1. First things first is thank you for taking your time to do this interview. How has the overall response been to the first single ‘Vendetta’? You guys also filmed a music video for it. How was that experience? Also, for the B- side of this single you cover ‘Stormbringer’ by Deep Purple. How did you guys decide to cover this?
A. Axetinctör : Well, thank you too for having us. The response to 'Vendetta' was, yet again, amazing. I really enjoy reading every single comment and see how far it spreads, that's the best payoff. Filming the video was extremely exhausting but just as exciting. Everyone was pretty nervous if it would turn out as planned because we organized everything ourselves. Therefore it was very good to have Oliver from 'Visions in Fear' behind the camera. His calm nature and professionalism really kept us from strangling each other close to the end haha. In the end it turned out to be one hell of a video so no drop of sweat was shed in vain. As for the B-Side, at first we wanted to cover another Priest song but couldn't really decide which one to go with. So we looked a little further and found a perfect match with Purple's 'Stormbringer'. It already is a very heavy track so instead of speeding it up we turned into a real steamroller.
2. When was the idea of Vulture conceived? Also, who named the band and how did it all come together? And how did you start working with High Roller Records?
A. Axetinctör: When Stefan quit 'Obsessör' he never intended to stop playing Speed/Thrash. So he contacted Leo, Mathis and me in mid 2015 and already delivered some very raw bits and pieces of songs which later became 'Victim to the Blade'. We were all hyped and started working on the songs, a name and the whole concept. After months of discussions and a lot of creative input from everyone we hit the studio and recorded the demo. Before the tape version was even released we contacted High Roller to show them our material and see if we could work out a deal for an EP or Album in the future. They were stoked and insisted on re-releasing the demo on CD and LP, which we were more than happy about. I mean your demo on vinyl, how amazing is that?! haha
3. ‘Victim to the Blade’ was released last year and it got a very good response. I believe it went through multiple pressings. Were you guys shocked at the response you got? Can you also tell us about the writing and recording for this release?
A. Axetinctör: It was simply overwhelming to see, read and hear the reactions and realize that we really hit a nerve. As I stated in the previous answer the foundation for 'Victim ...' were some raw riffs and ideas from Stefan. We then started to piece them together, adding stuff, cutting something else, speed up one part, slow down another. You get the idea haha. Everyone really had some part in the process, which was really refreshing and extremely creative. Once the three songs were fleshed out 'Rapid Fire' was added and we hit the studio immediately to keep everything as fresh as possible. Just like the album we recorded the demo with our longtime friend Marco in Hellforge Studio.
It was recorded , mixed and finished over the course of one weekend and everything worked out perfectly - simply lightning in a bottle.
4. On your new debut ‘The Guillotine’ there was some use of synthesizers which really fit the music but also reminded me of something out of a John Carpenter film. Are those type of movies influential to Vulture?
A. Axetinctör: We had some synthesizers on 'Victim ...' already so we simply took it a step further and exaggerated them a bit on the album. We're all fans of the old horror classics and their soundtracks, no genre experts by any means but we chose to include synthesizers as well as lyrical themes from these flicks because they work brilliant with our music.
5. On both the art of ‘Victim to the Blade’ and ‘The Guillotine’ you have a leather glove assailant. Is he a mascot of the band of some sort? How did this concept come to be?
A. Axetinctör: Haha, well I guess you could call it that if you wanted to. The 'faceless killer' really became its own thing only after we received the artwork for 'Victim ...' from Velio Josto. We thought it would be cool to have the killers hand and knife appear again in different variations here and there so we had Velio painting two more versions over the course of 2016. When the time came to work out the concept for the album cover it was clear that the killer had to make an appearance again as well as in the music video for 'Vendetta'.
A. Axetinctör : Well, thank you too for having us. The response to 'Vendetta' was, yet again, amazing. I really enjoy reading every single comment and see how far it spreads, that's the best payoff. Filming the video was extremely exhausting but just as exciting. Everyone was pretty nervous if it would turn out as planned because we organized everything ourselves. Therefore it was very good to have Oliver from 'Visions in Fear' behind the camera. His calm nature and professionalism really kept us from strangling each other close to the end haha. In the end it turned out to be one hell of a video so no drop of sweat was shed in vain. As for the B-Side, at first we wanted to cover another Priest song but couldn't really decide which one to go with. So we looked a little further and found a perfect match with Purple's 'Stormbringer'. It already is a very heavy track so instead of speeding it up we turned into a real steamroller.
