Interview with Brian Deal:

What can you tell me about "The Unity of Blackened Souls"?

Well, that was our 1st serious recording. We were a much more melodic band then. It was a very diverse CD. Lots of fast grinding parts, lots of killer accoustic breaks, even trippy/jazz influenced jams. We always tried to have that melodic element there. But, the "Unity" CD is now a distant past for us. We are going to start playing the title track(Unity) again, but Kevin and I have altered the song quite a bit from its original recording from the CD. We had to make it fit better with the modern Polterchrist sound. Which is much more Brutal and fast. But we did leave in the killer middle section full of melody and variations.



Were all the songs previously recorded in "The Unity...." or did you record mostly new songs for the CD?

All the songs that are on "the Unity" CD were brand new at the time. We were going to record a song from our 1st demo, entitled "Throne of Abolishment". But we decided to just do the 4 tunes.We will re-do the title track(Throne of...) in the near future. Most likely when we record our 1st full length.



Can we consider Polterchrist a progressive brutal death metal band?

Polterchrist can absolutely be considered a "Progressive, Brutal Death Metal Band!!!" We actually have an extreme black metal side to us as well. The new generation of Poltersongs are an extreme mix of progressive death & black metal.


Why did the band brake up after the first demo?

At that point in time, death metal was on a serious down fall, and the 4 of us at that time just had musical differences, as to where we wanted to take the band. Nothing major.

Why did you decide to change the name of the band to Polterchrist?

We had always thought of using the name, but never had full permission from the person that actually came up with it. So, it kinda just took us quite some time to get a hold of him, to ask his permission. Which obviously he so kindly granted. Besides, all our past names were horrible.


Is Billy Frederick a permanent member of the band? How important is he to Polterchrist´s music?

Yes, Bill Fredrick(Billdrick) is a permanent member of Polterchrist. He has been so since June 2001. He is essential to our music. We are a band that relies on dual harmony guitars. Playing live as a 3 piece is quite tough for us. But Kevin somehow pulled it off for a long time at gigs. Bill is a great guitarist, very knowledgeable. Very skillful. He is a great addition to our band.

 


How important is brutyality in Polterchrist´s music? And also... how important is melody?

Brutality is very important. We would not play any form of metal if we did not want to make it brutal. As for melody's...they are still very important to us, but Polterchrist's direction has changed a bit since the recording of "The Unity of Blackened Souls". We still have incredible melodies, but they are just placed in the songs a bit differently these days. The insanity & the melody go hand in hand now. As before, when it was more like..."fast insane beginings, subtle, jazzy, almost clasical middle sections, and then back to the insanity. Where as the new Polterchrist songs are just more properly & fluently arranged. I suppose it just stemmed from us growing & becoming more experienced.


Why did you decide to not find a replacement after Rich left the band and to become a power trio?

Well, where we live it is very hard to find guitar players that are A: into our style of music, and B: that are capable of playing it. We have had quite a few people say to us that they could play our songs no problem. But once they got there and actually saw how the riffs went, most were baffled and could not handle the job. So, Monty, Kevin & I decided that since the 3 of us have been Polterchrist since the beginning, we would just stick to the 3 of us, and just alter the songs a bit, to make them suitable for live purposes. Finding Billdrick was a pure stroke of luck. Kevin was in the right place at the right time, to meet up with Bill. Who is actually in another local Philadelphia Goth/metal band, Season of mourning ( www.seasonofmourning.com ) Which he still plays in.

 

How important is the jazz influence in Polterchrist? I am asking this because Monty plays a fretless bass and Jaco Pastorius is one of his biggest influences...and also Brian listens to Weather Report.
Well, at the time of the "Unity" recording, jazz was extremely important to especially me (Brian), and Monty too. Monty and I have both had Jazz training in the past, and hearing bands like Cynic or Athiest just made us want to jazz things up a bit. As far as Polterchrist 2002??? Jazz will always be in my blood, and a part of my technique. But i have strayed away from trying to combine to 2 forms of music( metal & Jazz ). Little bits here and there, but just very subtle hints of jazz. We have progressed into much more of a technical extreme insanity machine. Hehehe. Concentrating more on aggression, speed, hate & blowing people the fuck away with our level of intensity. Which we could not always achieve with all our old styles of break downs.

Which are the bands that you admire the most?

Well, as a whole we all admire bands like Athiest, Cynic, Carcass, Morbid Angel, Dimmu Borgir, Emperor, Marduk, Satyricon, Immortal, Angel Corpse, Krisiun. The main bands that everyone takes inspiration from these days. But indivdually, we are all over the place as far as admiration goes. Kevin is very into classical, Ganster Rap (besides metal). Monty is very into Techno, house music, trance, Dj type stuff, and jazz and classic rock. I, (Brian) am into A lot of jazz, avant-garde jazz, fusion, classic rock, and some techno as well(of course metal). Bill listens to all forms of music on the planet i think. Except for maybe Rap or Country Western.

Any final words?

Well, My final words would have to be directed to our new CD that we just recorded. We traveled to Chicago to record with Brian Griffin (of Broken Hope). We chose him because he has a lot of knowledge about recording metal. We have never gone to a "metal" producer before. It benefited our sound tremendously. It turned out great. The CD is titled "Engulfed by the Swarm". It is out now & available through the band (www.polterchrist.net ). If anyone would like one mailed to them, we'll just ask that you send a self addressed stamped envelope. We're giving out the CD's for free at 1st. For the people that have heard our 1st CD, "The Unity of Blackened Souls", it is a big change in musical styles. We are much faster now, Much more to the point, with still keeping the technicality we are known for. Although I hate comparisons, I will give one for the people who have not heard Polterchrist yet. Our new CD is being compared to Marduk meets Atheist. This is a comparison I don't mind at all!! So, I ask everyone to give Polterchrist a chance, you will not regret it if you are a true fan of technical, hate filled black/death metal. Lastly, Thanks for the interview. You Rule.

 

Interview by Federico Marongiu