here is a new interview with the italian band serpent's cult.if you
enjoy the early 90's style of black metal then this is a band you should
defintly like!! enjoy the interview and as always thanks to all who
take time to read our zine!!
best regards
patrick and winter torment myspace zine.
interview with lupus vocalist,guitarist for serpent's cult done by patrick.
1.hails!! how is your weekend going? please tell the readers a little about yourself.
Hi Patrick, I’m Lupus, vocalist and one of the two guitarists of Serpent’s Cult and I’m writing from northern Italy. Right this weekend we organized a concert with other local bands, so it’s been a really demanding but also satisfying weekend!
2.at what age did you first start listening to metal? who were some of the first bands you listened to? who are some of your "current" favorite bands?
There isn’t an out-and-out age I could say I began listening to metal, it’s been something gradual in time because I was born and raised listening to rock music my parents used to listen to. So I began with Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, then I changed over to Metallica, Iron Maiden, Pantera, etc… and at that stage when you’re a teen-ager it’s easy to switch from Iron Maiden to Slayer and from Slayer to black/death metal. I consider myself lucky, because I can say I know very well the world I belong to, not like some people who suddenly start listening black or death metal when they can’t even distinguish a Kerry King’s riff from a Dave Mustaine’s, those are riffs that made history and still make it nowadays. Now that I said this it’s pretty difficult to answer to what are my favourite bands, I really have many for any genre! If you want to know some names, then I’ll tell you Chuck Schuldiner, Dimebag and Abbath.
3.when did you all form serpent's cult? how did you all come up with the band name does it have special meaning? what is the "current" line-up? for the readers who have not had a chance to hear the band how would you describe the music of serpent's cult?
All started in 2006 almost by chance. I was having a chat and a beer with Horn when at a certain point he told me he was looking for a guitarist for a new project he was thinking of. We started playing and during the following year we completed the line-up with Waldläufer on the drums, Sarg on the bass and Vipera on the keyboards. We spent an year playing some covers with the aim of reaching confidence within the band, then we realized we were playing well together, so we decided to go on and to start writing some stuff, and of course, to find a name for the band. We ended up choosing Serpent’s Cult, and now I’ll tell you why. What we all have in common is that we hold in contempt monotheism in every shape it may take. We believe that with the arrival of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, humanity erased all those values which brought civilizations such as the ancient Egyptians or the pre-Columbian civilizations to acquire a superior knowledge which we still ignore, not only on an intellectual level but also on a social level.
This is the theme of our lyrics, the celebration of the superiority of every pagan culture existed and which monotheists tried in vain to erase from history, but to this concept we have come also by the name Serpent’s Cult because, for instance, you may notice that in every pagan culture the snake used to have an important role. So for us the serpent’s cult is the cult of the pagan inheritance left from our ancestors.
For what concerns our style, to be completely honest I think it is up to those who listen to us to say whether and to whom we are similar. So I call upon the readers to visit our myspace (myspace.com/serpentscult) or go on youtube and listen to some of our tracks!
4.the band recently sent me the debut demo.how long did it take you all to write and record the songs for this release?are you and the other members of the band happy with how the demo turned out?
It took a lot of time to write the first songs, almost a year, but as I told you before we first needed to spend several hours to know each other as musicians and to find the right mix of styles which fitted to everyone, then we completed the first five tracks, four of them have been recorded for our first demo. In general yes, we are happy with the recording, but that was more than a year ago (the demo was recorded in march 2008), so I can tell you that the next promo we’re going to record will surely represent us much better. In the last period we developed our skills both in composing and performing, and this time we’ll take some more days to record, whereas our first and for now our only demo was recorded in only a day and a half...
5.how has the response been from the fans and the press?
The response from those who come to see our gigs and from the press has been really astonishing. We didn’t expect such a positive response, your own review of our demo really encouraged us. All this is the proof for us that after all we’re doing well, and we can’t but be happy about it.
6.has the band had time to begin working on new songs for the next release? any idea how many songs will be on it?
Yes, of course. When we just finished recording the demo last year we started working and if we had a contract we would be able to record a proper album, so for now I think we’ll record all our songs and then we’ll choose 3 or 4 to put on the promo. We are sure we can do a good work to hope to have some more opportunities for the future.
