Hail Koffin fükker püssy krüshers!
Vödkamizer: Your band is quite young but already making great strides in the Estonian scene and the international underground scene. Can you give us a brief history of your band and maybe some details of your process that has led to your current success?
Sander: We started the band in the summer of 2019. Mostly because we loved to drink and thought why not make some music while drinking. In terms of our success, I guess we got to thank Karl Korts for it, he released our demo and put together this awesome promo plan that put us on the map so to say.
Herman: Totally agree with Sander, we were just drinking and having fun. And the next thing I know, I'm stressing over gigs in Tallinn.
Vödkamizer: Koffin has been receiving a lot of great press and positive reviews from the recent demo "Nailed Into The Coffin". Has this attention had much impact on the band members and motivation and/or has it affected your approach to writing your future releases?
Sander: I kind of wish people wouldn't love it so much haha. The pressure that is already growing on the album is way too much for me. I hate being under pressure, but then again, maybe the pressure is the key if it turns out successful!
Herman: I was hoping to just get some minor feedback so I could analyze my playing and decide what to do better on the (hopefully) upcoming releases. It sure puts some pressure on to get better and better, but it's the good kind of pressure, you know.
Vödkamizer: Your music brings to mind the late 80s and early 90s death metal scenes with a nice bit of groove. Aside from old school death metal bands, are there any bands of other metal subgenres or entirely different genres that you take influence and/or inspiration from?
Sander: We have a few elements in our music that we have taken from Speed Metal for example, but mostly I take quite a lot of influence from Thrash Metal. The two main groove riffs starting from 1:08 on the track "Terminator" are very much Megadeth inspired. Riffs from "Skull Beneath The Skin" and "Holy Wars...The Punishment Due" mixed with Aggressor-style writing and that's what you get. Probably the proudest moment in my musical career, writing wise.
Herman: I have been taking loads of influence from groove metal and partly from death and thrash metal. I'm not very keen on influences, I just go with the flow of the music and start writing some beats. But if I had to name bands then for Koffin, I would name Grave and Deicide. These are the two bands that have pushed my playing most in the Death Metal genre.
Vödkamizer: One commonly noted theme among reviews of your demo is the old school feel and raw production. Do you have plans to maintain this old school raw feel for future releases and if not, could you elaborate on the direction you are planning to go?
Sander: I would like to retain the old-school raw production, but only to a certain extent. Just like in the early 90s you usually get a demo cassette with a black-on-white cover and really raw production. The albums usually get more polished and the production gets clearer. That is where I'm aiming with Koffin too. To stay raw and rotten, but with cleaner production. My dream would be to record completely analog, but I'm afraid that will stay a dream.
Herman: Totally agree with Sander on this one. I love the old-school raw sound and production. But I'm very excited to experiment behind the mixing table and see what suits us best. I think I'm as excited as other people to see where this ends up.
Vödkamizer: Your demo's artwork was done by the artist Skaðvaldur who has become an increasingly popular artist in the Estonian scene, let alone the international underground. What are your thoughts on the artwork's visual representation of your music and do you plan to work with him on future releases?
Sander: Visual aspect is just as important as the music itself in my opinion. Ahto-Lembit Lehtmets from Loits gave us a 10/10 for the artwork alone. I love Skaðvaldur's art very much. He is the only artist who I want to work with (although there will be one exception regarding our future plans), because we have a very good mutual understanding of each other and we work really good together. I have talked to him about the album cover already and if everything goes as planned then it's gonna be sikk!
Herman: He's amazing, I love his style and he's a wonderful person to work with. I want to definitely work with him as long as possible, because he gets the feel of the band and he has the skill to incorporate it in his art, just like we want to. Not many people can do that, in my opinion.
Vödkamizer: Your current releases include cassette tapes and CDs. Are either of you or any of your band members avid collectors of physical releases? Which formats do you prefer and do have any ambitions to release future material on vinyl?
Sander: I do collect physical copies, but it takes time and money, I unfortunately only have time. I love cassettes very much, I am frequently looking on Discogs/Facebook groups for interesting tapes. A Vinyl release for our album would be amazing.
Herman: I haven't really collected any physical copies of music except for some Estonian bands and a bootleg Deicide cassette I got from Discogs. But releasing music on different formats gives the possibility for different designs and more room to be creative, so I would really like to release my own vinyl and see how it turns out.
