| Bands: | Infiltrator |
| Release: | Remnants of Battle |
| Genre: | Death Metal |
| Country: | Germany |
| Release Date: | 7th of June, 2024 |
| Released via | Heavenly Vault, Fucking Kill Records |
| Cover Artwork: | Hagiophobic |
Sometimes, when writing for this blog it is simply not possible to pass on specific bands. This certainly was the case when the first tracks off the full-length debut Remnants of Battle by Leipzig-based Death Metal solo band Infiltrator were made available. The parallels to the sound of Bolt Thrower were immediate yet quite a few of the team members were overtly enthusiastic about this diligent homage to one of the pioneers of the genre. This is why we were very interested in getting to know further details about the emergence of this band, the setting in the spheres of war and especially the entire recording process managed by its only member.
Interview with L.P. from Infiltrator
Hello L. P. and welcome at Transcended Music Blog. Really glad to be able to talk to you about your recent full-length debut by Infiltrator!
Thank you for having me and believing I actually have something to say that’s worth reading, haha!
Before getting a little deeper into detail with the output of Infiltrator, we might take the chance to get a glimpse of what other projects the readers might know you from already.
Sorry for the bumpy start but so far not many people seem to have picked up on these connections, and for now I’d rather keep it that way.
Going by the fact that you have been pretty active in the musical landscape for quite some time now – when did the idea come up to start off with a project that would be roaming these spheres of Death Metal?
If I recall correctly I recorded the first Demos quite some time ago, probably early 2023. Everything fell into hibernation shortly after in favor of recording and touring with other bands. It’s also not my first “solo project” in that sense. Previous ones were just bits and pieces of different genres, more lo fi and less coherent, but I always enjoyed creating something on my own. This particular style was teasing me more and more as I kept listening to the same few records for years while lifting weights. I just thought, damn, that’s simply the hardest, most entertaining stuff ever, and it does NOT get boring. I am not the most technical musician by any means, thus a style of metal that finds its heaviness and beauty in simplicity was quite intriguing.
If there is one certain aspect that stood out about Infiltrator’s debut LP “Remnants of Battle,” it’s the fact this is a one-man-band with you, L.P., as sole musician. Although not being quite unusual when talking about Black Metal, I feel that it is less “regular” in the realms of Death Metal. Was this the intention right from the beginning or due to a lack of fellow musicians?
I hope the music itself is the certain aspect that stands out and the lineup (or lack thereof) is just a side note, haha! To be honest, I am making a virtue out of a necessity. It is true that most of the bands I play in do actually live quite spread out and everyone has limited time and energy for bands while finding new musicians can be quite the task. Still, I do enjoy being able to freely express my own vision for a project without compromise. It is refreshing to set out and not have anything hold you back other than your own musical and technical abilities – which can in turn be quite the limiting factor. But there is always a tradeoff.
Not only did you play all the instruments on this album, but you also took care of the entire recording process. What recording or mixing experience did you bring to this bulk of a task of recording an entire full-length album?
Very little actually. In my other bands we always record the music ourselves, so I roughly knew where to put a mic, and had a handful of those lying around. However we always left the mixing to someone with more skill and experience. I did “produce” some of my previous solo endeavors and side projects, but only if the music called for a very raw, lo-fi sound. Before recording and mixing INFILTRATOR I did know what an EQ or a compressor were, but to say I knew how to use them properly would be an overstatement. It’s probably still very far-fetched. Most of the techniques I had to learn during the process, by listening to stuff I like, researching on how to recreate the sound and making a million mistakes on the way. There also were helpful tips by a handful of people I was in correspondence with during the production process.
It must have been quite a large workload to record this entire full-length yourself. How did you proceed during the recording process and when working on the post-production?
Like a bloody fool! Drums were done over one weekend, but guitars were a different story. I had some guide guitar tracks from the demos but they were practically unusable. So I spent most of my afternoons and nights after work laying down tracks. This would also take a myriad of takes as I’m not a virtuoso on guitar so to speak. The mixing went down in similar fashion. I worked on it compulsively like a lunatic in every free minute I had until I was close to halfway satisfied. At times it was a bloody nightmare and I spent many nights lying awake, thinking about song structures, riffs, or the tiniest tweaks in the mix. I couldn’t possibly tell you how many hours all of this took. But time flies when you’re having fun, doesn’t it? As stated above, I had to learn it pretty much from scratch. I made tons of mistakes, tried to do things the “right” way where it should have been done the “improper” way or vice versa in order to achieve the sound I was going for. The way I went about it was not very professional but it worked out in the end. And as I learned a lot during the process I can be a lot more efficient next time. I don’t know if I will though, haha!
The framework of the eventual output of your songwriting, playing and recording has already been considered to align with Death Metal genre pioneers Bolt Thrower – which I have to agree with – what was the specific focus you set yourself for songwriting, playstyle and / or the recording process ?
Well, exactly that. I don’t think it’s a secret that Infiltrator is supposed to be an homage, or an epitaph if you will, to the legendary Bolt Thrower. What inspired me the most was the way they articulate extreme heavy music through simplicity, catchy melodies and ridiculously tasty grooves. I didn’t set out to recreate one of their eras or albums in particular, but just try and capture what to me was their musical essence within the confines of my own technical abilities. You could of course argue that there’s little originality in simply recreating a specific existing style, and I would not even object. But there’s numerous metal subgenres populated by a great number of bands which you can trace back to one or few originators. I felt as if Bolt Thrower style Death Metal is underrepresented, and wanted to give it a try myself. In that sense, my technical limitations were a blessing in their own way as I was never really tempted to overplay or “overproduce”.
