01) Hey Ana, great that you've got some time to answer for this interview. Ok, lets get started... It will be not too serious to ask you about the whole history of Haemorrhage while is so long and rich in many releases, but you can just remind yourself and tell us how did you get into the band.
HI! It's a pleasure for me to answer this interview. Yes, you're right. It would be too long and boring for the readers to tell the whole history, so I only would say that Haemorrhage were formed before I got in the band, but it wasn't so serious. They had a demo out in 4 years, and that wasn't too much. When Lugubrious and Ramon the band became more serious and they recorded another promo to look for a label interested in releasing a EP or something. Morbid Records signed the band for a Ep and a CD, and then I joined the band. I already knew and listened to Haemorrhage cause Luisma was my boyfriend, so when they asked me to replace Ramon on bass for sometime I accepted. When Ramon came back they wanted me in the band as second guitarist as they knew I played the guitar so that was how I got in the band. Then I recorded "Emetic Cult" , I played more gigs and so on.
02) To be honest it is not so usual that band like yours that exists on scene for almost 20 years has got only 2 line up changes! How do you keep each other in this pathological shit, haha?
I only see the others when we have a rehearsal or gig, etc, we don't live so close and when we meet is like meeting some old friend or something. We are good friends in the band but everyone has a life and friends outside the band. In the past we spent more time together and we had some troubles, but now we know prefectly the others, and we have a good relationship.
03) Your whole discography looks very impressive but I just counted and the score is: 17 splits!!!! Do you remeber all of them and the songs as well?
Right now I can't remember all the names or the songs from the Eps, but if I'd take a look on them I would remember the most of songs. Sometimes we have nicknames for the songs and sometimes I can't remember the right titles but the nickname.
04) Second thing about the splits is the fact that you did them with really good bands just to name few like: Exhumed, Damnable, Impaled or Denak. Whos choice is it each time while selecting bands you going to do splits with?
The most of the times we select the bands in the other side, but in many cases the bands have delays or problems to record and its the label who looks for a replace. For example the split with Damnable was planned to be CSSO in the other side.
05) Last year you released "Haemathology" a collection of all the songs from splits (most of them) and EPs. Why did you made such a decision? Don't you think that now all the previous releases are going to have less value?
People were asking all the time for sold out EPs and they only chance to listen the stuff was downloading or record it from friends. So we think it was a good idea releasing a CD with all the old Eps. This is not a very new idea cause many bands didi it before but we are really happy with the sound and artwork.
I think the releases have the same value cause for vynil fans, no one will change their Eps for the CD, but for the rest I think its better to listen the songs from this CD than downloading it from internet with very bad quality.
06) Well many of the songs from splits are on the full-lenght albums, can you explain also that?
Yes, we used to record demos with the new songs before to enter the studio. This was good to lsiten the new songs, to change some parts thet we don't like and to choose the best ones for the full-lenght albums. We took the songs from that recordings for Eps as advance of the next albums.
07) Ok, in 1995 is your time for "Emetic Cult", legendary debut album. This record gained cult status in the underground and the name Haemorrhage gets well known. What is your opinion about that album while many years passed? What was so unique that maniacs were so 'in love' with it?
I think "Emetic Cult" has very good songs but the sound isn't the best. I think it was the maximum we could do at that time. For us it was surprising the fans reaction, but you must look the scene in those days, that was invaded by Black Metal bands, so perhaps we did something different. I don't know.
08) Grindcore/gore presented on "Emetic Cult" is something similar to what I felt for first time while listening to "Reek of Putrefaction" by Carcass. I know that music is different but the sick aura, this pathological / hospital atmosphere is just amazing...
Thanks. Yes that's what we pretended with the songs. I think the bad sound could help to get this atmosphere, but that wasn't planned at all.
09) But your band picture from that album is so... hm... gay hahhaha. Honestly you all look like sad gothic band but when you open the booklet there is a nice change... Sickness! Was it on purpose?
What gothic bandpics have you seen??? I never seen a gothic band with that trousers and shirts. We look more like a horrible Grunge band. We liked that pic. Thats all. In that time we didn't give a big importance to the image, except in the live shows.
10) After so good album weren't you in kind of presion that the follower of "Emetic Cult" must be simply a fucking HIT?
No, we were really impatient to make an album that could show what we really could do. Before Emetic Cult was released we had some new songs for Grume ready, and we still didn't know what people would say about Emetic.
11) "Grume" after two years of waiting was finally out. Songs like "Decom-posers", "Ectopic eye" or "Rectovaginal fistula" are just the fucking absolute!!! Do you know already while creating new stuff that this song, exactly this one is going to be 'the hit'?
