INTERVIEW: Max Kolesne – Krisiun

Though perhaps occasionally over-shadowed by their groove/thrash countrymen in SEPULTURA, KRISIUN are doubtlessly one of the finest offerings to come from Brazil. With a stacked discography of stone-cold death metal classics, KRISIUN are back with what may be their best record yet, after a disappointing reaction to 2015’s Forged In Fury. Scourge Of The Enthroned (read our review here) is unquestionably the strongest album from the band since 2001’s Conquerors Of Armageddon, packed with wall-to-wall sonic brutality and hook-filled riffing. We managed to catch drummer Max Kolesne for a chat about the new record, the influence Sumerian mythology has had on KRISIUN, live plans and the Brazilian metal scene.

Hey guys, thanks so much for taking the time to chat today, we really appreciate it. So as we’ve just seen the release of Scourge Of The Enthroned, how is everyone in the KRISIUN camp feeling?

Max: Hey, you are welcome! We are feeling great man, very excited with the release of the new album!

So far, how has the critical response been to Scourge Of The Enthroned, and what has the fan response to the record been like?

Max: It’s been great, most of reviews are very positive. And from what I’ve heard most of the fans are going crazy with the new album. We came back with a more dynamic album, short straightforward songs of pure speed, brutality and aggression, and most of the fans are loving it.

You have said that the recording process for 2015’s Forged In Fury was very organic, and it came together by jamming ideas out with very little pre-production. Did that method carry forward into the new record, or were things a bit more structured this time around?

Max: Basically the process was the same: we build the songs together in our practice room, usually Moyses [Kolesne, guitars] comes up with some riffs and ideas and then we start putting the pieces together, with drums, bass and vocals. But this time we were more prepared for the recording. We did some pre-production recordings in our rehearsal studio, and we definitely worked more on the structures of the songs. We practised a lot too – we played the songs over and over again to make sure there would be no flaws during recordings. We didn’t even use a click, and that’s why the album has this “live” vibe. Of course, there’s always some pressure for recording but the more you prepare yourself, the more confident and comfortable you will feel to record.

The stunning cover art for Scourge Of The Enthroned depicts the band as Anunnaki, figures from Sumerian mythology. This is quite a different theme for the artwork than what may be considered typical for a death metal record – why did you decide to go down that route?

Max: Oh yeah, the cover art by Eliran Kantor is definitely outstanding! Actually, we have been writing lyrics inspired by Sumerian mythology for a while. The theory about the extraterrestrial creatures that came from the skies and created man using their own genetic material on the primitive species homo-erectus is fantastic and it makes more sense than all those fantasies and lies created by most religions to control and brainwash people and make them fear their ” fake” gods and become fanatics. In a way, the Sumerian mythology is connected to our rebellious Satanic attitude against most religious beliefs in general.

Can you tell us a bit about the mythology that inspired the lyrics of Whirlwind Of Immortality, which is connected to the artwork? Did the Sumerian myths influence the lyrics in any other tracks on Scourge Of The Enthroned, and if so, can you tell us a bit about them as well?

Max: Whirlwind Of Immortality is about the ancient Sumerian history and culture, the Annunaki gods and the beginning of creation and all that man has inherited from them, super intelligence, vision, spiritual knowledge, hate, love. Also, the content of the lyrics are varied amongst different subjects. The title track is about dethroning the so-called kings of this world, fake leaders and gods – we are also talking about the modern world crisis of war and religion, the refugees, holocaust, and bloodshed, which somehow is connected with the Sumerian mythology and creation of humankind.

While ancient mythologies are not an uncommon theme in death metal, the Sumerian myths and legends are certainly not as well known as Norse mythology, for example, which is a relatively common theme in metal. What research was involved while writing these lyrics?

Max: Yeah, Norse Mythology is definitely more common in metal in general and it’s also a great subject that totally fits to metal tunes. Sumerian mythology has the cosmic, dark approach to it and has already been explored by other death metal acts, especially by death metal gods MORBID ANGEL. We have been writing about it for a while – it all started when we were very young and inspired by lyrics from bands we grew up listening to. We started looking for books and information everywhere and then we learned about all the atrocities, bloodshed and lies behind religion, such as slavery, paedophilia, fanaticism, war, prejudice, ignorance, misery. And from that on we never looked back and subjects about Satanism, anti-religion, Sumerian mythology have been in our lyrics.