7.does the band get to play live very often? who are some bands you all have played with?
Last years chances were scarce but this year augurs well, also because even around here we were almost unknown, while now our name is spreading a bit more. We already played some gigs during the last month and we have some others planned for the near future. We have played with local bands such as Blood Edition, Eternity Ends, Sycronomica and Silentium Noctis, and we also had the chance to share the stage with Dagoba – they don’t actually play our genre, but their name is far more famous than ours here in Europe, I don’t know what it’s like in America.
8.if you could set-up a dream show/tour.who are some bands you would love to play/tour with?
Well, personally I wouldn’t have minded to have the chance to share the stage with emperor, dissection or perhaps nocturnus, but I realize this is kind of unlikely nowadays, isn’t it?
9.the band is a part of the italian metal underground.so i was curious what is your opinion of the metal scene in italy?
The Italian underground scene is very rich and there is no need to envy other nations that are, let’s say, more “renowned”. The real problem in Italy is the lack of support from those who should work to help you. I see this every day, because I live at the border with Austria and I have before my eyes a reality far different from ours, made of people who really want to do something and not just to earn from your hard work. In Italy if you don’t have a name the only chance to play live is to organize something yourself, do the promoting yourself and you can only hope someone will come to see you. It is a real shame, because here in Italy we have legendary names such as Necrodeath and Aborym, which deserve for sure more than what they have got until now.
In such conditions, unfortunately things go this way: either you’re as lucky as Graveworm and you can catch some non-italian labels’ attention and you get what you deserve, or you keep being none for 15 or 20 years until you give up and resign yourself. All this without excluding the chance to betray yourself and start playing some commercial shit, unfortunately the world is full of these people as well.
10.who are some of your all-time favorite italian bands? are their any new bands from italy you feel the readers should know about?
Just to give you some names I’d say Necrodeath, Malfeitor, Nefarium, Spite Extreme Wing, Inchiuvatu, Mortuary Drape, but there are so many that now I can’t think of others in particular. Among the new bands for instance I could say Blood Edition, I had the opportunity to meet them last weekend but I had already seen them playing live at another time and in my opinion they are really great. For the rest I heartily recommend you to keep an eye on the Italian scene and perhaps you’ll realize that it is not dead just like many of you may think!
11.coming back to the band for a moment.you are the guitarist for the band.when did you start playing the guitar?are you self-taught or did you take lessons?
The very first time I played a guitar I was 14, rather later compared to others, but I immediately began to learn a lot of songs of the bands I was listening to, spending several hours on the guitar every day. Now I think I have caught up many of the lost years, for every time I need to learn a piece I need no score, my musical ear is enough for me. To answer your question I guess it is quite obvious that I learnt by myself...
12.you are also the vocalist of the group.when did you start singing? who are some of your favorite singers? do you do anything special to keep your vocals/throat healthy?
To sing this way for me it is completely natural, so for now I do not need any particular precautions to keep my vocals in shape. Of course, just like every other instrument, I needed some time to find the right way to scream without being voiceless after only 10 minutes!
About my favourite singers, among all I quote three names: Chuck Schuldiner, because especially in his last years he had really wicked voice; Attila (Mayhem) because he has the superhuman ability to produce a lot of different sounds from his vocal chords (really extra-terrestrial stuff!); and Peter from Vader, for me a true dilemma, I cannot understand how the hell can he sing that way!
13.do you or any of the members of serpent's cult play in side-bands or projects? if yes please tell us a little about them.
No, all of us work entirely at this project, because it represents not only our musical tastes but also what we are, it is part of our lives. Of course if it occurred that someone started playing with another band there would be no problem, because everyone knows perfectly that Serpent’s Cult always comes first. This is what I expect from the others and what they expect from me.
14.well my friend,thank you for taking the time to fill out this interview. do you have any final comments for the readers?
