foreword by: VIVIsectVI
I felt that Brimstone In Fire didn’t receive any proper closure after Mikah passed away. They were on a roll, recording the limited edition EP and releasing a mighty full-length that further evolved and established their unique sound. They remained in the realm of oldschool death metal while their heads were elevated in the prog-death (and almost psychemetal influenced) upper levels of metal without teetering to the brutal tech death sound.
Here is a collection of all remaining BIF material scoured from scrawlshop zine and other previous (and now offline) issues of THC Zine.
Brimstone in Fire SS interview (2012) + partial discography reviews by: R Ibanez, VVV, & DRO)))NEB0)))T
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SS Zine Interview: Brimstone In Fire
(interrogation participants: DB, XXXTian and Mikah)
ss: do writings and other philosophies have an influence on your music and lyrics? I noticed some links on your site for Prometheus Books, Sam Harris, Skeptic.com, The Institute of Humanist Studies and loads of other interesting sites. They are very far from most death metal bands’ common interests.
DB: We all have a life and experiences outside of metal (and music in general) and those influences are going to show up in everything you do, not just your songwriting and composition. I can’t speak for the other guys but my lyrics and compositions are clearly colored by my interest in philosophy; atheist and humanist philosophy in particular.
The links you mentioned are mostly to do with my personal world-view, that there is a real world, one that is independent of our senses, one that if we are to make any sense of, obliges us to abandon our illusions no matter how comforting they are and no matter how much misplaced value other people place on those illusions.
Essentially, I believe that we all should stand up, look the universe square in the face, stare it down and not blink.
MA: In the 90s, yes. I was young then and I didn’t really have a lot of “life stuff” to write about. So I would take this or that from what I would read, and that would be a song. Nowadays, I try to write from personal experience or personal opinions. It just so happens that a lot of my opinions are similar to DB’s, so when he writes a tune, and then I write a tune, it’s not like we’re on opposite sides of the fence.
ss: Your split was Pathogen was killer. How did Brute! Productions contact you for this CD release? How did the local version from Lifespan Records got licensed (with different artwork and packaging)?
DB: Thanks. Alex Dela Cruz of In Dark Purity Zine gave me Joi/Brute! Productions contact details and Willie and I coordinated the final reproduction stage with Joi. You’ll have to ask Ed about the art and Erwin and Willie about the local license for Lifespan. On the subject of the album art, I prefer my layout cause the album is “All Flesh Fades” and not “All Flames Flames”. I do appreciate Ed’s support in distributing the split and getting the word out to promote it though.
ss: BIF’s sound has more progressive and technical touches than most local death metal bands. Even with your peers like KNK who have a similar mindset, you still sound different, distinct from what other guys in your genre are playing. Do you guys listen to jazz and older progressive stuff? What are your comments regarding non metal influences in the context of playing death metal?
DB: We do listen to a lot of non metal tunes. For instance, I listen to a ton of industrial, EBM, NDH, synth-pop, goth (REAL goth not goth metal, those guys are okay in small, infrequent doses), progressive rock (NOT prog metal, though those guys are alright), punk/HC and a lot of other odd things. I don’t listen to as much jazz as I used to, though I still enjoy it. Cross genre pollination as long as it’s done properly can be a good thing, not always though…
MA: I don’t listen to jazz as much but I listened to almost nothing else for what, 6 or 7 years. Apologies to my prog friends but I’m just not into prog metal. I listen to tons of drum & bass now, so that stuff and contemporary jazz (like from 2000 and onward) are the things most influencing my playing now. You need non-genre stuff if you are to grow. The metal world already has its Roger Federers and Mika Hakkinens and Warren Buffetts. If you’re gonna do something new, you gotta find a different angle. That said, you also need to use your judgment as to what works and what doesn’t work for your band.
