Band: MELECHESH
Country of origin: -
Style: Mesopotamian black metal
Questions by: Kai Mathias Stalhammar
Answers supplied by: Moloch (guitars)

Aye, that was definitely a TOO long wait! Fortunately, it’s over… however, don’t expect me to be the one who’s ought to ignore what caused such an enormous delay! Therefore; an explanation, please.

- Yes it is true, that there was a five year delay between these two
albums. The main reason was that we relocated to Europe, in 1998, Ashmedi left for Holland, and one year later I mooved to the north of France (in Lille, some three hours and a half from Amsterdam). But in 1998, half of the album was already done (we recorded 5 tracks on a promo), and the album was itself recorded in early 2000. Then it was hard getting a deal, as the album was supposed to be released by DIES IRAE Recs, but they couldn't get us the money, so we had to borrow it from somewhere... Problems and problems, but finally it was done.

“Akhenaten” – a synonym for human worthlessness? At least, when I’ve been associating with this, erh, let’s “individual”, I felt like I was going deeper and deeper down into the pit filled with falsity and disgust. Obviously, I’m not the only one to say things like these, and that makes me assume that this guy really is if no importance to anyone with a certain degree of self-esteem. It looks like Breath Of Night Records didn’t do anything in terms of promotion when it comes to MELECHESH, nor they did fulfill the promises they had to fulfill. Was their lack of responsibility and honesty a reason for you to leave Akhenaten and this flock of narrow-minded, mentally retarded non-entities? Perhaps I’m wrong in conception of the way you perceive him, therefore correct me if there’s such a need.

- We didn't have anything personal with Akhenaten, we just didn't appreciate the work he had done for our album (only one pressing, etc...). After that we suddenly lost contact, and it all became history as we knew that he wouldn't go further... but then I see that he didn't even have MELECHESH in the BREATH OF NIGHT website anymore! as if he was never involved in releasing our debut. So we didn't really understand his position. And we didn't want to understand it personnaly, I couldn't care less. I appreciate the fact that he released it, but after that... I don't know what others think of him, but if I we have something to settle with him we would do it directly with him, not throughout an interview. As for the "As Jerusalem Burns... Al'Intisar" album, it is going to be re-released by the Spanish label WAR IS IMMINENT, with new artwork on digipack, remastered with 2 bonus tracks (one live in Jerusalem), and a CDrom clip for the track "Hymn to Gibil".

It seems like Osmose Productions have been weakening themselves and the status they had in the underground by releasing more and more utterly worthless CDs – and right move!, recently they inked a deal with few young (and not that young) black metal acts worthy enough to serve as some kind of a fresh blood, thus getting this label back from the abyss it’s been falling to. Do you agree with this supposition? Is the contract you signed a multi-album one? Are you completely satisfied with terms and conditions Herve proposed you? What if they’ll fail in helping out MELECHESH conquer the throne you’re doubtlessly worth to conquer?

- I always had a lot of esteem for OSMOSE releases, as I always thought that each of their bands (90% of them, let's say) have their own identity: ABSU, MASTER'S HAMMER, NECROMANTIA, ENSLAVED, IMMORTAL, etc... I don't have all their releases, so I don't know about the "utterly worthless CDs" that you're talking of. But you're right about the new signatures, because I think that OSMOSE have a new generation of bands which are pumping good blood into their "World Domination": IMPIETY, HOWISTER, ARKHON INFAUSTUS, DEMENTOR, NOTRE DAME, to name a few, but they still have classic bands such as ABSU (with their latest, and most amazing "TARA"), ENSLAVED, IMPALED NAZARENE... As for us, we signed a three album deal with OSMOSE, it is the best offer we ever got, so we could not refuse... As for the work to spread the name of MELECHESH, this is something that does not worry me, as Nicolas that works at the promotional office is a very serious person which does his work very well... They organized three promotional days in their office, where we conducted a good number of interviews. They're a very serious label, with nice and professional guys behind it all. Many people these days tend to say shit about OSMOSE, like they are dying because they lost IMMORTAL and MARDUK, others say that they're a corporate label... But in both cases they
are wrong.

“Djinn” unsurprisingly appears as much more enigmatic effort than “Al’Intisar…” was. Perhaps this is due to the fact you’ve been working it out for many years? This time elements borrowed from Assyrian (Mesopotamian?) heritage are more than obvious, but what’s most important, they fit your concept AND music perfectly, hugely differing MELECHESH from all the other black metal acts. Simply beyond comparisons, you see. What are your own feelings and attitude to this work (please, do NOT cite the official promo sheet)?

