SPLEEN FLIPPER interview

by Michela.A

“The will to kill”, new album by SPLEEN FLIPPER. Italian HC going fast, going East.

On stage for 13 years, Spleen Flipper celebrate the band’s “step into teenage years” with a new, dense, fearsome and definitely wise full length: “The Will To Kill”. 9 fast-burning tracks which carve new SF’ sound: TWTK is the latest step of an evolution from the early punk-HC, straight (and damned fast!) towards the recent offending and relentless “blastcore”, a lethal mix of hardcore, death, black and grindcore…well, the guys lack for nothing!
Spleen Flipper are still spreading their sound far and wide, with a bunch of gigs around Italy and an upcoming tour in...well, I don’t wanna add more about that now! We hope that our chat with Topper, SF's lead voice and co-founder, will feed your curiosity...at least until the next news, of course!

gan: You’ve just banged out your new 9 tracks album ”The will to kill”! We will talk extensively about your new album during our chat but..give us just a taste of your brand new lp now! Describe it in few words to GOTANERVE-ZINE readers!

It's an evolution of our previous album “Alchimia Del Dolore”. Hardcore influenced by death/black metal and grind core. It's blastcore!

gan: Are you satisfied with the new record?
Sure! We are completely satisfied: this album represents what the Spleen Flipper are today. We loved working with Gianluca Amendolara at Cellar Door Studio: he really got what we wanted for our new album in terms of sound...and he did it!

gan: How are crowds and followers reacting to “The will to kill”? Are you on promotional tour, aren’t you?

The followers are enthusiastic about the new album! They appreciated the new sound and are very happy about it.

gan: Which is the song you like best? Or which one do you think best depicts the whole album?

This is a very difficult question...I love all the tracks but I if I have to choose, I think “You suck” could be the song I like most.

gan: How long have you been planning to record “The will the kill”? I know you have been through some line-up changes during the last period...
We recorded our last album in 2008. After that we started writing new songs but some changes in the line-up slowed down the process. First, we added a second guitar and some years later our bass player left the band and we had to replace him.

gan: Actually the new album sounds like a strong need to fix, to engrave the latest Spleen Flipper sound, (which has always been “in evolution”)...isn’t it?

Yes, “The will to kill” is an evolution of the old album. Now the lyrics are in English, the sound is heavier and I think there is more attention to details.

gan: In early 2000 you started as a punk-HC group, inspired by Italian punk and ‘80s ‘90s HC (Istinto alla sopravvivenza), then passed through metalcore with the album Alchimia del dolore and now you define SF as a“hardcore band with death/black metal and grindcore influences.”or “blastcore”...Tell us something about this process, or evolution, if you prefer. Tell us something about “blastcore”, what does this word means to you?

It's a natural evolution. We don't like to record an album with tracks that sound all the same...we do listen a lot of music of many different kinds...we are so influenced by that.
Some years ago, we played in a small place near Rostock in Germany and on the flyer they defined us “Blastcore”, we loved that definition, because it’s our sound, indeed. It's not old school hardcore and “tupa-tupa”...it’s full of blastbeats, there are heavy guitars, growl, screaming...

gan: Maybe the changes behind the drums contributed in to this evolution, or process...

Sure, Nicola plays a key role in this...

gan: Apart from the drums, the whole line-up has experienced some changes...how did you face that? A loss? A chance of renewal?

When someone chooses to leave the band it's always a bad news, because we are friends first of all, but life’s made of choices, and we respect that. The friendship still remains. Obviously, every change brings the chance of renewal, so I saw this as a new stimulus too.

gan: By the way...what about the current line up?

During the last five years we have had many changes in the line-up. The latest new entry is our bass player, our old-time friend Andrea, who’s also playing in the death metal band Embryo.
Now there is a good feeling inside the band and we are very excited about playing shows everywhere and writing new songs.

gan: How did you first become drawn to Hc and what HC means to SF? I mean HC as a kind of music but also as an attitude, a way of making music and playing around...

My first approach with hardcore was at school, trading tapes with friends. There were some albums that hit me in the head and brought me to play this music…

gan: Which albums?

It’s hard to choose...for sure, S/T by Sottopressione, Indigesti’s “Osservati dall’inganno”, Negazione with “Lo spirito continua”, Wrecthed, Sick Of It All, Agnostic Front, Bad Brains, Black Flag, Nerorgasmo...well the list would be too long!
Well, getting back to your previous question..Hc means playing loud and fast, not rockstarism, but friendship and unity.

gan: But do you all share this idea? I mean, are all SF keen on HC the same way? What do you usually listen to apart from HC?

