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Hi JF! What's up in France? JF: All is ok, bro'. We play quiet a lot here and are working on our new album. We will record it this summer and it will be out on Morbid Records in October/November 2001. First of all, I want to know, why you changed your name from D.A.B. to GURKKHAS and by the way what does the two names meens? JF: DAB meant DELAYED ACTION BOMB and GURKKHAS is the name of the Nepalese elite soldiers, fighting inside the GB army since 1815, considered as the most savage and cruel soldiers worldwide. Since April 2000 your latest CD "Engraved..." is released... Do you got good reactions from the metal-press and how much do you sold till now? JF: I don't know exactly, but I think it's ok. We didn't get a lot of great reviews in Germany, and it's curious because worldwide we got tons of great, like Zilver in Mindview, 4/5 in HH, excellent in Metal Hammer, 5/6 in Metallian, 8/10 in Metalized, good, isn't it? We did over 145 interviews with big mags in nine months.
JF: Thunder is a rip off label, they have sucked us, forget them, they are dead now. Massacre has got a division called Gutter Records and this division wanted to sign us. Massacre have heard our music and decided to sign us. Unfortunately, they don't think about the Death scene and attitude like us, uh!!. You recorded the CD with Stephen Buriez from Massacra. How do you get in contact with him and do you know what's up with MASSACRA? I didn't hear anything from them, till Fred died. JF: I am confused about this mistake. I am a fan of MASSACRA and I know JM Tristani. The fact is that Stephane Buriez is from the famous LOUDBLAST, not MASSACRA, our label did a big mistake. MASSACRA & LOUDBLAST are dead now, JM T. is working for NB France (and now, you are wrong, he's working for Century Media France, hehe - Leif). I think there is a concept behind the lyrics. Am I right? JF: Yes, we think like The Gurkkhas, we wear their clothes on stage, we have war flags, we are very closed to what they are and what they were. We read books about them, it's a real concept band. We talk about all what is war made of and its connections with religion, social life, love-hate, and so on... In your biography stand that you play a mixture of CANNIBAL CORPSE and MORBID ANGEL and I think that‘s totally wrong. So, what do you think and which bands are your main influence? JF: Hmmmm, ok for MORBID, not ok for CANNIBAL, even we like a lot both acts and are fans of. The thing is that Massacre Records said this about us and then everyone put it everywhere, haha!!. We listen to a lot of US-Death, that is true, but we try to make our own style, even it's hard to do, I let you judge our music, friend.
How went the tours with SINISTER in Europe and LAKE OF TEARS and CREMATORY in Italy and why did you tour with such bands as LAKE OF TEARS and CREMATORY? Let's go back in history. You started in 1990. What happens between these year and the first CD? Were there another line-up and did you made some demos or something like that? Then in 1995 your first CD "Stormbringer" followed. I don't know these release, so it will be great if you tell me something about it. JF: This CD has sold over 10.000 copies, a great score because this was our first effort. We have got a song especially written by Lars Rosenberg (ex-ENTOMBED, THERION) (and also ex-CARBONIZED - Leif), incredible response from the fans. It includes ten songs of brutal death in the Swedish vein!! In 1997 there were the second CD "Beyond The Mirror". Please, the same procedure! JF: We have recorded this CD for Thunder Prod., and this time we have been ripped off because the label didn't wanna work with serious partners, the manager was not enough involved in the metal business so the label has made a bankrupt and we have been without any label during one year! The CD is more into Industrial Death!! What do you think is the main difference between your old CDs and the "Engraved..."? JF: The most incredible response is when we play live, the crowd begins crazy immediatly, because it's fast, strong, like a bullet in our face, without any compromises, and this is like if the fans were always waiting for this time, to see us back to a Musical ultra violence and secondly, from the medias, we have made, in nine months, more interviews then DAB did in five years...
JF: Ok, Deadsun is a Death label, we have a mailorder-list with tons of things very cheap, the list is free, ask for it to my adress. We have produced the first and seocnd CDs of GODLESS TRUTH, the DAB last promo tape, the 7TH CHILD-MCD, the KEMET CD, the DISINTER CD. In April we will put out the DARK LEGION CD (death), the UMBAKRAIL CD (Black), in October the HORRID CD (Death), the INFECTED DISARRAY CD (grind/death) and in December the EDICIUS CD (black). We look for a distro in Germany!!!!!! When you make a label and also play in a band, you can tell me something about the French scene for sure, or? Which great death metal bands are there? So, the most people only know LOUDBLAST, MASSACRA and AGGRESSOR from your country. JF: You know only them?...there is GURKKHAS (haha), DEPRAVED, MORTUARY, IINHUMATE, DISGUST and many more, the French scene has fantastic bands and brilliant musicians, a lot of French bands are now signed on to foreign labels!!! When you send me your home page link there was also something mentions that was IMPERIUM. What's that? JF : We have "killed" this dpt inside Deadsun, but it still works, only the name is over. We promote in the direction of the mags, radios, some label of Europe, like Hypnotic Records, Gutter Records, soon System Shock, and many many others. You pay us to promote you as hell in France and to negociate for you some add space in big mags because we can get you big discount. Any bands or labels interested to open a French promo office can contact me. What do you plan to make in the future? Do you think about an new release and what's up with some German shows? JF: The next CD will be recorded in July and out this autumn, followed by tours in Europe (Morbid still search for a good band to open for), Central America, Asia. We will of course come to Germany, and this in September, for the Morbid festival, C-YA there, you will have the WAR on stage!! OK, that's the end. Now the last question. Are there some of the D.A.B. release still available? JF: The first CD is sold out, about the second I don't know!!!, the Bets off is sold out. The GURKKHAS CD can be bought everywhere, in every shop, or directly by Massacre Records. We also have longsleeves and t-shirts with great design. Thanks for the interview and see us some day. JF: Thanks to you my Friend, really, this help us a lot!!! You, the German death metal fans, hear us, you won't be disapointed!!!
GURKKHAS 10 Rue des Capucines 22300 Lannion-France gurkkhas@aol.com www.multimania.com/sonicwave/ Interview: Leif |
