GLORIOUS TIMES: RESPECTING OUR DARK PAST

The demo. Something foreign to most younger people, especially in this form. (photo - Alan Moses)

SWAMP

NYARLATHOTEP(XAR.KAR.)

POUTETSI 10

45532 IOANNINA

GREECE

Too many times to keep a count of we've seen feeble attempts to be "retro" or some other less than salutatory action, meant in whatever way to be akin to the ways of old. What is being peddled as innovative is usually a sad watering down of an approach which lacks the viciousness of the original purveyors, or buys directly into a style that has been reconstituted into a somehow marketable form, some sort of musical soilent green.

The once glorious sounds and visionary assaults have become the cheap and tacky, two-bit nickel and dime glam poser attire and lacklustre muzak for the next degeneration, where innovation is OUT and plastique is IN (man).

What we used to sometimes call brutal jungle death or metal or whatever (ie: from Brazil) has escaped the clutches of the media merchants, with the exception of the style pioneered by Sepultura at one point in their time line, giving up to the lucrative allure of profit entrenched in the "stale area sound".

The sound and above all the attitude infected entire continents filled with pseudo compassionate 'fans' who'd just been breast-fed the poison milk from the glossy magazines. NOT SO WITH SWAMP!

Left alone for the most part has been the 80's era Brazilian and Greek elements from the demo phases - and while they've served as inspiration to many, the 'sound' and vibe of those bands basically remains underground, and indeed scorned in many cases. Back during the Glorious Times, you could tell just about immediately if a band was from Brazil or Greece, and with only one ear paying attention.

This tape is a time warp. (courtesy Nyarlathotep)

SWAMP, a band so low on the radar to be pretty much underneath it, has taken their respect for the old times literally and manifested that respect into a couple small releases which caused us to raise an eye brow of extreme interest as soon as we caught wind of it. And that wind is putrid, old and has an underlying reek of the old Greek and Brazilian 1980's completely underground, uncommercial, and unapologetic. It was this initial voice which spoke to us from our own collective pasts, even though this band is from a generation after ours!

Swamp, one of the rare images to exist. (Photo courtesy of Nyarlathotep)

With a keen eye on the past, following of all things vinyl album credits, it came to pass that decades after the fact, Nyarlathotep and his cohort Bill from www.myspace.com/deadfans, made contact with GT, and introduced us to the Swamp Family. This action fully illustrating that yet again, the concept of Glorious Times is a practiced one, and not just some nostalgic peek into former glories.

SWAMP out of the darkness. (courtesy Nyarlathotep)

The existence of the Swamp Family being a direct result of the times, in a practical and global sense.

Advertising insert which comes with the limited edition CD (scan - Alan Moses)

At the end of June 2010 GT had a chance to speak with Haris (aka Nyarlathotep), during a short window of opportunity that existed during his time in the Greek draft (we're looking forward to your release brother!)

GT: Can we have some details about both the demo tape and the ep?

NYARLATHOTEP: First of all, thanks Alan for your support to Swamp, it is a total pleasure for me. Well, "Praise The Goat"demo tape and "Nuclear Death"ep were recorded in rehershal room of Swamp called "Ypogas" studios. It's place who live 10 years ago.Only the drums are recorded in "proffesional" studio. Also the vocals of "Nuclear Death" were recorded in a cave in the mountains of EPIRUS. "Praise The Goat" was recorded in June of 2006. "Nuclear Death" ep was recorded two years after, but a few labels tell us lies about vynil release of this ep. However in 2010 my brother Thomas of Time Before Time records (Poland) helped us and released the demo and ep on cd.(Thanks a lot for support Thomas.)

GT: How long did these sessions take, to complete each project?

NYARLATHOTEP: No much time, because me and Splatter have the same ideas in style of Swamp songs.Also together we have a same music style and idols!!!and this is very good and easy to vomit a Swamp song!!

Swamp's Splatter with a total legend Mike (courtesy Nyarlathotep)

GT: How old are the songs on each project?

NYARLATHOTEP: The songs are not old. The demo songs were finished in 2005, and for the ep they were finished in 2007.

Image from the cave (courtesy Nyarlathotep)

GT: Doing the vocals inside that cave is a killer concept, can you share some details about that?

NYARLATHOTEP: In the winter of 2007-8 me and some friends took a trip to the mountains of Epirus. I take together a double-tape stereo to try some vocal ideas with true echo of a cave. The sound is exellent like the glorious times of the 80s! I recorded the vocals in double-tape stereo - from the first side of radio play the tape with nuclear death songs and from the other tape side I recorded the vocals up from the music because and two tapes play in same time!!!haha! Sorry for my shitty English!and in the end the vocals is ready!!!so easy!

GT: We need some background on your experiences with Varathron.

