Even though Brazil's unholy Death Metal masters INCRUST have been around for a couple of years by now, not too many of you might have heard about them prior to the release of their Ibex Moon Records debut "Baptized In Unholy Gore". Well, no big deal actually, because this "album" is basically a collection of INCRUST demos, that originally got released in extremely limited quantities only. But the quality of the material on offer is so good, that you hardly notice that and a "re-release" was more than justified! So, any fan of classic oldschool Death Metal should definitely check these guys out. In order to deliver a little bit more background information, we contacted bassplayer / vocalist Moisés SG Grinder for the following interview. Unfortunately some parts of his answers remained a bit of a mystery to me, as his English wasn't always the best, but I hope I got most of it right nevertheless, so enjoy!

Greetings Moisés... hope you're doing well and you're in the right mood to answer some questions about your ungodly Death Metal horde INCRUST?!
"666 hailz Frank & Voices From The Darkside and all Death Metal Maniacs!!! Yes man, totally prepared for the answers of death! First at all, sorry for my raw english, eheheheheh... Let the Christian slaughter begin!!!!"
Before you founded INCRUST back in 1998, have there been any other musical activities that you were involved in? Any bands or session work prior to INCRUST maybe?  
"No, before founding the band I was only a headbanger without any bandshit, banging my fuckin' head, supporting bands of our underground scene, getting demos and other fuckin' Metal LPs."
What actually made you start up a band on your own then? Were there any records or bands around at the time that impressed you so much that you simply had to play brutal Death Metal on your own or what was the reason?
"INCRUST plays what always moved my impure soul: Death Metal! Like Mateus used to say: "A band that sounds as dirty as the "Morbid Visions" LP!", hehehehe. We didn't start up the band for $how busine$$, TV artist, rockstar shit , big main$tream magazine$, pop suce$$ etc... only the desire to spill hate in the amplifiers and to give a powerful punch into the sweet Metal, full of massive keyboards, asses etc. and a lot of boring trend bands, melodic shit Metal or melodic influenced 'Black Metal' bands, uh! Hard to my holy cock! Very irritating, what was more motivating to begin INCRUST and to play total untrendy Death Metal, hummmm... The fashion nowadays is this 'shit retro Thrash', I hate almost everything that is in this trend! Too many false vinyls (new) maniacs that didn't give a shit for a LP before, etc. Crappy 80s trendies...uh! 2005 is the year, not the 80s, please wake up! I have nothing against any kid that listens to an old band nowadays because of this fashion, definitivelly NOT! But I want to see them after the 80s fever. Many Metallers change and conform to the new trend, created by big magazines. Other shit is this wave of NS internet Black Metal kids. In Brazil too, can you believe this?!? There's many Brazilian 'pseudo' white people the Nazi way here, it's a big joke for me. Many new war bands nowadays with images of World War II, tanks, concentration camps and other NS fashion shit on their covers. Please, send them into a real war. They will defecate of fear... Stupids! Many sweet bands making ultramelodic boring music influenced by European $weet$ide, melodic shit Metal or melodic Black Metal! Hard and painful to my cock. Other bands are making 'Death Metal' without a real 'Death Metal' underground essence, inspired by some clean pop 'Death Metal' bands or other TV 'Death Metal' bands... that sounds main$tream, clean, beautiful and boring, without and underground feeling and artificial to me. I don't see any Death Metal chaos and definitely don't support this pop way. They are 'Death Metal' to lay masses and happy rebel kids. Sorry but I prefer DEATH METAL!"
So, which bands / albums in particular shaped your own musical vision?
