(The German death metal band Slaughterday signed with a new label, Testimony Records, and their first release for Testimony (which will be out on November 21st) turns out to be something different from what you might expect. We’ll let Zoltar explain, just before he dives into a discussion with Slaughterday bassist/guitarist Jens Finger.)
When former Obscenity guitar player Jens Finger caught up with his old friend Bernd Reiners to go see Autopsy play at the Party San Festival on August 13th 2010, the pair quickly realized that the song title “Slaughterday“ off the classic Mental Funeral album performed that night would make a great band name.
Since then, besides setting a live line-up to play shows around their native Germany, the two have laid out four great albums of doomish old school death metal in between 2013 and 2022. After over a decade on FDA Records, Slaughterday have just signed a brand-new contract with Testimony Records (Deserted Fear, Carnal Tomb, Leper Colony). Yet, as suggested by its cover artwork (a spoof of the mighty Horrified album), the very first result of this new alliance ain’t exactly what you would have expected from those guys.
Instead of their usual downtuned catchy style, Terrified turns out to be a four-tracks, nine minutes, in-your-face grindcore EP, but the kind of grindcore only metalheads raised in the ’80s on a severe diet of thrash metal and hardcore/crust could really muster. We caught up with Jens, who handles guitar and bass in the studio, to see if this was just a spur of the moment thing or an indication of a sudden change of heart…
photos by Toni Gunner
Jens, had you this idea in the back of your mind for a long time or was it something that came up once you started talking about celebrating your brand-new record deal with Testimony in one way or another?
Honestly, it’s an idea that’s been in the back of our minds for a while. We never really planned it, but once the Testimony deal happened, it felt like the right time to finally make it happen. It just clicked — the timing, the energy, everything.
If I’m not mistaken, none of you ever played in a proper grindcore band did you?
Not really, no. We’ve messed around with grindcore ideas before — mostly in rehearsals or as a joke when things got too chaotic — but never had a proper grindcore band. We’ve always been more on the death metal side, but that fast, noisy chaos was always appealing.
This being said, keeping in mind you both started playing metal in the very early ’90s, I assume your definition of grindcore is very specific, i.e., very crust/hardcore influenced, innit?
Yeah, for sure. We grew up when grindcore was still really connected to punk and hardcore. It wasn’t about technique or perfect sound — it was about attitude and intensity. For us, grindcore still means that raw, crusty energy. If it sounds too clean or polished, it kind of loses what makes it special.
What were the very first grindcore bands you started to get into, as a teenager and avid metalhead?
The first ones were the classics — Napalm Death, Terrorizer, and Repulsion. Then came Carcass and Bolt Thrower. Those bands just hit me right away — they were fast, noisy, and full of energy. It felt like something completely new back then. I still remember that friend of mine who wore the ND shirt at the school bus in the late eighties. I asked him right away, what’s all that about and got immediately interested in hearing that noise.
As I’ve said, you’ve been around for over three decades. Yet, back in the ’90s, unlike during the previous decade, the grindcore and death metal scenes didn’t really mix, each living in their own little bubble. Do you feel this is still quite the case these days?
Back then, scenes were like rival sons — somewhat fighting, yet knowing, you belong together. These days, the internet flattened everything. In the ’90s, those scenes were maybe more separated. Death metal people stuck with death metal, and grindcore had its own thing. Today it’s way more open. You’ll see all kinds of mix-ups — death metal bands borrowing grind riffs, grind bands covering death metal songs. I think that’s a good thing. Everything’s more connected now, and people care less about strict labels. Less gatekeeping, more blastbeats.
Let it be clear: this new EP is no indication of a potential stylistic shift in the SLAUGHTERDAY camp is it?
No, not at all. Terrified was just something we wanted to do for fun — a small experiment. Slaughterday will always be a death metal band. We didn’t want to change direction, just explore something different for a moment. The next album will be back to our usual sound — dark, heavy, and filthy.
Was it easy for you to get into a so-called “grindcore” state-of-mind to write those songs? Did you have some kind of set of rules you had to follow, for instance not coming up with a song lasting longer than two minutes, having blastbeats as much as possible, etc.?
Yeah, it came pretty naturally once we got into that mindset. We tried to keep the songs short and intense — around two minutes, fast, and no overthinking. The main rule was just: keep the energy high and don’t polish it too much. Once we started writing, it flowed quickly. Grindcore is all about capturing that rush.
Would you say Terrified is a bit like what, for instance, Cephalic Canage did back in 2002 with Halls Of Amenti, that is, coming with a full-on doom EP (including one gigantic 22 minute track) as far away as possible from their regular style?
I’m not super familiar with that release, but I get what you mean. For us, Terrified was a way to step outside our usual zone and try something different. It wasn’t about changing who we are, just about shaking things up creatively. Sometimes you need that to stay inspired.
One could say that an EP still to this day remains the perfect format for grindcore. What’s your opinion? What would you say are your five favorite grind EPs ever?
Yeah, I totally agree. Grindcore works best in short formats — it’s more impactful that way. EPs just fit the style perfectly.
Top five EPs? Off the top of my head I can only name two :
Napalm Death – Mentally Murdered
Napalm Death – Mass Appeal Madness
I assume that despite Terrified, work on your next album has already begun, hasn’t it?
Yes, the new album is already done. Terrified was just something we did in between to clear our heads a bit. The next record is pure death metal again — slower, darker, and heavier. We’re really proud of how it turned out.
https://slaughterday666.bandcamp.com/album/terrified
https://www.facebook.com/slaughterdayofficial