Multinational
Corporations este o trupa grindcore din Lahore ,
Pakistan
Mai jos va invit sa cititi un interviu cu Hassan si Sheraz, membrii trupei MxCx :
BB: Hello Hassan, welcome to Brutal Basarabia pages and thank you for the opportunity to makean interview with you.
Hassan: Hey, thanks for the interview and the chance to connect with all Moldovans who listen to heavy music!
BB: First of all tell us about your band Multinational Corporations.
BB: I know that besides Multinational Corporations you play in other bands like Nihilist Holiday and Kafir e Azam. Also your mate Sheraz Ahmed plays in Dionysus, Ilhaam and Marwolaeth (also all instruments). How do you guys manage it all?
Hassan: Sheraz probably has a harder time than me considering he plays all instruments in ALL his projects. LOL! I just have to write some lyrics and scream them out in one or two takes. But Sheraz - that guy is a hard fucking worker and it's amazing how he balances his really difficult studies with making all sorts of music. It's fucking inspiring, I'll tell you that. Anyone who's met him can testify to it.
BB: Which genre of music that you’re playing is the closest to you?
Sheraz: Doom. Can't live without the doom.
BB: How the Pakistan society (non –metal listeners) looks at the extreme music and how they perceive the style and the attitude of grinders ? Are their oppinions influenced by religion?
BB: I know that you like oldschool hip hop music.What are your favorites bands/mc’s? Do you think that hiphop culture and grindcore have something in common?
Hassan: Fav MCs/Groups would have to be A Tribe Called Quest, Beatnuts, Wu Tang, Pharcyde, Gang Starr, Redman, Organized Konfusion.. basically a lotta East Coast Hip-Hop. That genre was the best. Had the best kinda beats - grimey but funky, best DJ's, best MC's, and the lyrics covered everything from gangsta shit to political to downright weird/crazy haha. As far as the connection between Hip Hop and Grindcore... definitely. I think Punk (where old school grind stems from) actually has a lot in common with old school hip hop - modern day is a different tale for both genres. You gotta remember that in the 80's the place that had the best Punk/Hardcore scene also had the best Hip-Hop scene - New York. And even KRS-1 was on a Sick of it All record once! Crazy. But yeah, I know a lot of grinders who are into hip-hop, even Sheraz digs shit like Ice Cube, Comptons Most Wanted, and stuff. I think classic rap is impossible to hate in general.
BB: Sheraz What are the your favorites guitarists that influenced you like a musician?
Sheraz: There are many, but to name a few: Yngwie Malmsteen, Dave Murray, Glen Tipton, Jon Nodveidt, Tony Iommi, Ritchi Blackmore, Gary Moore, Dan Swano.
BB: First of all tell us about your band Multinational Corporations.
Hassan: MxCx is a grindcore/crust punk band formed by me and Sheraz Ahmed in 2011 to let loose all our anger and hatred against society and the system - pretty much how all grind bands are formed! Haha. There was no grind band, let alone scene, in Pakistan and it was pretty much open ground for us to come in and tell people what grind was all about.
BB: Your EP “jamat – al – maut” is a great work and you received a very positive feedback from grindcore/crust/punk/hardcore fans all over the world. Tell us about the recording/writing process.
Hassan: Recording/Writing was pretty much a simple process. It was very DIY, I mean our own jam room was our studio. Had no fancy equipment. But we knew how we wanted to sound like and how we wanted the songs to come out. We went in the studio for 4 days and the tracks were pretty much written by Sheraz in the studio as we went along, with me giving some minor input. Except "Salaab," "White Collar Communism" and "Advertisement Overdose" were made a year before, the rest were all fresh new stuff written and recorded in the studio. After the songs were done I would write lyrics the same day, or use poetry I had written and crystallize them as lyrics, as in the case of Penniless Pride and Stratum Slave. Vocals would be done the same day or the next. It was very much a "hit and run" kind of job haha. We would mix the tracks on the spot and once all the final mixes were compiled, we sent them to our American brother Jeff Fischer (who has a noise/grind/crust band called Nihilist Holiday with me) to master them. It was a very plain effort, but we enjoyed every hour of it. Often people would come visit our recordings, such as Ahsan from the band Irritum, Amar from me and Sheraz's other band Foreskin, and even a guy from my university who wanted to document metal bands in the city. We were headbanging, moshing, having immense fun in the studio so when we saw everyone enjoying the EP as much as we enjoyed making it - it made us very happy.