"I did listen to many bands over the years, but they did create my morbid rotten veins. DEATH - "Scream Bloody Gore": the best DEATH album to me and a total influence on all in INCRUST! Killer riffs, morbid lyrics (influence to create the 'Unholy Gore' themes) and real Death Metal violence! I respect 'Evil' Chuck & DEATH a lot, one of the pioneer bands in the underground Metal scene, sending flyers, trading tapes, sending it to zines, etc... giving the first steps to the fuckin' scene! The 2nd LP "Leprosy" is another influence in my Death Metal veins... Guilherme Saldanha is a Death maniac and I think that 'Evil' Chuck is the biggest influence on six strings to him. INCRUST plays the song 'Scream Bloody Gore' live for seven years already, hehehehe... AUTOPSY - "Severed Survival": a sick album to sick murder minds! The morbid and heavy slow parts mixed with oldschool Death Metal beats and sick themes did make my head much more rotten! "Mental Funeral" / "Acts Of The Unspeakable" LPs and EPs too. Smash any head with the weight!!! IMMOLATION - "Dawn Of Possession": a great influence on INCRUST. An evil piece of real oldschool Death Metal with technical parts, memorable riffs, heavy sound and unholy themes. Definitely the Ross Dolan 'vokills' are the best, no doubt! MORBID ANGEL - "Altars Of Madness": "Abominations Of Desolation" was great too, but this vinyl sounds perfect to me, and since I did get it, my life shit was never the same anymore. Everything's great and the hellish vocals of David Vincent are the best! To me the best Death Metal album since POSSESSED's "Seven Churches". BLASPHEMY - "Blood Upon The Altar": this stuff of the Canadian Black / Death Godz gave me total chaos to start... hateful, chaotic riffs, a real fuckin' sound, BLASPHEMY's trademark. Cult with a capital "c", really. I like it a lot and have this demo on vinyl format too. Ross Bay Cult Eternal!!! INCANTATION - "Onward To Golgotha": this album sounds really like underground stuff, dirty, intense and total blasphemic themes! The Craig Pillard vocals are great and the unholy atmosphere too, dark and totally heavy. "Mortal Throne Of Nazarene" was other one that gave me a brutal and dark feeling. SARCOFAGO - "INRI": the best Death / Black album! The old SARCOFAGO (RIP) were pioneers in this fuckin' style, barbaric influences on Beherit / Blasphemy / Bestial Warlust and a lot of bands around the fuckin' scene! My vinyl (the original Cogumelo first pressing, 1987!) always has a high and real value for me in my LP collection! Really an influence for chaotic and heavy beats, raw lyrics and the killer underground sound on all. Antichrist's (RIP) dark vocals on this lp are really great! I like a lot of the Leprous (drums) era too, but I totally HATE ALL SARCOFAGO albums after "INRI". SARCOFAGO sounds like a joke in comparison to the great and unique "INRI" LP, since the pics. SEPULTURA - "Morbid Visions": the line of riffs (listen to our riff lines in 'Brutal Penetration') and the raw fuckin' sound are influences on me till today. Max 'Possessed' (RIP) was killer. The Death Metal history began with the old SEPULTURA (RIP). "Seven Churches" and the "Bestial Devastation" EP (split w/ OVERDOSE) are of the same age!!! 1- 9 - 8 - 5! Brazil rules! Eternal Hails to our scene, that kills! Mateus Oliveira is a fanatic for old SEPULTURA and influenced by 'old' Igor (RIP) on his drums. The feeling of these albums and the killer compositions influenced my sick head, but it was important never to copy any riff (as a lot of rip-off bands today insist... uh!). I just absorbed the morbid musical ideas / concept of the old heroes and the visceral feeling from first albums. My Metal vein did listen to morbid stuff, tons & tons of evil pieces. The masters Black Sabbath 1st lp (I have a rarity in my old LP collection: the 1st Brazilian "Black Sabbath" LP pressing, released 1973 by Vertigo. It was my 1st album!), Possessed (gods!), old Slayer, old Grave, Sadistic Intent, Headhunter DC, old Acheron, Pentacle, Mortem, old Beherit, Bestial Warlust and other fuckin bands like: Goat Vomit, Disciples of Mockery, Kaamos, Repugnant, Funerus, Sanctifier, Embalmed Souls, Goat Semen, Apokalyptic Raids, Anal Vomit, The Chasm. A lot of old Metal and many underground stuff like the last great tapes in my collection: Weapon (Bangl.), Crucifire (Aus), Bestial Holocaust (Bol), Nocturnal Vomit (Gre) (Hail Isak Metalstorm!)... all on real demo tape format (much more killer than any 'demo-CD'). Long live die hard tape-traders and demo maniacs! The tape supported the underground scene during all these years and deserves my total Hailzzzzzzzzzz!!!! I know, many people nowadays are 'mp3 - traders' or 'demo-cd' etc. Hummmmmmmmm... the new times are killing the true underground tradition!"
