JEFF: The name Abdullah is derived from two sources: first, it's a spin on the name of the author of the legendary NECRONOMICON, Abdul Alhazred. If you look a little deeper into our lyrics you'll find references to Cthulu and The Old Ones... both of whom are subjects in the NECRONOMICON. Sure... we know it's a fictional piece of literature, but the darkness and esotericism of it still influences us. Secondly, we're proud to say that our name is also an homage of sorts to the great Abdullah the Butcher (who I also believe was mentioned in the NECRONOMICON).
All in all, I feel that the name has an amorphous foreboding to it. It's dark and mystical like the ideas we try to convey through our music.
ALAN: It has to do with numerology, extraterrestrial life, and altered states of consciousness. The Ancient Ones, The Old Ones, The Black Brothers, The Secret Chiefs, and The Illuminati. And wrestling.
2. Tell our readers about your latest demo, "Snake Lore." What's different from your earlier efforts and what style approach are you going for your future efforts?
JEFF: The new demo is more complex than our earlier stuff. When we started out, our sound could easily be compared to bands like EyeHateGod and Cavity, but it was only a matter of time before we moved on from that stage. That's not to say that those bands aren't original or ground-breaking, but we wanted to forge our own path instead of copying the formula of someone else. On our last demo we experimented with melody and doomier elements, but the song structures for the most part were still a little too simple for our tastes. On SNAKE LORE we've finally taken the music to the level that we want it to be at while also incorporating gothic and psychedelic elements into the mix.
I guess you could say that in the future we're leaning more towards the doomier side of things, but nothing's ever quite etched in stone with us. It's all about what's on our minds while we're working on new material.
ALAN: I think we achieved a variety of moods and sounds on this demo and that's what makes it so listenable. It was the product of experimentation. We had just met each other when we wrote it and we kind of threw everything in the mix trusting that it would come out alright and fit together in the end. I think it came out great and I'm looking forward to our next project which may be a bit doomier. I've been listening to a lot of doom lately so I'm sure it'll creep into the music.
3. How would you describe Abdullah's sound? I hear some Acid Bath influences in there. What are some of your favorite bands (name only 5) of all time?
JEFF: I sort of touched on that in the last question, but let me expand on it if I may. Abdullah's sound to me is an outward expression of everything that influences and effects me in my life whether it be musically, literarily, emotionally, etc. It's never a simple or singular expression because I want to incorporate heavier and sludgier elements into our sound while still retaining a sense of melody and mood. Unfortunately, this doesn't help in reaching a target audience. Fans of pure aggression can't handle the quieter and mellower moments of Abdullah, while a lot of the Stoner crowd are turned off by our obvious metallic leanings. It's a fine line to walk but that's how we do it.
I agree with the Acid Bath influence. I've always been a huge fan of those guys. If I had to pick my 5 favorite bands of all time I'd probably go with Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Celtic Frost, EyeHateGod and a tie between Sisters of Mercy and Poison Idea.
ALAN: I would describe Abdullah's sound as Black Cosmic Doom Metal or something equally as ridiculous. I want to make music that creates a whole new genre actually. My favorites: Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Hawkwind, Motorhead, and currently Church of Misery.
4. Been getting a big response since Metal Maniacs reviewed your demo? If so explain...
JEFF: The response has been good, but not overwhelming. It was great getting the exposure in a nationally distributed magazine and the review was decent, but the tape reviewed was an older one and doesn't properly reflect what we're all about now. I think the review kind of pegged us as a Sabbath clone and that's just not the case. Sure... the influence is obvious, but there's alot more going on than that... and furthermore I sound nothing like Ozzy. I think that SNAKE LORE will create more of an impact. In my opinion, it's a much stronger release.
ALAN: The letters we have received on the last demo have all been very positive. We've progressed our sound a lot since then though so I'm looking forward to the reaction to SNAKE LORE.
5. What's your opinion on ECW, WWF, Death By Metal magazine, sex, religion, and satanism?
JEFF: I've always been a huge fan of pro wrestling. To me, it'll never get any better than in its halcyon days of the late seventies and early eighties when Southwest Championship Wrestling was being broadcast weekly on the USA cable network, Gordon Solie was still hosting Georgia Championship Wrestling and Jerry Lawler was cutting his teeth down in Memphis in the USWA. In its current incarnation, pro wrestling still has ECW to carry the torch of no-frills, blood-n-guts sports entertainment, but over the past year that promotion's becoming stagnant. The WWF has ruled for over a year now even though its flagrant attempt to appeal to the masses turns my stomach; but I fear their supremacy is coming to an end. I see the WCW bouncing back into prominence in the coming millennium.
DEATH BY METAL zine rules. I dig your even-handed approach to the world of Metaldom. Too many metal zines stick to only one style of heavy metal and shun everything else that's out there. Your zine reflects an open-mindedness that's refreshing to see in this day and age of pigeon-holing, genres, sub-genres, and sub-sub-genres of sub-genres. Obviously, not everybody is going to like every type of music out there, but to approach things with an open mind is definitely beneficial.
Sex obviously rules... that goes without saying. Religion, of course, is another story. Organized religion (and I stress the organized) is nothing but a tool used by those in power to keep the masses down, or a wall for insecure, self-righteous people to hide behind. It's the single most divisive entity created by mankind and is responsible for every type of prejudice and racism present in today's society. Besides money, organized religion is the most maligned disease that modern man has inflicted upon itself. If everyone in this world wasn't so obsessed with their religion being the right one and other people's beliefs being wrong, maybe we could focus on solving real societal problems like poverty, environmental degradation, and rampant consumerism.
Satanic imagery looks cool, but if you ultimately believe in satan as a supreme god then you buy into christianity. Satanism is great if only for the reason that it freaks out born again christians.
ALAN: I think wrestlers have replaced comic book superheroes as the larger-than-life fantasy characters that little boys wish they could be. And it's a great way to sell merchandise! DEATH BY METAL is an excellent metal zine. I'm proud to have Abdullah gracing its pages and I hope we can attract some new listeners. As to the last three parts of your question, I like to combine my sex, religion, and satanism into vile acts of ritual Sex Magick.
6. That's all. Have any final words to leave our readers with? Best of luck with Abdullah.
JEFF: Keep an open mind even if you have to keep it open with heavy intoxicants. As Bill Hicks put it: "Keep that third eye squeegeed wide open."
ALAN: Stop watching television, ignore the newspaper, doubt everyone. You are being brainwashed by media propaganda. Follow your own lead and play the new Abdullah demo SNAKE LORE every day.