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Interview: Ray Miller/Adversary

Some people exist as unsung pillars of the underground, and Ray Miller of death metal band Adversary is one of them. First, he started up a zine called Metal Curse that is widely regarded as one of the few quality death metal magazines extant today; next, he began selling death and black metal through his label Cursed Productions, which has also released quality demo compilations from bands such as Varathron and Deceased. Finally, he's in a death metal band called Adversary which could be described as a more late-night-radio American version of Asphyx. We caught up with him at his country villa in Chingadosmujeres, Mexico, as the first shots of a revolution rang out in the street.
When did ADVERSARY begin?
Just a little over five years ago, in May of 1994.  Jack Botos (guitar) and I are two of the original founding members.  Our drummer, Bob Burns, is fairly new - he's been damned with us for about a year-and-a-half.
What's the distribution of the creative work in songwriting, lyrics, artwork, and concept/pot smoking?

Anyway, in the beginning we had another guitarist, Thom Benford, and he wrote a couple riffs back then.  But since he quit (before our first demo was released), Jack and I have written all the music and lyrics.  However, when Ed was still in the band (on keyboards and drum programming - before we had a human drummer, of course), he created all the drum and keyboard arrangements.  How that would work is that Jack or I would present some riffs, or sometimes a "complete" song (the riffs in the "right" order - we sort of tweaked stuff a lot as we worked on it, so a "finished" song would probably still mutate somewhat), and Ed would listen to us play it a few times and get some ideas.

Then we'd record the riffs on my 4-track, and Ed would work out the programming at home, and at the next practice maybe have something we could play along with.  Now that Bob is in the band, we just show him a riff, and he starts playing behind it.  Right before Ed quit (he got married...), he had written a few really great riffs for a new song, but we decided to not use them after he left.  Not that we parted on bad terms, or anything of the sort.

metal curse magazine has been a longstanding feature of the black and death metal undergroundAs far as the artwork goes for the band, it's been different on every release.  On our new demo-CD, We Must Be In Hell, Bob brought over few books of photos and paintings, and we basically swiped one.  I altered the colors and so on, and did the actual layout myself.  I've done CD packaging designs for a few underground labels, in addition to my own releases on Cursed Productions.

I also publish a zine called Metal Curse, and Bob has done 99% of the art for that for the last several issues.

Concept...  Well, I suppose our general sound was more or less my idea, being inspired by "simple" Death Metal such as MASSACRE, ASPHYX, (early) GRAVE, UNLEASHED, IMPETIGO, (early) DEATH, AUTOPSY, and onward into countless others.  Of course Jack has done his fair share (or more) to shape our sound since.  And now, with Bob, we have the added power of human drumming, but we have also lost our keyboards.

So, I suppose our sound is almost constantly evolving, but still hopefully memorable Death Metal.  If that's what you mean by "concept" at all...

As for pot smoking, I leave that to Jack.  I don't smoke, or even drink unless it's a "special occasion."  So, Jack gets my share.  Bob has been known to partake every now and then, too.

The surest way to corrupt a youth is to teach him to hold in higher regard those who think alike than those who think differently.
- F.W. Nietzsche
Are you guys touring?
adversary are a band of much potential in the old school simple doomy death metal style, like an american asphyx with I wish!  That's exactly what we would love to do, but Cursed Productions is too small to support it.  That's one of the reasons we would like to get signed to a larger label:  So we can go out and see the world.  And the sluts, of course.  We do have some shows lined up during the summer, and there is a really slim possibility of us going to Brazil to play some shows with some bands (NERVOCHAOS and INSANITY) on Muvuca Records.
What kind of instruments do you play, and why?

I have a Washburn bass, and a Fender Bassman amp.  I like my Washburn because it does not have all that "active electronics" bullshit.  It's old, but I'm attached to it.  And speaking of old, my Bassman is nice and fuzzy, and I really like that sound.  I think it adds a lot more depth to our live sound than a clean bass tone would.  However, when we recorded our debut album, _The Winter's Harvest_, I was talked into plugging directly into the board, and got a really clear "Steve Harris" kind of sound.  That works pretty well for IRON MAIDEN, but I think it made the album sound more "clean" than it should have.  Well, and the keyboards and drum machine also added to the "clean" sound...  Believe me, I learned my lesson about that, and will stick with my "warm" Bassman sound form now on.

