INTERVIEW: Paul Speckmann – Master

Though MASTER may not have the infamy and prestige of DEATH, OBITUARY and DEICIDE, Paul Speckmann has been creating sonic brutality for just as long. Forming MASTER in 1983, he floated between a selection of bands in the Chicago scene before releasing MASTER‘s self-titled debut in 1990. Speckmann relocated to the Czech Republic in the late ’90s to join the now-defunct KRABATHOR, and has been running MASTER there ever since. 2018 sees him release MASTER‘s 14th record, Vindictive Miscreant, via Transcending Obscurity Records (read our review here). We spoke with Speckmann about the new album, his long career and the Czech metal scene.

Hey Paul, thanks for taking the time to chat with us today. With Vindictive Miscreant having just been released, how are things in the MASTER camp?

Paul: We just returned yesterday evening from 18 live concerts in Brazil with our friends NERVO CHAOS. Things are going very well with the new release and the continuous touring and also recordings etc. MASTER continues to roll along as always. I like to keep the band working as often as possible. I mean we no longer do over 100 dates a year as I am tired of the travelling, but we keep busy for the most part.

How has the response to Vindictive Miscreant been so far, both critically and from MASTER’s fans?

Paul: Well, critics as well as fans are eating it up, which is not a surprise for me to be honest. The biggest part of the success has a lot to do with promotion, and Transcending Obscurity Records has been promoting the fuck out of it, and this time around people are actually getting a chance to hear the tracks and take notice of them. The last few labels just believed the records would sell themselves which is rather normal in the music industry! Back in the day labels like Nuclear Blast promoted the hell out of the MASTER records and this certainly helped pave the way for underground success. After leaving the label it was a struggle and the next labels dropped the ball. Thankfully Kunal [Choksi, owner of Transcending Obscurity Records] signed MASTER and things are going very well at the moment.

Can you walk us through the themes and concepts you wanted to explore with Vindictive Miscreant’s lyrics?

Paul: It’s a waste of time to preach my beliefs; people can read the lyrics themselves, my friend. Vindictive Miscreant, like every MASTER record, deals with the world today and the chaos that surrounds mankind at this particular moment. Every MASTER release is like a public record of the trials and tribulations that we all face at a particular time in history is the best way to describe the new recording.

Looking back from the early demos that became MASTER’s debut album to Vindictive Miscreant, how do you feel both yourself as a songwriter and MASTER as an entity have grown and progressed?

Paul: To be honest nothing has changed, really. Production values are better today and some of the tracks from later releases are harder to play on bass and guitar, but I approach the song writing the way I always have. When recording the first demos it was certainly a new style at the time and we were just learning how to play this style you could say. MOTÖRHEAD and VENOM specifically changed my way of thinking! GBH, DISCHARGE and MINOR THREAT also changed my way of looking at the world.

Early in your career, you floated between MASTER, DEATH STRIKE, FUNERAL BITCH, WAR CRY and ABOMINATION, all based in Chicago. How strong was the Chicago death metal scene in the early days?

Paul: I wouldn’t put it like that exactly. WAR CRY was my first real band, I played bass there only. DEATH STRIKE was the first band to record in 1985 aggressive metal for me, I wrote The Truth and Pay To Die as well as the lyrics for Mangled Dehumanization for the Fuckin’ Death demo. FUNERAL BITCH was a grind band before grind, and ABOMINATION was more thrash, but in the end all of these were different bands with different line-ups. The Chicago scene was thriving at the time with bands like BURNT OFFERING, TROUBLE, ZOETROPE and ZNOWHITE! There was no death metal scene as you call it – the genre didn’t exist yet in the early days.

Did you have much contact with the burgeoning Florida scene in the early days, or was the Chicago scene more self-contained?

Paul: Nope, Chuck [Schuldiner] from DEATH was a big fan of MASTER and DEATH STRIKE, according to Terry Butler [OBITUARY, ex-DEATH, ex-MASSACRE], and Phil [Fasciana]from MALEVOLENT CREATION mentioned buying the MASTER demo back in the day. But honestly there was no contact between me and the Florida scene, they were killing it on their own of course.

In the late 1990s you were asked to join KRABATHOR, and relocate to the Czech Republic. Was it a no-brainer for you?

Paul: Exactly, when opportunity knocks some people fall asleep at the wheel, not me. MASTER had just finished the tour with MALEVOLENT CREATION and KRABATHOR when the bassist Bruno left the band to form HYPNOS. I was invited to join! I returned to America, worked moving furniture as always, sold my shit, packed a few bags, grabbed a bass and relocated. I’ve been here playing successfully for 20 years. I retired from real work 10 years ago, so life is better. Music is my only income these days and I still enjoy it.

You’ve remained in the Czech Republic for almost 20 years, despite KRABATHOR splitting up in 2003. How strong is the Czech metal scene, and how involved with it are you?

Paul: The scene thrives with many newer underground bands, as well as FLESHLESS, PANDEMIA and many others. Czech has always had killer bands like MASTER’S HAMMER, and ROOT for example! The best festivals in Europe are here like Obscene Extreme, Masters Of Rock as well as Brutal Assault and many others.

What is your opinion on the current state of death metal, and how do you feel it compares to the early days of the genre?

Paul: I rarely here anything new or worth talking about to be honest, but on the other hand, maybe I am just old!

Alongside MASTER, you’re involved in a number of other projects. What does 2019 hold for you, both with MASTER and your other bands?

Paul: The next MASTER record is already in the works, as well as the next JOHANSSON-SPECKMANN project, album number 5!

Are there any up and coming, underground bands – either in your local scene or worldwide – that you are particularly impressed by?

Paul: NERVO CHAOS from Brazil kills.

Thanks again for your time today, Paul. Before you go, do you have any parting messages for Distorted Sound Magazine’s readers?

Paul: Support your local bands and the underground in general, more info can be found at master-speckmetal.net.

Vindictive Miscreant is out now via Transcending Obscurity Records. 

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