X: I’m more into 70’s jazz fusion like stuff from Bill Bruford and Weather Report, and yes I also like groups like Yes, Rush and King Crimson. They have helped a lot with regards to my bass playing. Currently I’’m listening to a lot of pop tunes because of session players like Pino Palladino and Leland Sklar.
ss: Rumor has it that not one member of the bands in the compilation (Sa Kabilang Anyo) were given copies of the album and artwork by the label? is this true? is it also true that someone is repressing/reissuing it on CD?
X: Its no rumor, everyone had to purchase their own copy in order for them to get one. There had been pirated copies of it already circulating and for them to professionally reissue it would be most welcome.
DB: We got an advance royalty check and Tone Def set up a few gigs to support the release… just no free stuff… well Mike got a poster. The rest of us got nothing. If any of the other bands received complimentary copies of the album, it’s news to me, cause I got whole lot of “Where’s MY fucking free stuff?!” Hell, I had to buy MY OWN COPY of the compilation. If somebody is repressing/reissuing Kabila, timbrehan ‘nyo agad kami at yung mga ibang banda dahil di pwede mag re-ish na walang pahintulot ng mga banda. Same thing with Joseph’s art, they definitely can’t reissue anything without Conde’s green light on the art. I asked Joseph about it at a recent gig and he confirmed Tone Def never returned his original artwork.
MA: Is someone reissuing it? Well, Christian found a pirated mp3 disc of it at some tiangge somewhere, so I guess the answer is yes, in a way.
ss: Most of the death metal underground during that time was from Marikina and Manila. You dudes were the ones from the South. are you still in contact with some of these bands? (some of which have stopped playing or shifted to non metal). If you could resurrect some of these local bands who would they be?
X: Mike from Death After Birth has been a long time comrade, he helped the band get into underground gigs back in the day. I would like to see Ronald and the rest of Crematorium do a reunion gig.
DB: Dethrone was from the southern NCR, some of the guys in Rumblebelly were too. I still bump into some of the other D.O.M.s-dirty old metal-LOL from time to time. I’d resurrect Thy Flesh Consumed because TFC could totally destroy an audience with just two-and-a-half songs (shameless self-promotion heheheh). But seriously Pest, Scum and Valhalla would be fun to see again, Oh yeah, and Dethrone if only to see “Pokpok” performed live again.
MA: We would all like Death After Birth to please get their asses into the studio and lay it down already.
DB: I dunno man, Mike’s (Death After Birth) house and gear got totally fucked from the flood; I’m guessing recording isn’t high on his list of priorities at the moment.
ss: Brimstone in Fire jams and drinks and brainstorms at your own convenient home studio (Noiseworks)- can you tell us more about the studio? You have started accepting recording projects too, right?
DB: I retro-fitted the guesthouse as a studio/boozer squat. Strictly for ARRRGGHHH!!! music only, like it says on the logo: black, crust, death & grind. Thrash punk/HC are ok as well and there are a few other exceptions.
Da studio is bery nice I tink. Da ref is always full of alak en der is has poster ov Immortal en Vader on da wall so all the banda who can see it will know I am KVLT, just like my idol Emil-LOL.
ss: You are currently working on the next BIF CD as we speak. can you tell us more about the new material, if it differs from the past recordings etc. what are the themes and lyrical / musical / non musical inspirations behind it?
DB: Ten tunes. Some old, some new, nothing borrowed (stolen maybe heheh…) and maybe a very faint echo of the blues. Refer back to my reply to your first question for a taste of the lyrical inspiration. The tunes on the album are a bit cleaner production wise. We also streamlined and tightened up some of the arrangements. There are a couple of tasty bass guitar surprises, being a bassist yourself, I’m sure you’ll enjoy them.
MA: The production is going to be a lot better. Now that I think about it there _is_ a little bit of thematic unity to the songs, but arrangement-wise though, there’s a lot of variety. Personally I enjoy how the old songs got filtered through our new ideas, but it’s hard to answer how the new songs are different from the old ones because I can’t even describe the old ones very well. Our sound is a bit hard to nail down.
X: Most of the songs in the upcoming CD have re-worked versions of older material.
ss: Are you all gear fiends? what are your favorites? do you tend to stick to just one brand or model and do you get the old GAS from time to time?