Jack has had a couple different guitars over the years, and he just got a new one.  I think he may finally be satisfied with the guitar, but now he's looking for a bigger, meaner amp.

And my drum knowledge is pathetic, so all I know about Bob's kit, is that it's like nuclear explosions going off whenever he hits the snare.

Do you feel it matters, or matters only for aesthetic ("sound" quality, texture, timbre, "feel") qualities?
What else would it matter?  Just to be like B.B. King and his beloved guitar?  No, I'm not that attached to any equipment I own, so if I could afford to get a bass and amp that I thought sounded better, I would.  But "sounding better" is obviously extremely subjective, and after many years of using this same gear (I've had it and been in bands for a lot longer than ADVERSARY has been around), I guess I'm so used to it, that I'm not sure what would sound better.  So, maybe I *am* a little like B.B. after all.
The Christian resolution to make the world ugly and bad has made the world ugly and bad.
- F.W. Nietzsche
What are you guys like outside of the band?  Do you suffer under the Judeo-Christian pestilence known as "day jobs"?  Tattoos?  Historical heroes?
Bob and Jack do have "day jobs," but my full time job is running my label, Cursed Productions.  It may seem odd, but none of us have any tattoos.  I think we may be the only ink-free Death Metal band in the world!  I'm not sure I really have any heroes other than the guys in MOTORHEAD.  And, as my pal Psycho would say, "the guy who invented lesbian pornography."
Is the ADVERSARY eponym an identification with Satan, the "adversary" of ancient Hebrew religion?

scheitan is the hebrew/jewish god known as adversary, and is the ancestor of the morally sanitized christian satanYES!  Thank you.  You are exactly the second person to ever ask me that.  I had thought it was odd that no one had snatched up the name before us, but I guess not many people understand what it means.

What do you see as the difference between Jewish, Christian, Islamic and Buddhist views of "evil"/"suffering"?
I'm not really well enough versed in Islam and Buddhism to answer that. So, what I'll do instead is say that mainstream (x-tian at least) religions seem to think that a lot of natural behavior should be considered "evil," and that seems crazy to me.  Fucking, well that's evil.  Killing, no matter what the situation, that's evil too.
What forms of art, ideas, or actions inspired the inception of your artwork?
Early Death Metal, of course.  But also other music, such as MOTORHEAD, VENOM, SLAYER (I believe that you consider them to be a Death Metal band, but that's open to debate, if you ask me), ACCEPT, DEAD KENNEDYS...  Non mainstream music in general.  And I suppose that honestly, everything I've ever heard has inspired me in some way.  Maybe not always in a positive way, though.  I also read whenever I can, and have certainly been inspired by the authors I like, such as Charles Bukowski, Henry Miller, Vladimir Nabokov, Italo Calvino, Jorge Luis Borges, William S. Burroughs, Douglas Adams, to name just a very, very few.  Plus, as geeky as it might sound, Godzilla movies.  I've always been a huge fan (excepting the dismal TriStar attempt of last summer) of Godzilla and his monstrous pals.  And, horror movies.  Zombies, especially, seem to grab my interest.  I appreciate the special effects, and I suppose like the thrill.
Do you consider your music a form of "art" (the academic definition, not the trendy one)?
Certainly.
What motive inspires your art?

To create something that will outlast us. To, in sort of a Shakespearean sense, live forever.  The hope that someday we might be a source of inspiration for others to creatively express what they feel. And to one day take over for MOTORHEAD as the best, most respected, band in the world.

Or maybe just to meet chicks and take over the world.

Do you think drugs help/hinder art?

drugs are a lot of fun, but they can TAKE OVER YOUR LIFE... be carefulI can't really answer that, since I don't use any drugs.  But I do think that drugs can be used as a tool to possibly help with creativity. However, they can also be detrimental.  As I said, I think they're a tool, and should be used as such, if at all.

