For those of you who don't recognize the name, which would suck for you as you'd be missing out on one (bad-ass) three-piece, Promiscuity is an Israeli-based metal band whose music could best be described as a combination of black metal, speed metal and Motörhead. Over this past weekend I was able to shoot the shit (so to speak) with Promiscuity bassist Werewolf all thanks to Al Gore's World Wide Web (Thanks Al!). Werewolf, who is also the owner of Israhellbanger Records and was the editor of the fanzine "Evil's Best", dices his way through this interview just like he diced his way through the EP's 4-tracks! I want to thank him for answering my questions and for being part of the heavy metal collective that has given the world the (much-needed kiddos!) EP "Basic Instinct"!
Andy-Hey, where are you guys all at now? Are you all in Israel as we speak?
Werewolf-Yup, we are all in Israel, though I was born in Ukraine and Alex (aka Butcher) in Latvia, so our native language is Russian.
Andy-Cool. It's weird and all. Here I am in Ohio in the U.S. and your WAY across the pond! Ain't modern technology just nifty?
Werewolf-Tell me about!
Andy (A)-Could you tell us briefly how the band came together? What were you guys up to before Promiscuity came together?
Werewolf (W)-It all started when I was writing some lyrics and bass riffs,
without any special plans to do anything too specific with them. I
showed that stuff to Butcher and he suggested his help as a guitar
player. It didn't take too long until it was obvious that he can sing
way better than me as well, so we started to work on the songs together.
Butcher had the first demo of his Death Metal project "KEVER" (which
had a different moniker back then) recorded by then and I was only doing
a printed fanzine and running a small label/distro at that time.When we found some guy who didn't mind to help us as a session
drummer - the demo tape "Infernal Rock N' Roll" was created. Now Steel
from Sonne Adam helps us as a drummer, he played in the "Basic Instinct"
EP.
A-Is there any story behind the band's name or did you guys simply
go with the time-honored tradition of just randomly flipping through a
dictionary and putting your finger on a word LOL!
W-No, it wasn't a random choice. Black humor and sarcasm were the
driving force of what we called PROMISCUITY since day one and lyrics
about the chick from the "Basic Instinct" movie couldn't fit more
naturally to this concept, so "Promiscuity" sounded like the right title
for us. I also wanted a 1-word moniker. So many awesome Metal bands
have a great, effective 1-word moniker - Venom, Slayer, Sodom,
Pestilence, Razor, Destruction, Massacre, Death, Darkness, Sacrifice,
Slaughter, Grave etc. etc...
A- Well I love the one word moniker you guys choose! And while I also love
the EP's title, as well as the cool artwork (!), I do wonder how many
kids would be able to pick up on the reference points. You know what I
mean?
W- You probably mean that not many teenagers are familiar with this classic
movie, don't you? Well, maybe some will discover it through this
release. I think that the cover looks cool, whether you know about this
movie or not. The lowest common denominator is not our aim, anyway. We
just write about stuff we rely to ourselves.
A- No arguments there. Write what you know about and write what matters
most to you. Of course you guys do cover a Celtic Frost number so
there's more to you guys then just "Basic Instinct" right?
W-Yes, it's not the only movie we've ever seen. There's also... errrr.... "Basic Instinct 2"!
Seriously, though - Gilles De Rais' was quite a controversial person
and I think that a song about him fits in perfectly on a such release,
where the other songs are the chick from "Basic Instinct", a pedophile
and our first fan ever (R.I.P.), who wasn't the most normative person
ever and to whom we dedicated "Maniac's Blues". We also wanted to give
CF's song our own touch and I think that it does sound like a
PROMISCUITY song, doesn't it?
A-Yes, it sure does! Besides Celtic Frost, whose early material was
nothing short of wicked, it seems as if your sound comes from some old
school black metal. would that be a fair assessment?
