|
OK, this was definitely a hyperfast communication with bassist Otto from Czech grindcore squad NEEDFUL THINGS. We've completed this interview just as fast as grindcore music is!!! They will visit Ukraine in a few days so I thought it will be a cool idea to interview the band and to get all their latest infos. Well, below you can read the result! Hope it will be useful for most of us – underground inhabitants!!! Grind on!!!
Hi Otto, in a few days you will start a mini-tour over Ukraine. You've never been in Ukraine earlier so tell us what are your feelings at the moment?
- Hey cannot wait to be there. It will be the first time when we will be in Ukraine. I heard many good stories from different bands which toured your country. So I am curious. Hope it will be good.
NT has started back in 1995. Since that time you've released a few tape releases and lots of splits. Why did it take 10 years for you to release your first full-length CD?
- Yes, that's right. We had so many problems during our existence. Line-up changes, problems with practice rooms and we are too slow with writing new songs.
"Dead Point" was released in October 2005 by Czech Khaaranus Productions. Tell us more about your co-operation with Michal's label as well as the response to "Dead Point" so far.
- Michal was first and only who offered us to release our full-length CD. So we talked about it in the band and agreed to release it on his label. He organized a tour for us. It was near 2 years ago and we are satisfied with his promotional job and stuff about our records. We got so many good reviews from all over the world. Only good reviews. That's nice I think.
Does your band name have any connection with the same titled Stephen King film? If so, please tell us why did you choose it back then?
- Hey... Yes it's the same name. Years ago we read this author's books a lot with our old singer so we decided to use this name as a bandname. I like that book and it's a good name for a band I think. (Indeed a cool bandname! I saw the film version of it, an evil yet breath-taking one!!! – Ed.)
You are a 5-piece band actually. Why do you decided to use 2 bass guitars? It's pretty strange for a grindcore band, isn't it? Whose idea was to go on in such direction?
- It was in time when Tomas joined NEEDFUL THINGS. He played bass/vocals in GENITAL GORE and we wanted to play both bass and I think it was a good idea. So we played with 2 basses like 2 years till Michael leaved the band. From that time Tomas is only vocalist but still write songs.
Please tell us more about all the band-members (job, hobbies, projects, etc.). What do you like to do besides playing in NT?
- Roman and me have the same job. We are technicians of Electronic Fire Systems, CCTV and stuff like that. Hroch is worker, Tomas is auto-mechanic and David has small cigar store. And about our projects. Hroch plays/played in WAAKUUM (Thrash/Death), but now this band is defunct like 3 years, because singer lives in Prague and guitarist is in UK and bassist was in UK too. And now he is back and they think about some project, but we will see what will happen. And I started a project with 3 guys from SAY WHY? and one from LYCANTHROPHY (one new fresh grind core/fast core project). We had 2 practices and we have 3 songs. Cannot wait to record it. We still haven't a band name. And we had with drummer from SAY WHY? and guitarist Robocop from EARDELETE/NCC studio project ENEMY ENGINE. It's more than 1 year back we recorded our 4 songs, but it's still without vocals. It's grind core, for sure. But it looks like our last activity. We will see. We are busy with our bands enough.
I think everybody in the band likes beer, joints and stuff like that, you know. We are usual people.
You've played in lots of countries so far. What country's scene/crowd did you like the best? What is the situation in the Czech grindcore scene nowadays? I mean, what promising or new bands can you recommend for us from your area?
- I think we have really good friends in Germany and France, but I think it's good to meet people from the whole world and it's good to play in every country in the world. Anywhere are good people you can talk with and that's why I like playing in the band. I think new good bands are RUBUFASO MUKUFO, SAY WHY?, LAHAR, RUCE PO OBRNE, but I think we haven't so many new pure grind core bands. It's not a trend now and that's good I think.
"Dead Point" includes a cover song of NAPALM DEATH, namely "Lowpoint" from their "Inside the Torn Apart" album (1997). It's a cool song, but why did you choose exactly that track instead of some really old one? Any special reason for it?
- Yes, our drummer loves this song and it's only one reason why we recorded right this song.
In 2006 "Dead Point" has been also out in vinyl format through the co-operation of 2 labels, namely Psychotherapy and Out of Control Records. And as I know there were some other labels involved in this release too. What should we know about this special release? Any difference between it and the CD version?