In 1999 you recruited Guilherme Saldanha and João Resh (both on guitar) and Mateus Oliveira (on drums) to complete the first INCRUST line-up... How did you exactly get together with those guys? Did you know them before already? Had they been playing in any other bands from your area maybe?!  
"They were all 'crazy' friends, before the band was founded... In 98, the invocation of the deads took place, João Resch, Mateus and on guitar Guilherme (he did play drums!) in a Thrash / Heavy band called After Shock (RIP)... I saw some shows of them and I remember of good covers by MOTÖRHEAD and BLACK SABBATH... good times. Ah, Guilherme plays guitar in Inoculation too, a great underground Death Metal band (since 1992) of bassist & hellfriend Zulbert Buery (actually on Headhunter DC)."
Was the band already named INCRUST at the time? Did you come up with the name? What inspired the band's name?  
"The inspiration came as a knife, totally incrusted in the posers flesh..." This name, was incrusted in my rotten mind, inspired by REAL perversions with the human flesh and my others bloody desires and, of course, because I didn't see a band called INCRUST before. With a lot of today's bands with a same name (which is irritating) it was an important point for me, to the band baptism... in unholy gore... hehehhehehehe"
According to your infosheet João already left the band again after the first rehearsal... What was the problem? Didn't you get along personally or musically?
"Some problems with family etc. He did play (bass) in one rehearsal only, the first session... I did vocal only. Guilherme, switched between bass and guitar and when João left, he became the guitarplayer and  I took over the bass... so, the morbid power-trio was formed at the 2nd rehearsal."
Why didn't you try to replace him at the time? It must be quite difficult to perform brutal Death Metal with only one guitar... or did you write your music for one guitar exclusively in your early days maybe?  
"INCRUST's music was written by me for just one guitar so that wasn't a problem. During the recordings, we recorded two guitars, for some few arrangements and to get a heavier sound, of course. But the music was made for one guitar, without different complex guitar lines, only a basic idea, and some more little dirty recording elements. But, more important than one, two or three guitars is to write memorable Death Metal riffs." I make my riffs with the feeling of the Death Metal spirit, searching for an evil sound. A lot of Phil Fasciana's memorable Death Metal riffs sound great to me, the new decompositions too. One fuckin' guitar line with a few overdub ideas by a 2nd guitar. All tracks on "Baptized In Unholy Gore" were recorded live (bass, guitar and drums). It was better because this way it also sounds like on stage, the same chaos.... another important point..."
In September 2000 you finally unleashed your first release, the "Brutal Penetration In A Dead Woman" promo tape... Tell us a bit more about it, like when and where you recorded it, which songs appeared on it, how many copies got spread around and so on...  
"The  "Promo-tape 2000" was our first official release, recorded in September of 2000. The sound is in the chaotic and dirty vein of the old Death Metal of Brazil, like early SARCÓFAGO, NECRÓFAGO etc. Some riffs are influenced by early SEPULTURA and a touch (in a very raw version) of old INCANTATION with dirty lyrics influenced by SEXTRASH, AUTOPSY, SARCOFAGO's 'Ready To Fuck' / 'Desecration Of Virgin' songs etc. It was co-produced by Sérgio Baloff (Headhunter DC). The tape was limited to 66 copies only for our contacts in the underground, some real underground fanzines and maniacs that keep the real Death Metal flame burning..."
Did you already play any live shows at the time? How's the club scene for brutal Death Metal in your area?  
"Yes, we played with great local Death Metal bands and a great gig with HEADHUNTER DC, Inoculation, Deformity BR and Sower, a total Death Metal Night... some years ago. Like my friend Karnage Vallot says "Bahia's Death Metal Legions". There's some great bands here making Metal of Death and releasing some underground stuff, as Geminicarius for example. I'm into the real obscure side of the underground, honest music , non-fast food metalmu$ic..."