Vödkamizer: In a recent concert, you performed alongside the bands Taak, Intrepid, and Sküllfükk SS. Simo Atso of Intrepid had said in a press statement that the reason his band had not played in Tartu for so many years was that there were no good bands until now. Do you agree with this statement and what is your opinion on the state of the metal scene in Tartu and Estonia as a whole these days?
Sander: In a Death Metal perspective, I agree. The only Death Metal bands in Tartu right now are Koffin and Swarn. I am happy about the Estonian scene as a whole. We have a lot of awesome bands and basically everybody knows each other.
Herman: The Death Metal scene is small, that I agree with. The bands in Tartu are sometimes just like our own thing here, you know. People outside maybe don't notice the scene that much, because we fail to promote ourselves or whatever reason there is for it. But the scene as a whole is starting to look good. We have young bands forming and older bands still going strong. I'm positive about the future and hoping that I can contribute something to the scene's life-support.
Vödkamizer: Your original bassist, Johan-Markus Kopp, is currently serving his conscript service in the military and this has led to you having a couple of session bassists. How has this affected the band overall and when his service is over, will he immediately resume his position?
Sander: It's been hard to be honest. Reio has a lot of active bands and that's kind of the reason we decided to let him go. When we were invited somewhere then his other bands got invited somewhere else. Luckily we got Skaðvaldur, who is an awesome musician and he understands our vibe so to say. Regarding Johan-Markus, I certainly hope so. We really miss him, because he had some sort of special energy with him and I miss hanging out with him and having a lot of laughs together.
Herman: It's been a hell of a ride. The session bass thing has woken me up a bit and given me something fresh to think about. I loved having Reio and I love having Skaðvaldur, but my personal opinion regarding Johan-Markus is a bit clouded and smuggy so I will not give a straight answer for this (for which I apologize). But I hope things turn out for the best. I love this band and I love Johan, but the ride of this band is only beginning, we will have to see.
Vödkamizer: Seeing that most of your band history has taken place during the times of Covid-19, what can you say about your view on your band's trajectory during these limiting times? Has it been a curse? Blessing? Not affected the band at all?
Sander: I am certainly happy that we were allowed to do shows in Estonia. It would've gotten really frustrating if we wouldn't be able to perform live. I'd say that it hasn't affected us as much as other bands in different countries for example.
Herman: It's been pretty chill. We got to do rehearsals during quarantine and practice for our live performances. I don't know, the time has made me really close with all the band members and we've had time to think stuff over. So for me, definitely a blessing.
Vödkamizer: Aside from internationally successful bands, what are some other Estonian bands that have influenced and/or inspired you as a band and as musicians? And what are some Estonian albums you guys are digging these days?
Sander: The almighty Aggressor has been a big inspiration for us. I have to also mention Deceitome, because I like them a lot. I listen to Tankist's "Be Offended" almost weekly. In my opinion it's one of the best releases in Estonian metal history. Sküllfükk SS' rehearsal demo is also one of my favorite releases. Even though I don't listen to it that often, I still hum some riffs and quietly sing some lyrics from time to time.
Herman: Have to agree on the Aggressor band wagon, it has pushed us a lot. But for myself, surprisingly, the most influential Estonian band has been Pedigree. Helps me fill my need for interesting grooves and always gets me on a roll. I think that Sküllfükk's demo is also one of my favorites, so far. Should actually re-discover the Estonian albums, thanks for reminding.
Vödkamizer: What can your fans look forward to in the near future?
Sander: A few gigs are still ahead, but after them we will continue our struggles to release a killer fükking album that makes our demo look like the pussy ass poser kid from school who gets beaten up every Thursday for being a fag.
Herman: A few gigs, yes. And I have to supervise the killer fucking album so Sander doesn't have to be disappointed in the end, because his riffs are mediocre or something. Really looking forward to it!
Vödkamizer: Do you have any shout outs, acknowledgements or sign off notes for this interview?
Sander: Please check out Eric's blog, also the artist Skaðvaldur and their band Sküllfükk SS!!!
They have done big things for us and we wouldn't be who we are without them! Much love to them!
Herman: Same, really cool that you started this blog, I really hope you get it up and running so we can get some cool interviews like this one! Thanks for having us.
Vödkamizer: Thank you very much for the interview and keep nailin' them into the coffin!
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