Interview of DESTABILIZER
by MONKEYMETAL aka Troll / ODYMETAL,
04th November 2023.
Answers by Thomas Haxen (bass, leads vocals)
Logo and photos sent by Thomas Haxen.
Tell us about the group: when and how the group was formed, why did you choose the name DESTABILIZER , who are the musicians who are part of it?
The band was formed in 2020. Niels, our guitarist, posted in a Facebook group for Danish musicians in search of bandmates. In his post, he expressed his desire to play speed metal or thrash metal. Kenneth, who handles drums and vocals, and I, responsible for bass and vocals, responded promptly. While I had previous experience in black metal, death metal, and folk metal bands, I had always longed to play thrash metal. In my early days of listening to metal, I was heavily influenced by bands like Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer, making this genre a close reflection of my musical roots. Over time, I also delved into bands such as Sodom, Venom, and Sadus, which eventually led me into the world of black metal.
We are committed to maintaining the dark and edgy essence that these groups embrace, both in our lyrics and imagery. Combined with the influences of Niels Sonne, who draws inspiration from Razor, Voivod, Violence, and others, I believe we've crafted a distinctive sound that pays homage to the old-school while remaining easily recognizable.
We came up with the name together during a rehearsal. We had a variety of ideas that I can't quite recall at the moment. 'Destabilizer' stood out as a great choice. It has a cool and old-school vibe, conjuring images in my mind of either societal destabilization or a tense situation. Alternatively, you could envision it as some sort of extraterrestrial weapon from the Fallout games. Haha, either interpretation works for me.
We all hail from different regions of Jutland, Denmark. Surprisingly, prior to forming the band, none of us knew each other, which was quite unusual for me. However, miraculously, we all collaborate seamlessly without any significant issues or disagreements. Everything runs remarkably smoothly in our camp, which is fantastic. Each of us has prior experience in various metal bands before joining Destabilizer. In fact, I am still actively involved in two other bands alongside Destabilizer: Sylvatica and Horned Almighty.
Speaking of musicians, do you have activities other than music and which ones?
We all have our respective jobs and commitments. None of us have reached the point where music can fully support our livelihoods. It's our dream, of course, but reaching that point isn't easy. Even many of the big bands have to maintain their day jobs alongside their musical careers. It's fine, though. We play music because we love it.
I dedicate a significant portion of my spare time to rock climbing. Prior to taking up this sport, I had been grappling with back pain issues and felt it was time to address the situation. At 31 years old, I began to notice a decline in my physique. Additionally, I encountered problems on stage as my fingers would become tired and fatigued, often feeling battered after a performance. Rock climbing proved to be an excellent way to strengthen my body, particularly my fingers, making it a great sport for bassists. I no longer experience fatigue on stage, and I hit the strings harder than ever. Of course, it's important to be careful and avoid injuries, but I've found that listening to your body goes a long way in that regard. I've been rock climbing for about a year now, and I wholeheartedly recommend this sport to anyone.
For those who don't know you yet, can you best describe your style and tell us your main influences?
We play thrash metal, which is characterized by an old-school and malevolent style akin to that of bands like Slayer, Sodom, and Exumer. As mentioned earlier, these are some of my primary influences. This is mixed with elements from Niels' main influences, Voivod, and Razor, which contribute a technical dimension to the mix. In addition, Kenneth's drumming style is deeply rooted in the old-school tradition, reminiscent of the legendary pioneers, devoid of any modern blast-beats or similar elements.
I am calling on your memories, can you give us a summary of the career of SATANIC ASSAULT DIVISION from its creation until its end?
My old friend Martin and I founded S.A.D. in 2012 with the intention of playing satanic black metal. We were young and had a light-hearted, somewhat humorous approach to the project's image, and we didn't place much importance on the lyrics as long as they had a satanic theme. As a result, our approach was somewhat unserious, and the black metal community in Denmark didn't really take us seriously, haha! Don't get me wrong, I believe the music we created was quite awesome. We had our share of not-so-great songs, but we also had some excellent ones. We weren't very good at filtering out the less appealing ideas, I must admit.
The band marked my debut as a songwriter, and I learned a great deal from the experience. Despite the flaws I can now see in it, I'm still proud of what we accomplished. Ultimately, it was one of the reasons I decided to leave the band, as I felt I couldn't fully stand behind it in the end. The band was also quite turbulent, marked by constant disagreements and conflicts. I didn't want to invest my time in such a situation.
