Now, you might not encountered the name of this gentleman yet, but there are at least two reasons why: Yakisoba and Red Pulp Cords.
We haven’t spoken about Yakisoba in the Rubber Axe webzine (yet), and that will change soon, however yours truly did review Red Pulp Cords’ release “Collection of spores, molds and fungus” (released by Sialorrhoea Productions) not too long ago and it usually leads to me annoying the artist for sharing some thoughts. Therefore, without too much ado, let’s introduce our fellow gore maniac, Michele!
Hey, Michele, how are you doing? I guess you had another busy year, right? But before we jump straight in to the interview, can you introduce yourself to our readers?
Hi, Rudolf! Yes, it’s been a busy year for sure! Thank you for the questions and the support here on Rubber Axe. Well, I’m Michele and I live in the small city of Viareggio, Italy. I am a noise addict and a cheap beer drinker. I started some years ago playing and recording “music” with some friends and by myself in little projects. The thing is gone out of control and now I have a lot of different projects and a chronic lack of time. But it’s all fun so it’s ok!
You are indeed busy, the 2019 saw the birth of your new project, but let’s go to the very beginning first… what can you tell me about the development of your musical tastes…what was the stuff that has got you into the extreme metal, let’s say, as a listener and fan first? And what has made you to start creating and producing your own musick?
The problem started with the classics: Motorhead, Black Sabbath and Priest, then Slayer came and the downward spiral began! I was young and in need of something always more extreme, faster, uglier, ecc. Same old story! One day I listened to something that gave me a rough punch in the face and changed everything forever: Scum by Napalm Death. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The downtuned guitars, the harshness, the ROARS! I had already discovered death and black metal and loved them, and I’m still a big, big fan, but that? That was pure caveman aggression. I loved it and it shocked me. Now almost 20 years have passed and I’m still digging for new
bands and I still love extreme music like the first day.
As I said before, I started creating my own things some years ago. First with the help of some friends, and I still have projects with them, then I started producing my own things too. I love the fact that anyone now can record music with basic equipment with all the time in the world (well, without a job it would be easier) to do and redo things, make corrections, etc. This for me is essential, you can express yourself without any boundaries.
The information about your music input quite differentiates, so, to clear this issue – what projects/bands are you currently involved with? Can you shortly describe them, say, of what music style are they?
Here’s a brief summary of my stupid projects:
“Yakisoba” is still my main project and it’s goregrind. Now I started a death metal project called “Congenital Deformity”, a grindcore one called “Full Body Punishment”; a gorenoise one called “Red Pulp Cords”; then “Phreatomagmatic Death”, in which I do slow goregrind/death; “Society of Christ”: basic noisecore with real drums recorded by me in a very chaotic way; then “Worthless”: industrial/experimental stuff, and “Anticosmic Processor Array”: a dark ambient project.
All one man bands. I mentioned only the projects with material already released. I have some other things going on, but still in a pre-release status. A lot of them will never see the light, I think.
Plus I have some projects that I love with other people:
“Casket Garden”: crust punk / d-beat, where I do the vocals and now play bass too; “Mass Campylobacter Infection Through Raw Purulent Meat”: gorenoise (I program drums, “play” guitar and do some minor background vocals); “Vomit Torch”: blackened sludge (I play guitar). We have released a demo not so long ago!
I have another band too with two other guys but the project is still work in progress! We have almost finished a demo, tho, and I hope it will be released in the first months of 2020. I think it’s all! Ahaha
Well, let’s talk about Yakisoba first…how did this project start and for those of us not talking Japanese (I presume the name is in Japanese), what does “Yakisoba” mean?
Yakisoba is my main project. It started in 2017 with the first demo, Mandatory Amputation, released on bandcamp almost exactly two years ago. I wanted to play some noisy goregrind in the vein of Catasexual Urge Motivation, Gore Beyond Necropsy, Regurgitate, Dead Infection… The Japanese grind, noise, punk and metal scene has always fascinated me. Bands like the already mentioned C.U.M. and Gore Beyond Necropsy, Maggut, Butcher A.B.C., Unholy Grave, Senseless Apocalypse, C.S.S.O., World, Realized, Disclose… lots and lots of wild bands. I wanted to do a sort of homage and maybe try to capture some of the obscure and mysterious aura that those bands had. It was one of the things that got me so glued to that scene back in the day. I think that’s an impossible task but I’m still trying! The word Yakisoba indicates a Japanese noodle stir-fry dish. I wanted something a little different from the usual gore names, something in the vein of goregrind bands like Patisserie and Parfumerie: words a little off topic and innocent, but sinister in the context. A hint of black humor but with serious themes and music. I’m not into funny grind and stuff like that, with a few exceptions.
