DEVOURMENT Interview

1995. No Introduction. Just one word: DEVOURMENT (USA, Texas)


I think everybody who´s into that music had to know you, but please introduce yourself and the band to our readers.

Hey, I’m Mike and I do vocals for DEVOURMENT. When I joined the band in 1997 I was playing bass. The band broke up for a couple of years in 1999, than reformed with some lineup changes in 2004.


After a few line-up changes in the band, is that your final line-up?

Yeah for sure. The current members work very well together. It’s been solid since 2006 and will continue.


Tell us something about the name DEVOURMENT. How came it to that?

The name came about by our original drummer Brad Fincher. I’m not quite sure where he got it from though. Not much to tell really.


Who are your biggest influences?

Definitely a lot of earlier bands that we grew up on. CANNIBAL CORPSE for sure, they were one of the bands that pushed the boundaries back in the early days and that inspired us for sure. SUFFOCATION, a lot of old grind like CARCASS. Basically early death metal, we just wanted to take that, simplify it a bit and make it catchy and heavy.


What inspired you to play the music you play?

For Devourment its just to try to be as extreme as possible, from music, to lyrics, artwork and everything that goes with the band. We want people to think of us when they talk about which band is the heaviest or most extreme.


Describe your sound to someone who has never heard you before in just one sentence.

Downtuned, ultra heavy, groovy, guttural, catchy, brutal death metal with no melody, leads or nonsense.


Are there any projects beside DEVOURMENT?

Our drummer Eric Park plays in a band called WROUGHT OF OBSIDIAN, which is a heavey melodic style death metal, and our bassist Captain Piss has a project called INTESTINAL FORTITUDE.


What are your songs about? Do you have a main topic? Are all tracks about murdering, ghoulish things, vomit and stuff like this or are there some exceptions?

Our songs were mainly about misogyny, murder, mayhem, really sick stuff. For the most part its still about that but on our latest album, Unleash the Carnivore, I explored some different content just to change things up a bit. Stuff like the end of the world and hell, even a song about Vlad the Impaler. Different but still very violent and dark.


What`s your favourite DEVOURMENT song?

Hmm, tough question because I really like them all. We refuse to release a song we feel is not 100% up to our standards so basically we will give every song the same attention and work on it until we are happy with it. Some I would consider favorites would be Devour the Damned, Field of the Impaled, and Anal Electrocution.


Do you remember the feeling in 1999, when you released your first album Molesting The Decapitated?

Yeah for sure. We were all excited about the album but I don’t think any of us knew how cult it would become. And unfortunately, the band broke up basically the day it was released.


How was it at that time? Were there many “Slam Death Metal” Bands?

At the time the scene wasn’t as overcrowded as it is now, so bands stood out more back then. There were some “slam” bands for sure, we definitely did not create that style, it had been going on since the late 80’s, early 90’s. I do think we took it a step further than it had been before and definitely gave it a different sound.


Are your early demos / CD`s still available?

No, long out of print. They will pop up on ebay from time to time and I guess collectors seek them out.


Actually you are writing on a new album. Great news! Some words to that?

Its still early but we have close to 3 songs roughly done. We have an album title tentative, and some song titles as well. With the next album, we want to simplify our approach a bit, a bit like our older stuff. With Unleash the Carnivore, it takes a few listens to really grow on you because its not instantly catchy a lot of the time. I feel it’s pretty smart as far as song structure and writing and takes a bit to sink in. The new stuff we are writing hit you instantly and are pummeling, more like Babykiller. We hope to have the album out early next year.


The artworks on your CD`s are amazing. Who does that artworks for you?

At first I did almost all of the art for the band, including the cover of Butcher the Weak. But I didn’t want all of our shit to look the same so I started hiring other artists for shirts and our latest album. So I actually combined art from Par Olofsson, and Dan Seagrave, and the result is amazing I think.


Are there any funny DEVOURMENT tour stories?

We don’t have too many exciting stories yet because we haven’t toured very much, but on our recent US tour with CATTLE DECAPITATION we hit a deer with our van. It was about 4 am in the morning, still dark, all of the band was asleep when we were awoken buy a loud hit. We pretty much thought we were all gonna die, maybe flying off the road or something than our tour manager, who was driving, yelled “I hit a deer”. I was kind of relieved that it wasn’t a serious accident, but the damage was so bad, we had to get towed and get the van repaired. Luckily we made it to our next show in time. So now we are known as "Deervourment", and out most popular song is "Bambikiller".


Tell us one unforgettable moment playing a live set.

One that stands out for me was a show we did in Denton Texas. It was the first time the Captain Piss wore the horse mask. It was the first song and I pretty much laughed through the entire song. The video is on youtube.


And what kind of music do you hear when you are touring a country?

We listen to a lot of old school metal when we are driving, classic rock, shit like that.


Where can we get merch of DEVOURMENT?

Our merch is pretty easy to find. Most underground distros and labels carry our cds. Brutal Bands, our last label and Relapse are good places to look.


For many bands DEVOURMENT is a role model because you are pioneers in the Death Metal scene. Many bands want to be like you and adapt their style to yours. Are you guys proud of that?

Yeah for sure man, its definitely flattering if you inspire bands.


There are a lot of new young bands - can you give them some advices?

I would just say be original, be inspired and make a great quality recording when you are first getting your music out there because so often a new band will put out a garage recording or something shitty and people will pretty much dismiss it right away. A good recording will get peoples attention.


You got a huge fanbase. Please describe your feelings when people send pictures of their DEVOURMENT tattoos. What is your opinion about that?

It’s amazing really. To have people passionate about your band makes all the hard work worth it. I’ve met a lot of people on tour with DEVOURMENT tattoos, it’s really cool to see.


Tell us something about the “Tales Of A Horse”-thing on your MySpace page.

Haha well its just Captain Piss wearing the horse mask in various locations that we visit or play shows at. Kind of a gag but its always fun. People get very confused when they see a horse walking around in public.


And now, Brainstorming:

Non-alcoholic beer?
Pointless

Social networks?
Gay but addictive.

Black Metal?
Good in moderation.

Wacken Open-Air?
Never been.

Dallas Mavericks?
Awesome.

Dirk Nowitzki?
The great white hope.

This interview-blog?
AWESOME


Thank you so much for your time. It was a huge honor for us. We appreciate that!!

Thank you for the support, keep an eye out for the next album!


For more information, check:
http://www.myspace.com/devourment
or add them on FACEBOOK!!