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The Netherlands produced lots of great Death Metal bands through the years and still producing... Another good example for this is the rising death machine of sheer brutality called SUPREME PAIN! This band was formed back in 2006, but already has 2 albums to display! I've asked guitarist Erwin Harreman about their new full-length album "Nemesis Enforcer", recent line-up changes & plans for the near future. Enjoy the pain of supremacy!!!
Having such a great musician as Aad from SINISTER/INFINITED HATE in the band immediately raises the question whose idea was to form the band and how the hell Aad got there? Please tell the story of SUPREME PAIN's foundation.
- Well I and Aad are already long time friends and we came with the idea to start together a brutal Death Metal band. I already had written a couple of songs so SUPREME PAIN was born.
How did you hook up with Slovenian drummer Robert Kovacic (SCAFFOLD) and why you decided to part ways with him after the recordings of the promo and debut album for SUPREME PAIN?
- I knew Robert and I just asked him if he would like to be part of SUPREME PAIN. He liked the songs and so he became a member. We recorded the promo and "Cadaver Pleasures" CD. Shortly after the release of "Cadaver Pleasures" he became live session drummer for BELPHEGOR and he said he didn't know if he could play gigs with SUPREME PAIN. For us this was not a good situation so for us the only solution was to kick him out and search for a new drummer. And we founded an excellent drummer in the person Toep Duin.
Your debut album "Cadaver Pleasures" has been released by Comatose Music in 2008. The only thing I remember when I've heard it for the first time that I was totally blown away by the intense songs and ultra heavy sound coming from the loudspeakers. Does it happened occasionally due to the mixing/mastering processes or it was a conscious decision to make it such destroying?
- We wanted to make a brutal and crushing Death Metal album not only intense, fast, brutal songs, but also a heavy sound. And it worked out very good. Great to hear that it worked out on you that way, haha.
Your new album "Nemesis Enforcer" was recorded at The Soundlodge Studio (Germany) under the supervision of Jörg Uken, who also worked on the latest albums of such killer bands as GOD DETHRONED, SINISTER and DEW-SCENTED just to name a few. How was to work with him and did you decide to work with him due to the results reached for the albums of the above mentioned bands?
- Aad recorded with SINISTER "The Silent Howling" CD at the Soundlodge with Jörg and he said it was great to work with him. So we decided to record the second SUPREME PAIN with Jörg at Soundlodge. I already heard a couple of productions from Jörg, so I knew it will turn out good. And working with Jörg is excellent, he is such a good producer engineer and a very relaxed nice person. And as you can hear the "Nemesis Enforcer" CD has crushing sound. We are all very happy with the result and our next CD will also be recorded at Soundlodge with Jörg Uken.
For the second full-length you signed a contract with Slovakian Metal Age Productions. What was bad with Comatose Music and tell us your fresh impressions towards the new alliance?
- Well first of all nothing was bad at Comatose Music, Steve Green did an excellent job. We signed a contract with SUPREME PAIN for 1 CD. And just after the release we came in contact with Peter from Metal Age, he would like to sign SUPREME PAIN and he offered us a very good deal. Comatose Music could not offer us a better one so we parted ways as friends. For SUPREME PAIN Metal Age is just a step forward. The alliance with Metal Age is so far very good, we signed a deal for 3 CD's and looking forward to our forthcoming releases.
Toep Duin of PUTREFIED/BLASTCORPS became your new drummer. His work on "Nemesis Enforcer" is just awesome. What should we know about him?
- Toep is a very experienced drummer. He played in several bands, as UNLORD, CONSOLATION, BLASTCORPS, PUTREFIED. And now in SUPREME PAIN. He is also drummer in the progressive metal band GODMODE. He is an awesome drummer and I am very happy he is in SUPREME PAIN. We knew him from PUTREFIED, because they played a couple of gigs together with SINISTER and after Robert left, he was the best solution to sit behind the drumkit and blast for SUPREME PAIN. So we asked him and he said yes!! Toep joined SUPREME PAIN a few months before we started the recordings of "Nemesis Enforcer" so you can imagine that the new songs will be even more crushing.
Lately you've also replaced Tadej Cholewa (SCAFFOLD) and the position for the bass player was taken by Alesa Sare. From what I've seen on your live videos, she's quite talented and pretty easily adapted to the life-style of SUPREME PAIN. Tell us your comment about this recent addition and also what do you think about the music of her previous bands (SARCASM and ROOT 'A BALLUTA)?
- Tadej was not able to combine his job and SUPREME PAIN anymore. It is a shame it didn't work out, but no hard feelings towards each other. Alesa already played a couple of gigs as stand-in bassplayer so she was the best solution to become the new bassplayer. She is a very talented musician and she likes the music of SUPREME PAIN, so it was pretty easy to adapt the brutality, hehe. I saw Alesa playing with SARCASM a couple of years ago and it was pretty good gig. SARCASM is an old-school Thrash Metal band from Slovenia, the music of ROOT 'A BALLUTA I don't really know. But Alesa is now a full member of SUPREME PAIN and it is great that we are now having a complete line-up again. Ready to shred!!!
