Polterchrist Interview

To what do you attribute the recent rise of Polterchrist? Does it simply have to do with Dan rejoining the group, or was it a combination of factors?
-------Well, we have been working our asses off. We spent alot of time rehearsing for this record. We spent alot of time recording this record. It displays our true sound very well. I think people are really getting to hear us sound really good for the first time, and I think it is working on getting us more fans.
--------Dan re-joining the band absolutely helped. He is the only other guitarist that could ever play the riffs precisely the way they are supposed to be played. Dan and Kevin work well off of one another. They also collaborate well together. Them being able to co-write alot of the material really gives us a distinguished sound.

For those who are unfamiliar with the band's previous work, tell us about "The Unity of Blackened Souls", was this your first recorded work or were there demos produced and/or released before that?
--------Unity was our 2nd CD. We were very proud of that CD. It was a much more melodic time for us. But still tons of heavy riffin. It had a decent production and an overall good feel. We recorded our 1st demo, Throne of Abolishment, in 1995. It was recorded in a decent basement studio. On a very low budget. It was a good learning experience for us. The album had it's parts. But it was inexperienced song writing. Very long songs, but still...good stuff. A piece of the title song is used on our "Swarm" CD, in the song Desolate Paradise. It is the same line up that is on the "Swarm" CD.

I really enjoy the new record. When and where was the album recorded? Did you finance the project, and then shop it, or was the deal in place before you went in to record?
-------The album was recorded at Qualitone Studios in Illinois. Brian Griffin(Broken Hope) recorded and produced us. We recorded the album from Feb. 2nd to Feb. 28th 2004. No, the deal was in place before we went into the studio. Season of Mist has taken great care of us.

How did the band decide which tracks would be on the album? Did you record any songs during this session that didn't make the record?
-------Well, we basically were in the writing process for a full length CD. So when we inked the deal, we had 6 out of the 9 songs almost ready to go. So we used 2 songs off of our 2002 demo, plus one song I referred to above, Desolate Paradise which was a long middle of longer song. Not songs we left off, but maybe one or 2 more we wanted to re-do.

How long did it take to record 'Engulfed By The Swarm'?
------It took almost a full month. February 2004 was spent up in Illinois working in Qualitone Studios.

Who engineered and/or produced the record?
Brian Griffin recorded, produced and engineered the CD. He did our 2002 demo as well. He's our man. If we changed anything, all we would do is fly him to us instead of all of us and our gear going to him. To elaborate a bit...

Does the band enjoy studio work? What were your greatest challenges while making this record?
-------Well, Kevin loves the studio. He is like a machine while recording. Monty hates recording, he is much more of a live player. More free to do his own thing. This was Dan's first time recording for real, in a real studio, with a real producer. I think he enjoyed it alot. He pretty much rolled almost flawlessly. As for myself, I like being in the studio when I am playing good. I despise it when I am having a bad day. Being the drummer, I pretty much got to roll from start to finish perfectly. It gets very frustrating sometimes.
As for as being challenged, like I said the rest of the guys are really good in the studio. They really don't struggle. Just I do, hehe. My challenge is not getting to down on myself. Live I am great, studio I am weird.

Who would win a game of tackle football between Mortician and Polterchrist?
-------WOW...um....Well, we have Kevin, he's a big guy. But the rest of us are small and skinny. But I guess if your counting Mortician as just Will & Roger...Than I guess I'd have to say us, just because it'd be 4 on 2. But they'd probably kick our asses anyway.

How do you feel the internet has assisted in getting the word out about Polterchrist?
-------We launched a new website almost 2 weeks ago, and we are close to 12,000 hits already. Our old site had 12,000 hits in 2 years. Our download section is the most frequented part of the site, so I'd definitely haveto say it is helping us alot. All of our older material is available for download on our website.
Has the group been fairly active in the tape trading underground in the past?
-------"Underground tape trading", as far as I know doesn't really take place around me. We just tried to sell, give out, burn as many CD's as we can for whoever wants them. We've never charged anything. The Engulfed by the Swarm" CD is for sale, but if anyone ever wanted to have a burned copy of one of our older, out of print cd's, they just have to ask. We will send it right out.

