NEKROFEIST was forged in the industrial
heartland of Australia’s East Coast. Despite having crossed paths individually
at various points in their musical careers, it wasn’t until 2008 that the band
hit upon the current lineup; consisting of Dave Tinelt (vocals), Damon Bishop
(guitar), Paul Gilroy (drums) and Rob Giles (bass). They found among themselves
a common desire to create intense, heavy music that drew from classic thrash
metal of the past, yet with a modern twist.
It all began in mid-2008 when the band entered Main Street Studios with
engineer Adam Jordan (Nick Oliveri, Crash Tragic) to record their first track,
entitled Nerve Rack. After mastering the audio at Sterling Sound in New York, a
video for the song was produced with award-winning videographer Daniel
Cartwright behind the lens. Dark and confronting with a classic horror theme,
the video was aired on both free-to-air and cable music programs multiple times
and earned the band a solid underground following. A raucous local launch gig
was soon held for the band at their local pub, where the band played to a
packed room of local supporters and metal fans.
2009 saw the band kick things up a gear with a renewed sense of determination.
The band re-entered Main Street Studios once again to record their follow-up to
Nerve Rack, titled Kills Everything. The mastering was overseen by UE Nastasi
at Sterling Sound, New York. A companion video was produced again with Dan
Cartwright, this time set in a forest nearby their homes. The video received
heavy rotation on Rage and generated more attention for the band, helping to
earn them an indigenous arts opportunity via Gadigal Music in Sydney. By the
end of the year Nekrofeist had entered Gadigal Studios to record their debut EP
with Producer Ash Manning (Tourettes) and Engineer Lachlan Mitchell (Naxzul,
Henry’s Anger).
By 2010, Nekrofeist’s debut EP was ready to be released to an unsuspecting
Australian metal audience. The CD was unveiled in stores throughout Australia
via MGM distribution and iTunes, to strong critical acclaim.
“Nekrofeist hit a different stride from the thrash revivalists... these
Australian metalheads have a lot in common with the first wave of thrash.” –
Terrorizer Magazine
“If I were at a gig hearing this, I would buy it!” - Mystic Metal
“The songs strongly suggest a band to watch.” – Drum Media
“…quite strong, especially for a debut… catchy, coherent and well structured.”
- The Metal Forge
“I can see a big crowd moshing along to this at an outdoor summer festival for
sure.” – My Global Mind.com
A string of local and interstate launch gigs gave Nekrofeist a chance to bring
their new material to a live audience, where the songs from their EP were very
well received. The EP also enjoyed radio airplay courtesy of TripleJ, ABC
National Radio and many other local radio stations.
Nekrofeist’s blistering track Government Ruins was included in a compilation
album celebrating the 20th Anniversary of ABC Radio National’s Speaking Out
program, distributed by Universal Music in Australia. Nekrofeist were also
invited to perform at the compilation’s prestigious launch event, held at the
historic Studio 22 in ABC Studios, Ultimo. The black tie event was attended by
politicians, executives and past and present ABC Management.
The success of the Speaking Out compilation propelled the song Government Ruins
into areas the band had never dreamt of, particularly inflight radio. Both
Qantas (International) and Virgin airlines featured the track in their inflight
radio systems, exposing the band to new listeners with every takeoff.
On Australia Day 2011 Nekrofeist performed at the annual Yabun festival in
Sydney’s Victoria Park. In the event’s ten year history, Nekrofeist are the
first metal act to play at the event, which in 2010 attracted an audience of
over 15,000 people. Nekrofeist are excited to have the opportunity to present
their music to a new audience, in a daytime festival, on such an important
national holiday.
In 2012, Nekrofeist entered the studio with producer Darren P. Jenkins to
record their debut album, titled "Without Reserve Or Regret". As the
title suggests, this album is as direct as possible and pulls no punches
musically or lyrically.
Nekrofeist are primed and ready to hit the stage to showcase their powerful new
music. In 2012 Nekrofeist intends to play any and every stage they can get to.
Nekrofeist Timeline:
2008
*Recorded the track “Nerve Rack” at Main St. Studios.
*Produced video clip and received rotation on Rage and Channel V.
