The German exports to Sweden have once again increased and began where Soulskinner had left. The new baby is called Made of Flesh and is pretty explosive! But let us read a short funny anecdote before we get on to Mike's interview. When I received their promo, at the Rock Fabrik on Friday January 3^rd, I was more than astonished at the sound – but, slightly more than that, I had had quite a few glasses already. Upon leaving the RoFa, some friends came to me to greet the morning with a couple more cool beers and listen to the CD. After the first few notes, someone screamed: “Fuck! Are they Swedes?” Then I explained that this was the latest FLESHCRAWL CD and immediately had to send Mike an SMS to confirm that the bloody CD rocks! The next day a friend came by and he too wanted to have a close listen at the CD, but then the CD was not really sounding as groovy as it had before. Why? I had no idea. Then a person I know came in and we heard the CD again and the whole thing became even weirder, not to say worse. So I went to my stereo, wanted to change the CD, principally because it featured some PC-tracks, but to my surprise, there was another band playing, whose review I also had to write. Somehow, I managed to mistake FLESHCRAWL for the DELIRIUM TREMENS sound and who knows what else! Anyways, Made of Flesh eventually made it to the CD player, the world was turned asunder and the day was saved – I no longer feared for my sanity.

Back To The Grave - Hello there Mike. What's up? What have you got to say about my short anecdote? I'm sure you are also prone to this kind of mistakes, after a few glasses, haha.

Mike Hanus (guitar) - Hello! Yes, I'm quite fine, thanks. As for your story... what can I say? Funny shit!! haha... It could happen to anyone. People who are close to me know very well how fond I am of a couple of beers every now and then at parties or so, sometimes too many – but it's Rock n Roll man!

BTTG - You have brought another destroyer into the world and, as far as I heard, you have taken where you had left with your last CD, playing it to perfection! Do you agree with me or not?

Mike- You are totally right! I also think that Made of Flesh continues the path left by Soulskinner. The new songs are more straightforward and the production came out better. I especially like the guitar sound and this time we have worked really hard for it. The guitars are mega heavy, but overall – despite a more powerful distortion – more transparent/ clearer.

BTTG - What do you talk about in your lyrics? What does Made of Flesh stand for?

Mike - The lyrics once again mirror the typical Death Metal style. Generally speaking, they deal with stuff like “blood, fire, death". I'd say the typical Death Metal cliché. We think this kind of lyrics suits Death Metal best and as such, why should we change our lyrics after so many years? The texts on Made of Flesh takes naturally the same direction, but the album title does not stand for anything in particular really. It sounds fucking good and in any case I think it really sticks to your ear, which is also very important for us. Made of Flesh is a sort of play at words, for example Made in England or Made-somewhere-else, if you get what I mean. The title is simply intended to represent “Death Metal – MADE OF FLESHcrawl’s hand”, so to say.

BTTG - This time, you have once again recorded at the Swedish Underground. Is this becoming your new homeland as regards recording or are you considering hitting another studio for the recording of your next album?

Mike - I think we will record our next album at the Studio Underground again. The atmosphere and the general working environment with the engineers Pelle & Lasse is simply perfect. First and foremost, the production on Made of Flesh became more powerful, and as such there is virtually no reason why we should change studio. When everything is set for hitting the studios for the next album, I’m sure we’ll record there the follow-up to Made of Flesh.

BTTG - How long did it take recording? What news from Sweden – what is the scene like at the moment?

Mike - This time, we were 3 weeks in the studio. I can say for my own experience that these 3 weeks were well spent – this way, you can dedicate more time to smaller details and correct them. The fine aspects of the album make it somehow perfect. Generally speaking, we had more time, so we could try out and work on all the sounds. You asked about special news from the Swedish scene. Hmmm… I can think of nothing special at the moment, everything is pretty much the same as it was, as far as I know.

BTTG - The sound is fatter and clearer than in the previous CD. The snare has a more natural sound – did you decide not to use the trigger anymore?

Mike - Yes, this time the snare sound came out really good and mainly not as dominant as in Soulskinner. The snare was not triggered for the present album. This time, we have made samples of the original snare sound, so it sounds much more powerful without losing the natural edge. This turned out to be a really great idea suggested by our engineer Pelle Saether. Yes, he rocks!!

BTTG - What kind of equipment have you used in studio? Did you take your own material from Germany to Sweden or did you use the backline? Was there a special guitar sound or is it to remain secret?