Does religion help/etc?

Well, it sure seems like a lot of Extreme Metal bands these days rely on religious (or more accurately, anti-religious) themes in their lyrics, so I guess it helps them in that way.  I think that organized religion is a great way to oppress and control the masses, so it "helps" us by giving us a focus on one of society's problems:  it's easier to be a sheep than to accept responsibility for your own actions, think for yourself, and be your own person.

Of course, x-tian religions love to censor everything they can, from books to thoughts, so in that way, that kind of religion clearly hinders the creative process.

"They train them to drop fire on men... But they won't let them write the word FUCK on their aeroplanes... Becuase it's obscene!"
-Colonel Kurtz, Apocalypse Now!
Violence?
I don't know if violence has any affect on art, but I suppose that as a society becomes more and more violent, the art it as a whole produces will reflect that.
Television?
Most of what's on broadcast television is extremely dumbed down, so that even the most idiotic Joe Sixpack will understand it, so generally I see TV as sort of a filter that removes most of what is interesting about life. Even worse when a movie is butchered so that it can be "safely" shown without "offending" anyone.
In your personal lives, how do you understand and respond to the presence of corporate control and material need?
Of course you do need to pay the bills, and obviously I like music and books, so I do my best to bring in cash, and spend it just as well.  It would be nice to not have to worry about huge companies like Blockbuster having more than a little control in determining the content of the movies they carry, or Meijer driving all the mom and pop grocery stores out of business, but when faced with the decision of having enough to eat if I get the shit at Meijer, or going hungry from trying to support a local store, I must choose to eat.
What do you think of "jobs"?

cursed productions has released many underground works and continues to operate as a death metal label and mail order of great promise

I don't like them.  I am lucky enough to be able to make a very modest living at doing something that I enjoy (Cursed Productions, Metal Curse, and ADVERSARY), but I do put in a lot more time at this than Jack and Bob do combined at their jobs.  Sometimes, just for a second, I wonder if it wouldn't be easier to go work for someone else.  Certainly it would be easier, and considerably less work.  I could have more "free time" to read and relax.  But at what cost?  So I could go be a nameless cog in some huge machine that cares not at all about me, as I am utterly replacable?  So I could "finally grow up and get a real job"?  I don't think so.  To quote Jello Biafra, "I'd rather stay a child and keep my self respect, if being an adult means being like you."  But, then again, if one day Cursed Productions fails to provide me with enough to get by, I will be forced to take other actions.  That's not part of the Global Domination plan, though.
Do you blaspheme on a regular basis for dentological, aka done for the intensity of the action itself, reasons?
Maybe.  It seems more appropriate to blaspheme for the reaction it generates in others, whether positive or negative, as both responces are extremely important at various times and in various situations.  But just screaming "Fuck god!" in an empty room doens't do much for me.
Are you moral?  Do you believe in morality?
I suppose so, but I certainly have my own morality.  What I think is "right and wrong" might not match up with what some people think.  I'm fairly close to what LaVey says in the _Satanic Bible_ as far as morality is concerned.
Do you think ethics are separate from morals?
I hadn't considered it before.  Perhaps morals could be seen as a personal code of conduct, while ethics might be viewed as more of a code of conduct for groups or whole societies.  Perhaps to remain with the given society, one would have to conform to the ethical "guidelines," while still retaining his own personal morality that might only come into play in other societies or groups.
What is the most important factor for you in creating music that satisfies you at the deepest level?
Knowing that what we have created is honest and true to us.
If you met Jesus, what would you say?

"Until I see you turn this water into wine, you're just a punk in sandals."

Or, maybe upon seeing a "miracle" I couldn't debunk, "Oh shit!"

Hitler?

If I were back in time, I might say, "Stay out of Russia."  But no matter when I saw him, I'd want to talk about eugenics.  What else could you talk to Hitler about?

