I know that BERZERKER has released quite amount of albums before self-titled debut on EARACHE. Are there any interesting ones or MOSH222 is the first real recording you are proud of?

The Earache release MOSH 222 is the first Real Berzerker Album. All of the releases before the current album were predominatly speedcore records. Without the current guitar and vocal line up. The previous records were all done with samplers (not hard disk recording like Mosh 222). The main difference being the samplers only alowed me short recording times, so there were a lot of loops involved with the guitars and vocals. Finally with the access to hard disk recording i could record full guitar and multiple vocal tracks.

How did you appear on EARACHE? Everyone thought that this label is long time sold out and it can't release any brutal music as it used to do decade ago... In fact THE BERZERKER is the first really brutal and authentic release on this label for 3 or more years...

Earache were there at the start of the grindcore scene, and did a fine job encouraging it. As we are now at the beginning of the industrial death scene I wished for their work in the late 80's to continue. I also needed a label big enough, to make sure the record will have comprehensive distribution across this planet. Unfortunatly now after the nine months the album has been availible for, i have a different view on the label in question. The Berzerker has been plagued with distrobution problems. Not to mention - not even one cent of touring suport. And now bugeting problems (from thier side) with the next album.

The Berzerker was approached to record material by Earache Records in '97.Upon agreeing, an extensive search for suitably extreme musicians began. These musicians included: Vocalists - David Vincent of Morbid Angel, Kevin Sharp of Brutal Truth and Chris Valagao of Zimmers Hole. Bassists - Danny Lilker of Brutal Truth/S.O.D and Byron Stroud of Strapping Young Lad Guitar - Patrick Baldwin of Punchdrunk and Jed Simon of Frontline Assembly. Production - 2 months spent in Vancouver with Devin Townsend using both a-dat and Pro-Tools recording systems in multiple studios.

Due to various reasons all of the above were abandoned in favor of self production and use of unknown musicians currently in Australia. The recording of demos originally began in '96 and production for the current release MOSH 222 began in February '99 and was finally completed in January '00, almost a full year of studio insanity. The seldom mentioned Berzerker curse destroyed everything in its path, including the lives of everyone involved. Constant human and equipment failure plagued every facet of the recording process. Every deadline that could be exceeded was. Again not one cent of the buget was exceeded, so i was forced to put my own money into the recording.

For more infomation on the recording of the album goto www.theberzerker.com (studio link)

How many albums are sold so far? Do you think that your label did everything you have expected?

Vey hard to tell as i only get statements every 6 months or so, I know in the first month we sold about 3,500 in Europe, i have yet to get a statement from the USA. I have been told it's something like 10,000 albums sold, but it could be more i don't really know.

I have seen two types of reaction on your album. First part of people think that the album is amazing. Another part thinks that the album is total crap. In fact that second part is die-hard death metal maniacs... Do you think that fans (in general) understood your music right? How do you imagine your typical fan?

I belive majority of death metal fans are close minded, and unexcepting of technology. the people that I think will comprehend this record are the ones that are searching for something or someone to take music to another level, and not just into heavy metal.

The Berzerker record is for all who are attracted to pushing the extreme. The last time I can remember feeling the excitement of true extremity was probably in the late 80's and early 90's when I first heard bands like carcass, morbid angel and napalm death. these days extreme music seem to be treading water if not heading backwards. in my opinion there has been nothing of late even worthy of comment on. although there does

As for a typical fan - most of the feedback i get is from people aged between 15 to 17. Of course there is still a decent amount of feedback from the older mid twenties age bracket who still love bands like like Carcass, Morbid Angel, Brutal Truth etc... (these are some of my favorite bands) so i can relate musically to the older ones, and i guess the younger fans are looking for the most extreme music possible and have found it.

I think that your mixture of death metal and industrial is the best so far. In fact I was looking for such album for the last a couple of years... Unfortunately I haven't met any good ones... It looks like metal bands are too dumb to understand industrial music, but industrial dudes hate guitars and other "natural" shit... To me you understand both metal and industrial. It's pretty uncommon. So, how has it happen that you got involved in industrial scene? I know that you had metal background in the beginning.

The original musical concept of The Berzerker was created in 1995 by myself. It was later named The Berzerker in 1996. it was some what of a hybrid style of death metal of speedcore. It was created in that way for the simple fact- I was involved in a horrific car accident in 1995 (all the experts said that I should have not survived) and due to the accident I was unable to continue with one of my only interests, playing drums. Around that time music itself seemed as if it would be something I was unable to participate in. I decided to sell almost all of my drum kit's and with the money I attained I purchased samplers and sequencers. My initial idea was to make some sort of electronic death metal, so I could program the drums and sample all the other instruments. It was intended to be a live group, but at that time there was only one, myself. I then spent 5 years making speedcore and Industrial Gabba records, and removed myself from the metal scene, although i still had a very strong metal element to my music. I got to do a lot of traveling with my extreme DJing style and got to see the way differnet countries express there extreme musical styles. There many many people who try to combine different styles of music but most will not succed, because of the simple fact that you must fully understand both style of music that you intend to combine.

Do you know any good bands who play brutal mutation of death (black) and industrial? RED HARVEST' latest album was pretty interesting...

I am unaware of any bands doing a similar style to The Berzerker. I have yet to hear any Red Harvest.

Many people think that BERSERKER is a insane Scandinavian warrior, who uses drugs and kills everything he sees. In real life berserkers were not all that insane, they protected villages from enemies. To be simple, they were "good" guys. Why did you choose name "BERZERKER"? And who is your BERZERKER?

