1.Hails Corey please introduce yourself to the readers?
I am Corey Bass, aka Count Cor’inth of USBM band Brood In Black/Black Daemon of War Metal band RTNGJHVH/ head of DIY Black Metal cassette label Blasfemas Records.
2.When did you first discover black and metal in general?And what is it about this genre that draws you in and keeps you interested?
As far as Metal, I discovered it in the early 80’s, as my older brother was quite a few years older than I, he would bring home records and tapes of all kinds of rock bands/metal bands, such as AC/DC, Scorpions, Motley Crue, Dokken, Ratt, etc. I first discovered Venom around this same time, flipping through my older brother’s Heavy Metal magazines. I remember the picture of Cronos on stage with his bass guitar, evil grin, high forehead and all...It was scary to a 6 year old kid. And that was just the pictures..but I didn’t actually hear Venom until much later. I actually had found Punk Rock, Thrash and Death Metal before I started listening to Black Metal, in the mid 90’s. My friend Mike at that time introduced me to Slayer, Sepultura, Obituary, Morbid Angel, Deicide, etc, while I showed him Punk bands. We lived in a small town in Kentucky, so it took a while before I found Black Metal. Early 2000’s, I want to say. . and that was through friends, and record stores. Black Metal, to me, shares many correllations with Punk Rock. When I say Punk, I don’t mean Green Day, I mean the old underground bands like The Misfits (Danzig era), G.G. Allin, The Exploited, Black Flag, etc. The underground aspect, the DIY ethos and attitude, and many cases, the ethics, and nihilism/misanthropy. Hatred. Not much difference between old shitty punk rock demos recorded on a Tascam, than an old Black Metal demo, recorded on a Tascam. It is sacred music and ideas, it’s rebellion against religion and society. And the whole underground aspect keeps me interested still, even if the genre as a whole has been inflated to the fucking moon because of updated technology that allows anyone with a guitar and a computer, with an interface and some software, to start a one man bedroom band/project. But on the flipside, there are some newer real bands, who respect the old ways and sounds, and there are also ancient bands still being discovered even today. That is one good aspect of the internet, is the exuming of old Black Metal bands, though the paper zine still survives in areas where it is necessity.. Infernal respects to our ancestors before us who were crafting their Black Metal art in the shadows, to be buried, forgotten, and unknown.
3.Who were the first artists and bands that you listened to and who are some of the current bands that have caught your attention?
The first Black Metal bands for me were Venom (first 3 albums) Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, Bathory(first 4 albums) old Slayer(Show No Mercy, Haunting The Chapel, Hell Awaits)/Sepultura(Bestial Devastation/Morbid Visions) Sodom (Victims Of Death demo, Witching Metal demo, In The Sign Of Evil, Obssessed By Cruelty) Kreator (Tormentor demo, Endless Pain, Pleasure To Kill), those albums were like proto-Black Metal, in my opinion. Even Morbid Angel’s “Altars Of Madness” could be considered Satanic Black/Death, along with the Deicide debut album. These are just my opinions, take them however you will...but you can’t argue that all of these albums have that sound, that feeling of Satanic worship. As far as all of these bands later albums, I can’t personally say that they were as effective as their earlier albums.. Current bands who have caught my attention: Perverted Ceremony, Moenen Of Xezbeth, Cult Of Eibon, Black Blood Invocation. I know I’ve left some out, but these are some who have personally piqued my interest. 5.For the readers who have never heard Brood In Black music how would you best describe it?And who would you say are the bands biggest influences and have they remained the same over the years? This is a hard question for me to answer, all I can really say is to tell the readers to check out Brood In Black and decide for themselves..It’s raw Black Metal, raw Black/Death, all in the name of Satan..It’s not for everyone.. Biggest influences? Pretty much the whole group of First Wave Black Metal bands. Venom, Bathory, Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, etc. and also, the first USBM bands, such as Profanatica, VON, Demoncy, amongst others, pretty much all of the ancient Black Metal bands from all over the world, not enough time to list them all. U.S., Finland, Brazil, Germany, Greece, Italy, France, Belgium, are probably my biggest geographical influences, every one of these countries has a strong Black Metal threshold.
4.I believe you started your journey into the underground scene with your band "Brood In Black".When did you first become interested in writing and playing music?