"God"?
Now that depends on what you mean by "God."  But, playing along for a moment, I'd ask why we exist, and what the purpose of the universe is.

friedrich nietzsche is considered by many to be the philosopher of metal

Nietzsche?
Maybe I could get him and Hitler together, as the conversations would be pretty related.
Gandhi?
I'd tell him that passive resistance cannot always work.
Without music life would be a mistake.
-F.W. Nietzsche
How would you react if your daughter got breast implants?
Interesting.  I'll try to take this one seriously.  From the perspective of a father, I don't think I'd like it, but I would certainly have to have more information as to why she was doing it.  Is it just the fact that she's small chested and wants to fuck the football team, who will only fuck the big boobed cheerleaders, or does she think that she'll be better able to control the weak sheep-wills of men and have legions to do her bidding? If she wants to get a boob job so that she can dominate the universe, then okay.
Do you feel society is evolved from the hominid state, aka "ape" social existence with inherent power games?
Evidently not.  As George Carlin would say, "It's the bigger dick policy at work.  If they have bigger dicks, bomb them."
Why do you feel that many experience a dark sense of foreboding regarding the millenium and significant times afterward, such as 2012?
Fear of the unknown, for one thing.  And I don't have to mention that most people are sheep, and that the media has been forcing "millennium fear" on everyone, so it's only natural that the herd is worried about it.  What's significant about 2012?
2012 is the date the Mayan calendar "ends" an era, with the implication that what comes will be either total destruction or a new frontier. I however think it is the date when the genome of marijuana truly matures, and thus all earth will be unified in clouds of sweet smoke.
More like the number of bong hits you've taken during this interview!
Is ADVERSARY is exploring a new type of metal, and an old type of metal, like any other group of self-respecting artists in this age?
Yeah, it's sort of like my taste in literature: mythological and postmodern.
A giant HAILS and BLACK VOMIT OF ETERNITY to the mighty ADVERSARY for this lengthy interview. Thank you for your time.
You're welcome of course.  I should really thank you for the interest in ADVERSARY.
...The one-eyed man will have one eye the stronger; the blind man will see deeper inwardly, and certainly hear better. To this extent, the famous theory of the survival of the fittest does not seem to me to be the only viewpoint from which to explain the progress of strengthening of a man or of a race.
- F.W. Nietzsche
Death Metal and Black Metal Search Engine

The Metal Basement

30 07 12 - 14:32

New radio program DJ'd in part by one of our users:

The Metal Basement with Maniacal Michael & the Basement Bunch.

It airs every Tuesday night from 10-12 PM PST.

 

Metal Rising Worldwide

30 06 12 - 08:34

 

Beherit - "Celebrate the Dead"

18 06 12 - 19:34

Black metal + dubstep



Numen - intention = essence
 

Why this blog has been silent

31 03 12 - 05:58

We've moved it.

 

Impiety - Ravage and Conquer

03 03 12 - 06:07

Impiety - Ravage and Conquer



This album is thoroughly enjoyable energetic and simple death metal which incorporates enough hints of melody and harmony to give the songs memorability. However, on the whole it belongs to that category of bands which are guilty pleasure bands by design. They do not aim for profundity, but rather intensity. We might list Vader and Angelcorpse as well, or maybe early Grave, because they have a similar low-tech approach. There is not much that is musical about this release. It is pure rhythm, with the aforementioned musical elements tacked on to keep your interest. But as rhythm, it has the intensity of later Angelcorpse and the raging power of broad basic statements that propelled early Grave. Its songs are not as memorably constructed as those on Exterminate or Into the Grave, have more the intensity of mid-period Vader, but in a time of feeble self-pitying rock bands trying to be hipster "metal," it's gratifying to find something with heart. You will tap your feet to these energetic, propulsive tunes and appreciate the sheer violence out of which they are created. Unlike many recent albums which drag you along for the ride, Ravage and Conquer drops you into the middle of it and makes you fight your way out.

 

Imprecation - Angel of Salvation's Doom (2012)

29 02 12 - 19:08



From their new blasphemous album. Sounds good, with a few nods to 1980s mainstream technical metal, pissing all over 2010s technical metal.
 

