Rockezine.com interview with Gorerotted on Jul 26, 2005

with Wilson on Jul 26, 2005

Gorerotted have shaken off their adolescent image and humour and redefined theri sound with "A New Dawn For The Dead". An interview with Wilson (bass/vocals)
		Congratulations on the new album. Do you have the idea most reviewers can appreciate the new direction Gorerotted has taken? Thanks dude, yeah the response has been brilliant! It’s a stressful time when a new album comes out, but when you get feedback like that, it makes it all worthwhile!
Our live performance is what Gorerotted is all about!		Did you record “A New Dawn…” on purpose with Markus Roedl to recreate the livefeeling because he is your live sound engineer? Exactly! Our live performance is what Gorerotted is all about! I mean, as a fan of metal, I love listening to records, but seeing it live is the real experience, so we wanted to capture that feeling on this record! And why not use the person who has worked with you, and understands what our live sound is all about! I think it has worked out well!
		Gorerotted has the appearance of a bunch of drunken idiots on stage (meant in a positive way of course), how’s that in the studio? Is it pure mayhem or are you working hard and being sober? A bit of both! We take our music 100% seriously, but at the same time you have to enjoy what you are doing, or there’s no point! We were doing like 10 hours in the studio, then we would get absolutely arseholed every night, so it was a great time! I think too many bands lose sight of the fact that metal is meant to be enjoyable – there’s no reason why you can’t make good music, and have a party every minute of the way!
		The biography tells us that you buried your grind and gore roots but why is that? Were you tired of the subject and music style? It’s a touchy subject, and maybe it could have been explained better! We never made any conscious decisions about direction or change, it’s just the way things a naturally developed! Look at our stage show, we used to be covered in blood, but that came to an end! It’s not like we decided things had to change, it just ran its course and it felt natural to move on! Grind and gore will always be part of Gorerotted – listen to the album; I don’t think it’s that different at all!
		Is the name Gorerotted still a suitable bandname since you threw the gore part out? We are Gorerotted, and we always will be! And have a read through the lyrics, the gore is still there, and in some ways it’s more than it was before, it’s just less obvious! There’s too many bands who are so blatant about it, and it becomes boring! I think the lyrics are more extreme on this record, even if you have to look a little harder to find it!
We are Gorerotted, and we always will be!		Do you still follow the gore/grindscene or did you lose interest? If you are still interested what are some cool bands we have to take a closer look on? I’ll always love this scene, it’s the whole reason I’m making extreme music, even if it’s hard to keep up with sometimes! The band everyone has to look out for is Prostitute Disfigurement from the Netherlands! Those guys have it all, real talent in every musician, great catchy songs, and the attitude to go with it! Take cover my friend!
		The humour part made Gorerotted unique (just think of gems like: “Cut, Gut, Beaten, Eaten” and “Her Gash I Did Slash”. Aren’t you afraid that fans will miss this? The thing is, if people take the time to read the lyrics, the humour is still there, it’s just less Beavis and Butthead, you know! For example, “Adding Insult To Injury” is about Ben doing his crack whore in the back streets of London! “I gave her some white and she offered me the brown!” It doesn’t get more “Gorerotted” than that!
		Why exactly did Mr. Gore leave? The guy was shit! OK that’s not fair, I liked his style for a long time, but his enthusiasm ran out, and it’s not fair if everyone else is putting in 100% and someone is not prepared to work for the praise we do get! We wanted to tour all the time, write music, go to festivals, and he didn’t, so he had to go! Simple as that!
		Are you planning on ever replacing him? Nope! He left the band in July last year, and one week later we had the Kaltenbach festival in Austria, so I had 5 days to learn the vocals! The thing is, when we did that show, the relationship between me and Ben was so natural, and it worked better than before, so why change a formula if it works??? I think the focus on one frontman makes it better now, but the dual vocal workings will always be a part of what we do!
		Is this musical direction (as you call it “extreme metal with a rock ‘n roll attitude”) here to stay or is it just the first step in the evolution of Gorerotted? It’s always been that way! I wish people would stop saying that we’ve changed! We’ve always been drunken arseholes making extreme music, and that’s what we’re still doing! But Gorerotted is evolving, and it will continue to do so, but we’re always true to what we were, and who we are!
		Is the more complex approach a result of touring for the past 1,5 years? Did you get tired of playing “simple” songs? It’s all about natural development, and yes, the last year or two has been crucial! We’ve really bonded as a band, and we’re developing as musicians personally. There’s also influences from your personal life which affects what you play, and what subjects your writing about.
		The metal scene in Great Britain has since long been declared dead. Are there any signs of a resurrection or are still just a few bands doing their own thing? The scene here if you can call it one, sucks ass! The attitude here is so different to how it is in Europe, I mean take the Netherlands for example, there is a real scene there! Bands are working together for the common goal, and the fans are behind them 100%. I think the media here is responsible for the apathy, because the focus on extreme music is not what it used to be, and kids are growing up with “commercial” metal, for want of a better word!
		Thanks for taking your time for answering these questions (I bet you must have done hundreds of interviews by now). Do you have anything left to say to our readers? I’ve done about 100 interviews in the last 2 weeks, but the thing is, I like the sound of my own voice, so I’ll keep talking shit if people are gonna listen! Blah blah blah!
I wish people would stop saying that we’ve changed!		Okay, one last question: who decided on ending the record with three minutes of static silence? That sort of thing ranks very high on my annoyance list, even before hidden tracks. Ha, I’m glad it annoyed you! The thing is it’s just a break before the bonus track, but on the promo, the bonus track wasn’t there, so it sounded kinda silly! The thing is, I want people to sit and listen to it, and wait for something to happen, and nothing does, cause while you’re waiting, I’ll be down the pub and be on my second pint! Cheers!
(Roy van den Brink)