‘Deceased’ no more



Finally Deceased seemed almost dead for a while before ‘disappearing’ in 1996. Now, they’re back with  a vengeance from a long hibernation, and the results are fantastic. This death metal trio have really upped their game for the recent years and expectations of metal fans that are always changing as the years go by. I got a chance to talk to the band to see what they’ve been up to during their hiatus, and where they intend to go next.

Hello from BRUTALISM. Glad to see Finally Deceased is back on the metal radar; you guys have been quiet for quite a long time. Why the silence for almost fifteen years?
We formed in about 1990 and played a lot till 1996. But someday we recognized that this isn’t our way anymore. Every one of us wanted to go different musical ways and try something else, what could not be done with Finally Deceased, so we decided to split up. Through the years we haven’t had any contact till we met again in 2009. 14 years older we recognized that FD should rise again.

Your debut is an excellent testimony to the idea that ‘patience is everything.’ Do you think the content and craft that you put into your self-titled album is a testimony to that?
We recorded it in late 1995. Release should be in 1996 but as we felt that the future of the band is not for sure; we decided to let it rest. As we now came together again we decided not to record a new album first, but to release the album from 1995 because we still like the material very much and we still identify FD with this album.

Do you think that Finally Deceased will continue these long hiatuses between albums so everything falls into place, or will fan/ label demands change that as more and more people listen to your debut?
No way! We would be grandpas when we record our third album, haha. I think it is possible to get a real new FD album in 2012.

What inspired death metal to be the music of choice? Care to name some influences that helped shape the sound you perform today and why?
Each of us for sure has different influences and I can’t really speak for the others at this point. My all time faves in death metal are and have been Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death, the early Hypocrisy and many more. Unfortunately I didn’t care for “newer” bands for a long time, but I recognized that there are a lot of great bands now-a-days. Martin S. is big fan of Metallica also.
I can’t say that there has been a real reason to decide to play death metal, it just chose us, I think. We started with covering songs from Metallica and a lot more and it ended where we are.
Martin sometimes says that we, as a death metal trio, are the modern form of ancient chamber music!

Over the years that you’ve witnessed how death metal has progressed over the years. What do you think has been its greatest gains (or weaknesses) that have helped shape the band’s philosophy about what defines their music and how to make it unique?
Well, as I said before I did not care so much for new bands and new waves of death metal which was a big issue. There are great bands with cool styles, like Carninfex and many more. But what we once had seemed to die. It seems that melodic and melancholic parts seem to be “out”, or I did not find many bands that were like that. All of it has to be fast and aggressive, what is cool on one side but not the right thing for us.

What’s the ideal message that you’re trying to get to the fans with the music, particularly on this debut album which seems to go a lot deeper than just the ’typical’ aspects of death metal; ex. Murder, mayhem, etc…?
I am not sure if we really want to send a message, it is more like writing down what we feel and think. FD is something for us and we are happy and proud when other people like it, if not then not. We don’t like to preach.

Where does touring fit into the schedule when it comes to getting out there and putting on a show for the fans? Is touring a new thing or has the band been performing a lot in their hiatus?
We played a lot between 1992 and 1996. We went to school so we had a lot of time. Nearly every second weekend we played a show. Unfortunately we don’t have that much time today. We all are in jobs. We are only a trio and have many problems when it comes to planning shows. I always ask myself how bands manage this with more than 5 members. A real tour would be great and I hope we can manage this someday.

Any particular places you want to go/ have gone to that you’d like to return and why?
1994 we played at Wacken Open Air, I think it would be nice to play there again someday.  There are so many places and countries we’d like to play, too many to tell. But I remember a gig in Leipzig ,I think, and we played there in front of 5 or 6 people. I’d like to go there again)

Is death metal a big thing in your hometown from Germany or are you kind of ostracized for it? Where have you found the most acceptance in the community for the kind of music your put out there?
Luebeck is a calm town, but people here are open to many things. There are a lot of bands in Lübeck, playing many styles, also Death Metal Bands.  In Eastern Germany we had a great acceptance.

So what is next on the agenda for Finally Deceased? Will there be another long break or will more time be dedicated to the band constantly and future albums?
We’d like to play more shows, wherever it is possible. Also we are writing new songs for a new album which should be out during 2012

Lastly, the fans. With the invention of things like MySpace and Facebook it is much easier to reach out to fans and for them to reach you. What has been the nicest/ craziest thing a fan has done that has really left an impact on Finally Deceased, for better or worse?
Internet is a good platform to inform fans and people about the band, news and so on. But it also needs a lot of time. Probably we do not invest enough in it. This has to change a bit. So tell all your readers to give us a “Like”, haha. We are really impressed about a posting on Facebook, where someone posted 2 show posters from us from 1994. Great!!!

Again, thank you for being willing to make things a bit clearer in the dark for our readers and listeners who may wonder where your awesome band is headed. Hopefully we’ll hear and see a lot more from you in the near future… any last words
Thank you for given us the chance to do that and your nice words.  We’d like to play more shows and perhaps someone who’s reading this likes to invite us.  We sometimes read, in the I-net, that there are people out there who say that we released a 15 years old album only to make some easy bucks. We say: Fuck you!!! You don’t know anything.
To all the others: Thank you for your interest.
Band:
Interviewer: devilmetal747
May 15, 2011

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