Interview with Katalepsy

To the staff of Puro Ruido, speaking of Death Metal albums published in 2013, "Autopsychosis" the second full lenght of Russians Katalepsy is THE RECORD OF THE YEAR. Brutal, original, technical, insane, defiant, the new record of Anatoly and his boys is a true masterpiece. That album, plus the impact caused at the time by the bestial "Musick Brings Injury", made Laura asked to Anatoly if he wanted to do an interview for our blog. Anatoly gave us the ok with all his kindness, and the result is this very good interview with bassist of one of the best extreme bands on the planet today: Katalepsy


Puro Ruido: Hi, this is Laura and Manel, from Cordoba, Argentina. How are the creators of the best death metal album of 2013?
Anatoly: Hi, friends! Thanks for your hi-scores for AUTOPSYCHOSIS ! We spilt a lot of our blood and sweat working with it. It was really hard work, but we did it! Then we released album by UNIQUE LEADER RECORDS we played some shows all over Russia and were a part of European summer festivals, like Extreme Fest in Germany and Brutal Assault in Czech Republic. After that we had a rest for a month and came back to Europe to rape, pillage and burn – in EUROPSYCHOSIS TOUR with our brothers in crime – CARNAL DECAY and PIGHEAD. Right now we just came back from shows in Republic of Belarus – this is the reason why I spend a little bit more time to send you this interview.

PR: are on tour now? How active has it been this year for Katalepsy, beside release "Autopsychosis"?A: We finished our live performance for this year and came back to our regular jobs and beloved families. This is not so easy to be on road for a long time – we are not teens and we have responsibilities. This year is one of the best for KATALEPSY – we have played in a lot of places: from Pacific Ocean on Far East of Russia to Atlantic Ocean in Belgium. Also, last November we played in Archangelsk, near White Sea and Arctic Ocean. So, you can see – we are not stand still, we trying to bring our new songs, music and emotions to so big number of death metal fans as we can. Also we released video clip for EVIDENCE OF NEAR DEATH – we are not fully satisfied with it, but the feedback is great and I’m really surprised to see the number of views on youtube.


PR: Between "Musick Brings Injury" and "Autopsychosis" spent six years. What happened between an album and another? You released an EP, a demo, a split, but my question is why there was a delay between a full length and another?
A: Good question! It’s touching, that you are so attentive to details in KATALEPSY’s history. There were two reasons of so great delay: we tried to find our own way and we had some problems with line-up. We didn’t want to repeat what we did in the past, we want to compose something new. Few old members left the band, because they were not interesting to played death metal anymore and due some other problems. This was really bad time for us – this is great problem in Russia to find good musician for metal music, especial for extreme music. But Fate helped us and we did it. During this time we composed new songs, rehearsed and corrected them. We recorded our songs, re-recorded, mixed, re-mixed and cast it in trash. Like Cannibal Corpse sang – it was “Orgasm through the Torture”. All record process (from our first step in the studio to the moment we got master-disc) took 11 months. But you can hear the result. When you see inlay art of AUTOPSYCHOSIS CD you see the meat structures and gore – this is our blood we fed this album.

PR: Those who do this blog, we declare Katalepsy fans. Both records seem great, but while "Musick Brings Injury" is a great album, "Autopsychosis" is a masterpiece. There was a special motivation when creating the songs from the last album? How hard have worked to create and record such awesomeness?
A: Thanks a lot for so good reference to our albums, it means a lot for us! We didn’t think like “Lets compose most brutal song in the world!” or something like that. We just played what we heard in our heads and hearts. After we released MUSICK BRINGS INJURIES a lot of time passed, we grow up like musicians and composers and it have been really strange if we had recorded similar songs. This is the reason why we don’t use samples from movies any more – we did it few times in the past, so let there be in the past. We’ll find another way to the death metal fans.
The recording of the album was like nightmare and daymare. We had no ideas about sound we need, so we tried to find it during record session. We re-mixed and re-mastered AUTOPSYCHOSIS many times, but finally we found what we need. Yes, we spent a lot of strength and money, but just hear the album and you will see that result is worth the effort.

PR: Undoubtedly Katalepsy have never claimed to be a band of the heap. You said it in the biography published in Facebook, when you say Katalepsy born with the intention of being an original band and recognized in the world of Brutal Death. How long it took to get Katalepsy become that group who wanted to be from the beginning and how you pulled it?
A: This is only good fortune, I think. Look around and you see a lot of really good, but not famous bands. This is lottery – mediocrity can be on the top or talent can lose. We was right band in right place – KATALEPSY were involved in second wave of slamming brutal death and were one of the few bands in Russia and Europe who played this music good. Another luck is that we are from Moscow, the capital of Russia. It’s easier for us to travel to Europe and whole our country than if we leaved in another city.