2. When was the idea of Vulture conceived? Also, who named the band and how did it all come together? And how did you start working with High Roller Records?
A. Axetinctör: When Stefan quit 'Obsessör' he never intended to stop playing Speed/Thrash. So he contacted Leo, Mathis and me in mid 2015 and already delivered some very raw bits and pieces of songs which later became 'Victim to the Blade'. We were all hyped and started working on the songs, a name and the whole concept. After months of discussions and a lot of creative input from everyone we hit the studio and recorded the demo. Before the tape version was even released we contacted High Roller to show them our material and see if we could work out a deal for an EP or Album in the future. They were stoked and insisted on re-releasing the demo on CD and LP, which we were more than happy about. I mean your demo on vinyl, how amazing is that?! haha
3. ‘Victim to the Blade’ was released last year and it got a very good response. I believe it went through multiple pressings. Were you guys shocked at the response you got? Can you also tell us about the writing and recording for this release?
A. Axetinctör: It was simply overwhelming to see, read and hear the reactions and realize that we really hit a nerve. As I stated in the previous answer the foundation for 'Victim ...' were some raw riffs and ideas from Stefan. We then started to piece them together, adding stuff, cutting something else, speed up one part, slow down another. You get the idea haha. Everyone really had some part in the process, which was really refreshing and extremely creative. Once the three songs were fleshed out 'Rapid Fire' was added and we hit the studio immediately to keep everything as fresh as possible. Just like the album we recorded the demo with our longtime friend Marco in Hellforge Studio.
It was recorded , mixed and finished over the course of one weekend and everything worked out perfectly - simply lightning in a bottle.
4. On your new debut ‘The Guillotine’ there was some use of synthesizers which really fit the music but also reminded me of something out of a John Carpenter film. Are those type of movies influential to Vulture?
A. Axetinctör: We had some synthesizers on 'Victim ...' already so we simply took it a step further and exaggerated them a bit on the album. We're all fans of the old horror classics and their soundtracks, no genre experts by any means but we chose to include synthesizers as well as lyrical themes from these flicks because they work brilliant with our music.
5. On both the art of ‘Victim to the Blade’ and ‘The Guillotine’ you have a leather glove assailant. Is he a mascot of the band of some sort? How did this concept come to be?
A. Axetinctör: Haha, well I guess you could call it that if you wanted to. The 'faceless killer' really became its own thing only after we received the artwork for 'Victim ...' from Velio Josto. We thought it would be cool to have the killers hand and knife appear again in different variations here and there so we had Velio painting two more versions over the course of 2016. When the time came to work out the concept for the album cover it was clear that the killer had to make an appearance again as well as in the music video for 'Vendetta'.
6. Can you tell us about the writing and recording process for this new album and how did it differ from the EP? To me the songs have very much the same feeling as the EP. Was there a lot pressure on you guys to follow up EP? Do you happen to have a favorite song from this new album?
A. Axetinctör: The writing progress was very similar but of course way longer because there was more to discuss haha. And yes, we had a lot of pressure! Every riff and melody was questioned numerous times and you could never tell which part of a song would really make it to the studio. 'Triumph of the Guillotine' for example was finished first and we played it live a few times but for the record we reworked the song nearly completely. It's hard to follow up an EP because you need to make the tropes, which made it stand out, work on an album with a much longer running time without repeating yourself and becoming redundant. When we finally made it into the studio things didn't really become much easier. Marco pushed us to our limits in order to get the best takes possible and our plan to record the album within a week failed miserably so we had to return a few more weekends. Afterwards the mixing progress dragged on for additional 3 months during which we really tortured Marco 'til we finally worked out every note and snare hit. As for me my favorite songs are 'Adrian's Cradle' because of its atmosphere and 'Electric Ecstasy' because it is the most powerful in my eyes.
7. The new album really took my head off like a guillotine. The album’s name really does sum up the music. What I also like about Vulture is you guys aren’t following the trends you guys are playing genuine metal. Can you tell me about some of your biggest musical influences?
