Fuelled by the insatiable need for a more brutal form of sonic violence, Obliterhate was spawned. The man responsible for all the madness, Calvin from Raspatul, had always wanted to do something far more aggressive and intricate musically. Thus, the opportunity came when Calvin got in touch with Erik Sayenga, formerly from technical Death Metal band Dying Fetus. Erik is no stranger in the Death Metal scene and his extraordinary drumming prowess clearly showed he is indeed half man and half machine. 6 blazing drum tracks were completed in a matter of months and with this, marks the beginning of a monster slowly taking form….
The hunt for a suitable bass player began in the midst of the recording of Erik’s drum tracks. After an extensive search, Derrick Ramirez, formerly from the legendary Metal band Testament and currently in Symphonic Black Metal band Dragonlord, was called on board to handle the bass parts. Derrick’s thundering bass style and his legendary status has proven a force to be reckoned with.
Calvin began re-writing and arranging the entire 6 songs due to the fact that Erik Sayenga’s blistering drum work was no longer fitting into what Calvin had initially written. The writing process took about 3 months and Calvin immediately entered the studio in January 2007. The guitar recording sessions were done separately throughout the rest of the year due to some commitments with Raspatul and therefore, causing some inevitable delay in the recording process. The legendary shredder James Murphy was roped in to feature a guest guitar solo spot on one of the songs. Calvin had previously worked with James on the mastering of the latest Raspatul album, so a couple of conversations later, James was confirmed for the spot. James’s terrifying fretboard wizardry and undeniable lead guitar style will definitely be one of the highlights on the Obliterhate album.
It was already decided from the start that there will be keyboards to build up a somewhat conceptual theme to the album. Mirai Kawashima, who is the madman behind the innovative Black Metal band Sigh and his stint with US cult Horror/Gore Metal band Necrophagia, was the immediate choice. Mirai’s haunting and unorthodox style on the keyboards would be a perfect fit to add a contrasting twist into the concept of Obliterhate. After returning from a Sigh/Mayhem tour in the US and a Sigh tour in Japan, Mirai wasted no time at all and got down to recording his keyboard parts. 3 keyboard tracks were composed and finished in 2 short weeks and it was Mirai’s understanding of what Obliterhate needed that made this collaboration work with total ease.
The fruitless search of finding a singer almost lasted throughout the entire year of 2007. A singer that has a good knowledge of intricate music was needed to fill the spot. Calvin had been in touch with Jeff Becerra from the legendary cult band Possessed for quite a while and Jeff was naturally the best man for the job. But with Possessed reuniting and their frequent touring schedules, it made it impossible for Jeff to commit to Obliterhate and thus, a frantic search to find a suitable singer began once more. Prior to the Possessed reunion, Jeff had penned down some lyrics for Obliterhate which will be used in the Obliterhate album. Jeff’s remarkable cult reputation in the Metal scene is truly unstoppable and it is a great honour that Jeff Becerra will still be involved with Obliterhate.
After some months of hunting down, another talented madman was finally found and eventually ended the search for the vacant singer spot. The legendary multi-instrumentalist Dan Swanö (Nightingale, ex-Edge Of Sanity, ex-Bloodbath) was in every way the perfect man for the singer spot, having a very precise understanding in technical, progressive and extreme music. Due to Dan’s extremely busy work commitments, Rogga Johansson (Those Who Bring The Torture, Ribspreader, Paganizer, Demiurg, etc) will assist Calvin in the lyrics and vocal arrangements. Rogga’s mastery of vocal arrangements and lyrical songwriting was the perfect choice indeed. Not having done punishing Death Metal vocals for a full-length album in more than a decade, Dan’s contribution on the Obliterhate album will prove once again that he still possesses the demonic growls and truly the reigning king of Death Metal vocals.
However, there were some inevitable changes in the OBLITERHATE line-up issues. Due to Derrick Ramirez's hectic schedule, he will be unable to commit himself in the involvement for this project. Stepping in to fulfil the bass duties will be the legendary Terry Butler (Six Feet Under) and formerly of Death, Massacre and Denial Fiend fame. With the bass tracks recorded at John and Donald Tardy's (Obituary) Redneck Studios in under a week, Terry's top-notch working attitude, remarkably powerful basslines and backed by his distinctive monstrous bass tone has proven to be a vital driving force for OBLITERHATE.
Signed to the mighty Pulverised Records for a worldwide release, the album title will be tentatively called ‘Blessing In Disgust’, a title fitting into the concept of Obliterhate, and that is to crush and annihilate all forms for feeble religion!
E-mail contact:
[email protected]
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Calvin Obliterhate is proudly endorsed by Monson Guitars (USA).
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Obliterhate forum space at Pulverised Records official forum:
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