I first became fascinated with underground music around 1990, as I was 12 years old, and my obsession at that time was skateboarding. My mother had bought me a couple of skate videos (on VHS), one of them was called Board Crazy. It featured skateboarding from the Northwest, and with it, a soundtrack that featured bands from that area, like Mudhoney, and Nirvana, and others, in which later on that movement became Grunge. This soundtrack fasinated me to no end, because it wasn't like our local radio stations that played all of the dinosaur classic rock. That music felt like it was something special, even though I was so young, and to a kid growing up in rural Kentucky, it was like I knew that this wassomething out of the ordinary, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I watched this video religiously for several years, as I had no way to find info on these bands' albums or to read about them. This was light years before the internet, and also at that time, I did not have cable television or satellite television to watch MTV. I mean, of course I listened to Metallica and Megadeth, and other stuff. BUT-This was my first introduction into some kind of UNKNOWN music. Fast forward 2 years, I finally purchased a guitar, and started learning chords from a chord book. At this time, Thrash/Death Metal was still going, but the whole alternative/grunge/new wave of punk movements were really in the spotlight. So naturally, I absorbed all of this stuff, especially Nirvana. That was the first band I ever found on my own. Of course I loved older stuff like Led Zeppelin, and Sabbath, but I was shown these bands. So I delved heavily into Grunge/Alternative music during this time, like Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, and of course stuff like Green Day's Dookie, and Offspring's Smash, leading me to go backwards and discover the real classic bands like The Ramones, Sex Pistols, Black Flag, MDC, The Queers, and even noisy stuff like the Butthole Surfers, Flipper "Generic Flipper", GG Allin, Dead Kennedys, etc. I went into a Punk Rock rabbit hole! Finding Black Metal took a little longer, as rural Kentucky is a hard place to find anything extreme or interesting due to being so secluded from the bigger towns and cities where one may have a better chance to find such things. But my very first band I was in wasn't even a band-it was me and my friend Mike, we were a guitar noise duo called Circus Clowns On Acid. Hahahaha. We made one tape of tracks that were just noisy experimental guitar jams, full of feedback and noise. We were just dumb kids having fun, we didn't know what we were doing. But an interesting thing happened, with this friend, I showed him punk bands from the underground, and in turn, he showed me thrash metal and death metal bands like Slayer, Sepultura, Obituary, Morbid Angel, Deicide, so it was a trade off of showing each other different music that ended up inspiring us in one way or another. Later on we ended up starting a punk/thrash band in the early 2000's called One Armed Wifebeater. We were pretty much a worse retarded DRI. But it was fun.
5.For the readers who have never heard Brood In Black music how would you best describe it?And who would you say are the bands biggest influences and have they remained the same over the years?
Brood In Black is raw, primitive Black Metal. Plain and simple. There is nothing special about this band's music, we are not trying to invent the wheel here. We are what we say we are--raw fucking Black Metal, raw fucking Black/Death. Bestial Black Metal. War Metal. We are forever at War with Christianity, and in allegiance with Satan! I think our music embodies all of these traits. People keep calling us Black/Thrash online, but I think that's an inaccurate description. Worship us or fear us.
Biggest influences would have to be Venom's first 3 albums, all Hellhammer demos & Apocalyptic Raids E.P., Celtic Frost (especially Morbid Tales & To Mega Therion), first 4 Bathory albums, Profanatica, VON (Satanic Blood & Blood Angel demos), Azazel (hails Satanachia and Azazel!), Beherit, Judas Iscariot, Sarcofago (INRI), Vulcano (Bloody Vengence), these are some of the first biggest influences on Brood In Black, and still continues to influence us. There are many more, but I would be here all day mentioning them all. But these bands/albums here have had a direct influence on Brood In Black.
6.Black Unholy Mass is the bands latest EP. how long did it take you to write the music for the new release? How long does it usually take to complete one song?
This release is actually more of a full length to me. It’s an 8 track/half hour long release, I think it suffices for a full length. I had actually started recording tracks for it last year, of 2020, during the pandemic while it was in full stride. I had recorded and released tracks for a split with Cruel Spirit, “TOTAL WAR AGAINST CHRIST” split (on Blasfemas Records, ltd. to 30 cassettes. Still in stock BTW) and was working on other tracks that would become Black Unholy Mass. I did not have that title planned ahead or anything, the songs just came together like that. Recording between tracks for Brood In Black and for my Bestial Black/ Death project RTNGJHVH. To finish the new demo, I recorded a couple of new ones earlier this year, in which one became the title track “BLACK UNHOLY MASS. Some of the other Brood tracks were used for a 3 way split for 4PL Productions in Ecuador, between Brood In Black/Unholy Christ/Lamento Funebre. What’s funny, the new Brood demo was released in early June, 3 days later, 4PL released the split! It wasn’t intentional, it just worked out that way. To complete one song, it really depends on the ebb and flow of things, if the creativity is clicking. Sometimes life gets in the way, and can bring the creative mind to a halt, especially during a good creative streak. That also goes with recording, some days are just better than others. And with me, I am doing all writing, instrumentation, and recording. I’ll just say that on a good day, an hour or 2 per track.
7.Where do you draw inspiration for the lyrics and what are some subjects written about on the new release?