X: Right now I’m not using any effects on any sort, just the Ibanez GSR396 bass and a good working instrument cable.
DB: I prefer molesting gear made by Harman (DOD/Digitech/JBL), Samson, Ibanez, Audio Technica & Neutrik. I’ve got my guitar GAS under control, but these days I find myself lusting after microphones and mic preamps for the studio. I also wish I had a stand-alone hardware RTA.
MA: Nah, I’m not a gear fiend. At most I have a thing for really nice rides, and little attachments I use to modify the sound of my cymbals and snare. I don’t ever bring all my toys at once; it’s a pain to set up and I like being able to do a gig with just kick, hats, ride and snare. That said, Bosphorus cymbals are my faves but I’m not a snob. There are some exquisite no-name hi hats out there. I do need more studio equipment though. Pro-quality monitors would top my list.
ss: Any weird / crazy stories on the road playing in different gigs? What are your favorite areas around the metro to play in?
X: Going outside of Metro Manila is always fun or we make the most out of the trip. Like the gig we had in Tarlac, it was awesome! We were allowed to play a long and good set, even though most of the bands on the bill was either hardcore or punk. And we had one hell of a food trip going (we had a late lunch at Aling Lucing’s Sisig) and coming back home (we had pizza at Armando’s Pizza Pasta).
DB: We’ve got loads of fucked up road stories but they’re best enjoyed in person and with a bit of alcohol. Next time we’re getting shit-faced and legless remind me to tell you some of the stories. As for venues, I’ll let the other guys answer that one.
MA: My fave venues for Brimstone have to be 10-02 (cause of the gear) and Grub (cause of the location).
ss: Mike is in Helen – what can you say about them? – They just did an album launch late last year. Are any of you dudes in other side projects or do you jam with other bands / musicians?
DB: BIF commands my entire focus right now.
MA: I still do a few jazz gigs here and there, and once in a while I’ll sub for absent drummers in various bands, but that’s it. I do side projects when they happen but only if the time required isn’t intense. I couldn’t handle a third regular band.
ss: You guys have been gigging and jamming for a long while now. You’ve seen and heard a lot more than most in the underground. What are your views on the following :
a. Filipino Metal’s pay to play productions scum list
X: Bands today are lucky to have something like this.
DB: Wish we had something similar back in the day. Has it been updated recently? Haven’t checked back in a while …
MA: Good work on that list. If we were ever somehow tricked into actually playing a set at a pay to play gig, we would simply tell the organizers to fuck themselves. All bands should do the same.
b. playing and getting wasted in the Cebu Sinulog Festival
DB: Sadly, we weren’t able to play the Sinulog Insanity show because the other guys weren’t able to book their tickets early enough but I still went and it was the best four day bender I’ve had in my life. I spent the whole time indulging my inner libertine heheheh … Then I showed up at the gig to see the locals play and also to support Mass Hypnosia and Tenebrion. We did get to play there in November of the previous year and we had a blast! I highly recommend playing and/or watching a gig in Cebu if you get the chance.
MA: Yes, very sadly there wasn’t enough time for us to get our finances together. The gig was right after the holidays, and money was tight.
c. D Boss bar (he he)
DB: ‘Wag mo naman sirain ang damit ko!! Man, I wish I was there to see that hahaha! Used to be such a great place to get some nasty-nasty and get totally plowed too, but now… What the hell happened to quality control?! I wonder if they all just transferred to the other branch. hmmmm… By the way, you wouldn’t happen to know who has the “Last Supper” pic we shot inside D Boss with yours truly in the center as Jesus Christ would you?
X: It’s a cool place to drink beer and enjoy classic love songs from Air Supply to Roxette while scantily but tastefully clad women strut their stuff on stage.
d. analog recording vs. pc recording
DB: All things being equal, tape compression is the only real advantage that analog recording has over digital. Won’t be much longer though before engineers figure out how to accurately reproduce the same result with ones and zeroes, and when that day comes there will be no reason to ever go back to tape. But I’ll bet there’ll still be no shortage of tape and vinyl zealots.
