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Oporto, February 3rd
2004. Tuesday 2:00 a.m.: live interview with the upcoming Death Metal King of all kings HATE ETERNAL Apparently just one
more episode in the long European tour with acts such as PREJUDICE, DYING
FETUS, DEEDS OF FLESH and HATE ETERNAL, Back to the Grave made sure not to
miss it, ‘broadcast’ from Oporto. In fact, the latter were the object of yet
another hour and a half of deep conversation under the interview format. The
band was well represented by former MORBID ANGEL’s Erik Rutan, founder member
and communicator supreme. Derek Roddy, almighty drummer in the Death Metal
scene, gave a little help and proved that both Erik and Derek have more in
common than just their similar-sounding names. The very fruitful conversation
is faithfully reproduced in written and is broadly relevant for the history
of the band as a whole. External factors prevented The Grave from conducting
yet another interview to DEREK RODDY, but that is altogether not impossible,
as the future might bring some surprises…
Back To The Grave – So, Derek – sorry, Erik, how are you?
Erik [laughing] – No problem. I’m great, thanks. BTTG – Would you care to make a brief
presentation of the band and its history for the few readers who still
do not know HATE ETERNAL? Please refer to why you decided to create the band
in a time of high success with MA. Erik – It’s pretty simple, actually. I started HATE ETERNAL about two
years after we had recorded Domination,
in late 96. After Domination, for
which I wrote about half of the album (five songs), Dave left the band and
Trey decided he wanted to write Formulas
[Fatal to the Flesh] on his own, so I decided that point was good for me to
pursue my own visions and endeavours that I always wanted to do since I
started playing the guitar: sing and front the band and play guitar. I always
respected guitar players that BTTG – There was a time when you were
playing in both bands simultaneously. Erik – Yes, during Conquering the
Throne and King of all Kings.
When I recorded King of all Kings I
was in between MORBID ANGEL tours. So, it was quite… rigid, I guess,
recording the album due to time. You see, both albums were recorded in a very
short period of time, but I think that’s what made them so… «on edge»,
frantic, because it was tracking at one time, recording at take 1 and
then going on tour, coming back and mixing. Really tense stuff. BTTG – Though you must have been asked
this 1,000 times before, and it is not my intention to annoy with you a
massive MA-related inquiry - you are free to answer or skip the question – Erik –Nah, when it comes to MORBID ANGEL, I‘m proud to answer any question. But… it depends on what you ask me! [laughs] BBTG – Could you elaborate on your
feelings upon leaving Morbid Angel? I mean, friendly though the parting of
ways was, it was certainly… liberating in a sense. Erik – Yeah, it was both! It was a lot more than that, really – it was
sadness, I mean, I love MORBID ANGEL, and Pete, Steve and Trey took me like
family, I’ve known them and played with them for so long… So, it was not a
light decision… I know Trey since I was a teenager – my first band, RIPPING
CORPSE, opened up for MORBID ANGEL before Altars
of Madness even came out. Still high school back then! So, for all the
good things we have had in MA, it was very tough for me to make that
decision, but it was a heart-felt decision. I felt really good about King of all Kings and feel very
strongly about it and the fact that and the line-up and the people I played
with within the band. But then I said: «You’ve got to give it a shot. You owe
it to yourself to create your own entity and in HE I get to do that: I sing
and play and write most of the music – and I enjoy that. But since Derek’s
been in the band, we work a lot together, we’re like team mates. BTTG – It is like group work. Erik – You got it. Me and him are just more… connected, as drummer/ guitar a guitar player and we sink – just as I used to sink with Pete Sandoval. BTTG – Isn’t it easier to write music with a drummer?
Erik – Oh yeah. Conquering the
Throne was more done with a drum machine before I had a drummer. I mean,
I had a real drummer to play live, but... In King of all Kings, me, Derek and Jared worked all together as a
traditional band working on the songs together. I certainly miss MORBID, but
I have no regrets about joining the band and leaving at the time I did,
because I know that I made the right decisions. I’ve got reasons why I wanted
to pursue my own vision in life and 9 ½ years of MORBID ANGEL was a
tremendous honour for me and so are my fondest memories with the band. When I
told them I was going to leave, I told them way long before the release of
the new record – in fact, I told them one year before it was made public. I
definitely wanted to leave on a good note, because I am very closed to them
and there’s no need for hard feelings. As it was I would have stayed with the
band before having any hard feelings with the other guys in MA. I know I have
done the right thing, I have no regrets about it and I've done so much with
this new record: we've done eight full tours for this album and this is our
second European tour; we've done six American tours. It’s a tremendous amount
of work and effort and I couldn’t possibly have done that while I was still
in MA. BTTG – Speaking of touring, we are
straight out of a HE concert. What is the main lasting impression of the
concert here in the Portuguese city of Oporto as HATE ETERNAL? Erik – As a whole, as a band tonight, us three are all in accordance that this is one the best shows we have performed, I’d say one of the top 5 performances – BTTG – In how many concerts?