DEAD CAN DANCE tour dates announced

29 02 12 - 05:21

SEPTEMBER

19th - HCTAT, Istanbul, Turkey
21st - Earth Theatre, Thessaloniki, Greece
23rd - Lycabetus Theatre, Athens, Greece
25th - MCV, Utrecht, Holland
27th - Grand Rex, Paris, France
29th - Cirque Royal, Brussels, Belgium

OCTOBER

1st - Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Germany
3rd - Tempodrom, Berlin, Germany
5th - CCH, Hamburg, Germany
7th - Philharmonie, Munich, Germany
8th - Philharmonie, Cologne, Germany
10th - KCP, Prague, Czech Republic
12th - Bkz Oktyabrsky, St. Petersburg, Russia
13th - Crocus City Hall, Moscow, Russia
15th - Sala Kongresowa, Warsaw, Poland
17th - Papp Laszlo Arena, Budapest, Hungary
19th - Teatro Degli Arcimboldi, Milan, Italy
20th - Batiment Des Forces Motrices, Geneva, Switzerland
22nd - Auditori, Barcelona, Spain
24th - Casa Da Musica, Porto, Portugal
26th - Royal Albert Hall, London, England
28th - Grand Canal Theatre, Dublin, Ireland

Dates for the North American, South American and Asian legs of the tour will be announced shortly, along with ticket sales information

www.deadcandance.com
 

IMPRECATION update

22 02 12 - 17:48

New Imprecation tracks will be unleashed next week, the release should be ready by the end of March. The songs to come are entitled "Hosanna Ex Inferis" and "Angel of Salvation's Doom". - David Herrera
 

SUMMONING working on new materail

19 02 12 - 19:00


19.02.2012
After a longer winter-sleep summoning is back again and ow works constantly for a new release. We promise that in the near future we will regularly update the homepage again, so it will we worth the costs to check the page in regular intervals.

The present situation of Summoning:

In the past years we have worked on new material just very rarely because of different reasons (partly personal, partly being not motivated enough) but since the last months ,we intensified the work for new material and realised, that the old spirit is back again and we are very motivated for a cool new release and we are very committed in every terms of composing.

Meanwhile there are two songs which are fix starters for the album. 4 or 5 songs are in a more advance state and we composed riffs for at least 10 or 15 songs in a very early state. Btw. we still have one finished song from the last oath bound session which also will be in one or another way. so probably this time we are in the luck situation that we have more songs left, so maybe there will be some special limited fan releases beside the normal release, but this is of course just a wish right now.

We hope that until the end of this year most of the material for the new album can be finished. In the moment we have no concrete conception about the lyrical concept. All we can say right now is, that Summoning is still alive and middle earth will awake again. - SUMMONING official web presence


This is encouraging.

It does not sound like it will be soon, but so long as quality is high, it will be massively anticipated.
 

THRASH is not SPEED METAL

18 02 12 - 16:52



Mix together the early CIRCLE JERKS, early BLACK FLAG, MDC, MINOR THREAT, SSD, TERVEET K�DET, and GANG GREEN, and you have something approximating these DIRTY ROTTEN IMBECILES (so-called by their parents). What can I say--this is manic, intense, tight thrash with great lyrics, and I can't wait till these Houston boys unleash themselves upon the rest of us deprived people. 22 songs.
-Tim Yohannan (from Maximum Rocknroll #5, March/April 1983)

 

PROFANATICA - Sickened By Holy Host / The Grand Masters Session

18 02 12 - 16:51



This oddity features an all new 39 minute mini-album plus the "The Grand Masters Session" Box Set on CD for the very first time. Nearly 80 minutes of true blasphemy & perversion.

PART #1 features 5 new songs plus 2 old classics written and recorded by Ledney with a session member. The performance on this work is much like their primitive NECROVORE-ous atrocities committed in the early '90s and allows for safe assumption of what could have been heard on their long-lost album, "The Raping of the Virgin Mary."

Meanwhile, PART #2 features the same titles but written and recorded by Gelso alongside the same drums & vocals performed on part #1. The execution of this session continues in the more musical direction showcased on their first 2 albums and incorporates soundscapes sonically compiled by the late Aragon Amori. The end result is nothing short of devastating, and the vast contrast between these two sessions takes on the form of an album in itself that is sure to appeal to both old & new devotees of the black cult.

