Ichor - A chit-chat with guitarist Alex
Germany’s death metal outfit Ichor recently released their debut full length The Siege. Time for Metalrage.com to fire some questions at guitarist Alex. Read the outcome below.
Hi there, how’s life?
‘Hey there, life’s good. Everything’s cool and works out fine, although you always have to do certain things and responsibilities. But that’s what music’s made for. If there are any, it helps you to get through all hardships every single time. But like I said, at there moment, everything’s easy.’
Please introduce yourself and your band.
‘My name is Alex and I’m a member of the German Death metal band Ichor. We’ve been doing music together for like 16 months and it works out great!’
How did you guys come up with this band name?
‘I can’t remember exactly how we came up with this. I read something in Homer’s Ilias and of Ichor, the Blood of the Gods, fighting against Troy. The name had something eternal and invincible but brutal though. We all thought that would be a cool issue to name the band after.’
If you had to compare your musical style to any other band, what would it be?
‘That’s hard to say...I mean it’s primarily a mixture between our favorite bands like The Black Dahlia Murder, Suicide Silence, Despised Icon or Behemoth. We wanted to combine several styles and not limit ourselves in order to create something new and interesting.’
What instrument do you play (brand & type)?
‘I’m one of the guitarists in the band and I usually play a black ESP-LTD H-1000. I really like it. It’s awesome and I can recommend it to everyone who’s searching for a new axe!’
Tell us about writing and recording The Siege, did it turn out the way you wanted?
‘Yeah, it did of course. The songwriting was pretty stressful and intensive but much fun and pleasure though. Hanging out with the guys and writing new stuff is just awesome.’
What was it like working with Simon together?
‘Working with him was really cool. I mean, he did a tremendous job and pushed the sound to where we wanted it. He’s all familiar with that kind of music, thus he knew exactly what the songs had to sound like.’
How did you come up with the title for the album?
‘Actually, it took us a while to find the right title. We thought that the title had to be short and concise but nevertheless had to fit the songs’ contents and characters. We had several ideas concerning the title but in the end, The Siege fits pretty much those criteria. When you put the CD in, it besieges you, like you can’t escape from it, you know? That’s what music’s supposed to be about, isn’t it?’
What steps in your career are you most proud of?
‘Actually, just to have found the right guys to rock the stage with and have some fun. That’s the most important thing. Of course, we were all very proud when we got several requests by some labels of signing a record deal. That gave us the possibility to choose among different offers and I think we did the right thing in signing with Bastardized Recordings. I think that was the right step in the right direction.’
What goals would you still like to achieve?
‘One of our goals is always to play as many shows as possible. Playing live is just so much fun! A tour around Europe would be just incredible…I think that’s a goal almost every band wants to achieve. Besides that, to write a new album, which will hopefully blow you away! We have just begun with the songwriting.’
What’s the most precious thing you would give up for landing a great record deal and/or lots of publicity?
‘That’s a hard thing to tell since we’ve found a label and signed a record deal with Bastardized Recordings. I could name you a hundred things to give up for getting more publicity or a tour around Europe…you could have my TV and my Xbox…or my dog, he’s so old and dirty and stinks like the devil himself.’
Please share your touring/future plans with us.
‘In October, we’ll have a mini tour with Benighted and we’re all really looking forward to this. We’re travelling Germany, Switzerland and Italy. Here we go! Apart from that, we got some other gigs left in certain cities of Germany, like some shows in the East. Has been a long time since I’ve been there! I’m curious about the audience there.’
Anything left to say to our readers? Here’s your chance!
‘Horns up to every single metal fan out there, no matter what kind of metal you prefer. Without it, life wouldn’t be the same at all. Keep drinking and headbanging! And thanks to all who listened to us, gave us a chance or supported us in any way. In case you haven’t heard us yet, visit us on www.myspace.com/ichormetal, and if you like what you hear, buy a CD or one of our shirts. We appreciate it!’
Hi there, how’s life?
‘Hey there, life’s good. Everything’s cool and works out fine, although you always have to do certain things and responsibilities. But that’s what music’s made for. If there are any, it helps you to get through all hardships every single time. But like I said, at there moment, everything’s easy.’
Please introduce yourself and your band.
‘My name is Alex and I’m a member of the German Death metal band Ichor. We’ve been doing music together for like 16 months and it works out great!’
How did you guys come up with this band name?
‘I can’t remember exactly how we came up with this. I read something in Homer’s Ilias and of Ichor, the Blood of the Gods, fighting against Troy. The name had something eternal and invincible but brutal though. We all thought that would be a cool issue to name the band after.’
If you had to compare your musical style to any other band, what would it be?
‘That’s hard to say...I mean it’s primarily a mixture between our favorite bands like The Black Dahlia Murder, Suicide Silence, Despised Icon or Behemoth. We wanted to combine several styles and not limit ourselves in order to create something new and interesting.’
What instrument do you play (brand & type)?
‘I’m one of the guitarists in the band and I usually play a black ESP-LTD H-1000. I really like it. It’s awesome and I can recommend it to everyone who’s searching for a new axe!’
Tell us about writing and recording The Siege, did it turn out the way you wanted?
‘Yeah, it did of course. The songwriting was pretty stressful and intensive but much fun and pleasure though. Hanging out with the guys and writing new stuff is just awesome.’
What was it like working with Simon together?
‘Working with him was really cool. I mean, he did a tremendous job and pushed the sound to where we wanted it. He’s all familiar with that kind of music, thus he knew exactly what the songs had to sound like.’
How did you come up with the title for the album?
‘Actually, it took us a while to find the right title. We thought that the title had to be short and concise but nevertheless had to fit the songs’ contents and characters. We had several ideas concerning the title but in the end, The Siege fits pretty much those criteria. When you put the CD in, it besieges you, like you can’t escape from it, you know? That’s what music’s supposed to be about, isn’t it?’
What steps in your career are you most proud of?
‘Actually, just to have found the right guys to rock the stage with and have some fun. That’s the most important thing. Of course, we were all very proud when we got several requests by some labels of signing a record deal. That gave us the possibility to choose among different offers and I think we did the right thing in signing with Bastardized Recordings. I think that was the right step in the right direction.’
What goals would you still like to achieve?
‘One of our goals is always to play as many shows as possible. Playing live is just so much fun! A tour around Europe would be just incredible…I think that’s a goal almost every band wants to achieve. Besides that, to write a new album, which will hopefully blow you away! We have just begun with the songwriting.’
What’s the most precious thing you would give up for landing a great record deal and/or lots of publicity?
‘That’s a hard thing to tell since we’ve found a label and signed a record deal with Bastardized Recordings. I could name you a hundred things to give up for getting more publicity or a tour around Europe…you could have my TV and my Xbox…or my dog, he’s so old and dirty and stinks like the devil himself.’
Please share your touring/future plans with us.
‘In October, we’ll have a mini tour with Benighted and we’re all really looking forward to this. We’re travelling Germany, Switzerland and Italy. Here we go! Apart from that, we got some other gigs left in certain cities of Germany, like some shows in the East. Has been a long time since I’ve been there! I’m curious about the audience there.’
Anything left to say to our readers? Here’s your chance!
‘Horns up to every single metal fan out there, no matter what kind of metal you prefer. Without it, life wouldn’t be the same at all. Keep drinking and headbanging! And thanks to all who listened to us, gave us a chance or supported us in any way. In case you haven’t heard us yet, visit us on www.myspace.com/ichormetal, and if you like what you hear, buy a CD or one of our shirts. We appreciate it!’