It all began when Khairil was getting really frustrated with the stagnant progress of BESTIAL COLONY. Being the drummer, and having no say in the songwriting of the band, Khairil decided to form a side project band where he would be one of the contributing songwriters. BESTIAL COLONY was formed in 1990 with the initial aim to play brutal music, but unfortunately for Khairil and the band, it didn't turn out that way. In July 1991, Khairil met Shafiee, who brought along Herman, both from the much-hated band DEMONIAC, and discussed about forming a band into brutal death metal. Khairil and Shafiee were really into brutal American and European bands, but at the same time were into brutal and fast black metal bands, such as BLASPHEMY and IMPALED NAZARENE, as well. Being instrumentally unproficient, they headed towards a draggy style of black metal. A 3 songs self-titled demo was released in 1992 and it created an impact to the Singapore metal scene. Many were skeptic about the capabilities of the band, especially since the band members were former members of the publicly hated DEMONIAC and the publicly mocked BESTIAL COLONY. EVERYBODY mocked and laughed and they had a great laugh. Some of the self-proclaimed "true" black metal warriors labeled the band as posers and young wannabes, and some of the delusional self-proclaimed "true pioneers, and thus automatically being the only deserving circle of demons deserving to listen to, play and live black metal music, awaited the demise of the band. Strangely though, while the local "true metal demons" mocked and laughed, the international scene were more forgiving. The international scene were more supportive. The international scene were more enthusiastic in helping the band out. The responses were positive and VRYKOLAKAS appeared in magazines, being reviewed and interviewed. VRYKOLAKAS was known for giving really dark and demonic responses to interview questions, which again the self-proclaimed "true" local warriors find it amusing. A great joke. And some celestial entity must have answered these "true" demons' prayers because VRYKOLAKAS split-up in 1993. It was due to the lazy and complacent attitude of Shafiee that led to the demise. As Khairil became a major contributor in songwriting, he felt the need to play a string instrument and get a more proficient drummer to give a stronger drive to the new songs. The band had earlier tried out the late MORBIFIC drummer, Kamal, but he wasn't keen on playing such music. VRYKOLAKAS then got the help of AFFENDI , who was really keen and shared the vision of the band, but Shafiee's attitude pissed him off and he left the band without saying a word. Shafiee did ask about the future of the band, and as Khairil was helping out for PROFANATION, Khairil announced the demise of VRYKOLAKAS. He then sought the help of Sham, then the drummer of AS SAHAR, to play drums for VRYKOLAKAS, but the local circle of the self-proclaimed "true" black gods forbade him to, because VRYKOLAKAS, in their eyes, were not true unlike them. And being a filial minion, Sham obeyed. Khairil kept on writing songs, changing to a much brutal style of songwriting. The new songs appeared heavier and more influenced by American and European bands. He discovered that his cousin, Iman, was also into metal, a guitarist and playing in a band. Khairil got Iman to play guitars while he himself played drums for the time being until a drummer is found. A drummer was eventually found, Chris, who played for Iman's own band, NEUROTIC VILE. Unfortunately, Chris wasn't too keen in VRYKOLAKAS' music because, according to him, VRYKOLAKAS' songs were not original enough. Finally, in February 1999, Iman managed to get the help of Zainal, the drummer of NECREOUS, a band which helped a tremendous deal in VRYKOLAKAS return. Zainal can be said as being the main cause behind VRYKOLAKAS' revival. But it was agreed that Zainal shall only be a sessionist, a fact that Khairil has grown quite comfortable with nowadays, because time is really a crucial factor. Andi, NEUROTIC