When I heard the new release from Encryptment called “Dodens Fodsel” I reached out to guitar player Marcus Bengtsson for an interview and here is what he said to my questions…
What sort of kid were you growing up? Were you into music early on or did that come in your teenage years?
Marcus: I was introduced to rock music at the age of four. Everything started with Kiss of course. I began playing guitar at the age of 8 and it has been the central point of my life ever since. I’ve always been a driven and passionate person with wildly different interests over the years, therefore my real tunnel-visioned deep dive into art and music started a bit late. Before the age of 20, I can see now how I wasn’t bold enough to ”sacrifice” myself for the sake of art, which is the only way to do it. These days music and art have become my reason for existence.
When did you come to discover underground metal music? What were some of the 1st bands you heard and liked? Are you still a fan of those bands today?
Marcus: After discovering Kiss my real revelations were Guns N’ Roses and early Metallica at a very young age. I still listen to them frequently of course. I dare say that not many bands have even been slightly close to touching what they once brought into the world. Black & Death Metal pierced its way into my life at around the age of 16 or so, a bit later than most kids that get exposed to these things I guess.
What made you want to pick up the guitar? Was it a certain guitar player? What are some of your favorite guitar players?
Marcus: Probably my parents actually, as they both played a little bit and got me my first guitar before I even had any interest in playing. Slash has always been my favorite guitar player. Not so much technically, which never really interested me anyway, but rather because of his sublime style and feel for melody.
Now you were in one band before Encryptment and they were called Bedlamite, which released only a demo. How long was that actual band around and what led to that band breaking up?
Marcus: We played together for a few years before that band sort of merged into ENCRYPTMENT. During the BEDLAMITE days, we made the mistake of consciously putting ourselves in the ”Swedish Death Metal”-category right away, which just felt boring, limiting, and uninspiring after a while. We then formed ENCRYPTMENT with the intention of not putting a label on ourselves, but rather just going where the music wanted to take us. In my opinion that is by far the most rewarding way of playing in a band.
Now did you take any songs from your prior band or any of the band members, did any join Encryptment? How long did it take you to get the band up and running?
Marcus: No, we simply started with a clean slate with the same members.
Was it hard to find the right members for the group early on? Once you did, did everything click right away?
Marcus: Not really, the only issue we had was to find the proper replacement for the original drummer who left the band quite early on. When getting to know Joel who joined the band in 2018, we all felt that it was time to get to work for real.
How did you come up with the band name and logo for the band?
Marcus: The band name was a single word that had been floating around for some years before the formation of ENCRYPTMENT. It was the title of a song by a local act we enjoyed at the time, and for some reason, me and the past drummer always felt drawn to it. I’ve since then done some research and looked up the different contexts in which it has been used, and it is mainly used by funeral parlors describing the process of burial within a mausoleum. This feels very fitting for a band with death as the main theme.
The current logo was designed by me. I wanted something rough that radiates severity, a logo that would fit well in a filthy 90’s fanzine. The total opposite of clean and perfect vector-line bullshit that is far too common these days.
How long did it take before you started writing songs, which would end up on your debut release called “Suktar Efter Luft”? What are your thoughts on this release these days?
Marcus: It was recorded very quickly after the formation of ENCRYPTMENT, just a few months in. I had to give this a spin again after a long time now. It sounds like music and lyrics written by children not yet exposed to real darkness. I still enjoy the songs and think they sound coherent, but they lack the depth and the darkness that the newer material truly explores and contains. ”Suktar efter luft” merely scratches the surface.
So it took another 4 years before we saw another release, and this time in the form of a demo called “Mangel Fran Soderort” and you also had a new drummer Joel. What happened to Victor and what did the band do from years 2015 to 2019?
Marcus: Victor decided to move to Japan so we were without a drummer during those years. We weren’t very active during that time to be honest because of the difficulties of finding the proper drummer until Joel joined in 2018. I spent that time doing different things such as making other music and traveling extensively, which in hindsight I’m quite glad I did, as some of those experiences shaped me deeply as an artist and as a person.
Now do you think the band’s sound has changed much from the debut release to the 2019 release? What are your thoughts on this release these days?
Marcus: It’s quite easy to hear that something happened to us during the years in between. The music started becoming darker, got more depth, and focused a bit more on the atmosphere. We had also experienced things individually that would that would ultimately color the lyrics and music we wrote for that demo. On the Mangel från Söderort-demo, we were finding our place with Joel and seeing in which direction the band was heading with the new line-up.
Now we come to your latest release, which was put out by Nuclear Winter Records. How did you hook up with them? Did you find them or did they find you? How has been the response to it so far?
Marcus: We reached out to Nuclear Winter. Anastasis who runs the label is a great guy who wholeheartedly understands and respects Death Metal. It feels great to be able to work with someone like that.
The response to the record has been quite good and got some attention in various respectable metal media which is cool I suppose.
It has also gotten us in touch with many like-minded individuals which I’m grateful for.
You have had a pretty steady line-up since the band started, except for the drummer change. What would attribute that to?
Marcus: We’ve come to form strong relationships within the band which makes working together as well as spending a lot of time in each other’s company very meaningful. I guess we’re a bit complicated as people in some ways, and some of us probably wouldn’t be able to function in just any band either. Everyone involved contributes just perfectly in their way so it is very difficult for me to imagine bringing in other members to our group.
How does a song come together? Is music and lyrics easy for you to do? Who came up with the cover for the new release?
Marcus: The initial seed for a piece of music is usually a riff or the foundation of a lyric. I make rough musical ideas which we then hone together as a group.
The cover art was painted by Jesse Peper.
Have you been able to play out live much? If so what do you think of yourselves as a live band?
Marcus: We’ve been playing live quite a bit since the release of the record. All I can say about us as a live band is that each show means giving every inch of what you’ve got without fear, whether this means busted limbs, bleeding foreheads, or physical interaction with the crowd. Total abandonment of the physical safe space to dwell in the mania and perfection of a proper metal concert!
For those who have never heard of the band, what do you think you sound like?
Marcus: Manic Death Metal poison. We’re influenced by Death Metal, Black Metal, and Crust punk and I think this can be heard on the record as well.
Are all 3 releases still for sale? What merchandise do you have for sale?
Marcus: I don’t know about the availability of the tapes of the first EP and demo released by Till You Fukkin Bleed, but Dödens födsel is available on CD and LP formats from us and Nuclear Winter Records.
We have a bunch of merch up here:
https://encryptment.bandcamp.com/merch
Please plug any websites and social media sites you have.
https://encryptment.bandcamp.com/album/d-dens-f-dsel
https://www.facebook.com/p/Encryptment-100056774124551/
https://www.instagram.com/encryptment/
Marcus horns up for the interview, best of luck with the band going forward, any last words to wrap this up?
Marcus: Thanks for the interview!