*A packed local launch gig introduces the band.
2009
*Recorded the track “Kills Everything” at Main St. Studios.
*Produced video clip and received rotation on Rage and Channel V.
*Awarded an Indigenous Arts prize through Gadigal Music, leading to the
recording of their debut CD.
2010
*Debut EP is released to positive reviews.
*Government Ruins is included on the Speaking Out compilation album.
*Nekrofeist perform at the Speaking Out launch event, held at Studio 22.
*Government Ruins is included in both Qantas and Virgin Airlines’ in-flight
radio entertainment.
2011
*The first ever metal band to perform at the annual Yabun festival in Victoria
Park, Sydney, on Australia Day.
*Both promo music videos make their debut on MTV Classic's Headbangers Ball
program in Australia, Asylum TV, Bright House Cable Network in the USA and
Tape.TV in Germany.
*Nekrofeist's debut EP is given a glowing 7/10 review in UK metal bible
TERRORIZER.
*Government Ruins is included on Terrorizer's March cover CD 'Fear Candy'.
*Kills Everything is included on the Helter Smelter 2 compilation.
*Choke is included on the Euphony Fusion 4 compilation.
*Destroyed is included on Drum Media cover compilation cd for the month of
October.
Description
A proud Australian metal band, based in
New South Wales. New album due in 2012!
Here i got answer interview from Dave Tinelt (Vocals) and Rob Gilles (Bass). And i am glad to find it and also it's good answer. Lets check it out now ....
H
John Yoedi : Hi there. Thanks first of all for agreeing
to this interview. And I Hope you are well there. Kieran James (Australia) and
I share for this blog. Anyway, How are things going at the moment for
NEKROFEIST camp? And many congratulations on the new album ‘Without Reserve Or
Regret’, you guys must be really pleased with the way it’s turned out. What was
recording process like and who was responsible for production and
mastering?
Dave Tinelt : Thanx mate, alls going really well here for us rite
now.the recording process is done thankfully cause it was really long hours in
the studio, its something ive learnt to endure over the years, it was worth the
monotony as you can well hear that it turned out better than we anticipated
thanx to jenk.. a real master of his craft.
Rob Giles : Thanks for the opportunity, John! Most of
the focus is on rehearsing our set at the moment, it’s coming along really well
and sounding great. Yes, we’re really pleased with how the album turned out,
it’s got a great metal sound and it contains many more dimensions than your
average metal album. Credit has to go to our Producer Darren ‘Jenk’ Jenkins for
the magnificent job he did during recording and also in post production and
mixing. Our Mastering Engineer Matthew Gray also had a big hand in fine tuning
the final product, making a big, fat sound that stands up to all the other
international metal bands out there.
JY : How would you describe the sound of the new
album ?
DT : We know its heavy, angry and everything we
wanted it to be, but its more of wat other people think its sounds like, its
real interesting feedback.
RG : Our intention was simply to out-do our
earlier EP, but with Jenk we’ve really stepped things up a few notches, that’s
for sure. To me, the album’s sound is a natural progression from the earlier
material. It retains enough of our earlier sound to be familiar to the existing
fans, but at the same time it is polished and more professional so it shows the
progress we’ve made since then. The songwriting has developed a lot as well.
JY : What is the main difference, but also
similarities between ‘Without Reserve Or Regret’ and your previous album
‘Nekrofeist EP’ (2010) ?
DT : Id have to say that the main difference would be
the overall sound, we were given every opportunity this time round to mess with
difrent ideas where as the ep we had limited time to achieve what we could
which really wasn’t a bad outcome though it gave us a really strong platform to
to build on. the similarities are obvious.
RG: Aside from improving the overall sound and
production approach, we have really focussed on our songwriting for this album.
Very early on, Damon and I discussed the angles we wanted to take and the areas
we wanted to pay the most attention with these songs. Above all, we wanted this
album to have light and shade, very broad contrasts in melody and dynamics. We felt
that an album length should give us the space to show some variety. You can see
we were attempting that sort of approach on the earlier EP, with only twenty
minutes to fill we really tried to squeeze a lot of musical elements in there –
but on this album we’ve experimented with different tunings and rhythms. We’re
always challenging ourselves.