How is it that you came to be voted "Best of the Unsigned" by Metallion magazine in '99?
-----We were in a contest in 99 in Europe for Metallion Magazine & Season of Mist records. We came in 2nd place out of who knows, 1000 bands. The 1st place received a deal with Season of Mist. Therefore, we were the best of the un-signed bands, due to we didn't get signed through that particular contest. Also, we entered the Metal Blade contest around the same time, and we also finished 2nd in that contest. Out of just as many bands. So, 2 contests, 2 second place finishes more or less makes us the best of the unsigned, hahaha.

What is it like to be a part of the Philly scene? Is the scene there strong? Do you find a lot of venues there that accept your style of music?
-------There isn't much of a Philly death metal scene. A few bands from NJ and DC. But not much in Philly, Polterchrist and a few others. But south Jersey and DC are like right around the corner from Philly. So it's cool. As far as Philly clubs, there a aren't many clubs that accept death metal. maybe 5 or 6 tops. So, it is OK, between those clubs, and NY, NJ, MD & DC we do ok locally.

Please tell us about your previous tour experiences�exactly how many different tours has the band been a part of?
------We have never been a part of an official tour. We have opened for just about every major band that has rolled through Philly. Done some traveling of our own, but no real tours yet. Soon we hope!!!!

Do you enjoy touring? What are some of the best responses you have received outside of the Philly area?
------Well, as I said, we are still waiting to officially tour. But we get awesome treatment in the Maryland/ DC area. Always a good response and turn out in NJ too. Always a killer response down there. We get great treatment in our hometown obviously.
Can you give me an example of your craziest experience on the road?
-------Well...Trips to Milwaukee Metal Fest are always an adventure in themselves. It is a 16+ hour drive for us. Nothing really crazy. We're all pretty laid back when we're on the road. We save our energy for the gig.

There has been a great deal of rumor circulating concerning your fall '04 tour�Is the Danzig/Mayhem tour still happening? If not, where will the group be performing this fall?
------The tour was cancelled. We were scheduled to do the entire east coast with that tour. We just had a gig a few nights ago with Mortician, Ackercoke & Vehemence. That went great, the club was just about sold out. Polterchrist had a tremendous response. We are playing the Metal maniacs/ Earspilt PR party in NY on Nov 9th. We also have a gig coming up with Mortal Decay. Other than that, we are hoping for the right tour opportunity to arise.

Why does Dan hate everybody? What is his favorite kind of weed? Who does his tattoos?
-------Dan actually is very friendly. Favorite kind of weed...well I'd say what ever is best. Or the FREE kind. I believe he's had quite a few different people do his work.

I certainly can hear the death metal influence in your writings, much less so the influence of black metal�why does the group regard itself as a black metal act? Is it the lyrical influence or the manner in which some of the vocals are inflected?
--------We regard ourselves as a death metal band with a lot of black metal influences. But yes, Kevin does do alot of higher pitch screaming. Some may base their opinions on that.

Who is/are the principal songwriter(s) of Polterchrist? Where does Kevin get the influence for his lyrics? What types of different things inspire you to write songs?
-----On the Swarm CD, Kevin was the primary songwriter. We had most of the CD written when Dan re-joined. But he contributed "the Sun Will Burn Black" music. Monty wrote the "Here We Lie" music. Kevin and Dan co-wrote the music for Desolate Paradise. Kevin wrote the rest.
------Kevin and I split the lyrics. For the Swarm CD, he wrote lyrics for 4 songs, and I wrote the lyrics for the other 5. Kevin gets inspired by normal things in life that either piss him off or cause him hatred. His lyrics are usually very forceful. My writing is different then Kev's. I tend to write more story oriented lyrics. Topics that also tend to drift towards Armageddon of this world or another. Or when life is interrupted by different things. Hence...Engulfed by the Swarm. About the world being consumed by something it cannot control. As for my inspirations, I am inspired by science fiction, be it evil sci-fi or horror sci-fi or fantasy sci-fi. Which is why my lyrics usually are long. Kevin arranges them to pre-written music.

Give us a parting shot�
-----First off I'd like to thank you for giving me this interview. Your support means alot. We like to make sure everyone who hasn't heard Polterchrist yet to just give us a listen. We are very varied on styles, and fans of all metal should dig us. We have a brand new web site, please check it out. Check out or new cd "Engulfed by the Swarm". Released on Season of Mist records Oct. 2004.It can be purchased ALL over the internet and stores world wide. www.polterchrist.net for all updates and news.


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Tags:  polterchrist  , Brian, interviews

Erin Fox    January 04, 2005