- Yes, it has different cover artwork only. Play list is the same as on CD and it was a co-operation of 4 labels. Psychocontrol Records, Nightmare Records (Czech), Power It Up Records and Tower Violence Headfakka Records both are from Germany. And I think it has better sound than is on CD. Maybe it's because I love vinyls.
Question connecting to vinyl releases. Most of the underground bands, especially grind core ones have a big amount of 7" vinyl releases. What do you think about this type of format and could you answer the question, why is it so popular to release a split 7" lately?
- I don't know why is so popular. I am collector from time when I was 18 years old. It's nice to get good made vinyl. I love colour vinyls. And not only grind core bands release vinyls. I think crust, punk, hard core bands release it too. (Of corpse, I meant just the overwhelmed popularity of making splits amongst the beforehand mentioned kind of styles and their representatives – Ed.)
What split releases are ahead for NT? Please name us all those forthcoming splits and details about the participating bands.
- OK. In December 2007 we recorded new songs for upcoming split 7" EPs with these bands. SEWN SHUT from Sweden. They play grind core for sure. We were on tour in 2004 together and we talked about some split. And it will be out in USA I hope. It's not sure yet. Another one is split with PRETTY LITTLE FLOWER from USA. They play grind core too and it will be out during this summer at Rescued From Life Records I hope. About this split 7" EP we talked with Clay RFL Records like 1 or 2 years ago. After we released our LP: He likes our music so he offered us to release this split. And third one will be with ELYSIUM I hope from France. I still wait for answer if we will release it this summer too or later this year. We will participate on PLAY FAST OR DON'T comp LP of Czech extreme hard core, grind core bands as GRIDE, LAHAR, LYCANTHROPHY, SAY WHY? and tons of others. And this year we wanna record and release split 5" with LYCANTHROPHY. It's Ondra's band and we have Psychocontrol Records together too.
Are you collecting vinyl releases? Please list us your beloved ones as well as what kind of music/bands do you listen to actually?
- Hey, yes I am a collector. Not ebay maniac, but I collect 7" EPs more than LPs. I have all GBN 7" EPs and RGTE most of them, WARSORE. NASUM, GUT old ones, SENSELESS APOCALYPSE, DISRUPT 7" EP, HATRED SURGE. Cannot mention all what I have, it's long list I think, but actually I collect vinyls like 14 years or so. So you can find some nice pieces of good records in my collection.
I usually listen to grind core, crust, thrash. MAGRUDERGRIND, SAYYADINA, NASUM, NAPALM DEATH, SUPPRESSION and tons of others and sometime SUFFOCATION. I really love this band.
Do you have in your collection any Ukrainian grindcore releases? If so, please name us them and tell us your opinion about our grindcore bands and scene in general.
- I think I haven't vinyls from Ukraina and I must tell you that I don't know your scene very well. Can you recommend me some good bands??? (Sure, check out the following great grind acts: EPICRISE, VULVULATOR, EBANATH, PAINFUL DEFLORATION, NECROCANNIBALISTIC VOMITORIUM and VAGINAL ICECREAM just to name a few – Ed.)
In 2005 you've played on the best, biggest & sickest festival on the Earth, called Obscene Extreme. What are your impressions from that festival and your appearance? Do you plan to play there again? Are you going to visit it this year personally? What do you think about this year's line-up?
- We played 3 times at OEF. Curby is my good friend. We live near each other and we know each other like 14 years. Maybe a little bit longer, I am not sure. He is really good organizer and he has a good team which helps him. And I hope we will play there in the future. If you want us, you must write to Curby, he is the director.
OK, that's all I had at the moment in my mind. Please finish the interview by sending your needful words to all the Ukrainian NT and grindcore fans and don't forget to enlighten us when should we expect the next full-length release from NT.
- Thanks for this fast interview. I hope we will meet at our mini Ukraina grind core tour, which will be blast I hope. I hope you will enjoy our concerts. And I hope we will record and release second full-length this year – 2008. I think end of this year is possible. I hope... Later, Otto.
Live photos taken by untitled 27.04.2008 in Uzhhorod, Ukraine
| 