Your next release, the "The Bloody Art Of Torture" 4 song demo, was recorded on September 11, 2001... the same day when America had to face those terrorist attacks... Did you hear about that while you were in the studio? Did that have any effect on the recording process in any way?
"I remember that we were in the studio recording, when a guy from the studio screamed and we went to see it that moment on TV. It was a brutal coincidence and, in a morbid point, the band did get this atmosphere of death during the recording. We transmitted the real death while playing Death Metal. Next recording session, the WWlll or a next Tsunami... WARNING! INCRUST RECORDING!!!"
The demo was produced by Sérgio Baloff (of HEADHUNTER D.C.)... How did you hook up with him for that matter? Did you know him before already? Tell us a bit about this co-operation and if the result lived up to your expectations...  
"Sérgio already helped us with the Promo tape 2000 and supported INCRUST from the very beginning. We traveled together to see many underground shows and others underground Metal meetings in Brazil, really great times, lots of alcohol and crazy nights in Belo Horizonte, Recife, Aracaju. As for the demo, the result was satisfactory because it was total underground Death Metal to the bone! I also learned some things from Sérgio about recording, that's why I was able to do the production of the "Hellhearsal" demo myself with great support from Marcos Necromurderer, Marcos ALN and Sidinei Grim Melim."
Was there really a limited edition (66 copies) of that demo that you spread around, soaked in virgin menstrual blood???  
"Always 66 copies, next tape will be too. Of course! A really ugly and fat brazilian virgin girl... hehe! This girl today is of course not a virgin no more, hehehe. Maybe we will add prostitute menstrual blood to our next tape... await." (urrrgh, no thanx - Frank)
It then took you quite a long time until you entered the studio again... So, what have you been up to in-between the release of "The Bloody Art Of Torture" and the 3 song "Hellhearsal" tape which you recorded in November 2003...  
"Many things... playng underground shows, creating riffs, banging our heads, drinking, smoking, going to striptease houses, sex with bitches etc... till the recording day..."
Tell us all necessary details about that tape as well. Has there already been any label interest at the time?  
"We already received an offer on the Promo tape 2000 from a brutal label from São Paulo... But one month after we had recorded "Hellhearsal", John got in touch with an evil proposal. Another label from Brazil was also interested, but we didn't have alot in common with their sweet melodic cast and they wanted to clean our music. This of course, we never accept... definitively not!"
The "Hellhearsal" tape was limited to 66 handnumbered copies... Why did you go for such a small number only? I mean, wouldn't it be a better solution to sell the tape in bigger quantities in order to get a bit of the money back that you spent in the studio?  
"I never had a lot of patience to sell all our demos. That's why we are selling them through mailorders, because of the expensive costs. I'm much more into tape trading. 90% were free and given to the zines (I also did send one to you). During the seven years of our existence INCRUST played independent of money or any shit. In spite of the difficult life in Brazil, we studied and worked, some hard jobs, because we didn't have any hope to make some '$' with Death Metal. I know that money isn't bad, of course, but the corruption in the music business, competition bullshit, pop 'Death Metal' status, rockstar attitude, bands of big trend magazines and fast food music without feeling, are irritant to me and anti-underground too."
How did you finally end up with Ibex Moon Records, the label of John McEntee (INCANTATION, FUNERUS) and why did you decide on a "demo-reissue" CD first, instead of a real full length album? I mean, despite its great quality, that's what "Baptized In Unholy Gore" is – just a collection of your demos, right?
"The band initially pressed only 66 copies (again!) of "Baptized In Unholy Gore" for some zines, Metalheads and contacts of the underground scene. One of these copies was given to our Metalbrother John McEntee at a killer show of Incantation in Brazil in Recife PÉ. When he returned to the US, he wrote me, saying that had a label and was interested in releasing our shit. And the alliance with a real, total Death Metal label we accepted of course!!! 666 Hailz to Metalbrother John for a killer Death Metal support!!! I see that on their flyers "Baptized In Unholy Gore" is promoted like a 'debut'... That's no problem for me. I've always listened to underground releases like Beherit (who really deserve 'cult' status, unlike many bands of today). Their "The Oath Of Black Blood" LP (I have this piece of chaos on vinyl too, aaaarrrrgh!!!), contains demos etc. It wasn't new to me, this detail with our 'debut' CD... It's more important that Death Metal is played honest. The next stuff will be released by Ibex Moon again. Await the poser's
nightmare!"