The Berzerker is a group of sentient beings more powerful than man. We chose the name The Berzerker in relating to the "Berserk" or bare-sark Norse warriors.'The physical appearance of the berserk was one calculated to present an image of terror'. 'The berserkers were thought not only to have assumed the ferocity of an animal, but also to have acquired the strength of the bear'. 'By the twelfth century, the berserk with his Odinnic religion, animalistic appearance, his inhuman frenzy upon the battlefield, and terrorism within the Scandinavian community disappeared. The berserk, like his patron deity Odinn, was forced to yield to the dissolution of pagan society and the advent of the White Christ. Obviously in this age the concept of berserk applying only to pagan Scandinavian warriors is obselete.

For us The Berzerker is the most natural form of extremity known on this planet. And being as no performance enhancing drugs are used at any time. Including the recording process, and in the live performances. This holds true to all sides of the debate on what is truly extreme.

The Berzerker's intent is to pronouce jugdement upon all who are perceived as being extreme, we have given them a yardstick for all to be compared to. We are that yard stick. We intend to take The Berzerker, well beyond the limits of music.

BERZERKER belongs to death metal genre or it's music is the beginning of something new?

We have named our musical style "Industrial Death" for reasons that are obvious.

Does your music depend on technology or today you have everything you need for fulfilling all your ideas?

We use Technolgy to enhance the sonic impact of the band.

Sound is a very powerful force. Its affects are unknown to most of the human population. We have a greater knowledge of the concept of sound and it's effects upon humans.

I know that in the beginning you write all your music on computer and later guitarplayers repeat those ideas and tunes on real instruments... So why do you need those humans for your band? Why don't you use computers for live shows as well? Why do you use "traditional" way of playing music in the end? Industrial bands use only singers and I think that their live shows don't sound "weaker"...

I started performing music in the live scene playing drums for death metal bands in the early nighties. I have a hunger for live performance. I think a bands visuals are almost as important as their music. It is also dome to show the world that this album have been written for musicans to play, it is not out of the range of a capable musician. It is not something that can only be re-created by a computer. Our live shows consist of every single sample, noise, riff, vocal line etc... only with more going on in the drumming department.

You use masks during your live shows... Why do you do that? Some may think that those masks is something like a barrier between your music and real life. It's a circus. I mean in mask you extreme as fuck and without mask you are just a nice guy who lives next door and who afraid to repeat the things you say in your lyrix.

The human form conjures up images of complaincy. Therefore the human form will be avoided.

You hate contemporary society and people... So, what's wrong with this world? I hope you are not one of those hippies who scream "make love not war" and who dream about society as a family of nice and happy brothers and sisters...

The tragedy of humanity provokes two responses from an intelligent being. When faced with the shallow nature of the world, most are provoked into making it a better place. On the other hand, others are possessed to grind it to dust. From an empty land of natural extremes comes a being of elemental hatred for everything human. Free of the limits of being a man, The Berzerker has grabbed every tool at its disposal to express disgust at mankind in the most forceful way possible. Isolated from people and the world it has through its own nature evolved to a point well beyond the horizon of extreme. The limits of the conventional no longer apply. 'Berserker' once a term for the most extreme people to walk the face of the earth - has manifested unseen on a corner of the globe. Pronouncing judgement upon all with the most aggressive release in the history of humanity.

What do you think about globalisation of contemporary civilization? Even Australia took it's part in riots against this phenomena.

"Embalming is essentially a process designed to present a dead human individual in the most natural, lifelike attitude and appearance possible. Anything which detracts from the appearance of naturalness will lessen the success of the embalming operation. And in the strictest sense of the word, any result which is not a complete success must be regarded as a failure."

Right-wing ideologies are getting more and more popular in Europe. One of the reasons - USA and it's role as word policeman. What about Australia? We have no real information about your life... except Olympic games of course....

That information is currently unavailable...

We are about to meet new millennium. Our world will change alot... Russia will loose it's power, USA will become even stronger and, I think, China will become USA's main enemy. How do you see Australia in this new world?

Free from the rest of the worlds disputes. Australia will enventualy become a refuge for the rest of the planet. The signs of this are increasing every day.

Many metal magazines agree that it's impossible to make an album more brutal than THE BERZERKER. I can't agree with them. You mix death metal and industrial. What about power electronics? Do you listen to such music? Well, I name just a few bands: SUTCLIFFE JUGEND, SLOGUN, GENOCIDE ORGAN... What about mixing PE and death metal?

Our music has still a long way to be pushed yet. but if I set out to make the heaviest and fastest album that could ever be recorded, where would I go from there? this album is the first installment with many more already in the planning stages. my intention was to make a record that would be brutal enough to surpass what is currently available, and to leave myself with enough room to progress forward for the next installment of the Berzerker.

In the past Australia used to be world prison. As far as I know almost every man on your shores was a criminal... A lot of generations has changed since then... Do you see any difference between Australians and other nations?

Yes there is a very big difference between Australia and the rest of the planet.

When do you plan to release your new album? Any new ideas?

2001.

Your site and some of your interviews state that THE BERZERKER is against drugs. I don't get it. Why do you state this almost on the main page of your site? You try to look as extreme as possible and at the same time you try to be as politically correct as possible? What's wrong with drugs? I think that drugs are the best way to end life for losers and subhumans.

Interesting view you have there.

The Berzerker need no performance enhancing drugs to perform our music live. Not like some other so called extreme band currently touring.

If we were to generalise about drugs being some sort of instant death pill i would be the one handing them out. I would make sure every copy of our record contained one.

Well, just a few words for your fans in Russia/ Belarus.

Make sure you keep sreading the word about The Berzerker and hopefully we'll be touring your area soon.

For more info on The Berzerker goto www.theberzerker.com