Although Severe Torture was still a relatively young Dutch band with only one demo released at the time, it was a demo that immediately caught my attention. Live, they had already proven themselves to be a band that never disappointed. In short: it was about time to sit down with Seth, the drummer of Severe Torture.
First of all, the classic interview question. For readers who know nothing about Severe Torture, could you tell us a bit about the band’s history? You founded the band, didn’t you?
That’s right. I started the band together with bassist Patrick and guitarist Thijs. Originally we were called Coprophagia, with Jan Prins on vocals and guitar. When that band had run its course, vocalist Eric and guitarist Jelle joined us, and in January 1997 Severe Torture was born. We changed the name because Coprophagia had been thought up by our previous singer, and we simply felt Severe Torture was a much cooler name. Since we hadn’t released anything yet, changing it wasn’t a problem. At the end of 1997 and the beginning of 1998 we recorded the “Baptized…” demo. Shortly afterwards Eric left to join Sinister, and Dennis became our new vocalist.
That brings me to my first real question: why did Eric leave for Sinister? No hard feelings, I suppose?
None at all. In fact, when Sinister offered him the chance to audition, we encouraged him to go for it. We knew it was something he really wanted, so why stand in his way? I completely understand someone wanting to take the next step. Besides, Dennis turned out to be an excellent replacement, so Severe Torture certainly didn’t suffer because of it!
You once mentioned that it was a shame the demo didn’t include lyrics, because people couldn’t really follow what the songs were about. You also described Severe Torture as an anti-Christian band. Could you explain that?
The only reason the lyrics weren’t included was money. The booklet would have had to be much larger, and that would’ve made the demo a lot more expensive. Yes, we’re an anti-Christian band, but that’s not what we want to emphasize. First and foremost, we’re a brutal death metal band. That’s what Severe Torture is all about. The anti-Christian themes in the lyrics are simply an extra dimension. That doesn’t mean the lyrics aren’t important, they’re every bit as important as the music itself.
So… “Baptized in Virginal Liquid” isn’t based on one of the band members’ personal experiences?
Actually… it is! Our guitarist Thijs once had an eight-year-old girl piss on his head. That’s where “Baptized in Virginal Liquid” comes from…
Well… that’s lovely! Now I definitely want to read those lyrics. But moving on: where do you find inspiration, both lyrically and musically? Are you guys full of bottled-up anger?
The only thing we bottle up every weekend is an enormous amount of beer. We don’t really bottle up anger, we release it through our music. The lyrics come from things we see happening around us, and we try to describe those events in the most intense way possible. The band’s name says it all: there’s an incredible amount of torture in this world, both mental and physical. Our lyrics deal with both. Musically, we’re inspired by bands like Dying Fetus, Deeds of Flesh, Vader, Cryptopsy, and many others.
And how does songwriting work within the band? Music first, then lyrics? Are you quick or rather slow? Does someone write on their own, or… Tell us a little more about it.
We write the songs together. Usually Patrick, Jelle or Thijs comes up with a riff or an idea, and then we keep working on it and fine-tuning it until we are one hundred percent satisfied. Sometimes that can take weeks. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time that, after being stuck on a song for several weeks, we eventually have to throw it away anyway. The vocal lines and lyrics are added afterwards. I usually write those myself.
The ‘Baptized…’ demo lasts about 14 minutes, and within that time you perform five songs. Was it a conscious decision to keep the 
songs on the short side, or did it just happen that way? What’s behind this?
Personally, I don’t think songs should become boring. So one song will be a bit shorter than another. With the demo, it just happened to work out that way. We do have some longer songs now, but they’re not much longer.
Well, as long as they’re good songs… Hey Seth, could you explain the line “Paradise, a lost word in a lunatic’s fantasy”, which appears on the cover of your demo, in a little more detail?
“Paradise, a lost world in a lunatic’s fantasy” is a line written by our former singer Eric. It’s a line from the lyrics of ‘Till The End’. The point is that people believe in a paradise that doesn’t exist, or at least, not the paradise they think exists.
Besides being the drummer in Severe Torture, you are, like bassist Patrick, also active in the band Centurian, although there you are the vocalist. Isn’t it difficult to combine both bands, and what are the biggest differences between the two? Isn’t it exhausting when you have to perform with both bands, for example on February 28, 1999?
It’s not that difficult to combine both bands. It has obviously made me a bit busier, but so far everything is going fine. The most important thing, though, is t
hat both Patrick and I consider Severe Torture our highest priority. Those double gigs are indeed pretty exhausting, and it’s not going to happen again unless there are at least two bands in between. I want to give 200% with both bands, and you simply can’t do that in one day.
During the last few years, when Black Metal was at its peak, Death Metal was relatively quiet. Now Black Metal seems to be slowing down a bit, while Death Metal is raising its head again. In a way, the predicted wave is coming back. Do you see this as a positive development, or would you rather see both styles develop alongside each other, or… what’s your opinion on this?
What I don’t understand is why the Black Metal scene is always compared so much to the Death Metal scene. As if they’re so similar. I think Kreator comes much closer than all those pathetic little organs. I don’t really understand this rivalry anyway; it’s music, not a competition to see which one is better. Nevertheless, it’s true that the Black Metal scene is getting smaller, but I’m sure it’ll come back again someday. People like variety.
Okay. And don’t you think Death Metal has changed compared to a few years ago? More brutal, faster, (far) fewer solos, etc.?
Definitely. I certainly think Death Metal has become heavier. Especially that huge American scene.
What is it like for you to play live? Are there enough opportunities for you (and for other underground metal bands) to perform? Is the
scene big enough, and how does the audience react? Personally, I think you come across even better live than you do on the demo. How do you see it?
I completely agree with you. The demo doesn’t really sound that heavy, whereas live we have a truly crushing sound. So far, we’ve had almost nothing but positive reactions with Severe, and I’m always really happy about that. I know how much I can enjoy a concert myself, so it makes me feel good when people have enjoyed seeing us. The scene is big enough. We’re now starting to make some contacts abroad, and hopefully we’ll be able to go to Belgium or Germany sometime soon.
I hope so for you. Now that you’re already playing regularly, I’d like to ask you this: would you rather be sober on stage or drunk in the audience watching the show? Which one would you choose, and why? Does the whole band unanimously agree?
We unanimously swear by the combination of both. Playing is fucking great, but afterwards there has to be drinking. So this is a very difficult question for me to answer, and that’s why I won’t choose, haha.
By the way, could you tell us what we can expect from Severe Torture in the future? What are the plans?
The plan is to record a full-length album this year and release it before the end of the year as well. After that, we’ll see what happens, but our ambitions are very high. We’re all going for it!!!
Well, that’s all. Thanks for answering the questions, and good luck with Severe Torture. All that’s left for me to do is give you the final word…
Thanks for the interview, it was great to do! And to all the Death Metal fans:
KEEP IT FUCKING SICK!!!
“Baptized…” demo – fl. 10,- (now sold out)
“Baptized…” CD-R – fl. 17.50
T-shirt with logo – fl. 20,-
T-shirt with band photo – fl. 20,-
T-shirt with drawing – fl. 20,-
