1. Hello, Ivar! How are you doing today and for those unaware of who you are could you introduce yourself and what you contribute to the band?
I play Guitar for 15 years now and do most of the songwriting, which changed a bit after Roman joined the band as another guitarist.
2. Let’s get back to the times when Death Metal was still a pretty new concept. What were the first bands that took your attention? How did it happen?
I grew up with some guys that have been into Nu-Metal in the mid-2000s, but this stuff never really made the cut for me, so I was investigating into the heavier stuff. My first real Death Metal Album was Symbolic by DEATH. The mix of heavy, progressive and technical stuff led to me getting into the real shit: Dying Fetus, Suffocation, Deicide, …
3. So, you play brutal death metal... But why "Brutal"? What does this word mean for you, and what does brutality represent in your daily lives?
“Brutal” in the first place is meant as a description of how the music we play is coming along. We try to keep it intense and crushing all the way. But being “brutal” is not an end in itself nor the main goal in there. It’s just a pretty important ingredient among others, you could say. And if you compare our music to Bands like Amon Amarth or later Carcass we are definitely on the “brutal” side of the Genre. By the way the generally brutal sides of contemporary society and mankind are topics the lyrics deal with.
4. The metal genres that have been attached to Oppression Denied seem to be technical brutal death metal, and even grindcore, but what genre would you put on yourself?
I haven´t been a big fan of the genre-discussions whatsoever, because a band should not be limited in its ability to cross the borders of said genres. For us I think it’s a good thing, that we can mix aspects of different genres, without having to stand up for it.
5. You have a debut demo recorded and released this year. These five tracks sound very fresh and strong, though your musical influences are obvious; how did you work over these songs? What did you plan to put into it?
I always tried to make songs that give you a good experience from the first to the last second, so that you have replay the whole song to get the best out of it. There is no real plan when doing these songs, I just have one or two riffs or parts in mind and the rest comes while putting it together.
6. What I like the most about the album is the combination of the most brutal moments and the eerie atmospheres featured on some of the tracks. There are even some cool melodies floating around the songs. How did you guys come with that concept?
Outside of listening to Death Metal and the heavier side of things I enjoy other Genres and Styles very much, like Jazz, Prog-Rock, Electro, … and sometimes I want to give the songs a little twist and bring the whole atmosphere to a completely new level. But the other guys have to stop from time to time me from doing too much, but that’s what bandmates are for!
7. What rules and canons do you follow when writing music? How much is this process free and artistic? Or maybe a more technical and academic approach prevails?
I would say that the process is exceptionally free and only motivated by creativity. I know a lot of musical theory and studied this stuff a lot, but it doesn’t get included too much into the music, because that’s not what we want to do. Everything has to contribute to the feeling of the songs.
8. Music-wise, what are to you the most essential aspects for a death metal band? Some say it’s the rhythm of the guitars, some say it’s the drum beat, and others say it’s the vocals… Maybe it’s a bit of everything?
I think it’s a bit of everything, but the drummer and his playstyle contribute the biggest part to every aspect of the song. Also, what many people don’t realise is, that the sound of the music has a big influence on how music is perceived by the listener.
9. Since the brutal death metal scene has grown for long as it existed, what are your current thoughts in the modern-day era of the genre?
I love everything about it! The internet has provided me with so much input and awesome bands over the years and its good to know that there is no limit to creativity and people can do what they like, and maybe someone on the other side of the planet enjoys it too.
10. Do you think the band secured its brutal and quality filled sound already? Or you guys still in the search of your signature sound?
A signature sound is something that evolves with in longer periods of time and it comes somehow naturally with a stable line-up. We are not really searching for it but we definitely haven’t found it yet ether. But the main pillars on which everything is based are definitely already there. Let’s see where the journey takes OPPRESSION DENIED…
11. Is it hard for you to create new riffs and ideas for yourselves in death metal, since so much of the genre was established before?
It´s quite the opposite! I have plenty of ideas every week, some are better, some are worse. But if you give yourself time between writing sessions and listening session you can always come up with something unique. But we will always have jokes like “… and then we do the Band XYZ-Part, followed by the super heavy YZX-part” which just resembles how big of an influence some of these guys had on their respective genres.
12. Do you think there is a point with technical death metal where it will reach its pinnacle in terms of songwriting?
No. Songwriting is mostly about creativity wich also includes rethinking and or recombining existing patterns in music. If you see it from that perspective there still is a lot to come.
13. Germany has long been known for its power/traditional metal scene. Do you feel that there’s been a shift where more death metal is now being recognized?
That’s also a question of perspective. Death Metal has always been vivid in Germany since the late 80s and early 90s, when Bands like Morgoth or Protector came along. It’s true, those who really became big on a truly international level are traditional acts like Scorpions, Accept, Doro and Blind Guardian or Thrash Metal Acts like Kreator and Destruction. But there are way more Technical Death Metal bands than just those few who represent the German scene of today on an international level beyond Europe. One of those bigger ones may be Obscura for example.
14.Death Metal has come a long way today. Are you keeping track of the new bands in the DM scene? What do you think of the various sub-genres that are mushrooming each day?
It’s definitely worth keeping eyes and ears open for new stuff. Digging up cool new tunes from the depths of the Underground can be real fun. When it comes to Tech Death from Germany Bands like Cytotoxin SubOrbital or Sinners Bleed are not as well known out there as they could be, I guess.
There are tons and tons of more good Death Metal Bands out there beyond that and a lot of the veterans still kill, like Cannibal Corpse, Cryptopsy and Dying Fetus.
Those sub-genres you mention are mostly just attempts to describe music as interestingly as possible for marketing purposes. That simply shouldn’t be overestimated. What counts is the music.
15. You are planning to release a full album this year. Could you tell us something in advance about the recording process and what can we expect of the whole songs?
I am doing most of the recordings on my own in the home studio. We are currently looking for a new drummer, but for the album there will be live recorded drums combined with my homestudio guitars, basses and vocals. The technical and software engineering has come so far that a decently equipped home studio is very much capable of producing top tier sounds!
For the songs you can expect a lot more from is already out there – Blastbeats, Grooves, Technical Riffing and maybe a little more solos here and there (we have been a bit sparingly with that) and atmospheric additions throughout the whole thing.
The album is called INSURGENT and will a feature a breath-taking cover art from a Slovak artist.
16. Thanks for your time bro, that’s my last question for now. Do you have few more words for our readers?
First of all thanks for your interest in OD and the great opportunity to introduce us here. Keep an eye on us on Bandcamp and elsewhere…we are just about getting started.
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