Sentient Ruin Laboratories, Caligari Records, and Blood Harvest Records Artist Atrament Interview up
1. Crusty, Doomy, Swedish BlackDeath with lo1. Crusty, Doomy, Swedish BlackDeath with love of Hardcore is what hear from this ugly and wonderful unit. How did this band come to be?
Mattia: I’d been in slower and more atmospheric bands for some years and wanted to do something more aggressive, primitive, and stripped down. I’d always loved bands like Doom, Discharge, GISM, etc, and was very much into heavy punk bands like Zom, Rot In Hell, Zoloa, Napalm Raid, and Gehenna at the time so I decided to seek out other people to pitch the idea to and hopefully get a similar project off the ground. I ran into James (our guitarist) on Craigslist and he coincidentally already had demos of riffs done for a tentative new project he wanted to start in the same vein and for which he was also seeking members. His demos sounded exactly like what I had mind so we set out to complete the lineup. Chad (drums) and Sam (bass) are friends of mine I’d known for years and I knew Chad loved d-beat so I pitched the demos to them and they were both into it so here we are.
2. Working with many labels on Scum Sect what was the thought pattern on doing this with Sentient Ruin Laboratories, Caligari Records, and Blood Harvest Records.??
Mattia: Normally in the underground it works well to have a label handle the North American territory and one do the European one so we just asked two labels we really like and which were the most likely to work with us and sure enough they were into it. We’d worked with Sentient Ruin before so that was a no brainer to do it again with them. Caligari records is the best “tape label” on the planet so it was a no brainer to ask them to partake for the cassette.
3. In 3 Words explain the Scum Sect sound...
Mattia: Hatred, hatred, hatred.
4. I know you have all me in many many bands how has this changed the way you see the underground in 2018?
Mattia: It doesn’t change how we see the underground, more like how we see our selves. Bands are always a reflection of your self and what you can accomplish. Multiple bands change your self and give you more outlets for your inner self.
5. Is Social media a blessing or curse in 2018 for bands on your level ?
Mattia: For the band it works in positive ways. Just depends how you use it and what you use it for I guess.
6. . What is a live show like for the audience from Atrament ?
Mattia: Just being as ignorant and savage as possible. Pummeling the crowd with massive d-beats, pestilent riffs and vocals coming from the depths of hell.
7. If Atrament could make a proper video off Scum Sect which track and why?
Mattia: I can’t answer that one. I like all the songs on the album and I don’t see one being more suited for video purposes than another one….
8. If members of Atrament were not making music what in fuck would you all be doing?
Mattia: Killing people? Ha.
9. The Bay area of San Fran and Oakland have a magic for Sludgy, Crusty Hardcore Doom why do you think this is?
Mattia: Strong psychedelic history and tradition, which then influenced metal and hard rock and punk. All the bands out here sound “fucked” in one way or another. Few of them go by the book of rules or compromise. When your peers and colleagues are so creative and groundbreaking they push you to inevitably be the same.
10. What Bands are currently impressing the members of Atrament ?
Mattia: Personally lately I’ve liked: Zom, Pissblood, Demonomancy, Kommand, Malefic Levitation, Zoloa.
11. How does the artwork play into the theme of Scum Sect album?
Mattia: The art somewhat came along with the lyrics at the same time so it’s extremely tied in with them. The art is ambivalent: it represents both humanity constantly worshiping and being drawn to death, ruin, and self-destruction, and then those who use this pulse of death (embracing all plagues, nuclear devastation, famines, and cataclysms represented by the death altar) to rain death down upon “the strong and the elect”. Almost like a conspiracy or a cult of death - the lastplotting the final and supreme suicide act, the bloodbath of all bloodbaths. Everyone is finally equal as they dissolve into the mushroom cloud.
12. Bolt Thrower are one of my all time fave bands have to ask you Cvlt Nation release ?? How did it come to be?
Mattia: Cvlt nation do their covers series regularly and when Bolt Thrower came along they asked us to do a track and since we all love that band that was a total no brainer for us.
13. How does Eternal Downfall differ from Scum Sect to the band members?
Mattia: Atrament has never had a lineup change, it’s always been the same four original members. The production is better on Scum Sect, but also the vision is clearer now and the intents more vehement. On Eternal Downfall we seeked our selves and on Scum Sect we found our selves, now we shall perfect our selves. Better songs and intensity over all. As far as my compartment - the vocals - a radical improvement can be heard between the two records, better lyrics and vocal atmospheres over all, a more focused and deliberate delivery. Scum Sect is superior in every way as far as I see it.
14. Thanks for the time any closing thoughts here
Mattia: Thanks for your time and interest - it’s good to know people give a fuck. Onward and downward
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