X: Recording with the PC is more convenient and affordable.
MA: How many people can still afford to record to 2″ tape? I recently read an interview of the engineer who did AC/DC’s most recent album. All analog all the way, just like they used to do. I’ve no doubt it sounds great but man, that kind of gear is expensive! I say, if you can afford to go analog, then do it — but be prepared to spend money. And you had better be an excellent band as well, cause you’re not going to be able to cut-and-paste like you can with a computer. And on a final note — the skill of the band and the skill of the engineer is going to be a lot more important than the medium they record onto.
e. BIF drink mixing and,
DB: Christian and I actually were bartenders a long time ago in a bistro far, far away. Mixology rules what else is there to say?
X: Its always fun to experiment with alcohol and surprisingly there are always willing test subject or victims.
f. the best foods to eat after a gig or heavy alcoholism
DB: I wish they’d serve Swagat style murgh korma (chicken curry) extra spicy in the usual venues. That would be great to wash down with Red Horse. Don’t know if I could recommend a “best” food to go with a gut full of booze but I’ll tell you this, never, ever pig out on ice cream after a night of the hard stuff. Man, I was so plastered it seemed like the greatest idea ever. When it was finally over, it looked like Jackson Pollack was comissioned by Waco Jesus to paint my toilet. Christ on crutches man, never again!
X: I usually look for dimsum and noodle soup at Joe Kuan, Chowking and Kowloon House.
MA: Your body knows what it needs. If you see a plate of lechon kawali and a plate of tokwa, and for some reason you’re craving the tokwa, by all means eat the tokwa!
12. Finally: You’re trapped in an island with lots of weed, booze and hot asian chicks. what are your top ten albums with you?
DB: No particular order.
Combichrist – What the fuck is wrong with you people?!
Frank Zappa – Hot Rats
Wolfsheim – Casting Shadows
Bjork – Debut
The Sisters of Mercy – First and Last and Always
Slayer – Reign in Blood
Misfits – Plan 9
The Cure – Disintegration
King Crimson – Beat
Atheist – Elements
MA: Can’t answer, there’s too much good music out there
X: Allan Holdsworth – Road Games
Cynthia Alexander – Insomnia And Other Lullabies
Duncan Sheik – Duncan Sheik
Eric Johnson – Tones
Goldie – Timeless
Natalie Imbruglia – Left Of The Middle
The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Dawn – The Dawn
Weather Report – Night Passage
Yes – Fragile
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All Flesh Fades
Pathogen/Brimstone in Fire split
Brute! Productions
Splits usually serve as a great way to release material from both bands that either have something in common or are have different/slightly different styles. That said, both local ragers Pathogen and BxIxFx have something in common (slicing riffs, cold alcoholic beverages, adult entertainment, etc) but also have differing elements as well (Pathogen’s old school evil death metal contrasted with Brimstone in Fire’s deep death/prog stylings, etc).
Pathogen of course is Willie Desamero’s darker, more pissed off project, compared to his other kvlt act, Effluvium; the mighty Brimstone in Fire is the alumnus of the classic Sa Kabilang Anyo ng Buhay compilation, and when it came out in the nineties all of us in the know expected the label to release debut albums for each band on that comp including the warped dementia of Brimstone in Fire.
Years and tons of gigs later, Brute! productions finally has the honor of releasing this split CD as a current timecheck where these two bands’ collective heads are at especially Brimstone. If this was on 7″ vinyl it would perfectly complement each side – Pathogen represents Laguna’s export, fusing death/thrash with a nod to the 90’s Brutal DM style. Pathogen combines this with Willie’s riffing style as heard in Effluvium, but using more minor keys and patterns. “Locust Invasion” rages with megaton doom/death riff drops marred by long blasts and wailing Incantation style abstract leads. Check out their Blasphemous Communion CD/LP out now for more if you dug their stuff.