Yes, all of us enjoy this attitude, otherwise it would be difficult to play together...
About my listen...well, the list is very long, again! From jazz until brutal death, psychobilly, stoner, everything, indeed...

gan: How much of pure HC still remains in The will to kill?

The groove and the attitude.

gan: And what about the album artwork? An underground shoot depicting aloof, withdrawn passengers wishing to kill, indeed. A picture which suggests rage, individualism...is that connected to any message you would like to convey through your music?

Just take a look around you..

gan: Ok...And what about the lyrics? In you first album’s (IAS) lyrics focused on what was happening around you, meaning politics, social issues, violence against women...isn’t it? I remember “No Nazi”...but this is just one example...And now? Do TWTK lyrics talk about such topics or something has changed?

Yes, IAS focuses on those themes and has explicit lyrics, while now in TWTK there are more introspective lyrics and other that talk about social problems too, but maybe they aren't as explicit as in the past.

gan: Lyrics o music? What comes first ? Who’s/are SF songwriter/s?

Music comes first..and after that I write words on the music lines.

gan: Let's play a game: I will name a group, a place..or something else and you just have to answer with the first things which comes up to your mind..

-Negazione.
The greatest hardcore band ever
-Srebrenica
One of the worst atrocities committed by humans in the last decades.
-Post Hardcore
Our friends FILTH IN MY GARAGE
-Booking Agencies
If they work with heart and passion they are a good resource.
-DIY
Working hard
-Straight edge
It' a choice...
-Black Metal Inner Circle
Religion is shit, racial prejudices are shit

gan: Now let’s go back to SF..Where do you prefer playing? Squats, clubs, big venues? And what's the most important thing in a gig? Place, crowds...etc...?

I love playing in small venues, on the floor without stage: this allows you to have a closer relationship with crowds, but obviously we like playing in big clubs too, with a kick ass sound system that allows us to express our sound at full throttle! The important thing is that crowds have fun at our shows.. and then we have fun too!

gan: I know you’ve been touring a lot in Europe...isn’t it? Is there any place, city, country you like best or where you felt particularly at ease while touring? I mean,did it ever happen to you to play somewhere and think: “Well, this is the real place to be for an HC band!”?

Yes, we played in Europe few times. We love Germany, in particular we like a little club in the east, J-Town guys rock!

gan: In the interview with Varukers, we talked a bit about the crowds at punk-HC gigs, most of all about the crowds' average age and their "growing up" or their “getting old”, depending on the point of view...you've been on stage for more than 10 years so far...what do you think about that?

Yes, some things have changed, there were more places to play, it was easier to plan a tour, bigger crowds at gigs...but I don't care. We continue to play our music the same way as 13 years ago. I’ m always 23 years old...

gan: Ahahaha! Lucky you! I’m aware that what I’m going to state may sound quite provocative as I don’t like to stereotype nor to generalize...so feel free to contradict me! I think that today HC scene, or better, just SOME HC scene, especially crowds and kids more than the bands, feel HC as something fashionable, trendy, appearance above substance and contents if compared to 10 years ago...Today I see more uniformity, fashion, trends, even hipsters..while hardcore culture used to express a refusal of trends and commercialization etc... Is that just my own impression?

Maybe there are some people, and maybe some bands too, that live music, and HC as fashion? Well, I'd like to see them in 2 or 3 years...I know that I'll still be the same.

gan: In Italy, and in Europe, during the last decades,(most of all during the ‘80s and ‘90s) HC scene grew through squats, collectives, communes, associations often linked to anarchism. Do you think that today there is still a strong connection or has the scene moved towards other places, contexts, ideals etc...?

Hardcore was born in squats and collectives and it still lives in those contexts but now it is possible to see hardcore shows in clubs and in big events. And I think it’s a good thing. I don't know, I want to bring my music everywhere.

gan: Well thank you for sharing your point of view with GAN’s readers! I would like to close our talk with some SF updates! So, any future projects? What about your next gigs?

Well, we are writing new songs and a t the same time we continue to play shows and promoting the album. In October (from 5th to 12th) we should be on tour in Eastern Europe, more details coming soon! See you in the pit!
Thanks a lot to GAN for this interview and for the support!

Check: www.facebook.com/pages/SPLEEN-FLIPPER/281451236592