With:	Andy Techakosit
Conducted by:	Baz Anderson (e-mail)
Published:	06.08.2007
Band profile:	Sarpanitum

When did you decide you wanted to start a band?

To be honest, from the very first time I heard a Slayer record as a teenager. Coming from a very small town in Shropshire, there weren't too many other metal enthusiasts to really get a band going at the time, neither were there many facilities and opportunities for such a band. Because of that my first band had to commute to Birmingham to rehearse, which incidentally led me to meet Tom (Hyde, guitar) and Tom Innocenti (ex-guitar/vocals).

Why a death metal band like this?

Death metal, to me, is simply the pinnacle of viscerally intense music. It amalgamates sheer power and brutality and fuses it into sonic output. It might be somewhat of a cliché but I guess saying that playing the music we want to hear is right on the mark.

Who were your main influences - I hear a lot of Behemoth and Nile in there, are they your two main influences?

I wouldn't say so directly, no. However, a draw for ourselves personally as well as for many peers alike, is the atmospheric escapism that those two bands convey in sections of their music. Not forgetting the classic albums the likes of Immolation, Suffocation, Hate Eternal and Morbid Angel have and continue contribute to this genre of music.
Aside from the aforementioned influences, there is a diverse range other genres such as ambient, classical, OST's and even some electronica.

Where did your interest in ancient civilisation come from?

I've always been interested in the roots of past civilisations which have helped sculpt the world we live in. From watching pseudo-historical films whilst growing up, to delving deeper into the mythology and religion of savage and brutal ancient eras such as Mesopotamia and the far eastern tales of war such as Genghis Khan and the Mongols.

How it was recording the album?

Overall I guess you could say from start to finish, we encountered various obstacles along the recording journey for our first album. We began recording sessions with intentions of having our old vocalist on the record. I guess you could say recording the drums, guitars/bass and vocals in three different studios made things quite tricky. However Leon Macey and Dreaming Studios mastered the finished product which brought it all together to make a record we are all very proud of.

How it was playing with bands like Macabre and Decapitated, what was it like at the Holland Deathfest?

Playing with established acts is always an experience. We've been fortunate enough to play with several very cool bands, both musically and personally, over the past few years. The Neurotic Deathfest was a great experience; being our first show outside of the UK as well as being a prestigious death metal event in Europe it made it even more special. With some hope we'll return to Europe again in the near future.

Any bands or venues/countries you would like to play in the future?

We've just recently played the London Deathfest at the Underworld in Camden, which was a great show. We definitely hope to return to London again soon. I guess thinking in the long run, we'd love to tour Europe and even play across the pond in the US sometime in the future.

Do you think it is going well for the band at the moment?

Its been a quite a long road since the band's conception to the release of our first album, so we're extremely proud and happy with how well it is being received. Hopefully the future will only see the band continue to grow and prosper along with our new label home, Galactic Records.

Any special message for the Metal Storm readers?

Thanks for reading and all the support to those who are familiar with us. Hopefully catch some of you on the road!



Thanks go to Leon Macey of Galactic Records for organising this, and Andy Techakosit for his time.