1- How has been "insaniac" doing since its release?

It's been doing quite well actually. But we're not personally involved in the sales and figures etc. so we can't be that precise. But so far Cold Blood Industries hasn't been complaining! It usually takes a while for the Crustacean-Diesel-engine to get warmed up, and then there's no stopping it...! As for the reviews, most of them are top-notch, almost everyone agrees that it's a fat-ass album! Of course there are some girls that don't like metal, but only like to wear faggoty ass gothic dresses and stuff, that don't like the album but hey, who cares!! We're quite happy so far.

2- How would you compare "Insaniac" with "Burden of Our Suffering"?

Insaniac is a much more mature album than B.O.O.S. in the sense that the songs are better/ tighter and the artwork is cooler. They really sound different but extremely powerful, each in their own unique way. We're pretty proud of that! We like that versatility.

3- How were the songs in "Insaniac" composed?

Most of the tracks were forged in the rehearsal room with the entire band "jamming" together. We hate jamming but for lack of a better word, there you have it. Most of the times Klesk or Bones would come up with a riff or an idea and we'd take it from there and bounce ideas and things off of eachother and try to come up with some cool shit. There's also some tracks on it that we're written by Klesk alone like for example Bloodshot. He made that one at home with help from cubase (all legal and paid for...of course) And Satanizer was written by Bones himself. But most of the tracks are a joined effort, in which the instigator of the first riff often decides about the rest of it. And the rest of the band functions as a sort of sounding board. It's a process we've grown into the past several years.

4- Why did you choose Cold Blood Industries as your label?

Oh, that's a good one! Because they were the only ones that were willing to put some time, money and effort into us!! None of the other labels we sent our packages to were interested, the bastards. And the label that initially was to release our CD suddenly was out of money!! Ma Baker came by and took all their money I suppose. And maybe Cold Blood Industries are the only ones that don't have their heads up their own asses. So actually it was a matter of us choosing eachother! They wanted us and, yes, we needed them. They are professionals and I guess they know what they're doing. So far everything's going great.

5- How important are your technical skills for Crustacean music?

I found out that they were more important than I expected, because the music sounds so simple. But I was mistaken, there's some tricky stuff sometimes. And you have to be tight all the time. But we're on the other hand not that much into pentaphrygian scales and stuff, we absolutely know in what field of contemporary music we find ourselves. This is thrash! Not classical. And NO it's not related!! So we determine which techniques are important and which aren't and we focus on the ones we need! And in that line for example we do need to know the basics of polyphony but we're not trying to graduate in some strange form of Super Metal. We're sticking to our railguns. Only if a truly better thing comes along then we figure out what we need.

6- How would you compare Crustacean's music with the one in your previous bands Acrostichon, Spina Bifida and Master?

It's uhm..... BETTER! Ha! No seriously, it's what comes straight from our heads and hearts! This is what we want to do! We're convinced that this music is the best there is. Not including the obvious masters in this statement of course. This is total thrash/death, the best combination there is in extreme metal. The experiences in the aforementioned bands have brought us where we are today, there's no doubt about that, but they were in essence stepping stones to come to where we are now. Essential but in the past. As is their music I guess.

7- Is there any possibility to re-release the "Headcleaner" MCD?

If it's up to me, I think not. Because in light of current events, and I mean Insaniac, it's not supporting that or B.O.O.S. in any way. It was nice when it was released, but the band really, totally changed after that, so it's too big a gap I think to re-releas it now or in the near future. Who knows, in future times when we're onto our 14^th million-selling tripleDVD we'll consider it as a bonus. However I don't think it would be wise.

8- Which are your memories on the beginnings of the band in 1989?

Well I wasn't in Crustacean at that time, and they were called Crystal Lake back then. I was however in another band which originated in the same time. We used to rehearse near to eachother and sometimes we came to check one another out. To see how things were going 'cause both our bands were pretty lame back then. Just starting out and all. But I guess it's that kind of research that caused me to become a member to this day. We were interested in eachother, because there weren't that many bands around, so logically the competition was not that big a deal. We knew that it just had to be fuckin' fun!!

9- Which are your main influences?

Obviously there's the thrash side of metal and specifically DarkAngel, Exodus, Overkill, Slayer, Testament, Anthrax, Sacred Reich, Infernäl Mäjesty, Kreator, Sodom, Destruction, all pretty oldschool and older bands. But they've been the ones that have moulded us into this sick little shell which we are now. And as for the dead side in all of us, I personally hold the following bands accountable for that, they are Cannibal Corpse, Obituary, Cancer, Bloodbath, Bolt Thrower, Morbid Angel, Terrorizer, Napalm Death, Carcass, Entombed, Malevolent Creation, Dismember, Death, Possessed, Deicide, Gorguts... There's too many to mention. I just love sick fuckin' metal that sounds like a song.

10- Something more to add?

Interview by Federico Marongiu