I was pretty impressed by PROSTITUTE DISFIGUREMENT’s new album “Deeds Of Derangement” as it combines old and new school Death Metal the headbanging way. The controversial lyrical motifs had to be discussed among other issues as well, so I contacted guitar player Roel for some small talk.

First of all: please introduce the band to us – how did you meet everybody and maybe shortly characterize each member of PROSTITUTE DISFIGUREMENT, like favorite bands, role models, function in the band (also beyond their instruments), etc.
“PROSTITUTE DISFIGUREMENT started out in 2000. It consisted then of three members. Namely Niels (vocals), Patrick (bass) and Niels (guitar). It first started like a project, the three of them wrote five songs with a drumcomputer. I had been playing in another band together with Niels and Patrick for a couple of years but we split up. When I heard the five songs they had written I (Roel, guitar) asked if I could join the band. A week later we entered the studio to record the first demo. This led to a deal with Dismemberment Records (Dutch label). A couple of months later we recorded our first CD titled “Embalmed Madness”. This still with a drumcomputer. After the release we got offers for more liveshows so we asked Eric (ex-SINISTER, DESTROYER 666) to fill in the drumspot. He stayed in the band for half a year but in the end it didn’t work out. Mainly because it was hard for him to come to rehearsels. We parted ways with him. So we asked Tim, who we already knew for some time, to join the band. We asked him before but he thought he couldn’t do the job properly. Well he proved himself wrong. He learned our songs very quick and he finished the songs for "Deeds Of Derangement" (our second album) with us. We got a deal with Morbid Records and we entered the studio to record the album. After the recordings Niels (guitar) left the band and was replaced by Benny. So that’s a quick history. Niels (vocals), Patrick and I have been friends for a long time now. We all grew up listening to the first wave of Death Metal bands at the end of the eighties, beginning of the nineties. That’s what we still listen to nowadays. Some favorite bands: DEICIDE, OBITUARY, DEATH, PESTILENCE, IMMOLATION, SINISTER.”
How did your deal with Morbid Records work out? Were there any other labels interested in PROSTITUTE DISFIGUREMENT? What were the aspects that made you go for Morbid?
“We met the guys from Morbid at the Fuck the Commerce festival in 2002. We just made a second demo with some early songs from the "Deeds Of Derangement" album. They liked it immediately so they offered us a deal on the spot. We said yes because Morbid Records has been an extreme Metal label for years now and the personal contact is good. They also made a good contract for us and really promote the band well. Our first label didn’t have the money to do that so we are pleased to be on a bigger label now. I heard Cold Blood Industries (Dutch label) was interested also but at the time we already signed with Morbid Records.”
Why did Niels (guitar) leave the band and how did you get Benny Bats from TOMBE (http://listen.to/tombe)? Will he be a full member for PROSTITUTE DISFIGUREMENT? What’s going to happen to TOMBE and are they still talking to you?
“The reason Niels left the band is because his girlfriend lives in Groningen (300 kilometers away from us) and he moved in with her. He really wanted to stay in the band but it just wasn’t possible anymore. He now plays in KATAFALK and they are doing very well so we wish him all the best! Benny was an obvious choice to be the new guitarist because he is a longtime friend of the band and he has got experience with playing in a Death Metal band. He also lives nearby so this doesn’t give problems with rehearsels. He is now two months in the band and it is going very well! I think this is the best line-up we’ve had so far! Benny is definitely a full member. He is also still busy with TOMBE but at the moment they don’t have a drummer so they can’t play live. There are no hard feelings between TOMBE and us, we get along great!”
Your homepage is pretty basic: just a photo and an MP3 download – is this going to change and if so: what are your plans for your site?
“We already have a new site finished, we only have to get it online. The site we have now is only temporarily. The new site looks very cool, of course with elements from the artwork of "Deeds Of Derangement". You will be able to find all there is to know about our band on this site. We only have to get it online. This will be very soon!”
The sound on your new album “Deeds Of Derangement” is pretty strong in comparison to the new record of your label mates HARMONY DIES called “Impact” (which isn’t weak, either). Please tell us a little about the studio you took. Why did you choose it, how was it to work there, etc.?
“We recorded the album at the Excess studio in Rotterdam (NL). It is a good studio which isn’t too expensive. This came in handy because we didn’t have too much budget. SINISTER also recorded their latest albums there.We recorded the album in six days, with days from 9 till 8 in the evening. We worked our asses off!! We are very happy with the sound, it’s very close to what we wanted. A heavy sounding record that isn’t too triggered and unnatural. We wanted to stick close to a live sound. It’s raw but also very clear, you can still hear what we are doing.”
Compared to that older song 'Cadaver Blowjob' I downloaded from your homepage, your new album “Deeds Of Derangement” is a lot more oldschool – there are even melodic leads on the new CD. How come?
“We wanted to make a mix between old- and new style Death Metal. Like I said we have been listening alot to Death Metal from the beginning of the nineties and of course we have many influences from that time within our music. Only the way Niels sings is more new style Death Metal. We thought it would be great to combine that. I’m not saying that we are original, but that’s not our goal. Our goal is to be very heavy, aggressive but also have an eye for songs that have variety and stick to your head. I think too many Death Metal bands nowadays are only based on speed. There are so many CD’s that I only know the first song of because after that the attention is gone. I think that’s a shame. I also miss the solos nowadays. I think it can really add something to a song if it is well played. The way James Murphy plays solos on for example "Cause Of Death" and "Spiritual Healing" gives me chills! It really adds something to the sphere of those records.”