BB: On the EP beside of guitars did you play drums or did you used some soft/program?
Sheraz: I cannot play those drums live, I made them into a computer. But my friend Amar Ali (guitarist of my crossover thrash band named Foreskin) can play the drum parts and we jam to Jamat-Al-maut as well, you can find the videos of our jams on the page. I prefer writing the drum parts myself and then getting a drummer to play them live, helps me to get the control over the structure of the song during writing process.
BB: Your EP “jamat – al – maut” is a great work and you received a very positive feedback from grindcore/crust/punk/hardcore fans all over the world. Tell us about the recording/writing process.
Hassan: Recording/Writing was pretty much a simple process. It was very DIY, I mean our own jam room was our studio. Had no fancy equipment. But we knew how we wanted to sound like and how we wanted the songs to come out. We went in the studio for 4 days and the tracks were pretty much written by Sheraz in the studio as we went along, with me giving some minor input. Except "Salaab," "White Collar Communism" and "Advertisement Overdose" were made a year before, the rest were all fresh new stuff written and recorded in the studio. After the songs were done I would write lyrics the same day, or use poetry I had written and crystallize them as lyrics, as in the case of Penniless Pride and Stratum Slave. Vocals would be done the same day or the next. It was very much a "hit and run" kind of job haha. We would mix the tracks on the spot and once all the final mixes were compiled, we sent them to our American brother Jeff Fischer (who has a noise/grind/crust band called Nihilist Holiday with me) to master them. It was a very plain effort, but we enjoyed every hour of it. Often people would come visit our recordings, such as Ahsan from the band Irritum, Amar from me and Sheraz's other band Foreskin, and even a guy from my university who wanted to document metal bands in the city. We were headbanging, moshing, having immense fun in the studio so when we saw everyone enjoying the EP as much as we enjoyed making it - it made us very happy.
BB: On the EP beside of guitars did you play drums or did you used some soft/program?
Sheraz: I cannot play those drums live, I made them into a computer. But my friend Amar Ali (guitarist of my crossover thrash band named Foreskin) can play the drum parts and we jam to Jamat-Al-maut as well, you can find the videos of our jams on the page. I prefer writing the drum parts myself and then getting a drummer to play them live, helps me to get the control over the structure of the song during writing process.
BB: What can you say about The artwork and the concept of your EP?
Hassan: The artwork on our Bandcamp was made by Aneeq Zaman well over a year ago for the band and at the time we weren't really active - on a sort of a hiatus after a demo in 2011. He even named the art "Jamat-al-Maut." I showed the art to Sheraz and we decided to get MxCx started again. The art basically shows stuff related to Pakistan, made in a typical grind collage style. There's references to the military/armed forces, nationalism, religious extremism, and all sorts of things that guide the life in Pakistan - things that we wanted to lash out against in the EP. I think Aneeq did a great job on the art, you all should check his own Grind/Punk band called Throttle Instinct.
BB: The EP includes lyrical themes like politics and society, How did these spheres influenced you through the years?
Hassan: It's impossible to escape politics here. It's so deeply entrenched in society, and it creates a very suffocating atmosphere for open-minded free-thinkers. The rage boils inside you and you just wait for a chance to let it rip. MxCx's debut EP was our chance to just let all of that shit out in a musical format. We wanted it to be venemous and we wanted to destroy all the petty little shit Pakistani society is obsessed with. All of my lyrics come from direct experiences with things that form my world-view, and as such the lyrics express anti-nationalist, anti-sectarian, anti-Taliban, etc themes. I put a lot of my heart and raw passion into the lyrics, so I hope people do read them too when they listen to the defeaning screams and crazy blasts.
BB: If you would choose, which song is the most representative for Multinational Corporations?