JY: The songs on your new album have a very
cohesive feel. It feels like the entire band is completely on the same musical
wavelength in terms of working towards one sound and feeling. What is the
songwriting process of NEKROFEIST ?
RG: Most songs start with an idea or a catchy
riff between Damon and I, there are exceptions but that’s generally the way we
work. We might bounce it back and forth and discuss the feel, what direction it
needs to go, or how we could develop it in the course of a song. We also like
to look back at our work to date and try things we haven’t done yet. Another
thing we like to do is look at our live set list and consider the flow, we
think “wouldn’t it be cool if we had a song that….” filled whatever void we
feel is there. We’ll get to together with Paul (drums) and piece together the
ideas to try and get a flow happening. Once we have a very simple arrangement
we give it to Dave so that he can start finding vocal melodies and lyrics that
work. When he’s ready to progress with it we get together as a band, arrange
the song and record a rough demo. Sometimes we make more tweaks though the
course of rehearsing and performing the song live. The exceptions to this
process would be songs like Headless Parabolic Man (the final song on the
album), which were arranged and structured very meticulously prior to any
lyrics being written. For that song Damon, Paul and I had a very specific
vision about what we wanted to create. I explained to Dave exactly what we
wanted lyrically and after some initial trepidation he nailed it. It’s still
one of my favourites, I’m very proud of that song and proud of the guys for
stepping out if the comfort zone on it.
JY : Who did compose the music and the lyrics ?
RG : The easy answer is to say all our songs are
a group effort. For this album, Dave wrote the vocal melodies and lyrics, while
we three handled the musical side.Having said that, all the songs were shaped,
arranged and fine tuned as a group, in a room together.
DT : Historically we all have a hand in writing and
arranging the music, improdominately responsible for the lyrical
content, though this time i got rob to inject some input on a couple of the
songs which is cool to have a difrent angle
RG :
Occasionally I write lyrics if I hear our rough arrangement and feel strongly
enough about an idea I’ll put it on paper and discuss it with Dave. If I write
lyrics I always leave space for Dave to put his stamp on it, I’ll never hand
him finished lyrics.
JY : Would you categorize your music to be part
of a greater concept that you would like to present ? If I am not wrong I can
hear your sound like Pantera, Anthrax and Megadeth.
DT : Our influences are blatant in our work
RG : Sure, those bands are an influence on us and
it’s flattering to be compared to our heroes like that. We want to define our
own sound though. I wouldn’t say our work is part of a greater concept, but we
are definitely developing and refining our sound as we progress.
JY : When did this band start and did any of you
play in any previous bands ? Give us a short history if you will. And is there
any story behind the band’s name ?
DT : I started this band back in 2008 after 6 years of singing
covers, i had to get out and spread my metal wings cause i knew i just didn’t
wanna be in a cover band forever, i definitely created a little following which
was cool, so wen i migrated and formed nekrofeist it already had a small army,
mostly it was the older generation that were into the heavier side of music to
start with so when i unvieled the news to produce something metal they too
could be personally part of it was a really good start. i set out to find 2
guitarists for my band that i was going back to play drums in, i knew a
guitarist i had in mind for the job right away (hey rick!!) rick and i had
jammed a number of times previously and is great at what he does which made my
choice obvious. individually handpicking people for the task was easy having
been surrounded by a lot of very talented musicians. rick unfortunately had to
leave to honour his commitments in other projects at the time which i
appreciate, by that time we had already started writing with our second axe
man damon bishop, i had
previously been a drummer in a band that damon was already in and we shared the
same passion for metal. now going back to fronting the band we needed a drummer
so damon suggested paulgilroy who i got along with right away. paul had a
fluent style i found i could relate to. after a short stint with bassist chris
who came by us through advertising, damon suggested rob giles for our bassist
who in one motion at a testament gig, i had walked straight up to him and asked
if he wanted to join the band and then introduced myself in that order. so after a few member changes
(which most bands experience) we solidified into the powerful unit people hear
today.