Mike - No, we have always used our own equipment in every recording we have done so far, including the guitars, amps, effect processors, etc. This time we have even taken our own drum kit along. As for the guitar sound: I’d say it is absolutely no secret. It’s simply become the typical Swedish-Death-Metal guitar sound – which is more or less how we have always recorded the guitars. The sound was recorded as follows: guitars B-tuned, MesaBoogie Rectifier and a Boss Distortion Pedal. Then there were of course a couple of improvements with the studio’s EQs.

BTTG - How come have you not included any cool cover version in the latest CD?

Mike - We did record a cover version this time – of the band THE FOUR HORSEMEN. The song is called Rockin Is My Business and came out totally awesome! If you compare it to the original song, the track has become super heavy and brutal. However, we only recorded this as a kind of bonus song, should there be an official release for Japan. We will anyway include it in our website for download in the future.

BTTG - The songs vary from fast to mid-tempo and some riffs remind me slightly of BOLT THROWER. Would you say it is a direct result of the new blood in the band?

No, it is not a result of the “new blood” in the band. If you pay closer attention to our previous albums, you can notice that such riffs in the BOLT THROWER fashion had been played here and there.

BTTG - Please tell us why Stefan left the band and Oliver has been recruited. It is certainly new for everyone, bearing in mind the fact that Stefan is one of the founder members and also your brother.

Mike - Oliver contacted us after having read an advertisement. Yes, it was somewhat strange to play for 10 years with my brother in the same band and suddenly there is someone new. Logically, it also happened to my band mates, which is quite natural after such long time. Stefan is still very much into Death Metal, but he wanted to do something else with his free time. He has got to travel outside of Germany, which is incompatible with his work in the band. He is about to travel to New Zealand and he has told me about a trip to China. But Stefan is still helping us out with band issues, for he is a skilled typesetter and has also done the graphics for the Made of Flesh booklet. In addition, he does all the design in his MAC for the printing matters, which is obviously very helpful for the merchandising. It is really great to have someone with such a working knowledge of design helping us out.

BTTG - Did Oliver have any previous band experience and how has he adapted to the band? Is it true that his first gig with FLESHCRAWL was at Wacken?

Mike - Oliver used to play in a couple of Underground bands and projects. Yes, his first gig with FLESHCRAWL was at Wacken Open Air 2002. It was absolutely amazing in Wacken and he did his job surprisingly well. We played a super concert and the fan reactions were astonishing. Wacken rulezzz!!

BTTG - Are there songs written by Oliver in Made of Flesh or did he use riffs of his own?

Mike - There are some riffs in Made of Flesh written by him. He came up with a few cool parts from the very beginning. He got along quite well with FLESHCRAWL as far as songwriting technique is concerned.

BTTG - The cover looks pretty great. Who drew it?

Mike - Uwe Jarling was once again responsible for the cover artwork. He is a great friend of ours and lives in the same city. I think he has overcome himself quite remarkably this time. His drawing to Soulskinner was already megagreat, but what he came up with in Made of Flesh beats all records. He is really good as regards drawings/ graphics. When I look at his cover artwork, I must ask myself why we have not chosen him to do all of our covers. Well, one does learn with time. I think he will do the cover artwork for the next album as well.

BTTG - What have you got to say to the fact that some Swedish bands regard you as the main input for music that is typical of their own country?

Mike - I can only grin at that, if it really is as you say. Moreover, it is a kind of compliment – cool indeed!

BTTG - What are FLESHCRAWL's plans for the future?

Mike - Straight after releasing Made of Flesh we will go on tour with SIX FEET UNDER and CRIMINAL. This time, it will be a full Metal Blade package. After that, we will be playing single shows. Moreover, we are already confirmed for the Summer Breeze Festival 2004. There are a couple more shows being prepared, including other festivals, but there is nothing definite yet. Amongst others, we also want to play in Greece this year. We have begun contacting the local promoter, but everything is still pretty much uncertain. We’ll wait and see what the next months shall bring.

BTTG - What are your influences at the present moment?

Mike - Generally speaking, the good old Swedish Death Metal stuff. But we have been playing it for so long that we try to improve with each new record. It is therefore difficult to say what our direct influences are. It is inevitable to be (partly) influenced by the music we like.

BTTG - The holy last words are for you to utter!

Mike - Thanks for the interview, Mr. Chrisinfect! I hope to meet one or two readers of your webzine at the next tour… Made of Flesh will kill you! Cheerz!!

By Christian Kilian(guitarist in DISINFECT) - Back To The Grave January 15, 2004

Translation – Morgana 2004

Photos - Fleshcrawl 2004

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