First of all, congratulations for your new creation, it’s one of a few that respect the standards of progressive death metal, please tell us the story of the band, how it all start?
Balázs: Saludos Pest webzine! Thank you for your kind words! Mephitic Grave got started in 2018 when Zoli and I decided to form a death / doom metal band. We have known each other for 17 years. At the beginning we used Mothrot as a band name. We played for a while as a duo and then Knot joined us on guitar. In December of 2019 Ádám joined us on bass and vokills. We changed the band name to Mephitic Grave in 2020. I think this name sounds much more brutal, old school-ish and weird than Mothrot.
Zoli: Cheers and thank you for this interview! It’s a little bit strange saying our music is somewhat progressive, as I never thought of myself as a guitarist to be progressive or technical, I’m rather narrowminded in this regard, haha!
Our band started as a duo with me and Balázs on drums in 2018. Back then we chose the name MOTHROT, but as Knot joined on guitars and Ádám on bass and vocals in 2019 we felt the name should be changed to a better one that describes our visions better and gives people an idea what we are up to. So Mephitic Grave was born and the final line-up seemed to be fruitful.
How will you described your new creations?
Balázs: Old school death/doom metal, influenced by the old Finnish death metal bands and Lovecraft novels. The musical interpretation of the oldest and strongest kind of fear. Screamings of lovecraftian shadows from below the monoliths of Kadatheron.
Zoli: You mean our debut album? Well there is a description of the album that I wrote to our label who asked for it as a promotional text. I think that describes the album perfectly: “Beyond the familiar world of the insignificant, something unimaginable lurks. A metadimensional entity, the ultimate and utmost horror from aeons before matter. It feasts upon madness, sorrow and fear of mankind. Every single teardrop, every single drop of blood shed through violence, materializes it’s earthly manifestation: brick by brick, the palace of inhuman morbidity arises where the most ancient ones dwell. Stepping through its threshold, you're entering the atrium of unspeakable terror... this is where your monstrous journey begins. This is the atrium of inhuman morbidity.”
Is there good compositions or bad compositions on it? (in my opinion they aren’t)
Balázs: This will be decided by our fans and listeners. I love all of our songs. We got very good feedbacks so far.
Zoli: No, there are no bad composition on the album. If I would feel that way, that song would not be appeared on the album. Of course, there are parts that I would may change now, or play some riffs different but I guess this would be true after the 10th album. Yeah, we are pretty much satisfied with the result!
Would you be so kind to explain what every song is all about?
Ádám: With the album title we symbolically started the path, we want to walk. As the gates open and you enter the realm of horrors, suddenly you face this tremendous monstrosity and terror and at the very same time the gate closes behind you. This moment has been compressed in this album, and this is what “Into the Atrium of Inhuman Morbidity” stands for. The intro and outro give a perfect framing to this concept.
What themes do lyrics approach?
Zoli: The whole concept of the album was built upon Lovecraftian elements, but within that no specific directions. There are lyrics dealing with madness from different aspects, creatures of other dimensions lurking in the dark and so on.
The productions is also very good, did you have good time in studio?
Balázs: It was a funny and smooth recording session with many laughing and some beers. Our guitarist Knot did a very good job with the mastering and mixing.
Zoli: We recorded the album in Knot’s basement workshop, so it was a familiar environment that is really important to not be stressed, haha! He also did the mastering and we are really proud of that. I think it went pretty fast: every instrument took 1-2 days, so the recording was done basically in a week, and another 1-2 week for the mastering and that’s it!
What can we expect from your new album, will be in the same line with your latest?
Balázs: We already have 5 new songs and I must say that our style will be pretty much the same on the second album. Obscure, grimly atmosphere and old school sound.
Zoli: The next album will follow the path of the debut album. Cannot really say too much about it as we have around 5 news songs but no lyrics so far. I think the songs will be longer this time, and their structures will be a bit more complex…maybe.
What hobbies do you have except music, by the way your favorite musicians are?
Balázs: I’ve run a fanzine and a small label since 2010/11. My all-time favourite drummer is Dave Lombardo. From death metal perspectives I love such drummers like Chris Reifert, Martin Kearns (RIP), Kimmo Heikkinen (Abhorrence), Sean Reinert (RIP), Mikko Virnes (Demilich), etc.
Zoli: Man, I have plenty of shit to do to waste my time and money, haha! I like gardening even if I suck in that, haha! I’m collecting medals from the first half of 20th century, graphics as well. Nowadays I’m back in sportbetting to give some excitement to my life, haha!
I never had any favourite musicians, though I like many. The mightiest black metal riffs were coming from Infernus, the thrash legend Jeff Hannemann cannot be beaten. Jack Owen’s riffs on Cannibal Corpse early albums are groundbreaking.
The cover illustration is interesting, who’s ideas were and the meaning?
Zoli: The coverart was done by Raul Gonzalez from Barcelona. He made a fantastic job and was very easy to work with him! We built up a concept of the album, Ádám made some sketches and desciptions and we sent it to Raul and he really got we meant! The artwork is a perfect illustrion for the album title: a monstrous landscape with an architecture of horrors.
In the end, you have the final word for all our readers…
Balázs: Thanks for the interview! The world is fucked up, but it’s our own fault. Be free and stay death!
Zoli: Thank you again for the support and interesting questions!
DEATH METAL – NO COMPROMISE!
Interview by Ionut Dimitriev
Answers by:
Zoli - guitars
Balázs – drums
Ádám - vocals/bass
May 2021