RG : Paul (drums) and I had been in a band together
before, and I knew Damon really well because he’d been in a band with my
brother. I had heard Dave sing in his cover band too, so before joining
Nekrofeist I had a good idea of what they were capable of as a group. When I
joined they had recorded one song (for which I later overdubbed the bass), made
one video clip and had played one gig that was mostly covers. I’d seen their
clip on TV and I was very proud of these guys I knew for achieving that. So in
my mind I had this impression that they were a big-time, serious outfit but it
turned out they didn’t even have enough songs to play a set of originals. I was
pretty amazed, but on the upside- for me it was like starting with a new band.
The slate was relatively clean when I joined and we’ve come a long way since
then.
DT : As far as the name nekrofeist goes, the story is that i wanted
something that reflected what i wanted and what i been through. i included the
terminologies in the cd booklet of our new album so if you want that info
you’ll have to buy it!
JY : What gears do you use to record and do you
used the same amp/guitars etc for live shows ?
RG : Yes, the gear we played in the studio is the
same gear we use live. I have a couple of modded Yamaha Basses I use, and a new
David Eden rig which I love to bits. I also use a Sansamp to shape my sound.
Damon has a couple of rigs; a Rocktron Prophecy for a processed sound and a
Randall T2 for balls. He also has two US-made Randall cabs that have a lot of
punch. Of course, what you hear on the album includes these sounds blended with
a few other little secrets but that’s the general summary of our gear.
JY : And do you have any endorsements ? If yes,
please tell us ?
RG : I'm currently endorsed by Dean Markley
strings, but my contract finishes very soon. Beyond that, I intend to play the
field a bit because I've made a lot of great contacts in the last 12 months.
With the amount of work we do, endorsements are important because they make
equipment more accessible and affordable. Damon (guitar) is also endorsed by
Dean Markley Strings, as well as Randall Amplification. Paul (drums) signed a
contract with RMV drum heads.
JY : I want to ask about Dave Tinelt (Vocalist).
Before joined to Nekrofeist, Dave Tinelt was member from Mortal Sin. As I read
Mortal Sin of Australian Thrash Metal Veterans and they formed since 1985. If
you don’t mind to tell us, Why and when did you leave this band ?
DT : I actually only just recently joined them before they
decided it was time to finally call it quits. there was some underlying issues
within the band that existed
long before i joined so i really didn’t have a say in my future continuing. it
imploded as a result. i was greatful for the opportunity, its an honour to go
down in metal history as having been the last to front such a iconic band.
JY : What was it like to be the lead singer for
the mighty Mortal Sin, even if it was only for 1 show ?
DT : It was great, i was well received and got some
real encouragement from long time fans of the band. i got a lot of attention
once they announced me as their new vocalist as well as nekrofeist. of course
there were skeptics but i did my duty to maintain respect for the songs as they
were, i just added my flavour.
JY : Is it true Dave did a cooking show ? I
heard from my mate, he can cook awesome food too hahaha.
DT : Yes its true, im a real culinary enthusiast and was given
a slot on primetime TV here as part of a local master chef challenge to produce
one of my recipes. that’s on youtubeaswell.
(Ed : ....Yeah i just check it J )
RG : Nekrofeist fondue is on the cards! Maybe a
Nekrofeist cheese too, we have an abundance of cheese in this band.
JY : Is there any chance of NEKROFEIST playing
for this year or next year in Bastardfest ?
RG: If all goes to plan, Nekrofeist will be part
of the Bastardfestlineup in 2013. I’ve already started that ball rolling, so
hopefully it comes to fruition.
JY : How do you find the reaction from audiences
when you are playing live? And where was your best overall gigs so far ?
DT : Stand out gigs for me is where ive gotten naked sometime
during the course of the nite. the worst for the rest of the band is where ive
gotten naked sometime during the course of the nite
RG : It’s not a pretty sight! It’s also particularly
awkward as Dave gets quite amorous when he’s drunk. Audiences are really liking
the new material, particularly the drop tuned songs. We’ve played a lot of
great gigs so far – I can’t wait to get out and play more!
JY : You have a lot of gigs coming up and so
things must be crazy for you and the band. Do you play live often or only on
special occasions ? Are there any big metal fest in Australia nowadays ?