VILE's vocalist, was also asked to help out on vocals. A promotrack, "Nuthfah", was recorded and sent to magazines to inform the world that VRYKOLAKAS has returned. Responses to the new musical direction has been very positive and encouraging, and after an appearance in Supremefest'99, VRYKOLAKAS was deservingly labeled as one of Singapore's most brutal band. Andi and Iman has since been a permanent feature in VRYKOLAKAS, eversince the untimely demise of NEUROTIC VILE, due to some internal problems. Zainal helped throughout the recording of 4 more songs and also helped out on the drums stool in Halloween'99. Khairil had begun looking for other drummers to help out in future such as Edi, who is currently playing for HOMICIDE, CASTIGATE, SADISTORY, and SPHERE, Azli, who is currently playing for DOXOMEDON and DEEZER, Fauzi, who is currently playing for HAIL, KIBOSH SYBIL KYSMET and DECIUS and even ADJHEEZ, former drummer of the Malaysian occult metal band, LANGSUYR. The early part of 2000 was spent on trying to get a good mixing down result for the 4 songs. Due to some problems with the management of New Turn Productions studio, the mixing down process faced some delays. Unfortunately, when the mixing down was finally done, the result was unsatisfactory and VRYKOLAKAS was really hesitant to release the 4 songs, which had been agreed upon to be released under the Malaysian label, Muzik Box Productions. But VRYKOLAKAS found hope when they discovered Aleeve Enterprise, whose engineer did a really outstanding job in alchemy. VRYKOLAKAS appeared in Panzer Holocaust 2000 and this time the support had grown bigger. Edi was called to fill in the vacant drummer position in this gig and his relentless power-pounding provided that extra explosive element that VRYKOLAKAS needed. Immediately after that gig, VRYKOLAKAS began working on new songs. Plans were made to begin recording at the end of the year 2000. Meanwhile, Khairil looked for other labels and negotiated the simultaneous release of the 4 songs. Khairil found two labels, MANGLED MAGGOT STEW PRODUCTIONS from The Netherlands, and MAELSTROM666 PRODUCTIONS, from Thailand, to co-release these 4 songs.November 2000 saw the release of "Buried On Filthy Vomits" under MANGLED MAGGOT STEW PRODUCTIONS complete with professionally duplicated tapes and fully coloured covers. In addition to this release, MANGLED MAGGOT STEW PRODUCTIONS has also planned a split EP featuring VRYKOLAKAS and a Dutch brutal death grind band, SANGUINARY, for a tentative release at the end of 2001. At the same time, the owner of MUZIK BOX PRODUCTIONS, also confirmed the split EP release featuring VRYKOLAKAS and the Indonesian brutal death metal band, KOMA, due to be released in December 2000, after a lot of delays and plans ammendment. VRYKOLAKAS also awaits the release of "Buried In Filthy Vomits" by MAELSTROM666 PRODUCTIONS. This will be a very exclusive release and the cover totally in Thai language. Unfortunately, due to some reasons, one of which being that the new songs are a bit more complicated and need more practice for a tighter result, the recording session has to be postponed. Tentatively, the recording session is expected to take place sometime between March to June 2001.December 2000 : The Thai label, MAELSTROM666 PRODUCTIONS, released "Buried In Filthy Vomits" as a cassette EP with professionally duplicated tapes and fully coloured covers. But the words were in English, instead of Thai as previously planned, for international access. Towards the end of December, VRYKOLAKAS unleashed their promo CD, aptly titled "Vrykolakas 2000", featuring all four songs from the "Buried In Filthy Vomits" releases and the rare promotrack "Nuthfah". The CD slip-in jacket features a computer-illustrated fully coloured artwork done by a very talented illustrator friend of the band.
Vrykolakas Bio above was taken from their website http://www.geocities.com/vrykobrutaldeath  as is. More updated news are also available from their site. Now, here is the interview answered by Andi Gore!!!

