1. Hello there! First, thanks for the chance to make an interview with you, it’s our pleasure. Let me ask you what is the actual mood in RAMESSES, do you relaxing or still “living” with the new release “Take the Curse”? But there will be another release new release “Black Masses” of Electric Wizard, so this is maybe the priority right now...? :)

Hails. We have been busy recording the follow up to Take The Curse – Possessed by The Rise of Magik as well as touring Take The Curse – so still very busy. We are now mixing the tracks for new lp as well as arranging material for the next recording session!..we will take some time off over the new year …

We have no connection with EW and couldn’t care less what they are up to – although if that is the name of their new record it seems very weak and obviously derivative of ‘Black Hash Mass’ – a track on Take The Curse..

2. I know this question would be tiring for you, but do you sometimes think back about the times of Lord of Putrefaction, Eternal and The Grief Eternal? I don’t want to talk about the circumstances and renames, I’ll rather talk about the earlier times and atmosphere, which maybe many people forgot; the enthusiasm etc...

I was in Putrefaction and Lord of Putrefaction which I formed with J.Oborn and Dave Gedge (of the excellent Nuclear Gore Zine and label – he released Lord of Putrefaction split LP – he now runs the still excellent Bad Acid)..we had a string of drummers a la Spinal Tap including Steve Mills (now in Wounded Kings) and culminating in the irrepressible Gareth Brunsdon who also played in the 2 other pre EW bands and Hexed with me from 1999-2002 – just before Ramesses formed. He was the guy who enabled us to push and tighten the sound of LOP – a great drummer unfortunately we didn’t record any vinyl with him – but the gigs were devastating!....

In those days we were struggling with being stuck out in the stix with nothing but old people and nothing to do!...we played doom and death to escape the horrors of everyday life..it was obvious to us and we felt lucky compared to most people we knew of the same age who were all trendy twats into the worst type of vacuous persuits!..all we had was the crushing cathartic music we played at ugly volume, mother nature and lots of scrumpy(cider), weed, lsd and mushrooms – very creative and enthusiastic times of all-weekend trips and mammoth jams – we were all into Hawkwind and Sabbath and Heavy Psychedelia…as well as an unhealthy obsession with Winter Bolthtower, early demos and 1st lp of Paradise Lost, early Carcass, Autopsy etc and hanging out in cemeteries – there was no mobile phones and internet – just tape trading and fanzines…we used to rehearse at Justin's mum's house in their garage at first – but then it got too destructively loud so she let us soundproof this big garden shed and rehearse in there – steaming hot in any weather and no oxygen and weed and incense – a heady mix!..that's where we recorded the LOP demo and rehearsal tapes…eventually we were threatened with legal action due to noise and I have had the same problem ever since! – the eternal search for rehearsal space!!...

3. Is complicated to find the right enthusiasm after all those years, to do your best concerning the group, or is it simply natural for you? I mean if you still have a strong passion to create unusual music, even if it takes a lot of time and the priorities of a man are changing while the age is accumulating? Did you ever think about the end of RAMESSES?

No. The enthusiasm is always there – it's all we have ever known – it's our life – and we try to capture or record it – its not a chore – it's self assuring – our band motto is “We’re doing this, dunno what you’re doing” – we are not influenced by other current bands and have very clear ideas about what we want to do sonically– ie anything we like - all the time! …haven't felt the age thing catching up as yet – sure it's imminent though!…I haven't thought about the end of RamSS – too busy keeping The Ram Family alive!..


4. You’ve released a new album after three years. When you started with composing, did you have any unique idea how the album should sound? When you entered to the studio, did you change something in the songs and how about feelings 6 months after the release?

The Curse was always destined to be very different in its approach than Misanthropic. In fact we went to great lengths to make sure it would sound wildly different from our previous releases. The tracks and production and artwork are way more ambitious than on Misanthropic. We used James Thompson an engineer who usually works with traditional Cuban music…and used a studio that had never handled a heavy band in the middle of nowhere in a Tudor mansion basement..the setting worked perfectly..it felt like we were on the set of a Hammer House of Horror production from start to finish!...Each song has a different production and flavour – they feel like individual horror film sound tracks – which is exactly what we wanted – each tale of terror smashing your nerves on different levels…

5. For me, the album is the greatest you’ve ever done, mostly in atmosphere. It’s not crude like on “Misanthropic Alchemy”, but is deeper and gloomy. Did you try to make an album which will not be “Misanthropic Alchemy 2”? I’m asking because many groups have this defect – their albums are always about the same like the first release. And that’s sad. For them. But you did a new album, which is different, but yet with your own face. Applause.

Thanks man. Yes, Curse is very deliberately not Misanthropic2 and you will never get that from us. Atmosphere on the Curse was imperative and we are all very happy with how it turned out (despite it being nearly 2 years late, and half killing me!!…it was the most grinding and drawn out mixing session ever for me!!...but this no doubt imprinted its own atmosphere onto the record too…The next record Possessed will be a wild change again-so hang on to your coffin lids!

That is SO dissaponting when a band do that – whats the fucking point – those bands are clearly fake and have nothing to say – end of story.

6. Where did you get the spoken words that the listeners can hear on the album? Did you take them from some concrete horror films, or is this job done by you in the studio?

Both actually. There is a lot of spoken/trance induced narration by me which is often mixed in with samples from the likes of Dracula AD1972, Blood from The Mummys Tomb, etc as well as some more obscure 70s grimness…

7. “Take the Curse” contains 3 songs which were a part of EP “Baptism of the Walking Dead”. Also, the artwork is connected. Is possible to understand the EP as a pre-release or a test of fans? And could you please comment both artworks, I would like to know more about.

Baptism was our first self produced cd (ie no label) – we were forced into it in a way, when we realised Feto had no money for us to make another disc – and we were about to go on tour with around half the set being new material from Curse – we really wanted to have something out at that time so we made Baptism – they are different versions and mixes of the Curse tracks…

Yes the art on both releases is by Jake and Dinos Chapman – They are the greatest living artists in the UK today…their vision ‘Fuckin Hell’ blew my mind when I saw it exhibited – so I set about hunting the brothers down…in full occult style!..the spells and incantations worked and they agreed to allow us to use images from Fucking Hell – the brilliant pics were shot by Hugo Glendenning and the overall effect of the art which differs on Baptism 3”, Baptism 12”, Curse cd and Curse double lp – is fucking amazing!!!..we can't thank the Chapmans enough for that!...They are currently making us a video for Baptism the track – which I cannot wait to see!...


8. Let’s talk about the instrumental song “Vinho dos Mortos” – do you have any special relationship to Portugal? :)

Ah Vinho dos Mortos!...Sim!..we would love to play there!...there is a track on the next album called Sol Nocivo too!...

9. Do you know some groups from Czech Republic? We haven’t many groups like RAMESSES, but some are interesting, for example Gospel of the Future, check them if you want!

..ok will check them out….you should check out Bong from uk if you haven't already – great friends and great music – it does exactly what it says on the box!.....or 7 That Spells from Croatia…amazing stuff!...

10. We’re at the end. Thanks a lot for the interview and time you spent with the answers. I wish all the best to RAMESSES and You. Many thanks.

Its been a pleasure to answer some good questions mate.
Thanks for the interest and support.
Keep up the killer work.
Doom on.