We felt we have written some good songs, we liked a lot but we didn't know how could they sound on the CD.
12) "Grume" was also more powerful in its sound, I think. I mean the compostions stay the same way but it was more focused on the how to reveal more and more pathological sickness from the sound which already is sick and fucking twisted. Am I right? What is you opinion about "Grume"?
When we wrote "Grume" we want to do more "fresh" songs. More Grind and less Death Metal, and of course with sicker more different vocals. Believe me, it wasn't so planned or premeditated. We only did what we felt in that time. My opinion about "Grume" is very good, cause its my favourite Haemorrhage album.
13) What about the progress? Did you focus on that as well on each album or just recording what you want and don't care?
Well, before of every album we had a small idea about what we would like to do, or where we want to go to with our music on that album. Sometimes we get it and sometimes we don't. We do what we want of course, but we have a small plan before.
14) "Grume" was the second album released for german Morbid Records. You have continue the co-operation till today... It seems that you must be really satisfied with their efforts for Haemorrhage.
Yes, they supported very well in the past. We are thankful for all they made for us, but I think this was interesting for both parts. I mean they wouldn't support us if they did got profits selling Haemorrhage albums. And they work hard for us cause we were their best seller band.
15) Still skipping all the splits and ep, demos we get into your third album from 1998 "Anatomical Inferno" which I think was the most catchy one in the Haemorrhage history. Songs like "I'm a pathologist", "Necrotic garbage", "Set the morgue of fire", "Down in the rotten paradise" or "Surgery of the dead" for me are just killers! Catchy, groovy grindcore/gore with morgue feelin'.
Yes, I think that "Anatomical.." has a lot of good songs but the production wasn't as good as those songs needed. Anyway we still play many of the songs of that album and this means they are good ones. Some of those songs were made even before "Grume" was released and still keep the taste of "Grume" but there're some Death Metal touches too that were heading to "morgue sweet home" style.
16) I think that "Anatomical Inferno" was in purpose such a hit full-lenght album. It is just impossible that you did so many hits on one album!!! Truerly great work!!!!
Thanks. I think we must re-record "Anatomical" to make justice to these songs. But maybe the songs with a better sound would change so I think perhaps we must leave it as it is.
17) Whos idea was it to do the pics of band just like corpses in mortuary? Superb effect!
In a mortuary??? Those pics were taken at our rehearsal room! I didn't remember who has that idea but we spent a good time taking that pics. It was a funny session.
18) If we speak about it which photo session you like the most through all these years and why? Is it really important for the band and you personally how you are exploring the image?
I think the best ones are the pics on "Apology for Pathology". Yes, the image is important for me but not so important as many people think. We don't explore our image so much...We have the same image from the beggining. My medical coat was the same from "Emetic Cult" to "Apology" then I got a new one, and I forgot in the hotel room after the Brutal Assault fest last year. Don't worry I have another new one already bloodstained.
19) In my opinion these three albums of Haemorrhage are something I would descibe as preludium on pathological way to success. Each album full of great songs that maniacs do love... Still then there must been hard times for you as a band as well. Can you remind yourself the biggest problem that Haemorrhage had or you by being with them?
Maybe the biggest problem was when our old drummer left the band, because we had started "Grume" songwritting and we also had the Grind over Europe tour 2 or 3 months later.
20) Now question about the legendary Dr. Obnoxious. Do you remeber when Luisma got this idea? All of you as much as we, fans, must love him since he is now like a mark of Haemorrhage.
No, cause I didn't know him when he created Obnoxious. I remember when we choose it for the first haemorrhage T-Shirt we made. It was taken from some flyers Jose and Luisma made.
21) Ok, lets go back to your albums. In 2002 is coming out "Morgue sweet home". I this with this album you moved to more Death Metal patterns and there are not so many catchy hits.
Yes "Morgue sweet home" sounds more Death Metal. We had a producer that was a quite famous sound engineer in a big venue and he worked with Napalm Death, Entombed and some bands like these so he want to make us sound like that. He was not a lot into Grind or Gore music so the sound is more Death Metal. Also the songs were more burtal. I thing is the favourite for many people that knew the band with this album. Actually its our best-seller. It sold a lot of copies around the world.
22) Of course the remarkable song is "Obnoxious (Surgeon Of The Dead)" and "Mortuary Riot" but comparing these two with previous 'hits' these are really brutal ones, more with fast blasting parts then grindcore rhythmical compositions...
I think "mortuary" became the "hit" of the album, but there are some songs like "Oozing molten gristle", "unlock the morgue", "Virulent" or the last song of the album that are really good songs.
23) Where did you find this old home that is used for a cover and is it/was it a real morgue?