UNDERWORLD > 1st, how's every body & is the line-up the same? Can you give each member's age now & at the time they become full pledged metal heads? Most influential bands from each member?

ANDI > Hello Roy. We feel fuckin good right now. I have just finished my jamming section with vrykolakas before I answer you this interview. The line up for Vrykolakas is still the same except we have a new synth programmer, shawal for our next release. The average age for the band is 26 yrs old. Khairil (gui) and I are both 26, Iman (gui) is 25 and Eddy (drum) turns 28 this year. We all started metal way back in 1988. So it has been 13 yrs in the underground scene. All the members of vrykolakas are into brutal death metal so it not surprising to say that bands like Nile, crytopsy, incantation, Vader, immolation, deeds of flesh, mortician and bands into this genre do influence us a lot.

UNDERWORLD > How would you describe the members relationship, is it more musically based? Should musical indifference be a basis of hate? 
ANDI > No bro, I have known Khairil and Iman back in 97. We hang around together and during that time I have fuckin no idea that khairil was going to revive vrykolakas back. It was in 99 that he approached me and iman to play for vrykolakas. As for eddy, I don't know him very well before he joined us. I only know eddy through charily who introduce me to him. But after a few jamming with him I find we can click together very well. Till now and then we hang around together. I don't think there should be any critic or hate ness about the musical difference. People have the fuckin right to choose their musical influence. If someone into alternative rock or jazz influence, I still fuckin respect that person. Just because if someone into different music genre from you, you should fuckin hate him. It doesn't make sense at all. (Ok, I'll only hate disco whores & c-rap metal?lers who hate me! - Roy)

UNDERWORLD > Before, vrokolakas played bm, now brutal death, would you say you were only in bm for the music (like me, he, he, he) & you were never really into satanism or any devilish acts, does bm really has to be full pledge satanist, you know, the one who would sign his oath in his own blood? Do you still listen to some bm?
ANDI > It actually up to individuals how you define black metal. Some are really into satanism and do extreme act like cut his own wrist, rituals, and church burning. There are also others who just love the music itself nothing else. Maybe the intensity of the music and the vocals attract them. I listen to bm just the sake of listening and the bm band that I into is dissection. I have all their collection of the demos and the album releases. Fuckin great band. It a pity that the band is rip or I would say it would be made it big, bigger than cradle of filth (fuckin irritating band).

UNDERWORLD > When westerners say Asian scene, it usually refers to Japan, Singapore & Malaysia (where the scene is big now), is being noticed in the western world a big thing? Doesn't it bring trendy bands? Would you mention some trendy bands that we should not mess with & those worthy of support?
ANDI > For me its good that bands from s'pore do receive some recognition in the west. I see that local bands/labels have worked very hard in promoting their stuff in Europe and America. Just looked at impiety, they have signed to drakkar rec. and I don't see the reason why other good local bands can't make it big in overseas. We have quite a number of good bands here. Bands like Sadistory, eibon, beast petrify, abbattory, enorhted, bunuh and few other bands can made it big outside s'pore. I don't fuckin care if there are trendy bands formed up for fame/name, I believed the only the strongest will survive.

UNDERWORLD > Big bands are actually doing Asian tours now, have you experienced going to big time gigs? Which would you prefer, locally organized bands or foreign big bands or mixed of local & foreign? 
ANDI > I would love to see all the fuckin big bands come to perform live in s'pore. For now only sigh (jap) have perform here and it a good sign. Maybe in the future who knows bands like morbid angel, deicide, Nile will perform here in s'pore. I would love if there are mixed of local and foreign bands performed together in the gig. But it's my fuckin dream to play alongside Nile and incantation.

