Grave Gibes Fanzine #3 Table of contents Interview with ‘The Last Days of Jesus’ 3 Interview with Acid Bats. 6 Interview with Bloody, Dead & Sexy (Rosa Iahn) 10 Emmanuel ‘Manu/Zorch’ Ninet 14 Interview with ‘The Spiritual Bat’. 19 The Spiritual Bat – Through the Shadows review 23 Interview with Sasha Skvortsov (Durnoe Vlijanie) 25 Interview with Loren (Chants of Maldoror). 30 2 Interview with ‘The Last Days of Jesus’ http://www.myspace.com/thelastdaysofjesus/ http://www.thelastdaysofjesus.sk/ TLDOJ, Cartoon by Stefan Andrejco TLDOJ, 2003, Photo by Jozef Barinka Nattsol: As I know, you took a part in the foundation of the ‘goth’ scene in Slovakia. How did it grow up? Tell me more about your activity there. And how did you face ‘goth’ music? Mary0: Well, I don’t know what to say… I work for the scene here in Slvakia more than 15 years. In the beginning there were the parties, then the fanzine/magazine called Stigma, radio show in the local radio station, concerts and so on. It’s a long time and a lot of work was done inbetween. Nattsol: Tell me more about Batcave.sk. What is it actually? Mary0: Actually it’s more or less just the monthly party including Live acts. However, we’re working on new visual of the webzine at the moment. Well, it’s always a question of time to work on the projects like tis. Especially when one has a family and regular job. Then the priorities change a bit… 3 Nattsol: The next question is just to Mary0. Now, looking back to your past activity as the dj, organizer and other, what were the most important moments? And were there some things that you’d like to change, or some curious situations, may be? Mary0: Well, of course there's always the things to change in the past but you can't do it anyway. So, I rather look forward. I organized some really cool bands and knew really cool people in all those years. I don't wanna say which band was the best one or which people are more friendly or nice. It's because I don't wanna forget anyone. Well, I also played really cool places as a Dj, too. It’s always interesteing to play the different places in the world and see how people react the music I play. Nattsol: So The Last Days of Jesus began to exist in 1992. What was the original conception of the band? What did you want to express for that time? Mary0: Hm, I can’t remember what was the original conception in that time. I know that I was talking something about the war, religions, stupidity, shortblindness and so on. It’s almost the same as today. Only the way of expression is different a bit. In those times I believed the man could be better and the way is to combine half to half the man’s and woman’s aspect. I’m afraid I lost some illusions in time… Nattsol: As I know, you began playing some metal stuff. Can you describe the band’s musical evolution? Fessy: It was caused mainly by our music influences in that time. We listened more Valor´s Christian Death, Superheroines etc. But I think this was fine for our future music skills, we were training so much that time :) Actually we started to play more punky from album Alien Road. Mary0: I don’t think we ever played metal… It’s a bullshit!!! We always experimented a lot. We combined a lot of musical elements like gothic – electro – industrial – punk – ska ‐ and metal at last as well… But I don’t think anyone could mark us as a metal band. Nobody who ever heard our old stuff, I mean ;) Nattsol: What were the breaking points in the band’s life? Vajco: Russian tour. After show in Voronezh I felt for a moment like an Ice Hockey Star – when audience screamed Slo‐va‐kia! (notice: We love ice hockey=we love Russia:o) Fessy: I think there were more important points in our history. First German tour with bands Marquee Moon and Forthcoming Fire in 1995. We were young band with no offcial CD and concerts in Berlin or Dresden opened us the doors towards main German labels. Very important moments were our first gigs at WGT and Bolkow festival as well. Maybe the last breaking point was the conclusion of contract with Strobelight records. Mary0: There were some more breaking points in the band’s life I’m sure. One of them was contract with the EMI in 2001 for example. Then there was the U.S. tour as well… This was not so good experience but important anyway. Nattsol: So, except two last albums, all the band’s releases are sold out. Do you have a plan to re‐release some of the old stuff? Vajco: We planned to re‐release album called “Songs from the Psycho TV”, because this album hadn´t chance to be sent to abroad listeners as other recordings because of contract between us and major label. 