September 2004 - FISTULA
In the so-called sludge genre FISTULA are the unbeaten heavy-weight champions. They have released a lot of songs on different albums, compilations etc. and their latest contribution to a split CD with the experimental outfit Burmese is maybe their best and strongest material until now. FISTULA have integrated a lot of diverse styles in their sound, but the result is always ultra-heavy and the listener will be crushed by a load of finest mind-blowing riffs. It's definitely more than just a lame re-hash. But the members of FISTULA have a big creative potential, and so I give you the advice to check out the sick sounds of RUE and KING TRAVOLTA, the newest project from Corey (guitarist and vocalist from FISTULA) where he's currently working on. A few weeks ago I sent him a couple of questions via e-mail, and here's the entertaining and informative result. Don't be an idiot and miss this interview....
Currently, I'm listening to your latest release, the split CD with Burmese, and with the included four songs you continue your path of destruction. But "Green Lung" is a real funny song, and the title describes the song perfect. It seems, as if you had smoked some real good weed during the recordings, or have you just used some samples of a former smoking session?
"Green Lung" huh.. yep we used some good herb on that track. FISTULA recorded some songs previously at 609 with Don Depew that we did not use. There was this riff that we really dug, so we decided instead of trashing the whole thing we could use it for something worthwile. Bahb, Aaron, and myself stood in the circle of death and the result was the first track of the split.
"The Basilisk" is another excellent cut from the split, but at least, none of the four included tracks is weak or mediocre. For my taste, you've integrated some tasteful thrash metal elements in your monumental bulldozer sound. What do you think?
Well thank you. We play what we feel and what comes out obviously has to do with alot of music we grew up on, I mean we all love Sabbath and bla bla bla, but nobody ever remembers what really lit a fire under most people asses. For us it was old Suicidal Tendencies, DRI, COC, Anthrax, Butthole Surfers, Death, Exodus, Pestilence, Kreator, Sepultura, Candlemass, the list goes on.
Eric of Grief (R.I.P.) had done the cover artwork for your full-length "Idiopathic". Is he a good friend of the band, and did he come up with the idea?
I contacted Eric and asked him if he would be interested in doing some artwork for the "Idiopathic" album, I sent him some music and he came up with what I think, is some of the best work he's ever done, but then again, I love all his work. I don't know Eric personally, but he seems cool everytime I have ever talked to the guy, he's like us, we tend to stay away from people, less problems that way.
When I take a look at your discography, it seems as if you're big fans of split-releases, and making contributions for compilations. Can you agree, and what's the reason for it?
Well, we like doing splits to turn fans of our music on to friends of ours and just for personal enjoyment. Being on comps with all these great bands is dream come true, I mean seriously. the Crushers Killers comps, the Emissions comp on Maduro Records, the Dreams Of What Life Could Have Been comp, Destroys All comp, to be with all these great bands is amazing. We are lucky to be around such good people.