Brodequin’s Jamie Bailey would fill in as a vocalist for Disgorge on their 2002 American and European tour dates. Chad Walls was also relieved of drum duties for Brodequin in 2002 and a permanent replacement was found in Jon Engman of Foetopsy.
Drummer Chad Walls would later figure in Dislimb and Inextya. He also featured in Pustulated. Jamie Bailey united with ex-Disgorge vocalist Matti Way, and Mike and Jon from Brodequin to found Liturgy in 2003. Brodequin marked a return in December of 2004 with the album ‘Methods of Execution’, released by Unmatched Brutality Records.
BB:
Thank you for accept sir, let's start. It has been a while since your last appearance on the scene.. please tell me what you are doing at the moment, besides the daily stuff.
Jamie
Currently I am getting several pieces of artwork together for some merchandise releases that we are doing with different companies. In the next few weeks there will be new t-shirt designs as well as some old ones. We are also working on re-releasing cassette versions of our albums in Indonesia, flags and hats, so I have been pretty busy getting as much of that together as possible.
BB:
Cool, I saw two models of t-shirts already, will grab something hehe :)).
Let's speak about concept of Brodequin, how it was formed Jamie?
Jamie:
hehe very cool thanks! :)
Brodequin was a collision between our enjoyment of listening and creating music as well as my interest and study of history. Mike and I grew up around many styles of music and were encouraged to play instruments from several members of our family. I was and still am a student of history, the two seemed like a natural fit for us. We knew that when we were first forming we wanted to have a different spin on what was commonly being used as imagery and inspiration for a lot of bands. I could not think of anything more brutal than what had taken place during medieval trials and executions and the artwork that was created during that era. Mike and myself had already been writing some material together and we knew Chad from another local band that he was playing in. If I remember correctly we all went to a festival in Michigan and started discussing forming a band together as we were all looking for the right people to work with. Once we got back to Tennessee we started working on the beginnings of Brodequin. After rehearsal one night I approached Mike and Chad about what I had as far as imagery, possible band names and overall concepts and they were all for it. At that point I was a history major at a University with the medieval period being my primary area of focus. I had a fairly large collection of information on the subject of trials and executions, common judicial practices and so on. It gave me a great opportunity to write about something I truly enjoyed studying both from the historical texts and art history standpoints.
'99 demo and ''Instruments of Torture'' came out independently. (by the way, congrats, this year ''Instruments'' celebrate 15 years, piece of gold that remain relevant even today). What's your memoirs today? it was hard to do everything by yourself?
Jamie:
haha thank you :)
I think that it wasn’t too difficult to do either release ourselves at first. When “Instruments of Torture” started getting noticed then it became a bit more difficult. It really helped launch Mike’s label as we started shipping cd’s and promo materials around the world, getting trades in and building up the distro. The most difficult problems we faced at that time was CD manufacturing and getting the layout completed. We didn’t really know anyone that could point us in the right direction in regards to getting the CD packaged, so we learned a lot as we went on. I have fond memories of the experience, it was very cool to see the album spreading around and getting the opportunity to play with some bands that we were fans of.
BB:
We got talking about Unmatched Brutality Records.., wich in my opinnion it was a kind of ''holy grail'' for brutal death metal scene.
haha thank you :)
I think that it wasn’t too difficult to do either release ourselves at first. When “Instruments of Torture” started getting noticed then it became a bit more difficult. It really helped launch Mike’s label as we started shipping cd’s and promo materials around the world, getting trades in and building up the distro. The most difficult problems we faced at that time was CD manufacturing and getting the layout completed. We didn’t really know anyone that could point us in the right direction in regards to getting the CD packaged, so we learned a lot as we went on. I have fond memories of the experience, it was very cool to see the album spreading around and getting the opportunity to play with some bands that we were fans of.
We got talking about Unmatched Brutality Records.., wich in my opinnion it was a kind of ''holy grail'' for brutal death metal scene.
A lot of good bands and albums came out from you (like Guttural Secrete, Cerebral Effusion, Insidious Decrepancy, 1.3.8. by Devourment etc.)
We would like to now, how it was formed Jamie?
Jamie:
Yes there were a lot of great releases on the label I agree. The label was formed for a few reasons, one of them was we were very into releasing our own material and having full control over all the aspects. Another reason, was we wanted to have bands that we liked on the label and felt fit within what we saw as the brutal death metal scene. Mike also thought it was important to have solid label mates that could all kind of feed off each others fan base. For example if you liked Guttural Secrete, chances are you would like Devourment, or Brodequin etc. So when you ordered a release from a new band you kind of knew what you could be expecting.
