem to use slower parts as well as some eerie melodies to enrich the music and consequently making it more versatile without losing any of its barbaric character. Do you recognize such an observation? And how would you yourself compare to other bands playing the same ball game?
Yes, you are right!!. One of the objectives we were looking for was to find that dynamic. To achieve it, the essential thing is the change of rhythms, that is what determines the dynamic. Slayer was a band that did that perfectly, and of course Beherit. There are bands that also achieve an overwhelming effect through monotony and repetition like Black Witchery or Von, in fact at some point we used it, but we wanted to look for something more vigorous and changing. Like a penis in the process of erection.
I mentioned a few things in which I think you progressed from the first to the second demo. But is there anything else that you think that sets ‘Demo II’ apart from your first demo? I can imagine that you as one of the musicians see things quite in a different way than like the relative outsider that is me, a listener…
The second demo may have a more ritualistic and at times rhythmic character by using those parts inspired by Mystifier of Profanatica, those passages give it that somewhat more sinister aspect compared to a more violent character of the songs from the first demo.
Also clearly inspired by Blasphemy, all three of you go under quite long pseudonyms. But because of this, and of course that is part of the whole mystique, it is hard to link you to any other musical activities, past or present. But I am quite convinced that you have gained some experience in other bands before. Is there anything you can tell about this?
We prefer to keep that information under a veil, we can only say that some of us started playing more than 25 years ago.
Spain might not have the biggest metal scene but at least has offered some outstanding Black/Death Metal in the form of some of the best acts in the scene: Teitanblood and Proclamation, but also bands like Supremative and Opositor come to mind. How does this native scene influenced and inspired you? And how do you see Vomit Messiah taking position in the Spanish scene?
We have relationship with some of these bands and it is clear that in one way or another they can influence us, but it is not necessary to cover any space within the Spanish scene, in fact, there are members in Vomit Messiah who are not Spanish. But for us the important thing is not to be part of one scene or another, but simply to create chaos and blasphemy.
Speaking of sources of inspiration: what is Vomit Messiah primarily based on when it comes to non-musical influences for the visual and lyrical aspect of the band?
Our main influence is the image of Satan vomiting blood on the face of Christ while he ejaculates on the cross.
In our quick conversation prior this interview you have mentioned that later on in the year both demos will be compiled on CD as well and that you are looking for a label to get them both out on vinyl as well. Can you reveal a bit more details on this already? So, when and through what label will they see the light of day? Will it be any different from the original tape versions?
We are still working on that edition, so we can’t give more details, but the idea is to release both demos in their original state with artwork very similar to the demos, but in essence everything will be the same. We find it interesting to be able to have those two demos together since they really belong to the same moment of the band and it makes sense that they could be together. Being able to release that material on vinyl would be great too, let’s see if we can do it this year.
While you already revealed that both demos will eventually end up on a CD together, is there anything else in the works for Vomit Messiah?
The next step is to release these two demos on CD together. We are working with a Latin American label but we would also like to have a possible European edition on both CD and vinyl, so we are open to it. In the medium term our idea is to release a full-length album in 2025 and maybe, some splits so our intention is to give continuity to the band, continue composing and releasing material. We don’t want to be a simple project but a strong entity slowly take shape and grow like a cancer.
Thanks for sharing this time with me, if you have the feeling I left out anything or like to add something, I’m leaving the last words to you: the stage is yours…
Feed chaos with more chaos.
