Albums of Purgatory interview Ingurgitating Oblivion's Florian Engelke

Albums of Purgatory: Firstly, what’s the band up to right now?

Florian Engelke: Hi there everybody … well, first of all I wanna say thank you for the interview. We appreciate such support very much, for it means support of our band and underground music in general. Well, at the moment I reside in England and my band mates rehearse for some shows we are going to play in October. I will be in Germany by that time (actually I am just living in England every once in a while to do work experiences here!). Our future projects are the following: First of all, the band band suffered from another line-up change. Our drummer is about to leave us in order to be able to concentrate more intensively on his second band Despondency. I think that’s fair enough. Well, we then decided to work together with Florian Neumeyer of Gallery of Darkness (a former project of us) and The Awakening. So in the first place we need to introduce him to our music and stuff. Another plan is to do another CD in … say … half a year or so. Well, and we’re going to compose new songs when I am back in Germany. I think we’ll do that in 3 or 4 weeks time. There we go …

AoP: How would you describe the Ingurgitating Oblivion sound?

FE: Good question actually … I think the music of Ingurgitating Oblivion can best be described as variable, dark, malign, atmospheric in a malicious way, brutal, complex … DEATH METAL. Well, we really like acts such as Immolation, Morbid Angel, Incantation, Diabolic, Gorguts … these influences are definitely detectable in our sound. I hope this kind of describes our music. The best thing to get the picture is – of course – to get the CD and listen to our audible manifestations, haha …

AoP: How did you get involved with the band?

FE: I founded the band in late 1996/ early 1997 – originally under the name of OF TREES AND ORCHIDS. Meanwhile I am the last original band member. All the others quit the band because of various reasons. Maybe I am too demanding??? Anyway … Karsten (second guitarist) joined the band in 1998 or so. So actually he is kind of an original band member, too. He decisively developed our sound! The other guys in the band are good friends we got to know via DEATH METAL … the usual procedure I should think. Sascha (bass) joined us one and a half years ago, Ulli (main vocals) approximately three quarters of a year ago, Florian II (new drummer) just recently.

AoP: Have you been involved in any other projects?

FE: Yeah! Until a few months ago I was involved in GALLERY OF DARKNESS – a simple, brutal, rather straight Death Metal act. The difference to INGURGITATING OBLIVION basically was the level of complexity. GALLERY OF DARKNESS definitely used to play simpler music than INGURGITATING OBLIVION. Well, that was good fun actually … but when Dirk (our former IO drummer) stated that he would leave us, we decided to unite both bands and continue INGURGITATING OBLIVION. Two years ago I was playing guitars in a really technical band called INTO THE MATRIX (guess which movie made use the "MATRIX" in the name, hehe). We had a really good time with that band. The current Obscenity drummer played in that formation as well. I think we managed to write three songs or so, haha. By the way, we’ve release a new GALLERY OF DARKNESS album just before we spit up. That output is called "Instinct" and contains 5 songs that are quite cool, straight, brutal, and insidiously fast. You name it … this output is still available. Check the sales-section of our website and order it if you dare:

www.ingurgitating-oblivion.de



AoP: Can you remember your first gig (how did it go)?

FE: Jesus Christ! Don’t remind me of that massacre … well, that was a farce I would say. I think as everyone who’s doing his first show we kind of wetted our trousers and were nervous like nobody’s business. I feared I would have a heart attack or something, haha. Nevertheless, we played surprisingly well. But nonetheless I believe that the audience kind of senses that we all were extremely nervous – well, and that’s not a good situation for a band that wants to kick ass. When you perform live there is a constant stream of energy that flows … unfortunately it’s disturbed quite quickly, and then you fail! Performing live is such a subtle and delicate process … it can be an elating joy, it can also be hell in its most appalling form. Meanwhile, our shows are very professional I should think. We try to capture and enmesh our audience with pure energy!!!

AoP: What sort of reactions have you been getting with the new release "Cadence and Perspective in Desolation"?

FE: I think the reactions have been exclusively positive so far. Let me think about it … hmmmm, to be honest, I think there was one review saying that our music is too complex and demands too much attention. But … hey, I interpret that as a positive reaction! This kind of reaction to our music has always been expressed so far, haha. That’s the way we compose music! I get bored and fed up with too simplistic music, especially when I have to play it. I like the challenge … we all are considering ourselves very much and intensively with technique that can be applied in the kind of music we play. Well, we are also very much intrigued by music that hasn’t anything to do with Metal. One can learn a lot when avoiding being narrow-minded, in many respects – especially concerning your attitude!


AoP: What are your favourite Ingurgitating Oblivion tracks?