Hassan: Musically and aesthetically I would say Salaab. It's fast, it's loud, it's angry and it's catchy too. The lyrics are about the politician Imran Khan and his upper class supporters who whine about wanting a revolution, and making songs about shit like that is very typical of MxCx. We're in your fucking face and we don't care what you think about us, cuz we talk real shit.
Hassan: The artwork on our Bandcamp was made by Aneeq Zaman well over a year ago for the band and at the time we weren't really active - on a sort of a hiatus after a demo in 2011. He even named the art "Jamat-al-Maut." I showed the art to Sheraz and we decided to get MxCx started again. The art basically shows stuff related to Pakistan, made in a typical grind collage style. There's references to the military/armed forces, nationalism, religious extremism, and all sorts of things that guide the life in Pakistan - things that we wanted to lash out against in the EP. I think Aneeq did a great job on the art, you all should check his own Grind/Punk band called Throttle Instinct.
BB: The EP includes lyrical themes like politics and society, How did these spheres influenced you through the years?
Hassan: It's impossible to escape politics here. It's so deeply entrenched in society, and it creates a very suffocating atmosphere for open-minded free-thinkers. The rage boils inside you and you just wait for a chance to let it rip. MxCx's debut EP was our chance to just let all of that shit out in a musical format. We wanted it to be venemous and we wanted to destroy all the petty little shit Pakistani society is obsessed with. All of my lyrics come from direct experiences with things that form my world-view, and as such the lyrics express anti-nationalist, anti-sectarian, anti-Taliban, etc themes. I put a lot of my heart and raw passion into the lyrics, so I hope people do read them too when they listen to the defeaning screams and crazy blasts.
Hassan: Musically and aesthetically I would say Salaab. It's fast, it's loud, it's angry and it's catchy too. The lyrics are about the politician Imran Khan and his upper class supporters who whine about wanting a revolution, and making songs about shit like that is very typical of MxCx. We're in your fucking face and we don't care what you think about us, cuz we talk real shit.
Sheraz: Stratum slave I guess, it has the fast parts, the crust, the bass lines, the grooves. I guess that song is the perfect representation of what Multinational Corporations music is all about. Salab can make it there as well, since it has almost the same structure. Basically the whole EP is the best representative of Multinational corporations music.
BB: Do you have any plans to release a full-length album?
Hassan: Yeah, later on. Me and Sheraz were just discussing this the other day, we plan on doing a full length maybe in 2 years or so when we feel we're ready and we have a label who'd be willing to put it out physically. We have a lot to achieve musically before that, a lot of ways in which the band's sound can evolve and grow.
Hassan: Yeah, later on. Me and Sheraz were just discussing this the other day, we plan on doing a full length maybe in 2 years or so when we feel we're ready and we have a label who'd be willing to put it out physically. We have a lot to achieve musically before that, a lot of ways in which the band's sound can evolve and grow.
BB: I know that besides Multinational Corporations you play in other bands like Nihilist Holiday and Kafir e Azam. Also your mate Sheraz Ahmed plays in Dionysus, Ilhaam and Marwolaeth (also all instruments). How do you guys manage it all?
Hassan: Sheraz probably has a harder time than me considering he plays all instruments in ALL his projects. LOL! I just have to write some lyrics and scream them out in one or two takes. But Sheraz - that guy is a hard fucking worker and it's amazing how he balances his really difficult studies with making all sorts of music. It's fucking inspiring, I'll tell you that. Anyone who's met him can testify to it.
BB: Sheraz you’re involved in some black/doom/death metal bands, also like in Multifunctional Corporations in some of them you’re playing all instruments. How difficult it is for you and from where you get inspiration to play these specific music genres?
Sheraz: It comes naturally when you listen to a lot of different kinda music. I am a person who cannot limit himself to one genre or certain boundaries, and my music taste is so wide that I cannot do all of these things under one name, hence the side projects. And the inspiration is basically the uncompromising urge to express yourself through music, its the only way I can express myself best. So its never difficult for me.
Sheraz: It comes naturally when you listen to a lot of different kinda music. I am a person who cannot limit himself to one genre or certain boundaries, and my music taste is so wide that I cannot do all of these things under one name, hence the side projects. And the inspiration is basically the uncompromising urge to express yourself through music, its the only way I can express myself best. So its never difficult for me.