Jamie:
Yes there were a lot of great releases on the label I agree. The label was formed for a few reasons, one of them was we were very into releasing our own material and having full control over all the aspects. Another reason, was we wanted to have bands that we liked on the label and felt fit within what we saw as the brutal death metal scene. Mike also thought it was important to have solid label mates that could all kind of feed off each others fan base. For example if you liked Guttural Secrete, chances are you would like Devourment, or Brodequin etc. So when you ordered a release from a new band you kind of knew what you could be expecting.
BB:
Let's speak about your second album, ''Festival of Death''..
It was more faster, more agressive and structurally complicated, as the previous. This time you recorded it in Florida, not in Tenneesee, right?
Jamie:
Yes “Festival of Death” was definitely a step up for us in regards to complexity and speed.
Jamie:
Yes “Festival of Death” was definitely a step up for us in regards to complexity and speed.
I think it was a natural progression as we were getting used to how hard we could push riffs and what we could combine.
One year later, after ''Festival'' came out, Chad Walls left the band. What was the reason? Your fans around the world thought the band would die.. but you guys have found a perfect replacement - Jon Engman.
Jamie:
Chad was a great drummer and there were no issues in regards to his playing or performances. The reasons that he was removed were all due to personality conflicts. There was really starting to become a lot of friction between Mike and Chad that started as we were recording “Festival”. The same tension carried over after the studio and came to a point where Mike felt he could no longer work with him so he chose to replace him.
We met Jon at the Ohio Deathfest one year we performed and he passed a demo tape of his band to Mike to check out. Once we were in need of a drummer his name came up first. Mike and I got together and listened to the tape again several times and decided that he should be contacted to see if he would be interested in playing with Brodequin. We traveled to his place in Milwaukee and really hit it off, he was a perfect fit. We were able to play as fast as we wanted and he was a vital part of the writing process, in fact our first writing session resulted in four songs that would appear on “Methods of Execution”.
We ended up writing a lot of material and going back and either completely getting rid of it or doing a lot of restructuring as we became more comfortable with the order of things.
“Instruments” was recorded in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina by Mike Sky. He moved to the Daytona Beach area of Florida so when it was time to record “Festival” we went back to him this time in Florida. Chad had known Mike for several years and he was a great guy in and out of the studio to work and hang out with.
BB:
Jamie:
Chad was a great drummer and there were no issues in regards to his playing or performances. The reasons that he was removed were all due to personality conflicts. There was really starting to become a lot of friction between Mike and Chad that started as we were recording “Festival”. The same tension carried over after the studio and came to a point where Mike felt he could no longer work with him so he chose to replace him.
We met Jon at the Ohio Deathfest one year we performed and he passed a demo tape of his band to Mike to check out. Once we were in need of a drummer his name came up first. Mike and I got together and listened to the tape again several times and decided that he should be contacted to see if he would be interested in playing with Brodequin. We traveled to his place in Milwaukee and really hit it off, he was a perfect fit. We were able to play as fast as we wanted and he was a vital part of the writing process, in fact our first writing session resulted in four songs that would appear on “Methods of Execution”.
BB:
Two of them was ''Cast into Torment'' and ''Verdrinken''? from E.P. ''Prelude to Execution'' (2003).
In that year you started the side-project Liturgy, with Matti Way on vocals, you released ''Dawn of Ash'' in 2004, and few years later you split-up.
The band was revived in the summer of 2015 by Jon Engman and Matti Way, this time with a new sound and concept and added "A.D." to the end of their name, likely to disambiguate themselves from the black metal band Liturgy from New York.
Will you be a part of this reunion?
The band was revived in the summer of 2015 by Jon Engman and Matti Way, this time with a new sound and concept and added "A.D." to the end of their name, likely to disambiguate themselves from the black metal band Liturgy from New York.
Will you be a part of this reunion?
I am aware of the project and I have talked to both Matti and Jon about it. I am not part of the new Liturgy A.D. but they know that if they need anything I will be there for them. I would be happy to help those guys in anyway possible, whether it be shows, artwork, or whatever.
Let's speak about ''Methods of Execution'', your last album.
This is your most technical and complete album.
Starting with the first track ''Slaves to the Pyre'' cruelty begins
Was your songwriting / recording process different than usual? or it was a natural progression?
Jamie:
When we first started writing with the new lineup the material came together very quickly.
Jamie:
When we first started writing with the new lineup the material came together very quickly.
Jon and Mike are able to work extremely well together and almost know what one is going to do before they do it lol.