FE: That’s my subjective opinion, hehe. I think I’d go for "Descent to the Temple", "Nothingness" … and definitely the song we are currently working on "Imprecation of the Imperfect"!!!

AoP: What are your favourite all time songs?

FE: Of our band … well, I know that you don’t mean that, haha. But let me state just one thing: The things we are bound to do in the future, the songs we are still going to write in the future, the gigs we are going to play, the conversations we will have with Metal freaks, fans, friends, etc. … all these things make me carry on with the band. It’s not the past that fascinates us as a band … it is the future.

Back to your answer – my all time songs:

Slayer – Reign in Blood

Cynic – Textures

Death – Suicide Machine

Incantation – Christening the Afterbirth

Morbid Angel – Rapture/ God of Emptiness/ all songs on "Altars of Madness"

Immolation – Failure for Gods

Gorguts – Obscura

Opeth – Morningrise/ November

My Dying Bride – Sear me/ Turn loose the Swans/ Your River

Obituary – Slowly we rot

Nocturnus - everything


AoP: What was the first record you bought?

FE: Puhhhh … I think my father got me a Sepultura record (Schizophrenia) as a reward for a good mark at school, hahaha …

I think the first Metal record I bought myself was Celtic Frost’s "Into the Pandaemonium".

AoP: What would be your dream band line-up?

FE: Yeaaaahhhh, good question indeed! I think I’d go for David Vincent + Ros Dolan as vocalists, Paul Masvidal and Trey Azagthoth as guitarists, Steve Di’Giorgi as bassist, and finally Gene Hogan or Pete "Commando" Sandoval as drummer(s). I think this line-up would be devastating!!!!

AoP: What do you think of the position of Metal and music in general today?

FE: I think music in general is likely to be the most efficient form of communication between human beings and the energy surrounding them infinitely.

For me Metal music is a high form of art. It has the potential to express untameable drives that slumber within each of us so intensively. For me it is the best suitable "mouth-piece" to compensate and canalise my inner energies. I believe that the entire controversy and arguing about Death Metal threatening today’s youth is dumb bullshit! Well, I am convinced that the original ideals of the Metal movement are utterly honest and positive. I don’t feel there is no disadvantage in listening and playing Death Metal. On the contrary … it is a passion, it is a form of art, it’s highly sophisticated. Any product, any shade of music, any movie … whatever … can become dangerous when handled by people who are susceptible to almost anything, who are instable basically. You cannot blame an entire scene for that. I think Metal has been and will always be a significant part of music in general!!!

AoP: Which other bands in the scene really stand out for you at the moment?

FE: Immolation, Gorguts, My Dying Bride, Shub-Niggurath, Morbid Angel, Suffocation, Diabolic, Angel Corpse, Incantation, Hate Eternal, Disgorge, Anathema, Malignancy, Cephalic Carnage … to be continued!

AoP: Do you have any funny stories about the band you can share with us?

FE: Of course … our former drummer is famous for his outrageous belly speaking sessions. Well, what he does is pressing his flabby belly together and pulling strange faces with it. Sometimes he also wears T-shirts that are far too short for him, he can’t part with them, hehehe. Well, and such T-shirts he sometimes wears on stage … I presume he’s very fond of his belly, hahaha.

Another cool story is this – when we last played a show in Belgium our bassist got so pissed after the show so that he couldn’t move anymore and had to lie down on the pavement to get sobered up. Well, our singer saw that, grabbed Sascha by the foot, and dragged Sascha into a car wash nearby. Then he threw some coins into the according slot and switched on this monstrous machine, hahaha. Well, Sascha never was cleaner thereafter.

AoP: And finally, what do you see in the future for Ingurgitating Oblivion?

FE: Hmmmm, I think one of our bold future plans is definitely to get a cool and fair record deal – one that considers mutual interests in a fair reasonable fashion. We want to compose and record good Death Metal albums. I think the line-up how it exists currently is really strong and promising. I don’t think that we will be troubled by further line-up difficulties in the near future anymore. As I have already mentioned, we are going to compose loads of malicious, brutal, and hideous Death Metal symphonies that will wrench you bowels. We are full of energy and plans for the future! And … yeah … I think in sometime in 2003 (summer) we shall be able to record another album! We are currently updating and updating our website. There will be tons of information waiting to be absorbed and digested, loads of reviews, interviews, photos, lyrics, background information … check it at www.ingurgitating-oblivion.de

If you got intrigued by the things I am writing about here, please contact us via thought-cathedral@gmx.de or the website – as you wish.

Thanks for your interest and support! Let the Metal flow …