No its not a morgue but it looks like that. ha, ha. Me and Luisma's brother found that house in a website about haunted houses and I knew that looked like the house we wanted. It was written that it was a haunted house. If you look the pic carefully you can see something like a ghost. Some years later some guy wrote us saying "hey! that pic of the house on your Cd was taken by me". We told the history and we send him a Cd. The man was surprised cause he didn't send the pic to that website and he sent us the original pic and there were no ghost in that pic. It was just a internet fraud. Its a funny history.
24) 2004 was a year of releasing your official DVD. Tell us some things about it? Who did choose the tracks and what videos were included into it? Btw. does Haemorrhage like doing videoclips? Is it for you just a fun or kind of way of promoting the band as well?
It was a whole band decision. We wanted something with video-clips and some old videos to show the fans our past. The video-clips were made in december 2002, but any TV show wanted to play it cause they're very brutal and sick. So the only option was to make a DVD. In that years myspace or youtube wasn't famous. We started the DVD in 2003 but there was a lot of problems with censorship etc. it was finally released in 2004. Yes we like to do videoclips, but we are very bad like actors. So I hope we can find someone who act in our next clips and we only play.
25) On "Morgue sweet home" you added 2 bonus cover songs of Dead Infection and Repulsion. Great choice for this legends but are these the most respected bands for you? Or do you have other 'heroes'?
Yes, we love those songs. I think we had planned Repulsion and other band cover (pungent Stench I think).Dead Infection had split-up and someone asked us to record a song for a Dead Infection tribute so we think we must be there cause we are good friends and we like their music. We recorded the song but the tribute never was released.
26) "Apology for Pathology" -> great title of album! I just love whispers behind me when walking through town in that t-shirt hahaha
Really?? Maybe people think you're crazy or something. ha, ha. The album title was chosen by a German fan. We post the tracklist on our website but we had 2 different titles for the album. We can choose one, and this fan told us the idea and we think it was good.
27) Why Venom's song as a cover? Next Burzum, lol?
Oh! Dont compare Venom to Burzum. Venom is a metal legend and maybe without Venom bands like Haemorrhage wouldn't exist. We will record a Cradle of Filth cover in the next album.
28) Ok, enough of these questions strickly dealing with your discography, albums... Well maybe last one hahaha. Album starts of with very strong grind riffs and with couple of death metal things again is I think the strongest shit you've created. Also the sound is well recorded -> each instrument well heard and sick hospital aura oozing from your music, pics... What is your formula for great gore/grindcore? What is your opinion about that album?
The secret formula is 50% of gore, 30%of Grind, 10% of Death Metal and 10% of punk. Seriously there are no formulas. My opnion is that "Apology" is in the second place of my personal ranking. I think its the best one after "Grume". It sounds so sick and brutal but its also catchy. There are good songs on it.
29) Which song is for you personally the biggets success for Haemorrhage and why?
Impossible to say. I think people is always waiting for "I'm a pathologist" cause it is always the song in the end of the show and fans know this and always are waiting for this, but I see them sing a lot songs like "Mortuary riot" or "Deranged for Loathsome".
30) As we know you are a proud mom in your private life (as I am proud dad hehe) so tell me where do you see the line between gore themes aren't you worried that your son might become a serial murder as many people from society may suspect so? You know playing in brutal band make you a kind of victim of so called society and not many 'good souls' may accept that hehe
My son is a normal child. The goriest thing he saw is Scooby Doo (sick shit!!! -> Waldemar). All the gore CDs and movies are out of his hands so I try to avoid he grow up seeing things he can understand. I don't want him as a "like monster". I don't give a shit about society. I'm doing right with my son, and I'm proud of him.
31) Do you enjoy playing live? Haemorrhage must be very active band as for live gigs... The best show ever was... ?
Yes I love playing live. I hate tours and aslo I hate the life on the orad, but I enjoy a lot in the lives shows. Its difficult to ay what's the best show. I liked a lot Hellfest 08, Brutal Assault 07 was a cool gig too, Maryland Death fest or Obscene Extreme is always cool. We don't forget old shows in clubs like Uherske Hradiste in Czech Republic in 1996, Wermelkirschen, Zaragoza...lots of good experiences.
32) Now a question dealing with far far past times... Did you enjoy the times of being a vocalist in Heavy/Thrash bands? Can you tell us more about that?
Yes, I liked a lot that times. I still can sing so if I can I will record a solo project of metal covers.
33) Which instrument you prefer to play more: guitar or bass and why?
Guitar!!!!!! Of course I am a guitarist. I'm bass player only when I replace Ramon, but I prefer 1000000 times guitar.
