At this point, my love for Australian metal is well documented. I compiled an Australian metal scene report for Invisible Oranges, and have separately interviewed Vomitor, Denouncement Pyre, Cauldron Black Ram, Stargazer and Hotel Wrecking City Traders. Now add Assaulter to that ferocious list. Their sophomore album and Metal Blade/Poison Tongue debut Boundless! is one of the year’s finest metal albums, a neck-wrecking brew of black metal, thrash and epic traditional heavy metal that will pummel your sorry ass into dust and incinerate the remains. I tracked down vocalist/guitarist S. Berserker via e-mail and the following interrogation ensued…
THKD: Boundless! is a huge step up from Salvation Like Destruction in all aspects. How would you describe the musical evolution of Assaulter between the two albums?
S. Berserker: I think it’s simply a case of us knowing exactly what we wanted to do with ‘Boundless!’, where as ‘Salvation….’ was essentially a trial by fire. It’s no secret that the debut was a right cunt of a process to record. You live and you burn. We had a few extra bucks, but were far more prepared and had worked harder on our arrangements. Musically speaking we’ve honed in our style on ‘Boundless!’ – It’s sharper, harder and tougher.
THKD: Was there anything you were looking to accomplish with Boundless! that you hadn’t achieved with your debut?
SB: In all honesty it was just to record and release an album that we felt was Assaulter to a tee. It had to be tightened and screwed in all the right spots. We wanted to record an album that was absolutely Metal most pure – Hooks, leads, aggression, speed, sprawl – All that kind of stuff. We had a little bit more coin this time ’round too, which allowed for a better sound. You can essentially hear everything on ‘Boundless!’ unlike the first LP.
THKD: What lyrical themes are being explored on Boundless? How would you describe your approach to writing lyrics?
SB: Power, propaganda, proselytism – That’s the essence of it all. I think it’s best if people just read the lyrics, but, for example, we cover the ‘flag of liberation’ in ‘Exalt the Master’, a tribute to the proselytising of the broken, godless and conquered. A nod to our modern day ‘Animal Farm’ in ‘Slave to King’, and the burning-brightest star of man in ‘Outshine’ which is essentially ‘Better to burn out than fade away’……… that’s as much as I’ll say. All the releases will feature the lyrics, so get from them what you will!
THKD: When and where was the album recorded? What was the recording experience like this time around? Did you record yourselves or with an engineer/producer?
SB: It was recorded and mixed at a small ‘establishment’ on the Central Coast called Emerald Point studios. Drums were done at Challenge studios in Sydney. All mixing was done by ourselves with two bloke from the Elanora Hotel called the ‘Bonic Bros’. Like any good recording session, it was loaded with high blood pressure, trials and fuck-ups, but, according to us, it came good in the end. We have a clearer idea as to how we will record the next album. I think when it comes to engineering, unless you REALLY know what you’re doing, it’s best to leave it up to the pros.
THKD: Describe your approach to composition. Does Assaulter write songs as a group, “jam”, etc, or is there a “primary songwriter” in the band?
SB: A lot of the material on ‘Boundless!’ was written by myself, with Hellfinder contributing to some aspects of a few songs, but embellishing all of them with his guitar themes. Jamming can fuck off. I think it would have to be the WORST way to write. I find it better to develop the crux of a song in solitude and then work out the finer details with Hellfinder.
THKD: The songs on Boundless are dark and heavy, but also have a catchy, almost epic vibe that really sets Assaulter apart. Was this approach intentional or a natural byproduct of your songwriting style?
SB: A bit of both really. I mean, you naturally put everything through the sifter so that only the strongest elements of a song remain – Yet, the riffs tend to come naturally to a certain extent. The most important element to me is the arrangement.
THKD: In listening to Boundless!, I detect some traditional heavy metal influences in addition to thrash and black metal. Is this accurate? What bands have inspired you over the years?
SB: Fucking oath. Clearly you’ve actually listened to the album. And, I’ll just add, it’s very, very fucking annoying when you see a reviewer say something like “….this is just thrash like the old Teutonic three….” or whatever. The fact is, the riffing probably has more to do with your straight up Heavy Metal than it does with ‘Thrash’ per se. That’s how I see it. Listen to the lead guitars – Oh so Heavy Metal in scale and playing. I don’t know how people can’t hear that?Inspiring bands???? Eh, too many to mention. I find a lot of bands inspiring – Whether they’re an influence is an entirely different kettle of fish.
THKD: There are tons of memorable riffs and some cool solos on Boundless!. How would you describe your approach/technique as a guitarist? What is your equipment setup?
SB: Just play, really. Play until a riff sounds right, or a bridge sits well. If you wanted to talk guitar techniques, you’d have to ask Hellfinder, as he’s the man with all the chops.
THKD: Boundless! was released in conjunction with Metal Blade Records and Primordial vocalist Alan Averill’s Poison Tongue label. How did this come about?
SB: Poison Tongue is like a sub-label to Metal Blade, more aimed towards the underground – The idea for the label came from Alan when he threw the idea towards Metal Blade. I’ve been a friend of Alan’s for many years and he approached us with his idea for the label and whether Assaulter would be interested. We naturally took up the offer, and it seems to be actually looking to bear more fruits than we’d predicted. Having said that, promotion is good, but we have no idea how it’s selling.
THKD: Assaulter features former members of Destroyer 666 and Razor of Occam. How did your experiences in other bands affect your approach to Assaulter?
SB: Not in any way at all as far as we’re concerned. A new band is a new band. Critics don’t see it that way though – I find a lot of them to be very fuckin’ lazy… “Ex-D’666 member – Well, clearly it must sound like D’666, problem is, it’s not as fast…” or shit like that. I don’t think ‘Boundless!’ actually sounds like D’666 at all.
THKD: Australia is known for producing a wealth of great blackened thrash bands like Assaulter, Destroyer 666, Nocturnal Graves, Razor of Occam, etc. What do you think it is about your country that inspires this particular type of music?
SB: This gets asked a lot and I really have no idea. I think bands here tend to influence each other, as it’s our own ‘scene’, you know? I think this theory would have been more relevant before the days of internet, but it still seems to hold water. So, yeah, I have no idea.
THKD: What are you listening to at the moment? Do you have any recommendations for THKD readers?
SB: Wardom – When Darkness Reigns (Get this if you can!)
Accept – Blood of the Nations
Death Breath – Stink up the Night
Danzig – Lucifuge
Grand Magus – Hammer of the North
THKD: Will you be doing any touring in support of Boundless? Think you’ll ever make it to the US?
SB: Mate, we would be happy to tour anyway. Actually, anywhere. About to start the planning for hitting Europe in 2012. I guess if the album sells, we could get to the States????? Who knows how the ‘industry’ works these days………..
THKD: Are there any final thoughts you’d like to add?
SB: No, no thoughts. A cheers to you for the interview and support and ‘hoi’ to anyone looking for Assaulter merchandise – Hit us up at: burning_front@hotmail.com
Salut!
Devils Poison, the second full length album from Australia’s Vomitor, is the gnarliest album you’re going to hear in 2010. End of story. The band assaults the senses with a raging, toxic style of death-thrash that is simply sick and disgusting beyond any other metal album you could hope to pollute your ears with this year. I got in touch with vocalist/guitarist Death Dealer to briefly discuss the total filth ‘n’ fury that is Vomitor.
THKD 