It’s pretty evident that Yakisoba hit it with many listeners and labels alike and your material with it has been released through some well respected labels. If you think about it, what do you think is the main reason for success (although I am well aware of the fact that in underground it’s not really a term people would use, but anyway) with Yakisoba?
I don’t know! Ahaha
The goregrind underground is full of awesome projects, really. Lots of killer stuff, played by passionate people who love what they do and who listen to this genre intensively. The labels are made by the same kind of people and they are very active. I had the luck to work with super respected labels like Eyes of the Dead, Rectal Purulence, Lysergic Meltdown, Grotesque Records, Old Grindered Days Records, Gorenoise Shit/Newborn Porn prodz, Deaf Death Husky Recs, and I’m in contact with a lot of people that support Yakisoba in every way, buying stuff, sharing albums, uploading demos on youtube, writing reviews, trading, writing me emails or messages, and I love that! I can’t thank these people enough and I’m grateful. But I think it is the result of a very strong and supportive underground rather than some strange quality of Yakisoba noise. I’m really happy that people like what I do, tho. It’s a powerful motivational thing and it keeps me pushing forward.
In 2019 Yakisoba did see two releases being published – the split tape with Golem of Gore via Lysergic Meltdown and 4-way split with Golem of Gore, Human Pancake and Serotonin Leakage released by Eyes of The Dead Productions. What can you tell us about that material and what is the public response to it (if you have any info from labels, that is)
The split tape with Golem of Gore was recorded in 2018 by both bands but for various issues it was released in 2019. I like the result a lot: the tapes sold fast and people are still asking me copies (unfortunately they are long gone). I love Golem of Gore, they are friends and they play awesome goregrind, plus they are from Italy too and we both started doing this shit in 2017, so it was a pleasure to share a release with them. The cover art was made by N.N., a friend who also did the cover of the first Yakisoba demo.
You can find his stuff here: https://www.instagram.com/keepertorture/
The 4 way split is an important release too for me, because I had the chance to be on a release with G.o.G. again and with Human Pancake and Serotonin Leakage, two killer projects that I respect and like a lot. The material from the other three projects really stands out and for me is some of the better stuff of 2019. I like the packaging too: Samuele from Eyes of the Dead did a great job with the pro CD and the cover art from Pierre/De Plasma Industries is just awesome. Last but not least, I had the pleasure of having Tom from Catasexual Urge Motivation doing vocals on one of my tracks. That was like a dream came true. He is a gentleman and true goregrind supporter.
But I did another release in 2019: the EP “The Ecstasy of Premeditated Violent Death”, released on tape by Grotesque Records limited to 100 copies. I’m very proud of this release, because it’s the first EP released since Embryonic Oozing and because overall it’s the Yakisoba material that I like the most. Plus, the artwork and layout made by Adrián/Grotesque Records is simply perfect.
What’s in store for Yakisoba in 2020? Any new material already being prepared? I am aware the split album with Ptoma should be out pretty soon…any more stuff to surprise the listeners?
Yes! The split with Ptoma is on the way. It’s all done, we only need to wait for the release. There is another split scheduled soon to be announced and then I will stop doing splits for a while because I want to focus creating some tracks for a full length.
Unfortunately I don’t have much time because I have a full time work, I had to say no to some splits with other interesting bands but that’s how it goes.
Another of your projects we should discuss is Full Body Punishment. Grindcore, right? How would you describe it to our readers who haven’t listened to it yet? As grindcore is more-less political, what are the main issues you want to address through FBP?
Yes, FBP was born because I wanted to write short, furious songs in the vein of Warsore, Unholy Grave, Cripple Bastards, Agathocles, Retaliation, etc. I recorded all the EP in a very short time and I’m quite happy with that. I will definitely write some more stuff in the future. The lyrics are about apathy, alienation, mass production, antireligion, work slavery, loss of empathy and emotions, poverty and all the issues linked to that theme. Violence, education, boredom. The feeling that your life is slowly falling through your fingers. Well, not so slowly.
I see FBP already have a release through Bunch Grenade Records, and it’s just occurred to me… many underground artists nowadays produce their own releases, have you thought about release your material yourself, or do you just want to concentrate on producing music?
Casket Garden first two demo are completely self produced. We released some copies on cdr at the time. I did a little run of Worthless cdr too. Now I can mainly focus on music production thanks to the work of the labels, but DIY is still fun and internet helps a lot with that.
And still it’s not over!!! For there is another project you are involved with, called Casket Garden. Let me guess, is the name influenced by Dismember song?
Yes! We love Dismember ahah. Old school death metal is very, very important for me! It should be important for everybody!