Erik – We have done easily 250 shows as a band. Here it all sounded so
great. When I heard my solo in the PA, oh man… This club [Hard Club] is tremendous
– it is one of the best clubs in Europe to play, and that’s for sure. I had
no reason to complain when I toured with MA six years ago. I remember this
river, the city and the beautiful surroundings. [looks out of the window] The city is gorgeous and it’s
unbelievable. I was driving through with the bus today, and I thought: «Wow,
what a beautiful city. There’s so much history I’d love to indulge in if I
had the time...» It’s for vacation! BTTG – What did you think of the other
bands who have been co-headlining the tour with you? Have you seen FILII
NIGRANTIUM INFERNALIUM’s concert as well? Erik – Not much, I didn’t. I was changing my strings during their concert… We have been touring with PREJUDICE for the last four weeks and I think they’re a great band. DYING FETUS and DEEDS OF FLESH are both tremendous bands, we’ve toured with them before and it’s been great for us to tour together, because the tour becomes more simple: we all know each other and respect each other’s bands. We see each other in America all the time in many tours. BTTG – Do you live nearby?
Erik – No. HATE ETERNAL lives in Florida (East Coast, South), DEEDS OF FLESH lives in California (West Coast) and DYING FETUS live in the Maryland area (East Coast). BTTG – Did you have any previous knowledge of the
Portuguese metal scene?
Erik – Even before I came here with MA, I knew it was gonna be a great show. I know few bands: MOONSPELL, we have toured with them once. But I don’t think I know any other Portuguese band. BTTG – What is the scene like in Florida
nowadays? Erik – All the old bands are still there: DEICIDE, MORBID ANGEL, CANNIBAL CORPSE, us HATE ETERNAL, DIABOLIC, MALEVOLENT CREATION. BTTG – Would you say there is no really
significant change in the scene or is it still the very much typical American
Death Metal image that sticks to Florida? Erik – It isn't so much as it was 10 years ago, but... all the great bands still live there. It’s great in that sense. We still have great shows in Fort Lauderdale and so. …::[Derek
joins the ritual]::… BTTG – You have previously mentioned
that you have done many tours with MA and some with HE. What do you think of
the touring aspect to the music? You have to promote the album, travel all
over… Derek – It’s a necessity.
Derek – And you gotta let people see you. Erik – A live performance is something you can't capture on album and
we always feel it's important to us. Obviously, the label loves that too,
because a lot of bands go like: “Oh touring… blah blah blah." They don’t
like this or like that. BTTG – But touring is also all about new
experiences, meeting new people, countries, cultures… Erik – We don’t take it for granted either that we have this
opportunity to play for people in different counties across the world. I
mean, we’re working very hard towards a goal we’re striving together to
achieve. Derek – And there’s still many places we wanna go… BTTG – Derek, I would like to ask you a
rather interesting question now. I always had this feeling that MA seems to
be Trey’s band. Would you say that Erik is to Hate Eternal as Trey is to
Morbid Angel? Or, on the other hand, is there a more 'democratic' atmosphere
of creative freedom? What is the atmosphere like within the band? Derek – Definitely not! But that goes back to us knowing people individually and it’s definitely… – no, definitely not, from what I see. I know the people in MA and I know Erik and we have definitely creative freedom to do whatever the hell we want. Our band situation is always very positive, because you don’t have a band unless you, as a unity, keep working on something…positive. And if it’s just one person, that one person writes so many records and you…run out of fuel. BTTG – And what do you, Erik, have to say to my question?