4 Nattsol: Now the question about two TLDOJ last works – ‘Alien Road’ and ‘Dead Machines Revolution’. These releases seem related, but there’s the difference as well. In your opinion – what has changed, and what has stayed? Vajco: Stayed: the band. Changed: Recording process. “Dead Machines Revolution” was recording longer than “Alien Road”. We also composed and recorded (both at the same time) for the first time a new song in studio – “Machine of Calm.” Fessy: I suppose the sound of DMR is quite better. There´s not so many sound foots and also songs don´t have so difficult structures in comparison with Alien Road. Nattsol: The next one is about your texts. It seems to me that most of them are about freedom and escape from routine and ‘the life machinery’. So can you say what kind of freedom is it? Is that the real one? And can you call yourself free? Fessy: It´s a difficult question. Your freedom ends where other´s freedom begins. The problem is if this is not in the middle of that way. Telling the truth mostly this is NOT real. But sometimes if I´m far away from people, on my bike in broad country, I feel my self really free :) Mary0: Believe me – if I know the answer on your question I’m the happiest man in the world! Just the simple answers: No, unfortunately, I don’t think I’m free. Every song is different. One is about everyday‘s rouitine at work, some kind of machinery. Then another one is about the stupid so called revolutionaries making the bombs in the streets and killing people. There is a song about the feeling overused man of nowadays. Nattsol: When should we wait for the next album? Vajco: Next long play (LP) album – at the moment no idea, sorry. I hope we can do it. But EP album is already in our minds, we will do something – maybe next year. Mary0: There is a plan to realize the new record in Spring of 2009. We already started the recordings in the studio. Nattsol: Of course, there’s the question about your Russian mini‐tour. :) Tell me your impressions about the shows, public, beer and everything that you want. :) Vajco: For me the most interesting impression – it was really something very special. Public: very open, very close to the band. Beer: good taste, a lot of kinds of beer, at this point much more better than in Slovakia (really). Fessy: Yes, our fans in Russia were amazing! We enjoyed every gig so much and we want return back definitely! Mary0: Every gig was different and special in some way. We really enjoyed our time spend there in Russia. We knew a lot of nice people!!! Hope we could stay there longer and cross the country even more. Nattsol: And your final words. Apart from your music activity, or not. Just what you want to say. Vajco: See you in Russia ;o) Mary0: THANX for the questions and sorry for the delay! Hope to cu soon! Questions: Pall ‘Nattsol’ Zarutskiy “Grave Jibes Fanzine” 5 Interview with Acid Bats http://www.myspace.com/acidbatsmx/ Bars‐Ursula: Tell us, please, where and when your band was formed? How has the collective structure been formed? What made you to play death‐rock? And what is the conception of the group? Acid Bats: Well, we started the band in October of 2007, since the beginning we three composed the band, Edy bat at voice, Gregor at Bass and johnnywitch at guitar. All of us are originally of Mexico City, more exactly from a part of the city which’s called Nezahualcoyotl into the metropolitan zone of Mexico City. Maybe is no important talk about, but it is a marginalized area of Mexico, it’s very difficult to live here, maybe that’s one reason, why we make post punk deathrock music, we have very difficult lives, and we see the world with punk eyes, with deathrockers eyes and with post punk eyes. At the beginning, the idea was play some kind of post punk, but no one of us can deny the influence that we have from the deathrock hehehe(laughter), but we don’t like the etiquettes or being classified in a kind of music, we just want to make music, to develop the darker thoughts of our mind and to denounce the evils of society in a subtle way, we feel really connected one to one for give a message, not only for deathrockers, even to all individuals who seek an alternative thinking, we don’t close ourselves, to the deathrock, we all the days want new concepts to make a good music and make a new good message.