NYARLATHOTEP: Thank you a lot for your question. First hail and respect to my bloodbrotherStefan and mighty Varathron. I know this person years ago. We have a great friendship and support. More things keep us together such as: 1) Swamp and Varathron are from the same city IOANNINA (not Athens). BIG problems with members and studios! 2) We support together the underground spirit from this small town of Greece. Stefan have a radio station and supports bands from all the world. Demo bands. Me in the past release a zine called NIGHTLY KINGDOMS. 3) For the end. Never stop the ideology of undergound. Never stop to support the underground. Never support the bastard posers.VARATHRON AND SWAMP TRY TO KEEP THE BLACK FLAME ALIVE IN THIS POSER TOWN. Varathron is the big part of Swamp's music and ideology. Hail to these cult diamonds = Varathron.

FUCK OFF TO POSERS! FUCK OFF TO SHITTY DIRTY PEOPLE! WHO DRESSING THE METAL IDEOLOGY FOR MONEY AND PUSSY! SHIT ON YOUR GRAVES!

Respect. Defend. Create. (courtesy Nyarlathotep)

GT: What was the drive and inspiration to start Swamp in the first place?

NYARLATHOTEP: GREAT QUESTION. Well we started the band under the name POSER HOLOCAUST! and try to play music in occult style like Alastis, Mortuary Drape, Varathron, Necromantia,old Samael,etc and with P.H. try to start a tribute to these bands. But with Swamp try to comeback the old ideology and style of 80s music, because today more and more posers try to destroy the great past AND the great passion. Today people don't care about the underground. They only read the big magazines and check the new releases of DOLLAR bands who BURN CHURCHES IN THE PAST OR MURDERS etc. Don't support Dimmu-Burger and Cradle Of Shit. SUPPORT ONLY THE TRUE!BANDS!ZINES!AND DISTROS. HAIL TO IMPIETY, SOULSKINNER, BLACK GRAIL, VARATHRON, GOATVOMIT, NECROS CHRISTOS, ARCHGOAT, HEPTAMERON, COMMUNION, BESTIAL RAIDS. FOR THE END SWAMP MUSIC IS ONLY FOR TRUE MORBID HANDS!SUPPORT THE UNDERGROUND!FUCK THE BIG MAGAZINES!FUCK THE IDIOTS! THE MUSIC LIVES IN PAPER ZINES,DEMO TAPES,AND LETTERS!!! KEEP THE UNDERGROUND CLEAR AND ALIVE!!!!

Small package, BIG homage!

GT: The importance of the old scene, Greece and Brazil in particular, on YOU and the Swamp phenomena - we need some comments from you on that. Why don't people get it?, they want top production and haven't even understood Swamp saluting the old days with making music that is very much like the old times without being trendy or souless music, and it's still Swamp!

NYARLATHOTEP: GREECE-BRAZIL! TWO COUNTRIES WITH GREAT HISTORICAL BANDS!!! BANDS WHO TODAY SELL THE MUSIC FOR MONEY AND PUSSY! IS SO SAD TODAY PEOPLE DON'T LISTEN THE GLORIOUS PAST BANDS OF BRAZIL! AND GREECE! HOW MANY PEOPLE KNOWS SADISTIC NOISE OR AMMEN CORNER? ANYWAY...I know Swamp "Nuclear Death" cd take a big fuck for modern people who wait only to realease the new album of Nevermore, Opeth, Darkthrone. I don't care. That people forget the first day who listen the first Destruction/Sodom/Iron Angel works or Bulldozer!!! We live in 2010 and the stadards of production are too high!! BUT I DONT CARE AND FUCK OFF ABOUT THIS!! LOOK THE PRODUCTION AND DON'T LOOK THE FEELING!!!! ALSO MAGAZINES DON'T LIKE THE SWAMP IDEOLOGY BUT FROM THE OTHER SIDE THE SAME MAGAZINES SUPPORT RETRO THRASH BANDS OF 2000! HAHA! FUCK THE CLEAN PRODUCTION & FUCK THE MODERN! GIVE A SHIT TO THIS! EXTREME MUSIC DON'T NEED A GREAT PRODUCTION OR VIDEO CLIPS. EXTREME MUSIC NEED PASSION! AND SUPPORT!!! BACK TO THE ROOTS!!!! WAKE UP FROM THE DEAD SLEEP!!!!

Get this flashback NOW, if there's even time to!

TIME BEFORE TIME

GT: Any final words or stories from the Swamp camp you want to share pal?

NYARLATHOTEP: First thank you a lot for this interview Alan! Thanks to you who with Brian release this epic book! Thanks who support underground all these years. Thanks for all!! Sorry, my English is not good to tell these stories! Hahahaha BUT I send to you personally! For the end - DEATH TO FALSE METAL! R.I.P. DIO. Hail Sadistic Noise! Brian - Death Courier RULES! Hails to Dagon! With total pleasure Haris "NYARLATHOTEP"