There are so many “frog-noise” bands coming up these days: especially in the Netherlands the new old motto seems to be: “faster, harder, louder”. Is your change of direction some sort of a statement or are you just looking for your own style? Niels’ vocals have become even deeper...
“We definitely didn’t want to make a record with only blast-beats on it. That has already been done often. Like I said we wanted to go for songs that people can bang their heads to when playing live. This means fast parts mixed with grooving riffs and sometimes little stops between parts. Nowadays its hard to have an own style in Death Metal, or you have to do something really weird. That’s not our thing but we try to write interesting songs that are very heavy, that’s the main goal!”
Talking about Niels’ vocals: how does he do it? There is so much bass in his voice – does he also talk like the Dutch Pete Steele or did you just enter a really good studio (I guess there wasn’t any harmonizer involved)? Who is responsible for those occasionally added rather high pitched oldschool vocals? I’m a huge fan of such multiple vocal attacks...
“I have really no idea how Niels sings the way he sings. His talking voice is pretty normal. The only thing I know is that he doesn’t use any effects. It also has nothing to do with the studio. The vocals weren’t even recorded at the studio. They were recorded in the living room of Robbe K from DISAVOWED (NL). He sings live the same way and never has any throat problems, I don’t know what he’s on... The high vocals are also from his part. We decided to do not too many multiple vocal tracks because we also want to be able to play the songs live as they are.”
Reading song titles like 'Cum Covered Stab Wounds' or 'Cadaver Blowjob' on one hand and 'Screaming In Agony' or 'Skinned & Sodomized' on the other, your lyrics seem to be a mixture of porn gore and oldschool horror motifs. What inspires you: did you have such a bad childhood or do you watch too many bad movies (yny you’d like to recommend)?
“We didn’t have a bad childhood at all. Niels writes the lyrics and he has many horror / splatter movies so that’s were he gets his ideas from. It’s all fictional so people who think we do what Niels sings about... think again. It just fits the style of music that we play.”
Who is that demon on your cover and how dead is that blonde in his arms? Anything special about the cover? Who painted it and how did you get in touch with the artist? To me it kind of resembles the two aspects of PROSTITUTE DISFIGUREMENT: there is an “oldschool” horror house in the background and some rather “nu school” zombie sodomy going on in the foreground. How strongly is the cover related to PROSTITUTE DISFIGUREMENT in general and “Deeds Of Derangement” in particular?
“I didn’t look at the cover in that way but I like it very much the way you explain the cover. The old and newschool elements are definitely a part of the Prostitute Disfigurement sound. The idea was to create a Jack the Ripper kind of scene a century ago. This because lots of our lyrics are inspired from that story. We gave Deather (artist) the task to create such a scene and he did a hell of a job! And of course it fits our bandname so it all comes together in a way. We got in touch with him after we saw the cover he did for DISINTER (US) which is very dark.”
What are your goals with PROSTITUTE DISFIGUREMENT for the near and far future? Will there be any tours in Europe or even elsewhere? Are there any new songs composed already and will there be any stylistic changes on the next album again?
“Our goals for the near future are to promote our album, do many live shows and visit other countries. We already played twice in Germany and it was killer! Morbid Records is also working on a European tour, there is some talk about a tour together with DEAD INFECTION and WACO JESUS beginning of 2004. But this is not certain yet. We started work on new songs, were planning on a straightforward heavy Death Metal album. Not too many changes in our style.”
Please tell us your first spontaneous thoughts about the following key words:
Death Metal: “A style that unites us in the band and what we go for!!”
Porn Grind: “LIVIDITY, WACO JESUS, that’s what I think of, great bands!”
Horror movies and books: “Evil Dead! The ultimate horror movie.”
The Lord of the Rings: “Good movies that really got my attention.”
Alcohol: “What would life be without... boring!”
Marihuana: “Smoked it in the past, not anymore. It makes me too sleepy.”
SINISTER: “One of my alltime Death Metal favorites, still!! Hope they find a bassplayer.”
SUFFOCATION: “Great solos! Good that they are back together, can’t wait to see them.”
Prostitutes: “I never went to one but thanks for the bandname!”
How would you characterize the Dutch Death Metal scene – what’s your relation to other bands such as PYAEMIA, DISAVOWED, etc.? Can you play live a lot?
“With Pyaemia and Disavowed we have a very good contact. We play live with them often and they helped us with the album. Robbe K (Disavowed ) with the recording of the vocals and Joel (Pyaemia) with the layout. We can’t thank them enough! We also play with other bands in Holland but it’s not that we’re part of a scene or something. We also don’t play too often in the neighbourhood because people get tired of you when you do that too much. We like to play in other countries. People in Holland can see a Metal band every week, they don’t react crazy anymore when a band from Holland plays. When we play in another country thats a different story. But I have to say there are lots of good Death Metal bands from Holland, in fact it’s one of the only styles of music in which we have a say in concerning the entire world!”
And, finally, the last words for this interview are yours:
“Thanks Ramon for the interview, you really know what our band is about!! And to all German Metalheads out there.....we’ll be back!!” 

http://aufderaxe.nl/prostitute

Ramon Claassen

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