Southerners Brimstone in Fire pitch in some classy tech structured metal to put your brain in a trance as well push a few codes in it too. The EP that came out last year and this release will hold over listeners until that full length finally gets released. BIF’s stuff is warped dementia; there’s an almost psychedelic streak to the fluid leads on top of chopping odd time meters by the rhythm section and low weird deathmetal vox. Their lyrics are also well written and is not the typical stuff. Watch out for that new CD soon.
One minor complaint with this is that whoever digs this is left wanting more tracks. Which means a full length or any release from both should and definitely must be taken as a follow up dose.The local version is also available at Lifespan Distro, with different artwork by Rakel Tattoo Studios in a cardboard pack; it’s a badass design (the cover drenched in hellfire), but the Brute! Prod. pro version looks better. It’s more rustic and fitting with the title.
http://www.myspace.com/pathogenonline
http://www.unhinged-music.net/
[R Ibanez, 2012]
Brimstone In Fire – Live EP
Unhinged Music
This cult collection of songs is the transition period from the older BIF to the new lineup, which featured Isa and Ian from Demiurge, on guitar and vocals. The upgraded lineup delves further into their world of busy, intense, jazz fusion death metal riffing and rhythm section interplays. The Noiseworks recording and production adds clarity, heaviness, and subtle sonic nuances that expand their sound.
Ian’s style carries some of his strengths from Demiurge, with added clean vocals but not the typical metal styles you’ll find in many tech and prog-death bands. It’s kind of a stoic style that fits perfectly. He alternates with his heavier mid-range vocals, retaining the clearer delivery and adding interesting phrasings.
The solid, sinister, and sometimes prog-metered twin guitar riffing alternates with counterpoint and harmony parts along with the bass, while the drums provide tasty anchor and jazzy fills and mid-parts. These four part interplays add sonic textures pleasing to the brain. Older tunes such as “Winter” and “War In My Thoughts” get an upgrade that propels the band into 2012 and beyond. It’s an essential part of the band’s discography with added upgrades with a sinister evil fusion atmosphere.
[VVV, 2018]
Brimstone In Fire – Outside
Unhinged Music
Outside is the final BIF release, and a fitting album that sees the band integrate all their ideas and sonic experiments into an even more crystallized and distilled final form of techdeathprogjazzfusion madness.
Among the many local death metal bands I enjoy, BIF is for sure the only one that doesn’t abuse blastbeats and ultra low brutal death vocals. They still sit firmly in the death metal plane of existence, but with alchemically altered out-there influences.
Released a year after Mikah’s departure from this earthly plane, this is his most accomplished work to date. Released three years after the EP, the tunes here are further beefed up with careful sound engineering. The band is a trio in this final record, with Xtian on bass, Mikah on drumkit, and DB on guitars and vocals.
The results are darker and heavier, and retains their attention to sonic details. This benefits their tech riffing and jazz fusion interplays and brings them to the fore. It’s the trademark esoteric BIF death metal sound plus their jazzy and proggish interludes and sometimes discordant stretches. The sonic palette they explore makes them different from all other local death metal units, and even with their other forward-thinking, techdeath peers.
Meanwhile, the vocals have further mutated into a creepy, decrepit kind of sickness. They go hand in hand with their ever-evolving lysergic tech death annihilation and somber, lower spoken word styles.
According to the CD, Dondi handled the vocals in this recording, one-upping the vocal performance on the Live EP which was already good. Mutating the style of the Live EP, it features lower-toned vocals and spoken word parts that are the perfect vehicle for the questioning, philosophical, yet personal lyrics.
Take some tokes in succession when listening to get all the details and textures in. Escape further into the inner mind temple where BIF was headed when they released this final album. Long after the world has bitten the dust, this is the last album they had to say to the world. It already stands as a classic record that abandons genres and typical metal styles.
RIP Mikah.
Smash Your Cage And Fly Outside.
[R Ibanez, 2023]
Towards Harmonious Civilization Zine 
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