DT : We play were we can for the benefit of audience
growth and for metal in generalhere in australia, the crowds could always be a
lot bigger, but were working on it. its just a struggle here in oz to attract
big crowds, it can vary from nite to nite, its very unpredictable.
RG : We try to gig as often as possible. The
biggest metal festival in Australia is called Soundwave, and the organisers
have openly and publicly stated what they think of the local talent. It’s very
discouraging, and sad to think your own countrymen could be so unsupportive of
their local scene. Their attitudes need to change if we’re to make any progress
in that area. Can you imagine the uproar if Wacken refused to book German
bands?!? No Scorpions at Wacken!? It’s impossible to imagine, right?
JY : It’s no secret that the members in the band
have broad taste in music. Just to see where you’re coming from. I was
wondering if you could list a few albums, metal or not, that have made a
lengthy impression on you as a person ?
RG : Wow, these kind of questions are always hard
for me as I listen to so much, and have played so many different styles over
the years. The first album I bought with my own money was The Bridge, by Billy
Joel. I played piano as a kid and I loved all of his music. I still do. I’m also
a huge Beatles fan, but before I discovered the Beatles I used to listen to my
Mum’s McCartney LP’s. Red Rose Speedway and London Town made a very big
impression on my little ears. There were other cool gems in her record
collection too; ELO, Little River Band, Fleetwood Mac. I still love all that
music. This will make some people laugh, but the first “metal” band I heard was
actually Stryper! I wasn’t that impressed to be honest (lol) but in hindsight
the real stepping stone as far as my tastes are concerned was Joe Satriani. I
would watch the sports programs on TV on the weekends and I loved the music
they played under the commentary. A mate told me it was Satch and I begged and
pleaded my parents to buy me ‘Surfing With the Alien’. I was hooked! From there
I graduated to Iron Maiden’s Somewhere In Time album and after that my metal
ball was well and truly rolling!
JY : Did you have any progress for exercise with
NEKROFEIST ? What you guys activities outside the band ?
DT : I surf, basically anything to do with the ocean
im there.
RG: We love the beach, my kids and I like to
skateboard also.
JY : Just a side question, What do you think
about BUSUK WEBZINE ?
DT : AWESOME!!!!
RG : It’s great, you seem to cover a broad range
of bands from all different countries.
JY : Do you have a favourite city or country
that you particularly enjoy performing in ?
RG : Well of course we love playing in our
hometown! We want to travel though, that’s our future at the moment.
DT : Were just starting to spread our wings to do
shows in other states around australia so we’ll get back to you on that.
JY : What is the
current situation of real Metal scene in Australia ? I know some bands from
Australia, such as :Grosteque (Perth), Entrails Eradicated (Perth), Humonic
(Melbourne), and etc.
DT : That’s easy to answer… shit!
RG : Those are all great Aussie metal bands that
you mention. The metal scene in Australia is diverse and always developing. I
think it’s yet to peak, but it’s far from a lost cause (as many would have you
believe).
JY : Before closing this interview, What do you
think about Thrash Metal bands in ‘The Big Four’ such as Metallica, Slayer,
Megadeth and Anthrax nowadays ? And if you have chance to play with them, which
bands would you like to choose ?
DT : Any of those acts would be a memorable experience and
would open new doors for nekrofeist. it’skool to think that they could bring
those kind of shows here and more often.
RG : Of the ‘Big 4’ I think Slayer is the only one
still on top of their game. All of them are making great albums, don’t get me
wrong, but for my money Slayer is solid, reliable and has never made a bad
album. I was a fan of Anthrax with John Bush, I’ve never been into Joey as a
singer or front man so their new stuff doesn’t interest me. Which would I
choose to play with? Man, I’d take any of them!
JY : Well, many thanks for your time and
support. Best of luck with the new album and also for NEKROFEIST. Is there
anything else you’d like to add ?
RG : Cheers, thanks for having us! Buy our merch
at http://nekrofeist.bigcartel.com Hope to see you
at a show sometime! Dave, you can have the final words.
DT : Juliagillard is a twat
(Interviewed
by John Yoedi, August 11,2012)
(Thanks for
my mate ‘Collin Brophy’ for share some question for this great band)
For more information about this band, you can also check their site here :
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