Interview with GIFTKRIEG

!!!THRASH METAL FROM THE USA!!!

We had a conversation with Judson (Guitars). Enjoy!

Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.

Tell us a few things about GIFTKRIEG (Members, Starting Year etc).
Giftkrieg started in the Fall of 2023 when Rich (bass) and I met through Craigslist. We bonded pretty quickly over our shared appreciation of old school metal, and once we met up and started exchanging riffs it was a done deal. Initially we had a different drummer who was more of a death metal guy, and wasn’t the right fit for this music. We eventually parted ways with him right around the same time we met Brian (vocals) in May of ‘24, also through a Craigslist ad. When Brian joined it lit a fire under our ass: suddenly the songs started to take shape, and the project started to feel like it could be something real. Our current lineup was complete once we met our current drummer, Chris, a few months later. We share a practice space with the Boston band Untombed, and their guitarist recommended we get in touch with this drummer he knew. Chris came down to try out and was a pretty natural fit for the fast and aggressive stuff we wanted to do. From that point on it was all gas and no brakes. Rich and I had already written a handful of songs, Brian had lyrics and vocal patterns ready to go, and as soon as Chris came up to speed on the songs we started making preparations to begin tracking the EP that would become Poison War.

You have recently released your EP ''Poison War''. What is the feedback from your audience as well as from the press?
The reception has been great. The songs have gone over well live, and a couple of the tunes have already been picked up by some internet radio stations. The best praise I have heard so far though was someone on a message board saying it “sounds like something you’d hear on Metal Massacre back in the day.” I don’t know if we deserve that, but I’ll take it!

Tell us a few things about the cover artwork.
Originally we had a very different vision for this EP’s art. There’s an incredible 20th century artist named Otto Dix who did an entire series of pieces based on his experiences in WWI. They’re bleak, nihilistic, and pretty much everything we thought the album art for Poison War should be. Unfortunately they’re also not in public domain yet, and we decided we didn’t need the risk of getting sued hahaha. While we were searching for a replacement, I stumbled on this piece by Vhan Artworks that was for sale and sent it to the other guys immediately. We all agreed that this captured the feel that we were looking for in the art, and reached out the same day to the artist.

And what about the lyrics?
Warfare, mass casualty violence, and the struggle for survival. No surprises there for thrash metal: this is extreme music, and Brian’s lyrical topics reflect that. The EP’s closing track, Fires Burning in the North, as well as one of the yet- unreleased songs in our setlist, also draw on occult interpretations of historical events and alternative histories.

Are you in searching for a record label? And what do you prefer most, Label or DIY and why?
Lately we’ve been concentrating on spreading the word about the EP and getting some live dates together, so it hasn’t been our main focus. With that said, we would be interested to work with a label if the opportunity arises and there’s a good fit for what we do. I don’t mind the grind of DIY, but working with a label would likely do a lot to help us get the music in the hands of like-minded folks. Being involved with a label is also another good way to get exposure to interesting bands that are coming up through the underground, and that is something I’m always interested in personally.

Is there any funny or weird story from the recordings or from your live shows that you would like to share with us?
Unfortunately we haven’t played out much yet with this group, so we haven’t had too many Spinal Tap moments as a band.

Do you prefer Vinyl, Tape, CD or Digital Format and why is that?
All of the above, but for very different reasons. Vinyl is supreme for the visual presentation of the art and the listening experience. If an album is truly incredible, this is the format I want to own it on. Personally, I have a soft spot for CDs because this was the most popular medium when I first started collecting music, so a lot of my collection is on CD. And I still drive an old crappy car with a CD player, so that part of my collection still sees a lot of action. Tapes feel very ephemeral to me, like artifacts of the metal scene that exist only temporarily to spread within the underground before ultimately getting chewed up in a cassette player somewhere. I like them a lot for demos and for the pure nostalgia. I can’t deny the convenience of digital, although it’s not a replacement for physical media. In a perfect world I would like more album purchases to come with download codes so you get something tangible as well as the convenience of digital media.

Your music style is Thrash Metal. Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
I’d say the sound we want to achieve is a combination of the rawness and aggression of Teutonic thrash metal with the technicality and speed of American thrash. Part of the reason we chose the German word Giftkrieg as our name was a tribute to German bands like Sodom, Kreator, Exumer, Destruction, etc. On the American side, we also take a lot of influence from acts like Exodus, Slayer, Sadus, Testament, and Possessed. Sprinkle in a just touch of traditional heavy metal/NWOBHM and a pinch of Mercyful Fate and you’ve more or less got our sound.

Which things do you think a band should sacrifice in order to succeed? Have you ever sacrificed anything in your life for a better future for your band?
Everyone who walks this path sacrifices a great deal of time, blood, sweat, and tears to realize their vision, and I’m sure that the further you go, the greater those sacrifices become.

Describe your ideal live show as a performance band. Have you already experienced that?
We’ve only barely begun to play live with this project, so not yet. As for what that would look like: playing a recklessly fast-but-tight set to a small, packed club that’s an absolute bedlam of spilled beer and banging heads.

What do you think about the rise of AI in music production?
Strongly opposed. Fight AI’s incursions into music at all costs. Nobody reading this started listening to this music because they wanted soulless, algorithmically generated “art” that steals ideas, attention, and money from actual artists. It’s really sad to see some of the classic bands that I once looked up to now using AI garbage in their album art.