Well Patrick, thank you for giving us this chance and cheers to all the readers. Do not forget to visit our myspace page and don’t hesitate to leave us your impressions and your critics about our music. Never bow your head in front of the monotheist enemy, stand up and fight him!
band contact
http://www.myspace.com/serpentscult
best regards
patrick and winter torment myspace zine.
interview with lupus vocalist,guitarist for serpent's cult done by patrick.
1.hails!! how is your weekend going? please tell the readers a little about yourself.
Hi Patrick, I’m Lupus, vocalist and one of the two guitarists of Serpent’s Cult and I’m writing from northern Italy. Right this weekend we organized a concert with other local bands, so it’s been a really demanding but also satisfying weekend!
2.at what age did you first start listening to metal? who were some of the first bands you listened to? who are some of your "current" favorite bands?
There isn’t an out-and-out age I could say I began listening to metal, it’s been something gradual in time because I was born and raised listening to rock music my parents used to listen to. So I began with Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, then I changed over to Metallica, Iron Maiden, Pantera, etc… and at that stage when you’re a teen-ager it’s easy to switch from Iron Maiden to Slayer and from Slayer to black/death metal. I consider myself lucky, because I can say I know very well the world I belong to, not like some people who suddenly start listening black or death metal when they can’t even distinguish a Kerry King’s riff from a Dave Mustaine’s, those are riffs that made history and still make it nowadays. Now that I said this it’s pretty difficult to answer to what are my favourite bands, I really have many for any genre! If you want to know some names, then I’ll tell you Chuck Schuldiner, Dimebag and Abbath.
3.when did you all form serpent's cult? how did you all come up with the band name does it have special meaning? what is the "current" line-up? for the readers who have not had a chance to hear the band how would you describe the music of serpent's cult?
All started in 2006 almost by chance. I was having a chat and a beer with Horn when at a certain point he told me he was looking for a guitarist for a new project he was thinking of. We started playing and during the following year we completed the line-up with Waldläufer on the drums, Sarg on the bass and Vipera on the keyboards. We spent an year playing some covers with the aim of reaching confidence within the band, then we realized we were playing well together, so we decided to go on and to start writing some stuff, and of course, to find a name for the band. We ended up choosing Serpent’s Cult, and now I’ll tell you why. What we all have in common is that we hold in contempt monotheism in every shape it may take. We believe that with the arrival of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, humanity erased all those values which brought civilizations such as the ancient Egyptians or the pre-Columbian civilizations to acquire a superior knowledge which we still ignore, not only on an intellectual level but also on a social level.
This is the theme of our lyrics, the celebration of the superiority of every pagan culture existed and which monotheists tried in vain to erase from history, but to this concept we have come also by the name Serpent’s Cult because, for instance, you may notice that in every pagan culture the snake used to have an important role. So for us the serpent’s cult is the cult of the pagan inheritance left from our ancestors.
For what concerns our style, to be completely honest I think it is up to those who listen to us to say whether and to whom we are similar. So I call upon the readers to visit our myspace (myspace.com/serpentscult) or go on youtube and listen to some of our tracks!
4.the band recently sent me the debut demo.how long did it take you all to write and record the songs for this release?are you and the other members of the band happy with how the demo turned out?
It took a lot of time to write the first songs, almost a year, but as I told you before we first needed to spend several hours to know each other as musicians and to find the right mix of styles which fitted to everyone, then we completed the first five tracks, four of them have been recorded for our first demo. In general yes, we are happy with the recording, but that was more than a year ago (the demo was recorded in march 2008), so I can tell you that the next promo we’re going to record will surely represent us much better. In the last period we developed our skills both in composing and performing, and this time we’ll take some more days to record, whereas our first and for now our only demo was recorded in only a day and a half...
5.how has the response been from the fans and the press?
The response from those who come to see our gigs and from the press has been really astonishing. We didn’t expect such a positive response, your own review of our demo really encouraged us. All this is the proof for us that after all we’re doing well, and we can’t but be happy about it.
6.has the band had time to begin working on new songs for the next release? any idea how many songs will be on it?
Yes, of course. When we just finished recording the demo last year we started working and if we had a contract we would be able to record a proper album, so for now I think we’ll record all our songs and then we’ll choose 3 or 4 to put on the promo. We are sure we can do a good work to hope to have some more opportunities for the future.