Erik – Well, I would say that HATE ETERNAL is definitely a different entity than MORBID ANGEL in the sense that Trey is certainly more… BTTG – Dictator…
Erik - I don’t want to say that, because I don’t think that’s fair to say. You see, the guy started MORBID ANGEL 20 years ago, and certainly I think that he has his right to call the shots if he chooses to. But for me, I feel that, with HE, we’re more of a band and that’s ultimately what I’ve really wanted: a group of people that collectively come together and work out things together. Maybe I write most of the music when it comes to the guitar, but when we’re working together we create percussion, you know? Jared – now Randy – they do the bass lines. Everybody has a part and I am much freer with HE. Derek – I’ll subscribe to that. The new material we’re working on is
like Erik not being concerned about being the main composer.
BTTG – With the current line-up, which
has been suffering changes in the course of time, would you say that the song-writing
process in HATE ETERNAL relies almost exclusively on you and Derek? Erik - It probably will be for the next record, for sure. Me and Derek, we’ve got 5 years invested into our playing together, so we definitely are a team. Randy is a new bass player replacing Jared and he's doing a great job, and he'll probably help create in the future as well. BTTG – Was Jared long with you guys
before he went to his rehabilitation programme? Erik – Yes, Jared played for Conquering
the Throne, and he was with me a long time before he decided to do what
he went to do. …::[Sudden interruption at the sound of
loud singing and someone burping - that is apparently what tours are all
about!]::… BTTG – For once, in Hate Eternal you
have diversified your spectre of activities – you sing as well as play the
guitar. Do you feel limited for having to play 2 instruments or is there more
‘creative freedom’ still? Erik and Derek – It’s definitely more creative! Erik – The energy that I possess now is tremendous, something which I
didn’t possess just as being a guitar player. Being a guitar player for
MORBID ANGEL, for instance, was a tremendous thing, because I was just in my
vibe, I didn’t have to front the band, I didn’t have the responsibility of
singing or controlling my mike, checking whether everything was perfect or if
I could hear myself. There is much more responsibility. There is a lot more
to worry about, but the intensity of singing and playing guitar is what
really has given me the inspiration to want to pursue HATE ETERNAL entirely.
I've been playing guitar for 16 years, I like to think 13 years of those were
professionally, so that’s a long time to play a certain specific type of
music. To me, HATE ETERNAL has given me rejuvenation, a new part of music.
Like I said, I was with MA for 9 ½ years, but now I feel rejuvenated with HE
want to go on with HE for 10 years. HE is the combination of all that’s worth
and with us I want to achieve better, higher goals. BTTG – Is singing a hidden all-time pastime of yours?
Erik – I used to sing in my first band, RIPPING CORPSE. That was all right, but I was 16, so… I sang and played the guitar before I was even in RC, so it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. And actually make it happen is a challenge every night, but that’s what I really enjoy about it, you know. BTTG – How important is HATE ETERNAL in your lives?
Derek
– It is very important, because this music to me means full expression. It’s
the only music that you totally overplay to yourself and what happens is like
me against the drum kit. I have a point to prove with this music and I talk
about it all the time with BTTG – Erik, you always say how HATE
ETERNAL is a dream band to you. Why is that? Music/ concept/ line-up?... Erik – All of it. The connection that we have is important: we’re friends, fun and business partners, we’re all on the same thing. We have no hidden agendas or misinterpretations of what is out there as to the business aspects. We all have other things we do in our other lives besides touring and recording. We do other things to fortify our life in a rich and healthy way. I don’t have to worry about the professionalism or conductivity of the band or the flow of things, because we just shell. Me and him [Derek] and Randy get together and, after we go on tour, we won’t practise for a few weeks and, when we get together, it’s back on. We’ve been playing together for a long time now and we just shell. As people, as friends and band mates, we all want the same thing with this band. To me, right now HE is the most important thing in my whole career and I really focus on this band, ‘cause I believe that we’re trying to just change things as far as musicians, as far as a DM band. We are trying to expand the genre. BTTG – How important is it for you as a
band to play skilfully while still keeping the brutal edge? To me, DM should
be mostly technical… Derek – Sure! I still believe that good songs are good songs, no matter
if they’re technical, if they’re boring or whatever. If you walk around
singing that song or that melody in your head, that’s a good band, no matter
what style or genre of music they play. Ultimately, what we strive for as a
band is to write good songs that people will actually keep in their head.
Yeah, it’s technical, brutal and it has this edge to it, but it still has to
be quality. When I listen to a HE record and when I listen to other bands, I
hear just stuff more deeply with HE that we think about as individuals that a
lot of other people I don’t think think about, musically: different tempos,
not being crazy all the time and having different song structures, different
things to offer to the community.
