Our very own writer and traveller Cecile Elizalde who loves her Ukrainian metal scene got in touch with me regarding Kharkiv-based band Necrom. Being from Ukraine you would expect something original but that is not the purpose of Necrom at all. Necrom worship the old school of death metal, its values and beliefs and revisit those days of yore.
After hearing their one and only release thus far, the beautifully entitled The Light Has Never Been Here, it’s obvious that Necrom love all things Swedish. Necrom are no Dismember or Entombed clones but I heard more early Evocation in the mix. What is surprising is that the band are mainly formed of the black metal community within the Ukranian scene but this is a most welcome addition to their musical endeavours. I will be looking out for their future recordings but before then, I had a chat with drummer Kadavers Heroic Army of Triumphing Hades to find out what’s what.
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We’re from Kharkiv, Ukraine.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
We started the engine of Necrom beast in Spring 2018.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
It is death metal in its best and the only true old-school form.
Necrom released their debut EP The Light Has Never Been Here in January. How did it feel to put all your blood sweat and tears in and get the EP out there?
Easy and smooth. We just gave a part of ourselves to the process and got exactly what we wanted to say in the end.
Although the songs have only been out there for six months, have there been any new songs or ideas in the pipeline already?
Yes, we have more songs that we’re going to record soon. Those, who attended our performance at Metal East festival in Kharkiv this summer, could hear all the songs we have in our arsenal today.
What are the lyrical themes of the songs for the EP? Is there a main lyricist in the band?
It is Roman Saenko who’s responsible for the lyrics on The Light…. This is all about mysterious of darkness.
How often is the band able to get together and rehearse in the studio? Where do you get together and record?
Not really often. Maybe one time per a month. We have proper facilities in our native Kharkiv where we’re gathering together for songwriting and making our undead death metal.
How are the songs constructed in the studio? Are there the main songwriters of songs that take care of everything or is Necrom a band where all contribute to the songs?
We working on our songs together on rehearsals, however we have some songs that are composed by their author completely from the beginning until the end, so we only do some minor arrangements then. We also have songs, that was created exclusively by a long and complicated enough common process.
What are the recording facilities like within Kharkiv and Ukraine as a whole?
Facilities are different: from lo-fi underground to professional and expensive studio halls. The only thing we feel deficit are people, which really into recording of death metal and understand what it can be and what it should sound like at the end.
Recently you have became a five-piece band and having different musical influences within the band. Is there sometimes a lot of negotiating in the studio or do you feel you are writing the music you want to for the band?
We have almost the same musical influences – what is one of the main idea of starting Necrom. Although we have a lot of frictions while composing ones so this is a process.
How hard has it been to juggle the touring side of things with the everyday jobs? Do you have plans to go on bigger tours and further afield in 2019?
We don’t have tour plans with Necrom. Maybe some exclusive shows are possible. We’ll see.
So what are the plans for the year ahead in 2019?
To keep doing things that we are contribute ourselves to, and true underground death metal.
How hard is it for a metal band like Necrom to survive in the current climate where bands have to tour non-stop and sell merchandise in order to bring money back into the band?
We are not the part of all it. We only interested to create the music we truly love and with which started our way long time ago. This is not about being a part of industry, selling merch, playing tours, etc. Creating songs, composing, recording – this is enough for us to feed our death metal demons.
Being from Kharkiv, are there any other bands from your local scene that you would recommend?
You should check Kharkiv black metal bands. Every band has its own atmosphere which is great about Kharkiv scene and what makes it stand out among others.
What is the metal scene like in Ukraine as a whole? Are there plenty of venues locally to play live or do bigger bands tend to go to the capital Kiev to play?
It was better once. Sure we have some venues and bands but we don’t have the spirit of underground for a long time now. No communities united by one purpose. There is no mutual assistance among bands, only competition, lies and envy. And yes, focus shifted to Kyiv mostly which is disgusting to be honest.
A fun question to end this interview. If you were a DJ and were allowed to bring 5 CDs to the party, what would they be?
- Morbid Angel – Altars of Madness,
- Dismember – Indecent # Obscene
- Iron Maiden – No Prayer for the Dying
- Judas Priest – Painkiller
- Megadeth – Rust In Peace
Any last message for our readers here at Moshville Times?
Keep the spirit of true underground!
Necrom: facebook | bandcamp | youtube | spotify