A. Axetinctör: We're very much rooted in 80's Speed and Thrash as well as in 70's proto Metal. We think that the spirit that made the early days of extreme Metal so fascinating, wild and refreshing is found earlier than '82. Listening to bands like Deep Purple and to draw your own creative conclusions is way more inspiring then recycling old Slayer riffs. But of course bands like Agent Steel, Exciter and Exodus sure have a huge impact on us, you can't deny that.
8. On the track ‘Adrian’s Cradle’ Olof from Enforcer did some guest vocals. How did that all come about? Also, is the song about Rosemary’s Baby?
A. Axetinctör: Olof has been supporting us ever since 'Victim ...' was released. He's a really cool guy and just as crazy about Metal as we are. At last years Live Evil in London we also met personally, had a few drinks and simply asked him. Also during the production of the album we asked for his opinion from time to time to have an objective and fresh view, which helped a lot.
9. You guys have played a couple festivals like Live Evil and shows in Europe. How has the response been to you guys?
A. Axetinctör: The crowds have all been amazing and some were the biggest we ever played as musicians so far. But also the smaller shows in sweaty clubs are always memorable. Gotta love it when the maniacs are banging their heads against the stage.
10. My last question is are Ibanez destroys the true source of your power? Well once again thank you for doing this interview. Any last words for fans?
A. Axetinctör: Haha, nah I'd say they are rather a channel than a source! Get hold of 'The Guillotine' or the Guillotine's gonna get hold of you! KICK ASS!
https://www.facebook.com/vulturekills/?fref=ts
http://www.vulturekills.bigcartel.com/
A. Axetinctör: The writing progress was very similar but of course way longer because there was more to discuss haha. And yes, we had a lot of pressure! Every riff and melody was questioned numerous times and you could never tell which part of a song would really make it to the studio. 'Triumph of the Guillotine' for example was finished first and we played it live a few times but for the record we reworked the song nearly completely. It's hard to follow up an EP because you need to make the tropes, which made it stand out, work on an album with a much longer running time without repeating yourself and becoming redundant. When we finally made it into the studio things didn't really become much easier. Marco pushed us to our limits in order to get the best takes possible and our plan to record the album within a week failed miserably so we had to return a few more weekends. Afterwards the mixing progress dragged on for additional 3 months during which we really tortured Marco 'til we finally worked out every note and snare hit. As for me my favorite songs are 'Adrian's Cradle' because of its atmosphere and 'Electric Ecstasy' because it is the most powerful in my eyes.
7. The new album really took my head off like a guillotine. The album’s name really does sum up the music. What I also like about Vulture is you guys aren’t following the trends you guys are playing genuine metal. Can you tell me about some of your biggest musical influences?
A. Axetinctör: We're very much rooted in 80's Speed and Thrash as well as in 70's proto Metal. We think that the spirit that made the early days of extreme Metal so fascinating, wild and refreshing is found earlier than '82. Listening to bands like Deep Purple and to draw your own creative conclusions is way more inspiring then recycling old Slayer riffs. But of course bands like Agent Steel, Exciter and Exodus sure have a huge impact on us, you can't deny that.
8. On the track ‘Adrian’s Cradle’ Olof from Enforcer did some guest vocals. How did that all come about? Also, is the song about Rosemary’s Baby?
A. Axetinctör: Olof has been supporting us ever since 'Victim ...' was released. He's a really cool guy and just as crazy about Metal as we are. At last years Live Evil in London we also met personally, had a few drinks and simply asked him. Also during the production of the album we asked for his opinion from time to time to have an objective and fresh view, which helped a lot.
9. You guys have played a couple festivals like Live Evil and shows in Europe. How has the response been to you guys?
A. Axetinctör: The crowds have all been amazing and some were the biggest we ever played as musicians so far. But also the smaller shows in sweaty clubs are always memorable. Gotta love it when the maniacs are banging their heads against the stage.
10. My last question is are Ibanez destroys the true source of your power? Well once again thank you for doing this interview. Any last words for fans?
A. Axetinctör: Haha, nah I'd say they are rather a channel than a source! Get hold of 'The Guillotine' or the Guillotine's gonna get hold of you! KICK ASS!
https://www.facebook.com/vulturekills/?fref=ts
http://www.vulturekills.bigcartel.com/