Greetings Paul, thanks for taking a bit of time to answer my questions. How are you lately? How was your first 2010 month?
Hello Adrian. I've been very busy, but doing well, thanks. So far so good this year. Writing music & working, mostly.
Let's get into the subject right away. Jugular Appetizer, your band's first name, was founded in 1997. Back then Death Metal was becoming more and more underground so why choosing it?
The fact that death metal was becoming more underground never even occurred to me/us. We were just doing what came natural. I always was a huge death metal fan and no matter how underground it became was & still is irrelevant. It is in my blood.
Were you influenced by the end '80's - beginning of the '90's Death Metal movement? Which bands were in your playlist back then, so which bands influenced you?I was very influenced by bands from that time period. I was born in 1973, so by 1985 & onward I was starting to buy cassettes &/or vinyl with my allowance money or however I could get my hands on them. Possessed, Bathory, Carcass, Sodom, Death, Autopsy, Napalm Death, Kreator, Mercyful Fate, Destruction, Morbid Angel, Dream Death, Godflesh, Infernal Majesty, Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, and several others were all in my possession & still are.
I know J.A. was not your first attempt to get in the underground movement. Please tell us about the Crematorium days a bit, too.
'Crematorium' started in 1992(when I joined, the band name was 'Innoculant', but I quickly persisted in changing the name to 'Crematorium'). Tom Tangalos asked me about doing vocals and I did. At the time, Mike Mazylewski was the bassist & the drummer was Joe Hernandez who went on to play for 'Novembers Doom' for a while. Shortly after I joined, Joe was replaced by Michael "Bats" Martocci who ended up later playing for 'Disinter'. I also recruited Chris Mull(who is the current guitarist for Morgue Supplier) to join the ranks.
In 1993 we recorded the demo "Baptism of the Oppressed", but not long after, Chris & Mike Maz were replaced by Tom Leski on second guitar & Russ Powell on bass & we changed our name to Embodied. In 1994 we recorded an 8 song demo but never released it, as internal issues in the band surfaced and we disbanded. The two Tom's & Russ went on to form 'Gorgasm', while Bats & myself went on to form 'Jugular Appetizer'.
What can you recall about your first and only demo as J.A.? Tell us about its recordings sessions, production and promotion/distribution. Is it still available anywhere for purchase?
The first demo was recorded by me in 1999. It was raw as fuck, but definitely showed the potential of the band. There were 6 of us in the band at the time & I recorded it on a 4 track tape, so it was quite a task, but a good piece of our history. I have the demo in my possession but we didn't circulate it too much as I knew better things were to come with future recordings. It was a building block.
Why changing your band name and why Morgue Supplier? Who came up with the new name?
Well, Jugular Appetizer was a song title & so was Morgue Supplier. I ended up deciding to make the name change because 'Jugular Appetizer' felt more like a song title than a band name, so I went with 'Morgue Supplier' as I liked it better anyways. I came up with the name.
I saw you had lots of line-up changes. Why? Anyone of the old members in particular you still regret?
Yeah, so many lineup changes it's ridiculous. I think we've gone through 12 members or something like that. I am the only original member. The reasons are too many to recall, but it usually boiled down to a lack of dedication in most cases. As far as regrets, the only one would be Bats. We started this together & he was one of my best friends. He changed a lot & went his own way in 2002. I've only spoken to him on the phone once & haven't seen him since.
What's the current line-up? Do you think this one is a steady enough one?Eric Bauer - Drums
Chris Mull - Guitar
Steve Reichelt - Bass
Paul Gillis (myself) - Vocals
This is by far the tightest lineup yet & the one that created the new album "Constant Negative", so I sure hope it remains.
Another lineup change would not be good right now.
How would you describe Morgue Supplier's style, how do you see the band evolution during the years? Are you all happy and proud of your current level?
Our style is brutal-death-grind. We have a semi-technical element to us at times as well. We don't like to play a bunch of useless show-off riffs, but we do like to mix things up a bit(for instance, the title track on the new ep "Constant Negative" displays this quite adequately, I believe).
Our evolution mainly is in our abilities & our tightness as a unit. The premise of bruality has been there from day one, we are just much better at channeling it now. I would definitely say that we are happy with our current level, but there is always room for improvement. If you stop improving, you're finished.
