Interview with TULSADOOM

The Band: Tulsadoom

Country: Austria

The Men: Virgin Penetrator (guitar); Rick Thunder (bass)

https://www.facebook.com/Tulsadoom/photos_stream 

https://tulsadoom.bandcamp.com/

Interview by Vpower

Hello guys, today I bring you an interview with a band that is pure energy and electricity, and you can feel it also in the way they express themselves, as you willl check out in a few seconds. I am talking about the Austrian band Tulsadoom, which has realeased thier second album in 2015, the powerful and thunderous “Storms of the Netherworld”. So, let’s go fot it!

You have just released your second album, Storms of the Netherworld, tell us something about it

Virgin Penetrator: By Crom! Thank you for the interview, Vpower! “Storms of the Netherworld” is kind of a concept album about the end of the dark pre-cataclysmic age, taking place before the Hyborian-age tales about Conan the Barbarian. It became a fast and rude old school metal epos about ferocious barbaric civilizations, human-sacrifices and bloodthirsty creatures lurking in the shadows for prey. The album culminates in the downfall of these tribes and ancient empires in a deadly vortex of violence, black magic and natural disasters.

Fantastic, I think it could be adapted as a script for the Hollywood industry even. This is your second work, and if I am not wrong you have been active as a band since 2007. What have changed since then in your sound?

Virgin Penetrator: Our intention has always been to create merciless songs, which crush through leather and flesh like a ironhammer. No compromises. Compared to our first album “Barbarian Steel”, the new songs became faster, sharper and colder. The Rock’n’Roll proportion in the new material decreased somewhat, leaving more space for rapid 80-ies Thrash Metal inspired riffing and evil harmonies, fitting the thematic concepts of “Storms of the Netherworld”. We also added a lot more lead-guitars, solos and polyphonic parts, while increasing the aggression on drums. The lyrics and vocals developed from a beer-and-battle based fundament into a graver direction.

A more agressive sound, no doubt, man. In my opinion, Tulsadoom delivers a very powerful Heavy/Thrash Metal, but still your songs have a wider range that allows the band to reach a larger audience than just those fond of the extreme sound, right?

 Rick Thunder: It’s not about reaching a larger group of people. We are influenced by a lot of different bands and styles. We love Venom, Motörhead, Immortal, Judas Priest, Demolition Hammer and so on...so we mix a lot of stuff together. If we think it sounds good, then we keep it. That people like our music is a nice coincidence.

Hahaha, that is self-esteem, by Crom! Talking about the lyrics, why the Barbarian theme? Too many times watching Schwarzenegger (from Austria, too) in “Conan The Barbarian”, lol, or maybe some kind of tribute to the famous actor, like Austrian Death Machine?

Virgin Penetrator: Of course we are all great fans of the “Conan the Barbarian” movie. I remember that I watched the movie as a little boy over and over again. It is by far the movie which I watched most often in my life, followed by other Arnie-classics like the first “Terminator”, “Commando” and “Total Recall”. During a beer-intense night back in 2007, Rick Thunder and me talked about our childhood and the “Conan the Barbarian” movie, and so we decided to start a band called Tulsadoom, playing old school Thrash Metal. Since then the lyrical themes have been inspired by the movies, stories and comics about Conan the Barbarian, but also other barbaric masterpieces like Kull the Conqueror or Red Sonja.

It seems you have found a gold mine in the Barbarian movie, I like it also very much, a great classic. Your music shows very sharp guitar riffs but also a very step forward bass lines and a great variety in your compositions, I think Shadows over Lemuria is a clear example of this. How do you create the songs, is one’s guy idea or an all together effort?

Virgin Penetrator: The songs on our first album “Barbarian Steel” were largely written either by me or composed together in our fucked up rehearsal room. Since “Storms of the Netherworld” Rick Thunder is also involved more into the process of songwriting. Usually we put our ideas together and delineate the main concepts and riffs for a new song, which are later refined in detail by me. Then we rehearse the material together with the whole band, add the lyrics and further modify some parts if necessary.

Your are from Austria, is it more difficult to be a Metal band in Austria than in Germany, Sweden, Finland, USA...? Can a band like Tulsadoom, with already a renowned name on stage, live from music?

Rick Thunder: Austria's metal scene is small like our country, but with a very alive underground. Especially in Vienna we get flooded with bands and many of them are very good and everybody tries to gain some success. Austria's cultural habit is more based in classical music (everybody loves Mozart...) and pop music. Other styles are not very noted by the average people. So...no it is not like Sweden or other scandinavian countries where metal is generally an important cultural asset.

So, may be in Spain the thing is not so bad as we thought..., although we didn’t have a Mozart, clear. What are those bands that marked your style, the origin of your sound? You still listen to them?

Virgin Penetrator: All of us come from an at least partly different musical background, everyone having different sources of inspiration. Bands which doubtlessly contributed to the sound of Tulsadoom are classic Thrash Metal heroes like Sodom, Slayer, Sepultura, Exodus and Demolition Hammer and some traditional Heavy Metal acts like Manowar, Judas Priest, Venom, Motörhead and Saxon. Some years ago some of us were active in Black Metal bands and bands like Immortal, Aura Noir or Mayhem surely also contributed to our style. I personally listen to old school Metal whenever I have time. Everything what is old school stuff finds it’s way into my stereo sooner or later and I also frequently listen to music of underground bands, as long as they don’t play pathetic sissy music like this modern emo-, core- or post-stuff.

Give me five, man! If you could go back in time, just talking about music, what would you change? Would you play sweet Power Metal hahaha, for instance? Or would you be a cover band...? Tell us, please.

Rick Thunder: Personally, I like good old fashioned metal...but as a founder of Tulsadoom I think I might have played in the same band...just a little bit earlier.

Yeah! That was the right answer! You get a VIP pass for the new Terminator chapter, just now in cinemas... Let’s talk a little about touring? How many dates you have closed for this year? Will we have the chance to see you in Spain?

Rick Thunder: Spain would be awesome to visit. If there is a promoter there who is interested into making a show with us...give us a call!

Promoters...read my fucking interviews... If you could ask one wish to the magic wonder inside the bottle, what it would be, now we open the question to any subject, not just Metal?

Rick Thunder: Beer, bitches and a well kept battle-axe!

Who needs more? We are finishing, this is a question I often ask to the young bands, what do you think about the Metal's health right now and how do you see the future of the Metal music in general?

Virgin Penetrator: I personally think that the Heavy Metal Movement is still very strong wordwide. There are lots of great bands and fans out there. What has changed since the 1980-ies is the purchasing behaviour of the fans, which has consequences for the bands. Nowadays more than 90% of the fans consume preferentially digital files. Many get their MP3 files from illegal downloads, or listen to freely-available music streams. But even if they pay for the downloads, the musicians won’t get much from it. This makes it very difficult for emerging young bands to survive, as they have to invest a lot of time and money, while working-full time to earn some bucks. I would like the fans to go back to the good-old record stores to buy their music or to buy the stuff directly from the bands to support them adequately.

A hard reality. And finally, tell the Spanish fans and all the guys around the globe whatever you like.

Rick Thunder: Lo que no mata engorda! Rock n Roll!

Thank you very much for your time, guys.

Here it is, thank you guys. Tulsadoom 100%, no fucking additves.