34) Your newest album is simply called 'Hospital Carnage'. First thing is the production about which I wanted to ask, it seems that it does sound more 'live; then ever before. Where did you get the idea to produce such 'natural' album?
Our intention was to make it sound different to the modern sound. We don't like the sound of many bands today. Its very perfect but it has no feeling. We always prefer feeling and the way to get it is sound like we sound when we play live or we practice. Thats why we recorded drums at our rehearsal room.
35) Why did you keep us waiting about 5 years for the new slaughter? Fair enough there were other releases of yours like splits and brilliant 'Haematology' about which we will talk in next questions. So all in all why so long?
We had no good songs. We want to start with a good album on our new label so we thought it was better do things slowly and right.
36) Also 'Hospital Carnage' is a first album of Heamorrhage under the Relapse Records. If you could compare both Morbid with Relapse you would say is it better to work for bigger label? Of course more promotional potential but also you are one of many bands...
Yes, you told what I think. Relapse is bigger than Morbid of course but Morbid was a very good label in the past. They had Dead Infection, Agathocles, Blood, Dying Fetus, and many good bands. But in Morbid we were a special band and in Relapse there are bands bigger than us. We knew that before. We know who we are.
37) 2 music videos for 'Traumageddon' and 'Flesh-devouring Pandemia' for a goregrind band is a lot, especially that these are professional pictures. Can we expect any more from this album and where do you see the critical point in the videos in general where you can cross a line from being gore to pathetic? You know it is a thin line...
We like these videos. I think we have some personal image and we just like to show it on the videos. If someone doesn't like this he can watch other video of other band. We are goregrind so we know many people hate our music and our image. I don't care. If I see a video that I don't like I just stop it and I wacht another. Thats easy. Maybe we will make more videos from this album but we still hadn't think about it.
38) I must say that your pics inside the booklet do look amazing - gore zombie pathology style! Are you satisified with the out come of the graphics work?
Yes I love the whole album layout and design.
39) Since this release you are dressed live as nurse... covered in blood as the rest of the band. Is this some kind of a come back and statement that again every live gig will be also a pathological visually show?
Thats our intention. We always wore these clothes you know. Many bands copies this later.
40) Do you feel then sometimes as a 'splatter nurse' hehe?
Yes, I'm a splatter nurse so in some way this song is about me.
41) ' Haematology'!!!! Who's idea was to gather all the works from singles, Ep and splits on one release! I must say it was a perfect gift for me, especially it is impossible to get some of your older releases nowadays. But why Digi-pack?
It was a idea of Tom from Power-it-up I think. I think there will be a "Haemathology II" soon. When some of our splits that weren't on the first one are getting sold out. I mean the split with Imapled, Dead Infection etc...
42) It is like a pathological time machine -> going back and forward in your music...
Yes, it proves we haven't changed so much in our music style.
43) And just this year also there was a split with mexican Disgorge. Also very good work of both bands! Which of their releases you like mostly?
The split 10" with us.
44) Any plans as for promotion after the season for festivals has ended?
No. We play some more gigs if we can and we have some great fests booked for next summer.
45) It was said before but fuck it... Haemorrhage is a legend, a living legend now! How do you feel to be part of it? It is so fucking good that the members of the band are not acting like 'stars' and you are still in a good touch with maniacs! I remeber your gig in Trutnov on Obscene Extreme in Czech in 2005! That was something that I'll never forget!
Thank you again. I don't consider myself as a "Star" or a "Legend". We are in contact with fans cause is the minimum we can do to thank all their support throughout the years. Believe me we have the best fans in the world. Everywhere we go they are there giving all for us. We really love them. Yes, the show in OEF was very extreme and chaotic but I really enjoyed. I can't forget it cause i had a terrible headache as consequence of the flight from Spain and road trip from Prague to Trutnov, but after the song I was perfect.
46) Now please name your 5 best albums ever and explain why.
-Impetigo "Horror of the Zombies". I like a lot the atmosphere, the intros and the songs from this album. Everything is wonderful.
-Macabre "Sinister Slaughter". This is the first album of Macabre I ever bought and then I became a big fan, cause they are excellent musicians.
-Entombed "Left Hand Path". For me the best swedish album ever.
-General Surgery - "Necrology". One of my first grind gore albums. The pitch shifter vocals are incredible.
-Judas Priest- "defender of the faith". Judas Priest is my alltime favourite, long time before listenng to Grind or Death Metal.
47) Ok, hope I didn't get you too bored with this kind of long interview... Thx you very much for your answers and all the best in life!
Thank you for the interview I think its the longest interview in my life. If you forgot something to ask do it now...ha,ha. Good luck to all!