Derek – One of the really important thing about us is that we try to
capture the anger in all of us. That’s one thing about us, aside for music:
we’re three people that are really on the same level as far as the anger
goes. We’re all mad about the same things and the things that people do in
life, our peers and our scene and everything else. We always try to capture
that angry vibe, whether it’s slow or fast or technical, or whatever it is.
As long as that anger’s in there, I think it’ll always be the HATE ETERNAL
type of thing. BTTG – In that sense, what would you say
the concept «Hate Eternal» stands for? Is there a specific hatred towards a concrete
object? Or is it all about this angry vibe Derek was talking about? Erik – We all have our own individual people in our past or present and
things that bother us individually and collectively. BTTG – Would you say that collectively
it would be ‘religion’ or something along those lines? Derek – I think it would people! [laughs]
Just in general, I mean. And everything else in life, the chaos that
surrounds us. For me, that’s what it is. When I play drums, or am on stage
with HE, I just think about what disgusts me all the time, about... people
and how we are as living creatures on the planet, how vile we can be. As for
religion, I know he [Erik] is really into ancient religions, that sort of
thing. As are all of us, I guess. Erik – The hate is deep-seated, it is deep-rooted, it’s something that
I’ve always possessed for quite some time. For me, before I played guitar, I
was in trouble with the law, I was in trouble in school, and in many other
things, because I had no outlet for that emotion. Rage and hate are something
that people don’t want to deal with or acknowledge, but when one’s possessed
with a certain feeling like that, it has to come out somewhere. When I play
guitar – that’s when I found it out – and Derek plays drums, it’s an outlet! When
I play a set with HATE ETERNAL, it’s intense for all of us, it’s an intense
and tremendous feeling when you’re done. When we come off stage, I’m not
tired, I feel energetic. BTTG – I almost bet you would not say that if you were a
drummer, haha!
[Derek laughs] Erik – I feel I could jam now, free style, me, him and Randy. Derek – In all honesty, me too. BTTG – But anyway, it is always helpful
when you have your own ‘roadies’… what about if you had to do without them? Erik – Oh, we appreciate the tremendous help that people like Fozzy and Bobby Benetti are giving us. They’re not really ‘roadies’ – they’re part of the team… Derek – They’re friends too. Erik – And it’s always an intimate atmosphere. This tour is being great
for that. And really easy, from that aspect. …::[… And yet another episode in the
series of interruptions in the course of the interview]::… BTTG – Let us change subject a bit
before we go into the deeper, thoughtful questions about lyrics – Erik – Oh-oh… [laughs] BTTG – You have signed to Earache, a
label who seemingly does a very hard work to promote Death Metal. You used to
be in Wicked World, so why did you change label? What do you think of the
label's work and promotion so far?
BTTG – Now, we can go to your most
recent effort, King of all Kings. The title denotes sheer will to
power, I would say. Erik – Yes. BTTG – What power is this that the King
is willing to achieve? And who is this King? Is it a projection of the Self? Erik [with a startling look of surprise on his face] – It is, totally!
You’re the first person who actually envisions it in that sense. Some people
took it like something arrogant, you know, and in relation to Erik and the
conquering of the self-will. To me, King
of all Kings represents a goal we want to achieve with the band from a
creative aspect, from a musical and feeling aspect. Every record we do, it is
very important that it be another notch, a higher level of musicality and
song-writing. One thing important to us is always improving as a band. Derek – Innovation. Erik – Yes, innovating, individually, new ideas worked out together.