W-Metal is the
favorite genre of all of us and the 80's to early 90's is the period
where most of the best Metal releases were made, in every Metal
sub-genre. This stuff inspired us to start playing and will always have
an impact on us, but it's not only "Black Metal". We like many things,
from Saxon to Necrovore. We don't make any conscious decisions in the
vein of "let's make a riff like this band, a solo like that band" etc.Besides Celtic Frost, whose early material was nothing short of wicked,
it seems as if your sound comes from some old school black metal. would
that be a fair assessment?
A-I know you guys are currently looking for a record label. Any bites at all?
W-Yes, Florian / Dying Victims Productions will make the cassette
version. As for CD and vinyl - time will tell. I already declined a
couple of offers that I had received, but I'd rather not get this music
released on any physical format than let it be wasted in the hands of
those labels.
"To be signed on this or that label" has never been
our main goal. The fact that we managed to record this stuff and make it
sound the way it does - that's what really matters to us. Everything is
mastered for every format and the cover artwork is ready as well, so
"Basic Instinct" can go to a pressing plant anytime, but we worked damn
hard on it and we'd only let a label that can work as hard print and
sell it.
A-I'm crossing my figures for a vinyl release myself. I'm guessing that
it would sound fucking fantastic on a turntable! Where do you guys go
from here? Will there be live shows?
W- There haven't been any so far, but never say "never. We are writing new stuff, but we like to take our time. I hope that the EP "Eon of Cycling Death" (Butcher's Death Metal band Kever) will be released on vinyl soon, on the other hand!(Editor's note: You can find out more about Kever through a link below!)
A-Keep me posted on that one! Are there any other bands from your home country we should be checking out?
W-Tangorodrim, Hell Darkness, Sonne Adam, Kever - these would be my
personal recommendations. Also the 2-track demo of Guiltville, sound
damn promising, they published it on their bandcamp page just a week
ago.
A-Where can fans find out more about "Basic instinct" and your back catalog then?
W-Our entire "catalog" consists of the "Basic Instinct" EP and the
"Infernal Rock N' Roll" demo tape from 2011. Both are available for
free/"name your price" download from our bandcamp page: http://infernalrocknroll.bandcamp.com The "Infernal Rock N' Roll" cassette will be available for sale later, once I have the time to make more copies of it. We have never made a single piece of merch, but some will be made in the near future. Stay tuned via our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Promiscuity.Band
A- I usually let bands have the last word. Any parting words of wisdom?
Have a special drink mix that you want to share? Any bizarre B-movies we
should check out? the mic is yours...
W- Beer + vodka is one Hell of a mix drink, give it a try! \\m//
A-Thanks again Werewolf! I'll be keeping an eye out for Promiscuity from here on out!
W-Thanks for the interview, it was a pleasure to answer!The bandcamp and facebook pages appear in the previous answer, but those who want to contact us via e-mail - write to contact@promiscuity-band.com.
If you like this stuff - please spread it among alcohol addicts,
junkies, perverts and other scum. This music is made for the outcasts!
You can read more about the band and their latest EP at the link below. Oh, and for you young kids out there out (well, young kids over the age of 21 of course!) mixing beer and vodka is not a good idea! Werewolf was just joking around there! And that brings me to an interesting tidbit about this interview. I'll tell you what folks, Werewolf is not only a killer bass player, but an all around fun guy and this interview (as well as a lot of other back and forth messages between us) made my weekend! Promiscuity is simply a different beast all together and their music is nothing if not original! Especially art-work wise and of course the lyrics! While their music is "pay what you want" why not throw a few coins into the bucket while you are at it! Making music doesn't come cheap and while it might be a bit of a novelty that they are from Israel and all it just means that getting their music to the masses in places like Europe and the U.S. is all the more difficult. Support underground metal whenever and however you can. And, as always boys and girls, live life LOUD and PROUD!
Labels: 2013, black metal, black n' roll, influenced by Lemmy, interview, Israel, Promiscuity, speed metal
