1. Please tell the readers about the band. When it was formed, the line-up, releases and stuff like that.
We formed the band in 1997 with the idea of playing a music mixing various extreme waves with Grindcore as a main basis. We wanted to speak about subjects (for the lyrics) such as newsreals, the obscure nature of mankind, all what corrupts it, conditions it and by this fact destructs it. We played a few gigs and passed through a few line up changes. We recorded a CD when we were only two individuals, did some more promo. Actually the bands is composed of Mickael (vocals), Cedric (Guitars) and Seb (Drums) as our Guitarist Christophe has left to join DISGUST.
We've found a Deal with SKULL FUCKED prod (the new mabel subdivision of the fanzine using the same name) and a split CD with SUDDEN DEATH (Ger) should be released around september 2002.
2. How would you describe your music? What are your musical influences?
I'd say we play a mix of GRINDCORE, DEATH METAL with some BLACK METAL and INDUS touches. We try to do it with sincerity and we want to write songs we aren't boring of after 1 or 2 years of rehearsals and gigs.
Our musical influences are varied. It goes from the 88/92 grind and death scene (Napalm death , Godflesh, Terrorizer, E.N.T, Pestilence, Morgoth, Morbid angel, Suffocation, etc ), to some more current bands like Nile, Immortal, Disrupt, Exhumed, Mortician, Marduk. There are too many fave bands to mention them all, but I've given you a little view of our all times faves.
3. What inspires you lyrically? What topics do the lyrics deal with?
We speak about newsreals' subjects, personal and interpersonal experiences, life and the most crual things it sometimes brings.
Here's a description of the sense of each song, trak by track:
"Face cachée" (hidden face in english) is about a person who's false both with itself and with the other individuals, self frustration.
"Trouble psychologique" is about the repercussions of an ill threatened youth (violence, alcoholic parents...) on a person's mentally equilibrum.
"Bouffe de merde" (food of shit) is speaking about all this synthetic shit that's put in our food, all the genetically modified stuffs that'll have got some repercussions on your body.
"Mascarade politique" is about the greed of the politics, their only goal is to earn money!
"Pédophiles fils de putes" is the story of a guy that's raped by a pédophile and also describes this individual.
"Traffic d'organes" is a bout the organs trafic and all the big business that consits of selling some parts of the human body.
"Insurmontable exitence": some lyrics should be enough: "You wake up, And the stress ever overcomes you. The adrenaline flows in your body as a feeling of destruction that can't be soothed. The disgust in the mouth, hatred of the injustice, and even of the concept of life.You don't know how to face it..."
"Chrétienté damagogie suprême": Mental slavery of the believers. This guys has got so few freedom of thoughts because of this inquisition like ideas and self inflicted dogmas of shit...
"Solitude exacerbée": The story of a guy who suffered too much and who enclosed himself in hiw own morbid world. He's trapped in his own world and can't escape what has become a prison.
"Vision apocalyptique": Here are the lyrics: "Infectious diseases, Holocaust, genocide, Exhumed bodies, Overcrowded graveyards, Apocalyptic vision, Murderous insanity, Atomic war, Apocalypse, Destruction of mankind".
4. What is the main purpose of your music? Any political/religious message?
Our music makes us able to evacuate all the negativity that's deep inside of us. We need to express all the negative ideas through our music as there are a lot of stuffs we can't do anything. GERBE OF LIFE makes us able to take position and express all this shits that would eat us from the inside if it wasn't expressed...
About the message, I've told you everythings in the previous question.
5. What about live shows? Have you played any gigs lately? How often do you play live?
In fact, we could only play 2 gigs as we had some line up problems for years.
The band's line up remained uncomplete, so we could only be able to rehearse and compose some music. We'd like to play more often, but as you see our guitarist has just left the band.
so we're looking for another guitarist and a bassit to find a coherent full line up that would make us able to do more good gigs!
6. How is the metal scene in your area? Are you in contact with other bands?
The scene in our suburb is rather in a good health. There are a lot of bands, fanzines, distros... The only problem is the metallers doesn't move their arses enough, there's some kind of a lack of crowd to the gigs... because of it a good place to play gig (Le Virtuel, in the south of Belgium, quite near of our houses) had to close. A shame isn't it?
There are a lot of bands here: SCARVENGER, TORMENT, PUTREFIED and lots of others, plus some such as BYATIS and DISGUST we appreciate both at a musical and human point of view.
7. Is anybody in your band involved in other projects? If yes, who and which?
We aren't involved in other projects at the moment. We have been thinking about some things such as an old school Death metal project for myself. But at the moment, we totally focus on G.O.L. We need to rehearse seriously to be able to do all the gigs that'll follow the CD release, including some that are announced such as the SKULL FUCKED Fest.
8. What is the best cd / demo you have heard in the last month?
Recently, I've had the opportunity to check out the KABBAL (French brutal death) Demo CD,
they're a good Brutal death bands à la SUFFOCATION with infernal hellish leads à la MORBID ANGEL. They'll release a CD on DIAMOND PROD around september.
The last CDs I've heard that was the best are the last IMMORTAL and the SYSTEM OF A DOWN's 2nd CD.
9. What was the last concert you went to? What was the best concert you have been at?
The last gig I've been to was a little underground concert with BYATIS, PUTREFIED, ELASTIKUS and D.S.K.
About the gigs, there are several best ones. I could quote Morbid angel in 91 at the time of their "Blessed are the sick tour", but I also have been to a festival in belgium with Dismember, cannibal corpse, Pestilence, Death and Napalm death (it was in 92).
Recently, Napalm death came again to play in our country, Jesse pintado had his foot broken and he played the guitar during all the gig and bangged his head with this broken foot. A big respect goes to him for this!!
10. What kind of beverage is your favourite? Any special brands? Do you do any drugs?
About ten years ago, it was alcohol under all its forms. But now that I've had some health problems I'd rather say I'm clean.
About the drugs, I'd say I take some from time to time (smoking stuffs), but I've abused drugs a lot before...
11. What can really piss you off?
The human stupidity in its whole (Have a good reflection about it!)
12. What are you plans for the future? Gigs, releases and so on.
We'll release a Split CD with SUDDEN DEATH (Ger) on SKULL FUCKED Prod, do some more promotion for the band (+ answer to more interviews), and play some more gigs.
We're working on some new tracks that are more brutal, these songs should appear on another CD if we've got the opportunity to release another one.
13. That´s it for now. Thank you for the interview. If you would like to insult and/or offend someone, please do it here. If you have a closing remark/statement, this is also the place.
Thanks for the interest in GERBE OF LIFE.
I think you're coming from Denmark, in fact we don't know a lot of things besides KING DIAMOND/ MERCYFULL FATE (Fucking cynical vocals and great leads!), ARTILLERY (still alive?), KONKHRA, INIQUITY (not sure for the country...), ILLWILL, WITHERING SURFACE, and a few webzines. If someone from your country wants to mail us for collaboration: webzines, bands and stuffs... let's go!!
Keep on supporting the underground!
Gerbe of Life
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