It’s very important. The first song that I wrote for King of all Kings was King
of all Kings. I had the lyrics and I just knew: “Man, this is just
perfect” from the point that it made sense. BTTG – King of all Kings does
seem to denote the continuation of a struggle for something higher – as you
said, innovation and conquering of the innerself. Erik – The inner self, for certain! BTTG – The predecessor was called Conquering
the Throne. Would you say that the present album, King of all Kings, is the ruling period of the monarch? How would
you describe this kingdom? Erik – Certainly. The kingdom is flourishing right now for sure,
because musically King of all Kings
is so much more of a better record, from every aspect, than Conquering the Throne…I mean, you needn’t get into all the aspects, but
for sure, since Derek’s been in the band – that’s when the band really
formulated. With Conquering the Throne,
it was more like a dictating situation, more like me having Tim do this or
that. Everybody was doing their part, but for me King… was a total collection of all of us together, me, Derek and
Jared working on this together as a band. That’s ultimately what I’ve always wanted
and I didn’t have that luxury with Conquering
the Throne. Since Derek joined
the band, that was when the band really changed. Now, we’re a band and King of all Kings represents that. Not
that I’m not proud of Conquering the
Throne, but in King… I feel
more confident as a singer, more confident as a producer, more confident in
my band, that is really an established band by now. I think it shows from
every aspect, really. BTTG – Metaphorically speaking, what
would you say is the logical continuation of this process? From Conquering the Throne to reaching the
status of King of all Kings, would
you say the next chapter is the decline of the kingdom?... [laughs] Erik and Derek [laughing, but very peremptorily] - No! No! Hell no! Derek- Just myself, I’ve got so many ideas as a drummer, I mean: I’m
out to change the Erik – And the time allow! When I think about it, since Conquering the Throne, in the last
four years, it still impresses to think that we achieved what we did and
recorded two albums in between MORBID ANGEL tours. …::[And yet another interruption, a
breath of rotten air in an otherwise refreshing interview]::… BTTG – You were saying how much you were
pleased with King of all Kings. What
would you say are the main positive and the main negative sides to the album?
Erik – I’ll start with the negative, because there is a load of
positive! The negative was that I was a stressful me during the recording,
because, when we were tracking, it was like… Derek did his drums in a day! We
had 9 days to track before we were on tour – I went with MORBID ANGEL, but I
had planned to do King of all Kings
months before. Only a few weeks before the recording process, the tour popped
up, and of course I must go, so it was very hectic! Derek – The time allow was definitely the thing that marked this
record. Erik – If we had had more time, then it could have been much better,
but we did our best within the time we had. And that was probably the only
negative thing about the record. Everything else is really positive. When I
think about the creation that we achieved within a very short period of time
from a song-writing aspect… King of all
Kings was written in 2-3 months! Some of the songs had been written prior
and we had some ideas, but – Derek – The songs didn’t come together basically until we recorded
them. Erik – Honestly, we had almost 4 or 5 parts of almost completed songs, we
had 2 completed songs, so it was like: when we’re back, we’ll just spend
months just jamming on fortifying the songs. But this record, we’re going to
do it when we are ready and we are going to finish it when we’re ready and
there’s not going to be that element of worry about me going on a tour,
because we don't give a shit. We’re just going to do the record and make sure
it is the way we wanted! Derek [acting like a monster] – And it is going to be a fucking
monster! Erik – A fucking monster, yeah! We’ll do nothing but focus on this
record and I’m fucking so happy about it. Derek – DE-TER-MI-NA-TION! Good Word. BTTG – From a producer’s point of view,
how would you describe the album? The album was recorded in your own
Dimensional Sound studios. It belongs to you and Derek, right? Erik – Do you mean, how would I rate it?... BTTG – No, not really rate it. From a
producer’s/ engineer’s point of view, how do you look at the album? Would you
say you have managed to achieve the perfect sound? Erik – Oh, I wouldn’t say that. Derek – How many days did we have to make this record? …5?!... Erik – Five, yes. Or three. In total, 14 days. So, we had 14 days for
that type of complexity – …::[And yet another interruption,
pressing us to the end of the interview, as the tour bus was about to
leave…]::… Erik – I’m really sorry about the interruptions, but the tour bus is about to leave. BTTG – It is not a problem. We'll cut it short. As
regards lyrics, HATE ETERNAL seem to delve into the deep known/ unknown Inca,
Aztec and Mayan civilisations (generally speaking, South-American
mythologies). Is there a regional preference or are you into mythology in
general? Erik - Just in general, from a cultural aspect, from a historical
aspect, of the people and their cultures and their religions, the aspects and
the minds. Derek – They were brutal people. BTTG – Do you think the Aztec
or Mayan kings could be ‘King of all kings’? [laughs]