It seems to me you have really good ties & friendship with Slovenian bands/musicians, 'cause there's always somebody from Slovenia in the band. Is it hard to find lately musicians in Holland? Please share your thoughts on this subject.
- Yeah we are connected with Slovenia, my girlfriend is from Slovenia so that's why I know a lot of bands and musicians from Slovenia. And somehow they are part of SUPREME PAIN, hehe. And Alesa is the girlfriend of Aad and also from Slovenia, but now lives in Netherlands. In Netherlands are also good musicians, but why look around if there are good musicians nearby, haha.
Your music displays a well-guessed combination between the good old-school Death Metal riffs and hypersonic blasting of today's bands. Was it made consciously right at the beginning or it just came naturally? What bands would you mention as influential ones for the musical aspect of SUPREME PAIN? Name us your favorites.
- When we started with SUPREME PAIN it was clear that we want to combine the old-school Death Metal feeling with the blasting and brutality of today. So from the beginning we wanted to create this sound and style of Death Metal with SUPREME PAIN. And we will always play this way, because it is the music we all like and fits best with SUPREME PAIN. All members have their favourite bands. For me it is SUFFOCATION, BEHEMOTH, NILE, MORBID ANGEL, ZYKLON, DYING FETUS and many more, but these are my influences. But every day more bands come in the scene and some are very good new bands.
While your first record was mainly kept in the traditions & formula of Holland Death Metal style, I would say "Nemesis Enforcer" got some US influences as well, for example in songs like "Vengeful Wrath" (I hear a strong SUFFOCATION influence on the guitar riffs) and "The Unholy Throne" (is quite reminiscent of MORBID ANGEL due to it's opening riffs and drumming). In what direction will you proceed for the third album and what can we expect music-wise from SUPREME PAIN in 2010?
- We will move forward in this style of music, as I said before this kind of music we like a lot and fits best with SUPREME PAIN. Of course we will try to improve ourselves with songwriting and playing our instruments and also we will try out a few new things and see how it will fit. We are now together for some time and this line-up will be steady and as a band we keep improving ourselves. At the moment we are slowly busy with writing and practicing/creating new material and I can tell you it will be sick!!! For now we don't know when we hit the studio again. We will start with recording the third album when we think the new songs are ready to be recorded.
I should say your art-works (both the covers & the T-shirt designs) look pretty killer and done with a totally old-school spirit. Who responsible for them?
- Mottla Arts did the artwork. He is from Austria and we told him a bit the idea of the album title etc. and he came up with this sick design, which is amazing. Metal Age arranged the shirts and they did a very good job as well, the shirts are very high quality printed.
Holland's Death Metal scene is quite big and varied. What do you think about the latest records of such killer Dutch bands as PESTILENCE, ASPHYX, HAIL OF BULLETS, GOREFEST, SINISTER, GOD DETHRONED and THANATOS. Which is your favorite release and why? Also please would you recommend us bands from the newcomers?
- Well some releases I like others I don't, hehehe. So my favourite releases are SINISTER, GOD DETHRONED and a few songs of PESTILENCE, because it fits the best with the kind of music I like. About newcomers, I can recommend WEAPONS TO HUNT, it's a new project of INFINITED HATE members Aad and Ron and the songs I heard were pretty cool, Thrash with some Death Metal influences. For others I don't know so many new Dutch bands. Well the projectband H.D.K. released a good CD.
Do you have some European tours in plans for the near future? If so, please enlighten us the details. Would be also simply killer to see you playing live in Ukraine? Any plans to visit us?
- At the moment there are no plans for a European tour. It is also not easy to tour, because of our private lives. We all have daily jobs and also a family life with girlfriend/wives and kids. So we play some gigs all around and maybe we can work out a short 7 day tour in the Balkan. And, of course, it would be killer to play in Ukraine a couple of gigs, would be awesome!!!
By the way, have you ever been to Ukraine & do you know any Death Metal bands from the Ukraine? What would be your first association when you hear the word "Ukraine"?
- I never had the change to visit Ukraine, I know a couple of years ago SINISTER played at a festival in Kiev. And I know FLESHGORE and now CASTRUM, hehe. My first association with Ukraine is that it is far away from Netherlands and it was a part of the former Soviet Union and sports, mainly football, there was a Dutch coach which won UEFA Cup with Shakhtar Donetsk. The European football championship of 2012 will be in Ukraine and I know the country from a couple of winter sports.
Finally, I would like to thank you Erwin for taking the time and answering my questionnaire. Please finish the interview by sending your supreme regards to all the Ukrainian SUPREME PAIN fans as well as to the fans of Death Metal music in general.
- It was my pleasure to answer your questions. And thank you so much for your support!!! And to all Ukraine fans of SUPREME PAIN: Stay brutal and horns up!!! Keep supporting brutal Death Metal, because without the fans there is no scene!!! Maybe we will have a chance to shred in Ukraine a couple of gigs and to meet the Death Metal fans from Ukraine.
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