BB: I suppose you have a interesting local extreme scene, can you recommend some bands that we should listen? Also (if it’s possible) describe your local metal scene, how did it started and how did it changed through the years.
Hassan: I cringe at calling our brigade of social misfits a genuine scene since it's primarily a group of guys playing in a bunch of bands. Haha. The fledgling phase of Pakistani Metal began in the early 90's with Dusk and other bands with it peaking sometime between the late 90's and the early 2000's. Gigs were regular back then, but most bands played covers and very few had any original material that remains to this day - the aforementioned Dusk alongside Corpsepyre and Hell Dormant however do. The mostly death metal scene died and a new one arose sometime in 2006-2008 that was influenced by the modern metal shit like Pantera, Lamb of God, Dream Theater and that generic garbage. Even though I like some few songs from those bands, even at the time I was more about shit like Repulsion and Poison Idea than a random Paki band covering Lamb of God in 2008. Hahaha. That shit went on til like 2010. It's gotten better though, thanks to Sheraz's band Dionysus and his grooming of creative and able guitarists such as Ahsan of funeral doom band Irritum, and other people doing their own thing such as the bands Marg (Punk Rock/Heavy Metal), Necktarium (Black Metal/Shoegaze), Myosis (Sludge/Doom), Tabahi (Thrash Metal), Black Hour (Traditional Heavy Metal) and others. Punk/Grind/etc is a recent phenomenon mostly with bands like Bvlghvm coming from Rawalpindi playing Powerviolence, Throttle Instinct from Karachi playing Grind/hardcore, and my other project Kafir-E-Azam doing Mince/Grind.
BB: Which genre of music that you’re playing is the closest to you?
Sheraz: Doom. Can't live without the doom.
BB: How the Pakistan society (non –metal listeners) looks at the extreme music and how they perceive the style and the attitude of grinders ? Are their oppinions influenced by religion?
Hassan: Pakistani people have no idea what this kinda music is so they just lump it with rock music or other kinds of "foreign" music haha. The most they will say when they hear some kinda extreme metal or loud punk is "what noise is this?" which happens everywhere in the world I guess. As far as opinions being influenced by religion - not so much in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad I guess cuz Pakistan always has had a musical culture and ancient Sufi traditions always venerated religion through music and dances. But some places like Peshawar have some more strict shit - my friend Zarnoob of the band Deimos was telling me about how a friend of his wasn't allowed to wear a Black Sabbath shirt in his university. Overall though it's chill with regards to religion - you have to realize that Pakistan is not like Iran or Saudi Arabia where there is some religious police patrolling the streets and shit like that. Pakistan has had a bit of a secular past and only became more right wing/conservative in the 80's due to foreign interference and funding of General Zia who "Islamized" the nation. Even right now Pakistan is in a kind of limbo between being left-wing/liberal/progressive and right-wing/conservative/idiotic. Hahah.
BB: Do you have concerts in different cities ? How often do you play live?
Hassan: MxCx doesn't play live YET but we will soon. Me and Sheraz's other band Foreskin, and his Doom Metal band Dionysus do play live however. Live gigs are sporadic, sometimes only one gig a year at every city. The three main metal gig places in the country are Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, these days Islamabad is upping the scene with some big profile gigs with sponsorships and stuff. Let's see if it bears fruit.
BB: With which bands would you like to make a split?
Hassan: We have some really rad split plans but we don't wanna reveal them until it's 100% confirmed. But all the bands we wanna do splits with are fucking killer bands who've been around longer than us so it will be an honor for us. But yeah, not gonna count our chickens til they hatch.
BB: Do you have concerts in different cities ? How often do you play live?
Hassan: MxCx doesn't play live YET but we will soon. Me and Sheraz's other band Foreskin, and his Doom Metal band Dionysus do play live however. Live gigs are sporadic, sometimes only one gig a year at every city. The three main metal gig places in the country are Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, these days Islamabad is upping the scene with some big profile gigs with sponsorships and stuff. Let's see if it bears fruit.