Erik [laughing and in absolute agreement] – Sure! I mean, they were genius in a sense. They were advanced for their time and I respect that tremendously – of all cultures. I’m very interested in lots of things, so I just try to expand that into the lyrics, rather than talking specifically about what they harbour. I like to write lyrics, I like to learn new things. BTTG – And you are a pretty avid reader… Erik – I can’t say that from a whole. I mean, I read a lot about what I like. I’m not a big fiction reader – I’m more into truth, I like facts and that’s what I read a lot – at home. It’s very hard to read on tour, because we have 21 screaming crazy maniacs on our bus, so it’s harder. “Read a book?! No way!...” They’re all a bunch of animals, so I don’t read much on tour, but I do at home, specifically when I have free time. ERIK – What would you say are the main influences
in your predominantly dark and abstract lyrics? Erik – The interest in what drives people from ancient civilisations or
ancient cultures and how it led to where we are now as people. When I look
back at these civilisations, in some way they were more advanced, in some way
more civil, some more uncivil than they are now. The interest level of how
things were done back then and what they believed in, the soul. To me, that
is what really amused me in a way. Derek – They didn’t know any different or any better, so… Erik – They were created. They were creative. Always learning and
expanding – that’s how we look at this band: as a learning and expanding
experience. BTTG – Who is responsible for the artwork? Do you
think the artwork helps convey the image you want to project? Erik - Andreas Marshall did King
of all Kings. He’s done things before for IMMOLATION, DIMMU BORGIR and a
lot of metal bands. There’s a concept that I kind of came up with and he took
it from there and it went really crazy. The cover was from Hans Memlin, 1492,
I think. It’s a very old painting. Derek – It’s a small piece, a portion of a very large painting. Erik – A representation of the descent to Hell. If you look back into
the artwork of the 1400’s, the paintings and the artwork were tremendously
related to Fear of god, of Hell. If you look at King of all Kings, you’ll say: «Ah, they’re a Death Metal band»,
but I believe we have much more to offer than just being a DM band, even if
the album cover looks like a Death Metal band’s. We are Death Metal and we
love it, but we're more than that. BTTG – You have to read between
the lines…
Erik – Yes! In the lyrics. Derek – Most people who listen to DM are intellectual enough to read
between the lines. That’s one of the positive aspects of DM. Erik – First, you hear Hate Eternal with its complexity; then you have
to assume that the people that do appreciate it are very intellectual people,
because it’s certainly not something you pop on and remember all at first
listen. You got to really listen to it a bunch of times so you can hear
everything. In all our records, you have to read between the lines –
lyrically too. When I write the lyrics, I try not to give it all away – I
want you to use your mind, to think. BTTG – It is about time we wrapped this up. But
before that, could you tell me what are the future plans for HATE ETERNAL
and/ or individual activities? Erik - We're gonna go home and, I think, go to Brazil over Summer for two weeks with KRISIUN, one of my/our favourite bands. BTTG – They are also Conquerors… of Armageddon! Erik [laughing] – Yeah! We’re also trying to do Australia, Japan. Besides that, we’re gonna do a few shows here and there over the next 6 months, so we’re just gonna go home and… write a record and jam. We have a few productions in the studio, I’ll be producing a couple of records, but mostly we are just gonna jam and write the record. After that, go back to touring, but I want to do another last record some time this year. BTTG – Does your professional
life allow you to keep touring?
Derek – We try to set ourselves up so we can come out here and
do this and not have to worry about being on tour and not having any money.
Derek – A lot of bands just drop out of the scene because they can’t do
it anymore. It’s not because they don’t like to do it or don’t want to do it,
it’s simply because financially they can’t afford it. We don’t ever want to
be in a situation where we can’t afford to do this. That’s one reason why we
started the studio, so that we have an outlet to come out here and fuck off,
basically, and play music for people. That’s a great honour. Erik – As for the quality of the recording, I went to school for sound
engineering; Derek’s been working with engineering for years, live sound as
well. We want to be able to provide something to other bands. Most records we
do are very low-budget albums, but we give it 100% attention and that’s
something that I really enjoy. We’ve worked with some great bands, from
KRISIUN to other bands, so it’s like we’re giving something back to other
bands or to the scene in general. To me, it’s a big collection of bands and
the listeners. Without either, there’s nothing, so that connection is very
important to us. BBTG – I guess this is about it
–
Erik – It is – before they leave us here! But we’re so happy about Portugal, I think we’ll all stay here. BTTG – Thank you so much for the interview. Erik – Hey, no problem. Anytime. BTTG – Have you got any last
words?
Erik – We love Portugal! It was a tremendous show, one of the best shows in our career as a band and I very much appreciate the loyalty that all the people gave us tonight. We will not let them down. Derek – I’m totally blown away by the culture here! The nature,
everything. It’s amazing. Erik – It was tremendous. We hope to come back soon. By Morgana
[with a little help from Menthor - Back To The
Grave Hard Club February 02, 2004 Photos – Menthor 2004 |