What attributes do you think that a new Thrash Metal Band should have in order to gain identity and be unique?
My honest answer here is that I think this is a really difficult thing for bands like us that worship old-school metal, because by now that aesthetic is classic and has been done millions of times. Having a wide range of influences outside of metal, and even outside of music, definitely helps. And so does absolute conviction in the music you’re playing: if you’re fully committed to your style, and look and sound the part, I think that authenticity resonates with people. It doesn’t necessarily mean your identity will be unique—maybe your entire vision as band is just to get on stage in leather and spikes and play barbaric Venom worship riffs with a vengeance—but it will be awesome, and I’m gonna remember your band over a dozen other ho-hum local bands that half-assed at being a metal band.

Do you believe that Digital Platforms help the new Thrash Metal Bands? Which, do you think, is the ideal way for a band to promote its work?
Tough question. Overall I’d say yes, they absolutely give you more opportunities to reach a wider audience and find your niche, or as a fan, to find a community where you can get good recommendations. But they’re a double-edged sword, because they’ve also changed the way a lot of people consume music, shortened our attention spans, enabled censorship, and generally bombarded us with so much information that it becomes hard to find a reason to care about any of it. For me there’s no substitute for turning up to shows, talking to people, handing out flyers or promos, and generally participating in the scene to promote your work. I would also love to see a return to zines/print media and tape trading, both for the nostalgia and because there you are getting something that was curated by someone with a passion for this scene. More modern outlets like podcasts and radio can serve a pretty similar purpose as well.

From your experience in the music industry, what would you tell to a new Thrash Metal band to avoid or what to do?
I’m not sure if this is good advice for people are interested in the “industry” side, but for those who are more concerned about the ethos of the underground: don’t do pay-to-play. Support the scene by going to shows, telling your friends about bands, helping promote worthy bands and shows, whatever you can do, but don’t reward those who want to use money to “skip the line”. If no one participated in things like this it would go extinct, and in my opinion that couldn’t happen soon enough.

Tell us a few things about the New Underground Metal Scene in Boston, Massachusetts (Bands, Fanzines, Webzines, Metal Clubs  etc.)
The scene here is decent, although given the size of this city I wish there was a little more action going on. One thing we have going for us is that we are only about an hour from other smaller cities like Worcester, MA, Manchester, NH, and Providence, RI that have very respectable scenes for their size. We have our fair share of great bands from the Boston area, especially if you include bands from those surrounding areas that tend to play all throughout New England. Off the top of my head, acts like Maidenhead, Black Mass, Demon Chrome (who I was very happy to see you previously interviewed!), Archdruid, Witch King, Ravage, Malleus, and The Watcher are all well worth a listen, as are more established New England bands like Seax, Ancient Death, Obsidian Tongue, and High Command that already have some (inter)national recognition. I’m limiting this to only active bands, and even then I know there’s a lot I’m forgetting.As far as media outlets go, Return to the Pit is a message board and photography website that is an institution in the New England metal scene. Sadly rock ‘n’ roll/metal-focused clubs are not very common here, but we do have some venues that are known to be excellent for metal shows. Ralph’s Rock Diner in Worcester is one of the best dive bars in New England hands down. In Boston itself O’Brien’s Pub is a mainstay for local metal acts, and the Middle East/Sonia in Cambridge are excellent for catching more established bands. Also in Cambridge, there are a few bars like Zuzu and The Sinclair as well that occasionally do vinyl- only metal nights, and that’s something I’d really love to see more of.

What does Metal means to you? And give us 10 metal albums that run in your veins.
The use of extreme music to express extreme subject matter. It’s hard to pick just 10 releases, but these are all records I’m obsessed with:
Slayer – Show No Mercy
Destroyer 666 – Phoenix Rising
Mercyful Fate – Don’t Break the Oath
Mayhem – De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
Helstar – Nosferatu
Sadus – Chemical Illusions
Bathory – Hammerheart
Disembowelment - Transcendence into the Peripheral
Morbid Angel – Altars of Madness
Manilla Road – Crystal Logic

Do you know anything about the Hellenic Metal Scene?
Just a little, and most of it in the death/black metal realm, but the bands I do know from that scene are all excellent. I love Zemial as well as Archon’s other project, Agatus, and I will never forget seeing Zemial in a small club in Providence, RI with maybe 15 other people in the crowd. Of course I would also pay my respects to Rotting Christ and Varathron as both are legendary within Hellenic black metal. Besides them, Dead Congregation is another personal favorite, and Ravencult has an album that absolutely kicked my ass, and I’ve been meaning to check out more by them.

What are your future plans?
In the short term we’re looking to get out and play live more, and have also been talking about incorporating a second guitarist. Beyond that, we have plans in the works for a cassette release of Poison War, which will likely happen mid-late summer this year. And we’ve already started working on a batch of new songs that I’m really excited about, so people might be hearing NEW music from us sooner rather than later.

Thank you very much for your time & keep up the good work! The closure is yours.
Hails from the US, and thank you Stavros & FDoM for your support! I’ve been introduced to some great bands through your work, so it’s a real pleasure to speak with you.

By Steve the Filthy Dog.

GIFTKRIEG CONTACT:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575623902378

https://www.instagram.com/giftkriegband/

https://giftkrieg.bandcamp.com/album/poison-war