Cenotaph Interview: The reason for signing with three labels is simply to get better distribution of our music worldwide
There are certain Brutal Death Metal albums that you look forward to seeing what happens in the next album and this fifth album by Cenotaph “Precognition to Eradicate” is one of them. Because it perfectly keeps the precepts of how the progress of a band of the style should be, since that "Puked Genital Purulency" (1999) this band knew how to maintain a technical and brutal style that despite listening to it in classic bands. This band knows how to advance their music after “Perverse Dehumanized Dysfunctions” (2017). Everyone involved with the band's music was waiting for a worthy successor to that powerful album. For that, Dargedik had a conversation with Batu, the frontman of this band.
Leer la entrevista en español: Entrevista a Cenotaph
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| Batu Çetin (vocals) |
DARGEDIK: Welcome again Batu to Dargedik webzine pages. We spoke for more than a year for the last album of Molested Divinity and now we do an interview for Cenotaph and this new album “Precognition to Eradicate” that is released by three labels. What are the reasons for releasing this new album on three labels? Do you think you will stop being an underground band to have greater access to the media?
CENOTAPH: Hi There, the reason for signing with three labels is simply to get better distribution of our music worldwide, better European and USA distributions, that’s all, since 1993 we are into underground and our aim was never to be a mainstream band.
DARGEDIK: Now that we come across a new Cenotaph album. Was this composed during the pandemic or was it before? And why did you decide to have a darker cover art than gore?
CENOTAPH: New album "Precognition To Eradicate” total 9 new songs we were working on it since 2019, and October 2021 it's coming out finally, I chose the artwork, Delic Saike did the artwork, illustrator from Japan, it’s a dark and abstract surreal art, I bored of full colorful brutal death metal artworks which nowadays a lot of bands are using, I wanted this time something different.
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| Eren Pamuk (bass) |
DARGEDIK: Relating with the previous question. What is the main subject of this “Precognition to Eradicate”? Coz with new cover art, the lyrics will focus on other aspects. And did you manage the cover art or was it an idea from Delic Saike?
CENOTAPH: The album concept is about a sick and infected dystopia, a surreal dark utopia infected with extraterrestrial life forms, I saw the artwork first and thought it fits our concept and lyrics well then contacted with Delic Saike, coz the art idea was from him.
DARGEDIK: A detail that I see within your career. It is that you participate in many projects as a vocalist. How do you try to make the vocal style changes in all your bands? Are you not afraid that your voice will become well known?
CENOTAPH: I try to use my vocal style in different ways and approaches on each of my projects and bands, it depends on the style of music and my mood.
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| Florent Duployer (drums) |
DARGEDIK: Now we will go back a bit in time. Where "Puked Genital Purulency" (1999) was your first album. Coz "Voluptuously Minced" (1996) is an EP due to the duration of fewer than 30 minutes that an album has. How do you see things after 22 years of having released your first album? How many things changed from your point of view in Cenotaph during all these years?
CENOTAPH: Voluptuously Minced is our first album and Puked Genital is the Second album, I still like those albums, of course, many years passed and many things changed in the band, but my passion for extreme music and brutality never changed since the beginning of the band.
DARGEDIK: Another detail in the Cenotaph story is that you are the last active member since 1993 and you saw all the line-up changes in the band. Why is it difficult to maintain a line-up in Cenotaph's career since the beginning? And how do you feel about this whole new lineup since 2019?
CENOTAPH: its usual thing in most of the bands, new members are coming and leaving, many reasons behind it, it’s always difficult to find the right person for the band, but I m fine with the lineup since 2019, we made a killer new album with this lineup, hope you guys also like.
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| Mattis Butcher (guitar) |
DARGEDIK: Lately, a lot of extreme metal bands are popping up in Turkey. What do you think is due to this boom in bands in your country? And what was the extreme metal scene in Turkey in the early 90s?
CENOTAPH: Yeah, that’s true, a lot of new killer bands coming from Turkey, also next year you all hear more cool releases from Turkey, I think the interest in Death Metal and Extreme Music raised in our country, a lot of new talented musicians are in our scene, which is cool, 90 s was also good times here, it was small ug scene, but if I compare now with the 90s, it’s the much better scene now with sick bands and killer crowd.
DARGEDIK: When one looks for information in the networks with the name of Cenotaph. Many names appear and the most relevant are the Italian Cenotaph, the Mexican Cenotaph, and you. And the funny thing is that all three are related to Death Metal. How do you see this saturation of the name in other parts of the world? And does this present a problem for the band when there are interviews, reviews, comments, etc?
CENOTAPH: I think this question I answered many times, other Cenotaphs I don’t care, we don’t compare our music with the others, we are the most brutal one.
DARGEDIK: Into the matter of how an underground band and a conventional band was should be considered, there are patterns that more vinyl or cassette productions stick to the underground concept, and the CD only expanded the collections of the fans. What do you think are the factors for fans to stick to this underground metal concept? And where are located the digital platforms?
CENOTAPH: it’s a deep question, some fans love to collect vinyl or tapes other CDs and other digital or merch only, it just depends on people, it's not abt being ug band or not, in multiple different formats our music is releasing, you can choose any format, as long as our music spreads around its ok for me
DARGEDIK: Another detail is about the listening methods of the fans, coz this new generation prefers to hear one or two songs on the digital platforms. What are you think about the albums doesn’t have the same impact in comparison to the 80s or 90s? And what do bands need to do to improve the listening of all songs in albums?
CENOTAPH: It BCS a lot of bands around nowadays, a lot of releases coming out every week, its also difficult for fans to follow every new release, at the 90s or 80s we were listening to every album every song till the end BCS it was difficult at those years to reach new music, now ppl can listen millions of bands and albums with one click if bands music is cool and original with the good sound it gets ppl s attention from the first seconds of the album.
DARGEDIK: Well, Batu, the sad time arrived at this interview, I hope you enjoy this one as I did, and thank you very much for your time. Congratulations on the new album. Take care during this pandemic situation and our best wishes from this part of the world. Any last words for your fans in Latin America and Dargedik readers?
CENOTAPH: Thank you for the interview, hope to come and play thereafter the new album, check out the new album which was out on 13th October from New Standard Elite, Tentacles Industries, Coyote Records on different formats CD /LP / Digipack CD / Tape /Digital /Merch.
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