I’ve always liked to write, ever since I was a teenager. With Black Metal though, it isn’t poetry that I am writing. It is more like putting together incantations for black magick spells, or ritual poetry..Most of the time, it is pure blasphemy, sacreligious topics, as with my disdain and hatred for religions that celebrate the cross. Also, Occult subjects, mortal fears, and overall, the worship of Satan. And on “Black Unholy Mass”, there is plenty of what I’ve just described above. There is one track (Vile Fornication) that is about a man from the bible, Lot. He was a dirty fucking inbred scoundrel who was a holy heathen who fucked his daughters.
8.Corey i believe you are the sole member of the band did you plan to work alone or would you like to find some new musicians to make a complete line-up?
I am currently the only member, though there has been a couple of drummers throughout the years. At first it was all by necessity to record solo. When I started back in 2006, no one in my area was playing Black Metal, I couldn’t find anyone at all to play in Brood. So I did it the only way I could. The first proper demo “Arrival Of Death” was recorded with a DIGITECH guitar mod pedal that had a straight drum setting on it. Past drummers--Bulgor (drummer on 2nd demo “Blasfemas” demo-3 tracks, and on 3rd demo “Second Arrival”), and Master Of Graveyard Torment (drummer on “Unholy Infernal Rites” e.p..It is not my wish to record solo forever, but we will see. I would like to eventually get a full lineup for Brood In Black, but I would be happy with at least a drummer. We shall see.
9.What does Black Metal mean to you?
Black Metal means total freedom. I believe I answered this more in depth on the second question. This is the music made in the honor of our dark lord….
10.Corey besides the band you also own and operate the black metal label Blasfemas Rec. when did you first get the idea to start a label?Are you satisfied with how things have gone with the label so far?
I started the label officially in 2017, with the release of the first Brood demo “Arrival Of Death”. This was started because on the first time around (2006-2010) none of the so called underground labels wanted to release my music, so the second time around I was bound to be undeterred. If I was to get this music out, I had to do it myself. Since 2017, that is how Blasfemas Records has continued to do it to this day. Aside from Brood In Black, we have added several bands’ releases to our catalogue, from Cruel Spirit, Christrape, Unholy Christ, among others. I am satisfied with the way it has went so far, I only wish that I had more means to make the label operate more professional, and to have more to offer.
11.What do you feel is the easiest and hardest part about running a label?Do you have any friends or contacts who help you with the label?
I pretty much run the label on my own. I do have some friends that I get advice from, ideas, etc. I don’t think there is an easy thing about running a label, it all requires time, and essentially money in the end, 2 things as human beings that we all seem to not have enough of. But if I have to think of an easy thing about running a label, I would say packing and shipping off products. The hardest would have to be all of the creative processes, with artwork, layouts, etc.
12.How many hours a day would you say you work on label business?
It varies from day to day, but I definitely work on it every day in some capacity. I couldn’t really tell you how many hours.
13.What are some of your current releases that you have released? Are their any upcoming releases the readers should watch out for soon?
This past year alone, we have released 5 cassettes to date, including Unholy Christ “El Bastardo De La Ramera”, our first compilaton cassette “Complete Blasphemy Vol. 1”, of course the new Brood demo “Black Unholy Mass”, Cruel Spirit “Demo II-Arrogance”, and self titled demo from Vetus. As a whole, 15 since 2017. We do have some things planned, upcoming first demo from Progoat, “Satanico Sint Obscura Metallum”, and the second demo from Christrape, “Bastard Christ”, as well as a re-release of their first demo.
14.What styles of metal do you carry in your distro?Do you do many trades or do you prefer to buy wholesale?
We are mainly Black Metal/Black/Death/War Metal. We have done trades in the past. It depends on what and who it is.
15.If their are any bands and labels/distro's reading this where can they get in touch with you about possible trades and wholesale?
Anyone trying to contact us for trades, etc., can send an email to blasfemasrecords@gmail.com We are also looking for some labels who would want to repress any of our material, if they are interested. Especially for the Brood In Black releases, as we have only had one of our demos repressed, the 2nd demo “Blasfemas”, on Appalachian Noise Records, which is now sold out of 100 cassettes.
16.Corey thank you for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any final comments for the readers?
Final comments? Thank you, Patrick and Violent Demise Webzine. Hails: To all of the zines/webzines that have recently reviewed the newest releases from Blasfemas Records, the real Black Metal bands from the Kentucky underground, and from across the world. To all of our comrades who fight the Unholy War with us. To the Cult of Brood In Black/Blasfemas Records. Last but not least, all praise to Satan.. Label Contacts blasfemasrecords@gmail.com https://blasfemasrecords.bandcamp.com/ https://www.facebook.com/blasfemasrecords666/