UNDERWORLD > Isn't Singaporean society a strict society? Does your government or police give you guys any crap or harassment or banning gigs? Is it okay to walk around longhaired or sporting offensive shirts? I've heard it's not okay to spit on the streets or leave public toilets unflushed? What's the punishment for this?
ANDI > ha! ha! Don't you know that s'pore is one of the strictest country in the world. Do you know that if someone wishes to organize a gig he has to obtain a permit and fuckin expensive to obtain it. So the organizers have no choice but to organize the gig illegally. It's okay to walk in metal t-shirt as long your face doesn't look like a drug addict, the cops here won't harass you. It's true Roy that if you were caught spitting or not flushing the toilet, you have to pay a heavy fine. No kidding here. That why s'pore is known for their cleanliness. (Damn, I spit a lot of phlegm & I piss like a dog, No not w/ one leg up, but I like to scatter my piss, marking where I've been..he, he..Roy) 

UNDERWORLD > Singapore is an Islamic country (?), but is it the same as the mid-east's, (Saudi Arabia for example) Islam? So do you guys drink any alcoholic beverages? How about drugs & prostitution, is it rampant there, can you easily get a fix or a fuck?
ANDI > I think you are mistaken s'pore for Malaysia or Indonesia. s'pore is not an Islamic country. But Islam is one of the major religions in s'pore along with Christians, Hindus and Buddhism. Sure you can drink beers, wine or any fuckin alcoholic drinks here. If you want a fuck there's a few red light districts that you can check out and it is legalized by the government. But drugs are totally prohibited in s'pore.

UNDERWORLD > After fully re-formed, how long before you played live? How about the demo, how long before you recorded it? Did you sent out many free copies of this? To what country mostly? 
ANDI > After few months vrykolakas reformed, we got an offer to perform in a gig called supremefest. It was first time we play gig together and it felt great to perform live in front of 300 crowds. As for the demo, it took us nearly 3 months before we managed to finalize it cause the first studio who record our demo sucks. That's why we have to remix at the different studio and it takes a lot of our time. khairil and I send quite a number of free cps to zines/compilation. Right now, we have sent approximately 200cps worldwide but mostly to Europe continents.

UNDERWORLD > Can you describe vrykolakas live!? Do you do covers on gigs? Do you hang out & talk to supporters after gigs?
ANDI > I would say vrykolakas perform better in live. The crowds are fucking awesome. They just keep moshing, stagediving and head bang when we on the stage. Total madness! I do interact with the supporters after the gig but a number of them are my friends and people who I knew.

UNDERWORLD > when do you think is the biggest year for Singapore's metal underground or is it still coming? Are underground metal easily available in ordinary record bars?
ANDI > It takes a long time before we make it big in the scene. First of all, the quantity of metalhordes here are too small. I would say less than 1000. And I still find that there is not enough support from local labels, which are still into foreign bands. And quite a number of the bands here still not supporting each other, which I find it very disturbing. I believe if we can solve all this problems we facing, the scene here can made it big in Asia.

UNDERWORLD > what can you say about the impact of the Internet to the metal underground worldwide? Are there too many sites to visit w/ very little time? Do you write in guest books when you visit a website? Which do you do more, e-mails or post mails? Does the postal service suck in your country?
ANDI > I am relieve that the technology now enable us to contact each other for free. Can you imagine back in early 90's,we have to send our letter by post? If it is in overseas, we have to wait for few weeks before we receive the letter. I find it time consuming wasting of money. Now by e-mail, I can send over 200 replies or messages in a day and it's fuckin free of charge. It's good that there are websites that we can visit. I don't think there are too many website and I can just visit them in my free time. I do email basically everyday and I seldom send letters by post mail except when I send the demo. If not I usually send the news via e-mail. Rest assured that s'pore post service is one of the safest in the world. The postage are fuckin expensive though.

UNDERWORLD > Can you see yourselves playing a different kind of music? What kind of music that would be? 
ANDI > I can't imagine myself playing other type of music except for death metal.

UNDERWORLD > do you give shit about nature or political stuffs, do you conserve water or use recycled stuff or would you go to protest rally either in rightist or leftist political movements? Would you participate in a political forum?
ANDI > I don't fuckin care about political stuff. I prefer licking pussy than thinking this thing.