During recent years, it has become slightly more prominent again in the realms of Metal to not only move within the sphere of war as a topic because musicians consider it to be “metal” but also in order to specifically put a spotlight on the horrors of the conflicts that are addressed. With “Remnants of Battle,” you also decided to address this subject. What was it that convinced you to do so?
First of all it is quite fitting and I did not want to go for pretentiously deep or philosophical lyrics for simple music like this. While I don’t want to sound like a broken record player always talking about that band but while Bolt Thrower were no philosophers or poets themselves, and I certainly am neither, their lyrics (and music) capture something that many other bands miss out on. There are many moments where music and lyrics empower the listener by invoking stories of determination, pride and stoic acceptance of one’s fate. While not necessarily uplifting, these songs and passages can give you quite the push. But with all the besung glory, pride and virtue in battle and war, what sticks out to me the most is an often subtle sense of melancholy and tragedy. A sad pride in remembrance if you will. This is an utterly refreshing combination and approach to war as a lyrical and musical concept in metal. I also think it’s strikingly relevant in the face of conflicts (re-)emerging and calls to pick a side or even take up arms for one side or another growing ever louder. We, in western countries, enjoyed what we perceived to be comfortably peaceful times. But war and destruction have become increasingly hard to ignore, even for us. I don’t think it is a coincidence they find their way more and more into music or art in general.
Probably one of the conflicts that has been discussed the most recently is World War I. It could be considered that your teaser trailer for “Remnants of Battle” might allude to the idea of World War I because of the focus on the industrialized warfare, but it is not possible to actually pin it down. Are there any specific conflicts that find resonance on this album?
In short: No, the lyrics are not discussing one or another specific conflict of the past or presence. Neither are they trying to create their own fantasy world or war universe.
It’s true that the footage we used for the teaser depicted WWI artillery manufacturing. We mainly chose that for aesthetic reasons, and because the Second World War in comparison seems to have much more of a political connotation that is relevant today still. I say „seem“ because I believe that also WWI, its causes and consequences, are still very much relevant in today’s geopolitical landscape and it’s not just an easy go-to topic for „apolitical“ metal lyrics. I also don’t think that industrialisation or a profit oriented economy were the sole drivers behind the final escalation leading to WWI. I see people referencing this rather vulgar marxist analysis more and more often, also when it comes to recent wars, and I think it’s rather limited. But that’s beyond the scope of this interview. I just wanted to circumnavigate this specific topic in the lyrics as I don’t see myself in the position to give lectures about military technicalities or geopolitical contexts of actual conflicts, past or present.
There is, was and will be enough war, conflict, killing and despair on this earth to fill thousands of records. The vagueness of the lyrics is by design as they rather deal with the feelings and moments of danger, impending doom, bravery, valor, but also sorrow, grief and despair that transcend all wars.
As stated several times already, the full-length we’re talking about here is called “Remnants of Battle.” What do you think are, eventually, the remnants of battle?
Let me clarify one thing first. By no means I am trying to endorse a blatantly naive pacifism or vulgar “anti-militarism”. I hold the firm belief there are good reasons to pick up arms and defend your cause and, sadly enough, conflicts in this world where military engagement is justified. This should be more or less evident if you take a close enough look at the lyrics.
But I try never to forget that what ultimately remains, no matter how heroic and justified the cause, is despair, grief and loss. Many, many graves and scornful memorials trying to justify all the lost lives by telling one or another story of pride and valor. And often growing from that, more hatred and war.
The vinyl 12” of “Remnants of Battle” will be released on different pressings via Chris at Fucking Kill Records. How did you get in contact with Chris regarding the release of your full-length debut?
I wish I could claim that I sent him a message through morse code on a device that was once used on a massive battle ship or something cool like that. But it was an ordinary message online. We were in touch before and when I sent very raw, crappy demos his way, he was sold immediately. His enthusiasm for small projects like this is contagious and he is one of the few people I know who is dedicated and crazy enough to release something like this on vinyl. So, I hit him up, and he was along for the ride. Thanks Chris!
As far as I was able to find out I’ve seen numerous positive resonances regarding your album, which is probably quite a relieving and fulfilling feeling. Because of this resonance, would you consider setting up an entire live band to play your music on stages as well?
You know, before his death, Kafka wrote in his informal will that his closest friend Max Brod was to burn all his unfinished writings unread and unpublished. By now it’s widely accepted by research that this was in fact the only way in which Kafka could openly express his wish for the texts to be published, which his friend obviously interpreted correctly. Given this analogy, I will say that this is a solo project which can never see the light of a stage and I do not wish to even try and change that.
However, I am utterly overwhelmed by the positive reception and comments as well as people approaching me, offering to be part of a live ensemble. Thank you!
What are the short- and long-term future plans for Infiltrator for 2024 and beyond?
After completing the album and sending it off to the press plant I felt relieved and creatively drained, in a cathartic way. I thought it would take ages for me to be inspired to write a guitar riff again. But you know how it is. You hit the gym, almost soil yourself doing a heavy lift while listening to “The IVth Crusade” or “For Victory” and suddenly you’re back in your room with a guitar in your hand hitting that record button. So I guess there will be more music, sooner or later. I don’t want to make any promises though. Other projects are waiting and I will thus have a creative output through other channels. And an actual job to attend to, haha. I also want to use what I learned during recording to help other bands materialize their songs as I found that to be surprisingly enjoyable and creative in itself. So, let’s see. But it was all too much fun not to do it again.
Thank you very much, L. P., for taking your time answering these questions and I wish you all the best. As usual, the final words in this interview shall belong to you.
It was my pleasure. Take care, and thank you for all the support.
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