EMQ’s with Vermocracy
EMQ’s with Vermocracy
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Austrian Melodic Death Metal band, Vermocracy. Huge thanks to their guitarists, Andi and Stella, for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
Hello, first of all thanks for your interest. Andi and Stella are answering the questions. We are both guitar players in Vermocracy.
Andi: Roman (Drums) and I (Guitars) are old friends; we have been playing together for many years. We’ve been in different formations before founding Vermocracy. It took some time to assemble the perfect line-up. Michael joined as a vocalist in 2019, after leaving his former Black Metal Band Theotoxin. Stella (Guitars), whom we already knew from her former project Black Coven, was found as a new guitar player later in the same year. Hannes (Bass) has previously worked with Michael in Horns of Hattin and Obsidian Chamber. He became our bass player shortly before recording the debut album. The line-up has been stable since 2020 and has proven to work well during the pandemic and the creative process for two albums. We do not plan on slowing down any time soon.
How did you come up with your band name?
Andi: Our name is a wordplay combining “Vermin” and “Democracy” which perfectly fits our lyrics, critically treating different aspects of humanity.
What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
Andi: We are from Vienna, Austria. The scene in here is great. There is so much support from the fans but also a good network of other musicians and promoters. It’s no surprise that there are a lot of amazing and successful bands from our city.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
Andi: Our second Album “Age Of Dysphoria” was released on September 30th 2022. The first single ‘Necrocracy’ is also out with a lyric video, which you can easily find on YouTube.
Who have been your greatest influences?
Stella: Our main influences are Melodic Death Metal bands from the 90’s and early 2000’s, like In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, At the Gates and Arch Enemy.
What first got you into music?
Andi: I am into Music since I was born, starting with classical music as well as 70’s Rock. I played my first chords on the guitar when I was 12, but I really got interested in this instrument at the age 16 when I started to listen to Metal. Of course, every member of band would answer with a different story.
Stella: I started listening to bands on the radio, then slowly discovering music on my own from there on.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Andi: Probably Jesper Strömblad. He had great influence on my guitar playing, songwriting and my understanding how two guitars interact with each other.
Stella: With somebody like Kerim (Krimh) Lechner or Eugene Ryabschenko. I would love to see what kind of songs could come up by working with a musician on that high technical level.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Stella: Definitely Summer Breeze or Maryland Death Fest – Just from sheer audience participation alone.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Andi: None
Stella: None
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Stella: World Domination 😉
Andi: Thanks for all the support we received over the last years! Everything we have achieved, as a band, wouldn’t have been possible without a supportive fanbase. So, thank you very much for that!
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Stella: Alexi Laiho
Andi: Sure, Alexi Laiho
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
Stella: Love: Playing music and travelling;
Hate: Constant money issues for things like production, merch, gear etc.
Andi: Love: playing my instrument and our songs live and at rehearsals. I also enjoy practising.
Hate: Everything else
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Stella: It is pretty much stuck in the past… People should, instead of fetishizing the “glorious times”, start thinking about how to deal with the advanced technologies like Spotify, streaming etc. and how it could still be possible for musicians to get paid decently and continue making music, playing shows…
Andi: It’s not the primary function of music industry to promote “good “music. It’s just a profit-oriented industry like any other. But to be honest I don’t have the experience to comment on this yet. At the moment this is the first time I am working with a label (Black Sunset / MDD records) and they are doing a great job.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Stella: Insomnium – “In the Halls of Awaiting”.
Andi: Children Of Bodom – “Follow The Reaper”.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs, or Downloads?
Stella: CDs
Andi: CDs
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Stella: At the Escape Metal Corner in Vienna with Malevolent Creation headlining.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Stella: Sports
Andi: Never thought of that during the last years – probably drinking too much.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Stella: Dani Filth, Vortex, Craig Reynolds, Jeff Walker and Christian Münzer.
Andi: One of the guitar players from Archspire to give me a guitar lesson – I think that’s more than enough for an evening.
What’s next for the band?
Andi: In November we will play an Album Release Show in Vienna and then two more concerts in Graz and Klagenfurt. We are planning more shows for 2023 and are reaching out to bookers and promoters outside of Austria, too.
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
Andi: You can find us on www.vermocracy.at or www.facebook.com/vermocracy . You can hear our music on Spotify and YouTube and order CDs and merch at www.vermocracy.bandcamp.com or at www.mdd-shop.de. For further questions and booking information you can reach us at mail@vermocracy.at
Jaffa Cakes! Are they a cake or a biscuit?
Stella: Definitely biscuits
Andi: What the hell are Jaffa Cakes?
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?Andi: Thank you for your interest and support. We hope to see you at one of our forthcoming shows.
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