UNDERWORLD > Do you like living in Singapore? If I would give you a chance to be born in another country, what country would you choose & in what era?
ANDI > maybe I should born in London in the 60's. Then I introduce to the world about death metal music.argghh! If that really happen, then I can become famous as the Beatles. ha!ha!ha!

UNDERWORLD > are you interested in the supernatural, occult or Magick? Have you ever seen a ghost or would you want to see one?
ANDI > I never interested in the occult or magic or stuff like that. As for ghost or spirits, I have not encounter yet so for now I don't believe in this phenomenal thing.

UNDERWORLD > now that you experienced the technology of today, do you think you can live without it? Do think you can live w/out metal? What if you become deaf (w/c I hope wont happen.), would you consider suicide? 
ANDI > I can't imagine if there is no modern technology. Life will be fucking boring if there were no TV, radio, computer etc. can you imagine no porno to watch if there no vcr player of music to listen if there no cassette/cd. I would fuckin kill myself than stay in this boring world.


UNDERWORLD > by the way, what does vrykolakas means? Is it from your language or from a myth, a person, and place? What does it mean to you & do you think it fully represent the bands music & ideals?
ANDI > the name vrykolakas is actually a mystical creature that feeds on human blood taken from the Greek mythology. The name represents us very well although we feed of pussy and tits instead of blood. ha!ha!

UNDERWORLD > what is your personal meaning or interpretation of "death", does everything stop there?
ANDI > I believe that there a life after death. I don't know how I should put it but I have this feeling that death is the beginning of eternal life.

UNDERWORLD > Now this interview is dying, what is your last wish or words? Can you give us a glimpse of what vrykolakas is planning for this year? Upcoming releases, news, spill your mind please...
ANDI > thanxx Roy for the interesting interview. For the readers out there, support underworld zine and vrykolakas. For brutal death metal freaks out there who are interested to obtain our demo/cd you can send us$6 to the band addresses. We need your fucking support. Right now we are preparing our next release in nov/dec with sanguinary. We will do a split release with them under mangled maggots stew prod. There are other plans release this year but nothing been confirm yet. For now stay brutal!!

UNDERWORLD > Last request, what is "Die you Corpse Fucking Trendy Cock sucker!!!!" in your language??? Thanks Andy & More Power!!!!

ANDI > arrggghhhhgggggggrrrrrrrpergimampuskakitrendmakkaupunyapuki.blurghhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!

You'll hear "In Filthy Vomit" from "Buried in Filthy Vomits" demo. This interview was done via e-mail & Andy mailed a CD copy of this demo w/ band photos but…fuck the postal service here!!! They screwed me up! It was over a month now, so I used photos from their website & a track from the tape demo. More news..

It's out!!! Self-released promo cd "vrykolakas 2000" has been released!!! Contains all the 4 songs from the "buried in filthy vomits" releases and the rare promo track "nuthfah" !!! Features full - color cover as shown above!!! Get it now directly from us!!! It costs us $ 6 worldwide!!! 

Greeting to all metalheads motherfucker. Andy of vrykolakas here. We are currently looking for trades from bands/labels/dist. Vrykolakas offer you our 5 traxx promo cd for exchanged. Interested party, please don't hesitate to write to me. All inquiries are welcome. But we only accept trades cd that brutal death/grind genre. For info do check us out at our website. http://www.geocities.com/vrykobrutaldeath       

cd for trade
1 full length cd - 2 vryko promo cd
1 mcd - 1 vryko promo cd
1 full length cdr- 1 vryko promo cd
no trades with cassette please.
for big bulk trade

5 full length cd - 11 vryko demo cd
10 """""" -24 """""""
15 """"" -35"""""""

KHAIRIL, BLK.44 , CHAI CHEE STREET , # 12 - 108 , SINGAPORE 461044
e - mail : vryko@hotmail.com 

ANDI, BLK.403 , SERANGOON AVE . 1 , # 07 - 31, SINGAPORE 550403
E - mail: andyvryko@hotmail.com

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