Coffins interview

Greetings to far Japan from Ukraine! What is the weather there now? Is it too cold?

It snowed yesterday, still cold now!!

2013 was great year for you I’m sure! You have released excellent album, called “The Fleshland”! Tell me more about this piece of doom. What the sense did you put into this title?

Hell yeah, that’s our 4th album. Relapse Records released it. Originally, we were going to release the album from other label. But the label was very ambiguous about a release contract, and were feeling uneasy. I mean, we wanted to release it with a label on a steady clean contract. They have contacted to us by the good timing. I had decided the title use from before. The basically sense is “This earth is formed by human blood and flesh”. I explain no more here, will leave it to your imagination.

And what is the main idea of the album? Just to grind to death the listeners, or maybe to send some message?

Nothing special. We are just a doom/death metal band, and followed only the bandimage. Always we entrust the image of the album to listeners.

I have read many reviews about “The Fleshland”, and bigger dose of them are quite not too positive… As for me, as I have said before – album is excellent, but from your point of view, why people doesn’t accept “The Fleshland” too much?

I don’t know. But always to make a best album, we’re working desperately. If people criticize it severely, we have no choice and only accept it. We only use the chagrin for a next release as fuel.

How many gigs you have played since album was released? What the countries you have visited? What about Japan, how fans met your new album?

That was released two years ago already, so we have played a lot of gigs included European tour and US tour. Actually, we were not famous so far in Japan. But also Relapse is famous in Japan, so there seem to be a lot of metal fans who knew us from that album.

How could you characterize Coffins music? Do you actually give a shit about what the style you playing of, or do you have a position like “we play music and that’s all”?

As I said even past various interviews, we don’t have a persistence for a genre and a style. Indeed, Coffins in an early stage was playing the doom/death sound like Winter and Autopsy. Because they are my heroes always. Just because, I still come under a big big influence on writing songs doesn’t mean we don’t intend to be a doom/death band. What is our sound… we only entrust the judgment to a listener.

“The Fleshland” was released by American Relapse records. As I know, all your albums were released by different labels, why so?

We also did a self promotion like other bands in old time. I sent a demo to the various labels. A small label is usually one-shot contract mostly about an album, so we had to change a label every albums. (Luckily we had always received a release offer from other labels.) But Razorback rec, Imperium prod and 20 Buck Spin did good works for us. And Osmose prod and Hammerheart rec also helped circulation of our old albums. We are truly thankful for
them.

What about Relapse, do you think you’ll be together for several future albums?

Good label for us, we are honored to work with them. Also our 5th album will be released from the label. We are writing songs for it now.

Well, tell us please about ideology of each member. Like religions, politics and etc…

Nothing special, I think. We gather to play music simply only, so don’t have a discussion about each member’s being personal.

I know you have had troubles with line-up, how’s nowadays situation? Do you think it’s stable finally? And what is the reason of those changes?

Indeed, we got the member change trouble in two years ago. The withdrawal of the (former) vocalist was decided in spring of 2013, right after “The Fleshland” was released. That was just before starting promotion for new album, so we were very perplexed. I don’t intend to criticize him… but as he also has already lost motivation for activity of Coffins, the activity with him was painful for me at least. We already get a new guy at the end of 2013 and are active together now. The voice of the new guy fits us than a former vocalist, so I love it. It’s like totally early Coffins… I mean, we became the best line-up again right now.

I have found great pieces in your music, which reminded me Asphyx, Autopsy… What’s your opinion about those? Do you agree both of them are the best in its genre? Did you listen to last Asphyx effort?

I agreed of course!! They are my heroes, and keep having a big big influence for us. Luckily I was able to watch their play directly. That was awesome!! Last Asphyx effort… “Deathhammer” album, right? Of course!! We got the album from them directly. Great album!!

“The Fleshland” artwork was made by legendary C. Moyen! Wasn’t it hard to have cooperation with him? Did he dig deep into your music while creating picture? Did he listen to music before artwork process was started? And do you really impressed by final result?

He and we work together from 2005. So we trust him, and he also doesn’t do work to disappoint our expectation. We don’t direct him about an artwork basically. He draw an artwork based on the image from an album title and song titles freely. Especially, I’m a big big fan of his artwork from old days (like Incantation, Goatlord, Beherit, Derketa, Blasphemy etc…), and always satisfied with his artworks. Moyen rules!!

Coffins take participation in “Japan Extreme Metal The Documentary PT 1.”. I have NEVER heard about this film, can you tell us more about this? Were there Metal bands only, or some modern(alt, core etc) as well?

That’s a documentary movie some years ago, so I don’t remember it so well. The director of that movie was the American guy who played in a Japanese brutal death metal band. He was interested in the Japanese underground metal scene and seemed to want to filmize it. I heard that the movie was a plan released as DVD. But after all, it seems the guy couldn’t find a label that is interested in it. (I heard the rumor that the movie was used for in a
venue of Roadburn in 2011, but I don’t know it whether it’s true.)

How could you describe life condition in Japan? Do you like your country and does Japan gives you all you could need in this life? I know almost all Japans are extremely patriotic, is it true?

Of course I love this country, was born and brought up in Japan. Anyone likes own country, doesn’t it hit you, too? That’s it!!

Fukushima… Haven’t you lost some of your relatives? Is it true that there was explosion much more brutal than here in Chernobyl back in 1986?

Myself was not damaged including a relative. But my wife is from Fukushima, and Fukushima still has her parents’ home and relative. So I’m not sure, but her acquaintances and friends might be damaged. To be honest… it’s actually kind of serious, provide a parallel to Chernobyl. Japanese Government is controlling an opinion including mass
communication, so the people can’t know the truth. The reports of overseas media would be near the truth. I mean, overseas people would be able to grasp the current state of Fukushima in detail more than Japanese people. I love this country, but Japanese Government is shit.

What do you know about Ukraine? Maybe you even know some our bands? Also do you have any thoughts regarding what’s going on at Ukraine now, i.e. war etc…?

I often see news of a war about Ukraine. But I don’t know about your country well including a metal scene, sorry!!

Ok, that’s all for now – thx again for great album and I hope soon we’ll listen to the new full-length from you! DOOM UNTIL DEATH!

Thanks a lot, cheers!!

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