Can you tell us a bit about the other lyrical influences on Scourge Of The Enthroned, and the stories you wanted to tell throughout the album?

Max: As I mentioned before, we talk about different subjects, from ancient wars and gods, to the cruel reality of the world, all the wars, death and bloodshed in the history of man. There’s actually one lyric on Scourge Of The Enthroned that is about the Werewolf. It might sound silly, but behind the lyrics real content is what the wolf represents to us as man – a savage beast, free, that serves no-one and lives in constant battle to survive, always ready to fight, kill or die.

The info sheet we were sent by Century Media with the record, said you consider KRISIUN to be a “scourge to all the plastic death metal out there.” Aside from yourselves, what other bands do you consider to be flying the flag for organic, top-quality death metal?

Max: The first band that comes to mind is SLAYER – despite the fact they are not considered death metal, you can tell their albums are real. There’s no quantizing fake bullshit, drums are fucking real, you can tell it’s played by human beings and there’s no computer enhancing their performances. The new albums from CANNIBAL CORPSE, IMMOLATION, and HATE ETNERAL, amongst others, sound pretty solid and real.

KRISIUN is well-known to be an extremely active touring band. You’ve got a few European shows, a couple back home in Brazil and a run of dates with SUFFOCATION in America all planned for the remainder of 2018. Are there any plans in place for KRISIUN headliner tours in 2019, and where are you hoping to get to next year?

Max: Yeah, next year we’ll be touring relentlessly through Europe, Latin America, North America, and hitting up European summer festivals. There are also plans to come back to Asia and Oceania too!

How many tracks from Scourge Of The Enthroned can fans expect to be added to the setlist on the upcoming shows?

Max: At the release show in Germany we played four, but we are prepared to play more – since the fans are loving the album, we’re feeling really excited about playing those songs live.

And what songs from the record are you particularly excited to play live?

Max: [I’m excited to play] Scourge of the Enthroned, A Thousand Graves, Whirlwind of Immortality, and Devouring Faith.

The last time you had a run of shows in the UK outside London was 2014 – can we hope so see a full UK tour in support of Scourge Of The Enthroned?

Max: Yes, our agent is working on booking shows in the UK – soon it will be announced!

Brazil is renowned for its strong metal scene. Are there any underground or new bands form your home country you would recommend for anyone wanting to dig into a Brazilian scene a bit more?

Max: Oh yeah, lots of awesome bands are emerging from the Brazilian underground scene right now! Some are FUNERATUS, HAVOK666, CHAOSLACE, NERVOCHAOS, DISRUPTION PATH, NERVOSA, TORTURE SQUAD, FACADA, ENCEFALO, DECOMPOSED GODS, and many more…

What challenges do you feel new bands from Brazil in breaking into the international metal scene?

Max: It’s hard to say – you have to fight and work really hard as a team. If there’s one guy in the band that is not giving 100%, fire him immediately and never ever give up. The most important thing is to make great music, impress people and make their jaws drop with some kick ass fuckin’ metal and try to have your own identity. Now with the internet, the world is open so it’s easier to have your music out there. But on the other hand, people are spoiled, so you really have to bring something amazingly exciting to the table – music will always be the main factor. And, of course, play as many shows as possible – every show is important, for 10, 20 people, doesn’t matter, go out there and kick ass and make these people love your band.

Thank you again for taking the time to speak with us today. Before you go, do you have any parting messages for Distorted Sound’s readers?

MK: Hey, thanks a lot Distorted Sound, we appreciate your support a lot, you help us to bring our music to more people out there! Hope to see you metal brothers in the UK really soon and play some kick ass shows and drink some beers. Real Death Metal is stronger than ever! Cheers!

Scourge Of The Enthoned is out now via Century Media Records.

Follow KRISIUN on Facebook.