Hi again. Please find enclosed the most recent interview conducted by yours truly on behalf of the entire band. This one is with a zine called Chaotic Sound from Brazil. Please enjoy the hatred and written noise, which is also totally brutal.
1- Cheers Mike, fine? First of all, tell us about the beginning of Putrescence, and difficulties you had along the years...
Yes, Hi Glesio, I am fine. A little sleep deprived but I am well otherwise. As for your question, Winnipeg has a fairly small metal scene. And even smaller amount of bands that aren't terrible. So anyone who plays in a band knows everyone else by sight. I met Shaun and Cory, who had just ended their previous band, Seven Plagues. I was in Head Hits Concrete at the time and I was looking for some action on the side. They were serious about starting something heavy and I was tickled at the idea of singing in a brutal way. We got Jean Louis to jump aboard and that how it started. We have had some issues with a second guitar player over the years, but nothing worth weeping over. We are happy that our most recent boy-toy Jay has decided to play with us. He is devoted to his instrument so it makes the grey skies disappear...hopefully once and for all.
2- Here in Brazil, some bands evolved with gore and splatter have sexist and stupid lyrics, but this is not only here... Some bands have a good sound but the lyrics are poor and ignorant... A lot of bands have stupid lyrics, being gore splatter or not. What do you think about it?
This is one of the things that doesn’t really go away, does it? It’s sad to see the metal scene conform to some very mainstream values related to sexuality. I think a lot of men out there are absolutely fucking terrified of women and this fear turns into ignorance which allows for the kind of depictions of violence against women that we see. Some days ignorance is hard. That’s when I wish I lived in the cartoon land of Oz with Dorothy, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man. Anywhere but here where I am surrounded with half-assed and piss poor excuses for metal and grind. Look, singing about gore and splatter is an equal opportunity chance for people like us to behave like the emotionally stunted angry children that we are. Sure we might have emotional baggage and didn’t spend enough time on mom’s tit. That doesn’t mean we have to embrace imagery that degrades and abuses women. I find a lot of shitty choices made by uncreative dullards are reflections of a society that doesn’t really offer too much consideration to others.
3- Here we have a big and tragical problem with drugs. Now the CRACK invades our society and we are having a lot of brutal crimes caused by crack's users. In your land you have this kind of shit problems?
I am sorry to hear of your problems with drugs. Crack came to Winnipeg over a decade ago and it has turned people living in the inner city into zombies. There are also very brutal crimes here that are perpetuated by folks who are dealing with addiction. For the most part, crack is not a part of the metal or punk scene here. It’s fairly easy for middleclass folks to shun it. It’s much more socially acceptable to get shitfaced on booze and to smoke weed all day long here. There isn’t the same stigma associated with those substances, even though we have high rates of drunk driving and whatnot. It’s fucked. We hope people can get the help they need if they are dealing with an addiction, and we know that can be hard to obtain.
4- a new wave of grind gore splatter bands are right now causing a big "explosion" in a very large scale into the underground scene. but some bands, are in this side of the coin for status, or to get more friends and also girlfriends. what you think about it?
In the years I have been playing grindcore and more recently playing gore/deathgrind with Putrescence, I find it mind-shattering to understand what kind of status a person can get playing this garbage. There are only so many Leon Del Meurte and Matt Harvey’s to go around, you know. They are the true OG motherfuckers. The rest of us toil away in total obscurity, farting wet sloppy sounds into some ridiculous 4 track device. We throw it up on myspace and think we’re going to be places? These folks who think that playing this shit-encrusted music need a reality check, as soon as possible. Let’s get over ourselves and realize that since it’s not slick, polished, melodic and safe, no one really gives a toss about it other than the true grind maniacs. I don’t know. Maybe by getting into a van and taking the show on the road is helpful if you want friends or girlfriends. All I know is that nice things can happen to folks who work hard at what they do. Oh look at me, I’m Henry fucking Rollins over here…
5- your albums have always a good art and a good sound quality. Canada has a big and good scene with bands i love, like Dahmer, Disjonctor, Mesrine, Archagathus, Powercup... the scene of Canada is very fucked (in the good meaning). tell us about your scene, favorite bands, gigs, drunkies hehehe...
Thanks for the kind words about our tunes and the art that people do for us. We are fortunate that over the years people have taken an interest in what we do. I think that’s why our releases look the way they do. Which is nice. We have played from British Columbia to Quebec and have seen some good bands and played some fantastic shows. Right now,as far as Canadian bands are concerned, I am into Haggatha, State of Minefields, Tu Sufres, Loutish, Willing Feet, Grotesque Organ Defilement, Wake, Rape Revenge, Vile Intent, No Eulogy, Six Brew Bantha, War Hero, Fear of Tomorrow, Wolbachia, Big Trouble In Little China and anything that fuckin’ Gord Smith is involved in. There is more I could add to this list, but I want to hear tears of neglect hit the floor from the eyeballs of people whose bands didn’t make the cut…
6- What bands you know of our scene of Brazil Mike? Someday you want to play here with us? hehehe.
My favorite band from Brazil is the mighty fucking Mental Horror. “Proclaiming Vengeance” is an all time favorite album of mine. So fucking fast!!! Also, I like Hutt, Sick Terror, (old) Krisiun (ha! They still seem like very nice people!), Deranged Insane, and of corpse, Rot. I would much like to tour Brazil. We wish we could go there and grind with the sickest bastards around. Maybe one day…
7- The new album split with Neuropathia is very good, like all your stuffs. What you are planning to release after this great split album?
Well thank you for saying so. We got blasted right off that damn thing. Neuropathia are very good. Those guys are nuts. I’m glad it came out. I’m not sure what happens next. We have a lot of songs that are not recorded right now. I think we will end up doing another LP/CD. There is no rush at the moment.
8 - dude, thanx for spending time answering this shit to me and for have patience to read my poor english, sorry. say here all you want, the space is yours!
English doesn’t count. I hope the translation into Portuguese goes well for you. I wish you all the best in your future and thank you very much for taking the time to get in touch. We are fucking fed up with myspace and so we ask for people to look for us at www.putrescence666.blogspot.com It’s brand new and we will be adding things like this interview right away. Thanks Glesio!
Man I started writing a review of this 7'' and it came out totally clinical sounding so I'll just say that this is an awesome grindcore split between two of the coolest bands going in Canada's grindcore capital Winnipeg, Manitoba. Archagathus is straight up old school mincing grind who have a billion splits out, Putrescence is evil as fuck deathgrind who apparently recorded their side of this split in one alcohol drenched day and it turned out to be my favorite thing they've ever put out. This just came out on Killbomb Records out of Vancouver and Rescued From Life from Texas, buy it and support the underground.