- Yes, we have been working on this album and on the whole MESOPOTAMIAN METAL thing for quite some time now. Our debut cannot even be compared to "Djinn", because half of the "AS Jerusalem..." album was already on our 1995 demo. And some material on the new album existed before the release of our debut. We wanted to have our music mature progressively, I mean, the whole Mesopotamian concept (lyrically and of course musically) existed on the first track we ever written, it was always present in MELECHESH, as we set it as our goal, and now we have reached this goal, but it's only the first
step, we believe that there is still much more to do. There are many ideas that we have, such as using fretless guitars (in order to get quarter tones that are used in instruments of traditional Middle Eastern Music), twelve strings guitars, etc... So we are taking things step by step. And as you said, the thing is to express the concept lyrically and MUSICALLY, which most bands do not do. We do not just add samples of traditional music, and talk about Mesopotamian paganism in our lyrics. We do it throughout our music, as we believe it is stronger that way, and we keep everything heavy,
brutal and dark. We play METAL music! but in our own "Mesopotamian way".

The latest work of yours features very strange drum tracks – sometimes it even seems like they’re a bit out of place, but then you suddenly realize that this is the way it was meant to be; the only right way. However, something still makes me doubt that it’s just a regular “weird” drumming and nothing more than that. Haven’t Proscriptor gained a lot from giving a careful listen to ethnic music?

- Those drum patterns that we use are taken from traditional percussion structures of Mediterranean / Arabic / Aramenian music. We just play them on heavy drums, adding double bass, etc... in order to "metallize" them! They sound strange because they were never used in metal music, so it shocks the listener, but then you get into them, they are very hypnotic, but also heavy. Proscriptor did gain a lot by playing them, he keeps his own style of playing, but what he does in MELECHESH is different than what he does in ABSU, and he does both perfectly well. We're working with him on newer rythms sending him classical Middle Eastern music, and rythmic structures, etc...) as we want to vary our music as much as possible by keeping the Mesopotamian thing still rich and fresh.

By the way, managing to make Proscriptor a part of your band strikes as almost an impossible goal which nevertheless has been reached! Hence, the inevitable questions: WHERE; WHY; and HOW…?

- Proscriptor has been a friend of ours for quite some time, and he started digging MELECHESH because of our original drum patterns that he heared on the "Siege Of Lachish" 7"EP. And when we relocated to Europe, we had no drummer, but we used to work with drum machines. That became a problem when we wanted to record the album.So we contacted Proscriptor, asking him if he knew any drummers in Holland, and that's when he offered his help and talent. It was great as we are all love ABSU and have a lot of respect for Sir McGovern's percussive talent.

A band comprised of American of Celtic origin as well as a couple of Assyrians and Armenian (who formerly have been residing in Israel), locating in USA and Netherlands at the moment… Wow, that’s a bit tough to comprehend!

- Not to forget that I also live in France! Yeah it's tough to comprehend, and that's not all, it becomes more complicated, but I will not reveal such things in an interview.But we are managing well our existence, and MELECHESH, ever since it's relocation has been advancing three times faster than the 7 years spent in Jerusalem / Bethelehem where we resided.

What’s your view on Holland and it’s society? This country is well-known thanks to it’s liberality – wasn’t it a reason for you to move out of orthodox “holy land” and enter the shores of Netherlands? Have you already gotten green cards and if yes, was it an easy experience or not?

- I live in France, the other members (Ashmedi and Al'Hazred) live in Holland. We all moved for different reasons, and some of these reasons were to have a more "liberal" way of life that we couldn't get in the so-called "Holy Land" and this due to social / political pressure. But again this wasn't the only reason. If you mean passports by "Green Card", no we didn't get anything as he haven't asked for them... yet (he he he), but official administrative papers are not the easiest things for us, and that from far, it's maybe our biggest hassle.

Do you consider careful studying of your nation’s historical background and respect for it’s cultural traditions necessary these days (“an age of utter madness”, quoting Nietzsche)?

- Yes I do, but the study does not mean the cult of local traditions and culture. Understanding the past makes you understand the false use that people make out of it today, that cult that celebrates "an age of utter madness" to quote a philosopher that we both seem to admire. I believe that the study of the present is important for building the futur, as History does not give us lessons I believe (and that could be for the worst), I do not believe in a historical process of moral developpement. To advance, man has to destroy a part of his past, and not celebrate the illusion that he has of it.That could seem like a paradoxe coming from a band playing what they call "Mesopotamian" Metal, but we do not see ourselves some three thousand years ago, we recreate a artistic view that we have of our heritage, and recreating one's heritage is not regressing back into it.

