Author: Rok Klemše
Photos: Nina Grad
Location: Cvetličarna, Ljubljana
Interview date: November 21, 2012
“Who’s the next victim?” boomed deep from the throat of a tall, dark figure who stepped through the door of the tour bus, then invited us to sit down at the table and pour ourselves the blood of a freshly slaughtered goat into a skull. Just kidding. Only that last part. We sat down with the legendary frontman of the legendary Morbid Angel, David Vincent, and the conversation mostly circled around their still-controversial latest record, Illud Divinum Insanus. With its heavy doses of electronics and industrial, it was a shock for the fans who had been waiting a long time for yet another Morbid Angel death metal classic. I won’t say I turned into a die-hard fan of the album after this chat, but I can say I (sort of) understand the forces that led to it.
RockLine: Hey David, welcome back to Slovenia. You last played here four years ago, and a lot has changed in the Morbid Angel camp since then, mostly the fact that a new record is out… which got an extremely negative reaction.
David: True, but there were positive reactions too. Mostly opinions were split, so I wouldn’t say it was only the negative ones that won out. I also got letters from people who wrote that they hadn’t listened to this kind of music in years, and the record got them fired up about it again. I’ve heard a ton of opinions from both sides, but one thing’s for sure: the media played up the negative stuff. Like always. I don’t know why that is, but I know we can change it. Maybe right now.
RockLine: That’s just how it goes, the media would usually rather report on the negative. Eight years passed between albums (Heretic came out in 2003, author’s note), and you came back to Morbid Angel in 2004. Was recording the new album more stressful than usual because so much time had passed? Was it hard to get used to the Morbid Angel way of writing again?
David: After I came back we did so many tours that we wanted to take a short break afterwards, and then Pete had problems that we didn’t realize at the time were as serious as they turned out to be. Those were the factors that sent things in a different direction. When Pete told us he couldn’t drum and that we’d have to bring in somebody else, I couldn’t believe what was happening. I suggested we slow things down, that he take the time he needed for himself, but he felt so beaten down that he simply stepped away. Things change, that’s probably the best way I can describe the whole situation. Sometimes, when you have the power to change something or make something better, you should use it. But when you don’t have that power and you can’t change things, you just have to accept that and act accordingly.
RockLine: The album is, if nothing else, very diverse. Did that make writing the material different from the past? Blades of Baal and Nevermore, for example, are proper »oldschool« Morbid Angel tracks, but there’s a lot of electronic and industrial influence too.
David: Art is what it is. We take the things that come out of us as they are. We’re at a point in our career where we can allow ourselves that, instead of having to ask someone else whether it’s acceptable.
RockLine: I can take that as Morbid Angel integrity. After all, in my opinion every album is a step in the evolution of your sound.
David: I totally agree. But you have to understand that some people don’t want that, because they’re narrow-minded, so they expect things to always stay the same, and when they don’t, they just don’t get it. Even from people like that I’m now hearing, a year later, that they’re finally starting to understand the album. I knew that would happen. I knew some people would be shocked and surprised, others would embrace the album, and a third group wouldn’t know what to think. But that’s good, because it forces people to look at things more broadly and with a more open mind. As a band we’ve always strived to show people the bigger picture. The more we add to that picture, the bigger it gets.
RockLine: Did you feel any pressure while recording, since expectations for a new Morbid Angel album were seriously huge?
David: No.
RockLine: A few years ago you unveiled Nevermore as the first new track. Did it ever seem to you that most people took Nevermore as the song that would represent the whole of Illud Divinum Insanus, and that’s why they didn’t accept or understand the album?
David: That could be true, but I haven’t thought about it much. Nevermore really is a song that sounds like a modern yet classic Morbid Angel track. Which, by the way, is a ton of fun to play. But I have to say I don’t overthink this kind of stuff. When it comes to music I don’t like to think, I’d rather feel. I do believe there are loads of good songs on the album, even if some of them are a bit »different.« If I think back to Covenant, the label wanted us to shoot a video for God of Emptiness, which was unusual and scary, because it was something totally new and different. Now it’s one of the most popular Morbid Angel songs. People sometimes need time to get the point. And that’s good. It’s good to challenge people. It’s good to challenge yourself.
RockLine: You said you write the things you feel. So does that mean you follow a stream of consciousness, or improvise?
David: Totally depends. Sometimes I listen to one of Trey’s riffs and build a basic bass line around it. As for vocals, I strictly follow the stream of consciousness. Most of the time I wrap up the foundation right away, and only occasionally think over a word or two. But if I start thinking too deeply about it, I stop, leave it alone and come back later, when I’m no longer weighed down by all the thinking. I like to write something in one day and record it first thing the next. If I need more time or I’m overthinking it, I know I’m not on the right track. Then I cut myself off from everybody, go to my dark corner, put on my headphones and find what I’m looking for.
RockLine: You also put out a remix album recently. Why did you decide on a remix record right now, and for this album in particular, when the last time you did one was years ago with Laibach Remixes?
David: We actually talked about it back when we were recording the album. We knew we’d release a remix record too. When we put out the Nevermore single, the b-side was a remix by Combichrist. People were totally baffled by it. Some of them dug it, though. That track got played like crazy in clubs all over the world, to people who had never even heard of Morbid Angel. It was just something completely different, so why not take advantage of that? It’s mostly about it being fun, and in the end music should be fun. Right? Ahnst Anders, for example, said he’d gladly remix our song because he’d never remixed death metal, since he does industrial dance. We gave everybody who took part total freedom, we didn’t want to meddle in their work, we just picked the artists we wanted on the project. The label coordinated the whole thing, but I was the one who wanted Skinnypuppy and Laibach on board. In short, people who mean something to me. Some of them could take part, others sadly couldn’t, but either way there’s plenty of interesting stuff on the record. To be honest, there are some I don’t like, but I look at it as an art project. It’s like going to a gallery. Do you like every painting? No, but it’s interesting to see somebody else’s interpretation.
RockLine: Since we’re on the subject of remixes, and you happen to be in Ljubljana, how did the 1994 EP Laibach Remixes even come about?
David: Trey and I have been Laibach fans for many, many years, since 1984. Over the years they’ve evolved and grown, and personally I have deep respect for Laibach. I think they’re revolutionary, the whole philosophy and art surrounding them is incredible. I think they could be a role model for the whole world.
RockLine: Have you seen Iron Sky?
David: Yeah, I liked it.
RockLine: Thanks, David. To wrap up, the typical question, but one whose answer probably interests a lot of people. What does the future look like for Morbid Angel after Ilud Divinum Insanus?
David: Right now we’re grinding our way through a really long tour, and whatever tomorrow brings, we can talk about tomorrow.
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