The recording process was pretty standard I think, nothing out of the ordinary there. I do think its our most complete album to date everything was starting to really click and come together.
It definitely was an album that was written and recorded with the least amount difficulties.
I just love your lyrics, where your inspiration comes?
You know history so well, you can get your university degree in this field haha:)
Jamie:
Haha thank you! I have always been interested in history, I was that kid that actually enjoyed history class in school! I was a history major for a couple of years at a University and had some great experiences and relationships with my professors. I was focusing on medieval history in all aspects, everyday life, religious influences and of course political and judicial practices which is my personal favorite. The medieval era is the main source of inspiration for all of the lyrics that I write for Brodequin. Someday I may finish up the degree in history, but I switched not because I didn’t enjoy it, there just are not too many jobs for history guys.
I still spend a lot of time reading about history and have a small library worth of books on the subject haha.
BB:
One month ago (October 30, 2015), fans from around the world, received the news they had been waiting for years.. Brodequin is back in ''business''! (yay, hell yeah !) :)
Line-up has not changed. What are your plans for the future?
Jamie:
Haha thank you! I have always been interested in history, I was that kid that actually enjoyed history class in school! I was a history major for a couple of years at a University and had some great experiences and relationships with my professors. I was focusing on medieval history in all aspects, everyday life, religious influences and of course political and judicial practices which is my personal favorite. The medieval era is the main source of inspiration for all of the lyrics that I write for Brodequin. Someday I may finish up the degree in history, but I switched not because I didn’t enjoy it, there just are not too many jobs for history guys.
I still spend a lot of time reading about history and have a small library worth of books on the subject haha.
One month ago (October 30, 2015), fans from around the world, received the news they had been waiting for years.. Brodequin is back in ''business''! (yay, hell yeah !) :)
Line-up has not changed. What are your plans for the future?
Jamie:
We shall see what the future holds for us. We definitely will write new material, and hopefully make some appearances at some festivals. Touring could be difficult given everyone’s work schedules and responsibilities. The lineup is the same as the last album because we all enjoy creating music with each other, we work well together and are able to work around any challenges that may present themselves.
We shall see what the future holds for us. We definitely will write new material, and hopefully make some appearances at some festivals. Touring could be difficult given everyone’s work schedules and responsibilities. The lineup is the same as the last album because we all enjoy creating music with each other, we work well together and are able to work around any challenges that may present themselves.
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| Mike Bailey (left) / Jamie Bailey (center) / Jon Engman (right) |
Yeah, it's would be interesting to hear for sure, because I talked with Jon and he said he had not played traditional drums since 2008 he:)), electronic only. They will be real on Brodequin?
Jamie:
It's really an interesting and unique approach in brutal death metal for sure. He has sampled an entire kit so the sounds are real drum sounds being played...actually performed not programmed. They are being performed on an electronic platform which is made up of several akai type pads. Jon has had some serious back problems that basically forced him to learn a new instrument. I haven't seen anyone do what he is doing with this and would encourage anyone to give it a try so they could experience the difficulties associated with it. The only difference would be from a visual perspective, the sound is the same because it's not programmed drums.
In your opinion, how heavy music genre evolve since you started playing?
Jamie:
I think technology is playing a huge role in the evolution of music in general. Specifically in death metal I can think of several bands that have members in different states or countries. Using modern technology they are able to rehearse and collaborate live via the internet and its no longer necessary for all the members to be in the same room. Personally I use an iPad all the time for bass amplification modeling and experiment with sounds that wouldn’t be possible without buying numerous amps.
In regards to the music in general it has also been full of experimentation. What used to be difficult for drummers to do is now commonplace. Drummers specifically have been able to find ways of really pushing the speed and using techniques that make it look almost easy. Gone are the days of Scott Lewis (Brutal Truth) when you could hear him straining and giving it everything he had to keep the blast going. So in some ways there is a loss there, a connection you could have with the musicians on some level. I have no issue with people finding new ways of doing things or using whatever tools to their advantage, its all progress. The end result is what I am interested in, if it sounds great thats all I care about and there are a lot of bands out today that sound great.
I think technology is playing a huge role in the evolution of music in general. Specifically in death metal I can think of several bands that have members in different states or countries. Using modern technology they are able to rehearse and collaborate live via the internet and its no longer necessary for all the members to be in the same room. Personally I use an iPad all the time for bass amplification modeling and experiment with sounds that wouldn’t be possible without buying numerous amps.