Finally, "The Grand Masters Session" previously available as a vinyl-only 8" Box Set, is a raging 2008 "live in the studio" recording showcasing many of the classics, a few newer hits and an exclusive medley (a conglomerate of 5 songs).

 

SUPURATION retrospective CD release

17 02 12 - 10:10



Yes, the mighty french legend SUPURATION (aka SUP) are back from the crematory in form of a retrospective collection CD which includes all the earliest and most brutal stuff of the band from '89 /'90 when they were in their most Death Metal shape right before they started to experiment with clean vocals and more varied sounds.

"Back from the Crematory" is the generic title of this cult release which is planned for an imminent release on September 16th. The CD includes the awesome band's debut self-financed mini CD "Sultry Obsession" ('90), their only demo "Official Rehearsal" ('90) as well as the impossible-to-find demo of the band's very 1st studio recording "Haunted" under their previous monicker ETSICROXE as well as a 9-song live show, both from '89.

This masterpiece comes with remastered sound and packed in a total old-fashioned layout in contrat to their latter weird & sophisticated designs. Includes killer 12-pages booklet featuring an exclusive retro-interview, liner notes, cover and tons of old photos & flyers. This definitely a must-have release not only for every SUPURATION fan, but for every lover of the good old Death Metal from late 80's and early 90's!!

http://www.xtreemmusic.com/
 

Lord Wind - Ales Stenar

12 02 12 - 07:36

New Lord Wind: not metal per se, but metal in spirit, and it will be hard to beat this impressive CD that I'm already calling as "album of the year."



Note new URL.
 

New SAMMATH

11 02 12 - 12:07

 

YADENU (Yet Another DEMONCY "Enthroned is the Night" Update)

11 02 12 - 12:06

Demoncy (CD) jackets are in production and on their way to completion. No release date has been given yet but we are expecting them roughly around the 22nd of February. - Forever Plagued Records

Can't fucking wait!
 

BLASPHERIAN update

09 02 12 - 17:24

BLASPHERIAN UPDATE:
NEW SONG FOR SPLIT 7" WITH IMPRECATION......FINISHED
2 NEW SONGS,REWORKED VERSION OF 'TO WALK THE PATH...'.... FINISHED
AND NOW WE BEGIN WRITING FOR THE UPCOMING SPLIT WITH CRUCIFIER 'THE POISONERS OF YAHWASTE'...
AND THEN WE RECORD THIS UNHOLY MADNESS....HOPEFULLY SOMETIME IN MARCH/APRIL 2012 ANNO SATANAS...
 

New footage of Quorthon

09 02 12 - 16:42

Part 1:



Part 2:



Part 3:


See also our interview with Quorthon, one of the smartest men in metal.
 

VARG VIKERNES converting to Christianity?

06 02 12 - 20:09

A textual comparison:

A Burzum Story: Part VIII - On Overgrown Paths

'Enter ye in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who go in thereat.

Bible

How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it!' Matthew 7: 13-14

All I can say is... oy gevalt. Ripped shamelessly from Faceplant
 

Another DEMONCY update

06 02 12 - 19:55

Okay FPR confirmed the updated jacket design. I'm waiting to hear back that everything is accepted and in production. Remember everything is done but the jacket so once the jacket is done everything gets packaged and sent to us. I'll confirm once the jacket is in production and then I'll confirm once they give us an exact shipping date. I'll feel so much better once these are in the hands of all who preordered as I know we are at fault for accepting these pre's so damn early, considering the time its taking to get this finished.- FPR
 

Typical Gojira Fan

03 02 12 - 01:34



This from fans of the band who penned this lyrical turd:


I hold my inner child within
And tell him not to cry
"don't fear the living"
One day you will stand as a king
And no fear can erase
This light below us
Each one of us is now engaged
This secret we all have
This truth is growing
And as a warrior I have to fight
I can already feel
The love I'll discover


Is it fair to point out that anyone who thinks this is "poetry" or "profound" is of the level of stupidity found mainly in Twilight fans?
 
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