Malignancy Interview for SS Zine #13

from scrawlshop zine #13

Ss zine caught up with vocalist Danny Nelson after the release of their new album “INHUMAN GROTESQTUERIES”…

how is Malignancy doing? how was the European tour you did in late 2010?

Danny Nelson: The band is doing great. The new album Eugenics has been a great experience so far for us. Our best material and recording to date. Bass tracks are being laid down now and the mix and mastering is next. The mini tour we did with Kastrated and Carnal Decay was awesome. We had a sick time with them and hope to get back to Europe very soon.

on your myspace blog there’s a video posted of an old Malignancy interview on TV. Do you remember how that one was setup? what can you say about the band during that time?

D: Yes that interview was setup right after we recorded our first demo Eaten Out From Within. The girl interviewing us was doing it for a school project. The band back then was extremely primitive in our approach, mainly because we were all not that good at playing. Definitely a fun experience growing up in this band and watching it grow.

You’re currently working on your new record Eugenics. can you tell us more about it? how are the sessions so far, and how many songs will the new album have?

D: Eugenics will have a total of ten new songs, I guess about 30 minutes of material. The sessions have been going well, this one has taken longer then we thought. Drums and guitars were recorded months ago and then we parted ways with Lance (bass) so we had to find someone to play shows and on Eugenics.

Inhuman Grotesqueries has a loud, clear and very “organic” sound, and was recorded in the band’s own studio as well. it redefined the band’s sound in a major way too. do you recommend having your own studio as opposed to going to well known studios to get a “specific” sound? any special requirements you had to get for the band’s own studio?

D: Although Inhuman was a great experience for me it was not overall. There are mixed views on the production of that album. I do not suggest it to any band to be honest. The process takes a lot out of you. Very stressful indeed. Leave it up to the professionals!

what happened to Lance? how is it reuniting with Roger now on bass with a different role in the band (he used to play drums)?

D: Lance had to leave Malignancy because he could not commit anymore to what the band was doing. Roger has always been in the mix in one way or the other. He and I are still very close friends so he was the first person we asked because of his knowledge of the band and talent.

New York is a special place for the band and Castle Heights was good times for the band too. do you think there will be another venue like that? does New York City influence the band in a big way?

D: Castle Heights days were the best for the scene, killer place for shows. I do not know if there will ever be a place to rival Castle. Maybe if we open a club, hahaha, I wish. NYC influence us? We are not influenced by the bands from NYC. The city itself, not too sure. I think we all draw our inspirations from different sources.

what can you say about your Japan tours? will you tour Asia again? I hope you guys play in the Philippines

D: The Tokyo Death Fest was a great experience for us. I have always wanted to visit Japan and play there. We would love to play Asia again. It is difficult for us to visit some Asian countries because of financial reasons. We are an underground band and promoters cannot afford to pay for us to come out and perform. It is also too expensive for us to pay for it ourselves.

Among all of your albums which ones are the most memorable / most drunk / unforgettable for you especially with the tour that followed?

D: Intrauterine is the most memorable for me because we did a tour right after it came out. Our first US tour, first time in Europe, our first CD, everything was a new experience. Insane times, would not trade them for anything.

Was “Neglected Rejection” directed at anyone in particular? it’s one of the few that stands out from all of the sick demented songs in Inhuman Grotesqueries as the lyrics are more personal and cryptic

D:  Neglected was not directed at anyone in particular. I think we have all gone through those feelings discussed in the song. At one time or another we all have felt ridiculed or left out, this is just to the extreme.

what are your comments about alien / human experimentation and secret government facilities breeding mutant hybrids? How about genetic manipulation and humans being used as guinea pigs for advanced surgical experiments?

D:  I think my lyrics pretty much say it all, hahaha. Not sure if what I write about is true but I always try to ground the concepts in reality. There is stuff that goes on within many governments that its people never know about. Genetic manipulation has been going on for decades, humans are turned on by the control factor. Of being a so called creator. There are so many new experimental drugs on the medical market today that are being tested on us. Sometimes the sickness is better than the cure.

when you write lyrics do you do it before or after the music is completed? do you tend to go for a more spontaneous approach or have finished lyrics ready?

D: For the last few Malignancy albums I wrote the lyrics right before I went into the studio to record. I used to write songs in advance but I just prefer doing it this way now.

do you agree that sick films and kult sci fi movies have an indirect influence on Maligancy’s sound / lyrics?

D: No not really, I usually get my ideas from the news. I hear about something unthinkable and I twist it into something I can use. I am a fan of horror and sci fi movies but I never mix the two.

is Tony Koehl coming back to do the new album art? what are your thoughts about his work? which Malignancy album cover is your favorite and why?

D: Tony is not doing the cover for Eugenics, Slasher Designs put together exactly what I was looking for. I really dig his work, very detailed and insane much like our style of music. All the Malig covers share a special place in my heart. 🙂 They all reflect the band and what state of mind we were in.

Will the new album be released on vinyl? what are your thoughts on the resurgence of vinyl and do you collect vinyl records too?

D: I am a vinyl collector indeed, I have a nice collection. Eugenics will be available through Haunted Hotel Records just like Inhuman was.

what are Malignancy’s tour survival tips and drinking on the road tips? any favorite brews while on the road / abroad?

D: Tour survival: 1) Stay out of trouble, no fighting with the natives. 2) Drink all day and night, you will never get sick. 3) Wear a condom no matter what. 4) Kick ass every show. Hahahaha.

Peter Steele, Dio and Wolfgang Teske all passed away last year… have you toured / played with Defeated Sanity or met Steele or Dio?

D: I did meet Wolfgang when Defeated played in our area, very nice guy. Never met Dio but I did meet Peter Steele a few times at a bar
in Brooklyn called Duffs.

lastly what are the band’s current playlists? your own playlist, etc.

D: My playlist? My iPod is always on shuffle and I have lots of old school death metal and thrash on it.

Thanks for the interview!