Obscure Bands: Promiscuity

Israel's Promiscuity performs filthy, raw speed metal in the proudest and most disgusting tradition. Think Venom, and you'll have a pretty good idea of what they're doing. Their demo Infernal Rock N' Roll is for pay-what-you-want (or $5 cassette) on their Bandcamp page (link at the bottom of the interview). I had a chance to ask them a few questions about ugly metal in Israel.

FMA: Who is Promiscuity, and how did the band get started?

Werewolf: The lineup is Butcher (vocals+axe), Dekapitator (drums) and myself on bass. It started because of my urge to write some primitive and ugly riffs and lyrics and started to take real shape when Butcher joined forces with me.

The collaboration with Butcher was just inevitable - he is the only like-minded Metalhead I know within a radius of minimum 50km and I couldn't have any doubt about his great writing and playing skills after having heard his 1-man Death Metal project MORBID TENDENCY.

Once Dekapitator agreed to help us as a drummer, it didn't take long until "Infernal Rock N' Roll" was recorded. Dekapitator lives around half a country away from us (which is not really too far, but does make things more complicated) and plays in other bands, so he isn't involved in the writing process, but that works just perfectly for the 3 of us.

FMA: Some people have a hard time thinking about a band from Israel without letting politics get in the way. What do you have to say to them?

Werewolf: "Some people have a hard time thinking" - I couldn't agree more, this phenomenon is very common nowadays, which is very sad! But they aren't worth my time, just like I guess they think that I'm not worth theirs, eh?

Butcher: I would tell them - FOAD!


FMA: Israel can be a touchy place to be in a metal band, with at least one notable group (Melechesh) facing criminal charges in the past. But on the other hand, I've noticed that Israeli fans can be fiercely loyal to their bands. What's the metal scene like there, and how does Promiscuity fit in that scene?

Werewolf: There is no "Metal Scene" in Israel. There are some individuals that make great music, like Tangorodrim, Hell Darkness and Sonne Adam, but they are wolves among sheep, so to say. There is also a shitload of "deathcore" and "metal"core bands that come and go, but understanding why they even claim to have anything in common with Metal is really beyond me. Their fans usually remain very loyal to them between the age of 15-17 and keep going to their gigs and download their releases (it's usually one MCD released and them the band splits), then they usually stop listening to "metal". PROMISCUITY doesn't fit in this circus and never will, but it's really not a big loss for us.

As for what you told about Melechesh, Ashmedi (the band's never changing leader) told the local media in mid-90's that Melechesh are Satanists and other bullshit and he was persecuted by the police. It was nothing more than a small provocation to piss off some people and get some exposure. But most of the time - Metal is pretty much ignored here, so if you want to become a victim of some kind of "witch hunt" - better commit some real crime, because playing in a Metal band is not enough.

FMA: The name Infernal Rock N' Roll seems perfectly apt to describe your music. What are your influnces? Seriously--and I mean this in a good way--do you guys own any albums by anyone other than Venom and Motörhead?

Werewolf: Haha, we definitely do! I'm influenced by a great assortment of 80's Metal (be it Saxon, Celtic Frost or Necrovore...) and non-Metal bands with cool attitude, like Sektor Gaza (a Russian band that had a mostly Punk attitude, but mixed literally all kinds of music), GG ALLIN and THE COFFINSHAKERS for example. I pity those who claim to be only into Black Metal, for example. If you know about at least one musical genre that you like - it means that you like music and there must be other stuff you would enjoy, if you only tried to find it and not try to cheat yourself, attempting to prove that you are "true", "devoted" or at least worth of living.

If you listen only to a very specific style of music, you won't be able to create anything good or interesting yourself. Motorhead had no other band that sounded like themselves to listen to before they started to play music the Motorhead way, yet they managed to create it! It must have been a result of listening to various kinds of music and having their own inspiration. The moments when I have new writing ideas are the ones when I get some inspiration of my own. I obviously know that we don't sound super original, but our aim is to avoid being a copycat of one single band! Think about the overgrowing legions of Darkthrone clones and then think how many of them have ever done something even 25% as good as their idols have done and you will understand what I mean.

Butcher: I'm influenced by many acts from the 80's and the 70's Heavy Metal and Hard Rock stuff, but seriously - when it comes to writing, I take inspiration from myself... I just try to come up with good and catchy riffs, without thinking about any band at that moment.

FMA: The production on the demo is raw, even in an age when anyone can get a "perfect" recording on the cheap. How did you record and produce it?

Werewolf: The drums were recorded in Dekapitator's basement with a 4-track Tascam cassette recorder and 3 cheap karaoke mics, one inside the bass drum, one used for the snare and another one hung above the whole drum kit, to record the cymbals. That's why the drums sound so natural and raw. It worked great for the drums, but when we tried to bounce the 3 tracks into the other one and re-use 3 tracks for bass, guitar and vocals recording - everything started to sound like utter shit (and I think that there is an enormous difference between raw and just inaudible sounding music. If you record cool solos - better make sure they will be heard!), so the rest was recorded with a pc at home with the same cheap mics and not much editing. If by saying "perfect" recording you mean triggered drums and overall sterile sound - it's not for us.

FMA: What are the near-term and long-term goals for Promiscuity?

Werewolf: We have drums recorded for 2 new songs, so the moment I have some break from non-stop overtime working hours+college, everything else will be recorded and we'll try to find some label that would like to release it as a 7", or maybe use them as a part of some split. That's the near future term goals. As for the long term - time will tell, but the main goal that was set since day one will remain the same no matter what - we will just keep playing Infernal Rock N' Roll!

FMA: If you could force everyone in the world to listen to one album, what would it be and why?

Werewolf: I think that trying to force someone to listen to anything is rather pointless, but if I had to choose one album - it would be IRON MAIDEN's "Piece of Mind" LP!

Butcher: DEEP PURPLE - In Rock. To make them understand what the true spirit of Rock N Roll is!