Tom from Nokturnel recommended us your band in a previous interview for Pest Webzine. He's a pretty legendary guy in the scene, how do you feel being in his top preferences? Do you know each other?
Glad to hear that. It's always nice to be appreciated for what you do, so a big thanks to Tom. I do not know him personally, but I do enjoy his music & what he stands for.
Are any of your prior releases (with morgue Supplier) still available for purchase? Where from? How do you feel about your previous releases.
Yes, all 3 of our previous releases are still available. 2001's "Not Dead Enough" EP, 2004's "Sociopath" full-length & 2006's "The End of the World" EP are all available for purchase @ www.myspace.com/morguesupplier or by emailing us @ msupplier@aol.com.
I like all the previous releases in their own way. It's interesting to look back & see the progression to the present day.
You're now signed with Necrotic Records. Please tell us a bit about your deal. How do you feel they helped your band until now?
Necrotic helped us on the money end of things with getting the new cd out, as well as hooking us up with other distros such as Deathgasm records, Mutilated records, & Murder records. P.J. runs the label & is a great guy, but we will probably be looking elsewhere to release our next album. Nothing against P.J. or Necrotic, but we are looking for some tour support & more promotion/marketing in the future.
Please present us your latest release, "Constant Negative", what should we know about it?"Constant Negative" is the culmination of many years of trials and tribulations & hard work. We busted our ass on this album & know it is by far our best. Eric Bauer(drums) & myself recorded, mixed, & mastered it.
If you are into bands such as 'Gorguts', old 'Cryptopsy', 'Brutal Truth', etc.. & want a little extra intensity & variety, you will be into us. Guaranteed.
Why choosing an old Metallica song (great song!) to cover for this EP? Who came up with the idea?
"Fight Fire with Fire" is a classic & I have always loved the energy of it. I brought up the idea of covering it to the guys & they agreed.
How do you promote the band and in particular this latest release? I saw some pretty cheerful comments on it, are you happy about the reactions so far?
Mainly by sending it out to reviewers like yourself & through Myspace. It's hard to obtain a steady flow of sales without a bigger label pushing the marketing boundaries, so we do what we can on our own.
Yeah, we've been receiving plenty of reviews lately & for the most part they have been really good. A few mediocre ones in there as well, but you can't please everybody, no matter what you release.
What do you do beside Morgue Supplier? How's your day by day life?
By trade, I am an Elevator Constructor. That is how I earn most of my money. Playing Death Metal isn't a big money making field, as I'm sure most people know, but it's what I enjoy doing, and have been doing so for the last 18 years. My nights usually consist of spending time with my wife, or practicing/rehearsing/recording with one of my bands.
Please tell us about your other projects/bands, too.
Here are my other main bands/projects I am involved with most extensively:
'Drug Honkey' is a psychedelic/death/doom band started in 1999. If you had ever wished 'Pink Floyd' had made an extreme doom album, you'll probably like us. www.myspace.com/drughonkey
'Asscavern' is a noisegrind project that I have been doing on & off since 1998. Just imagine the harshest sounds & most intense speeds, mixed with disgusting humor. www.myspace.com/asscavern
'KLLU' is a dark/electronic project that me & the drummer from 'Drug Honkey' started in 2003. If you like Mick Harris' 'Scorn', you'll like this project.
What are your plans with Morgue Supplier for 2010. Necrotic mentions a tour, is it going to happen sometimes soon? Where?We are playing the 20th anniversary Michigan DeathFest in July. We will also be playing several other shows as throughout the year, but right now we are promoting the new EP, and also already writing and arranging new material for the upcoming full-length that we hope to release by the end of 2010.
As far as a tour, Necrotic has not given us any info on that. It would be great, but I'll believe it when I see it.
The final words are yours, please tell the readers where they can reach you and/or buy your EP.
Thanks for the in-depth interview & massive support Adrian.
Much appreciated & Hail.
For all the readers out there, listen & decide for yourselves @ www.myspace.com/morguesupplier or contact me direct @ msupplier@aol.com. You can purchase our cd's & t-shirts from either of the above contacts.
2010 should be a great fucking year for us. With the growing popularity of our recent "Constant Negative" EP & our plans to record an even sicker full-length, things are looking way up. It's about time!!! Thanks for reading & come check us out soon.
Paul Gillis,
-Morgue Supplier-
Interviewed by Adrian
February 2010