This italian band has released their new album "Art Bleeds" showing that they have improved through the years in playing their extremely technical death metal style. The two main brains behind Gory Blister, (guitarist Raff and drummer Joe) answered our questions.
How has "Cognitive Sinergy" been received by the underground audiences?
Joe: When we released the Cognitive mini album we always got great reviews worldwide, and the worst words people were able to say were that it was too technical, but very death metal! The audience reaction was no different, and we got our Cds almost sold out , even if we kept few copies for ourselves that we are still asked for! People keeps still on writing for it!
Are all the songs in "Cognitive Sinergy" new songs (except from "Voyage-Out")?
Joe: indeed Cognitive Sinergy was the only entirely brand new; it was written by me and Raff with the help of Nick Curri on vocals, within the period the band seemed running to the split-up; then with the contribution of Nosferatu rec. we put into the same Cd Cognitive Sinergy plus all the previously anavailable songs that were recorded by the old line-up: The Voyage Out, Where Thoughts Flow, Premonitions Through The Ageless Land, and Spoil (reprise from the first demo). That CD could have represented our 'swan song', but it was our strong conviction to make it our rebirth!
Have you presented "Cognitive Sinergy" on stage?
Joe: of course yes, since we got our line-up completed! Our gigs have always been of a great Death Metal attitude!
How different is the role of the new members Dome and Michele compared to Luigi´s approach?
Joe: well, I have to say that at least on stage the old line-up attitude was not very professional; when things had to get more and more serious, Luca and Luigi left the band; Michele is a real musician, and Dome a good singer, that's all;
Which is your opinion on the first Gory Blister demos "Spoilt by Greed" and "Hanging down the sounds"? I know that in that time you were not a member of the band...
Raff: I've always liked the first two Gory demos also when I had no idea of becoming a band member; I used to say they were the masters of tempo! But I prefer Spoilt by Greed because it is more spontaneous and rough! Of course after some years you improve as a musician so that you can hear all the mistakes on those old songs, but the ideas into them were greatly future if you consider it was 1993!
Are you planning to add a second guitar? because you had two guitars before Luca left the band...
Raff: No, for now I don't think so; maybe in future, if there will be the conditions; I use to make a studio version of the song, based on two or more guitars, and a live version in order to play the same riff as similar as possible with one guitar. It seems to work well enough!
How did the music of Gory Blister changed when you entered the band?
Raff: The Gory Blister style has always progressed towards personal identities and you can just listen to this; anyway, since I came from a more brutal grinding band, maybe I brought some Morbid Angel and Cannibal Corpse attitude to our sound.
Has Michele bass playing become more technical when he joined Gory Blister compared to when he played in Thy Nature?
Raff: Michele was a good bass player with Thy Nature, but he improved his skills very much with our complicated song structure.
How different are the vocals of Dome compared to the ones of Nick Curry?
Joe: I don't think there is big difference, and anyway this is not important now; we have changed two singers since the last recordings; Yes, we have recorded a new album entitled ART BLEEDS with Dani from NODE on vocals (he played really great!) and now ADRY will be our singer for next live concerts. I have to say that we have also a new great bass player, Luca, because Michele left the band to play a totally different music.
Do you think that this sentence that was said of Gory Blister´s music at the beginning of the band´s career is still valid: "MOMENTS OF TRUE DELIRIUM AND IMMENSE LUSTFULNESS, CONTRIBUTING TO THE DESTRUCTION OF YOUR ROOM"?
Joe: Yes, I think it is! our music is still the mix of death metal 100% and technical skills that we have improved thru this years; just now we are working on the equilibrium of these two features into our music, and the new songs are more and more 'first approach', but keeping a technical level that it is hardly listened into metal albums; The Transcending the mundane (New York most important metal 'zine) review of ART BLEEDS begins with the sentence "has Chuck Schuldiner reformed DEATH?".
How important is for the band to rehearse the songs? Are songs that are too complicated to play live?
Joe: Yes our songs are not easy at all to play live! This was also one of the reasons of our line-up problems; As I have said above we have improved very much our skills and now we have a line-up who is able to reproduce the songs live as they are; of course just a couple of weeks of non rehearsal is enough to get it worst!
Which is the fundamental feature of Gory Blister´s music: the death metal feeling or the technical aspect of the songs?
Joe: I think that our death metal feeling is as important as ever in our playing, but the technical aspect is a bit changed, improved, yes, but maybe towards a different target; first of all any second of the song must be played perfectly, but the technical skill is more concentrated in the right moments of the song which has otherwise an intense furiosity.
Any final thoughts?
Joe: Our musical choices and concept has ever been a somewhat problem with labels who are still saying we are not as commercial as they would like. I don't know when you can buy our ART BLEEDS album into your fave record shop, but we believe in it, please be with us, write us back (artbleeds@katamail.it) go and watch our live video on www.bullet-tv.de (video section and MP3 section) and e-mail them about us!
GORY BLISTER - DISCOGRAPHY
Spoilt by Greed - demo (1991)
Hanging Down The Sounds - demo (1993)
Cognitive Sinergy - MCD (2000)
Art Bleeds - CD (2001)
ACTUAL LINEUP
Raff - guitars
Adry - vocals
Luca - bass
Joe - drums