We performed numerous shows in Denmark, Germany, and even one in Belgium. Additionally, we had the opportunity to support bands like Mayhem, Archgoat, and Dark Funeral. To be honest, I believe we were a great live band, delivering amazing energy on stage. It seemed that audiences appreciated our approach, as we performed with a smile rather than maintaining a constant ultra-serious and evil demeanor. It was a fun time that I'll never forget.
I decided to leave the band in 2016, and our drummer, Danni, carried on with the project for a couple of years. Unfortunately, circumstances led to the project being disbanded.
SATANIC ASSAULT DIVISION was a black metal band. Why did you choose to write texts having and revolving around themes like ''anti religion, murder, satanism blasphemy''?
As I mentioned in the previous response, we didn't give much thought to it. Our main goal was to play fast and aggressive black metal, and we didn't invest a lot of effort into the lyrics. We simply wrote something that we believed complemented the music.
Tell us about your other groups DEVIL MAKER, HORNED ALMIGHTY and SYLVATICA? Can you give us a summary for each?
DEVIL MAKER is a group formed by my friend Johnny. I briefly played with him in another band called DRAB, which translates to "murder" in Danish. DRAB is an older band that had Jacques, the drummer from HORNED ALMIGHTY and SYLVATICA, playing in it back in the day. My involvement with DEVIL MAKER was as a session bassist for their EP. The sound of Devil Maker draws heavy inspiration from Greek black metal.
In 2013, I joined HORNED ALMIGHTY, a band whose members were considerably older than me. It has been a fantastic experience to become a part of a group with such a wealth of experience. Over the years, I've learned a great deal from playing with these guys.
Horned Almighty was formed in 2002, and Bjørn and Simon from the band initiated their first project, MARERIDT, when I was only 4 years old. Horned Almighty's style can be described as black metal, infused with elements of death metal, punk, and rock 'n' roll. Bands like Motörhead come to mind. Currently, we are in the midst of mixing our 7th full-length album.
SYLVATICA is the group I've played with the longest. I became a member of the band in 2010. Initially, Sylvatica was a folk metal group, but over time, our style has evolved into a form of melodic death metal. On our recently released album, 'CADAVER SYNOD,' we've ventured into a new approach, drawing inspiration from 1970s bands that incorporate Hammond organs and other elements. If this sounds intriguing to you, I encourage you to check it out.
When, how and what made you want to play bass and sing, tell us about it
At the outset, we considered the possibility of adding a fourth member as the lead singer, yet we ultimately opted to manage the vocals ourselves. Kenneth possesses an awesome voice and has ample experience with live singing from his time with Persecutor. Additionally, I used to be a vocalist in S.A.D., so we gradually began experimenting with the idea. In the end, we made the decision to handle the vocals ourselves. I had missed singing in a band, and I believe our two voices complement each other quite well. That's how it all came together.
I had to undergo training to simultaneously sing and play for a while, but I adapted quickly. While I had prior experience doing backup vocals for Sylvatica, I had never taken on the role of singing whole verses on my own, so there was an adjustment period for me.
I started playing the bass when I was 16 years old. At the time, I chose this instrument because it seemed like the easiest option to me, but I soon realized that it wasn't as easy as it appeared, depending on the type of music you want to play, of course. I practiced fervently back then, dedicating around 4 hours a day for several years. In hindsight, I believe practicing that much may not have been the best approach. I now think it's wiser to play less and, if possible, with friends. It's crucial that it remains enjoyable; that's the top priority. Otherwise, there's a risk of burning out and losing interest.
What are your plans for the coming months?
At the moment, we're in the process of writing for our second album, and we've already prepared a number of songs. Additionally, we have a show scheduled for December in Copenhagen, where we'll be performing alongside DAWN OF DEMISE. Furthermore, we have several shows planned for next year that haven't been announced publicly yet. For the latest updates, follow us on Facebook.
If you have the time, we invite you to explore our new album, "Violence is the Answer," and you can find our merchandise, CDs, and vinyl on our Bandcamp page. Please note that the vinyl is currently in production and will be available soon. Any support you can offer greatly aids us on our journey. Thank you very much for having us.
DESTABILIZER
DESTABILIZER
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10 titres (37’40’’)
Thrash Metal – Danemark – disponible, sorti le 22.09.2023
HORROR PAIN GORE DEATH PRODUCTIONS
Chronique le 24.09.2023
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