PR: "Autopsychosis" was released in Russia by Soulflesh Collector Records, and Unique Leader and the rest of the world, right? You have signed contracts with both seals? Are aware of how the album sales go?
A: Your information is correct: SOULFLESH COLLECTOR released AUTOPSYCHOSIS as digislider CD – this is limited deluxe edition for Russia only. UNIQUE LEADER released unlimited jewel box CD edition. We inked two-albums-deal with UNIQUE LEADER, but SOULFLESH COLLECTOR is our old friends, so this is friendly agreement. Russian edition was limited to 1000 copies and there are only 150-200 CDs left. Unique Leader will send us sale account in December, but as I know they sell near 3000 CDs. I think this is a great result for small death metal band from Russia!

PR: 2 years ago, put your first album and a promo for free on Bandcamp. That leads me to ask what you think about this whole issue of free downloads. Do you believe it is a necessary means to Underground bands to spread their music? What are the pros and cons of the whole matter?A: Those, who want to pay for music on physical CDs will pay. Others, who don’t want to pay – will never do this. You can think up new laws and security systems but result always will be the same. I have good collection of CDs, few tens of vinyl and a lot of gigabytes of mp3. I’m not worry about downloads, this is free advertising of the band. If you are living in Moscow, Antarctica or on tropical islands with cannibals it’s very difficult and expensive to you to buy CD and brings it to the world’s end. In another hand we have new stage of technology: portable very small mp3-players, iphones and other devices. In our hi-tech world will be difficult to find CD-player soon. It will be just element of vintage design.

PR: Usually Brutal Death bands in their lyrics speak of death, gore, perversions, etc. However, you touch other issues in your lyrics, or talk about gore and stuff, but in your own way. For anyone who is not aware, what subjects speak in the lyrics? Do not fall into the usual clichés (and monotonous) of most of the groups, is part of the idea of being an original band?A: We didn’t think about it, for sure. When we decided to write lyrics, I didn’t think about result, only about pure paper behind me. I wrote lyrics without music, we united it lately. Gore, perversions and death are fun time to time, but these themes are using by most of brutal bands and became boring. If you write “blood” – this is openness and not scary, but if you write “bloody ritual” your mind draw you really terrible and fright scene. I mean, that our lyrics are deeper than usual death metal lyrics are. I want to think so.

PR: Anatoly, although you are not one of the original members (tell us if we're wrong: you came to the group to replace Nikita, right?), For those who see the group from the outside, you are the Katalepsy leader (you'll tell us if you are the leader or not). How hard was it for you having to deal with changes in line-up? Think finally Katalepsy found a stable line-up?A: Changes in line-up were our curse. Were, I hope. We changed 7 members by 8 - 10 years, but last 2 years we are stable. I think finally we find each other and become real family. Yes, you’re right again, I’m not an original member, but I play longer than other guys – from 2005. We have no leader, we are assembly, family, collective. We have one aim and working together to reach it. Changes in line-up are break for the band: you preparing a new ones to the shows instead of compose new songs. You’re marking time.

PR: How big is the Death Metal scene, in all its variants (Slam, Brutal Death, Technical Death, etc.) in Russia?A: That’s not large at all – may be ten or fifteen bands deserve to be mentioned. Scene is very weak due to long distances between cities, expensive tickets to trains and plains, lack of metal clubs and not enough level of bands. As for me, I’m visited local shows very rarely. I think now most popular style is primitive slamming death metal, often with drum machine. “Most popular” means “most of the band” – I really don’t know who listen to it, I only see the bands which are playing.

PR: The Extreme Metal is constantly moving, evolving with every new generation of maniacs. And that, precisely, is what has allowed it to stay alive for so many years, and today remains as powerful and brutal. Where do you think extreme metal evolve in the coming years?A: I think, that death metal will continue to be combined with other genres of metal music. Now we see a lot of bands which combining black and death metal, death and hardcore music and etc. Fresh blood to the old grave. Just look at KATALEPSY – we take smashing brutal very heavy slam riffs and fast brutal death riffs, deathcore low tunes for guitars and classic death metal solos, hardcore rhythmic and black metal grim atmosphere. This is endless number of combinations, eternity for searching of your sound and formulas of song writing. This is the reason why death metal never be dead.

PR: Well, I think that´s all. Of course, we want to thank you for the interview. We really love your music, so it's an honor for us to interview you. Want to give a message to the Latino fans of Katalepy? A: Thanks a lot for your interest to KATALEPSY. The questions were great and it was pleasure to me to answer. I’m really surprised, that KATALEPSY are known in South America, because this is another part of the planet from Russia – concerning to your question about downloads! KATALEPSY doesn’t want to stop: we begin to rehears new songs and preparing layout for new album. Who knows, maybe next year we will come to South America with tour – so cross fingers and will wait. For all death metal fans I want to say: support underground, visit shows, buy t-shirts and CDs and bands won’t do a bad turn you. Stay sick! Stay brutal!