The coverart was done by legendary underground artist Chris Moyen... was that a wish of yours, to have a cover by him or was that offered to you by Ibex Moon Records? Was the artwork done for INCRUST exclusively or already done when you decided to use one of his pieces?
"It's a morbid dream for any sick Deathbanger to have artwork made by Moyen (Hailz!), because I  like his sytle a lot and the stuff he did for Blasphemy, Beherit, Incantation, NunSlaughter, Korihor / Abigail, Goat Vomit.... Yes the cover was made exclusive for this release. He offered it to Ibex Moon Records and of course it was accepted. Since the first lines with pencil until the final masterpiece we knew that it would be killer... Chris Moyen has the true "lines of death!"
What about the lyrics? Death Metal lyrics vary a lot these days in their content, from socially aware type, almost political lyrics, to guts and gore to Satanic stuff... What are you guys writing about?  
"We mix the brutality and repulsion of the themes of the old Death Metal Gore (in the vein of old Autopsy, for exemple) with the blaphemic themes, in a total Anti-Christian vision. Dirty and heavy themes in aggression to the most sensitive religious bastard hypocrites. Death Metal for the most perverse and sick minds! We want  to smash the stupid Christianity, with fuckin' Metal. Social / political / bla bla bla lyrics aren't my faves in the Death Metal universe. I prefer the unholy ones like Possessed,  or real sick Gore like old Carcass, Autopsy, early Grave, Mortician, Impetigo etc. But I don't like the new gore Death Metal (or 'grind'?), ultra-blast and boring pig vocals, (Hardcore) shorts , the themes are sick too, I know, but it sounds more like  grind to my Death Metal ears..."
What are you plan on doing in support of the album? Will there be a tour in the not too distant future maybe? Are you already working on new material? Tell us about the current happenings in the INCRUST camp before I'll let you go...
"We will continue to promote the band through the zines in the underground universe and play some Metallic Death rituals in the scene. Gig organizers get in touch. This year the "Hellhearsal" tape will be re-released with bonus tracks by Trevas Records (BRA) and a tape version of "Baptized In Unholy Gore" by Slava Production (Thailand). We will also record a demotape and an EP for Ibex Moon Records, and after that a 7" EP, possibly for Legion Of Death Records (France) of my killer brother Karnage Vallot (Hailz!)."
Ok Moisés – that's about it for now. Hope you enjoyed this historical rollercoaster ride through the INCRUST history... if I forgot anything of importance, feel free to add it now. Thanx a lot and all the best!
"Thanks Frank & Voices From The Darkside for the interview. Sorry for my raw and poor english... hehehhehe. Hailz too to the great German underground literature,  publications like Desecration Of Virgin, Unholy Terror, Carnage Zine, Necromaniac, Mystic Music and all untrendy zines and labels like Iron Pegasus that support the real underground bands. Ah, hailz too to my German friend Alex of Undercover Records, that did drink a lot here in Salvador. Hail to German bands that I did listen to during my life, like Necropsy, Ressurrected, Anasarca, old Morgoth, Baron, Poison, Desaster, Zarathustra, Necronomicon, Assassin, Protector and the better known old Kreator, old Sodom, old Destruction, old Accept and mooooore. Bloody Hailz to the warriors from the true underground scene!!!! I hope that White Metal $hit, clean fa$t food 'Death Metal' bands without essence and other posers have hated my words! I hate you too!!!! Ah, Metalheads (only!) get your "Baptized In Unholy Gore" CD from: (please, trendies don't buy this CD, as it wasn't made to you) Ibex Moon Records: www.ibexmoonrecords.com or from God Is Dead Productions http://godisdead666.vila.bol.com.br, dead666god@hotmail.com. INCRUSTsite: http://incrust666.vila.bol.com.br. Death Metal reigns eternally!!!"

Frank Stöver

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