BB: With which bands would you like to make a split?
Hassan: We have some really rad split plans but we don't wanna reveal them until it's 100% confirmed. But all the bands we wanna do splits with are fucking killer bands who've been around longer than us so it will be an honor for us. But yeah, not gonna count our chickens til they hatch.
Sheraz: Any band out there writing honest and original music that doesn't sound like another copy cat of anal cunt or extreme noise terror. Basically quality bands who know their shit.
BB: I know that you like oldschool hip hop music.What are your favorites bands/mc’s? Do you think that hiphop culture and grindcore have something in common?
Hassan: Fav MCs/Groups would have to be A Tribe Called Quest, Beatnuts, Wu Tang, Pharcyde, Gang Starr, Redman, Organized Konfusion.. basically a lotta East Coast Hip-Hop. That genre was the best. Had the best kinda beats - grimey but funky, best DJ's, best MC's, and the lyrics covered everything from gangsta shit to political to downright weird/crazy haha. As far as the connection between Hip Hop and Grindcore... definitely. I think Punk (where old school grind stems from) actually has a lot in common with old school hip hop - modern day is a different tale for both genres. You gotta remember that in the 80's the place that had the best Punk/Hardcore scene also had the best Hip-Hop scene - New York. And even KRS-1 was on a Sick of it All record once! Crazy. But yeah, I know a lot of grinders who are into hip-hop, even Sheraz digs shit like Ice Cube, Comptons Most Wanted, and stuff. I think classic rap is impossible to hate in general.
BB: Sheraz What are the your favorites guitarists that influenced you like a musician?
Sheraz: There are many, but to name a few: Yngwie Malmsteen, Dave Murray, Glen Tipton, Jon Nodveidt, Tony Iommi, Ritchi Blackmore, Gary Moore, Dan Swano.
BB: As I know you’re a head/writer on Eternal Abhorrence zine. Congrats mate, it’s a great work. What is the purpose of your zine?
Hassan: I just wanted to have a site where I can review and interview my favorite bands, along with some cool new bands. I hadn't written stuff for a while and I had the craving - but I didn't wanna write for some other zine. I'm the kind of person who's very selfish when it comes to having ownership over my creative content haha. So I made my own zine and it's been going good, I've had the opportunity to talk to my favorite bands as a result, for example Doom and Integrity - 2 bands who've changed my life. Hope to review/interview some killer stuff from Moldova too.
BB: I’m really honored that we made this interview! At the end what do you want to say to metalheads from Moldova?
Hassan: I just wanted to have a site where I can review and interview my favorite bands, along with some cool new bands. I hadn't written stuff for a while and I had the craving - but I didn't wanna write for some other zine. I'm the kind of person who's very selfish when it comes to having ownership over my creative content haha. So I made my own zine and it's been going good, I've had the opportunity to talk to my favorite bands as a result, for example Doom and Integrity - 2 bands who've changed my life. Hope to review/interview some killer stuff from Moldova too.
BB: I’m really honored that we made this interview! At the end what do you want to say to metalheads from Moldova?
Hassan: Thanks for the support! Hope to see you out in Moldova some day, if we ever get to go on a grind-tour haha!
Mai jos gasiti link-uri la trupele in care mai activeaza cei doi:
Multinational Corporations
https://www.facebook.com/multinationalcorporationspakistan
Kafir-E-Azam
https://www.facebook.com/kafireazamgrind
Nihilist Holiday
https://www.facebook.com/NihilistHoliday
https://www.facebook.com/kafireazamgrind
Nihilist Holiday
https://www.facebook.com/NihilistHoliday
bandcamp: http://dionysuspk.bandcamp.com/
Irritum (funeral doom): https://www.facebook.com/irritumpk?fref=ts
bandcamp: http://irritum.bandcamp.com/
Flaw (experimental rock): https://www.facebook.com/flawpkrus?fref=ts
soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/dionysuspk/sets/flaw-forgotten-and-lost-ep/
Marwolaeth (OSDM); https://www.facebook.com/marwolaeth
bandcamp: http://marwolaeth.bandcamp.com/
@Nick
