Thoracophagus Records has just celebrated its 3rd birthday and I guess it’s reason enough to have a closer look at this small label and other activities of its owner, Olga.
Like, really – can we pass someone so dedicated to to the extreme metal scene? And the answer is obvious. Nope, we cant.
Hello, Olga and thank you very much for your time, as I know you are very busy person. Oh, by the way, congratulations to the 3rd birthday of your label! For those our readers who don’t know you, can you shortly introduce yourself and tell us a little about your current activities/bands you are active in nowadays?
Hi!! Thanks for interview! Many things going on, right now I am preparing for a performance at Anti-Music Fest and a trip in the USA, I’ll play there with my project Ulcerated Offal. I’m so excited! I hope everything will go well, with crossing the border and other stuff. Now a few my projects are still active and have some plans, but some of them aren’t alive and I have no idea whether I’ll continue do them or not. Anyway here there’s always a possibility something new will come up. For now my main bands and projects are Infernal Disgust, Ulcerated Offal, Necrotic Eruption, Phlegmsepsia and Neurofibroma. For other projects I record stuff sometimes too, but very slowly and some of them are waiting for a better time.
OK, I am always curious how people get into such an extreme genre as gorenoise, pathological goregrind or similar genres, how did you discover this area of extreme music and what was the greatest appeal of it to you?
I’ve listened to grindcore for a long time (as much as is possible for my age haha), so I always liked extreme music and especially fast music. So one day I discovered gorenoise and everything changed hahahaha. Because I always was wondering about the craziest and the fastest music, so I was looking forward for this probably. I like pathological themes, because sometimes I’m reading medical articles and watch videos as well.
One of your bands, and if my info is correct, your first band ever is Cystoblastosis . How hard was it to find people interested in forming such a band and – although it shouldn’t matter – how people react to seeing a woman being in a really extreme music band?
Its happened accidentally, I got my package with bunch of gorenoise releases and we listened to it with my friends. So they were also interested and wanted try and record something similar. During a rehearsal my friend offered me the microphone to try and make vocals (thanks Ivan!!), after this moment I lost my mind. I sang pretty badly, but they was tolerant of me somehow. I’m still very grateful for this experience and help!!
We planned it as gorenoise but it started sounding more like mincegore (probably because these guys mostly played in mince bands I guess?)
About the reaction… It’s mixed feelings. Some people really support it, some admire it, some hate it and behave in a misogynistic fashion (mostly on the internet, in the beginning mostly it was like this) or yelling “Show your boobs” but the best is when people don’t see a difference and just listen to our stuff (because it’s nothing new, right, huh?).
So far, how many releases with Cystoblastosis did you release and which one you would mark as your favourite?
I think 6-7, not so many. Hhhmm my favorite… Honestly my favorite isn’t Cystoblastosis stuff (I like what I am doing but I prefer to listen to stuff which other people record), so maybe the split with Deterioration, I guess. Just because I like this band and our side is okay.
I know this is just your very first band… But why do you feel the need to create more bands/projects? How would you describe them to our readers, what differentiates them from each other? The visual theme is quite evident, forensic pathology and other medical stuff…but musically?
Hahaha for me there are many difference and in the sound too!Yes, I understand it sounds the same, but I have so many because in different projects I always tried something new. For some of them I used programmed drums, in one of them I played on real drums, in some on bass and there are different members and sub-genres.
What about playing live, which band of yours do the most live gigs? Can you describe the usual local gig? How big the audience usually is?
Infernal Disgust definitely. Usual local grind gigs in Russia are always insane, people are very active and supportive! It depends on show, sometimes more than 100, sometimes less than 30… But mostly a pretty large amount of people there, I think.
Are you still in St. Petersburg? How does the local scene there look like these days and which bands would you recommend to those interested to check out?
Here there are not so many bands for now and there’s almost nothing new (or maybe I didn’t notice something). Honestly for now I prefer more Moscow’s scene, there many gore bands whereas here almost none exist, mostly just mince bands in which my friends play. Still my favorite is Warthog.
Let’s turn our attention to Thoracophagus Records. The question again is – Why? Did you create your own label as a means to have more control of your releases and its distribution?
First of all because I was too active and annoying, and asked I think almost each gorenoise label to release my stuff (and not one time), so in one moment I found I can’t find someone who can help me. So I decided do it on my own. And I still had some artist copies, so it was easy to make a distro. Honestly I planned this label only for 2 releases… But you can see it’s difficult to stop this madness.
Looking back at 3 years of running the label, what would you consider the high and the low of it’s function? Any interesting stories you can share with our readers?
It’s hard work! That’s what I noticed. I didn’t make so many releases and sometimes I’m very slow, I admire very much people who are making releases each month! It’s crazy. But the coolest thing is to make trades with people whose music you listen to. I wish I had more money for it.
Stories… I don’t know, about rip offs or spilling beer on table with the distro? I think almost every label have such a stories haha I cant say I have something special to tell, sorry.
It’s hard to talk about best-sellers in gorenoise, but I’m gonna ask anyway 🙂 What is the best release of Thoracophagus in the means of selling out the fastest or getting the most positive responses to?
Of course Cystoblastosis / Haggus, it being obvious simply because they are Haggus.
Any interesting stuff to be released soon? What are the plans for the label for the rest of the year and beyond?
The next releases will be very soon, I’ve planned to make CDs of a split with Acid Shower/Holy Cost, Ulcerated Offal – Wipe Out EP and a tape with Phlegmsepsia/Infester/Tolerance. I’m going to print some t-shirts as well but for now it’s a secret.
While talking about releases, do you also look for new artists to release? If so, how can they contact you and what should they offer to get your interest?
Yes, I’m always looking for them. But mostly I do it by myself when I listen to something and after I will ask about the possibility of a release. People can always write to my email address: cystoblastosis@gmail.com
Well, I guess that would be all for now, but with your dedicated work with your projects and bands I am sure we’re not talking for the last time! Any final words to our readers?
Yes, I think so too! Thanks again for this interview! Don’t listen to any suckers who are trying to bother you doing what you like! Even if the weirdest shit ever. FUCK ALL! KEEP GORENOISE ALIVE!!
Check Olga’s site here: http://thoracopagusrec.blogspot.com/
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