7.does the band get to play live very often? who are some bands you all have played with?
Last years chances were scarce but this year augurs well, also because even around here we were almost unknown, while now our name is spreading a bit more. We already played some gigs during the last month and we have some others planned for the near future. We have played with local bands such as Blood Edition, Eternity Ends, Sycronomica and Silentium Noctis, and we also had the chance to share the stage with Dagoba – they don’t actually play our genre, but their name is far more famous than ours here in Europe, I don’t know what it’s like in America.
8.if you could set-up a dream show/tour.who are some bands you would love to play/tour with?
Well, personally I wouldn’t have minded to have the chance to share the stage with emperor, dissection or perhaps nocturnus, but I realize this is kind of unlikely nowadays, isn’t it?
9.the band is a part of the italian metal underground.so i was curious what is your opinion of the metal scene in italy?
The Italian underground scene is very rich and there is no need to envy other nations that are, let’s say, more “renowned”. The real problem in Italy is the lack of support from those who should work to help you. I see this every day, because I live at the border with Austria and I have before my eyes a reality far different from ours, made of people who really want to do something and not just to earn from your hard work. In Italy if you don’t have a name the only chance to play live is to organize something yourself, do the promoting yourself and you can only hope someone will come to see you. It is a real shame, because here in Italy we have legendary names such as Necrodeath and Aborym, which deserve for sure more than what they have got until now.
In such conditions, unfortunately things go this way: either you’re as lucky as Graveworm and you can catch some non-italian labels’ attention and you get what you deserve, or you keep being none for 15 or 20 years until you give up and resign yourself. All this without excluding the chance to betray yourself and start playing some commercial shit, unfortunately the world is full of these people as well.
10.who are some of your all-time favorite italian bands? are their any new bands from italy you feel the readers should know about?
Just to give you some names I’d say Necrodeath, Malfeitor, Nefarium, Spite Extreme Wing, Inchiuvatu, Mortuary Drape, but there are so many that now I can’t think of others in particular. Among the new bands for instance I could say Blood Edition, I had the opportunity to meet them last weekend but I had already seen them playing live at another time and in my opinion they are really great. For the rest I heartily recommend you to keep an eye on the Italian scene and perhaps you’ll realize that it is not dead just like many of you may think!
11.coming back to the band for a moment.you are the guitarist for the band.when did you start playing the guitar?are you self-taught or did you take lessons?
The very first time I played a guitar I was 14, rather later compared to others, but I immediately began to learn a lot of songs of the bands I was listening to, spending several hours on the guitar every day. Now I think I have caught up many of the lost years, for every time I need to learn a piece I need no score, my musical ear is enough for me. To answer your question I guess it is quite obvious that I learnt by myself...
12.you are also the vocalist of the group.when did you start singing? who are some of your favorite singers? do you do anything special to keep your vocals/throat healthy?
To sing this way for me it is completely natural, so for now I do not need any particular precautions to keep my vocals in shape. Of course, just like every other instrument, I needed some time to find the right way to scream without being voiceless after only 10 minutes!
About my favourite singers, among all I quote three names: Chuck Schuldiner, because especially in his last years he had really wicked voice; Attila (Mayhem) because he has the superhuman ability to produce a lot of different sounds from his vocal chords (really extra-terrestrial stuff!); and Peter from Vader, for me a true dilemma, I cannot understand how the hell can he sing that way!
13.do you or any of the members of serpent's cult play in side-bands or projects? if yes please tell us a little about them.
No, all of us work entirely at this project, because it represents not only our musical tastes but also what we are, it is part of our lives. Of course if it occurred that someone started playing with another band there would be no problem, because everyone knows perfectly that Serpent’s Cult always comes first. This is what I expect from the others and what they expect from me.
14.well my friend,thank you for taking the time to fill out this interview. do you have any final comments for the readers?
Well Patrick, thank you for giving us this chance and cheers to all the readers. Do not forget to visit our myspace page and don’t hesitate to leave us your impressions and your critics about our music. Never bow your head in front of the monotheist enemy, stand up and fight him!
band contact
http://www.myspace.com/serpentscult