In regards to the music in general it has also been full of experimentation. What used to be difficult for drummers to do is now commonplace. Drummers specifically have been able to find ways of really pushing the speed and using techniques that make it look almost easy. Gone are the days of Scott Lewis (Brutal Truth) when you could hear him straining and giving it everything he had to keep the blast going. So in some ways there is a loss there, a connection you could have with the musicians on some level. I have no issue with people finding new ways of doing things or using whatever tools to their advantage, its all progress. The end result is what I am interested in, if it sounds great thats all I care about and there are a lot of bands out today that sound great.
What was the first album you bought? do you remember?
Jamie:
Wow thats a tough one!
My parents bought me albums of course before I was able to make my own money which were Black Sabbath cassettes, Iron Maiden & Metallica. The first albums I actually purchased if I remember correctly were Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness and Obituary - Cause of Death. I bought them on the same day at a local record shop.
BB:
Classy stuff out there :)
BB:
How is developed your local scene? What bands would you recommend?
BB:
Classy stuff out there :)
What's your top death metal albums that are the most revealing for you?
Jamie:
Broken Hope - Loathing - I like all the Broken Hope material really, but this one sticks out to me. Repulsive Conception is right behind it, Joe’s vocals really kill on loathing and I think from beginning to end its a great album.
Broken Hope - Loathing - I like all the Broken Hope material really, but this one sticks out to me. Repulsive Conception is right behind it, Joe’s vocals really kill on loathing and I think from beginning to end its a great album.
Morbid Angel - Blessed are the Sick - I was floored when I heard this for the first time. Great atmosphere and insane riffing still my favorite Morbid Angel release. Vincent’s vocals are signature and in my opinion the best on this release above the others.
Nile - Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka - I enjoyed everything about it, they really brought some fresh air into the death metal scene at that time. As a fan of history I thought that it was about as perfect as it could be, excellent lineup, musicianship, imagery, clever uses of samples and other atmospheric effects and an overall well written tribute if you will to ancient Egypt.
Disgorge - Cranial Impalement - Absolute classic, Matti was an major influence to me, just a relentless release that should be part of everyone’s collection! non-stop brutality one of the earliest that I can remember hearing the bass so well, Eric did an amazing job.
Gorgasm - Stabwound Intercourse EP - Excellent release, I spun that disc forever when I got it. Its a whirlwind of vocals and crushing riffs.
Last Days of Humanity - Hymns of Indigestible Suppuration - This hit me like truck when I first heard it..I thought what in the hell is going on here! I really couldn’t stop listening to it. The drums take no prisoners, its all controlled chaos!
Dead Infection - A Chapter of Accidents - Yeah I know the LDOH and this are gore grind but I have difficulty separating all the genres to be honest, if its aggressive then I count it haha. To me this is “the” Dead Infection album.
BB:
How is developed your local scene? What bands would you recommend?
The local scene here is pretty non-existent. There are a few fans of death metal in the area and every now and then a band will start, play a few local shows and then stop. Its a tough area for this style of music, although there is an amazing amount of musicians here. It's just not something that is looked on favorably here as it is a very religious area, part of the so called "bible belt".
Whitechapel is from Knoxville which of course are a very well known deathcore band. I like the basis of the band, its a great name from an interesting period in English history. I applaud their success coming from our area.
Also there is a local late night death metal / heavy metal / black metal radio show that is based at the University of Tennessee. It airs on Mondays nights from 10pm to 2am, its been on the air for years and I actually DJ'd there a few times in the past.
What are your hobbies and interests beside music and history of course.
Well in a lot of ways those are my biggest hobbies lol. I enjoy certain TV shows like the Walking Dead, various documentaries on a whole host of subjects, I like to catch programs on Astrophysics, Hypothetical Astronomy, Archaeology etc. I suppose to most I would seem pretty boring lol! There aren’t too many people I know that are interested in a lot of the stuff I am….for example I have been spending a lot of time learning Mensural Notation and how it was used in vocal polyphony. So spending time learning a musical notation method used in the 13th century seems like a completely useless endeavor to most. But see it always comes back somehow to history haha, I do paint and illustrate as well when I have the time and also try and pick up some skills with foreign languages.
Looking forward to see your paintings and to hear you on radio \m/
At the end, I wish to thank for this interview Jamie. I wish you good luck and I hope to see ya in Europe soon. Any last words for the readers?
Jamie:
It is possible in the future I may publish some paintings that I complete.
Thank you very much for the opportunity to talk to you and your readers! I encourage everyone to get in touch either through our Brodequin page or anyone can contact me at mine....thanks again!! \m/
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| hello to our readers ;) @done by Misarubka |
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November 25, 2015