I’ve noticed that to date you have released – and correct me if I am wrong – one demo and one album. Again, can you shortly introduce us to the band and its music?
Two demos, actually. It would be cool to release an album, tho! Casket Garden is a crust punk/D-Beat project with my friend Kristian, former member of the death metal band Profanal. We have recorded two demos: “In the name of nobody” in 2015 and “The world against itself” in 2016. I did the vocals on both demos and Kristian wrote and recorded all the music. He’s really a talented musician. The music of Casket Garden has roots in the filthy d-beat punk of Discharge, Asocial, Anti Cimex, Avskum, Wolfpack and Wolfbrigade, to name a few, with a hint of classic Scandinavian death metal. Now we have a new demo coming out soon! All the songs are already recorded.
We only need to do the vocals and start the mixing and mastering process. I hope to release it in a month or so.
So, goregrind, grindcore, d-beat/crust…what’s mising…death metal? That’s what Congenital Deformity is about, or am I mistaken? I see it’s also quite a new project/band and info about it is still scarce, so, can you provide us with something about the band?
Congenital Deformity is a newborn blasphemy ahah. I started writing death metal songs in the spare time some months ago between the recordings of other projects. I wanted to create something putrid, mostly slow paced and gory. Something still messy but with more structure and more riffs.
CD has also a release out, called “Progenies of the Cemetery”. How would you describe your music with it? Any influences you can cite?
“Progenies of the cemetery” is the first demo digitally released in December 15, 2019.
When I was writing the songs I wanted to do something inspired by Autopsy, Rottrevore, Funebrarum and old Deteriorot. Bands with a gloomy and rotten sound. There are some riffs clearly inspired (almost stolen) by bands like Asphyx and Bolt Thrower too. All bands that I love. I tried to do my best with the mix and sounds and I like the result. Now I already want to record some new songs for a second demo, but I think I will work on it in autumn.
I see it’s a digital release only, do you plan to put it out also in a physical format?
It will be released on pro tape in February by Unholy Domain Records, an awesome label that I respect a lot. I suggest you to check all the other UDR releases because they rule! Lots of obscure and killer bands.
And the last one I know about and want to discuss is Red Pulp Cords, and I have reviewed your output (from Sialorrhoea Production) in my Rubber Axe webzine. Gorenoise is obviously – and I think we both will agree on it – one of the most extreme genres in the underground…how did you come to enjoy gorenoise and start making your own material within this genre? What is so fascinating about it for you?
First: thanks for your review, really! Much appreciated! I started my journey into gorenoise as a listener with bands like Urine Festival and Anal Birth. I’m still digging into the wide gorenoise scene becauste it’s HUGE and it’s a genre that I started to deeply explore only some years ago. I was and I still am a more goregrind oriented guy. What gets me of gorenoise is the sheer wall of noise and the unstoppable blasts. Pure aggression and anti-music. That and the gore! I love liquid bubble-like vocals too.
Red Pulp Cords was born with that in mind: full on blast, insanely distorted bass and pitch shifter. I really like recording for RPC! It’s cathartic. I have a new split out with the awesome Liquefied Human Biomass called “Atrociously Mutilated”, out on Pissfaced Fetus Prods. Check it out!
Now, how would you describe extreme music scene in Italy nowadays? It’s true the underground tradition there is quite old…any good bands, artists and labels we should take notice in 2020 (if we haven’t already)?
You should always keep an eye on the Eyes of the Dead prods camp! And Nuclear Abominations, Pulsating Putrefaction Records, Unholy Domain, ZAS Autoproduzioni, Bunch Greenade Recs, FOAD, Everlasting Spew, Terror from Hell, Sialorrhoea Production, Unauthorized Surgeons Club… a lot of hard working and passionate people. Or bands like Golem of Gore, everything made by Stefano Pigato (Fetus Demersus, Corpus Luteum Cyst, Paraganglioma, Miastenia Gravis), Grumo, Cannibe, SBS, Trabecular Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Rhodotorula, Inglorious Basterds, Bowel Stew. And TONS of great death metal bands like Morbus Grave, Fulci, Sepolcro, Ekpyrosis, Valgrind, Necro, Voids of Vomit, Sadomortuary… I know I forgot someone and I’m already sorry, I suffer from blackouts and I blame alcohol for that.
One before we finish – any merchandise available from the band?
Unfortunately, no! No t-shirt or other things. It would be cool, tho. Let’s see what happens and if someone is interested in releasing it.
Aaaaaaaaand….any final message to our readers????
THANKS! Thanks a lot, really, for your support and for listening to my stupid projects! I hope you’ll like the future abominations! And thanks to you too, Rudolf, for having me on your pages! Cheers and keep on rotting in the free world!
