- Hi there, let’s start with your cool band name’s story which has been formed as a eulogy for Voivod and where is this “ö” coming from?
Lilith: Hail! It’s a tribute to Mötorhead. As we’re all huge fans of Mötorhead we made a small change from the original name.
- New album “Sharpen Your Spikes” will be released on 9th of September with the label of Xtreme Music! The new release is, again, as aggressive, fast and violent as the old ones. What would Do you tell us about “Sharpen Your Spikes”?
Lilith: “Sharpen your spikes” was composed out of anger and frustration due to everything that was happening in Catalonia. It was strange because I wrote the songs before listening to the guitar riffs and when we got together they were just the perfect match. We’ve changed our way of composing the songs but it seems to work better than when we were rehearsing every week.
Mark: Yes! It’s the same old shit we’ve done since the first days, but this one is really aggressive and, maybe, it’s the Thrashest one ‘til date!
- Is there a definition for your genre? Punk, Heavy, Black, Death, Thrash; all are proper for Körgull the Exterminator but none of them is exact. Maybe a Dirty Rock’n Roll is more proper?
Lilith: As I said before we are huge fans of Motörhead so yeah! Dirty Rotten Rock n Roll!! Ugh!
Mark: hahaha. We used to say we play Axe Thrash Metal, ‘cause it’s a mix of all those styles you mention… We don’t care to put any style into Körgull’s music as far as it is old school and pure
Metal.
- It seems Körgull the Exterminator has no worries about playing badass guitar solos or writing killer riffs or incredible drum fills. You are focused on making a metal terror, musical violence with no purpose of harmony and aesthetics. After I listened to your songs, I felt like that. I think with the last release you have found your sound over time, huh?
Joe: Yes, we are really proud of the results of this work, we have gathered all the violence and the oppression we suffered by our government and the police during the composing of most of the songs and converted it into this piece of wild metal.
Mark: Sure! That’s exactly our favourite way of composing and playing… Worrying just about the song… There are too many worries about superfluous things in nowadays’ Metal and we just focus on making a good song… That’s the way it has always been in Rock’n’Roll. A good song is and always will be a good song, whatever the solo or fills or arrangements are!
- Hey Lilith Necrobitch, your vocals support Körgull’s music and are really good with this style. Also, I like your common attitudes because there is no sexist approach. Raw, horrifying and brutal Femme Fatale Vokill! As I heard you have a long and experienced vocal background. We would be pleased if tell us to about yourself…
Lilith: That’s a very long story because I have been in bands since 1992 and collaborating with magazines, fanzines, radios and many ways of supporting the underground since mid-80’. Although I’ve played in many bands the most significant from the past were “Countess” 1994- 1996 which was an all-female black metal Band, “Harridan” were I played the drums, sang, wrote lyrics’ and composed all the music and “Beheaded Lamb” where I played the drums, Joe Bastardn guitar and Alastor vocals and bass guitar. Alastor moved to Finland but he’s always been a part of KTE as he designed our logo and is still in charge of the artwork. At present my main band is KTE but I also sing in a band called “Spectre” of pure Black Metal.
- Well then, who are the woman metal vocalists you like else?
Lilith: I’ve always admired old legends such as Jinx, Janis Joplin or Wendy Williams.
When I was a teenager as was a big fan of Nuclear Death and Holy Moses but in our days there are a lot more and from different genres of metal: Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult, Nocturnal, Skew Siskin, Konvent, Murderess… Noctuaria from Nebrus has a great voice, we played a few shows with them in Italy and I was really impressed with her stage act.
- There is an organic structure that is aforementioned. As Lilith, Joe and Mark you are well coordinated. Also, it seems Javi is included that before he was included you were playing in other bands and now he is also your producer. In terms of being a band, every environmental factor is by your side therefore it is a great chance for Körgull while writing or needing concentration. I must not be drooling about that.
Mark: No dude, it’s really as simple as we’re doing this just for our only pleasure… There’s no pressure from the outside, no aims to reach… Nothing! We just want to make the music we’d like to listen in other bands, and gather in our rehearsal room to play it and having some beers between friends… This is the most important thing in Körgull, that we’re doing this just for fun!
- Hey Joe, your one-man-black metal-band Akerbeltz was your main band and in 2004 Körgull was formed as a side project and respect. Then it seems everything turned upside-down. We will be pleased if you tell us about that process.
Joe: At the beginning, KTE was supposed to be a side project for one or two splits and demos every now and then; I focused intensely in Akerbeltz as its very complicated to compose all the structures with each instrument. Körgull started to acquire a strong character and began demanding a lot of time, so in the end, it seems to have overpassed my main band…
- J.Rotten and Fenriz, especially Fenriz, are important names that supported Körgull’s carrier. Even Fenriz was a guest artist in your release named “Ten Years of Total Extermination”. Would you tell us about the thing you have done together and (for J.Rotten and Fenriz) friendships that are formed?
Mark: We’re really honoured with them, as we are with some others like Jon Kristiansen, from the mighty Metalion magazine, that supported us from the very beginning but, to be honest, we’ve done nothing else than releasing our stuff… They approached the band for its music, not for any kind of friendship, as we hadn’t the pleasure to know them personally. Anyway, having Fenriz with us on a Mötorhead cover, showing respect after Lemmy’s death, was really a blast for us as a band, although we decided to hide his name under one of his old monikers and didn’t
mention to anyone when the compilation was released!
- You gave 2 years break while you were fast and productive, why? What happened while this was happening?
Joe: After Mark´s accident we had to change the way we used to rehearse, we decided that the best would be composing our own songs at home and sending them to each other, so we rehearse each one in our places and gather after a while with the results, I am not so productive as Mark and I take some more time, but Mark seems to explode and come out with a lot of material; I think we have improved a lot since we´ve started this system.
- The war over Genova!! This Limited and cassette tape edition which was live, both cool and brave and showing an underground attitude. Brave, because these days recording live shows that the band’s confidence for the band’s own music. IS there a similar recording plan?
Mark: There’s an underground flavour in that kind of releases and we had the opportunity to do it, as there was a cassette label interested and we had the whole recording of that gig in Genova. We really enjoy this kind of releases, or splits or 7” and we tend to participate in every occasion we have! Today there’s no release planned, but who knows what will bring tomorrow!!!
- It is obvious that you are feeding on 80s metal but I prefer to hear from you, what are the bands you have influenced?
Joe: Sodom, Bathory, Kreator, Slayer
Mark: As I said, any ’80s and early 90s Metal band, as long as it sounds old school has been an influence for us… From Celtic Frost to Running Wild, from Morbid Angel to Saxon, from Darkthrone to Scorpions!
- Thanks for the interview! At last, what would you like to tell the metal fans in Turkey?
Lilith: Keep the black flame burning!!!
Mark: Thank you very much for us and the opportunity to address a Turkey media! As far as I can remember it’s the first time for us… So let’s hope we can play there some time!!!