Would you consider possible such a notion as “racism based on reason and rationalism”?

- No. This was a false scientific idea that existed in the beginning of the century with people like Gobineau, that tried to proove racial hierarchy throughout ignorant biological observations. I do not believe in something called a "race", and I doubt someone can come up to me and say that he / she is of pure race, and if races existed, what can rationnaly define their superiority? A rationnal system could proove it, but all you have to do is change that system of thought and you could proove the contrary. It's like the concept of Nation, for example here in France some people were once German and once French, that's because humans set up borders, and definitions, and I'm not to turn human thought into metaphysical truth, that
existed, exists and will forever exist. Reason is like math and logics, it can reach extents of pure emptiness, without any contact with the concret world. And I think that racism is built on an error, because it's an organized form of hate, while hate in my opinion is not built on anything organized, it's a choatic instinct that should stay an instinct, and it can be a creative element in some cases. But someone of my so-called "race" can stab me in the back, and my hate towards him is purely bestial, if I'm not going to organize it, because then he would turn into a brother.

Sacrificing the life of an innocent in order to save the one you love, would you go for it?

- I do not imagine myself in such cases. If I had to sacrifice the life of somebody, that would mean that his life wasn't that innocent for me at all. But I could imagine a case where the innocent would have to die for a bigger cause than "the one I love", but of course one has to define such a cause, I wouldn't be able to tell you which one really.

What’s your attitude to donor practices? Organic transplantation – isn’t it the way which sooner or later will let us reach what some use to name “immortality”?

- I doubt man can reach immortality... nothing is immortal, everything becomes, dies and becomes. If you can live longer with organic transplants why not, the idea bothered me a couple of years ago when someone asked me to fill up a form where I would leave my heart after I die, but then I thought why not, maybe it will keep more "Metal Heart's" alive... he he he!

As a matter of fact, will we, the mankind, ever be capable of taking over the reaper? Furthermore, hadn’t we defeated it already, by giving birth to a next generation (since our children more or less appear as both mental and spiritual, as well as undoubtedly inalienable part of us)?

- Death, in my opinion, organizes existence. It's our fundamental consciousness of Death (the idea and representation that we have of ourselves being mortal) that organizes our existence. Just look at how people lead there life: Youth=education, adult=work, activity and give birth, old age=rest.If we were not conscious of our mortality, we would never think of organizing our existence, because we could think that if I needed to study I could do it whenever I want, and I would never do it since I do not need to work as there is no threat to my existence (no hunger if no death, etc...). But that is not the case, giving birth is not a victory over death, it's a reaction that we have facing it, a reaction that is written in the deepest of each's self, human or animal. Children are a part of us, but like all our activities that we do trying to defeat death, writing a book or an album could be a motivation for staying immortal, because your music would still ring in people's ears even after your death... But the fight is worthless, death is a part of life, which is a perpetual chaos of creation and destruction.

Is there anything that might turn you away from living on? Besides that, what could serve as a reason for stopping any activities pertinent to MELECHESH?

- I doubt that I could be weak enough to kill myself, I never faced such a situation, not even the idea. And I cannot imagine something that would make me end my life, I would let it do the job... what could make us stop MELECHESH? I don't know, maybe if we reach a stage where one of us has too much to do and cannot be committed to continue the band, but it's a part of us, especially Ashmedi and I who have been doing our best to continue MELECHESH. And it does pay back. I need music to live, I cannot spend one day without touching my instruments, I just go completely berzerk.

Do you know anything regarding Russia? Any metal bands coming from the country of mine you've heard lately?

- I have studied the communist past of Russia, and I know a couple of other things as we had some Russian friends, and that our bassist Al'Hazred is Ukranian. As for metal bands, I saw ARIA live (kick fucking ass), and a lot of other bands, but I can't fucking recall the names, there was also a band called KOROZIA METALLA, or something like that...There are a lot of Russian headbangers that immigrated to Israel, and most of our fans over there are Russian.

That's the point we have to finish the interview at. Any last words?

- Our latest news: we finished recording a video for the track "Genies, Sorcerers And Mesopotamian Nights", our debut is being re-released by War Is Imminent Recs, shirts are printed, and DJINN should be printed in a limited edition LP... contact OSMOSE for all that. And you could contact MELECHESH at <MELECHESH@HOTMAIL.COM>. Anyway thanks for your long time support, and interesting questions, even if they are not always about MELECHESH.